Sensa Giulia Custom Road Bike review

Sensa Giulia Road Bike
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Merlin Cycles seems to have got pretty close to hitting the nail on the head with the Sensa Giulia and the jaw-dropping prices offered on very good standard and custom builds, along with great finishing kit alternatives.But ignoring the extras, the heart the bike - the frameset itself - is a very good one. Even though I was not personally able to reach my ideal race set-up, I believe it's a reasonable compromise - with a few tweaks on the position - both for racing and as a fast training mate.Ultimately Sensa has ticked most boxes in terms of performance, style and, importantly, price. If you're still questioning the lack of household name, don't - Sensa isn't pulling the wool over your eyes; it's a great machine for your hard-earned cash.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Price

  • +

    Custom options

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Not much

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Carbon swoon-factor like this usually comes with an eye-watering price tag but the Sensa Giulia has a surprisingly wallet-friendly price.

Distributed in the UK by Merlin Cycles, the Dutch brand Sensa has over 20 years of experience in many different cycling disciplines and offers the range-topping Giulia as an off-the-shelf complete bike, available either in a standard (and slightly confusingly named) ‘Special' build which tops out at £1,469.99, or you can, as we did, opt for a custom creation.

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Symon Lewis joined Cycling Weekly as an Editorial Assistant in 2010, he went on to become a Tech Writer in 2014 before being promoted to Tech Editor in 2015 before taking on a role managing Video and Tech in 2019. Lewis discovered cycling via Herne Hill Velodrome, where he was renowned for his prolific performances, and spent two years as a coach at the South London velodrome.