The Van Rysel RCR Professional is, undoubtedly, one of the talked about bikes in 2024, and for good motive. The Decathlon subsidiary model has solely been round in its present kind since 2019 and has traditionally been identified for value-driven merchandise, quite than all the time aiming for halo bikes. Within the final twelve months, nevertheless, all this has modified.
Final 12 months, Van Rysel unveiled the RCR Professional, promising top-end race bike efficiency, at a much more modest value than a few of its competitors. This was adopted by an announcement of a €26 million price range injection to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, who’ve been driving the bikes all season lengthy, and with nice success.
However WorldTour victories apart – has Van Rysel actually made a superbike killer? Permit me to elucidate.
Van Rysel RCR Professional: Building
In the event you have been to catch a glimpse of the RCR Professional because it rolled previous you on the cafe, you’d be forgiven for assuming you had simply seen one more Specialised Tarmac SL7. The RCR Professional does share some signature design components akin to a cut-out on the seat tube, dropped seat stays, a sloping prime tube, and a barely deeper head tube. That is removed from a criticism, nevertheless – the Van Rysel RCR Professional is a splendid-looking machine, and definitely appears at house within the WorldTour steady.
The frameset is claimed to weigh simply 790 grams for a measurement medium, which works toe to toe with the competitors. In truth, it comes only a smidgen away from the likes of the rather more pricey Issue O2 VAM, and surpasses the Cannondale Supersix Evo Hello-mod’s 810g body weight. All this was achieved via the same old toil of computational iterative design, to work out the place finest to position the ‘tremendous Hello Mod Carbon’ all through the frameset.
In look at the least, the Van Rysel RCR Professional has Specialised Tarmac vibes
(Picture credit score: Future (Richard Butcher))
With the RCR Professional being a high-end, modern-day race bike, its aerodynamics have been meticulously thought of. The frameset was first topic to computational fluid dynamics testing earlier than totally different iterations of the bike have been examined within the wind tunnel in order that Decathlon engineers may create the quickest Van Rysel body form attainable.
The RCR Professional options an aggressive stack-to-reach ratio of 1.40, which is coupled with 410mm chainstays. The wheelbase is a bit of bit longer than a few of my favorite performing race bikes, which as I’ll come onto, performs a component within the bike’s steady dealing with.
Two-piece cockpit options Deda’s Superzero handlebar
(Picture credit score: Future (Richard Butcher))
So far as spec is worried, my RCR Professional on take a look at is a barely blended bag. Groupset duties are dealt with by Shimano’s Ultegra R8170 Di2, wheels included, which all carried out expectedly reliably. Ending equipment alternatively was extra diversified. The handlebars are a two-piece setup, with Deda’s Superzero handlebar. Coming in at 42cm centre to centre, they did really feel a bit of large, and I discovered the drop to be quite shallow too, which hindered me from getting correctly snug. For reference, Canyon’s tempo bar system might be adjusted right down to 35cm, and equally, Pinarello gives cockpits right down to a 35cm large handlebar with the brand new Dogma. The upside although, is that due to the two-piece design, altering out the handlebar isn’t too tough.
Van Rysel RCR Professional: the trip
Lay my handlebar style to the facet, nevertheless, and it’s a reasonably formidable bike on paper. The problem, for me at the least, is that this didn’t fairly translate to greatness out on the tarmac.
As is the case with all my highway bike assessments, I began off with a neighborhood testing loop which I’m past conversant in. This 25km loop options some steep climbs, a quick descent, and a few tough and clean highway surfaces too, all of which permit me to get a very good really feel for a motorbike’s dealing with in a managed atmosphere. The bike instantly felt steady, however I couldn’t fairly get the bike to really feel alive beneath me like I’ve with different bikes on take a look at of current.
Wheels are Shimano’s Ultegra
(Picture credit score: Future (Richard Butcher))
Nonetheless, not one to carry a grudge in opposition to a motorbike after a mediocre first impression, I continued testing with some longer rides out into the Cotswolds, the place I put the bike to the take a look at on some harder climbs. As soon as once more although, it was blended emotions on the highway. The Van Rysel RCR Professional is definitely a really snug bike, doing an amazing job of night out the plentiful bumps on my native Oxfordshire roads, nevertheless, this consolation does appear to return on the detriment of responsiveness. A couple of times I did have a seat submit slip too, albeit on a very harsh highway floor.
Notably whereas climbing out of the saddle, or sprinting, I discovered the RCR Professional to lack the responsiveness that one of the best race bikes accomplish that nicely to seize. By all means, the RCR Professional is a quick bike, quite a few WorldTour victories show that, however the barely boring trip really feel means it’s not such a pleasure to trip as different bikes on the market.
The bike performs very nicely on the descents. The marginally longer wheelbase, at the side of the aggressive head angle, makes for a steady trip that also modifications path fairly nicely. The RCR Professional was a motorbike I discovered myself with the ability to push fairly arduous proper from the get-go.
Worth and Conclusion
Has Van Rysel actually created a brilliant bike killer? In any case, the purpose of this bike is to supply WorldTour high quality at a less expensive value.
Our take a look at bike is priced at £5,500, and comes with Ultegra Di2, carbon wheels, and two-piece ending equipment, which is nice worth, however not exceptional. For instance, the brand new Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 8 comes with the identical groupset, DT Swiss wheels, and an built-in aero cockpit for simply £500 extra at £5,999, and having ridden each bikes, I’d say the Canyon is best worth for cash.
So whereas sure, it does barely undercut the competitors at this value level, I don’t essentially assume meaning it’s the finest worth bike available on the market. I feel Van Rysel has completely secured its foothold available in the market with the RCR Professional, and this race bike has definitely elevated the model too, however I nonetheless assume it’s nonetheless one or two iterations from upsetting the massive gamers.
