Van Rysel has a new fleet of endurance and gravel bikes on the way to strengthen its line of carbon frames that includes the popular RCR Pro, which has already reached 23 wins in 2024 from the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
UCI WorldTeam bike partners Van Rysel has been Decathlon’s in-house and high-end brand since its launch in 2019 and its new range is set to offer dynamo light integration, SRAM Apex groupsets and the much-anticipated bike of the XCR time trial.
“We have eight new bikes to offer between this year and next year,” Yann Le Fraillec told us. Le Fraillec serves as Van Rysel’s Product Category Manager and is colloquially known as the father of the RCR Pro.
The specifics of some of the new releases were revealed GCN and other members of the media on a recent trip to the Van Rysel factory in Lille, France. The first bike off the line has to be the XCR TT bike that was ridden by Ben O’Connor on his way to fourth overall at the Giro d’Italia in May.
The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team uses the RCR Pro road bike, and when this frame became available for pre-order in April, Van Rysel sold out almost immediately. As such, the demand for the XCR TT bike is eagerly awaited and its popularity can be boosted by its affordable price.
Read more: Already sold out: Decathlon opens pre-orders for the Van Rysel RCR Pro Replica bike
Available to customers within weeks, production of the XCR is already underway at the Van Rysel factory and the first time trial bike produced by the brand is set to be priced under £6,000. By contrast, time trial bikes used in the WorldTour by companies such as Specialized and Pinarello are priced in excess of £10,000. With its XCR, Van Rysel promises high-end Swiss side wheels and precise aerodynamic performance delivered to the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
When it comes to Van Rysel road bikes, the company offers simple categorization for its customers, divided into “Competition” and “Endurance”. Van Rysel recently made the RCR Pro available to customers again, with all sizes but the XS still available for pre-order at £9,000, and Van Rysel is gearing up for the launch of its new ‘Endurance’ bikes, which include carbon frames with multiple price points.
Read more: Van Rysel’s RCR Pro Replica bike is back in stock after previously selling out in minutes
Versatility is key in the durability range
The difference between ‘Race’ and ‘Endurance’ for Van Rysel is an important one. Customers of ‘Race’ products are usually athletes who have multiple bikes at their disposal, but for customers looking at the ‘Endurance’ range, this is not always the case, as pointed out by Le Fraillec.
“We like to mix practice in the Endurance sector because for this segment of customers, they have one bike, maybe two, so they want something really versatile that can be easy to use. But when you’re a runner, it’s all about performance,” he told us.
“Endurance is jumping into this mainstream trend because I think it’s really what the customer wants. They don’t want that in the Race, but I think for the Endurance they want it to be more versatile.”
With versatility at the forefront, Van Rysel is in the process of making the first installations of two new carbon bikes for its Endurance range. A new high-end carbon EDR will cost between £3,000-£5,000, depending on spec, and will be marketed towards ultra-endurance athletes. The company has been partnering with Race Across France for three years and Van Rysel’s aim is to create a race-ready bike for ultra-athletes.
At the moment, the bike is in its prototype stage and is planned to have integrated lights with a dynamo hub, to allow ultra-endurance riders to race at night and use the kinetic energy of their wheels to power the lights . In addition, Van Rysel is focused on providing 38mm tire clearance and maximizing shock absorption in its carbon fiber technology, thereby removing the need for a suspension system.
“With the knowledge we have about carbon fiber, we are able to choose the right fiber to have the right feel and not add something complicated to the frame. We will keep it light, simple, easy to maintain and at a fair price for the customer. The more complicated things you add, the more expensive it will be for the end customer. [Complicated] it doesn’t mean it won’t drive fast,” explained Le Fraillec.
Read more: Technological return: Remembering the Decathlon pro bikes of the 2000s
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 carbon frame with a one-of-a-kind groupset. Positioned as the ideal multi-tool for commuting, weekend riding and gravel riding, the second EDR will feature a SRAM Apex groupset featuring an 11-32 cassette and a specially designed 46-tooth chainring.
Usually offered in 40-, 42- and 44-tooth options, SRAM Apex has traditionally been seen as a gravel group, but the 46-tooth requirement from Van Rysel will allow riders to comfortably ride at speeds of 35 km/h on tarmac. It’s another sign of the company’s emphasis on agility and the lessons Decathlon has learned since launching the Riverside GCR in 2023, which Le Fraillec admitted was “very aggressive” and while fast on the road, could be difficult for beginners to handle. single paths.
Performance-oriented gravel racing bike by the end of 2025
The Riverside GCR will soon be joined in the company’s gravel range by a brand new performance gravel bike under the Van Rysel name. It will be informed by another of the company’s core principles – data-driven performance bike design.
“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 in the end, we are confident in our data and believe that we are working on something specific and real that is better than the others,” said Le Fraillec.
Read more: A closer look at the Van Rysel Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale bikes to ride in 2024
In the coming weeks, Van Rysel will open the carbon mold on this carbon grit frame, which will allow them time to fine-tune the mold and its fittings, before bringing the bike to market by the end of 2025. Little more is known about the new Van Rysel GCR model at the moment, but Le Fraillec insists that this will be a bike designed to win races, nothing less.
“When we said we were going to design a gravel racer, it’s to win races, it’s not to pack bikes – we have other bikes for that. If you want to win a gravel race, you have to use this bike to be the fastest. This is it, this is our way. We’ll take the market bench, check the aerodynamics, stiffness, weight and all the data, take it to the lab, measure it and make sure we do better. It’s a very simple way of thinking.”
Van Rysel also confirmed that a new generation of Triban RC500 and RC520 aluminum bikes will be launched in 2025. These entry-level road bikes were particularly popular in the UK market and the next generation will have even more plenty of space for gravel driving. with geometry changed to allow wider tire clearances.