Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc review
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Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc review

The original Auriga gets augmented

Our rating

4

3499.00

Dave Caudery / Our Media

Published: January 31, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Our review
Quick handling and slippery speed make a compelling combination

Pros:

Speed; sharp handling; great specification

Cons:

Tyres take the edge off the pace a little; slightly weighty

Tifosi has been with us for 22 years, and while it started out making affordable, classic winter trainers, commuter bikes and tourers, it also builds race bikes.

Its parent company, Chicken CycleKit, has a long association with the British racing scene.

This is the third-generation Auriga, but Tifosi hasn’t rested on its laurels. It has added FSA’s ACR stem/headset system to the build, which allows cables and hoses to be routed through the bar and into the stem.

It has also given the Auriga a clean look that’s better than its rivals, even though they have the advantage of running SRAM’s wireless Rival AXS group.

How we tested

From super-smooth-riding endurance bikes to lightweight climbing bikes, there’s a huge variety of road bikes out there. But what if you want a bit more of an all-rounder? A road bike that has quick handling, is light enough, has some aero bike-like considerations, can be ridden all day without kicking you into submission and, above all, puts a smile on your face?

We hear you, so we’ve checked out four serious contenders from a range of brands, both new and old, for around £4,000.

Also on test

  • LIOS Bullet Disc Rival AXS
  • Vitesse Evo CR Rival AXS
  • Wilier Triestina Garda Rival AXS

Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc spec details

Cockpit of the Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc road bike
The newest Auriga has FSA’s cable-concealing stem and headset. - Dave Caudery / Our Media

The Auriga chassis was designed using a combination of CFD – computational fluid dynamics – and real-world testing, and the resulting main tube shapes have a familiar aerodynamic kammtail profile.

The very substantial down tube has a sharp, arching curve that transitions into the fork for a slick, smooth shape to the front end. The aero fork splays out into a wide-legged stance, creating a tyre clearance that’s quite generous for an aero bike.

Tifosi states a maximum width of 28c but, such was the amount of clearance, I reckon it would be possible run 30c tyres front and rear.With its dropped seatstays and a deep, aero-shaped seat tube that has a large wheel-curve-following cut-out, the Auriga’s rear end could easily have come from a time trial bike.

And though it has an aero-shaped seatpost, the Auriga is designed to be more agile than many aero bikes, to cope with race styles such as the city-centre, crit-style Tour series, where a quick-handling bike works best.

My large-sized, 58cm equivalent Auriga has a tight 999.6mm wheelbase, steep, parallel 73-degree frame angles, a slammed 560.2mm stack and 408.7mm reach – which is very long. This puts you in a low and aerodynamic riding position.

The Deda Zero2 aluminium bar is specified in a 42cm width that’s narrow for this size of bike and matched to a 110mm stem. But despite the narrower hold, the Auriga is surprisingly easy to handle.

The Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc road bike is fitted with 2 lightweight Deda bottle cages
The bike comes with a pair of lightweight Deda bottle cages. - Dave Caudery / Our Media

Campagnolo’s Chorus is often overlooked, but I think it’s more than most of us would ever need from a mechanical groupset. Gear changes through the ErgoPower levers and triggers are rapid and accurate.

The step-down triggers allow huge multi-shifts across the cassette, where you can feel the mechanics switching effortlessly between gears with minimal fuss and maximum speed.

Campagnolo’s disc brakes are another success, packed with feel and progressive, usable power. They did squawk a bit in the wet, until the rotors cleared moisture, but they never felt anything other than very, very controllable.

Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc geometry

XSSMLXL
Seat angle (degrees)74.57473.57372.5
Head angle (degrees)74.57473.57372.5
Seat tube (mm)480500520540560
Top tube (mm)535550565580595
Head tube (mm)110120130140150
Wheelbase (mm)974.4984.7995.6999.61,005.7
Stack (mm)527539.5549560.2568.7
Reach (mm)388.9395.3402.4408.7412.3

Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc ride impressions

Male cyclist in red and black top riding the Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc road bike
The Auriga is a fast bike in a straight line, with stiffness that translates into rapid acceleration. - Russell Burton / Our Media

The Auriga is a fast bike in a straight line, with a stiffness that translates into rapid acceleration. You need to concentrate to cope with its dart-like direction changes, but its exciting nature meant I always felt like I was having fun rather than going through the motions.

And while it weighs a tad over 9kg, it climbs well. The great-looking Campagnolo Scirocco wheels may be low in the Campagnolo hierarchy, but they are quality wheels and have the company’s signature sparse spoking and alloy rims with a genuine aero profile.

On the hills, the Auriga doesn’t feel heavy, but having low-resistance, fast, light tyres would hugely enhance the bike’s overall performance.

The Schwalbe Luganos are good basic tyres known for their hardiness, and I was impressed by their wet-weather handling, but they just don’t feel particularly lively, and they somewhat dull the Auriga’s considerable charms.

Tifosi Auriga Chorus Disc bottom line

There’s a lot to love here, not least the Auriga’s exciting speed. The ride is firm but the contact points are excellent, with the fantastic Selle Italia Boost saddle helping to make it both comfortable and quick.

It could do with better tyres for when the weather’s drier, though.

Also consider

A little less

  • Tifosi Mons Disc LTD edition frameset
  • £2,999

Like the idea of low weight rather than aero? Then the Mons LTD may be right for you. Its 890g frame and 320g fork form the basis for a superlight all-rounder. It’s also currently available in an ‘Anarchy’ paint scheme.

A lot less

  • Tifosi Auriga Disc frameset
  • £1,099

Fancy building your own aero race machine? Why not start with the 1,200g Auriga frameset and 440g fork that comes complete with the dedicated aero seatpost and the neat FSA ACR stem/headset system?

Product

Brandtifosi
Price3499.00 GBP
Weight9.1600, KILOGRAM (L) -

Features

ForkToray T700, T800 Carbon
br_stemFSA ACR
br_chainCampagnolo Chorus 12x
br_frameToray T700, T800 Carbon
TyresSchwalbe Lugano 28c
br_brakesCampagnolo Chorus hydraulic disc
br_cranksCampagnolo Chorus 52/36
br_saddleSelle Italia Model X Boost
br_wheelsCampagnolo Scirocco tubeless ready disc
br_headsetFSA ACR
br_shifterCampagnolo Chorus
br_cassetteCampagnolo Chorus 11-34
br_seatpostTifosi carbon
br_handlebarDeda Zero2 alloy
br_bottomBracketCampagnolo Chorus 86.5
br_availableSizesXS, S, M, L, XL
br_rearDerailleurCampagnolo Chorus
br_frontDerailleurCampagnolo Chorus