caLIbre tWo.tWo

BikeTest
Smaller is better
e n t r y - l e v e l h a r d ta ils
Budget wheels and
rims will always be
lighter in smaller
diameters. The
Calibre’s 26in wheels
are the key to its lively
feel on the trail
£400-£500
Size matters
Just two frame sizes
means the Calibre will
fit you only if you’re
an average height
male. So short-arses
need not apply
Bang bang
Shimano’s more
recent rear mechs
have clutch
mechanisms to make
them quieter. The
Calibre’s Deore unit
doesn’t, which is why
it clatters away on
rough descents
Calibre Two.two
£399.99 Homegrown own-brand machine faces down the big names
SO GOOD
Great spec and
handling at a price
that makes it the
bargain of the year
Want an entry-level
bike? Buy this one.
It’s that good
NO GOOD
Rear mech clatters
on rough descents
We’d prefer extra
stopping power ’cos
this bike’s so much
fun downhill
Jargon buster
650b wheel
This old French
touring wheel size
has been revived.
They’re sometimes
known as 27.5in
wheels despite being
closer to 27in
Chainstays
Pair of frame tubes
connecting the
bottom bracket to
the rear dropouts,
into which the rear
wheel slots
T
here’s a good chance you won’t
have heard of Calibre. That’s
because they’re an all-new brand
belonging to – and available
exclusively from – outdoors
mega-retailers GO Outdoors. We’ve
already given the range-topping
Point.50 a decent thrashing and came
away impressed. The question is, can
the distinctly more budget-minded
Two.Two square up to more expensive
rivals from established brands?
The frame
It may not break the bank, but the
Two.Two’s frame is a good looking, well
thought out chassis that may even
warrant some careful longer-term
component upgrades. For a sub-£400
bike, that’s unusual.
The rear end is a showcase for
hydroforming technology. It’s common
for manufacturers to use this
technique to hone tube shapes in
precisely the right way to achieve the
right balance of strength, weight and
stiffness, but we don’t often see it used
to this extent at this price. The
Calibre’s multifaceted, complex-profile
stays shape-shift on their journey from
the sculpted, cut-away dropouts to the
seat tube, giving plenty of tyre
clearance for muddy rides. The
wishbone seatstays look great, too.
There’s similar tube morphing up
front, though the Two.Two doesn’t have
the current must-have – a tapered
head tube. Increasing the diameter of
the head tube at the bottom end helps
stiffen the chassis and prevent it
twisting, but at this level the lack of it
isn’t going to lose us any sleep.
Under-the-down-tube cable routing
keeps everything tidy, but you won’t
want to be shouldering this bike to
carry it, and our 18in test machine only
had one set of bottle bosses. Oh, and
there are just two frame sizes available
– 18in and 20in – so if you’re shorter of
stature, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Plugged into the front is something
we rarely see at this price these days
– a pukka RockShox XC 28 coil sprung
fork. It’s basic, but has adjustable
rebound damping and a lockout dial.
The kit
Calibre’s design team put great
emphasis on sourcing name-brand
products – and it shows. A nine-speed
Shimano transmission with Deore
shifters and derailleurs looks like a
misprint at this price. The same goes
for Shimano hydraulic disc brakes,
though it would be nice to see the
160mm front rotor swapped to
180mm to cope with more
enthusiastic riding. Schwalbe tyres, a
Truvativ handlebar and WTB saddle
round out the name-check component
list. For the money, there really isn’t
anything to complain about.
The ride
The Two.Two sports 26in wheels. This
is the size fitted to the vast majority of
mountain bikes in use worldwide, but
these days it’s about as fashionable as
turning up to the office wearing a
turtleneck and a pair of purple flares.
The bike industry is currently
stampeding towards the bigger
alternatives of 650b and 29in, safe in
the knowledge that the ‘new’ tag will
stop people noticing that they’re still
fundamentally round. Don’t let the
fashionistas put you off – 26in wheels
worked great for more than 20 years,
and they still do.
Nowhere is this more evident than in
the way the Calibre feels out on the
trail. Although it’s no featherweight,
tipping the scales well beyond the
psychological 30lb (13.6kg) barrier, it
has a turn of speed that belies both its
price and its heft. Show it a steep,
114 Mountain Biking uk
MBK298.biketest.indd 114
11/27/13 3:27 PM
TEST
BIKE BIKE
TEST
it has a turn of speed that belies both its
price and its heft. Show it a steep,
technical climb and it skips to the top
technical climb and it’ll skip its way to
the top. Admittedly, it needs a little
more help to keep the rear wheel
planted and turning than is required by
the languid, easy-rolling nature of a
29er. But it’s a small difference that’s
more than made up for by the
willingness of the Two.Two’s relatively
light, fast-accelerating wheelset to
surge forward with every power stroke.
It’s a similar story on the way back
down the hill. Smaller wheels are
easier to pick up and throw around,
and though that may sound like
something that you don’t do a great
deal of, it all feeds into how the bike
responds to your input. The Calibre
turns, accelerates and stops
noticeably more readily than most
of the big-wheeled competition. The
price you pay is a slightly more
fidgety feel on some trail surfaces,
but it’s a timely reminder that 26in
wheels served mountain biking very
well for decades.
More than that, the Calibre is
seriously impressive in its own right.
The spec, ride quality and finish rival
bikes costing at least £100 more. If
we were to split hairs, the rear mech’s
tendency to rattle on the underside of
the chainstay is a bit irritating. But
that’s our only niggle, and it’s a trivial
one. In the real world, the Calibre Two.
Two is almost certainly the best
sub-£400 bike we’ve ever ridden.
Calibre’s Two.Two is a seriously impressive
bike for the money, outperforming plenty
of more expensive competition
Mountain Biking uk 115
MBK298.biketest.indd 115
11/27/13 3:27 PM