After an unbelievable 2024 by which the Van Rysel RCR made a giant splash, broke the web a number of occasions and propelled the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale crew to a number of high-profile wins, Decathlon desires to complete the yr off with a bang. It’s providing as much as £1001 off the RCR and RCR Professional together with the Decathlon AG2R Reproduction mannequin.
RCR builds included on this post-Christmas sale are the Sram-equipped Power AXS and Rival AXS fashions, alongside the Professional-level Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace spec bikes.
The RCR Professional obtained numerous hyper for its reasonably priced efficiency, so we needed to get one in for take a look at and that’s precisely what Biking Weekly tech author Joe Baker did earlier within the yr. It was featured as a part of our race bike of the yr group take a look at and Joe had this to say about it. “The Van Rysel RCR Professional is definitely a really snug bike, doing an ideal job of night out the plentiful bumps on my native Oxfordshire roads.”
Joe was additionally complimentary of the RCR’s dealing with saying, “The bike performs very properly on descents. Its longer wheelbase at the side of the aggressive head angle, makes for a secure trip that also modifications path fairly properly.”
The RCR within the wild throughout our race bike of the yr grouptest
(Picture credit score: Future)
The RCR gives excess of only a value-for-money specification. It is a body that has seen vital improvement time, particularly in optimising its aerodynamic efficiency. This aerodynamic testing was accomplished by the crew at ONERA, a world-renowned wind tunnel facility well-known for its enter into the Eurofighter Storm.
Seeking to steadiness this aerodynamic efficiency and make the RCR extra of an all-round racer, the Decathlon crew has made the RCR mild too with the Professional frameset a really respectable 1.1 kilograms. The complete Reproduction construct is the lightest within the vary at 6.9 kilos, simply 100 grams greater than the UCI minimal weight restrict.
Maintaining with the developments and requirements, all of the RCR builds supply as much as 32mm tyre clearance and are available outfitted with energy meters.
Whats the distinction between the Van Rysel RCR and the RCR Professional?
Whereas the variations are minimal, the RCR and RCR Professional frames usually are not the identical. The variations all relate to the carbon fibre layup and the standard of fibres used. This makes the Professional body barely lighter to the tune of 40 grams with Decathlon claiming it’s stiffer in high-stress areas just like the chainstays and backside bracket.
This use of various fibres additionally means the RCR is barely much less aerodynamically environment friendly than its Professional counterpart, because the high-modulus fibres used are unable to be moulded into fairly the identical shapes.
