Our slight concerns surrounding the bottom bracket (slimmer than some of its oversized contemporaries, external rather than press fit) happily proved unfounded. It was more than able to withstand the watts we were able to put through it, and while Hutarovich and his FDJ-Big Mat colleagues would certainly provide a sterner test than we were able to, we’re confident it would withstand the output of most riders without unnecessary flex.
The external bottom bracket looks dated in comparison with press fit units, but this style retains admirers for its ease of maintenance (unscrew, discard, and replace, no more than a single, splined spanner required) so file our observations under ‘preference’ rather than ‘criticism’.
The 41cm chainstays provided sufficient acceleration, but this wasn’t a machine that leapt forward in response to the slightest input from the pedals, despite the marketing pledge. This isn’t to condemn it as a slouch, but in comparison to the lighter (the Xelius 400 tipped our scales at 7.82kg), and admittedly far more expensive machinery we’ve tested recently, we weren’t overwhelmed.