BTWIN ULTRA 900 CF 105
£1400 › Wallet-friendly ultra-light World Champion chassis
BTwin’s Ultra 900 CF isn’t only the lightest bike here on your wallet, it’s also one of the lightest bikes on test, with a 7.75kg overall weight that many bikes twice the price would be proud of. The UCIapproved, 850g (claimed, size medium) Ultra Evo Dynamic frame has also got an Under-19 European Championship road race gold medal and a couple of French national wins on its mantlepiece, but is that due to the ride or Nicolas Malle the rider?
While weight - or lack of it - is the most compelling reason to pick up the BTwin from your local Decathlon superstore, there are two other standout characteristics. The first is that the steering is seriously quick, to the point where it can feel twitchy and nervous if you’re used to a slacker, more docile steering angle than the BTwin’s 73-degree head angle. The 110mm stem also tends to lurch and lean rather than let you tickle traction corrections, which can feel ungainly at slower speeds in traffic or stand-up climbs.
Slow clearly isn’t a concept that the Ultra is familiar with, but once you’ve got a roll on, that same geometry allows you to plot an accurate, scything curve through corners. The 25mm Mavic Yksion tyres help underline confidence in less than ideal weather conditions, although that’s traded against rolling speed and longevity.
The direct twin-mount for the front brake adds power and precision and the pop-up rear braking routing ahead of the triangular seatpost gives a firm, feedback-rich feel. The frame also gets a chain catcher, Di2 electric shift routing if you need it later and external cable adjusters for tuning the 105 shifters on the fly.
How much aero efficiency the wheel-hugging seat-tube and flush-fit seat clamp add on a frame that’s blunt faced elsewhere is
Weight - or lack of it - is the most compelling reason to pick up the BTwin
debatable, but a full XXS to XL size range makes it very inclusive.
Where the multi-faceted carbon fibre chassis, with its broad PressFit bottom bracket, made a very visible radar signature on our sixbike showdown is its acceleration, particularly when combined with altitude gain. The extremely broad triangular chainstays, geometric main tubes, blended chainring Shimano 105 chainset and tight Mavic Aksium wheels give it an unmatched jump and high-speed climbing tempo among the other bikes here. The way it explodes off the shoulder of any pace setter at the first whiff of an upslope meant it bagged numerous climbing PRs among our test team that had been set on bikes several times the price.
Considering how directly it transfers power it’s not so brutally stiff to still be bearable on longer rides. You’ll need to dodge the worst bits of road surface to escape a serious buzz and you’ll know if you hit a significant hole, but when you’re cruising at high speed it’s smooth enough.
Comfort could be improved with thicker bar tape and a less woodenfeeling saddle, and with at least £129 to spare in spend compared to the others there’s easily enough for those sorts of upgrade. The faceted frame and light, geometricallystyled fork are worth investing in with more exotic kit such as lighter wheels, making this a total bargain for speed-focused riders or racers, particularly in hilly areas.