Recently Retired Pro Cyclist's Guide to the Best Kit Right Now 

Brilliant! If Rick Zabel trusts Alex, so do I. Just listened to Rick‘s latest Podcast where he talks about Israel mechanics asking him what bike setup he wanted for the upcoming race, and up until recently his answer always used to be „same as Alex“.

Alex's new Bike sponsors is definitely Specialized!!!!

i was hoping for more there to be honest.. there wasnt much critisism, just a lot of everyone is happy

An interesting one would have been tyres. A lot of teams (sponsored or not) were on Vittoria’s a few years ago

Not a pro but very surprised Shimano wasn’t mentioned for shoes. I’ve tried Specialized, Mavic, Spiuk and Shimano. My RC-9’s are my favorite so far.

Would love to hear more pro insights like your comments on "No Shimano team will run an OSPW because Shimano wouldn't know what caused any issues". Less brand focused and more focused on why certain riders choose certain TT wheels, why someone would choose non-sponsor equipment, basically why pros make decisions that go against conventions. That's the kind of thing only pros get insights into, which is rare for spectators to see

Love the long form sharing of ideas and perception. Cheers Alex

Bloody interesting video covering the whole spectrum of bike equipment, thanks Alex.

Definitely one of the best honest videos I've seen in a long time. Well done! Keep it coming.

I'm just an old person one step from a hybrid who doesn't understand half of what you're talking about, but I thoroughly enjoyed this video.

Cheers Alex, good vid, always interesting to hear your thoughts on cycling kit.

What a superb and honest video. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.👍

Alex, really good take on the separation of manufacture sub lines such as Trek/Bontrager. Most of them do it for cost savings instead of outsourcing wheels/parts. Plus creating that eco system you can create product add ons to consumers when they buy a bike. When I shop wheels, I immediately cross off certain brands because I don't ride their frame. Will be very interesting if this becomes more normal over the years to see cross branding. BMC/DT Swiss another example

Genuinely enjoyed this review. Simply’ done well.

Thanks for the insight Alex!

so interesting, so well done. great informative video

I've been waiting to here your opinions on these for a long time. Can't wait to see what you choose for a bike partner.

Interesting insights especially in the wheelset department. One company that has successfully "divorced" itself from a de facto companion wheelset mindset is, funny enough, Campagnolo. They spun off the Fulcrum brand for wheelsets that can be used by folks who aren't on Campagnolo drivetrains, and they seem pretty well regarded.

Nice to hear an Honest opinion Alex.

Just brought a pair of Roval Rapid CL II to put on my Cervelo Calendonia 🙂. Got to say I love them so far.

I feel like Cervelo’s marketing team have put in a lot of work to make them the in brand - the dream bike for most. It used to be Pinarello, then Specialized took over with the tarmac, but I think the S5 is taking the reins as the ultimate race bike now.

Would be interesting to hear what are the best bikes/components that you have ridden over the years?

The BMC with the cadmium orange cockpit looks really great.

Thanks for the highly experienced insights.

Thank you Alex, this was an excellent overview which was easy to follow and interesting to say the least. As an professional elite cyclist for many years, your advice is greatly appreciated and it is this kind of perspective that all of us keen cycling enthusiasts need to hear.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the adjustable tire pressure systems that jumbo and dsm have been testing and will be using at Roubaix

Brilliant video!

You're a nice bloke and fantastic rider....your videos, I'm sure you'll keep working at it👍

Great video really enjoyed it. Think my next bike will be a Specialized aethos

Hi Alex, I was hoping for when you were talking about kit, it was what everyone uses on a rainy training ride or a cold winter training day or who has the best chamois. Maybe a Part 2?

Loved those one Allex, and loving your Channel. 💯 Honest 🙏💪💪👍👍

Amazing video! thank you. Greetings from Bauru-São Paulo-Brazil

I am really looking forward to seeing what your TT bike is going to be for the coming year. I have to admit I will be a bit sad if it isn’t the Hanzo.

I enjoyed this Alex! If you would do more of these, maybe go into a little more in-depth analysis and opinion, both your own and from what you heard from teams and riders, that would be amazing, and I would watch all that for sure. I raced on an amateur level, and worked in sales in a shop some years. An interesting crowd to get opinions from are the mechanics. We carried Trek and Specialized, among some others - Cervelo and Pinarello at one time. The consensus was that Specialized was much better built from a day in, day out mechanical use perspective. If you're a pro rider, and team sponsored, and have mechanics for the team, that isn't so much an issue. Things that came up was cable routing, frame voids, various fitment parts on build, bottom bracket ovality. I'd choose a Specialized over a Trek. I raced on Cervelo and had endless problems with the bottom bracket area. Had to warranty a couple of them. Not a problem for a team or a sponsored rider. Their bikes were really fast. I liked them when I had no problems. I ride a LOOK now. Quality of the frame and the bottom bracket tolerance was the overriding factor. If I didn't choose that, it may well have been Specialized. Personal bias to some degree - I just wanted something different than Specialized or Trek - but my experience with LOOK bikes and the reputation for fine tolerances was a selling factor. Anyway, awesome video. Quite enjoyed this!

Nice oneAlex! I loved the bits with pro insights and the parts where the truth bombs were dropped for a couple minutes.. :) I could watch/listen to that kinda stuff wayy longer than this video.

Really interesting, thanks 👍

Brilliant video. What always wanted to hear. Thank you Alex for your honesty.

Great vid from Alex. As an average cyclist, who doesn't race but rides around 10k a year, I look for endurance bikes where Cervelo and Look have excellent options with Caledonia and 765 Optimum bikes. Specialized or Trek don't have specific endurance bikes that have a good stack/reach/trail ratio and weird combinations that are more focused on gravel.

Alex, about SRAM and Jumbo: might also be linked with WVA in CX where he could run a 1x? But just like you, I found it to be a surprise change (even more because it was mid- season CX)... Curious also to see their setups for tomorrow's Paris-Roubaix, that tends to be, like the TdF, a testing-ground for tech stuff. Now, when do we get a glimpse at your new set-up with your preferences? Keep it up, love your take on things!

One area that remains untouched, but is of great importance to the general cycling population, is nutrition, be that energy gels, bars and drinks or post ride recovery protein. Things have changed in the SIS range, and I can't seem to work out how things are meant to piece together any more. I don't know how it is with other suppliers.

I've a cannondale with roval wheels! love it!

12:42 - “treks are….” Heavy I think is the word you’re looking for 🤣🤣

Thanks for a very informative video, what's the general opinion on Cannondale and Lapierre road bikes?

I gotta agree, the Nopinz stuff that I have are the best. Currently I only have the socks but they are my favorite... they don't fall down and they don't rip when you put them on. Hello Castelli.

one of your best videos yet

Good work!

I literally hit the like button having only read the title because I knew it would be good.

Awesome thanks for that post

Could you make an in-depth review of both Factor and Pinarello? You cover it quickly but I’d love to hear the actual details (each frame, wheels etc), and you must have a very detailed opinion having ridden both for years.

Thank you Alex.

The best thing about new good stuff (and disc brake takeover) is that old good stuff (a lot of it barely used) starts getting sold for stupidly low prices. You can pick up top end bikes with DI2 starting at a grand. I saw a Trek Madone 9.9 Project 1 for "buy it now" at 3k the other day. An SL3 for 1175. A Focus Izalco Max for about the same. It's nuts! So an interesting video would be a sub 2k "bargain" bike ebay challenge. What would you recommend etc. And also a fair, old vs new bike challenge - i.e put the same aero wheels on the old bike as the new bike and then do a circuit. Cheers!

Excellent news given

great video. can you do a video on products pros hate ref the tempo helmet? and how do you approach a new energy sponsor if you have a sensitive stomach. and do some pros still run unbranden products from other brands than their sponsors ref Nibalis saddles

Thanks for all your openness and disclaimers: I trust your content. Great video, left me feeling i had somewhere to stand when making decisions about my bicycle universe! Subscribed!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts across the categories. I found the perspective on a brands product bound to their other offerings interesting.

Interesting Alex if only I could afford any of it ! I write as an OAP on limit funds. Prior to watching your video I was watching a durianrider video in which he goes into great details on why most of us don't require or need the latest technology. So given that I would be interested to learn from you whether if you hadn't been a Racer you would of been quite happy to stay with rim brakes and mechanical gearing. After all its what you and I were both brought up on. Finally I am wondering whether disc brakes played a big part in the high number of crashes we saw yesterday in Paris Roubaix . Any views on that.

I am happy with my Giant Pro SL in that Team Sunweb design back from 2018 that you picked as photo for a Giant bike. Rim brakes rule!

I didn’t have a dog in this fight and I appreciate his candor. I especially like his closing, where he parrots Nobel prize winner Milton Friedman: “if you want better products at a lower price, competition works every time.”

Appreciate your reservation regarding sunglasses brands and only making comparisons where you can’t by any stretch be seen to be speaking based on personal gain motivated bias, however… (Particularly given there overwhelming prevalence as the preferred brand)…. I suspect a lot of viewers would be interested in your views regarding their respective models and respective lenses e.g. photochromic vs prizm, prizm road vs prizm trail / trail torch. I note they currently have a prizm road black (over and above prizm black), whereby both look outwardly black, but the view out is a different colour base. Anyway, that’s my 2cents

Keen to hear from you about seats and pedals. Seems like these contact points may be important enough to make pros want to choose their own, or be unhappy with what the sponsor provides.

Great vid Alex. Very interesting. Disagree on the helmets. No mention of Rudy Project. They are really great quality helmets if a little heavy. Kask are the best quality in my opinion but the cage clashes with glasses I often find. I ride a Met. Think they are good re weight and sit well on the head not creating the mushroom head. Only complaint is the strapping and cage is a bit basic and could feel more premium given the price. Northwave shoes for me.

‘You never see Roval wheels in a trek’ Alex Richardson ‘hold my beer’

Brilliant!

Hmm, did you forget Willier. I was very keen to buy a Colnago but ended up on. Willier Zero SLR as it feels so alive on climbs but stable on windy open sections and if set up ok is comfy even for a weekend warrior like me

Thanks for another quality vlog. You mention very much in passing that Bianchi makes a good TT bike , would be interesting to hear why that is. I guess that it’s quick; can’t really see any other standard that matters for those bikes? Owning one I’m a little surprised though, the design feels a bit dated and it’s very wide at the fork crown.

Alex, you didn't touch on tyres (tires)...

Are tyres just related to the wheels? Would love to also hear opinions about them, as they also have problems. Last year it seems UAE had some... dodgy tyres especially on wet descents, and this year they seems to have a very high amount of flats still.

Hi Alex, hoping you might be able to give me your thoughts on the wheels. I was wondering if the likes of Hunt & Scribe are any good? They do cheaper but decent wheels but I’ve heard I should probably pay more for zipps etc as some of the components are cheap like spoke nipples & will need serviced more often or replaced, any experience or thoughts?

Unbiased unsponsored 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

This was an interesting video. Not because of the content, which was relatively shallow, like WHY are some bike brands faster than others. But because it shows the viewpoints of a pro rider which is far different from a regular consumer. There is consideration of sponsors, feeling and perception eg. pros viewing Specialised bikes as faster because their riders win more. Personally, I want to be as close to fast as pros (apart from fitness) for a fraction of the price and without forced brand loyalty. I would challenge Alex to take a different learning approach: what makes a bike fast? System aerodynamics (wheels, cockpit, frame), friction losses (drivetrain, hub bearings), rolling resistance (tyres, frame compliance). I would argue that if you put 5 most winning bikes to a test and you test them with 5 different riders, you will see different riders doing better on different bikes. Anyway, lunch time now! 😊

Would have been great to hear about bibs. What bibs with what pads work best. That's the most important part of kit outside TT

Quality content. Everything is open for discussion, but it's hard to argue against a man with that much experience at such a high level. Doesn't necessarily translate 1on1 to consumer market, but I think you've addressed that as well. Happy to see an unbiased opinion from someone who is actually in a position to give one. That said, I might be slightly biased. Run a Specialized frameset on Hed wheels with a Shimano drivetrain, wearing Bont shoes. I've sadly come to the conclusion that while apparently the suit maketh the man, the kit certainly does not maketh the rider. Ah well, at least Alex is with me on most of my kit choice. Good enough for me.

One segment you should cover is the saddle market kind of the same issue with Bontrager saddles specialize saddles and then segment. Focus companies like selle Italia

Does your Ostro review still stand then? I recall you were very positive about it at the time, and your thoughts seemed quite genuine, so curious if you still feel it's a leading bike?

Before the great Shimano crankset recall. Wonder how that will pan out, especially if they end up having to do it in Europe like USA. Took my Roubaix in for its check on Monday. If replacement required, I get an 'equivalent'. Didn't ask what that meant. I had a right crank snap in 1976 - new bike, short slope, hammered on pedal, snap, car coming past... I held my line! Sid Standard, Beeston, very apologetic. Hence I prefer robust to ultra light and worried about the current recall. Time to pump up the 23c tyres on the 2007 SystemSix Ultegra. SE London & Kent potholes bigger than when it last had a run out.

what are your thoughts on chinese direct equipment, such as SEKA bikes or Lun wheels (especially the Lun MEGA) or wheels like Lightbicycle? A lot of tech nerd review/commentary racer cyclist channels have been obsessed with such gear, does it have the caliber to compete with the equipment in the big GT races?

Colnago had a rim brake aero bike a few years ago. Kristoff said it wasn’t good enough and that it was part of the reasons why he switched teams.

I actually run Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 TLRs on my SL6 Tarmac. Specialized cardinal sin! However I believe the Rovals are way over priced.

new subscriber here! One of my Idol!

How about Cannondale?

You're probably right about SRAM having a new drivetrain in the works. With their new "Transmission" on the MTB side which does away with the derailleur hanger I strongly suspect they will have something similar coming down the pipe for the road and gravel markets as well. Though Transmission requires a SRAM UDH frame and I'm not sure how common UDH frames are on the road side, they're pretty common on the MTB side and Transmission will likely make them even more popular.

Very interesting video. Jumbo moving away from Shimano was a surprise. Maybe due to wheels braking down in Roubaix last year? The move to Cervelo is no surprise since it is owned by Dutch company PON. They are a very Dutch affair in a lot of places.

Ride my Cervelo P5 with Roval CLX64s. Best wheels I‘ve tried. Will you do a TT version Alex? 👍

I'd never thought about the wheel branding before, but I have Roval wheels on my Bianchi, so it makes sense. They're great wheels, but it would be weird if I had "Specialized" wheels on an Italian bike.

I have bontanger wheel and i use it on the cannondale... without the stickers anyway :-)

Great video...

Would like to hear your opinion on different tyre manufacturers

Love HED wheels, have them on my TT bike and two fat bikes. Both the AL and carbon fat bike wheels are impressively light and fast rolling.

What do you think about Cannondale, they don't sell the gear but the bikes are rally good, coming from a bike mechanic.

9:25 "you never see Rovals in a Trek" Me who rides on an Emonda with the Rapide CLX II 😂

Love the vid Alex! Don't know how harsh you could be, but would love to know of any kit/tech/anything that you used over the years that was truly shocking in terms of quality or like a set of wheels that were super slow or anything like that👍

On non-sponsored riders is not uncommon to see a Roval or Cadex wheelset. BMC does have wheelsets (at least they get some stamped with their branding). Fun! Thanks. Oh, would like to hear your comments on 1x groupsets. I know, not very roadie but ...

Hi Alex, I was just wondering what your opinion on vorteq skinsuits are, as you used one for your hour record and Dan bigham also did?

What about Cannondale? worth a mention the new Super Six Evo looks like a weapon.

What shoe is the most common for riders who opt to not where the team issue shoe?

I think Specialized have been at the top for well over a decade - a 2010 Astana Tarmac wouldn't hinder any rider who could win the tour from doing it. I think they even had enough clearance for 28s 😅

They make some trash though, the new Specialized Sirrus 😂😂😂

Great Video - super interesting.. Wanted to ask, do the pros generally not really care about pedals, are they ok to ride whatever their team chooses? If they do care, which are happy/unhappy? Thanks

TO me its all about the Chamois and Elastic Interface is the clear leader.

As a matter of fact I have a pair of Bantrager Aeolus pro5 disc wheels on my Colnago CLX disc and a pair of Bontrager pro 3V on my Colnago G3-X. Their warranty and no rider weight limit was dealbreakers for me. Being a heavy rider at 95-100 kg. some of the carbonwheels on the market have ridicoulus system weight limits...