Time Alpe d’Huez 01 Disc Review

With the Alpe d’Huez 01, Time delivers its high-end version of the climbing bike: comfortable, stiff, responsive, confidence-inspiring, but also a bit heavy due to the choice of disc brakes. What remains is impeccable manufacturing quality and finish, placing this bike among exceptional models.

Text: Guillaume JUDAS – Photos: Christophe Guiard / 3bikes.fr

Time is a somewhat unique brand, producing almost timeless carbon bikes, or at least ones that retain a certain classicism. Choosing a bike from the French brand is also, in a way, refusing to conform to the mold imposed by the giants of the cycling industry. We are talking about tube shapes or technical solutions that make many bikes look alike. In these areas, but also in terms of decoration, Time bikes are either above the rest or slightly outdated, depending on individual taste. One thing is certain: by choosing a Time, you are investing for the long term, with a machine that will always be a little different.

The Alpe d’Huez 01 is nevertheless a recent model, replacing the Izon, which until then was the “climbing” bike in the French brand’s range. Benefiting from Time’s expertise and the addition of a higher proportion of high-modulus carbon fibers, it stands out from its little brother, the Alpe d’Huez 21, with a significant weight saving (about 100 g on the frame alone). But with this disc brake version, Time still makes concessions to modernity as desired by the cycling market.

Not always for the best, in our opinion. The Alpe d’Huez 01 Disc in this test version appears to us to be a bit too heavy, especially considering the selling price: 7.9 kg without pedals, or 8.2 kg for a complete bike ready to ride, which is too much for a bike costing nearly €7,000, especially for a so-called “climbing” bike. Fortunately, it has many other assets.

A justified price?

At €4,299 for the frame kit with the Aktiv fork as an option, we are in the very high-end for a frame that at first glance offers no miracle solution to “gain watts” or “ride faster without getting tired”. The Alpe d’Huez 01 is the lightest chassis ever developed by Time in 30 years of existence (less than 900 g). It benefits from an absolutely exemplary finish, and a versatile and extremely stable behavior that inspires confidence in all circumstances.

This gives you a clearer idea of the positioning of this exclusive Made in France bike, with manufacturing costs that are necessarily higher than in a large factory on the other side of the world.

It benefits from an absolutely exemplary finish, and a versatile and extremely stable behavior that inspires confidence in all circumstances.

What makes a Time bike unique on the market is the exclusive manufacturing process called RTM (Resin Transfer Molding). Up to 3 km of carbon threads are used for a single frame, totaling 7,300 threads. Some are of different quality with varying degrees of flexibility or stiffness depending on the desired dynamic characteristics, and are intended to form 73 different braids then precisely arranged around a jig, before the injection of a resin to solidify the assembly through total impregnation. This process requires more than three hours of manual preparation for each frame, even before all finishing operations. This work is divided between the French factory and the one in Slovakia, particularly for bonding and finishing operations.

The Alpe d’Huez 01 is also a very stiff frame, with an even better weight/stiffness ratio than the Scylon model, the aero bike in the range. This is made possible by the use of a high proportion of high-modulus carbon fibers (because each bike frame is designed from a mix of different types of carbon fibers), an increase in tube volume compared to the Izon model that preceded it in the range, and also by a more imposing BB386 bottom bracket shell.

However, it should not be inferred that the Alpe d’Huez 01 is a harsh ride, too demanding for an average rider: this lateral stiffness unifies the bike’s behavior, reduces inertia, makes it very responsive on climbs, and above all, very stable and precise on descents.

Excellent Comfort

With its pedals, frames, and forks, comfort has always been one of Time’s credos since the late 80s. This is the case here with the Aktiv fork – a €400 option on this Alpe d’Huez 01 – which reduces road vibrations felt by the rider by 30%, thanks to an integrated dynamic damper system to reduce vibrational frequencies. The weight penalty is about 170 g compared to the standard fork, but without altering lateral or longitudinal stiffness. Furthermore, Vectran is integrated into the frame at certain strategic points, also to improve comfort.

The Alpe d’Huez 01 is not a full-suspension bike, and it still allows you to feel the road, to stay connected with the asphalt. You feel the big bumps, and it’s still necessary to lift your rear off the saddle to clear speed bumps. But it doesn’t bounce, doesn’t lose composure on bad surfaces, it demonstrates traction with both wheels always in contact with the ground, and it significantly limits the appearance of tingling in the upper limbs even over long distances. Far from being soft, it is nevertheless one of the most comfortable bikes currently available.

Pleasant but somewhat heavy equipment

In this disc brake version, the Time’s weight-to-price ratio is not favorable, with 8.2 kg for the complete bike including pedals and bottle cages. This is due to the Shimano Ultegra Di2 Disc groupset, which is about 300 g heavier than its rim-brake counterpart, the slightly reinforced frame compared to the rim-brake Alpe d’Huez 01, and the Mavic Ksyrium Disc wheels, weighing 1,690 g per pair. In use, however, the overall operation is flawless, with powerful and controllable braking, no rubbing noise from the rotors in the calipers (in dry weather, because right after a storm it feels like riding in sand), precise and fast derailleurs, and smooth and stiff wheels.

The perfect finish of the frame is appreciated, as is the care taken with the decoration and the application of the varnish on the exposed carbon fibers. The small blue-white-red touch with the five stripes is also very nice. Slightly sloping, the rear section shows a triangular connection between the top tube and the seatstays. The seatpost is clamped from the rear, with a system that is undoubtedly very light compared to a collar, and on a zero-setback seatpost, which is also lighter.

At the front, the Time stands out with a headset that adjusts independently of the stem. Clean and fluid. The high-end cockpit is also designed by Time, with an Ergodrive carbon handlebar and stem, made using the same manufacturing techniques as the frame, ensuring excellent stiffness in relation to the frame, but without excessive weight in this area.

Aside from the ultimately rather classic tube shapes, we would have liked better integration of the derailleur wires and brake hoses in front of the head tube.

A Safe Bet

The first few pedal strokes betray the bike’s weight, with a slight lack of responsiveness felt during accelerations or initial efforts. However, we are quickly won over by the rolling qualities, the complete absence of parasitic noises like rubbing or creaking, and the smooth contact with the road.

The Alpe d’Huez 01 is stable and comfortable, but it’s not soft either. It remains precise in its trajectories, and even incisive during sharp changes of direction. The cockpit proves to be firm enough that you don’t feel any drift at the front of the bike. Each acceleration out of the saddle requires good coordination of pedaling and arm movements, because the bike is laterally stiff, but it’s not so stiff as to require frequent gear changes.

It responds well to powerful pedaling, while leaving a silky feel under the pedal that suggests an effectiveness not only noticeable over short distances.

Nothing moves at the bottom bracket shell, nor at the fork or the rear triangle. It responds well to powerful pedaling, while leaving a silky feel under the pedal that suggests an effectiveness not only noticeable over short distances. When climbing at a steady pace, you realize that it allows you to climb quite quickly, without loss of energy, but without breaking your back either. It also handles all paces on the flats, but on the condition that the riding remains fluid and regular, again due to its slight excess weight. In short, the Time Alpe d’Huez 01 appears to us as a bike with great potential, extremely reliable and efficient, only slightly hampered here by the weight of the components and the choice of disc braking, which is always debatable from our point of view, especially for a bike born to climb.

This bike is therefore not perfect in this version, far from it. But what remains is a spirit and a philosophy linked to the brand’s origin, to the manufacturing quality, to the finish, but also to the road behavior, certainly unsurprising, but ultimately so reassuring. Amidst certain machines quickly outdated by new technologies, which sometimes make us wonder if their only purpose is to make what we are currently riding obsolete as quickly as possible, Time appears as a safe bet. A Made in France bike that will still be appreciated in ten years.

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