BIKE TEST RONDO HVRT CF0
“The front brake calliper is shrouded
by an aero fairing - we’ve no idea if
this has any benefit but it looks cool”
Somerset countryside, not on the
aforementioned island in the
Eastern Med). Cyprus was picked
because it has a wide variety of
terrain with an epic network of
roads and gravel trails. Routes and
rides were planned that would allow
me to put the full versatility of the
HVRT CF0 to the test. First we’d
head out on the HVRT in high-axle
‘race’ trim (700c carbon wheels and
25mm tyres) for a long road ride;
the next day we’d switch in the
650b hoops with 47mm tyres for
a four-hour gravel grind; then for
the last couple of days we’d swap
to the low-axle, ‘relaxed’ geometry.TA R M AC T E ST
At first glance, the HVRT looks like
one of the current crop of aero bikes
with blended frame junctions and
truncated aerofoil ‘Kamm tail’
tubes. It also has dropped rear
seatstays that taper down to a point
behind the rear axle before kinking
back in with an ‘ankle’, acting like
a spring to add some compliance
into the back end of the bike.
Where it differs from a typical
aero bike is the tyre clearances,
which are big enough for 30mm
tyres on 700c wheels and 47mm
tyres on 650 wheels, which makes
for a level of comfort you wouldn’t
normally expect from such an aero
design. The aero seatpost also has a
trick up its sleeve: that slot you can
see in it is there so that a rear light
can be fitted securely and easily.
The fork’s crown is neatly
integrated into the down tube for
smoother airflow and the brake
hose runs internally down to a flat-
mount for the disc calliper. The front brake calliper is
shrouded by an aero fairing - we’ve no idea if this has
any actual benefit but it looks damn cool. Of course, the
fork’s main feature is Rondo’s ‘Twin-Tip’ dropouts that
enable the bike’s vario geometry; running the tips in the
high position give the HVRT a racier geometry while the
lower, longer position makes it more relaxed and stable.
Our first ride with the HVRT follows a route from the
coast into the hills inland of Larnaca and then over a few
challenging climbs before a long, technical descent
leading into a flat, fast run back to the sea. The first two
and a half hours are, for the most part, uphill, with the
highlight being what the locals refer to as ‘the
rollercoaster’ – a sinewy ribbon of smooth tarmac that
rises and falls through a high-sided valley, with plenty
of switchback corners and short, sharp descents.
The HVRT in its high-axle, ‘race’ trim is in its element
on this route. Our 59cm test bike has a stack just shy of
600mm, a long 407mm reach, a steep 73.8° head angle,
a 73.3° seat angle and 45mm of fork offset, all of which
make it a great companion for this type of terrain. The
chassis responds to our pedal and steering inputswith
impressive immediacy, which makes threadingit
through the rollercoaster a highlight of this trip.
MORE
OR LESS
OPTIONS:
HVRT
If you can’t stretch
to the Dura-Ace
model, Rondo
offers Ultegra Di2
(£4,900) and 105
builds too.
Alternatively, you
can bypass the
carbon-fibre frame
and opt for either
the aluminium or
steel equivalents
(£1,699 with
Tiagra and £2,399
with 105
respectively).