Kuota Kebel ~ Blingtastic...

Okay, you all know I have a passion and affinity for Italian bikes.  Well here's another one from the country where cycling is part of the fabric of society.

Fast cars and fast bikes.  It's what Italians do best.  Fast women?  Geordies, according to my wife.  You know, I have to agree...

Who are Kuota
I first came across the Kuota name when Fabio Casartelli rode one to victory in the 1992 Olympic Road Race in Barcelona.  Sadly Casartelli was to lose his life on the Portet D'Aspet during stage fifteen of the 1995 Tour de France.  Although he'd already achieved much in his short career, Fabio was a talent still to reach his full potential and show the world what he had to offer.

In 2008, myself and Dianne rode in the tenth running of the Fabio Casartelli Memorial Sportive around his home roads of Lake Como.  It was a fantastic day, with all of the prizes being donated by Kuota Composites.  Every climb had a race frame, wheels and other goodies as the prizes for each category.  That's a lot of frames and wheels to give away!  It was (and still is) a fantastic gesture that is to be applauded.

Kuota themselves are based in Albiate, Italy.  For the last few years they've been supplying bikes to the AG2R Protour team, the UK Youth Team, with Magnus Backstedt and Nigel Mansell at the helm, and a host of ladies, men's U23, and triathlon teams.  This year they've branched out in to cyclo-cross.  They do seem to put an awful lot back in to our sport.

This Test
First off, this isn't your normal road bike test.  This has to be one of the most bling-ed bikes I've ever ridden.  If ever there was a programme called Pimp my Bike, this would be on it. 

Take one Kuota Kebel "doner" bike and add; Shimano Di2, a wireless Dura Ace SRM, Rotor Rings, Reynolds DVT wheels, FSA bars and stem, a pair of Magnesium TRP brake callipers and a pair of my own Time i-Clic titanium pedals. 

Finally, the scariest of the lot, add a Selle SMP, padding-less, 119 gram, full carbon lite saddle, that retails at around £475.  My wife's wedding ring never cost that much!  It's not very often I'm impressed to a point of silence, but this very nearly did it!

The Bike
The Kebel is placed mid-range, in a very high-range set, of out and out race bikes.  Top of the pile is the anorexic KOM (King of the Mountains), followed by the Kult and then the up and at 'em Kebel.

Above, is Magnus "Paris Roubaix" Backstedt (6'4" & 95 kilos) hustling his "off the peg" team issue Kuota Kebel, around the streets of the UK in the 2011 Halfords Tour Series.

The Frame
The Kebel 5cm semi-sloping frame, is an Italian convergence of form and function, with art and engineering.  To some its looks are angular and technical.  But when a science and technology company designs and builds bikes to win races, what else would you expect?  The reason the Kuota Kebel looks like it does, is because it works, and it works well. 

The black and white colour scheme just enhances the bike's aggressive stance.  The Kebel's geometry is exactly the same as the KOM but the weave and lay-up of the 12k carbon has been "tweaked" to tune the ride. 

The Kebel is less "nervy" and harsh than its siblings, and comes with an added tadge of comfort.  Not too much mind, but enough to notice.  Especially at the end of a five hour sportive.

Let's face it, if your day job isn't riding a bike and climbing mountains then a little comfort goes a long way.  This bike is comfortable but still keeps that race feel.  It does this in a few ways.

The rear wheel is tucked right under the saddle and is fag-paper close to the seat tube.  This gives a lively feel and rocket like propulsion from the high power transfer, 402 mm chain stays.  Which is five mil shorter than my beloved Colnago's.  A subtle but noticeable difference.

These "stubby" chain stays are carefully crafted in to the huge BB30 bottom bracket area.  When you see this nano-carbon real estate you'll understand that this bike's engine room is designed for getting the power to the road with as little wastage as possible.  Which is in contrast to the, less aggressive KOM, which is designed for defying gravity and is a little more "flighty".

Connecting the bottom bracket, chain stays and seat stays, is the artisan seat tube.  A sturdy, yet compliant, curved, angular monocoque tube that supports an aero, carbon seat post that brings another level of versatility to this already multi-talented frame. 

The standard seat post comes with 22mm set back, but there's a 0mm option.  Swap your seat post (attach a pair of clip-ons) and hey presto, you've got a TT bike.  How good is that?

The seat tube angle is a fairly relaxed 73.5 degrees, while the head tube has a more aggressive 72.5 degrees.  This gives compliance and stability at the back with a level of "chuck-ability" at the front.  Perfect for you sprinters out there, looking for handle bar width gaps in those final metres before the line.

This chuck-ability quotient is enhanced by the heavy duty head tube, topped and tailed by an upper 1 1/8" bearing and an even more generous 1 1/4" lower.

These rigid pivot points ensure the sturdy, yet elegant (bit like the wife), fork legs keep the front end under control when cornering hard on alpine descents or flat-track, 90 degree screamer, crit corners. 

There's a seamless transition, between the fork and the frame which is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.  The stealth-like paint job compliments these lines, and the forks really do look an integral part of the bike.  Unlike those on some manufacturers I could name.

The Wheels
The excellent frame was held off the ground by the beautiful Reynolds DVT 46/66 wheels.  Optimised for aero performance on the road, the 66 mm rear and 46 mm front, give stability in cross winds through the lower profile front.  While creating better aerodynamics with a deeper rear that makes the most of the dirty air around your legs, pedals and bum!  It's a win ~ win.  Speed and stability.

With 20 DT aerolite spokes both front and back, and a realistic weight of 1309 grams, these are wheels that can be ridden on all road surfaces and in all conditions.   Roubaix to Ventoux on one set of wheels.  How good is that?

There's no flex when climbing out the saddle, no howling rims when braking, no rubbing brake blocks (I have mine set very, very close) when sprinting  and no tell-tale ratcheting when freewheeling. 

They did everything you can expect of an alloy wheel but they're made of carbon; lighter, cheaper, prettier.  Result!

The Finishing Kit
Where do we start?  First up is the TRP R970 SL.  Forged, cnc'd magnesium callipers, held together with titanium hardware and weighing in at a stupidly light 104 gms per brake. 

Now I've always shied away from "non-standard" brakes.  I'm a either a  traditionalist or luddite.

The latest Dura Ace offerings are brilliant.  But for me, nothing comes close to a Campag Super Record setup, for power, modulation, feel and grip.  The fact that I'd place these TRP's alongside the Dura Ace are a high, high  recommendation.  

I'm a creature of habit and will brake within six inches or so at the same point for the same corner whenever I ride it.  My brakes are either full on or full off; no brush, no feel, no safety squeeze. 

You can see from the picture above how much I screwed the adjuster up to get them within millimetres of the rim.  Which shows up any flex in the wheels; there wasn't any!

Running SwissStop pads and set up to within an inch of their life, these brakes performed faultlessly and never once had me adjusting my braking points. panicking or running wide on my test route. 

If you can afford the gulp-inducing price, around £360 you'll be rewarded with a solid stopper, a great looking addition to your bike and another few grams added to your climbing advantage.

The FSA inspired cockpit consisted of an OS99 carbon wrapped forged stem attached to a pair of Team Issue carbon wrapped compact bars. 

Hanging off the bars were the Dura Ace Di2 levers and an SRM PC7.  Running along the length of the stem is the Di2 "adjuster".  If you take a tumble, or change a wheel, you can trim the rear mech using the clever little trim tab while keeping an eye on the battery charge light.

I charge my Di2 battery in February and again in June, and not once has my light come on to tell me there's less than 50% power left.  You've more chance of snapping a gear cable than draining a Di2 battery!

I'll review the Rotor Rings, i-Clics and Selle saddle separately, as they all deserve their own literary soliloquy,  But for now, this is what I sat on for nearly three hours...

With the introductions done, it's time to go and play.

The Ride
The one thing you can say about the Kebel, is there were no surprises.  I've ridden quite a few bikes over the years and some have "surprised me" more than others. 

I've ridden race bikes that even I could make flex, and seen some top manufacturers forks move underneath me as I braked for my "do or die" corners.  Not a nice sensation when you least expect it.

The first impression was that of the Kebel being a taut package, that responded very quickly to the smallest of inputs in to the bars.  At first I thought it was the narrower bars than I normally ride, or down to the shorter stem making the bike twitchy. 

But when I eliminated these from the equation (doing my party piece of riding no hands down hill) it was apparent it was due to the frame geometry and design.  It required much less effort than normal, to move the bike off it's chosen line.

The combination of the head tube angle, the fork rake, and the rigidity of the front end meant the bike tracked like it was stuck in a groove.  Very satisfying, once realisation had set in.

The front end's directness was complimented by the short-ish wheelbase that makes the bike feel lively and direct.  It was very quick to change direction once the decision to do so had been made. 

As soon as you dipped your shoulder you could feel the bike tip in to the corner.  Believe me, I've been on some bikes that needed a knee in to the top tube to get them to fall in to a corner and have to be muscled and hustled to change direction when on the limit.

The fact that you don't have to push the bike, if that makes sense, means that over the duration of a big sportive, or a hard road race, all those little pockets of energy you've saved can be used for when it matters most, the sprint.  Handling wise, the Kebel would make an ideal crit bike, but that would be unfair to it.  It's much more rounded than that.

The best way to describe the Kebel, would be like a bike that has it's tyres pumped up too much.  It was never a handful but it let you know it was a race bike not a "relaxed" sportive bike, whatever one of those is, or a dull, "dead", generic carbon frame which can be seen in lots of places these days.

Pushed hard, it responds well and responds quickly.  You wouldn't want to ride it to the shops every day but if you did, you'd get there quickly and in style.  Be prepared for questioning admirers when you get there.  This bike always draws comments.

As I said before, just because it's a race bike it doesn't mean it can't be comfortable.  Not once did I get the dreaded road buzz through the bars or the seat.  And when you look a the seat I was riding, that's probably as big a compliment to "designed-in" vertical compliance as you can get.

As you can see above, unlike some lightweight race bikes, there's no weight limit for these bikes!  Magnus is a big lad and puts out big power, so don't even begin to question the durability of the Kebel.  It's been tested by the best and found not wanting.

As for it's pedigree?  Here's Greg Mansell again, sprinting to a silver medal for Jersey in the 2011 Island Games Criterium.  One of the Kebel's many, many race successes around the world over the last couple of seasons.

Summary
The Kebel is ridden by some of the best riders in the UK and beyond.  Shouldn't you be one of them?  If you fancy a test ride on a bike that handles as sharp as its looks (although it might not have the £500 saddle fitted!) contact any of the boys at Big Maggy's for more info. 

For just £2125 you can have your very own, Ultergra equipped Kebel. with Mavic Aksiums, Deda bars and stem, with a San Marco Ponza saddle.   You'll be the proud owner of a bike that punches well above its, inconsiderable, weight without making a dent in your finances. 

A perfect all rounder, from your local crit to a super sportive and everything else in between,  And as mentioned, all you need to do is swap a seat post, add some clip-ons and you've got yourself a time trial or triathlon bike.  Two bikes for the price of one.

And if you do get your very own Kebel, or any other race winning bike from Big Maggy's, why not take the opportunity to take it away and tackle a foreign sportive?  Big Maggy's sportive trips are organised regularly throughout the season. 

A great bike deserves a great occasion.  Check out our sportives pages, see what they're all about, then contact Ian Williams (no relation) to get yourself on one of his "Ride Like a Pro" trips.

The Tester
What makes me think I'm qualified to write articles and critique bikes? Click here and I'll try to explain.