Best carbon road bikes in 2024: Our top 5 ultimate picks!

What are the best carbon road bikes? Road cycling is one of the most popular cycling disciplines. With races such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and all the classics, it has not only a huge amount of history behind it but also a bright future as its popularity continues to increase.

Finding the right road bike can be challenging. With so many available, it is difficult to know where to invest your money and what you are going to get. In this article, we will tell you all about what makes carbon special, five of the best bikes, and much more.

Why buy a carbon road bike?

What are carbon road bikes? What makes carbon fiber so special? Well, carbon fiber is a wonderful material. It is the process of putting sheets of carbon together and combining them using resin, typically in a mold. Not all carbon fiber is equal, and some is stronger, lighter, stiffer, and faster than others. The quality does matter.

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Carbon fiber has some serious advantages and is the go-to material for races like the Tour de France. Understanding why all the pros are using it goes a very long way. Here is why you should consider carbon fiber for your next road bike.

• Very lightweight compared to other materials
• Incredibly stiff helping with power transfer
• Sounds incredible when being ridden
• It can be manipulated into many different shapes, small and large
• With modern resin can last a very long time

As you can see, it has some excellent advantages over aluminum and steel. This is why the pros always use it because it produces great results in top-level racing.

The best carbon road bike 2024

Here are our selection of 5 best road bikes in 2024:

Canyon Aeroad 7.0

Canyon doesn't just make great bikes. They invest a lot of money into changing what a bike is and testing some incredible ideas. A good example was the Canyon Grail gravel bike with double-level handlebars, which shook the gravel scene.

The Aeroad has been running for a fair amount of time and continues to surprise us when new models are released. Not only does it look the part, but it also has some serious performance to back it up. 

With a weight of roughly 8kg, a super aerodynamic carbon frame, and a sleek design that looks like it is going 30 km an hour when still, it’s a fantastic bike. Many races are won on the Aeroad carbon fiber road bike, and we can see why they are an incredible bike for any rider.

Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc

One of Giant's most popular road bikes is the TCR. The TCR Pro Disc is a bike that many people find to be good not only for general road riding but also for high-speed racing. It is made to be a mix of speed and control and works for professional racing and weekend warriors so well.

What is incredible about the Giant TCR Pro is the specification. At top spec with performance lightweight components, this bike can be as light as 6.4 kg, which is very lightweight. They also make some models with more basic components but are a little heavier at a much cheaper cost. 

The bike is fast and fun, and not only that, but the TCR looks incredible, too. It’s a bike you can use day to day, but realistically, it's made to race and be incredibly fast. You will often see it used in many professional races. As far as the best carbon road bike goes, the TCR is one.

Cervelo S5

Cervelo is a big name in road racing and is often used by many professional teams. Not only do they have some of the best-looking bikes available, but they are constantly advancing them technologically. 

The latest S5 is very aerodynamic, even looking at the finest details, such as how the stem mounts and the shape as it drives up from the top tube. The frame is also wrapped over the rear wheel, making the bike incredibly short and agile and putting the rider in an incredibly tight position. 

Coming in at around 8 kg, it is not the lightest, but it does offer a design unlike any of the others here and a good aerodynamic advantage over many other bikes. The S5 carbon fiber road bike is an incredible aero road bike and, with some high-end components, a serious racing bike.

BMC Roadmachine Four

BMC is a big name when it comes to road riding, and the Roadmachine has been a competitor for many years in the racing field. It’s well known for its ability to be quick and ride longer miles if necessary.

Not only is it well known for its unique tubing style, but unlike many other road racing bikes, this bike also comes with fender mounts. You also get an internal storage pouch in the frame to carry tools or even gels.

It’s not just a one-trick bike. It can do so much. It's got performance, it’s got endurance, and it looks amazing. What more can you ask for? 

Specialized S-Works Aethos

This best carbon road bike list would not be complete without discussing Specialized. The Aethos was designed to be the perfect road riding/racing bike. Specialized wanted to create a bike that could bridge the gap between performance and comfort, and they were successful.

The Aethos has one of the lightest frames on the market to give the performance but is paired with geometry to help increase comfort. It’s a great bike if you are passionate about racing but also like long days out in the saddle. 

For a model with basic components, you will be looking at about $5,000 to $8,000, and for a model with high-end components, around $12,000 to $14,500. It’s a dream bike for many, offering something quite pure and special.

Carbon vs aluminum vs titanium vs steel

Comparing carbon fiber to aluminum, steel, and titanium can be challenging because they are all very different. Carbon is incredibly stiff and offers huge performance, and aluminum is the closest to this. 

Steel and titanium offer something a little different. They are heavier, but they offer more flexibility, which can soak up the road feel and also help on bumpy terrain. For people who are not interested in going too fast, this can be an ideal solution.

Which carbon road bike is for me?

When it comes to finding the perfect road bike for you, it is important to know what kind of riding that you are planning to do. If you want to race and be as quick as possible, then a road racing bike with an aggressive geometry is for you.

If you are not too worried about racing and love riding distance but still like the feel and performance of carbon fiber, then you will want an endurance road bike. The best carbon road bike for you don’t always mean the fastest or most expensive.

An amazing way to check out some amazing carbon road bikes is to check out the buycycle website and enjoy some incredible bargains alongside the support of our team when buying and selling.