You know how many new-product pitches we get every month? Hundreds, each declaring that the item is the best in its category. Though many of the companies making these claims are clearly delusional, some creations do stand as superbly designed top performers in their field--and you'll find all of them right here in our roster of the best products money can buy.

We rate each product on its design, performance, and specifications. We generally did not consider price in our evaluations; instead, we looked for products that represent the cream of the crop. But in compiling our list, some products were such great bargains that we couldn't ignore them. Of course, ranking products from racing bikes to swim goggles distributions in one place is tricky, but we used the same scoring system for each product and assessed them as consistently as we could. We have also assigned each candidate an "impact" score, to recognize significant products that changed the technology landscape. And last, we will rank every product award winner by its final score, creating what eventually be our list of top 100 products.

Cervélo Soloist Carbon Superlight

Although the Soloist Carbon and the R3 already constitute the most advanced bikes in the peloton, Cervélo has not been resting on its laurels and now unveils the SLC-SL, a superlight version of the Soloist Carbon. With a frame weight of less than 1000 grams, only two frames are a hair lighter with the Cervélo R3 being the lightest. But because of the aerodynamic advantages, the regular Soloist Carbon was already the fastest bike, if not quite the lightest. The SLC-SL puts an end to any uncertainty in this regard, and it combines its aerodynamics with such a low weight that it is clearly the best choice in any terrain.

The regular Soloist Carbon was already as close to the ultimate road bike as it gets. Its combination of aerodynamics and low weight means that it is the fastest possible set-up in almost any race, so it should come as no surprise that it is the most-used frame for Team CSC. Sure, there are a few frames that claim to be lighter, and fewer still that actually are, but the weight difference is so small that the aerodynamic advantages virtually always outweigh it. But some people don’t get this and think saving another 200g is extremely important, even though it constitutes less than 1/3% of 1% of the combined rider/bike weight, at best.

Frank Schleck gets it and used a Soloist Carbon to perfection in the Amstel Gold race to break away and increase his lead all the way to the finish atop the Cauberg. Of course Jens Voigt and other perennial soloists on Team CSC got it long before they had ever seen a Soloist Carbon, when they rode to victory after victory on the Soloist Team. Once people experience the Soloist Carbon, they get it.

So, to take away any reason not to try the Soloist Carbon, Cervélo made the SLC-SL version that not only has the aerodynamics of the Soloist Carbon, but also shaves off those 200g. Introduced at the 2006 Tour with select Team CSC riders, the SLC-SL is a full production version and is available at SBR now.

The price for the SLC-SL frameset is significantly higher than the regular Soloist Carbon at about $1000 more but if you want the best and the lightest, this frame is for you. There is no doubt the best value is the regular Soloist Carbon because, as mentioned before, the 200g will not make much of a difference in performance. But if the ultimate is what you are looking for, the only way to get it is through the extremely high costs of making a frame that is superlight while aero and incredibly strong.

Because Cervélo will not sacrifice its standards, the SLC-SL has the same stiffness properties as the regular Soloist Carbon (actually, the SLC-SL is a few percent higher) and of course just like any other Cervélo, it passes all their safety tests, including the industry-leading frontal impact tests. Like the Soloist Carbon, the SLC-SL uses the best airfoil shapes designed for bicycle speeds. Cervélo doesn’t use standard NACA (now NASA) airfoil shapes, as they are mostly designed for speeds much higher than are attained on a bike. Light, but efficient it’s is easy to make a light frame, just use less material. But the SLC-SL is light by using material in the right places, rendering stiffness properties in the BB and in torsion that is even 5-10% higher than the already leading-edge Soloist Carbon.

Join us at the SBR Triathlon Club Summer Social

Please join us on Thursday, August 16th at Turtle Bay Grill & Lounge for the next SBR Triathlon Club Social! Come out and meet the Ambassadors and other Tri Club members. Feel free to bring friends, family and other triathletes. Turtle Bay is located on 2nd Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets.

Turtle Bay Grill & Lounge
987 2nd Ave, New York

Click here to learn more about the SBR Triathlon Club.

Your Pace or Mine: Wednesday Night Runs in Central Park
Arrive at 7pm to warm up and stretch. The run starts promptly at 7:30pm.
Meet SBR Club members and other NY athletes. Get training and race tips and have fun after work in New York's scenic Central Park. Leave your belongings at the store for safe keeping. Often we mix things up during the runs with fartleks, hill repeats or specific interval workouts.