Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 Crowned Our 2026 Bike of the Year: The Go-Fast Gravel Machine That Took the Top Spot

After an exhaustive 12-month testing period, we’ve finalized our category champions across three drop-bar segments, and the newly unveiled Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 has emerged not only as the finest gravel bike we’ve ridden this year, but also as our overall Bike of the Year for 2026.

This machine manages something genuinely rare: it delivers aero-race-bike velocity, confident off-road composure, and genuine year-round usability in one cohesive package. The Kanzo Fast 2.0 demonstrates just how far the gravel race bike has evolved, especially given the caliber of competition it faced this year.

Eddy Merckx’s bold 525R claimed our Race Bike of the Year honor, while Canyon’s Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 took home the Endurance Bike of the Year award. The Ridley completes this impressive trio as our Gravel Bike of the Year and rises above both to claim the overall crown.

Our 2026 shortlist featured 21 bikes spread across three categories. Every contender was put through its paces by the BikeRadar team over the past year before earning a place in our annual showcase. From each category, three finalists were selected, and our senior technical editor, Warren Rossiter, rode them head-to-head to determine the victors.

The full list of 2026 winners includes the Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 as both overall champion and Gravel Bike of the Year, the Eddy Merckx 525R as Race Bike of the Year, and the Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 as Endurance Bike of the Year. Further details on each category, including runners-up and the reasoning behind our selections, will be published in the coming days. We’ll also announce our 2026 eMTB of the Year on Tuesday, September 1.

It has been a remarkable year for bicycle technology, with advances in frame geometry, expanded tire clearances, and increasingly refined aerodynamic profiles appearing across every category, from pure race machines to endurance road bikes and, of course, gravel bikes like the Kanzo Fast 2.0.

The way these bikes reach customers has also shifted. Both Ridley and Merckx, our gravel and race category winners respectively, provide online configuration tools that let buyers tailor the build to their preferences. That’s a trend I’d like to see expand further. Ribble, Vielo, Orbea, and Canyon, all of which appeared elsewhere in our testing, also offer solid customization options when ordering and deserve recognition for making our shortlists and podiums.

Choosing an overall winner this year was far from straightforward. The Canyon strikes an intelligent balance between practicality and enjoyment, while the Merckx 525R merits tremendous respect for charting a new course toward race-bike excellence. It proved that innovation is still possible in the very foundations of road-bike design, and I commend the renowned Belgian marque for pursuing that path.

The Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0, however, goes all in. It expands the aerodynamic limits of gravel race bikes, much like the Argon 18 Anti Matter, BMC Kaius 01 One, and Cervélo Áspero 5. Yet it surpasses all of them when it comes to handling.

It’s also clear this bike was designed by people who actually ride. Its 58mm tire clearance ranks among the most generous available, and Ridley has made the most of that by fitting massive 55mm tires straight from the factory. Beyond the sheer volume, the setup is front- and rear-specific: a lower, faster-rolling tread pattern at the rear for straight-line velocity, paired with a beefier, more aggressive tread up front for cornering bite.

There are also subtle but meaningful touches that only someone committed to riding gravel throughout the year would specify, such as mounts for mudguards and fenders.

Then there’s the placement of the port for the generous down-tube storage, positioned low near the bottom bracket to improve the center of gravity. It also sits clear of any bottle cage, so the door stays rattle-free without three-quarters of a liter of liquid pressing against it.

During testing, I experimented with fitting high-volume road tires to the Kanzo, and it transforms into an excellent 1x road bike as well. In fact, it performs so well that I’m seriously considering thinning out my extensive collection of road and gravel bikes and building up a single Kanzo Fast with two wheelsets. It could genuinely be the only drop-bar bike I’d ever need.

With that in mind, if you’re shopping for a new gravel bike in the near future, overlooking the outstanding Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 Force AXS XPLR would be a serious mistake.

For reference, our complete 2026 Bike of the Year shortlist includes the following. In the race bike category: Cannondale SuperSix Evo 3 (£6,995 / $6,999 / €6,499), Cervélo Soloist Force AXS (£7,000 / $8,500 / €7,499), Eddy Merckx 525R (£6,299 / €6,999), Factor Monza SRAM Force with power meter (£6,799 / $7,199 / €8,299), Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0-Di2 (£5,799 / €6,600), Merida Reacto 10K (£9,500 / €10,199), Rose Shave FFX Red AXS (€8,500), and Wilier Filante SLR ID2 Dura-Ace Di2 (£9,500 / $12,900 / €10,900).

Endurance bikes tested: Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 (£4,299 / $5,999 / €4,499), Cervélo Caledonia Force AXS (£5,250 / $6,500 / €6,499), Fairlight Strael 4.0 custom build (£3,909), Ribble Ultra-Road 105 Di2 Aero (£3,799 / $5,215 / €4,880), and Vielo R+1 Campagnolo Record (£7,999).

Gravel bikes tested: Argon 18 Anti Matter Force AXS XPLR (£7,495 / $8,995 / €8,495), Argon 18 Dark Matter SRAM Rival XPLR AXS (£4,500 / $4,650 / €5,095), BMC Kaius 01 One (£9,999 / $12,999 / €10,999), Giant Revolt Advanced SL 0 (£9,999 / $12,000 / €9,999), Orbea Terra M21e Team 1x (£5,299 / $6,299 / €5,999), Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 (£6,299 / €6,999), Singular Pterodactyl rolling chassis (£3,490 / $3,959 / €3,429.95), and Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 (£1,700 / $2,099 / €1,999).

Our Bike of the Year award has been running since 2009. Past recipients include some of cycling’s most celebrated names alongside breakthrough brands that earned their moment at the top. Previous winners are: 2025 – Cannondale Synapse Carbon 2 SmartSense; 2024 – Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2; 2023 – Vitus Venon Evo RS Aero; 2022 – Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 0; 2021 – Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS; 2020 – Cannondale SuperSix EVO; 2019 – Rondo HVRT CF0; 2018 – Giant TCR Advanced 2; 2017 – Specialized Roubaix Comp; 2016 – Cannondale CAAD12 105; 2015 – BMC GF01 Disc 105; 2014 – Cannondale Synapse 5 105; 2013 – Giant Defy Advanced 2; 2012 – Focus Izalco Pro 3.0; 2011 – Storck Scenero; 2010 – Cannondale Six Carbon 105; and 2009 – Giant TCR Advanced 3.