For lovers of exclusive carbon racing bikes, Time has been one of the top addresses for a quarter of a century. The company has been building carbon frames and forks near Lyon since 1990. Time is now the last industrial frame manufacturer still producing in Europe. The French company also goes its own way when it comes to production methods. Unlike almost all of its competitors, Time does not build frames and forks from pre-impregnated carbon fibre, but using the so-called resin injection process.
Cattin's unexpected death has hit Time and its current 100 employees hard. The company founder had recently invested heavily in the company once again, as he explained to TOUR last June. Time had been struggling with problems for some time - partly due to the high production costs in France. But the brand had also lost its reputation as a technical pioneer. With the special production method, it has not yet been possible to build stable frames weighing less than 1,000 grams. However, Cattin always resisted the idea that racing bikes were only about weight. Riding comfort was more important to him.
In addition to rough impacts, such as those caused by potholes, it is mainly fine vibrations that affect racing cyclists. Their consequences are often not immediately noticeable. However, occupational health and safety research has shown that vibrations can reduce performance and even jeopardise health in the long term. This problem has been addressed at Time. In order to reduce vibrations, so-called vibration absorbers are attached to the dropouts of the fork: leaf springs with weights at the upper ends, which vibrate freely in the fork blades. The natural frequency of the springs is intended to counteract the vibrations from the road and thus stabilise the rider and bike system.
We know from other areas that the principle works in principle: Vibration absorbers are used to make skyscrapers earthquake-proof, for example. However, for vibration absorbers to work, they have to be tuned to a specific frequency and, due to their principle, they can only work in a very narrow frequency range.
Only helpful on rough tarmac?
In extensive series of measurements, the developers identified a range between 33 and 43 Hertz that cyclists find most disturbing when exposed to vibrations from the road. 33 to 43 pulses per second - an astonishingly low frequency. The value becomes plausible if you imagine a ride over cobblestones: At high speed, the bumps are easier to bear than when travelling slowly. However, the "Active" system, as Time calls the technology, is not a suspension system that can absorb the impact of bumps like those experienced in Paris-Roubaix. Instead, it is designed to filter out the fine vibrations caused by rough tarmac.
The test rides with the new Izon model, which like all Time models is available with and without an active fork, gave an impression of the effectiveness of the active system. Anyone expecting an immediately noticeable effect may be disappointed. The effect of the dampers can be sensed more than felt, but this could also be due to the roads in Upper Bavaria being too good. Time itself admits that the system works more efficiently on coarse-grained tarmac. However, if you hit the removed fork in your hand, you can clearly feel that the vibrations subside quickly. Nevertheless, the question remains as to how useful it is to filter vibrations only in a certain, very narrow frequency range, which may occur very rarely.
Regardless of this, the Izon is a typical Time racing bike. The shape with monostay rear triangle and angular tube profiles has long been a recognisable feature of the brand, as has the exquisite workmanship. The riding position and geometry with a short wheelbase and tight trail characterise the bike as a racy competition machine. At just over 1,000 grams, the painted Izon frame is slightly lighter than previous Time models and also more stable: 78 Nm/° in the steering head is not an outstanding measured value, but is fine for experienced riders up to 75 kilos, especially as the fork is very stiff. The comfort of the saddle is also not outstanding at first glance - however, Time has long been an advocate of integrated seat posts. The Izon also has such a seat tube extension. Unlike similar models, however, the seat tube can be sawn off and replaced with a normal seat post - this would significantly improve comfort. The distinctively shaped handlebar/stem combination, which is manufactured in-house, also contributes to the bike's unique appearance. Another speciality is the steering bearing, which fixes the fork with the help of a thread glued to the steerer tube.
All in all, the Izon is a pleasant to ride, very sporty road bike that advertises itself more through exclusivity than through impressive measurement values. The unusual damping system didn't give us a wow experience straight away, but perhaps that will come. Time has promised us another of its new models, which we will soon be testing extensively in a direct comparison with and without the damping system.
Price complete wheel 5,855 Euro
Price frame set 3,695 Euro
Weight 7.2 kilos
Reference/Info www.time-sport.com
Frame sizes** XXXS, XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL
Seat/steering angle 73°/73°
Seat/top tube/head tube 735/555/166 mm plus 9 mm headset cover
Wheelbase/caster 980/56 mm
Stack/Reach*** 563/399 mm/1.41
Equipment
Steering bearing Time Quick Set, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch
Brakes/gears Shimano Ultegra
Bottom bracket Rotor 3D (50/34 t., BB386evo)
Wheels/tyres Mavic Ksyrium SLS/Mavic Yksion Pro
Handlebar/stem Time Ergodrive/Time Monolink
Saddle/post Fizik Arione/Time (integrated)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 7.2 kg (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 1.020/566/56 g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.674 g..2,7
Steering head stiffness 78 Nm/°: 3.0
Lateral stiffness fork 57 N/mm: 1.0
Bottom bracket stiffness 55 N/mm: 2.0
Comfort frame 215 N/mm: 2.3
Comfort fork 118 N/mm: 5.0
* The frame set accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score and the features for 60 per cent. Individual grades are included in this evaluation, only some of which are printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
** Manufacturer's specifications; test size bold.
*** Stack/reach: projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube. STR (Stack to Reach): 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright sitting position.
**** Weighed weights.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
