Forme Longcliffe 1.0 Review

Reviewer: Cycling Weekly

1-Oct-2012 | 11 Reviews

Rating:

£999.99 (at time of review)

Pros

Good frame
Shimano 105

Cons

Own-brand finishing kit is functional rather than flash
One of the heavier bikes on test

See verdict and spec

We round up 12 of the best bikes for under a grand

The Forme brand is about good honest service from Derbyshire, England, where the bikes are designed.

The Longcliffe 1.0, with a triple-butted, 7005 alloy frame was one of the pleasant surprises in this test. On the road, it takes everything in its stride.

As with the Raleigh, Forme should perhaps have stuck to Tiagra throughout, preserving budget for finishing kit and wheels, but in this instance the wheelset proved quite good, with a traditional spoking pattern and Mavic Open Sport rims. The package worked well, but we'd recommend keeping an eye on the hubs for bearing longevity. Schwalbe's Lugano tyres are a great choice.

Forme's own finishing kit cheapened the overall look of this otherwise-attractive bike, although, with the exception of a nasty seat bolt/clamp arrangement on the seatpost, it all was up to task.

Verdict

Part of the planted solidity you experience on the Longcliffe comes down to weight; it's one of the heaviest here. It's not like you're towing an anchor, but, as on the Bianchi, you do notice the speed dropping off on the drags and climbs, demanding a bit of extra effort behind the pedals.

Full specification

Frame

7005 SL triple-butted alloy

Group Set

Shimano 105 with Shimano R600 deep drop brakes. FSA Gossamer chainset

Tyres

Schwalbe Lugano

Weight

9.43kg (20.13lb)

Wheels

Formula hubs, Mavic Open Sport rims

Supplier

www.formebikes.co.uk

User reviews

Add your review

derek mayell

June 29 22:16

This review really seems to split hairs making far too much of "FSA square taper chainset and BB " making it sluggish - come on ?? Anyway so much for the higher rated Boardman with it's problemattic bottom bracket ! No mention of that. Give me the Bianchi steed any day of the week, fine workhorse ans certainly nippy enough and well handling for me - and looks great.

John_c

July 19 21:50

Common guys lets compare apples with apples please. If you get a carbon frame with 105 groupset for sub Â£1000 is that the same as pay the same price for an ali frame? The Ribble Evo Pro Carbon is a very good price and top spec bike, I've done over a 1000 miles on mine with no problems.

pc

August 14 17:57

"It ï¬res out of corners and up steep climbs with barely any frame ï¬‚ex to dull its responses, even when you get out of the saddle and on the cranks". - Bikeradar , you say its flexible they say its stiff ????

Andrew Blakesley

August 15 13:42

The Forme Longcliffe1.0 is a fantastic bike for the money. Reading this review suggested an unduly sluggish bike but for me at least it gets up to speed quickly and stays there in gears I'd normally avoid. The steering is crisp and the ride comfortable. The kind of bike you could ride all day. Forme was not my first choice as I'd set my heart on a Defy but Giants useless supply arrangements meant waiting several months (not an option through a cycle to work scheme). After years of riding Giant it has become impossible to remain loyal to a brand with no UK stock. Luckily for me my local dealer had started stocking Forme and rcommended the Longcliffe as excellent value, well specced and finished. I'm now very glad I took the risk with a new British brand and wish Forme every success.

Leigh Clulow

September 06 01:43

Purchased a Forme 1.0 as I have friends who work for the company, looked at the Moda's and to be honest couldn't justify spending the extra as the Forme looked a steal. Becoming more popular by the day and mine has done over 1000 miles and a 4 day trip from Burton 2 Paris and it didn't miss a beat, cannot remember one miss shift. I did find some buzz came through the pedals on long fast down hill sections over Surrey but it flew over the hills, tracked true round the bends and munched the miles hilly, long and flat, dealt with all the British weather could throw at it. Only once did I have to tighten the front brakes. It did seem I could maintain it less than those riding much more expensive bikes and apart from the one or two riders who you would call super fit and made for cycling I could hang in there all day long, superb pick up of speed and easy to maintain and very sure footed when breaking. If I was being critical all I'd say is the paint worked could be better and harder wearing and the holes for holding bottles be of better quality. Also everyone who sees it loves the look of it. I would recommend it to anyone starting out. If your 5'8 upwards take the 53/54cm frame size and not the 51cm. Only reason I am selling mine is because I am moving house and also want a Carbon frame in the spring.

Ollie

September 13 16:00

This review of the Evo-Pro Carbon is the only one that I have read that complains about frame flex. Having owned this bike and ridden several other carbon frames of a similar spec, or even better (PRO frame with Di2 ), I would not say the frame is particularly flexible for this level of bike - I found the handling and climbing capabilities to be excellent. I am just under 11 stone, so perhaps this frame favours the lighter rider.

Ateve Senior

September 23 08:44

Fair review - Purchased one of these in May. Superb frame and geometry, Roberto Corse componentry leaves a little to be desired especially from a quality perspective. Rear spokes kept coming loose on a long cycling weekend with a tube of Lock Tite being the only solution to get me home..... A new set of wheels beckoned!

dave bunn

November 03 19:31

i`m never sure how independent these reviews are and how much they are dictated by which ever company is pushing a product on a particular time. i dont own one this bike....wish i did... but the other reviews for the ribble are amazing and seemingly worth much more than a 7 from the recent cycling weekly poll. see http://m.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-ribble-evo-pro-carbon-10-37562 make you own mind up

Barney

January 30 14:03

I did need the bike for to do my charity last year with friends and i start looking for bike and i dont know how,why but this bike come out first when i type in to search but i keep looking for bike but nearly every 3-5pages i seen this bike and i start quite like it so i decid to go for it and this is now 5months and i still LOVE my bike and i so happy i purchased this so i quite happy to recomend this bike to anybody who like cycling,who like to go up on hills easy,go fast down hill and want to ride easy-fast on straight lines cos this bike does it with no problem i am sure u dont want to finish riding if u have this bike!!!1

Macro

March 02 23:23

LOTS of negative brand snobbery regarding Raleigh. I have the airlite 300 and it is a excellent winter bike. In fact I'm considering another Raleigh for my summer one. The airlite frames are excellent and there's no flex or sluggish behaviour. I swapped the standard raleigh nova wheels for some 2013 fulcrum racing 5s and its excellent. Also, the no-name RSP handlebars are the most comfortable and well-fitting bars I have ever had. These are great long distance training bikes and being Raleigh they really do last years. So I definitely would recommend. Having a look/ride on the airlites. Why are these "reviews" so snobby and negative because it doesn't have "the name" on the bar?

Jonathan

March 04 21:18

I bought an evo pro carbon at the end of last year, very happy with bike, have campag centaur group set, have used on club runs and races and found it to be more than adequate. Only criticism would be the height of the head tube which means it's harder to get the bars low enough for racing, would suggest going a size down if you're planning to race, the frame is probably more suited to club riding and sportives, excellent bike, amazing value for money.

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