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What would your dream road race bike look like? I break down all the features I'd want, from aero tubing and aggressive geometry to an integrated cockpit. As it turns out, that bike already exists, and it's the Rose Shave FFX. Join me for a detailed review of this incredible machine.
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0:00
What would your dream road race bike look like? Because mine looks like this
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So in 2026, you're designing your dream road race bike. I love a bit of aero. So you're going to need
0:17
some deep tube profiling. You're going to need quite a deep head tube and then you're probably
0:21
going to go for a semi sort of deep seat tube. I personally really like the trend where bikes
0:27
are getting steeper and steeper seat tube angles. This one has a 74 degree seat tube angle. I also
0:33
like zero setback seat posts so you don't sit way behind the bottom bracket. That does mean that the
0:40
geometry has to change elsewhere so it's not as simple as just fitting a zero mil setback seat
0:45
post to your current road bike. This one is designed and comes with a zero setback seat post
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next and I know they're a controversial topic but I'd probably go for an integrated cockpit that
0:58
has nice clean lines because I like the way they look I'd also ship my dream road race bike
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with a sensibly sized cockpit because as we know that can make more difference to your bike speed
1:10
and the speed that you can ride at than actually any of these different tube profiles this one
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comes with a 37 centimeter handlebar which I think is a good choice you'd probably also go for
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a UDH, Universal Derailleur Hanger, at the back because that's the way bikes are going. It means
1:27
you could fit one of those fancy Ceram Explore group sets if you really wanted, but I probably
1:32
would go two by. You'd probably also fit your bike with some drop seat stays for a bit of comfort
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because you don't want your nice aero bike to be an absolute bone rattler like they were years ago
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and I also want it to be light. This bike weighs 6.8 kilos in this build
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but without the pedals. Moving around to the front of the bike and I'm going to spec my Dream Road Race bike
1:56
with a nice slim head tube to try and cut through the wind. A nice deep fork to maximize the relaxation of the UCI rules
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even though I'm not racing in UCI races but it would be nice if my bike was used by some really good riders
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I'd then fit probably let's say a 55 mil wheel set. that's quite a versatile wheelset that's going to give me lots of aero gains but also not be so heavy
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or too much of a handful in crosswinds and then tire clearance what do you reckon a road race bike
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in 2026 should have i like to sometimes fit 32 mil tires to my race bike but you probably going to want a little bit more just to future proof it so I going to say let go with 35 mil That a nice
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number and so what is the result? What bike is this? This is the Rose Shave FFX. Rose is a German
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brand. We haven't had them over in the UK in recent years because of Brexit and things like that but
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they are back. Now I am going to start with some bad news. You can't actually buy this one in the
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UK right now but you can buy the Shave FF which is a slightly lower tier version. The frame set
3:04
weighs about 100 grams more but it is exactly the same geometry and tube profiles. So what is good
3:12
about this bike other than all the things that I've just mentioned? Well I think that this could
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be the race bike that's the best fit for lots and lots of people. Why? Well not only do they do
3:23
this FFX version with the super high modulus carbon fiber and low weight. They also do the
3:29
shave FF, which you can buy with Shimano Ultegra or SRAM Force. And then there's just the shave
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no FF, no FFX. And that one is really clever because it's got different geometry. It's got a
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20 mil taller head tube here, and that means it's going to be able to be ridden comfortably
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by lots more riders. I'm going to swap again because my knee hurts. So what is this bike all
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about and what's it actually like to ride? Well, I've been riding it for the last few months now
3:58
and Rose probably wondering where it's gone. And let me tell you, it is great. It is stiff. It is
4:05
fast and it is not so uncomfortable that you're going to want to leave it at home and ride
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something else. I'm in a fortunate position where there's lots of bikes I can ride. And normally
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when I'm reviewing a bike I sort of ride it for a month month and a half good few thousand k
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and then I send it back this one I haven't wanted to send back and I think that probably tells you
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more about the bike than anything I'm about to say that's not to say that it's absolutely perfect
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there are some things that I have changed and some things that I would want to change
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so the bike stock comes with these rose wheels they're their own brand wheels
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They're the RC55CS wheels. They've got carbon spokes, so they're nice and light
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They've got 23 mil internals. No huge problems with them. They're probably not my first choice of wheelset
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but neither are lots of wheelsets that bikes come with. But fitted to them were a set of 28 mil Schwalbe Pro One Aero tires now I get it it an aero bike aero tires seems like a sensible fit I didn get on with them I didn like them one bit I found
5:12
them probably a little bit too narrow for the roads that I'm riding I found them super firm
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and I really didn't find them very confidence inspiring I can't say they're not grippy because
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I didn't actually fall off them or slide on them but there was just something about them that made
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them feel or just sort of rock hard no matter what pressure you ran in them and so I have changed the
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tires I've gone for a set of 30 mil Eagle F1 RS TLRs and that has drastically improved the ride feel
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of this bike now I did like the bike even more when I swapped out these wheels to a set of Envy 4.5s
5:48
That really did a sound bite. Another thing I want to cover is this paint job
5:58
So it is sort of a pearlescent. It's glittery and it is looking nice in this sunlight
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But let me know in the comments whether you think Rose should have put more branding on their frame
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Because taking a step back, look at it. I really do like the look of it
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I like the outline. I like the shape of the frame. I like the cleanness of it
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but I have had quite a few people ask me if it's a Chinese frame, if it's like an unbranded
6:23
something or another, and it's not. It's a rose, and rose should be proud that it's a rose
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So yeah, let me know whether you think it should have had more branding down in the comments below
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Other than that, as we've been through, I'm really pleased with the spec options
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that this bike has come with. This is a side medium-large frame set. It ships with 170mm
6:46
cranks and I've been testing it with the SRAM Red group set on it. Obviously that's the top spec
6:51
build. It got a claimed weight of 6.7 kilos I believe. Now I did weigh this without these pedals
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6.8 kilos on my scale so not too far off. That's probably the matter of some tubeless sealant or
7:05
something like that. So it's super lightweight. I haven't been able to take it to a wind tunnel but
7:09
it certainly feels fast and I think that is almost more important that it feels fast because for the
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The racing that I'm doing and the group rides that I'm trying to keep up with
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I think a lot of my performance is in my head. And so having a bike that feels light, is light and feels fast and stiff
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and makes you want to push yourself that little bit harder is really important I been trying to think about what draws me back to this bike and why I think that it handles well on the road and has been the bike that I been choosing to ride
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And I think it comes down to the fact that you can tell it's been designed by cyclists. You can
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tell that real life cyclists have gone and ridden this before putting it on a shelf. And I know that
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sounds obvious, but I think there's some brands that don't. I think they build good bikes and then
8:01
they spec them badly. This is a well-specced bike. For example, it knows its purpose. It's an aero bike
8:08
and it's got 37 centimetre handlebars. That's just a sensible choice. It's got 13 degree of
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flair, which I think a lot of riders riding this sort of bike are going to really enjoy. It's got
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three bottle cage bolts on the down tube so that if you're running one bottle, you can run it lower
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and that's a more aerodynamic position. I think that's a really sensible idea. This one comes with
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pro level gearing. So most road bikes come with 48 tooth big ring on a SRAM road bike. You can
8:36
spin it out if you're on a very fast group ride or racing it around a circuit. This one comes with
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50 37 tooth chain rings which I think is a really sensible choice. It was a bit of a shock when I
8:48
climbed it home from work with a backpack on my back up some really steep climbs but you know we'll
8:53
let it off. Those 170 mil cranks that I mentioned earlier is just full of good decisions. I think
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this bike knows what it's for, it's good at doing it, and it looks good whilst doing it. So what will
9:04
the setup like this set you back? Well this build here 8,500 euros. Now that's obviously a lot of
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money. It is cheaper than their direct-to-consumer competitors, so the equivalent Canyon Air Road CFR
9:19
you're looking at a fair bit more, at least 500 quid more. It's a good few thousand euros cheaper
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than a giant Propel in a similar spec, and it's a good few thousand euros
9:29
cheaper than a specialised Tarmac SL8 or SL9. And I really do think that it's just as good
9:35
out on the road once you've changed the tyres. So, would I buy it
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I don't have 8,500 euros to spend on a bike, but if I did, then this would definitely be
9:46
higher up my list than a lot of the much bigger brands
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Hopefully, Rose offers this to more markets in the near future. If not, then you lucky ducks over in Europe
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Let me know what you think of this bike down in the comments below and let me know what you want me to review next
10:03
I believe I'm gonna be jumping onto a Merida Reacto. So make sure you subscribe to the channel for that
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