Just in: Fondriest TF2 1.5

If you're looking for a quality road bike then Fondriest's new TF2 1.5 is one that's vying for your attention. Available as a frameset at £2,299 (frame, fork, headset and seatpost) or in builds from £2,799 upwards, the TF2 1.5 is a semi-aero platform designed to go fast. We're testing the second-lowest build spec: Shimano 105, Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels and alloy cockpit for £3,099. There are four other stock builds: Ultegra mix, full Utegra, Ultegra Di2 and mechanical Dura Ace, with wheel options at each level. The most expensive build (with Dura Ace and Vision T42 wheels) is £5,199.

We say 'Just in' but actually the eagle-eyed among you may already have spotted this bike being piloted to 2nd place in the Cat 4s at Odd Down over the weekend. So that's an encouraging start. Let's have a look at the frame specifics.

The TF2 1.5 uses what Fondriest call their Boomerang construction. The frame is built in monocoque parts which are then assembled into the frame. The down tube, top tube and tapered head tube are built as one part and as you can imagine, it looks a bit like a boomerang. The finished frame has a unidirectional carbon outer skin; our black/fluoro frame has a matt finish with shouty decals and you can also get a red and white finish.

The claimed weight of the frame is 950g with the Reflex fork adding 345g. Our full bike weighs in at just over 8kg, but given the frame weight a UCI-bothering build should easily be possible. The frame-only option means that you can build it up yourself, and distributors Impact are expecting quite a lot of buyers to go down that route, given the current prices of groupsets in the UK.

Fondriest use Toray 50T carbon for the TF2 1.5 frame. That's pretty stiff, and there won't be much give in the aero-section seatpost, so the seatstays are bowed outwards slightly with the aim of adding a bit of compliance. The seat clamp is integrated into the frame, sitting in front of the seatpost, for aero efficiency, and all cables (or wires, the frame is fully Di2-ready) are routed internally. The short (404mm - 409mm depending on frame size) chainstays and deep seat tube mean that a slight cutout is needed to tuck the wheel in. There's certainly room for a 25mm tyre, 28 might be a squeeze though. The bike has plenty of nods to aerodynamic efficiency but Fondriest aren't making any specific aerodynamic claims for the frameset.

Geometry-wise, it's racy but not fully slammed. Our XL frame has a stack height of 584mm with a reach of 396mm, giving a stack-to-reach ratio of 1.47; that's not as low as some dedicated race frames (a lower ratio equals a longer/lower position) but it's right in the sporty/balanced part of the spectrum. It's certainly a bike that likes to go fast, and we'll be putting the miles into it over the next month or so. Look out for a review soon.