The Envie Advanced 1 from Giant rolls up to the starting line with the typical features of an aero road bike: streamlined tubes, streamlined wheels, aerodynamic handlebars, brakes integrated into the fork and frame: this is how the Taiwanese bike multinational wants to appeal to female racing cyclists - including those who are very ambitious in terms of sport and value the technical quality of their racer. Since 2013, the top-of-the-range version of the Envie has been the company car of Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos, the best female cyclist in the world.
With the Alias Pro Tri from Specialized, the target group is more clearly defined and probably even quite large: women who compete in short and middle distance triathlons but don't understand why they need two bikes for training and racing. They need a single bike that can do both. The Alias Pro Tri is based on a carbon frame that is a flawless road bike from the front wheel to the seat tube. Then comes the difference. The seat tube angle is extremely steep at 77.5 degrees and, in combination with the handlebar attachment supplied as standard, allows an aerodynamic recumbent position. Without the attachment, the Alias Pro Tri wants to be an almost normal road bike.
The carbon frame of the Giant is a direct offshoot of the spectacular Propel aero road bike, with a few differences. The head tube is nominally the same size but one centimetre longer than the men's model, while the top tube is slightly shorter. This allows for a slightly more upright, albeit still sporty, riding position. More importantly, unlike the top model in the Propel series, the seat post can be adjusted in height - good not only for customisation but also for transporting the bike. The fact that the Envie frame is not quite as torsionally stiff as the men's model did not bother the test riders at all. For normally proportioned women, the riding stability is more than sufficient. Both riders shared the feeling of travelling particularly fast.
Hidden brakes
The aero wheelset, whose carbon-clad aluminium rims guarantee good braking properties, has contributed to this. The brakes, which are positioned behind the fork blades or seat stays and function like the V-brakes familiar from mountain bikes, are powerful and easy to modulate. However, the brakes are noticeably less stiff than current Shimano brakes and tend to occasionally misalign due to the separately adjustable return springs on both brake arms. However, this is not a major problem. The very high fork weight is worthy of criticism, but the mechanical Ultegra drivetrain works perfectly. The Arione Donna saddle from Fizik was also praised by both testers.
The Alias Pro Tri from Specialized is especially fun when you're really putting the pedal to the metal with the handlebar attachment fitted. The bike is extremely stable and stays on track, the armrests are very comfortable. The streamlined frame with the relatively long head tube presumably reinforces the aero advantage of the low-slung riding position - we didn't test the bike in a wind tunnel. The rather softly padded Jett saddle, which, like most of the equipment, comes from the US brand's extensive range of accessories, is a matter of taste. "Feels a bit angular", was the entry in the test report. There were no other points of criticism.
Thanks to lightweight carbon rims rolling on conventional folding tyres, the bike is easy to get going. The braking characteristics, which can sometimes be problematic with carbon rims, proved to be uncritical, at least in dry conditions. The combination of the mechanical Dura-Ace groupset with Ultegra brakes and the stiff carbon cranks from Specialized also worked perfectly. The chainring combination with 52/36 teeth provides a wide range of gears - for fast passages and steep climbs alike. The steep seat angle takes some getting used to when used without a handlebar attachment. Even if, as on our test rides, a seatpost with a rearward offset is fitted - the standard carbon seatpost has no offset - you sit noticeably further forwards above the bottom bracket. One effect of this is that impacts can be clearly felt on the saddle - presumably the reason for the soft seat. Using it as a normal road racing bike therefore requires a certain willingness to compromise. However, a major advantage of the concept is that the Alias Pro Tri is as stable on the road at high speeds as a stable road bike, which cannot be said of many time trial frames. With this racer, Specialized fulfils the claim of providing a model for training and competition in an interesting way.
Giant Envie Advanced 1
Price 3,399 Euro
Weight 7.5 kilos
Available in specialised shops
Reference/Info www.giant-bicycles.de
Frame sizes** XS, S, M
Seat/steering angle 73°/72°
Seat/top tube/head tube 500/540/147 mm plus 10 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 980/60 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 546/368 mm/1.48
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing FSA, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch
Brakes Giant/TRP
Gearshift/bottom bracket Shimano Ultegra (50/34 t., press-fit)
Wheels/tyres Giant P-SLR1/Giant P-SL1 (23C)
Handlebar/stem Giant Contact Aero/Giant Contact
Saddle/post Fizik Arione Donna/Giant Aero (24 x 40 mm)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 7.5 kilos (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 1.118/574/55 g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.820 g: 3,3
Steering head stiffness 84 Nm/°: 2.3
Lateral stiffness fork 50 N/mm: 1.7
Bottom bracket stiffness 60 N/mm: 1.0
Comfort frame 205 N/mm: 2.3
Comfort fork 127 N/mm: 5.0
Specialised Alias Pro Tri
Price 5,299 Euro
Weight 7.3 kilos
Available in specialised shops
Reference/Info www.specialized.com
Frame sizes** 44, 47, 51, 54, 57 cm
Seat/steering angle 77,5°/72,5°
Seat/top tube/head tube 455/500/165 mm plus 22 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 985/53 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 564/377 mm/1.50
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing FSA, 1-1/8 inch
Brakes Shimano Ultegra
Gearshift/bottom bracket Shimano Dura-Ace 9000/Specialized Fact Carbon (52/36 t, OS-BB)
Wheels/tyres Roval Rapide CL 40/Specialized Turbo Pro 23C
Handlebar/stem Specialized Women's Expert/Specialized
Saddle/post Specialized Jett Gel/Specialized (27.2 mm)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 7.3 kilos (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 1.211/453/56 g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.889 g: 3,3
Steering head stiffness 91 Nm/°: 1.7
Lateral stiffness fork 41 N/mm: 3.0
Bottom bracket stiffness 56 N/mm: 1.7
Comfort frame 205 N/mm: 2.3
Comfort fork 104 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 the 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 riding position.
**** Weighed weights.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
