The Italian manufacturer adds substance to the style
The winner is…
WITH THE VALUE GOALPOSTS shifting more than ever, selecting a winner from this trio has been tricky. The Merida Scultura Limited demonstrates that, for £3,000, it’s still possible to bag a cost-effective race bike deal. Although the Shimano 105 R7020 groupset may be from an ageing generation, it still performs well in the face of the growing number of 12-speed (and electronic) groupsets.
It also offers an entry point for carbon wheels, underpinned by the blueprint of a Bike of the Year-winning race bike. While the rolling stock won’t set the world on fire, there’s not much that can beat the Scultura Limited for sheer bang for buck.
The Ridley Helium is a good bike, but it didn’t trouble the top two in this test. Although it offers impressive climbing ability, its handling left a little to be desired coming back down the other side. More generous tyre clearance would be appreciated, too.
It’s also the most expensive of the three on test at £4,400, with an overall build that doesn’t maximise the frame’s abilities. Despite coming with a very good SRAM Rival eTap AXS groupset, in a crowded market of lightweight race bikes we’d hope that our money went a little bit further.
So, the winner is the Basso Astra. This recently launched endurance bike manages to pack in the impressive Shimano 105 R7100 Di2 groupset, on top of a fast but manageable carbon frameset.
The alloy wheels are also impressive, while the £3,799 price tag arguably gives room for money to be spent on upgrading those hoops to carbon wheels (shoul
