WIZARD SPARK 2.7 DISC
£489.99 (RRP £649.99) Aero-influenced, disc-braked entry-level road bike
Wizard is a new name to me and it’s the first of the company’s bikes I’ve tested, but the Wizard name offers a bit of a clue, as it’s actually the moniker Preston’s long-established Merlin Cycles uses for its ownbrand budget bikes. Merlin describes the 2.7 Disc as ‘the perfect bike for the first-time road cyclist’, and the same bike is also available as the Spark 2.5 for £429 (RRP £599.99), with calliper rim brakes rather than cable-actuated discs.
As with most budget road bikes, the Spark 2.7 is based around a 6061 aluminium frame, though rather than carbon or aluminium, Wizard has paired the frame with a curved steel fork. But perhaps the most striking features of the Spark bikes are the aero-influenced design touches. These take in a teardrop-profile aero seatpost and a seat tube with a cutaway to accommodate the rear wheel. How much this is going to gain you in the wind tunnel or on the road is a moot point, but it gives the Spark a distinctive air at this price.
My concern was that these aero features, in conjunction with narrow tyres and a super-soft and squidgy saddle, would be uncomfortable as aero seatposts aren’t renowned for comfort at the best of times. As for the tyres, while the rest of the world is going wider, the budget Kenda Sport tyres may nominally be 25mm, but they measured under 23mm, the sort of width I haven’t seen since my time-trialling days. The tubes also have Schrader valves, which are unusual in today’s road bikes. If you prefer Presta, there are grommets that let you use the narrower Presta valve in a Schrader-drilled rim.
All these factors left me with a lot of questions before I rode the Wizard: how would it handle? Would it be comfortable? And how would the budget disc brakes and nine-speed MicroShift and Sora shifting
actually work? Well, I’m pleased to say that all these questions were answered positively and pleasingly, and while the Wizard’s ride may not have been magical, it was much more comfortable than I’d expected, it handled well and the kit was up to scratch. In spite of its somewhat racy appearance, the geometry leant itself more to leisure and commuter riding. Yes, I would have preferred less padding on the saddle, but saddle choice is highly subjective, and the tyres have just about enough volume for comfort, though you will feel bigger bumps and potholes, especially if you’re riding on the tops. The semi-compact alloy frame and curved steel fork must be one of the reasons for the Spark’s decent balance of comfort and stiffness.
Less obvious than the aero stylings are the practical features, with front and rear mudguard fittings, including in the bridge between the seatstays and a neat threaded fitting behind the bottom-bracket shell.
Merlin has chosen the gearing and brakes well for its Wizard. MicroShift’s right-hand lever has a dedicated brake lever, an inner lever for shifting to a larger sprocket (lower gear) and a small paddle for shifting to a higher gear. The left-hand set-up is similar, with the inner lever moving the chain to the large ring on the ProWheel compact chainset, which provides a good range of gears with the 11-32 cassette. MicroShift and ProWheel components have clearly been chosen to keep the Wizard’s price down, but they both work well, though unlike with Shimano’s Claris and Sora levers, MicroShift’s gear cables aren’t routed under the bar tape but exit the inside of the levers like washing lines before disappearing into the frame. Braking from Radius’s budget cable-actuated single-piston disc brakes is very decent too, with good power and control and no noise, and they’re probably second only to the Triban’s Promax cable disc stoppers.
I very much enjoyed my time aboard the Wizard in spite of my initial trepidation. I still think there are some odd kit choices – notably the tyre-narrowing rims and soft saddle – but the resulting ride is comfortable and controlled, and ideal for commuting or longer leisure rides.
While its ride may not be magical, it was much more comfortable than I’d expected, it handled well and the kit was up to scratch