ORIGINE Axxome II GTR Review

Incredibly comfortable, the Origine Axxome II GTR is a lively and playful frame that will take you far while being easy on you. Very well equipped with Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST disc brakes and Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain, this second iteration has truly thrilled us. It has almost everything a top-tier bike has.

By Pierre-Maxime BRANCHE. Photos: @3bikes.fr and Origine Cycles.

«Clio, but what’s left for the big ones? » Most of us will recognize this concluding punchline from a TV commercial for the Renault Clio dating back to… 1993. For the younger ones, go take a look on YouTube to understand its essence. Riding my Axxome II GTR for nearly 800 km of testing, this was somewhat the obsessive idea that haunted me for long hours. No, I’m not on a Colnago, nor a Pinarello, those resounding names that tell you Legends, transport you to the slopes of the Giro, the Tour, and that would make you buy your next ride based solely on their reputation, the fruit of several decades of history.
Origine’s story, however, is rather unknown. The French brand was born in 2013, in the North of France. It has only known British winners of the Tour de France, apart from Vincenzo Nibali in 2014. British riders… It doesn’t sponsor any WorldTour team. It’s just arriving, just starting, but we don’t hold it against them. Ernesto Colnago also started one day. It took time. Except that for Origine, its reputation is increasingly becoming known. Or more precisely, its e-reputation is starting to create a buzz.

Factory price
Well yes, because Origine is somewhat our national Canyon. You don’t just walk into an Origine Store in Bourg-en-Bresse. No, with Origine, you go online and click: first to browse the commercial website which offers a permanent direct factory price, with traditional intermediary margins (importers or resellers) eliminated; then, you load the configurator which allows you to define the complete equipment, gear ratios, and frame decoration of your choice, and you note each modification on the photo, technical sheet, weight, and price in real time. 100% configurable! Some will say it’s the death of the local bike shop, others that Origine is moving with the times. Choose your side.
For my part, I didn’t use the configurator. After a quick discussion at their stand at Roc d’Azur in mid-October, the choice fell on their new Axxome II GTR version frame, the hyper sport and disc brake range. I let them choose the equipment: Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 Di2 disc drivetrain, compact 50×34 crankset, 11-25 cassette, Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST Disc wheels with their 25mm Yksion Pro Tubeless tires, Ritchey carbon cockpit for the handlebar and aluminum for the stem, Selle Italia SLR Lite Titanium Flow saddle, piano black and flame red color, white decals. Invoice: 6,650 euros. Weight: 6.800 kg without pedals and bottle cages in size XL. Oh yes, that’s quite something.

New geometry
Honestly? A beautiful beast. Both racy and elegant, docile and aggressive, between classicism and modernity, sobriety and fantasy. A kind of James Bond Girl, you know, seductive, arrogant, captivating but dangerous. That’s all the ambiguity I felt (mine anyway) when I packed… unpacked it, sorry. I’m not the only one this Axxome II has impressed. Its paint, its lines, its weight, and its equipment have often won people over. Racers, club riders, enthusiasts, and novices alike. The price tag, on the other hand, always stings a bit.

This work on the frame geometry
and its layup
optimizes the performance / comfort ratio.

Today, this Axxome reveals itself with a new geometry. Everything revolves around the rear triangle with CCT (Continuous Carbon Tubing) technology, which evolves into CCT+. Previously, the chainstays and seatstays formed a single carbon tube that joined the front triangle via welded junctions. Now, the carbon fibers wrap around the seat tube junction and the bottom bracket shell to fully embrace the tube, better dissipating vibrations by dispersing them along the entire length of the continuous part (chainstays + seatstays), and thus minimizing harsh spots. The carbon fiber remains TeXtreme, used by many Formula 1 teams, mixed with the very rigid Toray 3K M40&50 (7% of the entire frame) in high-stress areas like the bottom bracket shell and the head tube. This adapted layup lightens the frame, making it more lively than rigid, and more comfortable than traditional competition frames. Flattened into a thin unidirectional strip, TeXtreme allows for better stacking and compacting of layers to reduce the proportion of resin used, thus achieving greater lightness and responsiveness. The same applies to the internal EPS molding, which further prevents resin accumulation in the corners and smooths the internal surface of the frame. This smoothing allows for consistent thickness and enhances vibration absorption.
This work on the frame geometry and its layup optimizes the performance / comfort ratio. This is Origine’s permanent quest, which, despite a bike designed for competition, demands a comfortable and easy-to-ride frame over long distances. Finally, the Axxome II GTR is a frame designed for disc brakes with 12×142 thru-axles at the rear, 12×100 at the front, and Shimano FlatMount fixings. It also features the new derailleur hanger mounting system, which is directly linked to the rear wheel thru-axle and increases the rigidity of the wheel and frame. This technology is associated with the new Mavic Speedrelease thru-axle standard, compatible with all wheel brands.

Exceptional comfort
On the road, this geometry work has truly paid off. On my first 70 km ride, I tried to set aside all the comments I’d heard in recent years about the qualities of Origine bikes. Despite a size larger than what I usually ride (XL versus L) due to test fleet availability, the feeling of comfort is impressive. I never came back broken from a ride, even a 4-hour one. That day, I would have gladly extended it if my schedule had allowed. In any case, my legs would have given out before my backside. I hadn’t had the opportunity to test the first version of the Axxome, but this second iteration lives up to its promise in terms of vibration absorption. The rear triangle is flawless, and provided you have a saddle model that perfectly matches your sit bone width and support, the seating is perfect and the kilometers fly by. This is also felt on the front end, with a fork and head tube that absorb rough roads well. If you add the recognized ergonomics of Ritchey components, especially this carbon handlebar, the Axxome is almost flawless in terms of comfort and tolerance, especially over long distances. If this is the main quality you’re looking for, this frame will satisfy you.

More lively than rigid
Where the Axxome II is even stronger is that one might expect a somewhat ‘chewing-gum’ frame, soft and lacking in energy return. On this point, it’s a very pleasant surprise as it demonstrates excellent responsiveness. Accelerations are sharp on the flats as well as uphill, power transfer proves very efficient, thus one enjoys varying paces and finding comfort when sitting back on the saddle. One feels more liveliness than rigidity, with a bit of lateral flex that doesn’t break you during changes of pace. It’s explosive, it’s playful, we like this liveliness, and this sensation is reinforced by the excellent performance of the Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST Disc.
With a 45 mm rim depth, these rims are simultaneously rigid, lively, aerodynamic, comfortable, quite light (1515 g without tires) and, frankly, super versatile. This list of qualities is long, but it’s hard to deny them. This frame-rolling gear combination will be a success for many rider profiles, terrains, and distances. These wheels truly enhance this lively frame, which otherwise lacks rigidity to maintain high speed. For long straight stretches, they are invaluable, as they are for pushing watts on climbs. With this Axxome II, one can imagine an explosive torque curve on the first pedal strokes, but which then tends to stagnate, to stabilize, whereas other more aero and rigid frames allow for ever-increasing speed after the initial burst. The wheels thus help to partially correct this small flaw.

Grip and power
This rim is equipped with the 25 mm Yksion Pro Tubeless, which contributes to this great feeling of comfort and grip, but at nearly 60 euros nonetheless. In case of replacement, which was not our case, the bill is quite steep, but fortunately, it seems to have good resistance to cuts despite winter roads. After 800 km of testing, the rubber remains in very good condition. Its performance is good at high speed, the aerodynamics with the rim are perfect as they were designed for and by Mavic, and it is reassuring in terms of grip on dry or wet ground. The Shimano disc braking is also flawless and powerful, further aided by the 25 mm tire width of the Yksion Tubeless. It should be noted that these almost “solid” rotors create significant wind resistance, which can quickly destabilize the bike in gusts or strong crosswinds. This even caused me a few scares on descents, even though the head tube allows for precise trajectories with a frame that follows changes in direction quite well, despite a large size that is not usual for me. Then there’s the Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain, always devilishly precise and smooth, which again contributes to the overall comfort, allowing one to ride with the appropriate gear ratio.

Easy to handle
Yes, Origine currently suffers from a lack of notoriety, an unavoidable obstacle due to its young history, but it must be said that this new Axxome II GTR has everything a top-tier bike has: a lot of comfort, liveliness, sufficient rigidity, and equipment and components that enhance this frame. Aware of the qualities of these bikes, but never having tried one, I wasn’t fantasizing about these frames. When we, racers, triathletes, club riders, dream on the sofa of exploits or fantastic rides, it’s usually at the handlebars of great Italian, American, or French brands that perhaps have a more reassuring side and remind us of the power or soaring of certain champions. Yet I found myself on several occasions imagining myself with an Origine Cycles in my future years, given its ease of handling, its tolerance, its responsiveness, and its performance. The Axxome II GTR is envisioned for many adventures such as long-distance mountainous sportives, more dynamic circuits, or even long-distance triathlons like the Embrunman, with a few adaptations. Its 190 km cycling course, which notably includes the ascent of the Col de l’Izoard, requires a frame that supports you in the mountains and preserves you for the equally demanding marathon. High performance and comfort, which inspires another punchline known to all: « What else?»

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