Pearson Forge review: fast and fun road bike with a perfect fit

Pearson Forge review TL;DR: The Pearson Forge excels in the premium carbon fibre road bike market, offering bike-fit-led geometry for endurance comfort during sportives and long rides, complemented by aero features for impressive flat terrain performance.

Pearson, renowned for its bespoke bike fitting services, debuted its inaugural bike design last year. The Forge is crafted with a meticulous focus on rider comfort and aerodynamic performance and is tailored to individual riders' specifications. It stands as a compelling option for those seeking a refined cycling experience that prioritises both comfort and performance.

It's not a cheap road bike, nor is it feasible for everyone in the world to attend the brand's South London shop for a fitting, but for those who can afford it and live close enough to visit Pearson's shop, the Forge might be a worthwhile investment. 

Pearson Forge review

Price and availability

The Pearson Forge is available to buy now directly from Pearson, with prices from £4,550 (approx. $5,724/ AU$8,796). 

The bike isn’t cheap by any standards, but the fact that Pearson also offers a bike sizing service where you can tailor the bike’s components to your personal bike fit means you could save a lot of money on after-market upgrades in the long run.

Design and build quality

The focal point of the Pearson Forge is its carbon fibre frame. The manufacturer doesn’t make any bold claims about it saving you X watts or being the lightest bike around. Instead, it goes big on fit. While not the most headline-grabbing feature, it’s something that can make a tangible difference when riding a bike in real-world environments (unlike watts saved in a wind tunnel), and ensures you stay comfortable, efficient, and, most importantly, smiling from the first minute of your ride to the last.

To achieve this USP, Pearson has approached the Forge’s design a bit differently. Most companies develop a high-end bike with computer simulations, wind tunnel research and professional riders and testers before scaling it to create a broad range of sizes; once it’s released, real-life customers might then have to retrofit their new purchase with components (a different length stem, wider or narrower handlebars, and even longer or shorter crank arms) to make it the right geometry to match their individual needs.

Instead of following this tried-and-tested route, Pearson (founded in 1860 and is recognised as the world’s oldest bicycle business) used data from more than 2,000 bike fit sessions performed at its studio in south London to reverse engineer a frame that would be an ideal starting point for the majority of amateur club riders.

The result is an endurance-focused geometry and no scaling across its size range from 1-5. While this is quite a small range compared to competitors, whose offerings tend to come in up to seven sizes from XXS to XXL, Pearson believes that a stock Forge will cater to 85% of riders, and adjustments can be made to fit the rest. 

There’s a significant overlap between sizes 2-4, which are aimed at riders of an ‘average’ height, but this is where that bike fit data-driven design comes in. For example, my height (180cm) usually translates to a 56cm top tube, but I was supplied with a size 3 (54.4cm) to test because a bike fit found that my legs are statistically shorter than average and my longer torso and reach could be compensated with an extended stem.

The frame’s endurance credentials are furthered with its three bottle cage mounts (two in the main triangle and one on the underside of the downtube), mudguard mounts and relaxed headtube angle. But don’t be fooled by its mile-munching design. A tight rear triangle and cutaway seat tube keep the bike feeling compact and racy, while aerodynamically-optimised rims, handlebars and tube profiles meant it was a rocket on flat, straight roads.

Features

The Forge comes in a stock build (105 Di2 groupset and alloy wheels) but you can upgrade both when you come to order. The test bike supplied (£6,099) featured Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 12-speed groupset and the Hoopdriver Cut & Thrust wheels.

Just below Dura Ace in Shimano’s road bike range, Ultegra is aimed at the serious cyclist (with third-placed 105 a solid starting point when getting your first proper road bike). The Di2 version fitted benefits from electronic shifting – a smoother, more instant gear change than a mechanical set-up – and even when I received a ‘critical battery’ on my head unit, the derailleurs’ batteries had enough juice to get me home without any issues.

The gear ratio (50/34 chainring, 10-34T cassette) had no noticeable jumps between gears and enough range to lay down the power on the flats while keeping something in reserve when winching myself up double-digit gradients.

The Ultegra groupset extends to the hydraulic brakes, which were a noticeable upgrade on my 2018 Specialized Tarmac’s rim brakes when testing on winter’s wet and grimy roads. They helped me to feel confident and in control during twisting and technical descents and ensured I came to a quick stop when navigating London’s traffic.

The wheels supplied were Pearson’s own Hoopdriver Cut & Thrust. Deep-rimmed and carbon fibre, the set mixed a 38mm front rim with a 50mm rear to provide wind-cheating prowess with a side of stability in strong crosswinds. They can also be set up tubeless, but the 30C Pirelli P Zero the wheels were paired with was more than comfortable enough on the home counties’ pot-hole pitted roads when using an inner tube.

The rest of the bike is finished with an unbranded aero handlebar that felt good on the hoods or when riding in the drops, a Fizik Argo saddle that my bony behind got tired of on longer rides (although saddles are a very personal thing), and some plush handlebar tape from Fizik.

It’s worth highlighting that one thing it isn’t is an all-road machine. A lot of brands’ endurance ranges can now dabble in light gravel too, but the Forge is strictly tarmac-only, so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want to add some rough stuff to your training schedule. It can squeeze in 35C tyres (or 32C when using mudguards), though, so you won’t be left wanting for width when replacing the supplied tyres further down the line.

Ride performance

I have ridden the Forge for a couple of months, averaging 100km of riding per week. The first thing I noticed when testing was how comfortable the bike was from the off. While Pearson had set up the bike based on a bike fit I had undertaken at its studio, that doesn’t always translate to an agreeable position three hours into a ride – particularly if the frame’s geometry is race-focused and parallel to the ground.

The frame’s slight upright angling meant I sat in a position that I could (and did) hold for hours on end, and my hands were relaxed when riding on the hoods or in a more aggressive position on the drops.

The bike’s comfort also comes from the carbon fibre’s tuning, which wasn’t too stiff or fidgety like some racier models can be. Instead, it was responsive when required, and took the sting out of rough asphalt when not. 

For all-out speed, you’ll probably want something more aggressive and aerodynamic. But this misses the point. The Forge has been designed for sportives, long-distance weekend rides, and clocking off the kilometers, month in, month out. The fact that it’s lightweight and svelte enough to keep the speed high during efforts is simply another feather in its cap.

Verdict

The Forge is something of a novel concept in how it prioritises bike fit above all else, but it shouldn’t be. The majority of amateurs and club riders need their bikes to fit them properly first and foremost, with aerodynamic additions or gramme-saving shavings only really benefitting professional riders or serious racers. Pearson’s first foray into bike design is a refreshing take on the endurance-focused carbon fibre road bike and achieves what it set out to – a comfortable and fast bike that’s fun to ride.

Also consider

If the Forge’s £6,099 price tag is too much to stomach, it’s possible to get similar spec bikes for less. The Ribble SL R Enthusiast (which includes Ultegra Di2 groupset and Mavic Cosmic SL 45 carbon wheels) is currently £3,999 (retailer link), while Canyon’s Endurance CF SLX 8 Di2 (£4,999, retailer link) comes with DT Swiss carbon fibre wheels, an Ultegra Di2 groupset and a pre-fitted 4iiii power meter.