Van Rysel has a new fleet of endurance and gravel bikes on the way to bolster its range of carbon frames, which includes the popular RCR Pro, which has already taken the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to 23 wins in 2024.
UCI WorldTeam cycling partner Van Rysel has been Decathlon’s own top brand since its launch in 2019, and its new range is set to offer dynamo light integration, SRAM Apex kits and the hotly anticipated XCR time trial.
“We have eight new bikes to deliver between this year and next,” Yann Le Fraillec told us. Le Fraillec serves as Van Rysel’s Product Category Manager and is colloquially known as the father of RCR Pro.
The specifics of some of the new versions have been revealed GCN and other members of the media on a recent trip to the Van Rysel factory in Lille, France. The first bike in the range should be the XCR TT bike that Ben O’Connor rode on his way to fourth overall at May’s Giro d’Italia.
The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team uses the RCR Pro bike on the road, and when the frame went up for pre-order in April, the Van Rysel sold out almost immediately. So the demand for the XCR TT bike is eagerly awaited and its popularity can be supported by its affordable price.
Read more: Already sold out: Decathlon opens pre-order for the Van Rysel RCR Pro Replica bike
Available to customers within weeks, the XCR is already in production at the Van Rysel factory and the brand’s first time trial bike is set to be priced under £6,000. By contrast, WorldTour time trial bikes from Specialized and Pinarello cost upwards of £10,000. With its XCR, Van Rysel promises top-of-the-line Swiss Side wheels and the precise aerodynamic performance offered by the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
When it comes to Van Rysel road bikes, the company offers its customers a simple categorization, divided between “Race” and “Endurance”. Van Rysel has recently made the RCR Pro available to customers again in all sizes, but the XS is still available to pre-order for £9,000 and Van Rysel is preparing to launch its new ‘Endurance’ bikes which feature carbon frames at more price points. points.
Read more: The Van Rysel RCR Pro Replica bike is back in stock within minutes after previously selling out
Versatility key in the range of durability
The difference between ‘Race’ and ‘Endurance’ is important for Van Rysel. Consumers of the ‘Race’ products are usually athletes who have more bikes at their disposal, but for customers following the ‘Endurance’ range, this is not always the case, Le Fraillec noted.
“We like to combine experience in the Endurance sector because for this segment of customers they have one bike, maybe two, so they want something really versatile that is easy to use. But when you’re a racer, it’s all about performance,” he told us.
“Endurance is moving towards this all-road trend because I think that’s really what the customer wants. They don’t want this in Race, but I think for Endurance they want it to be more versatile.”
With versatility at the fore, Van Rysel is in the process of creating the first builds of two new carbon wheels for its Endurance range. The new high-end carbon EDR will be priced between £3000-£5000 depending on specification and is aimed at ultra-endurance athletes. The company has been a Race Across France partner for three years, and Van Rysel’s goal is to create a race-ready bike for ultraathletes.
At the moment the bike is in the prototype stage and it is planned to have the lights integrated with a dynamo hub so that ultra-endurance riders can race all night and use the kinetic energy of their bikes to power the lights. In addition, Van Rysel focuses on providing 38mm of tire clearance and maximizing shock absorption in carbon fiber technology, eliminating the need for a suspension system.
“With the carbon fiber knowledge we have, we’re able to pick the right fiber to get the right feel and not add anything complicated to the frame. We’ll keep it light, simple, low maintenance and fairly priced for the customer. The more complex things you add, the more expensive it will be for the end customer. [Complicated] doesn’t mean it won’t go fast,” explained Le Fraillec.
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Alongside the carbon EDR aimed at the ultra-endurance rider, Van Rysel is also set to launch a more affordable EDR that will be priced under £2000 and feature a one-piece carbon frame. Designed to be the ideal all-in-one for commuting, weekend riding and gravel riding, the second EDR will feature a SRAM Apex kit that includes an 11-32 cassette and a specially designed 46-tooth chainring.
Typically offered in 40, 42 and 44 tooth options, SRAM Apex has traditionally been seen as a gravel groupset, but Van Rysel’s claim of 46 teeth will allow riders to comfortably ride 35km/h on tarmac. It’s another nod to the company’s emphasis on versatility and the lessons Decathlon has learned since launching the Riverside GCR in 2023, which Le Fraillec admitted was “too aggressive” and, while fast on the road, could be difficult to handle. single trails.
A performance-oriented gravel racing bike by the end of 2025
The Riverside GCR will soon be joined by a brand new performance gravel bike called the Van Rysel in the gravel company’s range. It will inform about another of the company’s core principles – designing powerful data-driven bikes.
“When we consider the Race category, we’re working with data, we’re really data-driven. We are always driven by data, data, data. Some people will love us, some people will hate us, that’s for sure. But at the end of the day, we have our data, which we are confident about and we believe that we are working on something concrete and real, which is better than others,” said Le Fraillec.
Read more: A closer look at the bikes Van Rysel Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale will ride in 2024
In the coming weeks, Van Rysel will open the carbon mold on this carbon gravel frame, giving them time to fine-tune the mold and store it before bringing the bike to market by the end of 2025. Little more is known about the new Van Rysel GCR for now, but Le Fraillec insists on the fact that it will be a race-winning bike, no less.
“When we said we were going to design a gravel racer, we meant winning races, not doing bikepacking – we have other bikes for that. If you want to win a gravel race, you need to use this bike to be the fastest. That’s it, that’s our way. We take the market bench, check the aerodynamics, stiffness, weight and all the data, take it to the lab, measure it and make sure it goes better. It’s a very easy way of thinking.’
Van Rysel also confirmed that a new generation of Triban RC500 and RC520 aluminum wheels will arrive in 2025. These entry-level road bikes have been particularly popular in the UK market and the next generation will have even more space for riding on gravel, with a changed geometry to allow for more clearance in the tires.