NeilPryde Alize

Neilpryde jumped into the high-end road bike market last year with two models; the Diablo (see review here) and the Alize. In addition to utilizing their experience accrued from years of working with carbon fibre (mainly building windsurf masts), Neilpryde also enlisted the design expertise of BMW Group subsidiary DesignWorks USA, an indication that they weren't going to be satisfied with putting out any old cookie-cutter bike. The results are stunning. The Alize's sharp edges and morphing tube shapes are certainly eye-catching and just scream performance; an impression soon backed up when you swing a leg over it.

The Alize slots into the increasingly popular category of aero road bike; that is, a bike designed with aerodynamics in mind without compromising on stiffness and weight. In contrast to some other models out there, the Alize's tube shapes are surprisingly chunky with nary a teardrop profile in sight. Whereas traditional aero bikes feature aerofoil shaped seat and downtubes which are prone to flex and can perform poorly in cross winds, the tubes on the Alize have been designed to act as a complete package enabling wider, and therefore stiffer and lighter, tubes to be used. The result is a claimed frame weight of only 1040g (56cm) - very impressive indeed.

Of particular interest is the lower third of the downtube which features what Neilpryde call an 'Extended Kammtail'. The kammtail is the latest buzzword in the cycling world with Trek trumpeting its use on its Speed Concept time-trial bike, for example. In effect it's just an aerofoil with the tail sawn-off, and has been used on cars since the 50s. What Neilpryde have done however, is extend this concept so that both the downtube and seat tube act as a single kammtail aerofoil enabling Neilpryde to increase the size of the downtube without damaging aerodynamic performance.

The design would certainly seem to be doing something because the combination of the unorthodox tube shaping and Neilpryde would say, their specially developed C6.7 carbon fibre, yields a bike quick to jump forwards under any hint of power. Bottom bracket stiffness is right up there with the best of them, making out of the saddle efforts a joy. Up front, the Alize is maybe a touch flexier than its stable mate the Diablo, but still very solid nonetheless, no doubt in small part due to the massive lower headset bearing. A recent hill reps session ended up turning into a late braking contest coming down the hill- the bike seems to egg you on, encouraging you to push the limits.

For a bike designed with aerodynamics in mind, the Alize is also surprisingly light (heped in part by the plush build) and helped me reduce my time up the aforementioned hill by 6%. As for its aerodynamic performance; it's difficult to state conclusively that it was faster than any other bike, especially when using two bidons negates most of the aero benefits anyway. However, what Neilpryde have shown is that you don't have to choose between aero performance, stiffness and light weight; it is possible to have all three.

Riding along typically rough country lanes, the lack of rattling is very noticeable and does take a while to get used to. The Alize sucks up road buzz very efficiently, delivering a damped ride which can make it feel as though you a going slower than you are - a quick glance at the computer soon corrects this impression though.

Our test bike came with Neilpryde's top build a full Shimano Dura-Ace groupset. Much has already been written about Dura-Ace but it's fair to say that it still remains the benchmark for top end groupos. The rear downshifts can be fiddly at times, especially with thick winter gloves on, but you soon adapt to this until shifting becomes second nature. For me the standout performers of the group are without a doubt the brakes and the crankset.

The brakes are some of the most powerful and controllable on the market today and mate well with the oversized front end to produce confidence inspiring descending. In fact, the rear brake was almost too powerful making it very easy to lock the rear wheel when un-weighted. The standard crankset proves that aluminium still has a place in high end bicycle componentry being both very stiff and light, and, in my personal opinion, much better looking than carbon offerings.

Rolling stock consists of Mavic's perennial Krysium SLs shod with Hutchinson Atom rubber. The Krysiums are a real workhorse set of hoops in that they just do the job without any great fanfare. Their stiffness is excellent (I couldn't get the brakes to rub no matter how hard I tried) which, when combined with the frame, provide a really direct ride where line changes mid corner were easily dealt with. The Atom tyres also performed well provided cornering grip aplenty and no punctures for the test duration.

Personally, I feel that an aero bike at this price should come with aero wheels too; something like Mavic's Cosmic Carbone. Others may disagree, perhaps they already have a set of race day wheels. Ultimately though, the Krysium SLs are an awfully nice set of wheels to be used just as 'training' wheels.

Bars and stem come courtesy of FSA's mid-range SLK series and perform their intended function well, if not spectacularly. I found the short-reach, low-drop shape of the carbon bars to be comfortable and made riding in the drops a much more pleasant experience than usual. The seatpost is of NeilPryde's own design and features a deep section carbon shaft mated to a tidy looking two bolt aluminium clamp. It comes fitted with a small rubber boot which is presumably there to stop water ingress into the frame - a neat touch. It's also pleasing to see that the Alize comes with a genuine Selle Italia SLR (and not a cheaper imitation) which is a popular shape among the racing fraternity, and a nice addition to the spec.

The question of value is a difficult one to address for any bike costing over £4000. Neilpryde sell direct to the customer which allows them to offer a good spec for the money, but it also means that you can't just take it back to the shop if things go wrong (they do have a UK representative though). Given this fact, the best comparison would be with the Canyon Aeroad 9.0sl which offers a nearly identical build kit plus Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels and choice of gear ratios, for £800 less. Neilpryde also offer the Alize frame built up with Ultegra and Krysium Elites for £1000 less - money which could be spent on some race-only wheels.

(UPDATE: Neilpryde will be offering consumers two extra options when buying the Alize - a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLs and/or a 76 degree TT post. The wheelset option resolves one of the issues I had with the build although we have yet to see how this affects pricing - although Neilpryde tell us the Dura Ace build won't be massively more exensive with the Cosmic Carbones. The TT post will be useful for those intending to run aero bars putting you in a much better position to lay down the power.)

Verdict

To my mind with the Alize, Neilpryde have succeeded in establishing themselves as one of the big players in the high-end road market. The frame itself is aggressive in its stiffness and weight, but also very controlled and comfortable due to its road smoothing abilities. Combined with the top-of-the-range build kit, the result is a bike worthy of any privateer racer's attention.