This week Belgian manufacturer Ridley broke cover with a new lightweight climbing bike, the 6.2kg Falcn RS 2.0. In doing so, it also poo-pooed – a phrase you don’t hear often – the ‘one bike to rule them all’ philosophy, with its aero but relatively heavy Kanzo Fast 2.0, which sidles in next to the Falcn in the Ridley stable for a lethal two-pronged approach to top-tier racing.
Now, the one-bike philosophy exists on at least two levels. There’s the example presented by Ridley – suitable for taking on different courses at the highest levels of elite racing. And then there’s the example that exists in your shed and mine (apologies, of course, if you’re a WorldTour pro reading this. It happens).
The idea that us ‘normal’ cyclists (call us club riders, weekend warriors, amateurs – we can take it) might only have to spend money on one single bike holds enduring and widespread appeal. Something you could commute on, race on, ride tracks and trails on. It would take up less space; it would involve less faff; and it would certainly involve not having to shell out multiple times over for something that does pretty much the same as all the other things, but not quite. If that makes sense.
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The fabled one-bike is held up as a two-wheeled Holy Grail but, leaving aside the question of whether such a machine actually exists, do any of us really want it? After all, just imagine that, this Christmas, you’re gifted such a machine. It sings, it dances, it plays the bloody bagpipes… and you never need to buy another. Is that cause for celebration? No, of course it isn’t.
Here’s the reason: one of the fun things about being a bike rider is buying bikes. And then buying stuff for those bikes. And then, once you’re done with that, it’s imagining what bikes and what stuff you’ll be buying as soon as you get even the flimsiest excuse to do so. The n+1 equation dictates that. It’s also at diametrically opposed odds with the one-bike theory, and it’s definitely the funnest of the two.
Admittedly, back up in the elite ranks, the bike industry has been making a pretty good fist of the one-bike strategy. In 2020, for example, Specialized did away with its aero Venge – remember that? – instead bolstering the aero capabilities of its Tarmac to essentially take the place of both. Victories in the Tour de France Femmes and the World Championships would testify that it’s doing OK.
This one-bike approach has been echoed across the industry in recent years, with Cannondale doing the same with its SuperSix Evo, and Trek with the Madone Gen 8. There are, however, rumblings that suggest another about-turn could be on the cards in the industry more broadly, and we could see manufacturers follow Ridley’s approach in future.
It’s worth pointing out that ‘do-it-all’ is pretty subjective and means different things to different riders. Some of us might not ride off-road at all, so that capability is unnecessary. Some commute by bike, some don’t… the list of specifics goes on.
Whatever your cycling repertoire, though, there is one machine that can do most things, from long road rides to off-roading, commuting and cyclo-cross racing – that would be the gravel bike. But it’s probably best not to admit that, not to yourself, and definitely not to anyone else. After all, one bike only – where’s the fun in that?
