While BikeRadar tester Ashley Quinlan noted the hyper-light DT Swiss PRC Mon Chasseral wheelset and Schwalbe Pro One TT tyres are “one-trick ponies” of sorts, they make it possible to undercut the UCI weight limit even with pedals and other accessories. Owners of the .1R will be invited to visit Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, where they will experience a personalized fitting session with J.Laverack’s founders. Furthermore, hyper bicycles an integration with the automaker’s online configurator allows anyone to design their dream bicycle. This digital tool lets users personalize the color of the tubes, lugs, forks, stem, seat post, and handlebar drops, as well as choose to leave the carbon fiber exposed for its natural beauty. Various accents like the bottom bracket cups, brake calipers, and brake disc centers can be coated in bronze or remain understated in black.
Despite nearly every rider using some of the best kit available, the average complete bike weight was a hefty 7.92kg. At the heart of this extraordinary creation lies an exquisitely crafted frame, a result of merging parametrically designed, 3D-printed titanium lugs and carbon fiber tubes. This fusion doesn’t just deliver an unparalleled combination of responsiveness and comfort, Aston Martin says, but it also redefines aesthetics and elegance.
When the 2021 Giant TCR launched, Giant claimed this enabled it to create the lightest set of carbon fibre sheets ever assembled for one of its bikes. In turn, each tube could be lighter, leading to a claimed weight of 685g for a size 56cm S-Works Tarmac SL8 frame – 115g less than an equivalent S-Works Tarmac SL7 frame. This impressively low weight was almost an afterthought, though – perhaps because Canyon knows it can build lighter bikes. All in, the new O2 VAM has a claimed frame weight (including the integrated seat mast) of 730g in a size 54cm, despite it retaining a number of aerodynamic optimisations. This was most evident when we weighed pro bikes at the start of the 2022 Tour de France in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Indeed, the bike looks sleek and harmonious thanks mostly to the absence of fixing points or raw weldings. Also, not a single cable or hose mars the sleek appearance thanks to the unique integration of the brakes. Aston Martin and British bicycle manufacturer J.Laverack have joined forces to unveil what is being described as the most innovative bicycle in the world.
That means complete with “pedals, power meter, computer mount, bottle cages, and all”. Canyon’s 2019 Ultimate CF EVO Disc 10.0 LTD, for example, weighed just 6.04kg in a size medium, while its 5.1kg Ultimate CF Evo 10.0 SL showed what was possible in the rim-brake era. Unusually, Canyon even said it added 30g of extra carbon to the frame compared to the previous version, to improve its stiffness and reliability.
Simon von Bromley is a senior technical writer for BikeRadar.com. Simon joined BikeRadar in 2020, but has been riding bikes all his life, and racing road and time trial bikes for over a decade. As a person of little physical talent, he has a keen interest in any tech which can help him ride faster and is obsessed with the tiniest details. Simon writes reviews and features on hyper bicycles power meters, smart trainers, aerodynamic bikes and kit, and nerdy topics like chain lubricants, tyres and pro bike tech. Simon also makes regular appearances on the BikeRadar Podcast and BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. Before joining BikeRadar, Simon was a freelance writer and photographer, with work published on BikeRadar.com, Cyclingnews.com and in CyclingPlus magazine.