Pinnacle Arkose 4

The Arkose 4 from Pinnacle (Evans Cycles' in-house bike brand) might have cyclo-cross DNA but with fast-rolling tyres and provision for mudguards and a rack, it's a good choice for an all-round, general purpose bike that is competent on the smooth and capable in the rough.

Rugged road bikes are becoming increasingly popular, with cyclists fed up of being limited to riding just on the road. More and more riders are wanting a versatile bike capable of exploring the countryside via some of the wonderful bridleways, woodland trails and long-distance off-road tracks that exist right across the UK. And the Arkose is a bike that fulfils these criteria.

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I've been using the Arkose 4 for all sorts of riding, from leisurely cycling along the river, enjoying the freedom and gentle pace of cycle travel, to exploring off-road trails in the local woods, and regular road riding and popping to the shops.

The smart looking and nicely finished aluminium frame is fitted with a full carbon fibre fork, which combine to provide a fast and lively ride. It's ever so slightly on the stiff side, but run the tyres at a lower pressure, especially if engaging in some off-road action (30-50psi), and the ride is smoothed out considerably.

It's a good looking bike and the colour attracted a lot of admiring glances and plenty of questions about its cost. The general consensus is that it looks like a much more expensive bike than it actually is, not that it's a cheap bike at £1,300. The good looks are helped by the internal cable routing, an update over the previous 2015 model.

Damp and blast

Helping with ride comfort is the softly padded and nicely shaped saddle, which helps damp the ride noticeably on rougher surfaces, whether a dried out farm track, gravelly byway, or chattery tarmac road. The handlebar is nicely shaped and the bar tape is tactile, grippy and comfortable even when riding without gloves.

Compared with regular road bikes, the 80mm stem is short – there's nothing to stop you fitting a longer one, but don't be in rush; the short stem suits the bike, because Pinnacle has given the frame more length between the saddle and bar, with a 555mm top tube and 388mm reach (the horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) on the size medium pictured, meaning the position isn't cramped or the steering erratic.

Far from being nervous and twitchy, the handling characteristic was measured and well balanced on the road at higher speeds, and agile and nimble when navigating tree-lined singletrack or traffic-choked roads. The short-reach aluminium handlebar optimises control, with the short drop not putting you in too low a position when making use of the drops.

If I was being really picky, the weight could be considered high at 9.73kg, but I never felt it was a factor during my time riding the bike. The compact (50/34) chainset and 11-32t cassette ensure you have lots of low gears for scaling steep climbs, and the bike is eager when out of the saddle, the stiffness of the frame and fork benefiting the climbing ability. It's not a bike for sudden sprints and attacking – instead, it builds up gradually and once up to speed it rolls along efficiently.

Disc tech

Disc brakes make a lot of sense on this sort of bike, and the Shimano BR-785 hydraulic disc brakes are the best currently available. They are worth the extra money over the cable operated units on the cheaper Arkose models. The feel at the brake lever is firm and the braking power is authoritative, with no risk of accidentally locking wheels on good surfaces. Without a doubt, the brakes are the highlight of the Arkose 4 package.

The brakes and gears are controlled by Shimano RS-685 brake levers, providing a light shifting action across the 11 sprockets on the cassette. The R500 chainset – a Shimano non-series model – provides good gear shifting performance, but a bit of front derailleur adjustment was required when the bike was delivered. This is a task made easy thanks to the inline barrel adjusters where the cables leave the handlebar.

Take a closer look at the wheel axles and you'll notice something different: Pinnacle has specced a bolt-thru axle for the fork, which use a larger diameter hollow axle that threads into a closed dropout, and a regular quick release at the rear. It's a similar system to most modern mountain bikes and the benefits are easy wheel fitting, because the disc rotor easily lines up with the brake calliper.

Getting the wheels in and out is no more trouble than a regular quick release axle setup, handy if putting the bike in the back of the car.

Wider appeal

Disc brakes not only provide good braking performance, the space they require means wider tyres can be easily fitted. Pinnacle has designed the frame and fork with space for up to 40mm tyres, and it's supplied with 35mm Kenda Small Block 8 tyres with a Kevlar folding bead, which saves weight.

There is loads of clearance around these tyres, so no problem if ploughing through a muddy track – the wheel won't get clogged. Equally, the big clearance means there is no issue fitting a rack, whether for commuting or touring. Alternatively, and maybe more on-trend, add a bikepacking bag and it would make a good adventure bike for some exploration into the wild.

The tyres aren't a true cyclo-cross design, and aren't much good in mud or on wet grass, but in dry conditions they provide lots of grip and roll along rapidly, with good performance on the road, albeit accompanied by a distinct buzzing soundtrack.

There's nothing to stop you fitting different tyres, a 28-32mm slick tyre if you wanted to ride it solely on the road and make use of the mudguard mounts. Equally, you could fit a proper cyclo-cross tyre if you want to do some winter 'cross.

> What width tyres should you choose?

The wheels caused a noticeable lack of fuss during the test period. There were a few creaks from the rear wheel spokes on the first ride but after that they have been silent and reliable. The freehub engages sharply and makes a nice sound when you freewheel, and the Alex Draw 1.9s double wall aluminium rims have put up with some battering on my local mountain bike trails, full of stepped roots and unseen rocks embedded in the soil.

Perhaps the only change I would want to make on this bike, would be tubeless tyres to make use of the tubeless rims. That's being really picky, though – I didn't suffer a puncture, and if you run the tyres at a sensible pressure, the large volume and chunky tread should ward off flats. But still, it's a possible upgrade if you do buy this bike.

Conclusion

If you want a bike that can handle a wider range of trails and tracks than a regular road bike, the Arkose 4 is a really good option. The geometry and aluminium frame provide a quick and fun ride that will suit beginners and experienced cyclists alike.

It's equally at home on the road with fat slicks or carving through the woods with the grippy (in the dry) Maxxis tyres. Rack and mudguard mounts and hydraulic disc brakes make it a good choice for the commute or touring/bikepacking adventures.

While you could use it for cyclo-cross racing, I would recommend a change of tyres for winter racing, it's likely most potential customers will be more interested in the Arkose 4 as a general purpose bike for tackling regular road rides with a side order of off-road tracks and bridleways, or for taking on popular routes like the South Downs Way, Pennine Way or Camel Trail. There's also a growing number of gravel events that this bike is perfectly suited to.

> Check out our buyer's guide to gravel and adventure bikes, here

If you like the look of the Arkose 4 but it's out of your price range, it's worth taking a look at the Arkose 3, which at £1,000 uses the same frame with the same BR-785 hydraulic disc brakes and Shimano 105 derailleurs, but key differences include a heavier alloy-and-carbon fork, Shimano 105 brake levers, and a cheaper non-Shimano chainset and bottom bracket.

Verdict

A thoroughly enjoyable ride that is happy on the road or in the dirt, with hydraulic brakes and big tyre clearance