Tifosi SS26 Disc Potenza 2018

The Tifosi SS26 Disc Potenza is a head-turning, nippy, all-round endurance bike with an excellent spec for the money. Having morphed from a dedicated race frame to a bike intended for sportive and endurance riding, it does fall a bit short in terms of comfort compared with bikes of a similar description, but unless you demand a really plush front end and super-relaxed geometry, you'll be pleasantly surprised by its speed, and the spec is excellent for the price.

• Pros: Excellent components, looks great, good value
• Cons: Feels a little harsh for an endurance bike

Far from just being a production line number, SS26 actually refers to the name of a winding road that links the Italian and French sides of Mont Blanc in the Aosta valley, which also features in the classic Italian Job scene where a Lamborghini Miura gets bungled down a cliff by a digger. "Just like the superlative Miura, the SS26 is technically innovative as well as a thing of beauty," says Tifosi – although I was hoping that was where the similarities would end...

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Stu has reviewed previous versions of the SS26 in the last two years. He was blown away by the offering with a Campagnolo Chorus groupset in 2016, and only slightly less so with the Potenza rim brake SS26 Aero last year.

This time around, our test bike came equipped with the latest version of Campagnolo's Potenza groupset with hydraulic disc brakes, and the geometry has been relaxed a little to make it more suitable for long distance riding and sportives. Tifosi has added the Auriga aero bike to its range for speedsters recently and has the super-lightweight Mons for weight weenies, so the SS26 sits nicely in the middle.

The ride

Out on the road, I got on with the SS26 straight away, finding the frame very stiff and capable considering the price point.

It excels on smooth open roads, and it really feels more like an aero bike when you're on the drops and giving it some. Those times when I did get carried away on my training rides and went flat out, I'd have liked a lighter and/or faster wheelset to get the most out of it; the Miche Race AXY DX wide profile wheels are a bit heavy and sluggish at over 2kg for the pair.

For winter riding and general training duties they're just fine though, and the choice of Michelin Power Endurance tyres is a very smart one. To my mind they're one of the best all-round road clincher tyres you can buy: tough as old boots and incredibly smooth rolling.

The one bugbear I had with the SS26 was a lack of comfort over rough roads and potholes. Tifosi says it offers "high-level impact and vibration absorption for incredible comfort" but I found the ride a little harsh at the front, more like a race bike than an all-day endurance/sportive bike. For me it was absolutely fine and something I was prepared to deal with, but if you're looking for a comfortable endurance ride there are definitely more forgiving bikes out there.

What the SS26 lacks in comfort it makes up for in good handling, with cornering feeling precise. This is helped greatly by Campagnolo's excellent new disc brakes, as powerful and confidence-inspiring as any other road discs on the market and easily tuneable via screws on the inside of the levers.

The SS26 comes with a 160mm rotor on the front and 140mm at the rear, which I found provided more than enough stopping power.

Frame and geometry

You're getting a pretty high stack height of 56.9cm on a medium frame, which compares to 54.5cm on Giant's TCR road bike. The reach is 38.5cm, towards the aggressive side for an endurance race bike, and head angle and seat angles are 72.25 and 73.75 degrees respectively.

The dropped seatstays enhance comfort at the rear, while a head tube length of 17cm gives a more upright riding position than a dedicated racing frame, although there's a generous stack of spacers to play with up front if you want to get down lower. Our test bike weighed in at 8.7kg, a little heavy perhaps but not terrible at this price point.

The electronic groupset-ready frame is very good looking, with the colourways being a bit different to the norm; it certainly turned heads on group rides. It's finished smoothly and is made with "predominantly T700 and T800 carbon fibre", although Tifosi doesn't tell us what the ratios are.

Despite the endurance credentials there's still very much an aero theme going on here, with a cutout in the seat tube and a fin-like shape to the chunky carbon fork. There's a bit of a gap where the fork meets the frame which looks a tad untidy, but otherwise I reckon this is a cool looking bike.

Tifosi has specced the Miche Evo Max 86.5 x 41 press-fit bottom bracket with a large BB shell for greater power transfer, and has designed the frame to accept 12mm thru-axles, with Campagnolo's flat mount callipers front and rear.

Groupset

Our test bike came with a 52/36 chainset and 11-32 cassette, which should suit the 'endurance sportive' riders Tifosi is aiming the SS26 at, though it's usually sold with an 11-29 cassette.

You'll find me waxing lyrical about Potenza in an upcoming standalone review of it, and I found it brilliant and one of my favourite features of this bike. The shifting is crisp and flawless, and over a three-month test period through all weathers just a bit of barrel adjustment was needed halfway through to keep it running perfectly.

The downshifter located behind the brake lever is a little bit trickier to access than a Shimano shifter at first, but once you've got the knack it's splendid, and the position of the paddles has also been tweaked for better ergonomics.

For me, the paddle positioning and general shape of the levers on Potenza (and the new 12-speed Record and Super Record groupsets) is now better than 11-speed Record and Super Record. I think Campag is now winning the groupset wars when it comes to comfort.

Whether it's worth the extra £150 over the SS26 with Ultegra and a Miche chainset is up to you, but for me the better ergonomics and the extra cool factor would put me in camp Campag if I were to buy this bike.

Value

There are an increasing number of options out there if you want to go down the Campagnolo route, and looking around online the SS26 really does represent decent value compared with competitors.

> Buyer's Guide: 17 of the best £2,000-£3,000 road bikes

Cinelli's Superstar Disc Potenza endurance bike will cost you £3k, while a De Rosa Idol Disc with Potenza will set you back a cool £4,249. The De Rosa does come with very swanky Fulcrum Racing 4 wheels, although you could buy yourself the SS26 and some very good racing hoops for less than that.

Conclusion

Overall, I really like the bike and the spec. For the price you're getting excellent Campagnolo components, a decent carbon frame and a bike that can be ridden all day thanks to its comfortable geometry.

It does ride quite aggressively, though, and feels a bit harsh at the front – more so than you might expect of a bike for 'all day riding and endurance sportive events'. I'd describe it as a fast endurance bike that is ready to race at amateur level, rather than one for more casual sportive riders.

Verdict

A sharp-handling endurance bike with an excellent build, which makes up in speed what it slightly lacks in all-day comfort