Reilly Fusion

£9,049 Tech-laden titanium made in the UK

“It’s taut and reactive yet it glides over poor surfaces with the effortless ease that only the very best titanium bikes can”

Weight 8.6kg (L) Frame Titanium 3AL-2.5v tubing, 6AL-4V investment cast head tube Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2 (52/36, 11-30) Brakes Shimano Hydraulic disc Wheels Strada Carbon PAD-55 Finishing kit Deda Elementi DCR integrated bar/ stem, Continental Gran Prix 5000 28mm tyres, Reilly carbon aero post & saddle, Reilly Grip carbon bottle cages

REILLY WANTED TO CREATE A thoroughly modern road bike out of titanium to make the most of the metal’s aesthetic, handcrafted appeal, corrosionresistant properties and longevity. The Fusion, with its aero-profile tube shapes, dropped seatstays and full integration, looks much like the latest carbon aero-optimised road bikes. You can’t get this look from offthe-peg tubing, so Reilly designed their own (3AL-4v titanium) hydroformed tubes and investment-cast (high-grade 6AL-4v titanium) junctions. Investment casting gives a much smoother surface finish and tighter tolerances than traditional sand casting or 3D printing.

The frame has some sharp details. The brake hose routing runs fully internally from the bar through to the rear chainstay, and there’s a titanium access plate under the bottom bracket. The robust, highquality SN-Vitae’s Module 47 bottom bracket is designed to eliminate creaks and groans. I never heard a sound from it.

Well-balanced position

The Fusion’s geometry is not totally full-on, stretched-out, head-down racer. My large test bike comes with a low 574mm stack but a mid-length 394mm reach. This, combined with classic parallel 73˚ angles and a metrelong wheelbase, makes the bike feel light on its feet. The short back end (414mm chainstays) means you can whip into a tight turn or make mid-corner corrections.

Those numbers could produce a bike that’s a bit too fast to steer, a little nervy. However, the fork’s 43mm offset, combined with the head angle and 28mm tyres, makes for a trail figure of 60mm. That’s a few mm longer than the quickesthandling bikes out there (Cannondale’s SuperSix Evo has a 58mm trail) and, although that doesn’t sound like much of a difference, the Fusion feels balanced and assured.

Top build quality

This Fusion’s build wants for nothing. The Ultegra Di2 is as good as ever, giving slick, quick shifts and wonderfully controlled power in the braking. The Continental Gran Prix 5000 clincher tyres are as good as inner-tube tyres get. The 28mm width combines a fast, grippy tyre with plenty of compliance. They’re wrapped around Strada’s hand-built (in the UK) PAD55 carbon wheels with a blunt-edged 55mm-deep carbon rim.

They’re a tightly built and suitably stiff wheelset and the hubs run smoothly. The rims shape up a tyre true to its sidewallprinted size. With tubeless compatibility and a broad 21.5mm internal width they are a thoroughly modern design. I found the front wheel could get a bit unruly from buffeting in high crosswinds, but not enough to influence how I rode the Fusion. It’s just not a bike I wanted to back off from when riding as the balance of smoothness and speed is just so addictive.

The one-piece Deda Alanera handlebar with its angular shape matches the Fusion’s nod to aerodynamics. The bar’s shape is spot-on. With a compact 75mm reach and 130mm drop it’s comfortable to be in the drops for extended periods. I also like the transition from drop to top that puts the shifter just below the crest of the curve, ideal for on-the-hoods holding. The flattened top is good to hold when climbing and the bar feels nicely stiff and responds well to out-of-the-saddle efforts.

The Fusion rides with panache. It’s taut and reactive yet it glides over poor surfaces with the effortless ease that only the very best titanium bikes can. It feels at home being ridden quickly, tipped into corners and leaned on, but is also comfortable high pacing over hill and dale on big days out. It may not have the high-speed kicks of an out-and-out aero road bike, or the whip-fast acceleration of an ultralight climber’s bike, but it happily takes on anything you can throw at it.

I’d have liked it to come with (hidden) mudguard mounts and my only other issue was with the Reilly saddle: it’s a nicely made carbon-railed saddle but I couldn’t get comfortable on the two ridges of deep, firm padding on either side of the relief channel. In all, though, the Fusion is simply stunning. It looks very special and rides that way too.

Verdict Tech, craftsmanship, ride manners and looks: the Fusion has it all in abundance