Orro Venturi Evo 105 2020

Delivering the aerodynamics, awesome handling and stiffness of the top-level STC, this Venturi Evo 105 model gives a more affordable route into Orro ownership. It's certainly a lot of bike for the money.

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STC versus Evo

Back at the beginning of the year I rode the STC version of the Venturi, pictured below, and it was, quite simply, brilliant. Not many bikes I've ridden over the years have done such an excellent job of balancing stiffness and comfort.

The main difference between the Venturi STC and the Venturi Evo is the carbon fibre used in their construction. They follow the same design, share the same geometry but the STC is manufactured from spread tow carbon (which means that the carbon fibre is arranged in flat, wide tapes; think of it as ribbons that are woven together) while the Evo uses three different grades of uni-directional carbon fibre.

This means that the STC and Evo have slightly different characteristics, but it's much more subtle than I was expecting.

Ride

One of the biggest things that made the Venturi STC stand out for me was the ride quality. It was sublime, taking out much of the road vibration without sacrificing power transfer or feedback to the rider. The Evo isn't quite as supple, doesn't quite take the edge off like the top of the range model.

Not that it's uncomfortable – absolutely not! – it's just not quite as plush as the STC.

In fact, against many other similar bikes that use the same carbon fibre, it is flippin' good. For instance, the Orro delivers a much better ride quality than the similarly designed Fuji Transonic 2.5 that I finished riding a matter of days before picking up the Venturi Evo.

The Venturi has a race bike feel to it in terms of how it responds to power input. It's a proper point-and-shoot kind of bike that repays you for riding it hard. Point it at a hill and get out of the saddle and you aren't going to be faced with any flex around the bottom bracket area or the huge down tube section.

It's the same when it comes to sprinting. Out-of-the-saddle efforts while yanking on the bar sees this thing fly down the road – it really is great for just getting out for a blast.

The geometry is just backed off a bit from a full-on racer, especially at the front end with a slightly slacker head angle of 72.2 degrees which keeps the handling just the fun side of twitchy. This medium model gets a head tube of just 142mm in height, so you still get a low-slung position for high-speed work.

On fast descents the handling comes into play, giving a secure feeling of confidence as you bank the bike over from one side to the other for tight corners – even the off-camber right-hander that I use on my favourite test hill couldn't fluster it.

The 988.2mm wheelbase makes it quite a short bike by disc brake standards, which means that it feels nimble and agile through the corners without ever feeling anywhere near out of control.

If long rides are your thing then the Venturi copes just as well with these. As I said, the Evo is a comfortable bike and thanks to the handling being so well sorted you can crack along at speed for hours on end. Even when fatigue starts to kick in it doesn't become a handful.

Aerodynamics is one of the main focuses of the Venturi's design and it is noticeable out on the road once speeds get above 22-23mph. It comes with a set of 30mm-deep wheels which help, but when you add something deeper – around the 40mm to 50mm mark – it definitely improves things.

Frame and fork

Orro designs its own frames and has created its own moulds, so this is no off-the-shelf frameset. It's quite an investment, especially for such a small brand, but the benefits certainly show in the overall ride experience you get from the Venturi Evo.

The overall quality is excellent too, with smooth finishing to the carbon fibre around the headset and seatpost when inspecting inside the frame. It's all topped off with a first class paintjob, with both the black and silver colours getting a metallic finish that looks great in the sun.

As I mentioned earlier, the Evo uses three different grades of carbon, with fibres that all run in one direction. Differing grades of carbon deliver different properties and while Orro hasn't revealed exactly which material specs it's used, the three grades will have been used in various areas of the frame and fork to control stiffness and comfort levels.

It's done a very good job, too: it's very stiff where it needs to be, and not where it doesn't. The ride is firm but not harsh.

The elongated sort-of-hexagonal shape used for the down tube is huge, to increase stiffness while remaining narrow enough to not affect the aerodynamics from the front.

The use of a press-fit bottom bracket allows the shell to be wider to accommodate the increased size of the down tube without changing the q-factor (distance between the cranks) and allows for chunkier chainstays for improved power transfer.

For aerodynamics, Orro has cinched in the head tube and the Venturi comes with – and has been designed around – 28mm tyres, which it says provides a larger frontal area that makes a smoother transition between the frame, fork and wheels, improving the airflow and reducing drag.

You'll notice that both the down tube and seat tube have been designed to sit as close as possible to the profile of the tyres, too.

The Venturi also has an internal wedge style seat clamp which gives smooth, clean lines along with the full internal cable routing. The aero seatpost also helps matters too.

As you'd expect on a modern race bike, the Evo gets 12mm thru-axles front and rear and flat mount disc calliper mounts.

Groupset

The Venturi Evo is available in just one build based around the majority of a Shimano 105 R7000 groupset. I say majority as it comes with a non-series RS510 crankset, a bit of a shame as a 105 chainset would give a more complete look to the whole bike and scrub about 200g off the overall weight, as it doesn't use the same Hollowtech crank design.

Shifting isn't compromised, though, as the chain skips easily and precisely between the 52-tooth and 36-tooth chainrings whenever you ask it to.

At the back there is an 11-30t cassette which is a good spread of gears considering the performance nature of the Venturi.

Braking is taken care of by way of Shimano's 105 hydraulic system and it is very good indeed. Stopping is powerful and well modulated.

Orro, unlike many brands, has gone for 140mm diameter rotors front and back as opposed to 160mm, but I've never had any issues with using the smaller options on road bikes. The bike still comes to a stop quickly from high speed without fade on UK roads, although it might be different on long descents in mountainous regions.

Finishing kit

When it comes to the rest of the kit, it's exactly what I'd expect for the money.

FSA supplies the Compact handlebar in alloy, which works for all kinds of riding, and not having too deep a drop means the majority of riders will be able to get into a crouched race position to exploit the Venturi's aerodynamic design.

FSA also supplies the alloy stem which... does the job. There's not much else to say really.

I will compliment the Orro handlebar tape, though: plenty of tacky grip and just enough padding to damp road buzz without feeling bulky.

I'm a fan of Prologo saddles and got on perfectly well with the Kappa RS model. I prefer a short-nosed saddle, so I'd probably upgrade it if it was my Venturi, but the Kappa is spot on for the money.

Wheels and tyres

Wheel-wise, the Orro comes with a set of Vision Team 30 Discs with a 30mm deep-section rim. On the whole it's a decent wheelset for a multitude of riding disciplines. They are a little on the heavy side but roll well, and the fact that they aren't massively deep means there is no effect on the bike's handling in crosswinds.

When/if funds allow, though, going for something deeper and lighter really shows off the performance of the Venturi Evo. At the end of testing I had a set of Hunt 40/50 carbon aero wheels turn up which, when fitted, brought the weight down to 8.4kg and boosted performance on the flat and when climbing, while still keeping the price at a sensible level against much of the competition. More about that in a minute.

Orro has specced Continental's Grand Sport Race tyres which, like the wheels, are competent and durable. They suit the Orro well, offering decent grip levels and rolling resistance. I've ridden thousands of miles on these tyres over the years and they really are dependable.

Upgrade them when they wear out, but they aren't really doing the Venturi a disservice.

Value

The Evo comes in at £2,099.99. That is just £100 more expensive than the STC as a frameset only, which makes it decent value considering how close it comes to its big brother in terms of performance.

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It performs well against other brands too. That Fuji I mentioned earlier costs £2,899.99 for a build that is very similar – Shimano 105, alloy wheels and the rest. It is a good 200g heavier than the Orro and, as I said earlier, can't compete on ride quality.

Another aero option is the Merida Reacto Disc 4000 which comes in at £2,000 so a little cheaper than the Orro and a touch lighter. It was a bike I enjoyed riding, but it doesn't offer the same sort of ride quality as the Venturi Evo.

Conclusion

Overall, my love of the Venturi STC hasn't been lost by the change of carbon fibre to create the Evo as it still behaves in the same way. The handling is excellent as is the stiffness plus you get the sensation of speed and fun every time you ride it. The Evo may not quite deliver the same levels of smoothness as the STC when it comes to reducing road buzz, but it is very, very close, and at a much more achievable price point.

More importantly, against other aero bikes in the same price range it delivers a very competitive ride quality, feel and spec.

Verdict

Fast and fun aero bike that delivers huge levels of performance at a competitive price