B’Twin Ultra 700 AF 105 review

Pound for pound the B'Twin Ultra 700 AF leaves the competition standing

Btwin Ultra AF 700 Aluminium featured

Btwin Ultra AF 700 Aluminium featured

Cycling Weekly Verdict

The sport we love should not be prohibitively expensive and the level of enjoyment you experience should not be down to how much cash you spend. It is imperative that good bikes exist at this price point, as they are most people's entry point into road cycling and have the potential to dictate a large chunk of their experience thereafter. The B'Twin wins out, because I was able to forget I was riding a bike that cost just £750 and found myself bombing along country lanes with a smile on my face - and that is what it is all about

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Amazing value

  • +

    Comfortable frame

  • +

    Looks cool

  • +

    Top Spec

  • +

    Fun to ride!

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Wheels could be finished a bit neater

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

B’Twin is the house brand of Decathlon sports superstores, meaning that it is essentially a direct sales company. This enables it to keep costs down and pass that saving on to the customer.

Buy now: B'Win bikes now come under a new name, see the Van Rysel bikes at Decathlon now

Frame

Btwin Ultra AF 700 top tube

Ultra lively, ultra value

The frame and fork here are the same as offered on the B’Twin Ultra 720 AF, which recently won the Cycling Weekly best value bike of the year.

Unusually for this price point the frame features a UCI approved sticker, meaning you could potentially ride this bike in the Tour de France.

This will never happen for me but the sticker is not only a mark of quality but also credibility for a brand that cannot boast the heritage of Specialized and Giant.

Geometry is fairly race orientated and the frame has a smart grey and black paintjob.

What you should look for when buying a £750 bike

Specification

Btwin Ultra AF 700 Shimano 105 rear mech

The excellent Shimano 105 groupset

Apart from the Shimano R500 chainset, the bike comes with a complete Shimano 105 11-speed groupset, including the excellent direct mount brakes front and rear.

Tyres are 25mm, with plenty of clearance for wider rubber. The wheels are B’Twin’s own and perform pretty well, with decent durability and braking.

The only quibble is the surface finish of the wheels, which shows the join of the rim clearly.

Ride

Btwin Ultra AF 700 seat tube badge

The Ultra’s mettle has been tested

The ride offered by the B'Twin Ultra 700 AF really is impressive. This is without question a bike you can have fun on.

I thoroughly enjoyed riding this bike and felt that it wasn’t holding me back when I put the power down sprinting for signs or up short hills.

>>> B’Twin Ultra 720 AF Ultegra review (video)

If I were looking for a race machine on a budget, save for a wheel upgrade, this would be it. The bottom bracket has been strengthened with a bridge between the chainstays and the frame feels lively.

The 105 direct mount brakes are the best on any bike I've ridden in this price range by far and it’s comfortable too, offering noticeable compliance on poor surfaces.

Value

Btwin Ultra AF 700 top tube

Ultra lively, ultra value

The B’Twin knocks everything else for six in terms of value for money. Other bikes around this price point really struggle to compete with the 105, 11-speed groupset.

A problem we had with previous B’Twin bikes was that the boxes they came in were terrible. Following feedback, this has been addressed and the packaging much improved, with a special solid bottom to hold the bike securely in place.

Buy now: B'Win bikes now come under a new name, see the Van Rysel bikes at Decathlon now

It is not just a bike that would be well suited to beginners. The risk of crashing and cracking your prized carbon frame is a cloud that hangs over many an amateur racer. Upgrading the wheels would render the B’Twin ideal for those wanting a solid bike for their first season of road or criterium racing.

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Oliver Bridgewood - no, Doctor Oliver Bridgewood - is a PhD Chemist who discovered a love of cycling. He enjoys racing time trials, hill climbs, road races and criteriums. During his time at Cycling Weekly, he worked predominantly within the tech team, also utilising his science background to produce insightful fitness articles, before moving to an entirely video-focused role heading up the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel, where his feature-length documentary 'Project 49' was his crowning glory.