Nobody doubts that the majority of Rose racing bike buyers are amateur athletes. However, the Bocholt-based mail order company has so far lacked a typical comfort model in its portfolio: a touring-orientated road bike with a slightly more relaxed riding position. Many of the bikes ordered were therefore delivered with spacer rings under the stem - not the best looking solution. The Xeon Team GF (for Gran Fondo) is now intended to close this gap - in addition to the aluminium model tested, there will also be a more expensive carbon version. Chief developer Jürgen Telahr emphasised the consistent implementation of the comfort concept, and an independent design language was also important to him for the new model.
The tidy rear end of the bike is striking. The brakes have been moved under the bottom bracket as a direct mount version, the seat stays are set low, have no connecting bridge and have a striking kink at tyre height. The integrated seat clamp forms an elegant finish at the top. All cables are routed in the frame, which is also prepared for electric shifting. Less conspicuous, but technically intelligent and beautifully designed, are the screw-in inserts on the head tube, which also accommodate the upper headset. If you want to sit more upright and comfortably, you can use these inserts to move the cockpit upwards by two to four centimetres. Without the inserts, however, you can also sit on the Xeon GF in a comparatively sporty position.
Unfortunately, the design efforts are reflected in the weight of the frameset - a good 1,500 grams is decent for an aluminium frame, but not particularly light. In all other disciplines, however, the work of the developers bears fruit: we were able to award top marks for the stiffness and comfort values. The lightweight fork deserves a special mention, as it manages to combine lateral stiffness and suspension comfort and achieve very good scores in both disciplines - no other fork on our test table has ever been this good. This lays the foundation for a new successful model from Rose. The test bike with Shimano's Ultegra will be available next season for € 1,800.
Price complete wheel 1,899 Euro
Weight 7.6 kilos
Available via mail order
Reference/Info www.roseversand.de
Frame sizes*** XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Seat/steering angle 74,5°/72,5°
Seat/top tube/head tube 520/550/185mm plus 23mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 995/58mm
Stack/Reach/STR**** 584/387mm/1.51
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing Rose, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/4 inch
Brakes/gears/bottom bracket Shimano Ultegra (50/34 t., press-fit)
Wheels/tyres DT Swiss Spline R23/Continental Grand Prix 4000S
Handlebar/stem Ritchey WCS Carbon/Ritchey WCS
Saddle/post Fizik Arione/Rit chey WCS (27.2mm)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 7.6 kg (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 1.517/352/53g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.983g: 3,7
Steering head stiffness 109 Nm/°: 1.0
Lateral stiffness fork 53 N/mm: 1.0
Bottom bracket stiffness 66 N/mm: 1.0
Comfort frame 137 N/mm: 1.7
Comfort fork 64 N/mm: 1.7
* 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 assessment, 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 in 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 riding position.
**** Weighed weights.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
