High-End Road Bikes

The best road bikes for serious cyclists

For serious, high-mileage cyclists, reviewers say the Giant Defy Advanced 1 (MSRP: $3,550) is a great pick. This road bike has a carbon frame and comes in six sizes, ranging from XS to XL. It primarily sports Shimano Ultegra components, although the rear derailleur is a Shimano Dura-Ace. The Giant Defy Advanced 1 is also outfitted with Michelin Pro Race3 tires and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels. It wins an Editor's Choice award from Bicycling magazine, where they recommend it for high mileage because of its relatively upright seating position (compared to Giant's TCR line). Testers for the magazine say it's "fast and nimble," while still offering a superb mixture of performance and comfort. VeloNews magazine also picks the Giant Defy Advanced 1 in the "relaxed road" category, saying the taller head tube offers superior comfort over long rides.

Cyclist Roy Wallack evaluates the Giant Defy Advanced 1 for the Los Angeles Times and deems it fast, light and comfortable. He describes the road bike's frame as "beefy" but finds it does a good job of absorbing road vibration, and he likes the more relaxed seating position for limiting neck and back strain on long rides. The only thing he doesn't like about the Giant Defy Advanced 1 is the redesigned seat post, which earns high marks for style but low marks for adjustability. The Defy Advanced 1 also scores 4.5 stars (out of five) from George Ramelkamp at BikeRadar.com. He praises the ride and handling as "capable and confidence-inspiring" and finds the bike is all-around comfortable.

Although the Giant Defy Advanced 1 doesn't offer a women-specific design, the Giant Avail Advanced 1 (MSRP: $3,550) is Giant's answer for female riders. It's a new road bike for 2009, and it comes in four women's sizes (XS, S, M and L). Like the Giant Defy Advanced 1, it has a carbon frame and combines 10-speed Shimano Ultegra shifting with a Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur. Bicycling magazine highlights the Giant Avail Advanced 1 in its 2009 buyer's guide, calling the road bike a "looker" with an improved ride and more responsive handling than its predecessors in the Giant OCR W line. The Giant Avail Advanced 2 (MSRP: $2,375), which features a Shimano 105 group instead of the upgraded Ultegra components on the Advanced 1, scores an Editor's Choice award from Bicycling magazine for 2009. Bicycling's testers praise the powerful brakes and stable ride, and they find that this road bike provides the "top all-around performance" in the women's category.

The Cervelo RS (MSRP: $4,000) also earns top marks for a more relaxed design with higher handlebars that gives a comfortable ride -- without sacrificing performance. Like the other road bikes in this category, it includes high-quality components courtesy of a Shimano Ultegra SL group and a 3T Funda Pro fork. VeloNews magazine says the more upright position gives it a "relaxed ride quality," and Cycling Weekly says the handling beats out any other Cervelo road bike. TestRider.com also has a great ride on the Cervelo RS, and it won an Editor's Choice award from Bicycling magazine in 2008. This road bike was nominated for another Editor's Choice award in 2009, and although it lost out to the Giant Defy Advanced 1, testers praise it for offering a fast ride with comfortable positioning. According to Road Bike Action, the Cervelo RS is great at absorbing road chatter, which is another plus.

Although the Giant Defy Advanced 1 and Cervelo RS road bikes get high marks for combining comfort and performance, reviewers say it's hard to beat the Specialized Tarmac Expert (*Est. $3,700) for pure racing performance in this price range. It comes in double and compact versions, with a carbon frame and Shimano Ultegra SL components. CyclingNews.com spent all winter testing the compact version of this road bike, finding that it offers stable handling, crisp shifting and powerful braking. However, CyclingNews.com says the ride quality can't compare to Specialized's higher-end S-Works Tarmac SL2 Di2 (MSRP: $9,900), which isn't too surprising because the Tarmac Expert costs $6,000 less. The Specialized Tarmac Expert wins a 2009 Editors' Choice award from Bicycling, and the magazine's editors call it "fast, responsive and racy." Like CyclingNews, Bicycling hails the steering on the Tarmac Expert, giving it high marks for both stability and precision. TestRider.com reviews the 2008 model, giving it great reviews for race performance, thanks to a stiff ride and good road feel. Overall, TestRider.com says that the "Tarmac Expert wants to race."

The carbon-framed Trek Madone 5.2 (MSRP: $4,070) also earns good reviews. It comes in three fit options -- pro, performance and WSD. The Trek Madone 5.2 Pro is an "aggressive" fit that is designed for serious racing, and the performance fit has a taller head tube for more relaxed positioning. The Trek Madone 5.2 WSD is similar to the performance fit, but it is specialized for women. Each version features a Shimano Ultegra SL component group, which is lighter than the standard Ultegra group on the Giant Defy Advanced 1, and the cassette is Shimano 105 and the wheels are Bontrager. VeloNews magazine says that even though the Trek Madone 5.2 road bike has been around for a few years, it remains "state of the art," with a perfect combination of weight and stiffness.

The Trek Madone 5.2 won the coveted Gear of the Year award from Outside magazine last year, where it earned accolades for efficient pedaling, great road feel and "a frame that devours road chatter." Cyclists generally agree, giving the Trek Madone 5.2 high ratings on RoadBikeReview.com and Buzzillions.com. The reviews from Buzzillions are compiled from the Trek website, and although we're normally skeptical of reviews on manufacturer websites, these reviews seem balanced. Most cyclists are happy with the bike, saying the Trek Madone 5.2 offers a fast and nimble ride that powers up climbs. Still, several riders say the Trek Madone 5.2 requires frequent adjustments, and another owner says the paint cracks easily.

The full-carbon Pinarello FP3 also gets good reviews, and it's available outfitted with a lower-cost Shimano 105 group (MSRP: $3,000), Campagnolo Centaur components (MSRP: $3,800) or a higher-end Dura-Ace groupset (MSRP: $5,500). It uses the same frame geometry as the Pinarello Prince (MSRP: $5,500, frameset only) -- a dream bike for many cyclists -- but with heavier carbon. National Geographic Adventure magazine picks the Pinarello FP3 with Dura-Ace components as one of the best road racers of the year in their 2009 buyer's guide, and the 105 version is deemed one of the best road bikes by Outside magazine. Their testers find the Pinarello FP3 comfortable and fast, although a lack of stiffness limits the road feel. Bicycling magazine agrees that the FP3 is less stiff than other bikes in the Pinarello line, but they praise the comfort and responsive handling.

We don't cover super high-end, tri or time trial bikes in this report, but you can find excellent reviews in all of these categories from VeloNews magazine and Bicycling magazine.