Cycling Weekly — January 11, 2018

and the Fulcrum Racing
Quattros on Conti Grand Prix
tyres are also up to scratch, at
a claimed 1.73kg accelerating
well and giving the Gold STC
a light, zippy feel.
The seatpost clamp has
a clever little inbuilt rear
light — a great idea but
unfortunately not taking into
account that the seat tubes
on the majority of bikes have
an angle of around 73° rather
than 90°, so it points gently
downwards rather than
directly backwards.

Verdict

This is a good-looking bike

from an innovative brand

that achieves the balance of

comfort and performance. It

is to Orro’s credit that it has

not aped the measurements

of a pro race bike and instead

mapped out the Gold STC’s

geometry

with the

amateur rider

in mind. The

spec is good

at this price;

For

JGood looking

JSensible geometry

JGood handling

Against

JRear light

JAlloy seatpost

the latest Ultegra 8000

is one of Shimano’s best

groupsets to date in terms

of value for money.

paired with the slack

head angle supplies precise

but forgiving steering, which

allows you to focus on

the long rides the bike is

designed for.

As for vibration damping,

because the top tube is

relatively horizontal you don’t

get much seatpost sticking out

and there’s not much room for

flex, so the rear end is slightly

lacking in compliance.

Ride

We could have ridden the

Orro Gold STC Ultegra all day

long — well, we did. But as

well as being easy-riding we

found it didn’t hold us back on

the hills: the geometry might

be longer and slacker than

that of a pure race bike but

there’s nothing slack about its

performance. The stiffness

of the frame keeps the Gold’s

ride exciting — exactly what

you need if you’re tackling an

all-day epic.

The Orro fork keeps the

front tracking very well and

Ultegra 8000:

quality calipers

Orro’s Gold: “the ultimate

Gran Fondo machine”

Quirky seatpost

collar and clamp

9

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