NEW BIKE

Tech Loaction
Bike
test Mekk racer

TESTED
WHY THIS BIKE?
No frills sports bike
BEST FOR
Blasting in the lanes
TESTED THIS MONTH
Lanes, strains and
automobiles

Obsydian Invictus 550 (frame only)

Black metal beast born to go fast
James Shrubsall
hether or not youre taken
with the rock-referencing
company name (and were
talking geology not music), Obsydians
design principles are certainly
admirable. It aims to create bombproof
frames for amateur riders that offer
maximum stiffness and performance.
You might argue that if youre all about
the average rider, that extra stiffness
could be unnecessary and even
unwelcome. But Obsydian doesnt
mince its words when it comes to the
Invictus frameset featured here its a
road racing bike. Thats not to say,
though, that it wouldnt make the ideal
partner for your weekend bash around
the back roads, whether you possess a
racing licence or not.
Obsydian sells the Invictus as a
frameset only, but ours came built up, so

Incongruous bling
on an understated frame

24

CYCLING ACTIVE JULY 2015

weve reviewed the bike as a whole here,

majoring on the frame.

Frameset

Niceties aside, Obsydians MO is

probably best prcised by the two
words no bullsh*t, which is reflected
perfectly in the unfussy frame finish.
Other than the name Obsydian in blocky
red text on the downtube, industrial
shot-peened black rules here. Most of
the frame spars do a passable
impression of traditional, but the
purposeful-looking angular down tube
is clearly built with stiffness in mind.
Features such as a tapered head tube
and press-fit bottom bracket build on
this theme, although internal cabling is
conspicuous by its absence.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of
the frame is the geometry specifically
its stretched top tube and diminutive
head tube. In a market where all-day
comfort is king, a bike that requires
you to work on your core strength and
flexibility to get the most from it is a
rarity. If Im honest, my L4/5 disc started
throbbing at the sight of it, but theres
no denying it looked fast. The presence
of a red anodised quick-release
seat-collar well put down to either a
last-minute parts-bin panic before the
bike was shipped, or some quick
thinking in Obsydians marketing dept

Specification

Frame: Triple-butted
alloy with full carbon
fork
Gears: SRAM Rival 22
Chainset: SRAM Rival 22
Brakes: SRAM Rival 22
Wheels: Fulcrum
Racing 7
Tyres: Vittoria
Rubino Pro
Bars: 3T alloy
Stem: 3T alloy
Saddle: Stratos Forza
Seatpost: Stratos Forza
Size range: S-XL
Weight: 8.75kg/19.25lb
www.obsydian-bikes.
co.uk

this is a demo bike after all,

with a seatpin set to rise and fall like the
FTSE 100. Either way, its safe to say that
this little gem wont feature on
consumer versions.

Components

The Invictus is hung with SRAM Rival 22

which, for the uninitiated, occupies
roughly the same tier as Shimanos 105.
With its Double Tap shifting system and
the yaw feature on the front mech, the
SRAM gruppo is a different beast
though, and with its 22 tag makes
much of the fact you can, in theory, use
every sprocket on the cassette, whether
youre in the big or the small ring.
However, while the yaw function
means the chain shouldnt rub on the
front derailleur, crossing the chain at
such extreme angles instead of
swapping chainrings is still likely to be a
recipe for excessive wear and tear.
SRAM Rival brakes are included in
the package, while the finishing kit
comes courtesy of 3T in unflashy black
alloy, which complements the overall
look of the machine perfectly.

Wheelset

Rolling stock comprises Fulcrum Racing

7 wheels and 25c Vittoria Rubino Pro
rubber. Its a worthy combination of
exactly the kind youd find on a bike at
this price and spec level. This being a
demo machine though, you might

Bikes Obsydian racer

Merida Scultura 400 999.99

With a triple-butted alloy frame, Shimano 105 groupset and

a thousand-pound price tag, the Merida is, on paper, pretty
much a direct rival to the Invictus. But its more sportivefriendly geometry makes it less of an out-and-out racer and
kinder to backs and necks. www.merida-bikes.com

Yaw feature on front mech

eliminates chain rub in any gear

Ribble 7005 Race Shimano 105

704.95

have expected Obsydian to take

the opportunity to fit something a
bit more lively (and expensive) to bring
the frame alive. They are, at least, an
honest choice.

A no-frills alloy sportster with traditional race geometry like

the Obsydian Invictus. Also like the Invictus the Ribble
begins as a frameset only, which you can then build up
using Ribbles user-friendly online bike builder (example
model pictured). We reckon the 105-equipped version is
terrific value, notwithstanding the fact that this is a very
basic frame. www.ribblecycles.co.uk

Riding

The first impression when throwing a leg

over the Invictus is long and low. Rarely
these days, except when riding my lo-pro
TT bike, do I ever ride a machine with
such a pronounced difference between
seat and bar heights. In fairness there was
a whole stack (literally) of spacers above
the stem that I could have used to raise
the bars, but Obsydian calls the Invictus a
race bike: so be it. The Invictus isnt
particularly lively, either off the mark or in
terms of pure ride quality, but it is stiff
and, with the riding position it allows its
pilot to fold themselves into, it is fast too.
Riding hard into headwinds on the drops I
felt a fair bit more aero (though not more
comfortable) than on any other road bike
Ive ridden in the last 12 months.
The low position did mean a heavier
weighted front end though, which made
for very controlled, even ponderous
steering. It did at least take the
histrionics out of fast corners.

Conclusion

Just like the choice of demo wheels, the

Obsydian Invictus is an honest frameset.
Were it not for the fact that editor Luke
dislikes the term intensely, I might even be
moved to tag the Invictus solid. Whether
boasts of stiffness, longevity and high
rider weight (way to make us chubbies
feel good about ourselves...) will move its
target market to fall for it remains to be
seen. For me, while it does what it says on
the tin, it lacks the pizzazz and the
romance that is so intrinsic to everything I
know and love about bike riding.
Somehow, while the Invictus would make
a solid (there, Ive said it) life partner (fully
guaranteed an all), Id rather take my
chances with an 850g carbon lovely and
pray that if a separation does occur, it
wont be between the head and top tube
at speed.
26

CYCLING ACTIVE JULY 2015

SRAM Rival provides

the stopping service

VERDICT

No frills, well-built sports

bike that makes up for a lack
of charisma with stiffness
and speed.

Spot on...

Lifetime guarantee
Built for all comers
A certain industrial charm

Could do better

Worthy MO is a little offputting

SPECIFICATION LEVEL

17/20

BUILD QUALITY

18/20

ROAD HANDLING

17/20

RIDE COMFORT

16/20

VALUE FOR MONEY

OVERALL RATING

86

18/20

/100

Butted tubing

The Obsydian Invictus benefits from triple-butted frame

tubes. This is a manufacturing technique that has been
around for decades in cycle construction, whereby the
walls of the tubing are engineered to be thinner in the (less
stressed) centre than at the ends (where they meet other
tubes). This means weight can be shaved from the tube
without compromising strength. In the case of triplebutting, the tube has three wall thicknesses from its
thinnest in the middle of the tube, it steps up once, then
twice, as it reaches the join.

Triple buttings
a weight saving measure