Rose X-Lite Six Disc Ultegra Di2

The Rose X-Lite 6 Disc Ultegra Di2 is a quick, sharp-handling disc-brake bike that can thrill and excite as well as the best of them. And with Rose's custom direct-to-consumer business model, it's also excellent value.

• Pros: Pin-sharp handling, lightweight frame, custom build
• Cons: Aero wheels on our build can create twitchy front end, it's stiff

When Rose Bikes updated its branding last year, it needed a bike on which to show it off. That bike was the newly updated flagship race machine, the X-Lite, but let's from the outset dispel any ideas that this is just the old X-Lite in drag. As Dave explained in February, it received a complete overhaul that saw it come in rim and disc brake format, and I was excited to get on board one and see what's changed.

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It just so happens that I'm familiar with this bike's rim brake predecessor, the X-Lite Team, so am well placed to compare the two, but what about current competitors? Can the X-Lite 6 Disc hold its own against big players such as Canyon's Ultimate CF SLX Disc and BMC's Teammachine 01 Disc?

Let's find out.

Frame and fork

Where the Rose has both of those bikes beaten is in the frame weight, coming in at a claimed 790g – the Teammachine Disc is a claimed 815g, the Ultimate 5g more still. The Rose's disc-specific fork adds a further 365g to the mix, resulting in a total frameset bulk of 1,155g.

In the build on test, including deep-section DT Swiss ARC 1100 wheels, it tips the road.cc Scales of Truth at 7.08kg. I don't care who you are or what you ride, that's cutting-edge impressive for a disc brake bike with aero hoops.

That weight is achieved in a frame that boasts Rose's top-spec blend of T40/60 carbon fibre, with the aim of achieving a 'golden blend' of lightness, stiffness, aero performance and comfort. A quick study of the geometry chart reveals a reach of 394mm and a 170mm head tube within the boundaries of a compact 992mm wheelbase in a 57cm frame size.

While Rose uses size-specific carbon layups to produce the optimal response across every frame size, the chainstays stick to 410mm in length to preserve rear end responsiveness.

The fork has a maximum tyre clearance of 30mm, and swoops outwards in the style of many current aero bikes. Flat mount callipers and 12mm thru-axles? Check. There's also a Kevlar insert inside the shaft that Rose say helps to damp out road buzz.

On the aero front, Rose has done its research and wind tunnel testing to incorporate kamm tail sections on the rearsides of the fork blades and down tube – to the beneficial tune of 11 watts versus its predecessor, the X-Lite Team – while the compacted rear triangle, smooth frontal areas and small features like an integrated seatpost clamp all help to boost efficiency. In fact, Rose says the new X-Lite is practically the same in terms of aero drag as its CWR aero bikes.

That integrated seatpost clamp sits inside the top tube/seat tube junction, which is naturally low thanks to the downsweep of the top tube. This exposes more of the seatpost, which can then flex more to improve comfort. Narrow seatstays help here too.

The bottom bracket is oversized and low slung with a 69mm drop, and the blend between the bottom section of the squared down tube and chainstays is visibly smooth. It provides plenty of stiffness (around 60N/mm, in case you wanted a figure), something that's also a priority in the head tube (around 100N/mm-rated) to balance the ride as well as optimise directness.

One area that did raise question marks during testing is in the quality of the frame finish. The carbon is neat and tidy, and the new branding is stylish yet understated, but the paint used is very thin. Naturally, this is to aid weight loss – successfully so – but in doing so makes the finish fragile, and that's on top of thinly laid carbon in the top tube that can be visibly deformed by a strong press of the thumb.

One unfortunate incident at a coffee stop where the bike took a tumble onto a heavy metal bike stand resulted in a serious scuff on the top tube, almost exposing the top layer of carbon. That's not ideal, and I'd sooner see Rose add a few grams of paint (or even carbon fibre) for a little more resilience. After all, accidents do happen in the real world and while you can't legislate for all eventualities, logically we all want a bike that can handle the odd knock.

The bottom line is that with the X-Lite, Rose has attempted to do what many other brands are attempting to – namely, create an all-round race bike that can handle everything from mountains to flat roads and everything in between, while incorporating disc brakes and enough comfort to appeal to more than just a lithe racer.

The proof, however, is in the riding.

Ride and handling

The first thing to note about the X-Lite 6 Disc is the immediate sense of sharpness right from the first pedal stroke. Instantly, you know that you're riding a precision tool.

Steering is super-quick and direct, with only the lightest touch or lean required to influence the direction of travel. In fact, it takes a little getting used to if you're not accustomed to such quick responses, and for reference makes my own Canyon Ultimate CF SL seem tame by comparison, especially when hammering up climbs out of the saddle.

Certainly, it's lost none of the razor-sharp handling I remember from the old X-Lite, yet there's definitely an added layer of composure at its core. Settle down on a climb and spin away, and the directness transforms into a stable platform, free of any flex or distracting front end runaway, allowing you to really focus on the business of pumping the legs.

It's an incredibly involving ride on descents too. Leaving aside the proven excellence of disc brakes for a moment (the usual superlatives around power, modulation and all-weather performance apply), the frame responds instantly as you lean, carving a very direct line as you aim for your chosen apex.

There's no doubt that the stiff front end is on the sharp side of 'poised', which means you need to blend confident riding with delicacy to make the most of its racy potential. Bluntly executed inputs at the handlebar result in nervous behaviour from the front end; this isn't an easy bike to ride 'switched off', you need to pay attention.

I'll come on to the finishing kit in detail later, but what the X-Lite 6 Disc does do is highlight the importance of wheel choice and striking a balance. The delicate handling might be great when climbing and descending in still conditions, but when the wind picks up – even to moderate or breezy levels – the deep-section DT Swiss ARC 1100 wheels often cause it to become twitchy and nervous, buffeting in the wind and often affecting the direction of travel.

Like I said, you need to have your wits about you. More on that and how you could counter it later, though.

At its core, the stiffness from the bottom bracket and chainstays transfers power very efficiently, allowing for entertaining accelerations when you want, or spinning away efficiently when you don't.

Obviously, the wheels are intrinsic to overall aero performance and it's difficult to identify an 11-watt saving in the frameset alone, but there's no sense that the frame is being overly artificially enhanced by the wheels in an aero sense – just maximised.

Comfort is markedly improved over the previous X-Lite, bringing it closer to its excellent BMC Teammachine and Canyon Ultimate rivals. Still, I find it a touch rigid to really compete with those two standard-setting all-rounders. Anything more than a few pimples in the road feeding into the contact points results in a ride quality that could be described as 'shaky'. The façade of composure in good riding conditions just slips slightly, as it does when the wind gets up, with the front of the bike once again more at fault than the rear.

Certainly, the dropped seatpost junction, integrated clamp and carbon seatpost are doing their best to round off the bike with comfort that'll make it an easier ride for long days in the saddle. However, they can't fully mask the rigid side effect of such a stiff and fundamentally aggressive ride.

That said, I'd hate for that to be the lasting impression that sticks in the mind, especially as the twitchiness in crosswinds (and, to an extent, the overall ride quality) could certainly be improved with a more suitable choice of wheel. The X-Lite 6 Disc is an incredibly quick and entertaining bike to ride, with bags of speed packed away within its understated frame.

Wheels and tyres

Let's address the rolling stock, then. The X-Lite 6 Disc in this build features premium DT Swiss ARC 1100 DiCut rims, revolving on the Swiss brand's highly rated 240S hubs. They're excellent aero wheels, but here produce a slightly unbalanced ride – something you don't need to settle for, given that you can customise the wheelset choice when ordering.

I'd be tempted to swap them for DT Swiss's PRC 1400 Spline 35 wheels. A shallower rim will negate some of the wind-affected twitchiness, while the slightly wider internal rim diameter (18mm vs 17mm) would allow your tyres to blow wider. This would also help with overall comfort, as you could run lower pressures. And you save yourself £265 in the process.

That aside, there's nothing wrong with the Continental GP4000 S II tyres the ARCs are fitted with if you're set on clinchers, though the ARCs are ready for the switch to tubeless should you want to give it a go.

Groupset

Shimano's latest full Ultegra Disc Di2 groupset is excellent, and here includes the silver-finned rotors (160mm front and rear). Its performance is almost faultless, although I found brake squealing quite a common occurrence in the damp.

Naturally, choices are available for standard, semi-compact or compact chainsets and a range of cassettes, from 11-25t to 11-32t, so you can get your gearing just right. On our test bike, the semi-compact 52/36 chainset married to the 11-28t cassette will be perfectly adequate for most strong(ish) riders.

Finishing kit

The rest of the build here relies upon Ritchey components to finish the bike. A Superlogic carbon seatpost provides a decent-if-not-outstanding degree of flex and layback on which the Selle Italia SLR saddle sits, while the WCS alloy stem is attached to a Superlogic Carbon Evo Curve handlebar.

This swoops slightly along the tops, with easy-to-access drops for when you're in a tuck position. Handily, you can specify your chosen dimensions between 40, 42 and 44cm widths too.

Value

What is remarkable is the price – the bike in its tested build will set you back £4,417.79, plus £32 delivery. Yes that's a lot of money, but compare that to its BMC or Canyon rivals and those either fail to match the incredibly high-spec build of the X-Lite 6 Disc for the price, or simply cost significantly more if they do.

Conclusion

The Rose X-Lite 6 Disc is a pin-sharp race bike with an impressive blend of stiffness and lightness, incorporating disc brakes with barely any weight penalty.

In this build, the ride can be twitchy and a little lacking in terms of comfort, while the finish of the frame itself is rather fragile – but for a high-performance road bike at this price, you'll be hard pressed to beat it for value.

Verdict

Incredibly quick, sharp-handling bike that will appeal to a great many keen riders