Halfords has today unveiled an all-new brand addition to its cycling portfolio – 13 Bikes (yes, that’s the name) has introduced 15 new bikes exclusively to Halfords stores in a range that features road, hybrid and mountain bike models.
What’s the story behind that name? It’s down to superstitious racers and the tradition of flipping the race number for rider 13, supposedly to twist the bad luck associated with the number.
Certain design elements are carried across all of 13’s bikes, one of which is the attention to detail paid in terms of aerodynamics. Each of the road bikes have spent time in a wind tunnel, and hybrid models also feature deep section aero rims and aero tweaks throughout. Even the mountain bikes get 30mm deep aero styled rims.
We take a closer look at the range below…
Road bikes
The 13 road range consists of five bikes – two alloy and three carbon framed – each available in four sizes ranging from a small at 51.5cm to a 58cm XL. The entry level bike is the £499.99 Intrinsic Alpha and, even at this price point, the alloy frame and fork have both been designed to cheat the air so you’ll find a dropped rear triangle, slippery triple butted tubes, and smoothed welds.
Braking is taken care of via TRP 820/822 aero calipers are positioned behind the fork legs and under the chainstay to once again reduce drag (the cables are routed internally too). These brakes feature on all of the bikes in the range.
The Alpha is the only bike in the range that doesn’t make use of a deep section aero wheelset – instead it gets a shallower aero rim to keep the price down. The tyres are 23mm models from VeeRubber and the claimed complete weight for this model is 10.7kg/23.6lbs.
Spend £749.99 and you’ll get the Intrinsic Beta, which shares the same frame as the Alpha but gets an upgrade to a full carbon tapered fork. The transmission also takes a step up with 18-speed Sora kit from Shimano. This model also gets an aero wheelset that makes use of own brand deep section alloy rims and a 20/24 spoke count. The tyres are now Vittoria’s Zaffiro III, and the claimed weight is 9.5kg/20.94lbs.
The three carbon fibre framed models are called Intuition, and range from the £999.99 Alpha model to the flagship Gamma at £1,799 with the £1,399 Beta model sitting in between.
For a penny under a grand the Intuition Alpha uses a full carbon frame and fork, the former having a claimed weight of 980g. There’s a 20-speed Shimano Tiagra transmission that’s paired to an FSA Gossamer pressfit 30 compact chainset. The Alpha uses the same alloy aero wheelset and Vittoria tyres as the top end alloy bike.The claimed weight for this model stands at 8.6kg/18.96lbs.
The mid-range £1,399 Beta carbon bike keeps the same FSA chainset but pairs it to Shimano’s latest 105 kit. The saddle goes from being an own brand model to Fizik’s popular Aliante Delta model and the wheels are upgraded to a carbon rimmed, deep section set with an 18/24 spoke count. Tyres also take a step up to Vittoria’s ever popular Rubino offerings. It tips the Halfords scales at 7.9kg/17.41.
The top end bike is the Intuition Gamma, it gets a lighter frame and fork than the other two carbon models, with Halfords claiming a figure of 835g. The Shimano transmission takes a step up to Ultegra level with the top end bike also gaining the chainset from the 6800 group. Apparently it’ll take 7.7kg of lifting to get it off the ground.
These bikes look promising and we can’t wait to get a leg over them – but we couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed by the lack of disc brake support. When quizzed on this, the designers at 13 assured us that a disc road bike is in the pipeline.
Mountain bikes
Four alloy hardtail mountain bikes comprise the 13 launch series, each of which uses 650b wheels. The range starts at £499.99 with the Incline Alpha and tops out with the £1,399 Incline Delta.
The same alloy frame is shared across the range – meaning even the cheapest models gets internal cable routing and smoothed welds. The design team finalised geometry on the bike after extensive testing, much of which was undertaken by a four-cross rider so the Incline should have quite some character. Each model is available in four sizes, ranging from a 16”small to a 21” XL size.
The entry level Alpha gets a full 27 gears via a mix of Shimano Alivio/Altus kit and a Suntour XCM chainset. There’s an air-sprung Suntour Raidon fork complete with a lockout, and braking duties are handled by Clarks’ Exo hydraulic discs. The Alpha shares the own-brand deep section rims used across the range. Grip is provided by WTB’s recent Trail Boss Comp tyres. Own brand finishing kit means a 680/720mm bar and 70/90mm stem depending on sizing. The total claimed weight is 13.9kg/30.6lbs
For an extra £250 there’s the Incline Beta, which gets an upgraded fork, brakes and transmission over the Alpha. Suspension is provided by a tapered RockShox XC30 fork, and gearing moves to a 2x10 Shimano Deore set-up. It saves 200g over the Alpha model.
The Incline Gamma stands at £999 and gets a 130mm RockShox Sektor fork with a 28 spoke front wheel to match the 15mm Maxle. The transmission is once again 2x10, but this time is from SRAM’s X9 range. This model gets Avid’s DB3 brakes with 180/160mm rotors. Claimed weight is 11.2kg/24.7lbs.
The Incline Delta is 13’s top end mountain bike at £1,399. For the cash you’ll get SRAM’s X1 1x11 transmission, a 130mm RockShox Revelation RL fork and Avid Guide RS four-pot brakes. The total claimed weight for this one is 11.8kg / 26lbs. We were excited by this model and have ordered one in to test – it’ll be with us next week so stay tuned for our first ride review.
Unfortunately the Incline frames don’t have routing for a dropper post but the 30.9mm seat tube means fitting a lever operated dropper shouldn’t be an issue.
Hybrid bikes
Five new hybrid offerings come the market as part of 13's initial offering – the Intuitive range, which is closely related to 13’s mountain bike line, and the Implicit series, which sits closer to the road side of things. Like the mountain bike frames, detailing is impressive with the use of internal cable routing and smoothed welds present in even the cheapest models.
The Intuitive range starts at £429.99 with the Alpha model. There are 24 gears from Shimano’s Acera group plus a basic suspension for from Suntour and mechanical disc brakes from Tektro. Once again those shallow profile alloy aero rims make an appearance but this time they’re wrapped in 40mm touring rubber from Vittoria. According to Halfords it’ll weigh 14.2kg/31.3lbs.
For £499 there’s the Intuitive Beta, which upgrades to hydraulic disc brakes from Tektro. The transmission also gets bumped up to Shimano Alivio level meaning a range of 27 gears. It shifts a bit of weight too, at 13.8kg/30.42lbs
If you’re feeling more spendy then there’s the £899 Gamma, which is a very interesting bike. The Gamma drops derailleurs altogether and instead comes with a Shimano Alfine eight-speed hub gear. The Gamma also does away with suspension in favour of a carbon blade fork. 13 has also chosen to spec the Gamma with deeper section alloy rims similar to the ones found on its road models. Stopping duties are taken care of by Shimano’s reliable Acera brakes and the Gamma rolls on Vittoria’s semi-slick Voyager touring tyre. All in all this looks like a great option for the fast and maintenance shy commuter. The claimed weight for the Intuitive gamma is 12kg/26.5lbs.
Two more bikes complete 13's hybrid stable, comprising the Implicit series and featuring aero friendly frames, rigid blade forks and narrower tyres. The £499 Implicit Alpha build manages to include Tektro hydraulic discs and an 18 speed Shimano/Microshift hybrid transmission. There’s a 28 hole wheelset that once again makes use of 13’s shallow depth aero rim. It looks like a top value machine and gets a pretty swanky paint job too. 13’s claimed weight for the Implicit Alpha is 11.4kg.
For an extra £200 there’s the Implicit Beta, which swaps out the Tektro brakes for more popular Shimano hydraulics and uses a carbon fork in place of the steel/alloy model used on the Alpha. The chainset is upgraded to a higher model from FSA’s line-up and gearing is now from Shimano’s workhorse Tiagra components. 10.9kg/24lbs for this one.
Cyclocross
Last but not least is the Innate Alpha Cyclocross, badged as a 'crosser but treading the boundary of gravel/adventure road/whatever you wanna call it, it comes with 16 gears from Shimano's Claris group, Tektro Lyra mechanical discs and a 32 spoke wheelset. It rolls on 35mm Vittoria Adventure Trail II tyres and nips under the £500 mark by a penny – and is a bike that should get a lot of people into 'cross. Claimed weight is 12.2kg/26.9lbs.
