Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift | Race Bike of the Year contender

The Handsling A1R0evo is an all-rounder road racing bike from the up-and-coming British brand.

With a collection of truncated aerofoil tubes, dropped seatstays and a fully integrated front end, it’s a familiar formula on paper.

The bike’s trump card, though, comes in the form of a Classified Powershift rear hub – a two-speed planetary gear system that negates the need to run two chainrings and a front derailleur.

In use, the Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift is a competent all-rounder with a muted ride quality and a few obvious flaws.

However, it lacks the zest of some of its rivals and though the Classified Powershift hub offers excellent shifting quality, its lack of integration with the other drivetrain components leaves the system feeling a little undercooked.

Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift frame

The Handsling A1R0evo frameset has all the hallmarks of a modern all-rounder road bike, from the truncated aerofoil tube shapes through to the dropped seatstays and integrated front end.

Handsling says the frameset was designed “100 per cent in-house and engineered by one of the best in the business”, though it stops short of name-checking anyone.

It’s also not clear exactly what aerodynamic development the A1R0evo has been subject of.

Handsling claims it’s “aero in a wide variety of conditions”, but it doesn’t cite any CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) development or wind tunnel testing to support this, unlike brands such as Specialized, Canyon and Giant.

The frameset itself is constructed from Toray T800 carbon fibre – an intermediate-modulus carbon fibre that Handsling says is one of the “toughest” available.

Handsling claims a size-52cm frame weighs 920g (with its matt UD carbon finish), plus 350g for an uncut fork.

A pricier version of the frameset (called the A1R0evoS), using higher-modulus Toray T1100 carbon fibre, is also available for £2,699.99. This drops the frame weight to a claimed 770g (size 52cm, matt UD carbon finish).

Handsling says the A1R0evo has clearance for 32mm-wide tyres, but in practice there’s room for even more.

Our test bike came in the ‘flame orange’ paintjob, while there are a wide variety of paint types and colour options available (some at the same price, some at an additional surcharge).

The overall design and finish of the Handsling A1R0evo ticks the right boxes on paper, but to my eye it lacks the visual elegance of bikes such as the Canyon Ultimate CF SL, Cannondale SuperSix Evo or Merida Scultura, for example.

Looks are subjective, of course, but there are other small details that feel a step below those from more mainstream brands.

The unbranded seatpost and handlebar don’t look as premium as the options found on many similarly priced rivals, for example, while I found the seatpost wedge had a tendency to get stuck in the frame with the D-shaped carbon post.

Subsequently, adjusting the saddle height required the seatpost and saddle to be manhandled to work things loose first.

These aren’t deal-breaking issues, but the Handsling A1R0evo feels somewhat akin to a third-party video game controller – it’s a little cheaper than a first-party option and can get the job done perfectly well, but the design, fit and finish of all the component parts aren't quite as nice.

Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift geometry

In terms of geometry, the Handsling A1R0evo combines a long and low fit with relatively quick handling.

My size-56cm test bike, for example, has stack and reach figures of 565mm and 395mm, respectively.

This puts it in the same fit ball park as popular all-rounder race bikes such as the Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc and Canyon Ultimate.

The head tube and seat tube angles are also relatively steep at 73.5 and 73 degrees each.

On top of this, the chainstays are relatively short at 408mm, while the wheelbase is tight at 985mm.

Handsling doesn’t quote trail figures for the A1R0evo. Overall, though, its handling felt nimble, but not quite as agile as the most aggressive race bikes, such as the Specialized Tarmac SL8.

In terms of component geometry, my test bike was specced with a narrow, 110x380mm handlebar (which measures 360mm centre-to-centre at the brake hoods). A choice of 11 sizes, from 90x380mm to 120x420mm, is offered at the point of purchase.

The bar itself has a reach of 80mm and a drop of 125mm, while the stem angle is -9 degrees.

Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift specification

The Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift uses a mix of in-house components, alongside parts from third-party brands both big and small.

The integrated handlebar and D-shaped seatpost are made from carbon fibre, with an unbranded, matt finish.

Both do the job well enough and it’s fantastic to get a choice of handlebar size at no extra cost.

The saddle specced on this build is Prologo’s short-nosed Dimension 143 with Tirox (a lightweight steel alloy) rails, although Handsling offers a variety of choices from Prologo and Selle Italia if you’d prefer something else.

Handsling offers a number of wheelset choices too, but my test bike was specced with Parcours’ excellent Strade wheelset.

These use differential rim profiles front and rear, with a 49.2mm-deep, 32mm-wide rim up front paired with a 54mm-deep, 30.5mm-wide rim out back.

A wide, 22.5mm internal rim width gets plenty of volume out of the large 700x30c Schwalbe One TLE tyres (which are set up tubeless) – according to my Vernier calipers, they measure 31.5mm on the front and 32.4mm at the rear.

As before, Handsling also enables riders to choose different tyres and sizes (with upgrades coming at extra cost).

The drivetrain consists of Shimano’s excellent Ultegra Di2 R8100 in 1x form, with a smart-looking Alugear 52t narrow-wide chainring.

A power meter isn’t included with the stock build, although one can be added as an optional upgrade (at a cost of £300 for a single-sided 4iiii Precision 3 crank or £700 for Shimano’s dual-sided FC-R8100-P crankset).

As the bike’s model name indicates, a Classified Powershift hub is built into the rear wheel.

With its two-speed internal planetary gear system, this then gives you an equivalent gear range to a 2x drivetrain.

The system offers a standard 1:1 gear and a smaller 1:0.686 gear that effectively replaces the inner chainring in a 2x drivetrain.

Paired with the 52t ‘big’ chainring, then, the 1:0.686 gear is equivalent to having a 36t inner chainring to shift down to. It’s worth noting that if you ever change chainring size, the 1:0.686 gear therefore scales with it.

The Classified Powershift hub gear is actuated via a small shifter button placed on the inside of the left handlebar drop, popping out from the handlebar tape just below the brake hood, like a Shimano Di2 ‘sprint shifter’.

Overall, my size-56cm test bike weighs 7.98kg, which is in the right ball park for an all-rounder road racing bike with this spec.

Specialized’s Tarmac SL8 Pro is a fair bit lighter, at 7.46kg for a size 56cm, but it’s also more expensive at £8,000 / $8,500 / €8,500.

Giant’s similarly priced Propel Advanced Pro 0 AXS (which was our 2023 Aero Road Bike of the Year), weighs 7.97kg, for example, while the Focus Izalco Max 9.8 (£6,599 / €6,799), which took the top honours in our 2024 Bike of the Year race bike category, weighs 7.9kg.

Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift ride impressions

On the road, the Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift offers a somewhat muted ride quality.

There’s no undue frame or fork flex, and it ticks along at a decent pace, but it lacks the snap and sense of urgency the best carbon road bikes typically have.

The relatively large tyres may be contributing to this – a set of big, squishy tyres will always isolate you from road feedback, and the Schwalbe One TLE is only a mid-range model that has significantly higher rolling resistance than the flagship Pro One TLE, after all.

As always, if your budget can stretch here, I’d thoroughly recommend opting for the pricier, faster tyres.

Of course, a muted ride quality doesn’t necessarily mean one bike is slower than another against the clock, and the build comes together to feel fairly efficient. Subjectively, though, it simply lacked a little bit of sparkle.

In terms of shifting, the 11-34t Classified cassette (the Powershift hub requires the use of Classified’s proprietary cassette) was mostly fine, though it isn’t a match for a stock Shimano option.

Stepping through the gears generally felt a little noisier and less refined than the whisper-quiet, smooth shifting I’d expect from a high-end Shimano cassette. Likewise, shifting between the smallest cogs was also slightly more hesitant than normal.

Shifts from the Powershift hub itself, however, were very impressive – better, even, than Di2 front shifts. It’s extremely quick and there’s no need to back off the power while shifting. The narrow-wide chainring also held steadfastly to the chain, even on rough roads.

Unfortunately, though, the Classified Powershift system isn’t well integrated with the rest of the Shimano Di2 drivetrain.

For a start, the location of the shifter didn’t work for me – I couldn’t reach it with my thumb while holding the brake hoods in a natural way. I therefore needed to move my hand every time I wanted to shift the hub.

Not only did this slow down the effective shift speed, it was also a source of frustration compared to using the Di2 buttons integrated into the brake lever (as you would with a front derailleur), because the shifts required far more conscious effort.

The shifter can be moved around on the handlebar, of course, but it’s hard to see how it could be put within easy reach while holding the brake hood, unless it were somehow integrated into it like a Campagnolo thumb shifter.

As it is, wherever it’s installed on the handlebar, it’s likely going to be situated too far away from where your hands are intended to rest on the Di2 shifters.

It may be different with brake hoods from different brands, or for those with larger hands – my colleague Tom Marvin said it was “just reachable” when placed immediately below a SRAM Rival eTap AXS shifter, for example.

However, because it lacks any clear tactile feedback, I’d prefer to do away with Classified’s shifter altogether and have the hub gear operate in response to the existing Di2 buttons (or to SRAM’s eTap front-shifting logic).

With the front derailleur gone, these buttons are effectively redundant, after all.

Of course, I’m sure Classified would love to offer this kind of integration, and I’d imagine it’s Shimano, SRAM and other groupset manufacturers who are unwilling to open up their systems to third-party peripherals such as this (understandably so, since Classified is, in essence, something of a competitor).

Whatever the case, though, the outcome for the rider is the same. Without integration with the existing electronic shifters, front shifts felt slower and less convenient than with a front derailleur, even if the shift quality itself was a step up.

Fortunately, it is possible (and £800 cheaper) to get the A1R0evo specced with a standard 2x drivetrain, if you prefer.

Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift Aero bottom line

The Handsling A1R0evo frameset offers the usual mix of aero and lightweight features, along with a stiff pedalling platform and good comfort at the bar and saddle.

However, its muted ride quality means it lacks some of the excitement present in its competitors, while the overall design and finish of the package feels slightly less polished too.

It’s a solid performer and the large range of customisation options are fantastic to see, but at this price the competition is fierce and the A1R0evo doesn’t quite cut it with the very best.

Likewise, the Classified Powershift system has clear potential, but its implementation needs work. The cost-to-benefit ratio also remains questionable, given modern front derailleurs offer similar performance and gear range for much less money and with better ergonomics.