Sabbath's three new road bikes for 2010 are now available to buy, and their striking looks are bound to divide opinion.
Instead of the classic thin tubes and slightly retro styling found on most titanium bikes, the radical-looking new Silk Emperor, Silk Road Pro and Silk Road Alp sport the sorts of swoopy lines normally only found on carbon and hydroformed alloy bikes.
Sabbath say this is due to their 'New Wave' cold working process, which has allowed them to use thinner tube walls and create larger weld areas without heat damage, resulting in lower weights and increased stiffness.
Frames are available in five standard sizes and there's also a custom-fit option. There's a choice of three finishes – Satin Matt, Bright Brush (semi-polished) and Mirror Polish – and various different graphics.
Silk Emperor
The Silk Emperor is Sabbath's top-end road bike, with fully custom geometry. Features include a distinctive one-piece pierced top tube and wishbone seatstay arrangement, BB30 bottom bracket (rare for a titanium bike), replaceable titanium dropouts and CNC-machined integrated head tube. The frameset, made from double-butted 3AL/2.5V titanium, costs £3,300, with complete bikes from £4,999.
Silk Road Pro
The Silk Road Pro offers many of the features of the Silk Emperor at a lower price. The frame is again made from double-butted 3AL/2.5V titanium, with New Wave top and down tubes, integrated head tube and replaceable dropouts. Frame RRP is £1,799, with complete bikes from £3,500. Claimed weight ranges from 1.3-1.55kg (2.9-3.4lb) depending on frame size.
Silk Road Alp
The Silk Road Alp is designed for day-long comfort so it sports custom-formed thin-wall seatstays that are designed to filter out road buzz without compromising handling. Frame RRP is £1,350, with complete bikes from £2,999. Weight ranges from 1.2-1.45kg (2.6-3.2lb).
For more details, visit www.sabbathbicycles.co.uk.
