Van Rysel launches do-it-all NCR CF carbon road bike, and it looks like great value

Van Rysel has officially launched its carbon NCR CF, calling it “a high-performance, versatile and playful bike” designed for various surfaces, and it looks incredibly good value, equipped with a Shimano Tiagra groupset for £1,700.

We first told you about the Van Rysel NCR CF back in January when it made an appearance at the Velofollies exhibition in Belgium, but it has now been officially launched. NCR is short for “Neo Racer” and CF indicates that the frame is made from carbon fibre. It looks a lot like the existing Van Rysel EDR endurance road bike but with a less bulbous head tube.

> Van Rysel to launch seven new bikes, including high-end race models 

“This is the most versatile carbon bike of our lineup,” says Van Rysel. “It is dedicated to cyclists who want to (re)discover the thrill of speed, whatever the type of roads that you will ride.

“The Neo Racer Carbon Frame bike is our most all-round bike but still retains a strong focus on performance. It’s part of the Race range, with a sporty character that’s sure to appeal to performance-oriented cyclists.”

You get the idea: Van Rysel says, “This bike is the perfect partner for getting into competitions from a young age (size XXS) or for taking part in your first triathlons,” and it also expects this bike to handle various different surfaces.

You get enough space to mount tyres up to 35mm wide. A dedicated gravel bike would take wider tyres than that but the NCR CF is intended to allow you to “explore the trails”.

The frame and fork are full-carbon. Van Rysel claims a frame weight of 1,203g (painted, size medium) and 413g for the fork.

In terms of geometry, the medium-sized Van Rysel NCR CF comes with a 555mm top tube, 515mm seat tube, and 137mm head tube. The frame angles are 73° (head angle) and 73.5° (seat angle). The stack height is 548.3mm while the reach is 392.6mm reach, giving a stack/reach of 1.40 (that varies according to frame size). This all suggests a ride position that’s pretty aggressive rather than some sit-up-and-beg setup.

The Van Rysel NCR CF is equipped with an aluminium handlebar and stem and will come in four builds, all with hydraulic disc brakes, although only the Shimano Tiagra one (£1,699.99) is being launched right now (it was showing as ‘out of stock’ when we checked Decathlon’s UK website, although you can press a button to be told when it does become available). 

A SRAM Rival AXS model (€2850 – about £2,475) is promised in July, SRAM Apex in August, and Shimano 105 in December. We don’t yet have prices for those final two options.

The Tiagra build includes a 48/34T double chainring and a 10-speed 11-34T cassette. A 50/34T chainset is the more common option but Van Rysel thinks that the slightly smaller 48T chainring is suitable for a bike designed with versatility in mind.

This model is fitted with Mavic Aksium wheels and 28mm tyres. Although not set up tubeless, the wheels are tubeless-ready and come with the necessary valves.

Van Rysel has come up with a novel approach to promote the new NCR based on a virtual bike fox hunt – where a rider with a ‘tail’ tries to evade capture by pursuers. This is different, though, because it’s purely online with one winner getting an NCR of their own.

Here’s how it works, in Van Rysel’s own words:

1. On 16 May, the fox is released, visible somewhere on social networks.
2. Click on the hastag #CatchMeNowVanRysel
3. Find the fox emoji hidden in one of the photos
4. Mention the name of the @fox account under the pinned post of @van_rysel

It sounds like you need to do some searching on the main social media platforms from next Tuesday onwards. You can already follow an account called #catchmenowvanrysel on Insta, for example.

The competition is all Van Rysel’s, nothing to do with road.cc. The draw will be made on 30th May 2023.

Van Rysel is launching numerous bikes this year, some of them higher-end options than anything currently in the range. It looks very much like the brand will be supporting the AG2R Citroën team at the highest level of racing in 2024.

> The French Connection: AG2R Citroën to reportedly use Decathlon’s Van Rysel bikes from next season 

To find out more about the Van Rysel NCR, head over to Decathlon’s website.