Pearson Allmodcons

The ride of the Pearson Allmodcons is impressive, way better than I thought it was going to be when looking at the weight on paper. It uses quality aluminium alloy tubing that provides a smooth ride, and the way it behaves belies the scales. If you need a bike that'll do a bit of everything then it's definitely worth considering.

• Pros: Comfortable alloy frame, surprisingly quick and agile for its weight
• Cons: Competitors are offering hydraulic brakes at this price

'Versatility is the name of the game.' That's the opening line for Pearson's description of the Allmodcons and it pretty much hits the nail on the head. It's a bike that'll take on a bit of light touring or commuting thanks to its ability to take a pannier rack and full guards, and with its extended wheelbase and clearance for 700 x 46mm tyres you can play on the gravel too.

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With its 9,790g weight, you might think that the Pearson would feel ponderous and a little lethargic to ride fast, but somehow it feels surprisingly sprightly. Acceleration is pretty impressive and you can certainly get a shift on at a fairish old lick.

Sprinting to beat the lights or constantly adjusting your speed to match the flow of urban traffic doesn't take huge amounts of effort and I actually found it quite rewarding. It's not race bike quick but for the type of machine that it is, it delivers plenty of performance and, most importantly, is fun to ride.

We've been banging on about how good alloy frames have become over the years and the Pearson is testament to that. The ride is smooth and that is on the stock 25mm tyres at 100psi. There is little in the way of road buzz and you certainly won't find a harsh ride here.

Fitting larger tyres with lower pressure and taking to the gravel, things are the same; you can ride this bike for hours without feeling like you are taking a battering.

For this style of bike the geometry is quite steep and racy. A 73.5-degree head angle (medium size) is quite aggressive for a bike designed to work on both road and gravel. With its gearing (more on that below) and this geometry, it's more road-biased than other gravel bikes I've ridden.

It makes for a fun bike to ride on the road. When descending, the handling is sharp without being twitchy and thanks to the 990mm wheelbase it's excellently balanced, so pretty much anyone can enjoy riding the Allmodcons.

On looser terrain it's a blast, and I enjoyed plenty of fun miles on the local gravel tracks. It took a little bit of concentration on the smaller looser stones than most cyclo-cross or gravel bikes I've ridden, but on the flatter, smoother hardcore trails it was loads of fun.

The head tube length of 175mm means your position doesn't need to be flat backed and aero if you don't want it to be, so the Pearson is also a great bike for tapping out the miles on. It definitely has year-round commuting in its remit.

Frame and fork

The frame is constructed from triple butted aluminium which, if you're new to this stuff, means the wall thickness of the tubes has three different depths: thicker at the ends for strength, and slimmer as they get towards the middle for a bit of compliance. Getting the balance right is what gives an alloy frame its stiffness while removing the road vibration.

In my opinion it is a nicely finished frame with a solid paint job and tidy welding. Full internal cable routing is a nice touch too on the aesthetics front.

For stiffness, the head tube is tapered and the Allmodcons has a pretty sizeable down tube as well.

The chainstays are chunky too, with the drive side having a noticeable kick back to allow for the size of the chainrings without compromising stiffness.

The top end of the frame, the top tube and seatstays, are noticeably thinner to allow a little bit of give for a smoother ride.

The fork is carbon fibre and is plenty stiff enough to deal with the forces from the disc brake. It's a pretty chunky affair, helped by the 12mm thru-axle to keep things tight under really heavy braking.

Kit and kaboodle

Pearson has gone for a Shimano 105 groupset and you really can't knock it. The shifting is absolutely spot on, and with a 50/34 chainset and 11-32 cassette there is a good spread of gears for the majority of riding.

Some might prefer lower ratios when off-road, especially if you are carrying a small amount of luggage, but dropping the gearing too much would compromise it on the road, where I suspect it'll spend a fair amount of its time.

For this money we have seen plenty of bikes using the full hydraulic braking 105 groupset, but Pearson has gone for mechanical levers and TRP Spyre C callipers.

Normally I'm not a fan of cable-pulled disc callipers but these worked really well when paired with Shimano's Ice-Tech rotors. They don't have the finesse of the hydraulic stoppers but they worked well and I was never really left feeling I needed more.

When it comes to contact points, Pearson has gone with components from 4ZA which includes the stem, handlebar and seatpost. It's all alloy and while you aren't going to get excited about it, it does the job and is perfectly comfortable plus easy to set up.

The saddle is 4ZA too and again, it's not the most comfortable that I've sat on but it does the job.

Wheels and tyres

The Pearson comes fitted with Fulcrum Racing 7 DB wheels which, for the overall price of the bike, isn't a bad choice. They aren't massively light but they are solid and dependable and suit the do-it-all character of the Pearson.

The lightness of the frame actually means the Allmodcons will happily exploit the nature of much lighter carbon wheels if you fancied going for an upgrade.

Likewise with the Continental Ultra Sport tyres. They aren't the grippiest or lightest out there, but they suit the all-round attributes of the Pearson.

Rolling resistance is pretty good and so is the puncture protection, which makes them ideal for commuting and light touring where you are happy to sacrifice a little bit of performance for the sake of reliability.

Value

One of its biggest competitors is the Merlin ROC Disc that I tested recently, which comes with a hydraulic setup and very similar credentials to the Allmodcons for £999. The Pearson is sharper around the edges, though, offers a smoother ride and it weighs over a kilo less – and feels lighter than that.

> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best gravel & adventure bikes

Cannondale offers the Synapse Disc in a 105 build with the same brakes for £1,199 but we are talking massive bike brand buying power compared to small independent shop here, which could easily explain the price differential.

Canyon's Grail AL 7.0 is another to consider at £1,349.99 (if you don't look too closely at the welds).

Conclusion

Overall, I was really impressed with the Pearson – more than I expected to be. The ride is sprightly and means whether you are commuting, touring or taking to the gravel, the journey will be fun.

Verdict

A comfortable bike that belies its weight, offering a fun ride whatever the terrain