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review

Sensa Giulia Ultegra Di2

7
£2,494.95

VERDICT:

7
10
Could use a few component changes but at its heart the Giulia is fast, efficient and good value.
Weight: 
7,860g
Contact: 
www.merlincycles.com

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Sensa Giulia is a solid, value-for-money offering from a brand we'll be seeing more in the UK due to the fact that they're now available online via Merlin Cycles. The frame is fast if a bit unforgiving (an aspect not helped by some kit choices) and I wasn't a big fan of the own-brand wheels, but you're getting a lot of bike for your money and if you want to ride fast it's a very efficient platform.

Sensa are a Dutch brand, with over 20 years of bike-building experience, so they're no fly-by-night Johhny-come-latelys and are well established over the Channel. Merlin Cycles are buying the bikes direct and selling online, so it's a more streamlined – and thus cheaper – path to your door than a bike that's been through a distributor and your local shop. Although it's still an extra step than buying direct from the likes of Canyon or Ribble.

Frame

The Giulia is the second bike in the Sensa range currently stocked by Merlin, one below the Giulia Supremo that uses the same frame design but higher grade materials for a weight saving of about 150g. Both use a process that Sensa call Zero Void Curing to create a smoother internal structure that helps to keep the weight of the frame down.

Up front the head tube has a 1.5in bottom race into which slots a full-carbon tapered fork. The bottom bracket is a PressFit 86, and that allows lots of space for a chunky carbon shell with a massive down tube and tall chainstays for maximum efficiency in power transfer.

Our bike came with a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, along with a set of Sensa's own 58mm deep-section carbon/alloy rims and own-brand alloy finishing kit. Topped off with a Selle San Marco Concor saddle and wearing Continental GP4000S tyres (the standard spec is now Schwalbe One tyres), the full bike weighed in at 7.86kg (17.3lb) and would make your wallet lighter to the tune of just under two and a half grand; £2494.95 to be precise. For full carbon, full Di2 with deep section wheels that's a pretty sharp price. You can upgrade to the lighter Supremo frame for £200 and downgrade the wheels to Sensa's alloy RA30s for a saving of £325.

No hog

Value's all very well but not if the bike's a hog to ride, so we're happy to tell you from our testing that it's certainly not that. It's a stiff platform, no doubt about that. The downtube is box-like in section and sufficiently wide at the base that it makes a surprisingly effective mudguard in foul weather. It feeds into a bottom bracket that never gave a hint of flex, although we did manage to eke some squeaks and creaks from the bottom bracket after a few rides in very wet conditions.

At the front it's a similar story: lots of stiff. The front end and fork track very well and give you great control when you're carving corners, but over rough back-road tarmac it's certainly not the most comfortable bike we've tried. A lot of that is down to the bar and tape combination, I think. The bars feel pretty sturdy and the wafer-thin tape doesn't do much to filter out road shock. My first upgrade would be to swap that out for something with a bit more give, and perhaps even sneak some gel pads underneath for smoother progress on the hoods.

Wheels

Sensa's own-brand deep-section wheels have a claimed weight of 1,820g which is pretty tidy for a 58mm rim, especially one with an alloy braking surface. That being said, I didn't get on with them. The front wheel especially was very grabby under braking, at one point on the rotation, suggesting that the alloy extrusion wasn't a consistent width. We waited for it to get better and it did, a bit, but never to the point where it went away. That and the fact that the wheels aren't the stiffest means they're hard to recommend.

Get the bike with the standard wheels, save yourself three hundred quid and save up for your favourite bling ones. I swapped the RC58s out for a set of Fulcrum Racing 5s which didn't alter the weight much bid did improve the braking feel no end. There's nothing wrong with the levers, callipers or pads.

Flawless shifting

Shimano's Ultegra Di2 performed flawlessly throughout testing, as we've come to expect, nay demand. It remained resolutely dry inside, in spite of the battery position on the underside of the chainstay and the near-biblical conditions of one ride in particular.

Once you've got used to the button positions shifting is straightforward and simple, and you arguably shift more than you would on a mechanical bike as the will-it-take-won't-it-take thought process of hauling the chain across the cogs is substantially reduced. It's still possible to make it skip and grumble if you shift at a really bad time, but you get away with it a lot more often, especially at the front.

On the road

Overall, then, a few grumbles about equipment but none that masked the fact that the heart of the bike is a very competent frame and fork. The Giulia is capable whichever way the road is pointing. On the ups the relatively low weight and super-stiff rear triangle make upward progress simple. Back down the other side the bike responds well to rider input and there's plenty of poise and plenty of grip. Swapping the wheels out to something a bit stiffer helped, too.

Cruising along the flat it's an easy bike to pilot, although it would definitely benefit from thicker bar tape if the main roads round your way aren't that well maintained (ie, anywhere in the UK). The 19cm head tube and 57.4cm effective top tube on our 58cm test bike is certainly sportive rather than heads-down racing but it wasn't a position that felt too upright.

And it's good value. At £2,169.95 with Full Ultegra Di2 (but without the RC58 wheels) it's one of the cheapest ways to get a full-carbon, full-Di2 bike that we know of. If you're looking for a frame that's Di2-ready with the option of going electronic later on, then the same framest with a Shimano 105 groupset costs less than £1,400. Just.

Verdict

Could use a few component changes but at its heart the Giulia is fast, efficient and good value.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Sensa Giulia Ultegra Di2

Size tested: 58cm

About the bike

State the frame and fork material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.

Frame Specification:

Monocoque Generation5 - Zero Void Curing - UD Carbon Fibre

Di2 Compatable for internal cables and battery mount, can easily be converted for mechanical & Di2.

Full Carbon dropouts with replaceable inserts/hanger

PressFit EightSix bottom bracket allowing for maximun downtube width

Zero Void Curving - ZVC technology creates smooth inner surfaces with less material

Generation 5 Carbon - G% Carbon is our latest optimized mix in carbon-fibre

One point Five - The 1.5" bottom headset bearing created maximum stiffness

Fork - Supra full carbon fibre Gen5 Tapered 1.5"

Option to purchase with the new Supremo frame which is 150g lighter

Build Specification:

Group: Full Ultegra 6800 Di2 Spec 2X11 Compact

Seatpost: Supra Speed Line

Handlebar: Supra Speed Line

Stem: Supra Speed Line

Wheels: Supra RA30, with RC58 carbon upgrade

Tires: Schwalbe One

Saddle: San Marco Concor

Sizes: 50 - 53 - 55 - 58 - 61 cm (sloping)

Colour: Matt Carbon Clear UD + White/Grey or Clear Carbon UD + White/Red

Frame and fork

Overall rating for frame and fork
 
8/10

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

Clean and tidy, well finished.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

"Generation 5 Carbon - G% Carbon is our latest optimized mix in carbon-fibre", say Sensa.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

Size tested: 58cm

Effective top tube: 57.4cm

Head tube: 19cm

Head angle: 73°

Seat angle: 73°

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

Position is sportive-upright, spot on for stated 58cm

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

Efficient rather than comfortable.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

It's plenty stiff all right. The front end could do with a bit more shock absorption somewhere between the wheels and your hands.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Very efficient.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?

No issues during testing.

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive? Neutral.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

The bike felt stable and the steering was very direct in all circumstances.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?

Thin handlebar tape and worthy rather than great bars didn't help the front-end comfort.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?

Frameset is super-stiff, deep-section wheels less so.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?

Very efficient drivetrain and Di2 shifting was pretty much faultless.

Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
 
9/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for high speed stability:
 
9/10
Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for low speed stability:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for flat cornering:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for cornering on descents:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
 
7/10

The drivetrain

Rate the drivetrain for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the drivetrain for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for value:
 
9/10

Wheels and tyres

Rate the wheels and tyres for performance:
 
5/10
Rate the wheels and tyres for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels and tyres for weight:
 
6/10
Rate the wheels and tyres for comfort:
 
6/10
Rate the wheels and tyres for value:
 
6/10

Controls

Rate the controls for performance:
 
6/10

Marked down for the bars and thin tape

Rate the controls for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the controls for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the controls for comfort:
 
5/10
Rate the controls for value:
 
7/10

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes, although it needs tweaking from the stock build.

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes.

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes.

Rate the bike overall for performance:
 
6/10
Rate the bike overall for value:
 
8/10

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 190cm  Weight: 102kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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4 comments

Avatar
polyx | 9 years ago
0 likes

I was looking for a bit of review on those wheels and was a bit disappointed with the review. 102 kg rider and a complaint that wheels are not stiff enough ?  1

Avatar
jarredscycling | 10 years ago
0 likes

Sounds like a pretty great deal on an Ultegra Di2 bike event if there are a few swaps that need to be made with the wheels and such

Avatar
surfer35 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Looking forward to the Athena version due out this year.

Avatar
roos | 10 years ago
0 likes

I have a Sensa and totally agree with this review. Great bike but the wheels are awful. I went for the non carbon option, saved a few quid but they are pretty bad and don't help the ride at all.
I'd highly recommend the Giulia Ultegra Di2 but be prepared to change the wheels and saddle. I also changed the bars and tape which made a huge difference!! Great Review and very accurate!!

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