Bike test: Wiggle Road Bike

Until I discovered Wiggle’s prosaically named Road Bike, I had forgotten that Shimano’s STI brifters had trickled down to the entry-level Tourney groupset. But here they are, feeling like Sora shifters from a few years ago: you swipe the brake lever to go up in sprocket/chainring size and press the little ‘mouse ear’ on the brake hood to go down in size. Shifts weren’t exactly slick but didn’t miss a beat during the test.

If you buy them separately, these levers have an RRP of £99.99, more than a third of this bike’s total cost. Yet the rest of the bike shows few signs of corner cutting.

The economies are the sort you might expect: the rear wheel has a threaded hub with a 7-speed freewheel; the chainset is 175mm rather than 170mm; the handlebar isn’t as ergonomic as a more expensive compact drop. (I’d also fit a shorter stem to offset the long stretch to the hoods.)

I was going to criticise the budget Kenda tyres, as their rubber isn’t very grippy on wet tarmac; I slid the rear wheel alarmingly sideways on a tight S-bend over a bridge. But that’s partly my fault: I was riding it like I’d ride a bike with expensive dual-compound tyres. I forgot I was on a £289 bike because it doesn’t feel cheap.

Frame & fork

The aluminium frame and steel fork have fairly standard road bike geometry and aren’t unduly heavy. There are even fittings for a rear rack and mudguards, although like many road bikes at any price, mudguard clearance is compromised by short-drop brakes. There’s toe overlap too, for which those long cranks are partly to blame. 

If the frame and fork were designed around mid-drop brakes, such as the inexpensive Miche Performance 57mm, this Wiggle would make a great all-purpose road bike for beginners or a practical winter bike for enthusiasts. As it is, it’s nevertheless a bargain starter road bike for better weather. It’s available in a wide range of sizes, too.

First published in Cycle magazine, February/March 2017 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.