Test of the Van Rysel RCR-F Pro Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 2025

Van Rysel RCR-F Pro: the competitively priced aerodynamic bomb

Van Rysel, Decathlon's premium cycling brand, has made a remarkable return to the professional peloton thanks to its partnership with the Decathlon WorldTour team – AG2R La Mondiale, which it has been involved in for two seasons. After the RCR Pro, already acclaimed by riders in 2024, the northern brand is unveiling the RCR-F Pro, a route aerodynamics designed in collaboration with the experts at Swiss Side. This model aims to compete with the best machines on the market, while remaining more accessible than its competitors. Was it a success? Decryptiontage.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©Vincent Lyky

An assumed ambition

The Van Rysel RCR-F Pro is part of Decathlon's strategy of offering high-performance racing bikes at competitive prices.A global sports giant, Decathlon has the human and technical resources necessary to design bikes that rival the brands premiumThe partnership with the AG2R La Mondiale team, renamed Decathlon – AG2R La Mondiale since 2024 and Decathlon CMA CGM from 2026, illustrates this long-term commitment to professional cycling. To meet the demands of the WorldTour, a bike was needed that could match the best, in a sport where equipment plays a key role.

Launching in spring 2025, the RCR-F Pro is an evolution of the RCR Pro, already appreciated for its balance between aerodynamics and lightness. Unlike its predecessor, optimized for hilly courses at mytagnew, The RCR-F Pro focuses on aerodynamicsWith its massive lines, it is designed to cut through the air and transmit power without loss of energy.

However, it sacrifices lightness: the frame weighs 1010 g (size M, without paint), the fork 420 g, and the complete bike is around 8 kg, despite high-end equipment. This model therefore targets fast and moderately hilly courses, where it excels, as confirmed by the tests in the wind tunnel of the German magazine Tour, which places him among the best in the WorldTour.

The models of the range

The Van Rysel RCR-F Pro is available in several versions, all selling at excellent value for money:

• RCR-F Pro Signature: SRAM Red AXS, Zipp 454 NSW wheels => 9000 €
• RCR-F Pro Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Swiss Side Hadron² 625 Ultimate wheels => 8999 € (our bike of test)
• RCR-F Pro Inferno: SRAM Red AXS single chainring, Zipp 454 NSW wheels => 8500 €
• RCR-F Pro Purple: SRAM Force AXS, Zipp 404 SW wheels => 6299 €
• RCR-F Pro Violet: Shimano Ultegra Di2, Swiss Side Hadron² 625 Classic wheels => 6199 €
• RCR-F Pro Gray: SRAM Rival AXS, Van Rysel VR 50 wheels => 4500 €
• RCR-F Pro Grey: Shimano 105 Di2, Swiss Side Hadron² 625 Classic wheels => 4490 €  

Please note that all models are sold with a Quarq, Shimano or Inpeak power sensor.

=> Buy the Van Rysel RCR-F Pro Decathlon AG2R on sale for €7999,99

Heavyweight in the category

The RCR-F Pro features a Super High Modulus (60T) carbon frame, with a weight of 1010 g (in M, without paint) and a 420 g fork, values which remain far from the lightest bikes (up to less than 700 g for the frame), but quite common for pure bikes intended to ride fast on the flat.

The RCR-F Pro chassis, made up of 517 hand-laid carbon fiber parts, was optimized in the wind tunnel with the help of experts from Swiss Side and ONERA (National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research), with an announced gain of 13 watts at 45 km/h compared to the RCR Pro. It is distinguished by profiled tubes, optimized for aerodynamic efficiency in wind angles of -15° to +15°. The head tube, reinforced by 7% in rigidity compared to the RCR Pro, is designed to offer a piltage precise at high speed. The lowered shrouds and the pilot stationtage reduce drag while improving stability in the speed-seeking position.

The geometry of the bike also promotes a very aggressive posture, with a rather low head tube and a reach quite long compared to each frame size. This is not a bike designed for taking in the scenery, but for riding in a committed manner.

The seat post, widely profiled, is extremely easy to adjust, whether for the saddle tilt or inside the frame, thanks to a solid clamping system accessible with a 5 mm Allen key. Van Rysel has not sought here to scratch a few unnecessary grams and has preferred to bet on reliability and practicality. We appreciate it. Just like the steering bearings, the derailleur hanger on mytage direct or the brake hose routings inside the steering column which exude good build quality. The RCR-F Pro is a perfectly finished and totally confidence-inspiring frame.

Comfort in question

The integrated cockpit, designed with Deda, offers a 12° flare between the part where the brake handles are fixed and the lower part, which gives a difference of 6 cm in width for our bike test in size S (36 cm wide at the top and 42 at the bottom). Despite my fears when discovering the bike test, I found the pilot positiontage very comfortable, with ideal ergonomics for my size and the way I usually position my hands when riding. If the very narrow upper part does not offer a large lever arm when dancing with the hands on the handlebars, the lower part allows you to settle in ideally, without tension. If each frame size is of course delivered with a specific cockpit width and length, we can however wonder about the possibilities offered by Decathlon stores to exchange a handlebar size when purchasing a new bike, as can usually be done at a traditional bike shop.

Unsurprisingly given its profile, the Van Rysel RCR-Pro is not a bike that does much to filter vibrations on the routeThe frame accepts tires up to 33 mm in section for those who would like to tone down its manly character a little, but it must be borne in mind that the machine was designed in this version as a whole in terms of aerodynamics, with the Swiss Side wheels Hadron² 625 Ultimate, not exactly light but devilishly effective, and Continental GP5000 S TR tires in 28 section. Tubeless tires supplied with inner tubes, which increases the weight a little on the scale. To really benefit from the performance, comfort and feel of route from mytage tubeless, you will also have to go through the maintenance box, as is normally done at a bike shop.

A nice surprise on the route

When I unpacked it from the box and made the first adjustments, I expected a clumsy and demanding bike on the route, at least when I'm at a normal training pace. With pedals and a bottle cage, the RCR-F Pro still weighs close to 8 kg, which is a bit high for a €9000 machine. But the combination of a very rigid structure and aggressive geometry offers surprising precision and responsivenessThe RCR-F Pro feels as sharp as a blade when accelerating and changing direction, while demonstrating exhilarating stability at high speeds.

When dancing or when you push the bike to change the rhythm, the bike shows no weakness.The stiffness seems ideally distributed, with a very firm bottom bracket under pedal strokes, and a totally inflexible front end thanks to a pilot position.tage perfectly in line with the steering tube.

The wheels are heavy (nearly 1700g per pair), with a 62,5mm rim height and tubeless tires (300g each) mounted in inner tubes. But they are smooth and stiff, and when you quickly stand on the pedals, leaning on the pilot's seat,tage, we never feel them waving in the middle of the chassis.

On the flat, the aerodynamics and stability of the bike are felt from 35 km/h. The RCR-F Pro makes it easy to maintain a high cruising speed, whatever the wind conditions, thanks in particular to its exemplary stability.It is very little disturbed by gusts of side wind, which brings a lot of comfort to the pilot.tage. The cockpit ergonomics provide a perfectly natural position for the hands and torso in the speed-seeking position, while remaining fairly relaxed, so as to also promote comfort while riding. The bike hits a little on bad surfaces, but it compensates with these small details that make it very pleasant to ride. And the faster you go, the more it is in its element. I was again very pleasantly surprised when taking a descent in the open at more than 65 km/h, where the RCR-F maintains the course without tacking, when other bikes require a lot of attention in these conditions.

On short, gently sloping hills, the RCR-F Pro holds its own honourably thanks to its overall performance, and provided it tackles them dynamically.. If the slope exceeds 6 or 7% and you approach it at low speed, the machine is a little difficult to restart, due to its weight, its inflexibility which annihilates any spring effect when you stand up, and a very tight position of the brake levers which limits the lever arm. Fortunately, the bike in this configuration compensates with an impeccable transmission and developments which allow you to turn your legs in cadence to avoid hitting the slope.

A cutting-edge RCR-F Pro

Inctestsurely, The Van Rysel RCR-F Pro is at the forefront of what is being done today in terms of efficiency on the route, where it comes into direct competition with machines like the Canyon Aeroad or Cervélo S5, real benchmarks. Its performance is very high, as is its stability, a quality that I particularly appreciate for riding fast. But it is also rigid and precise to ride, and ultimately also exhilarating to use on hilly courses, where small hills and frequent accelerations follow long straights across the fields.

However, it remains a pro bike, muscular but demanding on mountain courses.tagand for cyclosportives with little or moderate training, or who simply ride below 30 on averageIts geometry also clearly encourages an aggressive posture when pedaling, which is not within everyone's reach, especially the less flexible among us.

With the RCR-F, Van Rysel demonstrates its ability to offer a bike that competes with the best bikes in the WorldTour, offered at a very competitive price even for this top-of-the-range model, identical to that used by the Decathlon pros – AG2R La MondialeHowever, given the way the bike is distributed in Decathlon stores, which usually specialize in selling bikes to the general public, it will be necessary to take into account the limited possibilities of changing the size of certain components, which may prove essential for worry-free sporting practice.

=> Buy the Van Rysel RCR-F Pro Decathlon AG2R on sale for €7999,99

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