Raleigh Revenio 4 Carbon road bike

Raleigh's Revenio 4 Carbon is the most expensive build of their endurance platform, and if you're looking for a bike that combines a good turn of pace with a comfortable and relaxed ride then it's definitely one to swing a leg over. The high quality frame and excellent componentry come together into a bike that's a great performer straight out of the box.

The ride: relaxed but fast

The Revenio isn't designed to be an out-and-out racer and that's evident in the geometry and the handling. Our 60cm test bike has a 215mm head tube and seat and head angles of 72.5°, with a 590mm effective top tube. That's reasonably relaxed compared with a race frame, but similar to other endurance bikes such as the Giant Defy and Canyon Endurace.

Raleigh say that the "RE2P geometry shifts your weight further back on the bike taking the pressure of your arms and reducing fatigue"; I didn't notice that especially over any other sportive/endurance bike I've tried, but the more upright position does tend to move your centre of mass back a touch.

Anyway, the position is a good compromise between cracking on and staying comfy. The bike isn't so upright that you feel like you're catching too much headwind, and the drop position of the shallow RSP branded bars is easily accessible if you do want to hunker down a bit more.

For longer rides at a decent pace the handling is more or less spot on. The head angle isn't too aggressive and that translates into steering that's at the slow end of the normal range for a road bike. It isn't vague at all, just a bit more relaxed than many. It still responds well to small adjustments and is a confident descender at speed, and on the flat it's easy to cruise along with minimal input.

Sprint for a sign and the Revenio is well up to the job, transferring your power without any noticeable flex. This frameset is unusual for a higher-end carbon bike in that it still uses a 68mm bottom bracket shell and external bearings. From a practical point of view there's a lot to like about that: the bearings are less susceptible to creaks and groans, and they're simple to replace. That's good news if you're riding in British conditions.

The trade-off is that you can't make the bottom bracket junction as wide, which I'm sure other manufacturers would tell you means it's not as stiff. And it may well not be, but it's stiff enough for it never to have been an issue. The frame isn't the lightest out there: the 7.8kg all-in weight for this build suggests it's in the 1200-1300g range for the 60cm we tested. That's similar to other sportive frames such as the Ridley Fenix, and I'm guessing some of that extra weight over a race frame is beefing up the bottom bracket and chainstays to make sure they're up to the job.

The Raleigh's overall weight takes the edge off its ability to climb compared to some other bikes you could buy for three grand, but it's still a capable ascender and the position is especially well suited to seated climbing. The compact 50/34 chainset and 11-28 cassette give you all the gears you need for the steep stuff.

The Cole Rollen Elite wheels aren't a pair I've tried before but I've been very impressed with them. At a stated weight of under 1,600g a set they're light enough to make the bike feel eager under acceleration and they're very stiff too. The 27mm rims probably don't give any meaningful aero advantage over a standard box rim but they look the part, so there's that. The wheels climb well; even under my heavy frame standing up on the steep stuff there was no brake rub or vagueness, and it was the same story on descents.

I've given the Revenio the full range of riding, from fast, flat blasts to 100km+ excursions into the mountains. I've even raced Cat 4s on it, and each time I've found it well up to the job. It's best for longer rides but that doesn't mean you're giving too much away if you want to go short and fast.

The build: Great groupset, good wheels, decent finishing kit.

Shimano's Ultegra Di2 groupset probably doesn't need any introduction. We've reviewed it separately, so best to head to that review for the full lowdown, but the bottom line is that it offers flawless performance pretty much 100% of the time. There's very little not to like about it if you can cope with charging the battery every couple of months or so. The wheels we've already covered, and they're very good too. They come shod in Schwalbe Durano 25mm folding tyres, which are capable all-rounders and pretty hardy to boot.

The only disappointment is that the £3k budget doesn't stretch to some higher quality finishing kit. There's nothing wrong with the Fizik Ardea saddle or the own-brand stem and bars but they feel a bit pedestrian and add a bit of weight. Last word goes to the finish. I thought the matt metallic blue finish would really divide opinion, but everyone that's seen the Revenio in the flesh thinks it looks smashing. And I was worried it'd be a pain to clean, but it buffs up just fine. It's a very different look and a welcome change from black and red, if you're after something that stands out.

The price tag isn't amazingly cheap, and nor is it fantastically expensive. You can get an endurance-oriented carbon Di2 build for a grand less than this, and you can also pay a fair bit more. It's not going to be your first choice if value is your only concern, but if you want to buy locally and have a relationship with your bike shop there's probably a Raleigh dealer nearby, and the bike you're getting here is a very good quality machine that's enjoyable to ride. Raleigh have been upping their game in the last few years with some excellent bikes, and the Revenio 4 Carbon is another dot on that upward trend.

Verdict

Very well rounded sportive bike that's quick and enjoyable to ride