Verenti Insight 0.4
The £1,000ish market for carbon road bikes remains hugely competitive, and while regular readers will be familiar with our own, oft-stated opinions on the relative merits of carbon and aluminium below a certain price point, Verenti’s Insight 0.4 package is likely to prove attractive to riders on a budget and keen to own a composite chassis.
The 0.4 is the first carbon-framed offering in Verenti’s ‘Sportive Road’ range and the first of three Insight models built around a Toray 700 frame (two £1,200 models complete the range, equipped variously with full Shimano 105 and SRAM Rival groupsets and Fulcrum Racing Sport wheels).
The headtube tapers in the manner of more expensive machines, with the intention of boosting stiffness, and so providing more accurate steering, courtesy of a larger lower bearing (1.5”) and greater real estate for the junction with a similarly hefty downtube. The fork, however, as might be expected on a machine at this price, has an alloy rather than carbon steerer.
Unusually for a carbon-framed offering at the sub-£1,000 mark, the groupset is complete: a full helping of Shimano’s new nine-speed Sora offering, which includes a dual pivot brake. 4ZA aluminium clincher wheels laced with black, stainless steel spokes, and shod with 23c Continental Grand Sport Race tyres, make up the rolling stock. The finishing kit is from 4ZA, too.
The Verenti Insight will be available in black with yellow detailing, and in six sizes from extra, extra small to extra large. It will cost £950.
