Road Bike Buyer’s Guide

Road cycling is a passion that captivates you every time you get on your road bike. Whether you want to beat your own best times or challenge others in the community: In the end, it’s the experiences you made and the good times you had on your bike that count.

What is a road bike?

A road bike combines power, refinements and performance. Every pedal stroke is converted into speed and pushes you to new heights of performance.

For those who are new into road cycling, many road bikes look very similar or even identical. The skinny tyres, drop bars, the special frame and the narrow saddle are particularly eye-catching. An aggressive, more stretched out riding position is typical of a road bike. Road bikes are designed for sporty riding on the road. Parts that are not absolutely necessary, such as a rear rack or a kickstand, are generally not found on a road bike. All refinements and parts are finely tuned to each other to get as much speed and agility as possible out of the bike.

Over the years, different types of road bikes have developed. The range of applications continues to grow. Road bikes are popular among competitive and sports cyclists and are also frequently used for exercise in everyday life. Especially when riding in the community, a road bike motivates you to cycle longer distances, reach higher speeds and gain more elevation. It combines a sporty with a social character and defines a modern lifestyle

Race vs. Endurance

Not all road bikes are made the same. The bike has many facets and can be adapted exactly to your needs thanks to the wide range of different components and parts available. First, you should think about what your intentions are. A great distinction is made between racing and endurance bikes.

Race-oriented bikes can also be described as classic road bikes. They are characterised by a low overall weight and high stiffness. They impress with its manoeuvrability and are perfectly suitable for racing. A wider ratio of gears gets the maximum speed out of the bike. The larger the chainring, the more you have to pedal, but you can also reach higher speeds and maintain them for longer.  The top tube of the frame slopes downwards towards the rear, so you can adopt an aggressive, stretched out position on the bike. Everything on a race bike is designed for speed, to make you even faster. It is particularly popular with performance-oriented cyclists.

  • Particularly lightweight & manoeuvrable 
  • Aggressive, stretched out riding position 
  • Wider gear ratio



Race vs. Endurance

If you want to spend many hours in the saddle and are looking for a bike that dampens small bumps, an endurance bike is just right for you. The bike is ideal for longer distances and touring. Endurance bikes have a higher stack than racing bikes, so you can adopt a more relaxed and more upright riding position. So the geometry of the frame is a little more comfortable and more compliant. To accommodate you on long distances with varying inclines, a cassette with a lower gear ratio is used. So you can even tackle steeper climbs with ease. With its typical road bike set-up and the comfort-oriented geometry, the bike combines speed and endurance. It is especially the versatility of endurance bikes that makes them particularly popular with newbie road cyclists. The geometry and components used make them more comfortable to ride and not as aggressive and direct as race bikes. The PRO SL and the REVEAL combine all of these features.


  • More upright, comfortable riding position
  • Lower gear ratio
  • Ideal for long distances



The frame – the heart of your road bike. Made for speed!

The weight of a road bike is a very decisive aspect and the most important difference to a city or urban bike. Thanks to the high-quality frame material made of carbon or aluminium, most bikes usually only weigh between approx. 7-9 kg (without extra accessories). However, these materials and the resulting delicate frame impress not only with their low weight, but also with stiffness and aerodynamics. Nothing slows you down as much as air resistance. The higher your speed, the greater the resistance.

The XLITE embodies speed at its best. It is made of lightweight high modulus carbon. The material combines damping qualities with high stiffness and a low weight. This allows you to accelerate the road bike quickly and maintain high speeds over longer distances. The frame thus supports you optimally in every situation, whether on steep climbs or fast descents. A frame made of aluminium, on the other hand, is somewhat less sensitive than a carbon frame. The frame also offers a good level of stiffness. Even though an aluminium frame is a little heavier and not as shock-absorbing as a carbon frame, it is more robust and available at a lower price. It is precisely because of its insensitivity that an aluminium road bike is particularly popular with beginners.

Advantages of carbon frames
  • Very lightweight material
  • Extremely comfortable thanks to vibration damping qualities
  • Very good stiffness and flex

Advantages of aluminium frames
  • Robust & insensitive material
  • Lower priced
  • Good stiffness values

The most important part of choosing the right bicycle is its size. Finding the correct frame size is particularly important when buying a road bike. The size can influence many characteristics of the bike and is crucial for a good, sensitive handling. Only when choosing the frame size, you can become one with your road bike.

The inside leg length is an important parameter to determine the correct frame size. This short video shows how to determine the size correctly.

The inner leg length and body height are important factors, however, especially for new road cyclists, it is important to do a test ride and have the measurements taken by a professional.

The braking system – indispensable in terms of safety

On long, fast descents, a good and reliable braking system is indispensable. Brakes are roughly divided into two categories: disc brakes and rim brakes.

Rim brakes have been around for many years. A rim brake comes with two brake pads that are pressed against the sidewalls of the rim. This creates friction to slow the bike down. Especially in dry weather and on paved roads, there is enough braking power available. In wet conditions, however, you should bear in mind that the braking power may decrease. The brake is mounted directly on the fork, making its assembly and maintenance really easy. Rim brakes also score with their low weight.

However, the trend is moving towards disc brakes. This type of brake has a disc brake rotor attached to the bicycle hub on which pressure is applied when braking. Disc brakes are more powerful and offer you a high level of braking performance even in wet conditions. This makes them also suitable for riding in adverse weather conditions. In general, disc brakes are considered to be low-maintenance and durable. However, the entire braking system is technically more complex and requires more know-how to maintain, service or repair. Yes, disc brakes are a bit heavier, but they give you more freedom when choosing tyres. You can mount larger and wider tyres as well as different types of rims.


Rim

  • Lower weight 
  • Easy maintenance 
  • Affordable wear parts 


Disc

  • High braking performance even in wet conditions
  • Low-maintenance
  • Durable 

ROSE road bike clothing – stylish and functional

Stylish colours, trendy prints and high performance  wearing the right road bike clothes is absolutely essential. ROSE road bike clothing is made by cyclists for cyclists. The passionate designers know exactly what is important. Discover the entire ROSE collection ranging from modern basics through to performance-oriented styles. 




There is no reason not to own a ROSE road bike! 4 Reasons why

Road bikes are not just for pros, but are becoming increasingly popular with the broad mass of cyclists. Whether as a companion for your training or for your battle against time.

  • Made for speed

    The optimal combination of components is made for high speeds and comfort.

  • Modern design language

    The design of ROSE road bikes reflects the experiences made on the road! Looks fast, rides like crazy.

  • Alone or in a team

    Whether you want to beat your personal best or ride together in a team, road cycling connects people.

  • Built in Bocholt

    ROSE designs, develops, and assembles your bike by hand in Bocholt, Germany.

As you can see, biking is an incredibly versatile sport, consisting of a wide variety of uses and bike types. ROSE Bikes offers you a diverse selection of bikes, clothing, bike parts and bike accessories, all in one shop, from the comfort of your own home or on-site with personalised advice.