Pinnacle Laterite 2
£800 A rim-braked bike that can hold its own
Weight 10.71kg (XL) Frame 6061 aluminium alloy Fork Carbon blades/alloy steerer Gears Shimano Claris R2000 8-speed (11-32t, 50/34t) Brakes Tektro R315 mechanical rim Wheels Unbranded alloy Finishing kit Alloy stem, handlebar and 27.2mm seatpost, unbranded saddle with steel rails, Schwalbe Lugano 2 clincher, 700x25c tyres
The Laterite 2 has an interesting mix of components, including an 8-speed Shimano Claris R2000 groupset (which bigger brands would charge you £200 or more extra for), and rim brakes, which sounds a little outdated in 2024.
The bike comes with an all-alloy frame plus carbon fork with aluminium steerer, plus Laterite rim brakes and not-quickrelease skewer axles (as opposed to nowcommon thru-axles for disc brake bikes). However, the frameset still has space for 28mm-wide tyres with mudguards – full mounting points are supplied – and clearance for 32mm-wide rubber without. The Laterite can also sport a pannier rack. The frameset mounts rim-brake callipers using a single bolt (as opposed to a twobolt direct-mount calliper), and there’s a threaded bottom bracket.
The Laterite aims for a “balanced riding position and comfortable geometry”, but comes in just five sizes (XS-XL), so you may find it harder to get the perfect fit than with other bikes here. I had an XL test bike, and the reach is far longer than any other bike here, at 408mm, for example. Add the stack height of 599mm and it seems fairly old school. The rest of the layout is broadly race-bike style (head angle 72°, seat-tube angle 73°), but not quite as steeply angled as the raciest 2024 bikes.
The Laterite 2’s 8-speed Shimano Claris R2000 drivetrain pairs a compact 50/34t crankset with an 11-32t cassette, just like the Specialized and Trek here. These should suit a new or developing cyclist, and are suitable for steep climbs as well as flat riding. The chain comes from KMC, a decent brand.
Stop it
This is the only rimbrake bike to make a Bike of the Year 2024 shortlist. The Evans Cycles-owned brand has opted for Tektro R315 dual-pivot callipers, instead of the Claris R2000-spec rim brakes, as the Tektros can handle 28mm-wide tyres as well as mudguards, which the Claris can’t.
The rims and hubs are unbranded, which is to be expected at this pricepoint. The Schwalbe Lugano 2 clincher tyres are a welcome all-season choice that should offer decent all-weather grip and ride quality. The 25mm nominal size is narrow, though, measuring 25.3mm at 80psi. The finishing kit includes an alloy stem and bar, steel-railed saddle and alloy seatpost.
Limiting factors
The rim brakes deliver an easier action through the lever (accepting that cable routing plays a key role with cableactuated brakes), engage more definitively, and feel more powerful overall than the mechanical disc brakes also on test here. Modulation (the ability to tweak your braking force once engaged) is also on a par with the bike’s mechanical disc brake counterparts here, and performance in the wet is similar too.
The downside to the Laterite 2, of course, is you can’t upgrade the bike to hydraulic disc brakes. You can still upgrade to a rimbrake groupset with more gears and better brakes, though.
The frameset feels very well balanced, offering predictable handling but no shortage of responsiveness. It’s stiff enough to lap up hard efforts out of the saddle, yet feels efficient when you settle into a rhythm in the saddle. While the rim and tyre combination is narrow versus the competition, which compromises overall ride comfort to a degree, the Laterite doesn’t feel overly harsh because of it. The front end can feel slightly rigid at times, especially over rough tarmac, but 28mm-wide tyres would help this and still allow you to fit mudguards.
As I’ve found with the other Shimano Claris R2000-equipped bikes on test, the shifting is responsive and sharp. The cassette’s a bit gappy, which means gear changes aren’t super-smooth and you may want to upgrade at some point, but the gear range is perfect for newcomers to road cycling.
Dark horse
The finishing kit all performed as well as you’d expect. The handlebar was narrower than others on test, which I felt helped to make the front end feel satisfyingly sharp and tactile, but you may want to ask Evans for advice on the ideal width for you.
Overall, versus arguably more modern competition, the Pinnacle Laterite 2 proved very competitive thanks to the surprisingly good rim brakes plus a solid and dependable build and very competent (and versatile) frameset. While you won’t be able to upgrade to disc brakes, this may not matter to you if you want a relatively cheap bike right now. It’s a similar price to the Vitus, but the Vitus does have 9 speeds, rather than 8 (Microshift brand not Shimano though). Versus the bikes from three big names in the industry, however, the Pinnacle is at least £200 cheaper. It’s far from being a token inclusion in this category, and it would appear that bikes with rim brakes may yet still have a future in the entry-level road bike category.
“You can’t upgrade to hydraulic disc brakes, but you can still upgrade to a groupset with more gears and better brakes”
Verdict If you don’t mind rim brakes, you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise with this one