Tifosi Scalare review

This review first appeared in Issue 44 of BikesEtc magazine

Tifosi says its most affordable carbon build offers ‘unique geometry that makes it the ultimate road bike, whether you are looking for all-day riding comfort or a high-performance racer.’

It has also updated it over the previous incarnation, to provide better power transfer and a smoother ride. 

Frameset

A little science, if you’ll indulge us… While the Tifosi’s frame is made from a mix of T500 and T700 carbon-fibre, this is no reason to assume it’s of a lower quality to the UHM, or ‘ultra-high modulus’ fibres seen in high-end bikes.

These standard strength moduli are not only more cost-effective to use, but also sacrifice gossamer-like weight for robustness.

Ergo, a T500 frame will be heavier but crucially less prone to cracking in the unthinkable event of a crash.

The Scalare’s frameset is comprised of swooping lines and varying profiles – the flat-profile top tube slopes towards its junction with the seat tube, while its down tube starts its journey from the head tube in a broadly hexagonal profile to one which resembles a scaled-down tin of spam by the time it interfaces with the bike’s 86.5mm bottom bracket.

Dampening seatstays contrast with splayed triangular-profile chainstays.

There’s capacity for electronic groupset wiring, too, while the mechanical Tiagra cabling on this model is internally routed.

Groupset

It might not be packing any 105 components to grab the headlines, but in our experience we’d favour the cohesive approach. 

To that end, the Scalare uses a Shimano Tiagra compact chainset, its 50/34 chainrings combining with a 10-speed HG500 12-28 cassette at the rear.

The shifters/brake levers are Tiagra equipment, too, as are the callipers themselves.

And, you’ve guessed it, Tiagra components account for both the front and rear mech.    

Finishing kit

Despite the Italian name, Tifosi is a British company, but that hasn’t stopped it from equipping the bike with Latin-themed finishing kit.

A set of 420mm Deda Zero compact drop bars are clamped to a 110mm Deda Zero alloy stem, to create a comfortable cockpit which, with 30mm of headset spacers, also accommodates a more racy riding position.

Prologo’s Kappa RS saddle sits atop a 31.6mm alloy Deda seatpost.

Wheels

Miche Reflex RX7 wheels at either end are very much a budget fitment, but that’s traditionally one of the easiest ways for manufacturers to keep the price of a build down.

The unassuming alloy hoops aren’t going to set the world alight, but they’re reliable and durable, which matters, for obvious reasons.

They’re wearing Schwalbe Durano tyres, in a 25c size – the widest recommended rubber for the Tifosi’s frameset.

On the road

As far as frame tubes go, the Tifosi’s certainly qualify as interesting – we spent more time than you’d think was healthy, simply following the lines and profiles with our fingers before clipping in and riding off.

Elegance is a word thrown about by Tifosi themselves when describing the Scalare, and our first impressions tally.

The Scalare’s geometry gives a clue as to the riding position of this bike, but the over-riding impression once you’re out on the road is of a bike that’s noticeably stretched out.

If you favour a long reach and want to get it dialled in for some head-down action, this might well be the bike for you.

A steep seat angle of 74.3° naturally cants you forward to meet those 420mm bars, which, with a brace of spacers moved above the stem, makes for a proper weapon.

The quality of the ride doesn’t suffer for the Tifosi’s sporting intentions, though – despite the 31.6mm alloy seatpost, we encountered minimal interference in the posterior, thanks in part to the natural flex in the flat-profiled seatstays and partly due to cushioning effect of running 90psi in the 25c tyres.

Prologo’s Kappa RS saddle is a real surprise in this package, too, giving ample support and grip for our bibtights, as well as a small amount of suspension movement in its body.

The real trick in this bike is the way its groupset gels beautifully – modern-day Tiagra’s 10-speed set-up still gives sufficient gear ratios for 90% of occasions, while the brakes are a cut above the Boardman’s in terms of initial bite and modulation of input.

The Tifosi’s head angle is bordering on race-spec, which lends the bike a willingness to turn – and turn at speed – which we weren’t expecting.

Coupled with the ubiquitous tapered steerer, the rigid front end equips this bike with a planted feel whose limits beg to be tested.

A swift pull of the Tiagra stoppers, a nudge on the inside of the bars, and the Scalare hammers into a left-hand, 90° corner at impressive speed.

There’s a flipside to this bike, though, which does make it just as easy to ride at a more leisurely pace – its rear end comfort.

As long as you can get a comfortable position over the front end, you’ll be laughing.

Schwalbe’s 25c Durano tyres do an admirable job of inspiring confidence and supplying a comfortable ride, even on a fresh, moist morning ride.

This bike leaves us with the feeling that the frame would do you for many years to come.

Its all-up weight of 8.84kg would be reduced dramatically with a wheel upgrade, or higher spec groupset.

Tifosi’s importer does indeed offer an Ultegra and Campagnolo Centaur version of this bike, but obviously it nudges the price considerably upwards.

Even as it is, this Tiagra build costs more than many 105-specced rivals. The question is: is it worth it? On balance, for most riders eyeing a budget carbon road bike, not quite.

If, however, you’re looking for an affordable tool for rapid sportives, and don’t want to risk your £10,000 pride and joy, apply the rule of n+1, buy this and laugh all the way to the bank. 

RATINGS

Frame: A blend of carbon grades designed for robustness. 9/10 
Components: A full Tiagra groupset performs brilliantly. 7/10 
Wheels: Reliable and durable rather than light and fast. 7/10 
The ride: Shows a real willingness to respond to hard efforts. 9/10 

Verdict: A robust performer with a solid front end whose limits beg to be tested in fast corners.  

Geometry

Specification

Tifosi Scalare review (2015)

BikesEtc

7 May 2015

Tifosi has a reputation for great value bikes that ride well, but they’ve always appeared to be a utilitarian option. Mudguards, sensible aluminium frames, and even front racks in some cases, have traditionally marked them out as a purchase you’d make with your head, not your heart.

But it looks like that’s about to change. The Scalare is Tifosi’s first carbon race bike, combining looks that pull at the heartstrings, and the same traits of value and common sense Tifosi has built its reputation on. ‘It’s actually the second carbon bike we’ve made,’ says Alex Rowling, marketing coordinator at Tifosi. ‘The first was more of an audax bike with mudguards, while the Scalare is very much a road racing and sportive bike.’

Scalare Range

Tifosi now has two lines, Heritage and Performance, and the Scalare sits at the top of the latter. There are five bikes in the range, from a Campag Veloce-equipped bike at £1,199 to the Ultegra version here at £1,550. It’s good to see two Campag-equipped bikes – the Italian brand is often overlooked in the world of complete bikes in favour of the Asian giants Shimano and SRAM.

‘We put Campag on most Tifosis as Chicken Cycles [Tifosi’s parent company] is a major Campagnolo distributor,’ says Oates, ‘but as big Campag lovers too, we feel it’s something we need to offer.’ The same frame is used throughout the range, and weighing in at a claimed 1,050g it’s light for such a keen price. Nice touches include the super-slender seatstays that should dampen some road buzz and provide a decent level of compliance.

Frame

The bottom bracket is the pressfit BB30 standard, which used in its intended way (an oversized axle running through large bearings in nylon cups pressed into the frame) isn’t much cop, but it’s versatile, and combined with conversion cups it’s both future-proof and reliable. Tifosi has used a Wheels Mfg reducer BB, which was creak-free, but once the bearings wear out, we’d be tempted to go with a standard outboard-bearing bottom bracket, as used on the Pretorius in our location test.

The riding position is quite aggressive, with a short head tube and fairly steep seat angle, making it good for racing and high-speed sportive riding. There are, however, plenty of spacers under the stem to raise the handlebar position to somewhere more relaxed. And because of the way Tifosis are sold through Chicken Cycle Kit dealers, riders can swap components at purchase, be that a different size stem or cassette, or a different saddle in the Selle Italia range.

Components

Elsewhere, the components are nearly all Italian, in-keeping with the name. The saddle comes from Selle Italia, the tyres from Vittoria, the bars, stem and seatpost from Cinelli and much of the groupset – the cassette, chainset, wheels and front brake – comes from Miche. 

‘We put as much Miche stuff on as possible,’ says Oates. ‘It’s all made in Italy, so it’s nice to keep with that Italian theme.’ We don’t see a huge amount of Miche coming through the Cyclist.co.uk office, but it’s all good gear. The front brake works well (the rear is a Shimano 105 direct-mount unit, located under the chainstays) and the chainset marks the whole bike out from the Shimano-equipped crowd. The chain didn’t mesh with the cassette quite as smoothly as the Shimano versions, but on a first ride review, that’s hard to criticise – get a good weekend of riding in and they may well have worn in, working together perfectly.

At 8.39kg and with a solid pedalling platform, the Scalare accelerates quite nicely. It also slows down well – having ridden a lot of £500 bikes with low-cost deep-drop brakes for this issue’s main bike test, it was a relief to be back on a bike that brakes quickly and predictably. The weight is a little more than we’d expect of a bike with such a light frame – we suspect you could shed a fair bit by upgrading the bars, stem and seatpost. And though the wheels are good for training, if you want to go racing or do some really hilly sportives, investing in a pair of lighter wheels for special occasions would be a good idea.

Spec