ITALIAN MASTERPIECES FROM COLNAGO, BIANCHI & CINELLI THE UK S BEST-SELLING CYCLING MAGAZINE ROAD TESTED FRESH FAST & FUN 6 BIKES MAKING THEIR DEBUTS THIS SUMMER WHY WE LOVE THIS LOOK 765! P20 Issue 331 + September 2017 TOUGHEST TEST EVER! wrecked & rated! HOW TO Recover faster with milk Get ready for cyclo-cross Climb out of the saddle like Simon Yates REVEALED PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS......you don t need a doctor s note to use! SEVEN INSPIRATIONAL READERS STORIES LOVE ISLANDS? THEN YOU LL LOVE THIS MONTH S BIG RIDE IN THE FAROES
NEW LINES Below Despite a gravel-friendly chainset and cassette, the Terra still impressed on the road Bottom Shimano BR-RS805 disc brakes keep you in control ORBEA TERRA M20-D 17 2799 All-roader first from the Basque race brand Orbea has built something that s more about the fun of riding istorically Orbea has H been a race-focused brand with a long association with professional cycling, and numerous world and Olympic champs piloting its bikes. The new Terra is somewhat of a departure, being every inch a gravel bike. With only a handful of events in Europe to suit this type of bike, Orbea has built something that s more about the fun of riding, and that s fine by us. Orbea claims an 1190g frame weight for the Terra. As this one s built for toughness not lightness that s a decent compromise weight wise. Orbea backs up that toughness claim with a lifetime warranty. The bike s versatility comes to the fore when you see the mudguard and rack mounts included in the frame s construction, allowing it to just as easily take on bike-packing duties, daily commuting or gravel riding and racing. With the right tyres you could even consider cyclo-cross. The Terra s tyre clearances have been optimised for a 40mm gravel tyre down to 28mm for road duties. Even though our test bike is running fat Schwalbe G-Ones and a very gravel-friendly 48/32 chainset with an 11-32 cassette we were hugely impressed with the way the Terra covers tarmac. Aside from the buzz SPECIFICATION Weight 9.18kg (L) Frame Terra OMP Fork Terra Gears FSA Gossamer 48/32, 11-32 Brakes Shimano BR-RS805 Wheels Mavic Aksium disc Finishing kit FSA Energy bar and stem, FSA Gossamer chainset, Prologo Nago Space saddle, 1.5in Schwalbe G-One tyres of the tyres when cornering and the slightly sluggish acceleration, compared to racing slicks, the Terra is a great companion for road riding. The traditionally shaped frame means a solid basis, and the stiffness through the drivetrain makes for a responsive ride. Up front the slightly longer fork is designed to offer flex in its lower two-thirds, taking the sting out of rough roads and heavily rutted trails. Orbea has concentrated on small sections of the frame to help absorb vibrations, with a special layup, using its Dynamic Structure design, at the head-tube, seat-tube/ top-tube joint, above the rear dropouts and at the fork dropouts to CYCLING PLUS September 2017 55
ROAD TEST With a switch of tyres you would also have a superior on-road machine smooth things as you bounce along. We can t vouch for the slightly secretive design, but on broken and rougher dirt surfaces the Terra is impressive. It doesn t jar or jolt but doesn t feel soft either. The Terra is part of Orbea s MyO program so you can choose options on some of the finishing components, gear ratios and, more interestingly, the paint scheme. We love the 90s-inspired fluoro touches on our Terra, but if you have more modest tastes there are plenty of options for you. Ride-wise there is a lot to like about the Terra, and as a gravelbased machine it s one of the best we ve tried for covering grit and gravel quickly, and it s impressively light for a bike of this type at just over 9kg, but in terms of value we do have some reservations. At just under 2800 we d have expected Ultegra, and while we can HIGHS Rapid off road, sweet handling and smooth on it LOWS Some component compromises mean less value for money than some BUY IF You want to cover grit and gravel fast and don t want to compromise your road rides too much either happily forgive the down-spec to FSA s Gossamer chainset as Shimano doesn t yet offer a gravelfriendly 48/32 option, the entrylevel FSA Energy bar and stem and Mavic s highly competent yet still entry-level Aksium disc wheels do come across as a little below the otherwise highly impressive Terra s pay grade. That said, the Terra does meet the needs of the fastest gravel riders, and with a switch of tyres you would also have a superior on-road machine. With the current fad for looking for a single bike for all solutions the Terra should be on everyone s shortlist. THE VERDICT A very welcome departure from Orbea that s smooth, sweet handling and speedy FOR A LITTLE MORE ORBEA TERRA M21-D 3099 Sharing the same frame but stepping up to SRAM s cyclo-cross racing-bred Force 1 groupset and matching hydraulic brakes. FOR A LITTLE LESS ORBEA TERRA M31-D 2399 The same frame but driven by SRAM s Rival 1 single chainring setup and rolling on Fulcrum s wide Racing Sport DB wheels. 56 September 2017 CYCLING PLUS
ROAD TEST On the road it feels endurance bike-fast and endurance event-ready W INNE R Orbea Terra A gravel master that isn t compromised by road work t s hard to pick a I winner from such a disparate bunch. Pitting steel, titanium and against each other is one thing, but throw in all-road, gravel, endurance, race and aero and it s a wider mix than most. Ironbridge s steel chassis is fivestar, and its handling impressive, but there are some niggles in the drivetrain and brake performance, and those flashy components add to the price, but sadly not to the ride experience. Thompson s race-bred Capella can only have come from the tight street races that are the signature of the company s Belgian heartland. If you like your bikes sharp and explosively quick, the Capella is a compelling choice. Holland s Pilot adds to a growing world of titanium disc-equipped road bikes. With a beautiful frame and ride to match, this slice of rarefied metal is worth consideration if you can swallow the price. Evo2Max was the big surprise, an unknown quantity and with a lot of aero design work the Nebular had the hallmarks of a worrying machine. The fact that it rides so nicely and is priced so keenly is great. Chapter 2 only launched its first bike on July 1 this year, and we were the first magazine to get our hands on a test bike. The Tere is so on the money for a state-of-the-art road bike. It s beautifully finished, great fun to ride and, in this spec, pretty flawless in its performance. That leaves Orbea s Terra. Offroad it feels as nimble as a pro-level cross bike, on long gravel drives it s accomplished in its cushioning, but on the road it feels endurance bikefast and endurance event-ready. We d be more than happy to switch out the gravel tyres for a set of Conti GP4000S IIs or Schwalbe S-Ones and run the Terra on a hilly 100-miler. NEXT MONTH It may be considered an old-school frame material, but we re keeping things real with steel in next issue s bike test. Condor s allrounder Acciaio, Ritchey s Road Logic, Salsa s touring bike o ering Vaya, Specialized s Sequoia Expert, the hand-built Holdsworth Strada and Reilly Cycleworks battle it out. 68 September 2017 CYCLING PLUS
NEW LINES EVO2MAX NEBULAR R9 2799 ORBEA TERRA M20-D 17 2799 THOMPSON CAPELLA 3999.99 IRONBRIDGE BICYCLES 1851 4025 PILOT VETURI 5187 CHAPTER 2 TERE 5999 Size tested 56cm L L 57cm 57cm 56cm Sizes available 49, 52, 54, 56, 59cm XS, S, M, L, XL XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL 47-62cm 47-62cm 51, 53, 55, 56, 58cm Weight 7.75kg 9.18kg 7.68kg 9.8kg 8.65kg 6.8kg Frame High modulus Toray Terra OMP High-modulus Reynolds 853 steel Double-butted Grade 9 titanium alloy Carbon Fork High modulus Toray Terra Carbon Reynolds 853 steel Carbon Carbon Frame alignment Head-tube good, rear dropouts, fork Head-tube, rear dropouts, fork Head-tube and rear dropouts good, fork dropouts poor Head-tube, rear dropouts good, fork Head-tube good, rear dropouts and fork Head-tube and fork, rear dropouts good TRANSMISSION Chainset 52-36 FSA Gossamer 48/32 Di2 50/34 SRAM Rival 1 38 50/34 SRAM Red etap 52/36 Bottom bracket BB86 FSA BB30, BB386 adaptor BB86 Hope BSA C-Bear ceramic bearing BB86 Cassette, 11-28, 11-32 Di2, 11-25 Hope, 10-44, 11-28 SRAM Red etap 11-25 Chain Shimano FSA Team Issue Di2 SRAM Shimano SRAM Derailleurs Di2 SRAM Rival 1, Fouriers cage and jockey wheels SRAM Red etap Gear levers Shimano RS805 Di2 SRAM Rival 1 Shimano STRS685 SRAM Red etap WHEELS Front and rear Evo Momentum R1 Mavic Aksium Disc Thompson TRC FCC040 Hope 20Five 9th Wave D38-C Zipp 404 NSW Tyres 25mm Continental GP4000 S II 1.5in Schwalbe G-One 25mm Schwalbe One 30mm Schwalbe G-One Speed 25mm Schwalbe Pro One 25mm Continental GP4000 S II Wheel weight F 1.13kg R 1.51kg F 1.65kg R 2.01kg F 1.1kg R 1.52kg F 1.43kg R 1.83kg F 1.09kg R 1.45xkg F 1.05kg R 1.35kg COMPONENTS Stem Zipp Service Course SL FSA Energy Thompson TRC Evo Deda Zero 2 3T Team Stealth Chapter 2 Handlebar Zipp Service Course SL FSA Energy Thompson TRC Evo Deda Superzero 3T Team Stealth Chapter 2 wingbar Headset Evo2Max FSA Thompson Hope Pilot FSA No 42 ACB Saddle Fabric Scoop Prologo Nago Evo Space Fizik Arione Kium Brooks Cambium Selle Italia SLR Fizik Arione Seatpost Carbon FSA SL-K Di2, 27.2mm Thompson TRC Hope 3T Team Stealth Chapter 2 D-pro le Brakes direct mount Shimano BR-RS805 hydraulic disc Hope X2 disc, 160mm rotors Shimano BR-RS785 (r), BR-RS805 (f), Magura rotors SRAM Red Evo2Max Cockpit 70cm Fork o set 4.5cm Trail 5.7cm 55cm 73.5 58.5cm Orbea Cockpit 71cm Standover 85.5cm BB height 28.5cm Fork o set 5cm Trail 5.9cm 56.5cm 58.5cm 72 Thompson Cockpit 72cm Fork o set 4.25cm Trail 5.6cm 56.5cm 57cm 40.5cm 99.5cm 106.5cm 99.5cm Ironbridge Cockpit 66.5cm Standover 80cm BB height 27cm Fork o set 4cm Trail 6cm 51cm 54.5cm 72 Pilot Cockpit 68.5cm Standover 81cm Fork o set 4.25cm Trail 6.4cm 55.5cm 72.5 74 50cm Chapter 2 Cockpit 72cm BB height 28cm Fork o set 4cm Trail 6.2m 57.5cm 73.5 54cm 41.5cm 41cm 100.5cm 101cm 98cm CYCLING PLUS September 2017 69