Time ADHX in the TOUR test
Strictly speaking, the Time brand, whose great successes with riders such as Tom Boonen and Thomas Voeckler are still remembered by many fans, is no longer a French brand, but only one with French roots. After the death of charismatic founder Roland Cattin in 2014, the brand was sold to the Rossignol Group, which split the divisions in 2021: the pedal business with its French factory went to component manufacturer SRAM, while the bike division was sold to US investment group Cardinal Cycling.
After all, a native Frenchman is one of the brand's new owners: former racing driver Martial Trigeaud. With a new US plant for the production of carbon frames, the course is now set for growth; it is intended to complement the factory in Slovakia, which has been in existence since the 1990s.
The first new development under the new management is the ADHX, an off-road offshoot of the Alpe d'Huez road model. The frame is built using the patented RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) process, in which the carbon tubes are woven dry and then impregnated with resin. Dyneema fibres are also woven in, a synthetic fibre that is intended to improve the comfort and strength of the material and reduce the ecological footprint. The frame is neither particularly light nor particularly stiff, but absolutely competitive, which was not always the case with previous Time frames.
Time ADHX - Genes of street sports
The wheel has its own unique look thanks to the paint finish: coloured clear lacquer gives the fibres a green, blue or brown hue (Picture below) shimmer.
The road racing genes are obvious, with comparatively narrow 36-millimetre tyres, very agile steering and no mounting points for luggage, the ADHX positions itself more as a reduced all-road model than a typical gravel bike. As a result, it moves quickly on the road, and the close-ratio 1x13 transmission from Campagnolo is a perfect match.
The bike is predestined for alternating between tarmac and firm dirt tracks, where it still holds its line well. On rougher terrain, however, it quickly loses out to gravel bikes with thicker knobbly tyres and more stable straight-line stability.
Individual evaluation and details of the Time ADHX
- Price: 6449 Euro
- Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 1198/492/88 grammes
- Frame sizes** XS, S, M, L, XL
- Seat/top tube/head tube 510/555/149 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR*** 585/369 millimetres/1.59
- Wheelbase/caster 1000/61 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift Campagnolo Ekar (1x13; 40/9-42 t.)
- Brakes Campagnolo Ekar (160/160 millimetres)
- Wheels/tyres (weights)**** Campagnolo Levante/Tufo Gravel Speedero 36 mm (front/rear: 1421/1926 grams)
Measured values & individual notes*****
- Weight of complete wheel 8.2 kilos Grade 2,0
- Steering head stiffness 85 Nm/° Grade 2,3
- Lateral stiffness fork 51 N/millimetre Grade 1,3
- Bottom bracket stiffness 60 N/millimetre Grade 1,0
- Seatpost spring stiffness 55 N/millimetre Grade 2,3
- Spring rate fork 52 N/millimetre Grade 3.7
>> The Time ADHX receives an overall TOUR score of 1.9
*Weighed weights.
**Manufacturer information Test size bold.
***Stack/Reach Projected vertical/horizontal dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube;
STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched sitting position, 1.60 means an upright sitting position.
****Impeller weights including tyres, cassette, quick release/threaded axles and brake discs if necessary.
*****Single noteswhich are weighted differently in the overall grade, are only partially printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are shown with rounded decimal places.
Julian Schultz
Editor
