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TECH NEWS

Culprit Roadi launched

Sub-18lb disc-equipped aluminium road bike added to Culprit’s range

Culprit have released the new Roadi, an aluminium framed road bike with a Shimano 105 groupset, TRP Hy/Rd hydraulic discs and Reynolds Stratus Pro wheels with a claimed weight of 17.95lbs (8.14kg).

The Taiwan-based company run by Joshua Colp from the US has only been going a few years but they have built a reputation for disc-equipped road bikes. Previously they’ve been carbon, like the Croz Blade carbon aero road bike we reviewed recently. This new model aims to make owning a disc-equipped road bike a bit more affordable, and with a price of $1,575 - the only snag is that the price doesn’t include shipping or import duty and VAT from Taiwan.

Triple butted 6061 aluminium has been used to construct the frame and Culprit claim a 1,310g weight for a painted frame with hardware. That’s a competitive weight for a disc-ready alumnium frame, we’ve only seen a few frames go much lighter (Cannondale CAAD10, Kinesis Aithein) and none of them will take disc brakes.

Culprit are keen on aerodynamics and have shaped the down tube with a kamm tail profile. All cables are out of the wind too and internally routed, and it’s mechanical and Di2 compatible. To accommodate the disc brakes there is an inboard post mount caliper mount. They have used asymmetric chainstays and seatstays to help the frame deal with the extra forces generated by the disc brake. The fork is an all-carbon aero design with internal cable routing.

The bike supports both mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes, giving it good upgrade potential. Pictured is a Shimano 105 and TRP Hy/Rd built bike which the company claims is sub-18lb, that’s for a size 56. Six sizes are available and they’ll be offering two other built options when it is available in the autumn. You can also choose from three colour options; yellow, white or black.

More at www.culpritbicycles.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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13 comments

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IngloriousLou | 10 years ago
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I like.

A 105 hydro disc version with the recently announced new groupset would be my perfect commuter.

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koko56 | 10 years ago
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Eh, dono seems alright to me. Chainstays seem like.. chinstays.

Kind of see what you mean about the seatpost, but I look at thinks like that with the perceived function in mind so like it most of the time.

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fukawitribe replied to koko56 | 10 years ago
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koko56 wrote:

Eh, dono seems alright to me. Chainstays seem like.. chinstays.

I'm wondering if he might be meaning the seat stays in the contrast colour ? Wonder if you can get transparent aluminium made into tubes ?.. that'd look funky  1

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surly_by_name replied to fukawitribe | 10 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:
koko56 wrote:

Eh, dono seems alright to me. Chainstays seem like.. chinstays.

I'm wondering if he might be meaning the seat stays in the contrast colour ? Wonder if you can get transparent aluminium made into tubes ?.. that'd look funky  1

"He" indeed meant the seat stays, sorry. Thanks for correcting.

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fukawitribe replied to surly_by_name | 10 years ago
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surly_by_name wrote:
fukawitribe wrote:
koko56 wrote:

Eh, dono seems alright to me. Chainstays seem like.. chinstays.

I'm wondering if he might be meaning the seat stays in the contrast colour ? Wonder if you can get transparent aluminium made into tubes ?.. that'd look funky  1

"He" indeed meant the seat stays, sorry.

Ah bit of an assumption there on my part ! Would 'surly' be an acceptable contraction in future ?  1

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keith roberts | 10 years ago
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I like it! I'd like to have a go....  4

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Initialised | 10 years ago
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Can I get just the seatpost in 27.2mm in anything but white?

SamShaw wrote:

If this takes mudguards

In the close up there are what look like holes in the seatstay bridge.

surly_by_name wrote:

Its hideously ugly. I'm also very sceptical of claimed frame weight. And the idea of a bike for "UK year-round riding". Is this another niche?

I wouldn't say it's a niche as such, just for people without the money or space for an n+1.

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surly_by_name | 10 years ago
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Its hideously ugly. I'm also very sceptical of claimed frame weight. And the idea of a bike for "UK year-round riding". Is this another niche?

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koko56 replied to surly_by_name | 10 years ago
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surly_by_name wrote:

Its hideously ugly. I'm also very sceptical of claimed frame weight. And the idea of a bike for "UK year-round riding". Is this another niche?

You only think it's ugly because it does not conform to your preconceived ideas of a good looking bike I think.

If it did not have disks you'd probably be all over it.

Avatar
surly_by_name replied to koko56 | 10 years ago
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koko56 wrote:
surly_by_name wrote:

Its hideously ugly. I'm also very sceptical of claimed frame weight. And the idea of a bike for "UK year-round riding". Is this another niche?

You only think it's ugly because it does not conform to your preconceived ideas of a good looking bike I think.

If it did not have disks you'd probably be all over it.

Nope. I don't mind the discs at all. The colour scheme - what is the story with those chain stays - and the curvy seat post are top of my list of issues.

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dave atkinson replied to surly_by_name | 10 years ago
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surly_by_name wrote:

I'm also very sceptical of claimed frame weight.

why so sceptical? it's not super-light. Giant's TCR alloy frame is 300g lighter (claimed) than this one (claimed).

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SamShaw | 10 years ago
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If this takes mudguards, it could possibly be the best bike for UK year-round riding ever. Can't see any - let's just hope they're discretely hidden a la Domane.

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joemmo replied to SamShaw | 10 years ago
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SamShaw wrote:

If this takes mudguards, it could possibly be the best bike for UK year-round riding ever. Can't see any - let's just hope they're discretely hidden a la Domane.

looking at the clearances I'd say that was pretty unlikely.

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