Review of the aluminium framed Obsydian Invictus
When I first got the email about the Obsydian Invictus bike test, I was really excited. It was highlighted that this was a bike specifically designed for heavier riders, with maximum stiffness at the heart of this true thoroughbred.
It also held the banner of being ‘designed for life’ and when looking into this further on their website, it described ‘life being tough’ and the same applying to your bike; with this in mind Obsydian offer a lifetime warranty on the frame which for an alloy frame is quite rare!
Their first design principle is related to the real-world phenomena of the heavier rider of 110kg plus, who wishes to race or hold a good chance of keeping up with the pack on Sunday rides sprints, so this bike truly sounds right up my street, as I currently way 98 kg. Interestingly the frame still weighs in at less than 1.5 kg, which in this price bracket is very credible indeed.
Throughout my last 20 years of cycling I’ve always owned or been in possession of an alloy bike, be it race, cyclocross, mountain bike or fixie! So all in all I feel pretty qualified to take on this test… Read More >
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The frame has classic lines and aggressive geometry which instantly gets you excited about the first ride out. I planned to test the bike in two areas of the UK, the first being a week in Yorkshire riding with friends, all of whom weigh considerably less than myself, ride extremely lightweight carbon machines and as the local expression goes “have muscles in their spit”!
Classic lines and aggressive geometry
The second week of testing was to be carried out where I live in South London, on the commutes to work near Tower Bridge and then on extended weekend rides through the Surrey Hills, Kent or with the Richmond Park collective.
The frame is made up of 7005 alloy tubing and is manufactured at the Velocite factory in Taiwan. The Invictus is based on the same designs as their Selene frameset although comes in a far more attractive, hand painted, stealthy black finish applied here in the UK. The main characteristics of the frame are that the down tube is about as wide as one could possibly get across the bottom bracket area to improve stiffness not only to transfer power, but also truly assure the confidence of those heavier riders. The bottom bracket is a PF30 and the head tube is tapered too. These are tried and tested principles used by many of the best frame manufacturers in the world, perfect for a true thoroughbred race frame.
The down tube is about as wide as one could possibly get
The welds on the frame, though not the prettiest, look bombproof, essentially deep enough, with 110% coverage, to give confidence for the heavier rider to really throw the power down. On the website it describes the welds as ‘double pass’ ensuring that the tubes’ connections are as strong as possible. These are all hand welded, which will contribute to the relatively higher price tag, but when buying a quality alloy frame like this, you expect it to perform much better and offer a higher quality of ride than the cheaper carbon frames at the same price point.
the welds on the frame are bombproof
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The bike comes with a straight bladed fork, which gives a good clearance between the front wheel and down tube, which is great considering the larger riders’ feet size – and my loafy size 11’s!
The test bike was a extra large and, if I’m completely honest with you, was still quite small for me at 6’4” (193cm), as you’ll see from the height of the headset stack in the photographs.
Gary needed a few extra spacers
As described earlier the bike was tested – in the dry – in two locations. The key characteristic about the frame is the feedback you receive from the road. Sheffield is notorious for poor roads. The road noise and the feedback from every bump, crack, ripple, bit of gravel and little hole in the road took some getting used to, but eventually when we arrived on the smooth surfaces around Windermere the bike really came to life.
One thing you notice about this bike is its straight-line speed and the confidence it gives you when really putting the power down. This is down to the extreme stiffness of the frame. On the flip side, it’s this same characteristic that means it ‘hides nothing from the road’. Some riders love this, whilst others want more comfort, so you have to be very honest with yourself about the type of riding your going to be doing on a bike like this – and also in the specific end build you choose.
Offers great straight-line speed
Out on the road, for the first time in a while I was actually a real contender on the lamppost sprints on this bike, even over my fighting weight at 98kg. This is quite a feat and gave me a buzz like I’d not felt for quite sometime, which was truly addictive.
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On climbs the bike feels really light at the front end. On the really steep stuff, when hill starting – after the occasional break – the bike tended to wheelie easily. The geometry is aggressive which would suit crit races.
The test bike was excellent fitted with a SRAM Force 22 groupset with the standard 53/39 chainset offering a wide selection of gears suitable for all conditions and challenges. I’ve seen a lot of the H Plus Son rims on custom builds and especially at last years Bespoked exhibition at the Lee Valley velodrome and they seem to be the rim of choice. I won’t concentrate on the wheels, as the frame is the point of focus here but, with the characteristics of a true race frame, I would have chosen deeper section, carbon wheels to better complement the ride, feel and speeds of this bike.
Fitted with SRAM Force 22 group set
The fact is I really enjoyed this test ride but, in all honesty, unless I was going to make a crit racing comeback, this isn’t the bike for me. It’s extremely good at what it does, offering the stiffest ride, combined with probably the most reliable feedback from the road I’ve ever experienced. As a result it’s fast – bloody fast in fact! – but at 45 years old and with the type of riding I do now, extra weight or no weight, I would be looking to invest in a bike that is a little more forgiving and comfortable that I can ride for 4 to 6 hours comfortably. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a full on crit and road racing, sprint machine, or the fastest commuting bike ever ridden, a bike that is hungry to go fast at every instance, then this may very well be the bike for you.
For a lot of riders the overall weight of the bike may still be an issue. The fact that it’s alloy rather than carbon might be too much to swallow. The thing to remember though, is that in the real world, when you look at some of the ultra-light bikes that you see at the start of Sportives, races and regular Sunday rides, by the time these featherweight’s riders have finished putting their double water bottles on, carrying two spare tubes, a banana, mini toolkit, lights (perhaps plus mudguards in winter), waterproofs, overshoes, smartphone, Garmin and money for the essential cake stop, you have to wonder why so many people concentrate on the bike weight! Even worse when you look at the shape of some of the riders. They’d be better off concentrating on fitness and remembering that the only proven, immediate way of lowering riding weight and improving performance is starting the day with a “nice cuppa tea and a good poo before you head out door.”
And that’s the purpose of this frame; it offers confidence inspiring performance to riders who’ve got over the light bike thing, especially if those riders are on the heavier side themselves, plus if that performance – and the longevity – is superior to its carbon competitors, the price tag for the frame alone starts to look like really good value.
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Obsydian Invictus Review Obsydian Invictus Review Gary Stanesby Review of the aluminium framed Obsydian Invictus When I first got the email about the Obsydian Invictus bike test, I was really excited.
