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Rose gf 3100 di2 £2032 › The German value meister launches its all-new sportive machine T
he Xeon Team GF is a bit of a departure for Rose. Up until now race-bred geometry has dominated the German online retailer’s range. But the GF – for ‘gran fondo’ – is all about endurance.
Our 57cm test model had a long toptube, but its tallish 185mm head-tube and relaxed head angle suggest a pretty sedate ride with an easy riding position. But the tightish metre-long wheelbase means it keeps its sharpness.
Whereas many British riders won’t consider anything that isn’t carbon fibre, German consumers still take aluminium seriously. Cannondale sells a lot of CAAD bikes, Canyon’s Ultimate AL is a highly
(57cm)
7.78kg
Triplebutted 7005 aluminium Carbon
Shimano Ultegra Di2
Shimano Ultegra 6800
DT Swiss Spline R23 Ritchey WCS Streem II bar, 4-Axis stem, Flexlogic seatpost, Fizik Arione saddle, 25mm Continental GP4000S tyres
British riders won’t consider anything but carbon – Germans take aluminium seriously
evolved machine and Storck’s Vision is very popular. A major market like Germany also means big sales rewards. This all means that aluminium is still being developed, and the GF has some serious design work on display.
This is most obvious at the rear. By using Shimano’s direct-mount brake, fitted under the bottom bracket, Rose can do away with the brake bridge, keep the seatstays slender and kink them to maximise their length – which offers some comfort-increasing flex. The seatstays meet the top-tube in front of the seat-tube, and though there is a rubber insert between this and the main frame, it’s only a seal and isn’t there to offer Trek Domane-like cushioning.
The seatpost also majors on comfort. The carbon Ritchey Flexlogic Link post is claimed to be 15 per cent more (yep, you guessed it) ‘vertically compliant’ than a standard post, and it also houses Shimano’s internal Di2 battery. It all adds up to a buttery-smooth rear end.
The head-tube is significantly taller than on Rose’s other Xeon models, while the superb fork both nulls vibration and tracks perfectly. It’s a good companion to the Ritchey WCS Streem bar, which has a rearward sweep and very comfortable wing-profile tops.
The drivetrain is as faultless as we’ve come to expect from Ultegra D12 – swift, smooth, reliable. The compact 50/34 chainset is ideal for sportive riders, though you might consider a friendlier cassette than the 11-25 our bike had (Rose offers five options from a superaggressive 11-23 to an amiable 11-32).
The DT Swiss Spline R23 wheels are well put together with super-smooth hubs and they’re paired with Conti’s excellent GP4000s in a welcome 25mm width. We expected great things. Sadly on our early rides we were plagued