Just in: Mango Bikes Black Series 18-speed road bike

This is the new Black Series 18-speed road bike from British company Mango Bikes, featuring a steel frame and fork, Microshift R9 drivetrain and deep-section wheels. It normally costs £449.99, but it is currently discounted by 15% making it £382.49.

Mango focus on offering affordable and thoughtfully design entry-level bikes ideal for new cyclists, and the geared road bike is intended as an ideal upgrade for anyone that has come into cycling via a single speed or fixed wheel bicycle, or equally as a competent first road bike if new to cycling. Uniquely at this price, because each bike is built to order, they can offer a full custom build service allowing you to choose from a palette of colours for just about every component, from the frame to the rim, saddle, bar tape and much more. That's not the sort of service you'd expect at this price.

A little while ago we paid a visit to Mango Bikes to check out their newly launched 18-speed road bike, their first geared road bike following on from the single speed model that launched the company back in 2012. The company have enjoyed quick growth as a result of the single speed bike, and the new geared road bike is based on that model with obvious changes to accommodate gears and expands their range to a wider appeal, especially to new cyclists wanting a traditional looking road bike with drop bars whether it's for getting fit, commuting to work or doing their first sportive.

You can get it in two builds, either with a flat bar - which would be ideal for town and city riding, or with drop bars, which we have here. The bike uses a steel frame and fork with the same tubeset as used on the singlespeed, with space for 25mm tyres and a useful complement of mudguard and rack mounts. Simplicity abounds with externally routed gear and brake cables.

A Microshift R9 groupset, comprising the shifters and derailleurs, is partnered with a Chasewood semi-compact 52/38t chainset and a KMC X9L chain. Brakes are C-Star dual pivot calipers. The deep-section 41mm aluminium rims carry over from the single speed with 32 spokes per wheel, with Chasewood sealed bearing hubs and Maxxis Re-Fuse 23mm tyres.

The seat tube accommodates a 25.4mm seatpost (the same diameter as the Cannondale Synapse) and is topped with a Mango Bikes branded saddle with chromoly rails. On the road.cc scales the Mango weighs 11.6kg (25.57lb).

Mango Bikes offer the 18-speed road bike in three sizes. We’ve got a size medium here, and it measures up with a 556mm top tube, 105mm head tube, 73 degree head angle and 75 degree seat angle, 400mm chainstays, 61mm bottom bracket drop and a 995mm wheelbase.

Now the obvious other candidate for a road bike at this price is the B’Twin Triban 500 SE we tested this year, which costs £330. That gets you an aluminium frame and carbon fork which have obvious weight saving benefits, and it’s built with a Microshift 8-speed groupset and triple chainset. 

We're going to hit the road on the Mango over the next few weeks to see how it performs. More info at www.mangobikes.co.uk