{"id":232500,"date":"2026-03-10T16:46:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/x-lab-ad9-review-holds-its-own-against-worldtour-competitors-but-it-isnt-as-cheap-as-you-might-expect\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:46:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:46:47","slug":"x-lab-ad9-review-holds-its-own-against-worldtour-competitors-but-it-isnt-as-cheap-as-you-might-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/x-lab-ad9-review-holds-its-own-against-worldtour-competitors-but-it-isnt-as-cheap-as-you-might-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"X-Lab AD9 review: Holds its own against WorldTour competitors, but it isn\u2019t as cheap as you might expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tech Specs<\/p>\n

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Weight: <\/strong>7.79kg (with pedals, computer mount, bottle cages and 30c tyres)
Prices: <\/strong>$13,499 (Astana spec), $3,751 (frameset incl seatpost and cockpit)
Sizes: <\/strong>XS, S, M, L, XL
Colours: <\/strong>Black, Blue fade, Astana<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

XDS, the parent company that makes X-Lab bikes, is probably the biggest bike brand you\u2019ve never heard of. Although, in recent years with the sponsorship of XDS-Astana and a breakout into the WorldTour, this is less of a true statement than it used to be. Much like Giant and Merida, XDS makes bikes for Western brands, and while I am not at liberty to tell you for which brands, there\u2019s every chance that it made your bike.<\/p>\n

XDS\u2019s main focus is affordable, mass market consumer machines, with X-Lab as the performance<\/a> brand aimed at taking on the best road bikes<\/a> on the market. It\u2019s sort of like S-Works to Specialized, but only if you could only buy S-Works Tarmac<\/a> and Aethos models, and the rest of Specialized\u2019s sales were bikes to go to the shops on.<\/p>\n

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