Forme Flash Ultegra Di2

The Forme Flash provides a reliable and speedy ride for a decent price. The exposed Di2 junction box looks a little old hat and some neater integration could put it up there with the very best cutting edge disc brake road bikes, but everywhere else it's bang up to date and suitable for someone who wants a fast ride for training year-round that they can also race on.

• Pros: Decent value, strong spec with few compromises, comfortable for a race bike
• Cons: Untidy front end, cheap headset, race wheels would bring the best out of the frame

The Flash had a fresh makeover last year, and Forme's relaunched race bike is available with a T700 grade carbon frame that I was testing, or a slightly higher modulus T800 frame on the Flash SL version.

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You can mix and match most of the main build options with Forme's dealers as the bikes are built up after you've ordered it, so although our Flash with Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Mavic Ksyrium tubeless-ready alloy wheels doesn't appear as an option on Forme's website, you'll be able to spec it this way if you so desire.

The builds start from £2,300 with a Shimano 105 groupset and cheaper Mavic Aksium wheels, going up to £4,400 for the Flash SL with Ultegra Di2 and Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon race hoops.

True to its Derbyshire roots, Forme has gone quite specific with the design and spec of the Flash, offering something fast yet still built to take "a proper British hammering" as the company describes it. This means flat-mount disc brakes and 12mm thru-axles throughout the range (although you can go for calliper brakes if you prefer) and tubeless-ready wheels and tyres. The 25mm Mavic Yksion Pro UST tyres were supplied with tubes on my test bike; I think it's a wise idea and a realistic one, as most of us who can't budget for a different bike for each season can use it for training year-round with a lower risk of punctures if you're running tubeless tyres.

Forme has left the Di2 junction box and all the wires poking out of it exposed underneath the stem. It does look a bit old fashioned and untidy, and if you stress about those aero gains it could arguably lose you a watt or so. Forme says it's looking into more integrated bars and stems for next year, and in a time where we're seeing road bikes that appear completely cable-less, it would be nice to have the option to clean up that front end.

The overall look of the bike is one that's built to go fast but not too intimidating, with a subtle cutout in the seat tube and dropped stays for some added comfort and vibration damping, plus a skinny, straight top tube that flares out where it meets the chunkier head tube.

The geometry is pretty similar to that of many other race bikes, although I found the 16cm head tube on my 54cm frame made for a slightly more upright ride feel than on some rivals. The 55cm Bianchi Aria aero road bike, for example, has the same effective length top tube as I have here – 55cm – but the head tube on that bike is just 14cm. You still get an aggressive riding position on the Forme, and I found that I could stay comfortable during longer days in the saddle.

The ride

I rode the Flash through the back end of summer and into autumn, giving it the British hammering it was made for around my local dodgy Somerset backroads, and it passed the test admirably. It accelerates nicely and feels comfortable over rough roads and potholes, with a lovely damping quality.

At 8.3kg it's not the lightest bike out there, but climbs pretty well with plenty of frame stiffness, particularly in the rear triangle. I wouldn't say the Flash is ultra-precise going through tight corners, but plenty of stability allows you to descend confidently.

We've praised Shimano's latest Ultegra groupset many times on road.cc since it launched late last year and it's perfectly suited to a race bike, with crisp shifting plus sharp and powerful brakes that work flawlessly on Shimano's 140mm Ice Tech rotors.

Fizik's Aliante saddle with chromoly rails is a popular choice and one that I probably wouldn't need to change if I was buying my own Flash, and Forme's own compact handlebar is ergonomically sound with 80mm of reach and a 42cm width.

I was happy to run the Yksion tyres with tubes for the test period. They roll well, and having the option to go tubeless is great. There is clearance for up to 28mm tyres but you'll need to stick to 25s if you want to run clip-on mudguards (there are no mudguard mounts, this being a race bike).

Over the test period I did experience a problem with the FSA Orbit headset; namely, that it came loose after a particularly bumpy training ride. The headset relies on a tiny rubber ring to seal it underneath the spacers. This snapped, causing the headset to come loose. This is a headset that has been specced on a lot of bikes we've reviewed here on road.cc and we've never had a problem before, so maybe it was just bad luck this time around.

Value

Although other factors will determine the overall price, for an Ultegra Di2 build this bike isn't bad value at all at £3,700. You can get cheaper, with the Vitus Vitesse Evo CRI Ultegra Di2 coming in at £3,199, but it's comfortably less than Giant's Propel Advanced Pro Disc at £4,899, although that comes with deep-section race wheels.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best mudguard-compatible carbon road bikes

The Specialized Tarmac Disc Pro with Ultegra Di2 is a whopping £5,750; for that you could buy our test version of the Flash and some race wheels with change to spare.

Conclusion

Overall I was largely very impressed with the Flash. I see it as suiting a rider who wants a fast bike to ride year-round, and with a geometry that's aggressive... but not too aggressive. If I was to buy it I'd most likely go for the carbon wheels and then get my own cheaper set of tubeless-ready training rims and tyres to run though the winter months. The weight and integration isn't quite up there with the very best on the market, but for the price and the versatility it offers, the Flash is very good indeed.

Verdict

Dependable and well-handling race bike that can be ridden year-round