Earlier this month we asked you to vote for the bikes and products you want the most. Readers from all around the globe cast their votes and after crunching the numbers and tallying the results, we hereby present your 2015 BikeRadar Most Wanted Award winners. The six road categories are followed by the six mountain categories.
Most Wanted Aero Road Bike: Canyon Aeroad CF SLX
In a recent review we described Canyon’s Aeroad CF SLX as “awesomely fast, surprisingly comfortable and drop-dead gorgeous.” It seems that our readers agreed, with the Aeroad nudging out the Cervélo S5. While there are a growing number of aero road bikes on the market, few others strike the same balance of good looks, ride quality and, most important for this category, wind-cheating performance.
Related reading: Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0 SL review
Most Wanted Endurance Road Bike: Specialized Roubaix
The Specialized Roubaix isn’t one of the newest endurance road platforms on the market. In fact, Specialized was one of the first companies to embrace the concept and develop a purpose-built rig that’s as capable of conquering the cobbled Classics as it is of making your long days in the saddle more comfortable. The combination of comfort and even-keeled handling make the Roubaix a hit with our readers. The Cannondale Synapse was a close second, with the Trek Domane rounding out the podium.
Related reading: Specialized Roubaix SL4 Elite Disc
Most Wanted Road Race Bike: Pinarello Dogma
Maybe it’s the ‘Wiggins Effect’ that makes the Dogma series so popular, or maybe it’s the fact that the Dogma does everything a race bike should. The Dogma’s curvaceous frame has a refined ride quality and impeccable road manners that make it a favorite of WorldTour riders and weekend warriors alike. The Dogma beat out the Specialized Tarmac and Cannondale's SuperSix EVO.
Related reading: Chris Froome's Pinarello Dogma F8
Most Wanted Time Trial/Triathlon Bike: Cervélo P5
Cervélo has long been a sweetheart of time-trial specialists. The P5 builds on the Canadian company’s legacy of creating class-leading time trial and triathlon bikes with slippery aero profiles and incredibly stiff chassis. In our experience, it’s not the most comfortable TT bike on the market, but it’s ruthlessly efficient at slicing through the wind and stealing seconds back from the clock. The P5 had more than twice the votes of any other bike in this category.
Related reading: Cervélo P5 review
Most Wanted Road Group: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Shimano’s premier Dura-Ace Di2 group offers riders fast, flawless shifting. It’s lighter than the mechanical version, can be programmed to suit personal preferences and and can even be configured with auxiliary shift buttons that suit sprint and climbing specialists. Sure, it’s expensive, but judging by the overwhelming number of votes it garnered, many riders are ready to embrace electronic drivetrains. Second place in this category? Shimano Ultegra Di2.
Related reading: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 review
Most Wanted Power Meter: Garmin Vector
Some power meters require the use of a dedicated hub while others require a specific crankset. For GPS specialist Garmin, the company's Vector power meter requires the use of Look Keo-style pedals. This makes the system easy to swap between bikes and provides the ability to measure left and right power output. This category was a very close competition, with Vector just narrowly edging out Stages, with SRM just behind in third.
Related reading: Garmin Vector review
Most Wanted Cross-Country Bike: Specialized Epic
It’s won World Cups, conquered the Cape Epic and is adored by privateer racers far and wide.The Epic is fast and refined. Specialized’s Brain technology keeps the rear suspension efficient and — unlike nearly all its competitors — the Epic can carry two water bottles inside the main triangle. The Cannondale F-Si took second in this category, with the Pivot Mach 429 SL in third.
Related reading: Specialized Epic Expert Carbon World Cup
Most Wanted Trail Bike: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR 29
Voting for the most wanted trail bike was incredibly tight — a sign of just how many outstanding trail bikes are on the market these days.The Stumpjumper FSR 29 edged out the competition by the narrowest of margins, but a win is a win, and the Stumpjumper FSR 29 proves just how capable big wheels are when paired with aggressive geometry and 5in of travel. Another hyper-close competition, the Stumpy slid past the Yeti SB5c by a mere two votes. Trek's Fuel EX 29 was a bit further back in third.
Related reading: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon EVO 29
Most Wanted Enduro Bike: Yeti SB6c
It seems Yeti can do no wrong these days; the SB5c is a killer trail bike and its big, brawny brother, the SB6c, has proven its mettle on the Enduro World Series and under Jared Graves and Richie Rude. Although there were quite a few skeptics, the Colorado-based company’s Switch Infinity suspension system has silenced naysayers by gobbling up bumps and allowing the SB6c to pedal better than any 160mm bike has a right to. Canyon claimed second in this category with the Strive CF and Specialized took third with the Enduro 650B.
Related reading: Yeti SB6c review
Most Wanted Downhill Bike: Santa Cruz V10
While the voting in some of our categories was quite close, the Santa Cruz V10 ran away with the win for Most Wanted downhill bike, well ahead of the Specialized Demo 8 and the Pivot Phoenix Carbon. This landslide victory could be due to the fact that the V10 has been around in one iteration or another for so many years, or maybe it’s the fact that this bike has racked up so many victories under Santa Cruz Syndicate riders.Often times it’s the simplest explanation that prove correct, so it could very well be that the V10 is the Most Wanted gravity rig simply because it rips.
Related reading: Josh Bryceland's Santa Cruz V10
Most Wanted Suspension Fork: RockShox Pike
'Game changer' is at the top of the list of overused cycling phrases, but when this fork was introduced in 2013 it was just that — a product that set a new benchmark for performance. Not much has changed since then. The Pike’s light yet stiff chassis and the impressively-poised Charger damper still set the bar for what a trail fork should be. Fox rounded out the podium in this category with the 36 and 34.
Related reading: RockShox Pike review
Most Wanted Mountain Group: Shimano XTR Di2
Another runaway victor was Shimano’s recently-released XTR Xi2 group, ahead of SRAM XX1. While this group is quite new, it seems that readers are eager to give it a go. Shimano didn’t just modify its existing technology for off-road use. In developing XTR Di2 it focused on making it more robust, with more powerful motors for precise shifting in nasty conditions. There’s also a programmable shift option called Synchronized Shift that will automatically shift the front derailleur in order to give the rider the smallest interval possible between gears. While this tech is expensive, its also very likely that it will someday trickle down to the more affordable XT level, enabling more riders to give it a go.
Related reading: XTR Di2 first ride review
