10 stunning road bikes from Sea Otter Classic 2022 – Cannondale, Canyon, Pinarello, Giant, Wilier, BMC & more

There are loads of cool looking road bikes at the Sea Otter Classic and here are the most interesting that we've spotted over the past few days from some of the biggest brands.

Cannondale Synapse

The first big bike launch of the year was the redesigned Cannondale Synapse endurance road back in January, the US brand introducing what it calls SmartSense light and radar technology for “more visibility, better visibility, less pre-ride fiddling”. You get a set of lights with an optional rear brake light function and Garmin's Varia Radar traffic detection system included in the package, charged from a single power pack. 

The idea is that you set up the system in Cannondale’s app and then a spin of the front wheel starts communication across all the available SmartSense devices.

Cannondale has tweaked the geometry to make the ride position more upright than previously, and it says that the new Synapse is the smoothest ever.

“Discreet flex zones in the rear triangle, seat tube and seatpost absorb road chatter and bumps without adding weight or isolating you from the ride experience,” Cannondale says. 

The new Synapse is also said to be faster than its predecessor thanks to subtle aerodynamic shaping to the frame and fork.

www.cannondale.com

Canyon Aeroad

The Canyon Aeroad was officially unveiled in October 2020 and it has had a couple of well-documented issues since then – with the seatpost and the handlebar – which have kept the engineers busy.

On the other hand, it has been ridden to numerous wins at the very highest level, most recently under Mathieu van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders.

The Aeroad is, of course, the aero road bike in Canyon’s range, sitting alongside the lightweight Ultimate.

The bike was developed with wheel brand Swiss Side which was able to contribute its expertise in aerodynamics. Canyon claims that a rider on the latest Aeroad can hold a speed of 45km/h (28mph) while putting out 7.4 watts less than was required on the previous model. The frame (915g) and fork (425g) are also lighter than before.

All Aeroads are now specced with a 25mm tyre at the front for the best aerodynamic per­formance, and a 28mm rubber at the back for extra comfort and traction.

The Canyon Aeroad pictured here is the CFR DB 9.0 eTap with a Sram Red eTap groupset and DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut wheels.

www.canyon.com

Pinarello Dogma F

The Pinarello Dogma F is the latest incarnation of the bike that Ineos Grenadiers/Team INEOS/Team Sky have been riding for years, this version released just before last year’s Tour de France.

Naturally, Pinarello says the Dogma F is lighter, stiffer, and more aero than the previous version – we’d expect nothing else. The lightening is down to new production methods such as 3D-printed titanium components.

The profile of the disc brake version of the Onda fork was changed to improve interaction with the front wheel. Thanks to innovation derived from Pinarello’s Bolide time trial bike, the blades of the fork are said to act as sails that favour forward movement in crosswinds

The seat tube has been narrowed (it’s just 20mm wide at the top junction) and so has the seatpost, taking advantage of UCI rules that reduce minimum tube width.

The seatstays use new cross-sections designed to improve airflow with the rear wheel, and they are lowered, especially on the disc version, to reduce frontal area. 

www.pinarello.com

Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc

This Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc is in a bespoke finish for US racer/ambassador Rahsaan Bahati.

Read our review of the Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc

When we reviewed it we called this “a lightweight and hugely responsive road bike with aero features, and it puts in a performance that is absolutely stunning”.

Bahai’s bike includes a repeated clenched fist – a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement – and a Martin Luther King quote at the top of the down tube.

It is built up with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset and Cadex 65 Disc Tubeless wheels.

www.giant-bicycles.com www.cadex-cycling.com

Wilier Filante

The Wilier Filante SLR is a gorgeous aero road bike. When we reviewed the Filante last year we called it “a lightweight aero road bike that offers a reactive performance, quick handling, and a surprisingly comfortable ride”. It really is a bit special.

This one is in a Jun Inoue graffiti art finish, the edition limited to 200 pieces.

www.wilier.com

Canyon Endurace

The Canyon Endurace is built to an endurance-orientated geometry and has space to take tyres up to 35mm wide. It’s designed to be comfortable and quick.

This is the Endurance CF SL 7 Disc that features a carbon fibre frame and fork, a mid-level Shimano 105 groupset, and DT Swiss E 1850 Spline DB wheels.

www.canyon.com

BMC Timemachine Road 01 One

Switzerland’s BMC offers the Timemachine in time trial and road formats. They’re very different designs but the aim is similar in each case: to minimise drag.

The Timemachine Road is designed solely around disc brakes and features integrated storage and a water bottle design that minimises drag at wider yaw angles. You get an aero cover for the front brake, an integrated handlebar and stem, aero seatpost and fully internal cable routing.

The Timemachine Road 01 ONE has Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed groupset, and 62mm DT Swiss ARC 1100 wheels.

www.bmc-switzerland.com

Ritchey Logic

This Ritchey Logic steel frameset – for rim brakes – comes in a Skyline Blue finish for the brand’s 50th anniversary in 2022.

Only 150 of these have been made – it’s a one-off production – so buy one and you’re unlikely to bump into anyone else with the same finish.

They’ll be available from May 2022 in the UK and Europe only. We don’t have a UK price but it’s $1,500 in the US.

ritcheylogic.com

Wilier Superleggera Ramato

The Wilier Superleggera Ramato comes in a beautiful copper-coloured finish.

The Ramato finish was a signature feature of Wilier bikes from the late 1940s right through to the 1980s when steel was the preferred material for high-end race bikes. 

The polished copper effect is produced by mirror-polishing and then fully chroming the frame, followed by painting with a special translucent lacquer. This is a lengthy process, and that means it’s expensive.  

www.wilier.com

Turner ARTi

Turner’s ARTi is an all-road titanium bike – hence the name – that takes hydraulic disc brakes and tyres up to 38mm wide.

Turner says, “The ARTi perfectly plays the edges of what is dirt capable without being dull on the highway.”

This one is built up with a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset and Enve SES AR wheels.

turnerbikes.com

The Sea Otter Classic

The Sea Otter Classic – or the Life Time Sea Otter Classic Presented by Continental, if you want to be formal about it – is an annual cycling festival that takes place over four days outside Monterey, California, USA. It is said to be the world’s largest cycling festival with nearly 10,000 professional and amateur athletes taking part in gran fondos and a race programme that covers road, mountain bike, and gravel. The Sea Otter Classic also hosts the world’s largest consumer bike expo. 
www.seaotterclassic.com