FIRST RIDE: TIME EDGE RACER

Time's carbon-fibre road frames have, in general, maintained a fairly traditional look, eschewing the drainpipe sized tubes or bulky lugged joints commonly found on other manufacturer?s frames.

The Edge Racer, sitting just above entry level in a range of five, has a bright, painted finish with only the fork and a small area on the seat stays revealing the black art of the carbon weave.

The overall bike package is not light, however, with a medium frame fully built up and weighing just over 9kg.

That said, the frameset Module on its own, available separately for £1,419, comprising frame, fork, Monolink stem and seatpost, only weighs 1.86kg, suggesting the choice of spec is the culprit.

The combination of small diameter tubing, a steep 73.5 degree head angle, and a relatively long head tube makes the Edge frame look very airy ? even with a slightly sloping top tube ? and results in quite a relaxed riding position.

The skinny tubes also offer a comfortable ride, making distance riding and training a pleasure, but as is often the case, there is a bit of a trade-off against stiffness.

Under heavy loads, when sprinting or accelerating out of the saddle for instance, the Edge doesn?t feel super sharp, although it is far from being lifeless and still feels nimble in the turns.

Mavic Aksium wheels and Vredestein Ricorso tyres are great for everyday use and training but for racing or sportives I would be inclined to swap these with something with a higher spec.

Having tested the Time Ulteam model last year, the Edge Racer is much less racey, making it best suited to the sportive rider, and for this purpose you could do a lot worse for the money.

TIME EDGE RACER

DistributorRJ Chicken www.chickencycles.co.uk

Price£1,419 (Module)

FrameTime RTM Edge HR carbon

ForkTime Avant Safe+

Size rangeXS?XL

Weight9kg

GroupsetCampagnolo Veloce

DeviationsNone

Alterationsnone

Gear ratios52/39 with 12?23

WheelsMavic Aksium Race

TyresVredestein Ricorso

Bars3T THE

StemTime Monolink

SeatpostTime Spirit

SaddleSelle Italia X2

Size testedMedium

CW FIRST IMPRESSION: 8/10