There are so many bike brands that shortlisting the best bike brands is difficult. A quick brain dump here at Cyclingnews identified close to 100 different bike brands.
There are some very large players with global networks of bike shops. Others are niche, specialising in one type of bike or one frame material. Some are so desirable and produce their bikes in such limited volumes that you’ll wait months or even years for a bike.
A local bike shop may not have in stock the bike that you’re interested in, while some of the best bike brands only sell directly over the internet. That makes it tough to narrow down your selection.
Fortunately, we get to ride many of the best road bikes and best gravel bikes available here at Cyclingnews, so we’re well-positioned to help. Although we may not have ridden exactly the bike that you’ve shortlisted, and probably not in precisely the spec that you want, there are some brands the majority of whose products tend to score well in our reviews.
We’ve also noted below the brands’ warranty and guarantee policies to make sure that they stand behind their products.
So, with that said, here’s our pick of the best bike brands. Further down, there’s a more comprehensive list of brands that we rate highly.
Best bike brands: Our pick of the crop
You can trust Cyclingnews
Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.
Bianchi
Founded in 1885, Bianchi is officially the oldest bike brand in the world. It’s famous for its celeste green paintwork, which has been a feature since the early 1900s. Its bikes have been ridden to victory for just as long, with the earliest major win on a Bianchi as far back as 1899.
That doesn’t mean it’s old-fashioned though. Its range of road bikes includes some of the lightest and most aerodynamic available, and the most desirable. There’s a lot of depth to Bianchi’s range, from top-flight racing bikes to more affordable models. You can buy almost all of them in the brand’s signature celeste too.
The Specialissima has always been Bianchi’s lightweight performance bike, with riders such as Marco Pantani racing it to victory. The latest iteration adds improved aerodynamics, and Bianchi says it’s faster than an aero bike at gradients of 6.2 percent or more.
Read more: Bianchi Specialissima review
Another pro-level bike, the Oltre is Bianchi’s aero bike, with dramatic lines. It’s still light, Bianchi claims a size 56 weighs 6.85kg. Its air deflectors at the head tube add speed but are banned for racing by the UCI.
We tested the Oltre RC in the wind tunnel, and sadly, its aero claims didn’t quite live up to some newer bikes. That being said, it was launched in 2022 and we have a sneaking feeling there may be a new version on the way…
Read more: Bianchi Oltre launch
Bianchi isn’t just about road racing; its Impulso is designed for gravel racing. It shares many features with the brand’s road race bikes, including aero profiles and a one-piece cockpit, but adds 42mm tyre clearance.
Recently, the brand also added some alloy models to the Impulso range, making it more affordable for aspiring gravel racers.
Read more: Bianchi Impulso launch
Cannondale
Cannondale, along with Specialized and Trek, is one of the big three American performance cycle brands. Founded in New England in 1971, it was one of the first bike brands to move from steel to alloy frames in the 1980s, followed by carbon fibre in the 1990s. It’s known for innovative products, including its single-leg Lefty suspension fork.
It will sell you a bike across the whole range of disciplines, including hybrids, electric bikes and kids’ bikes, not just performance bikes for adults. It’s a long-time sponsor of professional racing teams as well, with its bikes ridden by the EF Education – EasyPost team, and it counted three-time world champion Peter Sagan as one of its protégés early in his career.
The fourth-generation SuperSix Evo is lighter, as well as being more aero than its predecessor, but still provides pro-level ride quality and the handling and road manners for which the SuperSix is famed.
Read more: Cannondale SuperSix Evo review
Cannondale’s endurance bike is now more aero and more comfortable. You can choose specs with or without SmartSense (now in its second generation), which adds lights and a rearview radar, all powered from a single central battery. The newest Synapse also has capabilities to take up to 48mm tyres.
Read more: Cannondale Synapse launch
The Cannondale Quick is a lightweight city hybrid that we found lived up to its name. It’s light and stiff, with wide tyres to cushion your ride and reflective accents in the paintwork. It’s good value too.
Read more: Cannondale Quick review
Canyon
Canyon started life in 1985 and was one of the pioneers of direct-to-consumer bike sales. It’s developed into a powerhouse brand, with a presence in all bike segments from road to MTB, commuter and electric bikes, sponsoring a range of pro riders and teams across all the disciplines, including Mathieu van der Poel’s Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Canyon is known for offering high-quality specs at reasonable prices and its bikes often come with clever tech, such as its road bikes’ variable-width handlebars. Many Canyon bikes are available at multiple spec levels in both alloy and carbon, with its top grade CFR (for Canyon Factory Racing) frames decked out with the highest spec components.
Canyon has made small changes with its fourth-generation Aeroad, a fast, stiff race bike. All models are well equipped, with Canyon’s adjustable width bars, and most include a power meter to give you the edge in competition.
Read more: Canyon Aeroad review
The final model in Canyon’s performance road trio, the Endurace packs in features for long ride comfort and aerodynamics. Included is a tool roll in the top tube, allowing you to sort out on-road mechanicals.
Read more: Canyon Endurace review
Cervélo
In the 2000s, Cervélo was the first brand to apply aerodynamics to road bikes, now an essential feature of almost all performance road bikes. Starting as a university project, its Soloist (a name it’s reapplied to a more recent model) was the first aero bike raced at the highest level.
Cervélo continues to push the envelope in aerodynamics with its road and triathlon bikes, as well as offering a premium range of gravel bikes and MTBs.
A bike designed for going long but with an aero edge, the Caledonia now has 36mm tyre clearance and in-frame storage. We found the previous generation bike lively but stable over a range of surfaces, including some off-road action.
Read more: Cervélo Caledonia-5 generation 2 launch
Cervélo’s aero bike is ridden by the pros, including Jonas Vingegaard. It’s super-fast and very stiff, with aggressive aero features, but it has 34mm tyre clearance and an adjustable two-piece cockpit.
And if you needed any more reason to buy one, we found the S5 was among the fastest bikes in both of our wind tunnel tests.
Read more: Cervélo S5 review
Vingegaard’s climbing bike, the R5 also includes aero features but majors on low weight. Read any bike launch story and the new bike is usually stiffer, but Cervélo has made the latest R5 less stiff based on pro feedback.
Read more: Cervélo R5 review
Colnago
Colnago started life in 1954 in the Cambiago suburb of Milan, where it’s still based. It has a storied history both in racing and innovation, with the 1995 C40 being one of the first carbon bikes to win in big races, including five wins at Paris-Roubaix. Drool over more classic Colnagos in our Colnago gallery from our visit to the factory.
Nowadays, Colnago still offers the handbuilt-in-Italy C68 range, with road, all-road and gravel options, alongside the V5Rs and Y1Rs aero bike ridden by the UAE Team Emirates-XRG pro team and the stylishly retro steel Master.
The all-rounder bike ridden by Tadej Pogačar and the rest of the UAE Team Emirates roster, the V5Rs is every inch a pro bike. It’s lighter and faster than its predecessor, the V4Rs, and still offers a modern racing position for those who want to get aero.
Read more: Colnago V5Rs review
In contrast to the V5Rs, the C68 Road is designed for the consumer, not the racer. It’s hand-built in Italy and retains the semi-lugged construction of C-series bikes before it. It’s still stiff and reactive but mellow too, and can fit tyres up to 32mm in width.
Read more: Colnago C68 review
The C68 family has grown and now includes the C68 Allroad and the C68 Gravel. As well as wider clearance, the C68 Gravel’s geometry is tuned for off-road use and Colnago has moved to a 1x groupset.
Read more: Colnago C68 Gravel review
Factor
Factor may be a newish name, but its Taiwan factory had been making bikes for other brands for years before Factor was launched. It’s built up an impressive range of high-end bikes, and you can choose your spec and even the colour scheme from 60,000 combinations.
Factor sponsors a number of cycling teams and athletes, most notably the men’s NSN Cycling Team and women’s Human Powered Health.
The Ostro VAM came out top in our 2024 wind tunnel test of 11 superbikes, attesting to its aero performance. We should note it was tested as ‘bike-only’ in the wind tunnel, so without a rider aboard. It’s also lightweight at 7.2kg, with pedals, and we loved the ride and component quality too.
Read more: Factor Ostro VAM review
If you’re looking for even lower weight, Factor has an answer in the 6.7kg O2 VAM. It’s not as outright aero as the Ostro VAM, although its tubes are still profiled. The 1,146g Black Inc wheelset is impressive too.
Read more: Factor O2 VAM review
The Ostro Gravel is a gravel race bike and shares much of its tech with Factor’s road bikes, including its aero tubing. It’s stiff and purposeful, and its 7.9kg weight is impressive for a gravel bike.
Read more: Factor Ostro Gravel review
Giant
As befits its name, Giant is the largest bike brand in the world. It’s based in Taiwan and, alongside its Liv women’s bike brand and Cadex performance components, also manufactures bikes for a number of other major bike companies.
It’s active across the entire range of ride styles, with electric and kids’ bikes, as well as selling a wide range of road and gravel bikes, including the tenth generation of its TCR lightweight race bike.
Giant’s size allows it to offer leading tech at competitive prices, such as its D-Fuse carbon components, which are designed to smooth your ride, and its aero carbon wheels, and it sponsors several pro teams.
The Giant Propel is not just aero, it’s low in weight too. Giant has upped front-end stiffness, while making the rear more compliant and has added adjustability with a two-piece bar and stem.
Read more: Giant Propel Advanced SL review
Giant Defy (tenth generation)
The latest Giant Defy endurance bike is lighter, more aero and more integrated. There’s a new top spec SL carbon frameset and new wheels and tyres, as well as a wide range of lower-priced options.
Read more: Giant Defy launch
Giant’s women’s gravel bike comes with a women’s saddle and women’s sizing, but otherwise shares the features of the men’s Revolt. We loved its high spec, go-anywhere versatility, low weight and long ride comfort.
Read more: Liv Devote Advanced Pro review
Pinarello
Pinarello’s profile in the road cycling world is far greater than the company’s size. This is largely thanks to its success in competition, which stretches back to the 1960s. A string of top-tier race wins, including a total of 16 Tours de France, began in the 1980s and continues to this day as the bike sponsor for INEOS Grenadiers.
The brand’s distinctive curvy styling stands out too, and its bikes are an aspirational purchase for many road riders. Alongside its range of road bikes, Pinarello also sells gravel and electric bikes and even a hybrid, but it’s a rarefied collection made even more so by the brand’s premium pricing.
The pro-level Dogma F continues the brand’s development of the Dogma frame that began with the launch of the Tour-winning Dogma F8 in 2014. The latest iteration is lighter and more aero with great ride quality.
Read more: Pinarello Dogma F review
The Dogma X is a top spec endurance bike with a more relaxed geometry than the F, which Pinarello says makes it better suited for most riders. Its innovative X-stays ensure it’s stiff while still being compliant.
Read more: Pinarello Dogma X review
The F series bikes inherit the DNA of the Dogma F, but in a more affordable package. We loved the ride quality and comfort, and the latest iteration of the F series has addressed our concerns about wheel and tyre choice.
Read more: Pinarello F7 first ride review
Scott
Scott started out making aluminium ski poles before branching out into a wider range of sports, including cycling. Although it started out in the USA, it’s now based in Switzerland, but still sells worldwide.
It sells a wide range of bikes, clothing and accessories under its own name, as well as Syncros parts and the Contessa women’s range. Its premium road and gravel bikes are among the most advanced available, with low weight and aero features, but it also sells more affordable models.
Scott’s updated lightweight/aero bike mixes a claimed 6.4kg weight (for a size 56) and a confidence-inspiring ride quality with its aero features, for a fast bike. Its clean lines and integrated cockpit enhance its looks, and we found the handling to be among the best of any road bike we’ve ridden.
Read more: Scott Addict RC Ultimate review
Definitely not just a road bike with wider tyres slapped on it, the Addict Gravel has a geometry designed for off-road riding and quality specs. It’s geared towards fast gravel riding, with 45mm tyre clearance and a top spec with an integrated cockpit.
Read more: Scott Addict Gravel launch
The latest generation Scott Foil has a more edgy look and improved aerodynamics, although it retains the geometry and ride quality of its predecessors. Scott also fits its Syncros purpose-designed parts to many specs.
Read more: Scott Foil first look
Specialized
One of the largest bike brands, Specialized operates across all disciplines and prices, with road bikes from the affordable Allez to the pro-level S-Works Tarmac SL8, a bike that costs ten times the price. It sells all the accessories and components you’ll need too, from helmets to shoes and wheels to saddles.
On the road, it sponsors multiple WorldTour men’s and women’s pro teams and offers some of the fastest bikes out there, developed in its own on-site wind tunnel at its headquarters in Morgan Hill, California. Specialized has a wide range of electric bikes too, again covering a spectrum of uses and prices from city hybrids to high-spec road and mountain e-bikes.
Specialized has made the SL8 more aero than the SL7 with a new head tube design and a new one-piece cockpit. At the same time, it’s lowered weight and increased comfort at the rear with skinnier tube profiles. It’s also been given the top spot in our guide to the best road bikes.
Read more: Specialized Tarmac SL8 review
Continuing a long run of Allez bikes, Specialized’s latest model of its entry-level road bike has switched to disc brakes and adds 35mm tyre clearance for added ride comfort. It remains the quintessential beginner’s road bike.
Read more: Specialized Allez Sport review
Specialized’s update to the endurance-focused Roubaix includes a new Future Shock 3 headset for more tunable handlebar comfort. And, for the first time, there are mudguard mounts, which will better suit the everyday endurance rider.
Read more: Specialized Roubaix SL8 first ride review
Trek
Like Specialized, Trek is an American bike brand, in its case based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, and it covers the whole range of cycling disciplines. Alongside its Trek bikes, it also sells Electra electric cruisers and Bontrager branded parts and clothing.
It’s another brand with a WorldTour pro road racing team to its name, Lidl-Trek, as well as XC and downhill MTB racers and a cyclocross team. Its road bikes include clever features such as its IsoSpeed decoupler to add saddle compliance and the radical IsoFlow aero seat tube design on its road race bikes.
The eighth-generation Trek Madone is as aero as its predecessor, while losing weight, so that it superseded both the Madone Gen 7 and the Emonda. It keeps the IsoFlow seatpost design, but comfort has been improved with its wider 33mm tyre clearance.
Read more: Trek Madone Gen 8 SLR 7 long-term review
Trek’s endurance bike features 38mm tyre clearance and IsoSpeed for superb ride comfort and all-road capability. There’s an integrated cockpit and a storage compartment in the down tube.
Read more: Trek Domane SLR 9 review
Trek launched its Checkmate gravel race bike in 2024, with aero tubes and cockpit. At the same time, it updated its Checkpoint to make it more adventure-focused; both bikes include IsoSpeed ride-smoothing tech.
Read more: Trek Checkmate/Checkpoint launch story
Wilier
As with Bianchi, Wilier is another Italian bike brand with a long history, in its case stretching back to 1906, and with an illustrious record in competition and a string of grand tour victories to its name.
It’s sponsored a range of WorldTour pro teams, with Mark Cavendish racking up his 35th Tour de France stage win on the Filante SLR in 2024. It also has an extensive range of performance gravel bikes, tri bikes, MTBs and electric bikes. It has a slightly lower profile than its Italian competitors above, but still offers innovative and desirable bikes, with its pro-level race bikes among the most attractive in the peloton.
The Filante SLR ID2’s sleek lines and integrated cockpit allow it to slice through the air, making it the choice of Wilier’s pro riders and replacing the older SLR model. In our first ride review, we assessed it as an all-around bike, climbing and sprinting well.
Read more: Wilier Filante SLR ID2 first ride review
The Wilier Verticale SLR has a 6.8kg weight in top spec, with an integrated bar/stem and a range of components redesigned to save weight. Tube profiles are smooth and slightly ovalised for a stylishly understated look.
Read more: Wilier Verticale SLR review
For time trialists and triathletes, the Supersonica offers low weight and performance. You can choose between a custom carbon or 3D printed titanium cockpit or Profile Design aerobars, so you can get your fit dialled.
Read more: Wilier Supersonica SLR launch story
Warranty
For most, a bike will represent a sizeable investment and they’ll want to be sure that the brand will stand behind their purchase. All the brands above (with the exception of Colnago, which offers a three-year warranty) offer at least a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects in their frames to the original purchaser, if the bike has been registered and regularly maintained.
Some go further and extend this to some components too.
Cannondale, Cervélo, Factor, Giant, Specialized and Trek offer lifetime warranties on their frames.
Best bike brands: the longlist
How we test
We’re riders first and foremost here at Cyclingnews and any product that comes through our doors will be tested extensively in a range of conditions to explore its limits.
All our team have long experience, not just riding and racing bikes, but working in bike shops and bike workshops. We’ve ridden a range of comparable bikes and know what to look for and how a bike that we’re reviewing compares to the best.
We use that experience to bring you unbiased reviews with a detailed scorecard of how we arrived at our conclusions.
You can read more on our How We Test page.