Rondo HVRT CF1 2021

The Rondo HVRT CF1 is an incredibly fast and stiff road machine that, thanks to its tweakable geometry, can be set for aggressive riding or backed off a touch for longer, more epic jaunts. Comfort levels are good too, plus you get decent tyre clearances. A look at the spec list does make you query the price, though.

The TwinTip carbon fibre fork gives the HVRT variable geometry, by way of adaptors that adjust the thru-axle's position to either HI or LO, for what's effectively two types of bike. I'll go into it in a bit more detail in a moment.

I spent the majority of the test in the HI setting – the most aggressive one – which means the HVRT behaves very much like a race bike.

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Its frame is stiff, especially around the bottom bracket, and the whole thing feels very tight and responsive. Set up in the HI mode the Rondo is one of those bikes that just eggs you on to ride a bit harder and a bit faster.

Climbing hard out of the saddle sees you well rewarded for your efforts, as there is no noticeable flex either from the frame and fork, or from the components (such as the Easton carbon handlebar or the deep section wheels).

At 8.36kg on our scales it's no lightweight, but it doesn't behave like a heavy bike either.

The tautness of the build also pays dividends on the descents, where the HVRT feels very confident in the bends – even at very high speeds. That extra weight gives it a planted feel which helps, especially as the firmness of the frame can see the bike bounce around a little on broken surfaces.

Also the steering is quick, but not overly so, which gives added confidence in the bends.

All this stiffness doesn't result in an uncomfortable ride, though. Even with the 25mm tyres pumped up hard there is still enough forgiveness in the frameset to avoid it becoming tiresome on long rides, and the Rondo gives good levels of feedback.

It's on the flat where the HVRT really comes into its own. Not only do the frame and fork have plenty of aero styling cues, but the CF1 wears Hunt's Carbon Limitless super wide, deep-section rims.

When I tested Hunt's fully built 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels I was absolutely blown away by their performance, both for speed and stiffness. They really suit the riding style of the HVRT, and you can cover a lot of ground for what feels like not much effort.

Switching the TwinTip dropouts over to LO changes the dynamics of the Rondo. Front end height is increased, the head angle slackens off, and you get a longer trail figure.

It doesn't make a huge difference, to be perfectly honest, but it is noticeable. The handling calms down a little and the higher front obviously gives a slightly more comfortable position, especially on longer rides.

TwinTip and the geometry

Switching between the HI and LO settings is pretty straightforward and only takes a few minutes, so it's not too much of a faff if you want to change the settings for a big ride and then back again when you get home.

Our 54cm review model has a 144mm head tube 530mm seat tube length, and 408mm chainstays. Obviously, these don't change, but lots of other measurements do.

In the LO setting the Rondo has a head angle of 72.1°, an effective top tube of 551mm, a seat angle of 72.6° and a fork offset of 40mm. Bottom bracket drop is 67mm, while the stack and reach are 551mm and 378mm respectively.

Switch the tabs to the HI setting and this changes to a head angle of 72.8°, 550mm effective top tube length, a seat angle of 73.3° and a fork offset of 45mm. The bottom bracket drop becomes 72mm, while the stack and reach are 548mm and 385mm respectively.

The HVRT is available in four sizes, with effective top tube lengths of 532mm to 589mm (LO setting).

Frame and fork

The full carbon frame is obviously designed with aerodynamics in mind, which you can see from the large-section tube shapes throughout. The fork is integrated with the bottom of the head and down tubes, while the seat tube is sculpted around the rear wheel.

The whole frame flows nicely in my opinion, and touches like the internal seatpost clamp give a very clean, smooth look – although the HVRT lacks the fully internal front-end cable/hose routing we're now seeing on a lot of top-end bikes.

Rondo has gone for a press-fit bottom bracket, and dropped the driveside chainstay to increase tyre clearance. The HVRT takes 700c tyres up to 30mm wide, or 47mm tyres on 650b, which certainly opens up your options away from the roads.

The fork is full carbon fibre as you'd except at this price, and has a fin that shelters the disc caliper. While its effectiveness is questionable, it does look cool.

Overall build quality looks very good. Removing the seatpost and having a bit of a nose around with a torch doesn't bring up any surprises or rough finishes.

Finishing kit

This CF1 version is based around a mechanical Ultegra groupset. I've ridden Shimano's latest second-tier setup over many thousands of miles, and there really is very little to fault. I've written a full review of the R8000 rim-braked option here – the hydraulic disc-braked version shares many of its components.

As a quick recap though, the shifting is faultless; really precise, with plenty of feel at the lever. It's impressive considering how light the shifting motion is.

Not that you should be doing it, but if you happen to find yourself shifting across the chainrings or cassette under heavy load, the system doesn't get flustered like some cheaper groupsets can. In keeping with the racy intentions of the CF1, Rondo has specced an 11-30T cassette paired to a 52/36T semi-compact chainset.

With 160mm rotors front and rear, the braking system has more power than it needs, but it is a joy to use. The modulation of the Ultegra set up is top-notch and really controllable, allowing you to adapt to the conditions without fear of locking the front wheel up.

To be fair, that's never happened to me with any braking system, but the Ultegra levers let you know exactly what is going on.

The saddle, being integrated, is Rondo's own, as is the stem. It's quite short for a frame of this size at 90mm – I'd normally be using a 110mm – but at least it keeps the steering lively.

The Easton EC70 Aero handlebar is a nice touch, as it is very comfortable. The flared top sections give you a wide platform to rest on when climbing, and their shallow drop allows easy access without you needing to be overly flexible.

Fabric's ALMS CF is a top end saddle, and I got on with it very well indeed.

Wheels and tyres

As I mentioned earlier, the wheels are a collaboration between Rondo and Hunt. They follow a common theme of ultra-wide rims (optimised for 28mm tyres thanks to a bulbous 34.5mm outer width), while Hunt did a huge amount of aero testing.

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This wheelset has Rondo-branded hubs and lack the aero spokes of the full Hunt wheelset, but they are minor details – you're still getting all the benefits of that aero rim.

Trueness and stiffness wasn't an issue throughout testing, and they remained reliable even after some very wintery rides. They are tubeless ready, too, but Rondo doesn't supply tubeless tape or valves.

Tyres are Continental Grand Prix 5000s in a 25mm width. They are absolutely excellent for speed and grip, plus – judging by how the non-tubeless GP5000 Transparent versions are coping on my winter bike – they're durable too.

Value

The HVRT CF1 is priced at £5,399 which I think is a little steep for the finishing kit here. Don't get me wrong – you're getting a quality set of wheels, great tyres and bonuses like the carbon handlebar and saddle too. But the CF1 is £900 more expensive than the BMC Teammachine SLR Two at £4,500.

That gets and alloy handlebar and wheels, but comes with an Ultegra Di2 groupset.

If you want an aero bike with top-level finishing kit and a very comfortable ride, the Orro Venturi STC has to be recommended. The £4,599.99 build I tested consisted of a full SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset, full carbon cockpit and deep section Fulcrum Wind 40 DB wheels.

I'm using these two as comparisons to the CF1 from a road race bike point of view, but they obviously don't offer the same tyre clearances. If you want to be able to fit bigger rubber, then a good suggestion would be the Merida Scultura Endurance 7000-E. It comes with 700c x 32mm tyres as standard (and you can still fit guards), and will take a maximum of 35mm for width.

The model I tested came with an Ultegra groupset and a lower grade of finishing kit than found on the Rondo. It is just £3,500 though, which leaves plenty over for a decent set of wheels.

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Ah, but they don't come with variable geometry though.....

True, that is Rondo's trump card. But to be honest, while it is noticeable when you switch between settings, it would never be a deal breaker for me when it comes to the money.

Overall

I had a lot of fun on the HVRT CF1. It is a real blast to ride on the road, feeling like a proper performance bike – it responds so well to a decent bout of effort.

In its HI setting the handling is spot on for high speed corners or tricky descents, and the LO setting softens things off a touch for longer rides – but it's not enough of a bonus, for me, to overlook the price.

Verdict

An impressive race bike that delivers on speed and comfort, although I'm not sure how much TwinTip really adds