BH Bikes just revealed the next generation their top aero road bike – the G8 Disc – and notably missing are any shift or brake lines. Evolving their most successful premium road bike once more, the new carbon G8 Disc hits the current trend of integration & fully internal cable routing, taking advantage of FSA’s ACR headset & cockpit system. But while the overall form of the new bike looks similar, there is more aerodynamic optimization lurking in its update profile.
2020 BH G8 Disc aerodynamic road bike
At first glance, the latest BH G8 Disc looks quite similar to the previous G7 Disc aero road bike that we tested two years ago. In fact, that’s not a bad thing as that bike was an excellent blend of aero performance, quick handling, surprising rider comfort, and enough room for large volume race tires – on of the early all-rounder aero disc brake road bikes being raced in the pro peloton.
But now, the G8 Disc gets more aero with a more prominent hourglass headtube hiding all cables completely inside the integrated one-piece FSA bar+stem – in through the ACR headset, directly into the frameset for seamless internal shift & brake routing. No cables in the wind means less drag, and the ACR system works with mechanical or electronic drivetrains and doesn’t limit the rotation of your handlebar.
Beyond the cable-free aero headtube, BH further refined the aerodynamics of the entire bike, tweaking tube shapes through CFD & wind tunnel time. Overall tube shapes look similar, but the Kamm tail profiles have been updated throughout, with the thin seatstays getting special attention to reduce drag while maintaining the bike’s unique rider comfort.
Tech details
BH keeps the idea of the G8 Disc as an all-purpose road race bike with room for big classics-style road tires to “create an all-terrain machine that is capable of overcoming any challenge at the highest level.” That should continue to mean room for 30mm tires in most sizes like the previous bike, and BH confirms that even down to their smallest 50cm XS they are spec’ing 28mm tires inside the short 402mm chainstays.
The race-ready geometry itself remains mostly unchanged from the G7 Disc, leaning toward quick & predictable. And the sloping toptube, dropped seatstays & rear wheel cutout remain.
The new G8 Disc claims a frame weight as low as 850g (down just 20g over the prior model) thanks to BH’s Hollow Core Internal Molding tech that offers precise control of tube wall thickness to ensure accurate carbon placement with little need for extra material.
The new bike still features a 1.5″ tapered carbon steerer, BB386 bottom bracket, an integrated seatmast design with an aero 2-bolt post clamp, flat mount disc brakes, and a new set of hidden levers for the 12mm thru-axles.
Pricing, spec & availability
The new G8 Disc will be offered in three complete bike build sharing the same updated frameset and integrated ACR aero cable routing system. The 9000€ top-level G8 Disc 7.5 will get a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, a one-piece FSA Metron 5D ACR carbon bar & stem, K-Force carbon cranks, and 40mm deep Vision Trimax carbon wheels.
The middle 6000€ G8 Disc 7.0 swaps to Ultegra Di2, then featuring a two-piece FSA ACR cockpit with an alloy NS stem & carbon SLK compact bar, K-Force carbon cranks, and gets BH’s own 50mm deep Evo carbon wheels.
The most affordable new bike, the 4000€ G8 Disc 6.5 will stick with a mechanical Ultegra groupset, an alloy ACR bar & alloy ACR Energy bar that still features fully internal cable routing, then a set of Shimano RS370 alloy wheels.
The new bikes and details are up on the BH website now, but can’t yet be ordered. They are being raced at the Tour de France right now, though. Final retail availability has not yet been announced. But we expect the bike to hit shops this autumn.
