Fondriest TF2 1.5 frame

Fondriest's TF2 1.5 is a smart-handling, race-ready frame that's an excellent basis for a racing or fast sportive setup. Given the prices of the stock builds, and the crazy deals you can get on full groupsets at the moment, it's likely to appeal to riders looking for a self-build option.

Built from 50T Toray carbon, the TF2 1.5 is Fondriest's newest frame. Giving it a cursory once over you'd assume it was an aero frame: there's the elongated seatpost and recessed seat clamp; there's the cutout in the seatpost tucking the back wheel in; there's the generally big-tubed-and-flowy look.

Actually Fondriest don't make any specific claims for the TF2 1.5's aero-ness or otherwise. It's just a road frame in that regard. The medium frame weighs in at a claimed 950g which is light but not superlight, and it's matched with a 345g carbon fork and a 190g teardrop profile seatpost. You get all that, plus headset and seat clamp, for the £2,299 frameset price.

Our XL frame would weigh in at a bit more than that, of course, thanks to the extra length in the tubes. It has a 575mm effective top tube, and a stack-to-reach ratio of 1.47 which isn't super-racy, more like fast sportive. Having said that the smaller frames get progressively more aggressive, albeit gradually. You get classic 73°/73° angles in XL, with the head tube gradually getting slacker, and the seat tube steeper, as the sizes get smaller.

So if Fondriest don't claim any particular aero benefit, what do they claim? Well, on the website it's majoring on stiffness (5/5 on their scale) and also comfort (4/5) whereas aerodynamics is 3/5, as is the rather esoteric 'elasticity' which is something other than comfort, we're not quite sure what.

So, slinging a leg over the TF2 1.5 and pointing it at the open road you might expect it to be a super-stiff race bike with comfort and aerodynamics secondary. That wasn't quite my impression of it.

Certainly, it's stiff. Plenty stiff, in terms of power transfer, for anything I could throw at it. I've knocked out some fairly big loops on the TF2 1.5, and I've also raced it: in fact it took me to a second place in the Cat 4s up at our local circuit, Odd Down, and charging up the home straight in a full on race sprint, giving it absolutely everything I had, the bike was perfectly behaved, with no feeling of flex or vagueness at all. And I'm a big lad, even now I'm (sort of) down to race weight. So no issues there.

That stiffness is in spite of the fact that Fondriest eschew your wide bottom bracket standards and instead spec a standard 68mm threaded shell, like what we've all been using for years. In this build that means external Hollowtech II bearings and a 24mm axle on the chainset, although if you did want to go to a 30mm axle then there are external bearings from the likes of Praxis that allow you to do that. I'm a big fan of Hollowtech II and its many associates, because I find it a setup that's less prone to creaks and squeaks, and much easier to strip down with basic tools if it does start getting graunchy. Your mileage may vary there, but if you were about to discount the Fondriest on account of its bottom bracket area not being stiff enough... well, don't.

It's not an uncomfortable bike either. The big tube profiles and the elongated seatpost don't look as if they're going to give you any mercy, but while the ride is firm it's certainly not uncomfortable. In terms of comfort I've ridden better carbon bikes over the enormously variable tarmac of the South West, and I've ridden worse. Assuming you've got a saddle you like fitted (I got on okay with the Selle Italia SL on the stock build) and you've fitted some decent bar tape you'll be fine, assuming you're not expecting sofa levels of comfort. Swapping out the 23mm tyes for some 25s would add a bit of extra cushioning too. On rougher surfaces you'll get bounced around a bit but the TF2 1.5 copes very well with general road chatter.

This build isn't particularly light, at 8.35kg, but it hides the extra weight very well. The ride is crisp and direct, with the bike responding quickly and predictably to sudden changes in direction, even on my favourite 40mph+ test descent. It never feels vague, and the steering is lively without feeling twitchy. It's perfectly suited to the likes of crit racing where you need to hold your line in tight corners or dart into a gap, but cruising out on the open road it's well behaved and happy to spin out the miles.

If you put the hammer down to sprint up a roll in the road the TF2 1.5 jumps to attention. It's hard to define what makes a bike feel alive when you jump on the pedals but whatever it is, you get it with the Fondriest.

The Racing Quattro wheelset is capable and very stiff under power. Dave Arthur rated them when he tested them and I'd echo his comments: they feel well made and faster than their 1,787g weight would suggest.

Shimano 105 is our current go-to groupset in terms of bang for your buck. You get almost the same level as performance as the second-tier Ultegra groupset for not much more than half the price. Everything that really makes a difference – lever design, brake callipers, the chainset, the extra sprocket – has trickled down. The only real penalty is weight. As usual, the groupset performed near-flawlessly during testing and it's easy to use and simple to maintain.

I've already mentioned the saddle, and the Fondriest shallow drop bars and alloy stem didn't do anything to mark them out as either especially good or especially bad; they're solid if unremarkable kit.

It's all good then? Well, not everything. The price for this Shimano 105 build, with Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels, is £3099. You can have the frame for £2,299, a full 105 groupset goes online for less than £300, and the wheels are £200. That leaves you over £500 for bars, stem and saddle. Put another way, given the £3099 budget you could spec full Ultegra if you're happy enough putting the bike together yourself.

That's a quirk of UK pricing that we've seen with other manufacturers, the Genesis Volare being a notable example. It's not manufacturers trying to grab a bigger slice: the simple fact is that you can have the groupset as a consumer for the same or less than it's costing them. Happy days for the tool-savvy consumer but it does make smaller brands with less buying power seem a bit overpriced. As a frameset it's better value, although even then you'll need to weigh up the fact that something like Canyon's Giro-winning Ultimate CF SLX frameset will cost you £700 less.

The Fondriest definitely makes more sense if you're planning a self build or upgrading your existing frame. I'd have no hesitation in recommending it as a racing platform: the bike handles exquisitely and it's great fun to ride. As an overall package I have to mark it down for value but the frame is a gem and a great starting point for a race build if you want something a bit different, and strict budgetary requirements aren't your main concern.

Verdict

Gem of a frame that's just the ticket for a racy ride; builds are overpriced though