Aszure frames are designed in Yorkshire by BBM before being manufactured in the Far east and assembled back in Yorkshire with Shimano drivetrains and quality kit from the likes of FSA, Mavic and Michelin. Out of the box, the Sprint 105 was one of the best set up bikes we’ve taken delivery of recently. Everything was tight, correctly adjusted and ready to ride, which, considering BBM supplies many bikes mail order, was great to see.
Our test bike came built with a complete Shimano 105 groupset, Mavic Aksium wheels and FSA bar, stem and seatpost – all good, solid, reliable kit that performs and wears well. It also has top quality Michelin Pro race 3 tyres that are light and fast rolling; a good set of tyres can make a huge difference to the overall feel of a ride, so it’s good to see that some obvious thought has gone into the component choice.
The frame itself is somewhat of a departure from the latest trends: a standard 11/8in head-tube and regular bottom bracket shell – no massive overbuilding here. The seatstays have a slight curve and the chainstays are oversized and ovalised with a pronounced, narrowing curve towards the bottom bracket junction. The short head-tube marks the Sprint 105 out as more race-oriented than built for comfort, emphasised by the standard 53/39 chainset.
The overall ride is surefooted. Power transfer is good, with no losses felt when we were putting down the hammer. The ride feel over rougher surfaces isn’t the most cushioned though, and lacks suppleness.
At £1600 the Aszure offers pretty good value, and it’s not a bad way to spend this sort of money. We would prefer a little more finesse in the ride but if you’re a racer at heart then you’ll appreciate the solidity and the care that’s been taken in the assembly. Also, if we’re honest, we reckon a little more care and thought need to be put into the graphics. Line this bike up alongside a similar ride from one of the big manufacturers and it looks a little too home-grown for our liking.
