Pearson Cycles are based in Sutton, Surrey and this is their latest carbon frame. It leans towards the type of rider who regularly rides time trials but also wants the bike for general cycling duties such as sportive and training.
The frame design is based on the popular semi-compact sloping top tube, and some people around the office were heard to opine that the new Nuovo Pro resembles the DeRosaTango without the strange-looking aerodynamic wings behind the rear brake bridge.To my eyes, the Pearson is better looking.The seat tube curves neatly to route air away from the revolving rear tyre and there's just enough clearance for the rear wheel, shod with a 25mm tyre, to be removed from the bike unimpeded by the tyre fouling the frame.
There are six frame sizes available, ranging from 49-60cm measured from centre of bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube, and, while there are no frame angles specified on their web site, our 56cm frame has a 73.5 degree seat and head angles and the steering is on the fast side of average with a trail of 5.9cm.The gear hanger is the replaceable type, so that casual damage resulting from a heavy fall to the right side will not result in irreparable damage.
>The bottom bracket area is massively oversized and the finish is a combination of a carbon decorative layer shaded into black, topped off with a tough gloss finish.We would have expected a frame made out of high modulus carbon - as this is - to be lighter than the 1,340g that we measured on the digital scales, but the payback will be that the frame's larger-than-average surface area will aid aerodynamics in speed events like time trials.
>The Nuovo Pro melds a stiff frame with a fork that is at the softest end of the compliance scale to make it a great bike for light riders such as myself. However, even for me, it lacks the pinpoint steering accuracy of a Scott CR1 or Focus Cayo at speeds exceeding 30mph. For this reason, we'd like to see a'stiff'option on the forks, made available to customers who like to push their skills to the limit on fast descents.We tested their Shimano 105-equipped complete bike package consisting of a mixture of ITM and Pizzaz finishing kit for £1,549, although the best option is their Ultegra-equipped bike based on £300 Roval wheels, Pro (Shimano) finishing kit and Specialized Roubaix S-Works tyres (costing a cool £100 pr).
>The cost is £2,000, but the attractive frame design and ultra-smooth ride still make it one of the best bikes we've tried for sportives.