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TECH NEWS

Video Just In: Estrella Camino Liso from Paralympian Darren Kenny OBE

Full carbon road bike with aggressively racy geometry rolls up to the road.cc start line

​Darren Kenny OBE is a hugely successful Paralympian, winning Olympic gold medals on the road and track. In 2009 Darren, in collaboration with an old teammate and now engineer, he started producing one-off bikes but in 2015 they decided to make a proper go of it, and launch a complete bike brand called Estrella Bikes.

What we’ve got here is the top of the range Camino Liso. It’s a race bike, with a full carbon fibre frame using high-quality T1000 fibre, and all the details you’d expect on a bike designed to be raced.

Estrella Camino Liso.jpg

“Being a thoroughbred race bike its race geometry offers a more aggressive riding position that adds improved aerodynamics reducing the frontal area and drag,” says the company.

- Nine of the best £2,000 to £2,900 road bikes

There’s a tapered head tube, oversized down tube and chainstays, and internal cable routing.  To provide some ride comfort, the seat stays have been flattened, the idea being to allow a small degree of flex. That nod to comfort ensures the bike is also suitable for use away from the race circuit if a fast sportive bike is what you’re after.

Estrella Camino Liso - cable routing.jpg

A four-year crash replacement policy is provided with the frame, the company offering a replacement for 50% less than the retail price. That’s a good thing to have for a bike designed primarily for racing, where accidents can and do occur.

Estrella Camino Liso - tube width.jpg

The frame has a distinctive finish and this red and green colour combination is one of three colour choices available. There are six frame sizes on offer, and the numbers are pretty racy, as you’d hope of a race bike. A medium has a 387.9mm reach and 410mm stack, with a 145mm head tube and 985mm wheelbase. 

Estrella Camino Liso - head tube badge.jpg

The frame is available on its own or a number of builds, starting with Shimano 105 at £1,795. We’ve actually got a Campagnolo Potenza build with matching Zonda wheels, and a raft of Estrella branded finishing kit. On the scales, it comes in at 7.8kg (17.1lb). 

Estrella Camino Liso - drivetrain.jpg

The bike is priced at £2,295 but the company has a pre-order discount at the moment, dropping the price to £1,995. Order now and delivery will be in February.

Estrella Camino Liso - seat tube angle.jpg

Stu Kerton will be reviewing the bike and he’ll be interested to see how it compares to more mainstream race bikes in this class.

Those mainstream choices, especially in this price bracket, are numerous. You can, for example, get a Giant TCR Advanced Pro 2 (£2,199) with a Shimano 105 groupset, or Canyon's Ultimate CF SL 9.0 DI2 (£2,349) with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset. 

- Nine of the best £2,000 to £2,900 road bikes

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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4 comments

Avatar
steviemarco | 7 years ago
0 likes

Looks like a (badly) resprayed Orro bike, what's going on where th cable enters the frame? But good luck to him.

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
9 likes

Is his disability colour blindness?

Avatar
sharpyt1 replied to Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
1 like

Yorkshire wallet wrote:

Is his disability colour blindness?

I laughed so hard I spat tea all over my desk, thanks for that.

Avatar
Gasman Jim | 7 years ago
0 likes

Like it!

Is that a threaded BB? If so I like it even more!

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