Cooper T100 Zandvoort review

Three-speed city flyer

Our rating

4.0

675.00

Paul Smith - www.smithpic.co.uk

Published: January 25, 2011 at 8:00 am

Our review
Gears add usability to a simple, great looking bike

The latest addition to the T100 range from Cooper foregoes the fixed/singlespeed setup of the Monza, instead coming with a three-speed hub from Sturmey Archer. Like the Monza, the ride is a nicely judged balance of snappy, sharp handling and the sort of vibration-damped compliance you get from a quality butted steel frame.

Of course, the addition of gears gives the Zandvoort much more of a mile-eating ability. The gearing is low enough to cope with most inclines and high enough to spin along at a decent pace. Shifting is quick and niggle-free, with only the slightest of delays when skipping from one extreme to the other. It's added 3lb of weight over the singlespeed Monza (24lb rather than 21lb), but in the saddle it isn’t an issue.

The frame is built from the same Reynolds 520 butted steel tubing as the Monza, with a matching straight-bladed fork. Our 57cm test bike has a 73-degree head angle and 73.5-degree seat tube angle, and a 56.5cm top tube matched with a 120mm, 20-degree drop stem, giving a flat-backed riding position that’s great for winding up the speed but perhaps a little racy for urban riding. You also have the option to flip the stem to get a more traffic-friendly upright riding position.

The three-speed hub is mated to a simple twist grip shifter and Sturmey chainset, maintaining Cooper’s all-British theme. This continues with a Brooks B15 Swallow saddle (a women’s option is also available), and the seatpost, stem and handlebar are all Cooper items, finished in polished aluminium and adding to the bike’s retro appeal. They complement the metallic gunmetal finish of the frame and give the Cooper a much more expensive look than the modest £675 price tag would suggest.

The wheels are a combination of Formula high flange front hub and SP3 hub geared rear, both highly polished items, again keeping the looks nice and classic, and these are mated to Alex R475 rims. We’ve come across these before and it’s a hard-wearing, pretty tough wheelset. They’re wrapped with 28mm Continental Ultrasport tyres that are great in the wet, and the large volume adds huge amounts of cushioning over rough surfaces. The Zandvoort is available in three sizes: 52, 57 and 61cm.

3-speed hub from sturmey archer: 3-speed hub from sturmey archer - Paul Smith - www.smithpic.co.uk
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