The top-of-the-range Quantum Team Di2 is based around a fully integrated frameset made from Avanti’s highest grade carbon, making for a sub-kilo frame. A standard Quantum with the same profiles but slightly lesser carbon and Ultegra Di2 is available for £4,000.
The Team has a super-clean finish with all the brake cables and wiring hidden within the tubes. With classic 73/73-degree head and seat tube angles combined with the shallow 145mm head tube and short 98.6cm wheelbase, it can handle rapid direction changes yet still has great stability at speed.
At its core is an oversized down tube with triangulated profile. It’s pyramid shaped at the head tube, bolstering front end stiffness and making for a beautifully rigid ‘connected’ feel through the bar, even under full-power sprints. The down tube transitions to an inverted shape leading into the large, boxy bottom bracket shell holding the Shimano BB86 bottom bracket.
The chainstays are different diameters: 43mm for the right, 37mm for the left, designed to balance the rear end under power and keep the rear wheel tracking true. The remaining tubes are slimline in comparison and the very compact frame leaves lots of seatpost exposed; this keeps the back end taut under power, but the unsupported length of post can flex for comfort.
The fork has a distinctive profile, arcing forward of the axle and slimming radically through the leg’s length; adding length helps minimise road buzz through the carbon compact bar. We still marvel at Shimano Di2’s positive, accurate and speedy shifting, but we like the fact that Avanti have fitted the optional sprinter buttons as standard; the ability to fire through the gears with a move of the thumb while in the drops counters any criticism we had of Di2’s ergonomics.
Despite the bike’s all-up weight of just 6.8kg, the standard 53/39T chainrings and 11-25T cassette are on the tall side for climbing – we’d prefer a compact up front or lighter sprocket out back. The wheels are DT Swiss’s 1,450g-a-pair Tricon RR1450s: a superbly stiff wheelset with distinct hubs, straight-pull spokes and heavily machined rims. The Team may be a little ‘normal’ looking; the ride is anything but. It’s a true sleeper.