Simplon, 'a bike Simply done right'.

Through work, I was lucky enough to ride the Simplon Pavo Grandfondo Disc Bike. Simplon are a fairly new brand to market compared to the old bastions, starting in the 60s. They're a small family owned brand with a passion for bikes.

The build I had was a Simplon Pavo Disc, with Ultegra Di2 and DT Swiss E1800 SPLINE. Weighing in at around the 7.8kg mark, it's light for a disc brake bike, with entry level wheels.

On 29th Oct, I took the Simplon out (https://www.strava.com/activities/1242490091). I loved it for the ease at which it took to everything. It could climb well, accelerate superbly, and descend like a demon. This was shown on our ride; the route we did had a mixture of all of the above. Unlike other bikes, what is special is not a single or set of features but simply that when riding it, you have no concern about what the road will throw at you. I could do it all. I really liked it's confidence inspiring geometry, particularly when paired with the Shimano Ultegra Di2 Hydro disc brakes. It allowed you to brake later and thus go faster, this is written on the back of the forks as well ('Go fast, Brake Last').

I was first able to put these to good use on a decent local to me. It's a simple one, dropping from Harefield to the Coy Carp. These descents are fast, but ends with a combination of sharp corners, rough roads and a set of lights. Normally to be safe you would start slowing down just before the final corner, in anticipation of the set of traffic lights. With the disc brakes, it gave me the confidence to rail the corner at full speed, knowing that I could brake on a dime if needed. In the end I pulled out a few bike lengths on my group, as the ability to make the decision later meant I saw the green light and therefore was able to keep the speed. Everyone else however, was slowing down for a set of potential reds.

The bike didn't stop impressing later in the ride. As towards the end of the ride we went for a local Strava segment called Fore Street, a 2 min climb, but hotly contested by the local groups. With two main sections to the climb, and a great variation in speed, it really tests the bike. The Simplon was solid from the outset. I didn't have a power meter on the bike, but from previous attempts I reckon I put down roughly 500Watts for the 2 mins 5 seconds, at a range of cadences. The bike did well and we took the KOM by a single second (https://www.strava.com/segments/2628618).

All in all the Simplon was amazing. Nothing about it was out of place. It had a feeling that it had been designed by an engineer and looked amazing rather than designed by a designer and given to an engineer to make work.

#Cycleright #simplon #Bikes