HOY Sa Calobra 003

Resisting the temptation to go for a budget-compromised carbon frame, Hoy's mid-range Sa Calobra 003 places extra emphasis on build quality, ride feel and on the componentry that really matters at this price.

There are three Sa Calobra models in Chris Hoy's road range. All use exactly the same geometry and all have tapered full carbon forks, but the £1000 003 and £1300 004 use a superior 6066 triple butted aluminium frame compared to the slightly weightier 6061 aluminium frame on the £850 002. Presumably there'll be a lower budget 001 model at some point too.

The Sa Calobra 003's drivetrain has Shimano 105 shifters and gear mechs and Shimano RS 10 wheels, 16 spokes front, 20 rear. Continental's Ultra Sport 25mm tyres are listed on the spec' sheet but Grand Sport Race 23mm tyres were fitted to our test bike: we'd be happy with either but would favour the extra comfort of Ultra Sport 25s. Tektro R540 brakes are more wooden, less well modulated, in feel than the Shimano alternative, but they're better stoppers than some of the anonymous brakes on bikes at this price.

The FSA Omega crankset has 34/50 rings, a favoured combination for non-racers. The Hoy branded compact handlebar, stem, saddle and seat post are all acceptably decent offerings and we liked the swivel bolted configuration of the wrap-around seat clamp. The complete bike weighs in at almost exactly 9kg/19.84lbs before you add your choice of pedals, average for a £1000 bike and light enough to combine with the obvious drive stiffness to make it a very sprightly climber. My test period was a month of steady rides including holiday outings into the Pyrenees where the 34/25 smallest and 50/12 biggest gears were subjected to frequent use: my personal choice on a bike like this would be a 28 or 30 biggest cassette sprocket, but that's easily changed.

Hoy worked exclusively with Evans Cycles, and in particular with established designer James Olsen, on the bikes bearing his name. The three road bikes and four city bikes have been the first to emerge, but a look at the Hoy Bikes web site reveals plans for kids bikes and track bikes later in the year.

There's masses of useful information on the web site about the thoughts and design processes behind the bikes, including a run down of the reasoning behind the shaping detail of the aluminium frames in a market where so many riders are seduced by low cost carbon frames.

It's obviously no surprise that Hoy has a penchant for stiffness in power transfer, but some might find it surprising that reasonable comfort is the first thing that impresses when you climb on the Sa Calobra. The semi-compact frame design and tube configurations conspire with the componentry choices to do a pretty decent job of dispersing the harder edges of road shock, and on rough roads there's some noticeable rearward shock absorption in the skinny seat post and saddle.

The bike is named after the Sa Calobra climb in Majorca, which just happens to be a place I visited twice during a holiday riding week in the spring. There's not much in the way of accommodation in Sa Calobra so for most riders it's a wonderful drop with 26 hairpins down to the coast for coffee followed by a 10k climb back up: Sir Chris apparently used this climb as part of his early season training programme and we were happy to find that our large test sample felt immediately at ease on both long steady and short grunter ascents. The semi compact frame has a 55cm seat tube (bottom bracket centre to top), a 57cm horizontal top tube (centre to centre) and comes with a 120mm stem. There's masses of saddle rail and stem height adjustment potential.

The triple butted aluminium frame is thoroughly practical in its tubing profiles. The top tube is oversized at the head tube end to give the strongest possible weld contact area into the tapered (1.5in lower 1.125in upper) head tube. The down tube morphs from round at the head tube to massively ovalised into the bottom bracket, giving as much lateral drive support as possible. Neat double pass welds keep the aesthetics clean as well as boosting durability.

The chain stays are shaped to aid drive stiffness but help to maintain decent comfort on rough roads in unison with the slimline seat stays. Given the creaking issues we've had with a few press-fit bottom brackets on £1000 bikes, we are happy that the bottom bracket is a threaded unit. Cable guides are slotted for ease of maintenance, there are two sets of bottle bosses but no rack/guard eyelets.

The silky black finish with contrasting brushed aluminium detail conspires to create a smart but subtle looking bike, and we particularly like the distinctive coloured ring highlights on the top tube, handlebar and seat post mimicking the painted lines in a velodrome. The thick black topcoat seems hard wearing too. The finer finishing detail of the Hoy is well thought out, with crank lengths and bar widths varying between sizes and a more generous than usual spread of seven frame sizes on offer (XXS to XL).

Asked about the thinking behind the Hoy brand launch Sir Chris explains that he would like to think that the brand will help to make cycling more accessible to people of all ages: 'Cycling has been a central part of my life from an early age and has helped me achieve so much. I want to help people experience the power and enjoyment of cycling, as well as demystifying it and making it accessible to all. That's why I decided to create a brand that embodies this vision and my passion.'

So does the Sa Colobra 003 manage that? Well, there are aluminium framed bikes with better componentry at the same price (especially if you're willing to buy mail order) but we haven't ridden many that handle all types of roads as well as this. By focusing the fine detail of design on a superb aluminium frame instead of trying to squeeze a carbon frame into the budget, Hoy distributors Evans Cycles have created a machine that feels like more than the sum of its parts.

Three riders spent time with the Sa Colobra and not one of them could find anything to fault it in terms of ride feel or handling prowess. It's not trying to be a thoroughbred race bike but neither is it a bike aimed at beginners. It's an all-round speed machine that manages to be exciting, stable, comfortable and totally predictable all at the same time.

Verdict

A very nicely put together aluminium frame and a level of performance that's hard to beat.