BUDGET
Forme Monyash 2
£999.99 A good-value, versatile endurance bike
Weight 10.18kg (56cm) Frame Aluminium alloy Fork Full carbon, tapered steerer Gears Shimano Claris 8-speed, 50/34, 11-32 Brakes Cable disc Wheels Forme alloy, tubeless ready Finishing kit Forme alloy bar, stem and seatpost, Schwalbe One 700x28c tyres
The Good
Pleasing handling; fittings for accessories
The Bad
Skinny bar tops; average brakes; few frame sizes mudguards make them much easier to mount.
Aluminium
6061 aluminium alloy’s popular in bike-building as it has relatively high strength and is easily welded
A step up
Go for the £1,300 Forme Monyash 1 and you’ll be upgraded to Shimano’s 11-speed 105
The brand
Forme is a British brand based in Derbyshire, with the nearby Peak District a suitably tough testing ground
FORME’S MONYASH 2 features an aluminium frame, full-carbon fork, cable disc brakes, front and rear thruaxles, and a 34×32 bottom gear. Its allrounder credentials are evident in its clearance for 35mm tyres – or 32mm with mudguards – plus its three sets of bottle bosses and rear rack bosses. Fittings for The hand-built ownbrand wheels are better than many at this price point. They’re paired with quality 28mm Schwalbe One tubelessready rubber. This gives a pretty firm ride, though it’s not uncomfortable, and you could add comfort with wider tyres, as the Schwalbes only measure a shade over 26mm when fitted.
I’d go to 30 or 32mm tyres to soften the ride. You feel rougher road surfaces through the frame and the handlebar tops, which are skinny front to back; I prefer fatter bar tops, ideally with ovalising, for long distance comfort.
The Monyash is pretty light (10kg) for the price. The full-carbon fork with tapered steerer delivers precise handling and accurate steering, and it has a shallower head angle than a full-on road bike so it’s never too lively, with pleasingly neutral handling that’s ideal for long commutes, fitness and social riding.
The Forme’s eight-speed Shimano Claris gearing works as well. Yes, the shifts across the cassette to a smaller sprocket are clunkier than you’ll find on Shimano’s higher-spec groupsets, but it’ll give you years of hassle-free service. With only eight ratios, there are quite big jumps between gears, especially the lowest gears, but the 34×32 bottom gear is much lower than in years past, helping you get up those hills.
The brakes are Tektro Mira cable discs with 160mm rotors. They’re only a singlepiston design but the braking’s smooth, consistent and powerful enough.
Forme’s Monyash would make an excellent choice if you’re looking for your first ‘serious’ bike, whether it’s for commuting, fitness riding or more (up the tyres to 35mm for touring). It looks good for a budget bike, too, with the designers not going overboard with the paints.
Simon Withers
Verdict
Punches above its weight for commuting, fitness riding and all-roading adventures