Pinnacle Laterite 2 review | Budget Road Bike of the Year contender

The Pinnacle Laterite, in its current generation, has been reviewed before on BikeRadar – the Laterite 3 impressed Simon Withers in 2021, earning four stars.

The models and spec mixes have since changed, though. There are now three models instead of four, and the Laterite 2 is fitted with an 8-speed Shimano Claris R2000 groupset.

At £800, a Claris drivetrain is a welcome inclusion, considering bigger brands include the groupset for a premium of £200 or more.

One may argue that the Laterite, which still features rim brakes as opposed to the disc brakes found on many new road bikes, is outdated. Surprisingly, though, the Pinnacle’s brakes were the best in our 2024 Bike of the Year budget road category.

Added to competent all-round performance, the Laterite 2 certainly impresses.

Pinnacle Laterite 2 frame

The Pinnacle Laterite 2 – as one might expect at the £800 asking price – features an all-alloy frame.

The material used is 6061 heat-treated aluminium (which is par for the course), while the carbon fork has an aluminium steerer.

However, unlike the vast majority of new road bikes in 2024, the Laterite sports rim brakes and uses skewer axles (as opposed to now-common thru-axles for disc brake bikes), but not with quick-release access.

Despite this, Pinnacle says the frameset has space for 28mm-wide tyres with mudguards – full mounting points are supplied – and clearance for 32mm-wide rubber without.

It wasn’t long ago that the very best carbon rim brake bikes struggled to achieve this level of clearance, so, while rim brakes would still appear to be a technology of yesteryear, Pinnacle has wrung the maximum from them in this respect.

The Laterite can also sport a pannier rack, which will help endear it to commuters.

The frameset mounts rim brake calipers using a single bolt (as opposed to a two-bolt direct-mount caliper), while Pinnacle has opted to use a threaded bottom bracket.

Pinnacle Laterite 2 geometry

Pinnacle offers the Laterite in only five sizes (XS-XL), which means there’s less chance of finding a ‘perfect’ size compared to brands offering more options.

My size-XL test bike is a case in point – this nominal size should fit me best (at 188cm, I’m not at either extreme of the 185-193cm suggested rider-height range), and it’s as large as Pinnacle goes.

The reach is far longer than any bike in our Budget Road Bike of the Year category, at 408mm.

Meanwhile, the stack height is 599mm, which, when paired with the long reach, hints towards a race design that harks back to yesteryear.

The rest of the layout would seem to be reflective of a race bike, if not quite as steeply angled as the raciest bikes around in 2024.

The head angle is a sporty 72 degrees, while the seat tube angle is 73 degrees.

Both are contemporarily steep, but certainly aren’t extreme, which would seem to back up Pinnacle’s claim that the Laterite offers a “balanced riding position and comfortable geometry”.

Pinnacle Laterite 2 build

The Pinnacle Laterite 2 sees an eight-speed Shimano Claris R2000 drivetrain specced, pairing a compact 50/34-tooth crankset with an 11-32t cassette, just like the Specialized Allez and Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4.

Rightfully, for a new or developing cyclist, these ratios can be considered sensible and suitable for steep climbs as well as flat riding.

The chain comes from KMC, which are generally considered to offer performance comparable to Shimano’s own chains.

Of course, the main difference here is the Laterite frameset sports rim brakes (the only rim brake bike to make any Bike of the Year 2024 shortlist).

The Evans Cycles-owned brand has opted to spec Tektro R315 dual-pivot calipers, though, instead of the Claris R2000-spec rim brakes.

While likely a cost-cutting measure, there's also a good practical reason for this. Shimano’s Claris calipers can only accommodate 28mm-wide tyres – the Tektro swap-ins are capable of fitting the same with plus mudguards (in line with the frameset).

Even the higher-spec Shimano Sora-equipped Laterite 3 also features the same Tektro calipers, probably for the same reasons.

The wheels are unbranded, as are the hubs. At this price, it would be unreasonable to expect anything other than a basic OEM setup.

Pinnacle has opted to spec Schwalbe Lugano 2 clincher tyres, a welcome all-season selection that should offer decent all-weather grip and ride quality. The 25mm nominal size is a little narrow versus every rival bike on test this year, and they measure 25.3mm at 80psi (5.5 BAR).

The finishing kit consists of an alloy stem and handlebar, steel-railed saddle and alloy seatpost.

Accepting that the Laterite is fundamentally different thanks to its use of rim brakes, an on-paper value comparison to its Bike of the Year rivals should still hold water.

After all, all those bikes use mechanical disc brakes, which in theory closes the gap in performance versus pricier hydraulic systems.

On that front, it’s priced almost identically to the Vitus Razor Disc VR, albeit the Vitus is nine-speed rather than eight.

Up against bikes from three of the most recognisable names in the industry, the Pinnacle is at least £200 cheaper across the board.

Given that the Tektro rim-brake performance impresses compared to the Tektro and TRP mechanical disc brakes seen on the Specialized Allez, Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4 and Cube Attain Pro, it would appear rim brakes may yet still have a future in the budget road bike category.

Pinnacle Laterite 2 ride impressions

As I’ve hinted, the biggest eye-opener here is the rim-brake performance.

The tide has certainly turned when it comes to bike frameset design – disc brakes have become the dominant design choice for contemporary performance road bikes, for good reason – and this makes total sense when it comes to hydraulic disc brakes.

However, with the recent experience of testing four similarly priced bikes equipped with mechanical disc brakes (from Tektro, TRP and C Star) under my belt, I’m forced to conclude that the Tektro rim brakes fitted to the Laterite 2 are more effective.

They deliver an easier action through the lever (accepting that cable routing plays a key role with cable-actuated brakes), engage more definitively and feel more powerful overall.

Modulation (the ability to tweak your braking force once engaged) is also on a par with the mechanical disc brake counterparts, and performance in the wet is similar too.

Such reflections are, of course, dependent on the models of brakes tested, but the fundamental truth, according to my testing, is this: out of the box, the Pinnacle Laterite 2’s rim brakes are the best on test.

The downside to the Laterite 2, of course, is you can’t upgrade the bike to hydraulic disc brakes – you’re stuck with rim squidgers.

You can still upgrade to a rim-brake groupset with more gears and better brakes, if you wish – Shimano and SRAM still offer high-spec options that arguably bring the best rim-braking performance available today. However, it’s generally accepted that those systems don’t match the performance levels of even mid-tier hydraulic disc brakes, especially in the wet.

This places a ceiling on this important element of the Laterite’s design, but to dwell any longer on it would be a disservice, especially to those reading this review for whom it isn’t important.

The frameset feels very well balanced, offering predictable handling but no shortage of responsiveness.

It’s stiff enough to lap up hard efforts out of the saddle, yet feels efficient when you settle down and tap out a rhythm.

While the rim and tyre combination is narrow versus the competition, which compromises overall ride comfort to a degree, the Laterite doesn’t feel overly harsh because of it.

The front end can feel slightly rigid at times, especially over rough tarmac.

This will be easy to address with a sensible tyre upgrade, though – anything with a 28mm nominal width should suffice, and still allow you to fit mudguards.

I managed to bring about a few spoke ‘pings’ from the front wheel when riding hard on my first post-shakedown test ride, but the tension isn’t markedly unbalanced in any way and the noises have since stopped.

More than likely, this was simply a sign that the wheel was ‘settling’ having not yet been ridden.

As I’ve found with the other Shimano Claris R2000-equipped bikes on test, the shifting is responsive and sharp, and serves its purpose well.

The gappy cassette may encourage you to make an upgrade in the future, but the gear range offered is perfect for newcomers to road cycling.

The finishing kit all proved fit for purpose and performed as well as I'd expect – I especially enjoyed the choice of the 40cm (centre-to-centre) handlebar, in contrast to the slightly wider bars specced on the other Bike of the Year budget bikes.

A bike fit (or, failing that, asking advice in an Evans Cycles shop) is the best way to work out what’s best for you, but I found it helped to make the front end feel satisfyingly sharp and tactile.

Pinnacle Laterite 2 bottom line

In something of a surprise versus arguably more modern rivals, the Pinnacle Laterite 2 proved very competitive.

Out of the box, it confounded expectations by having the best brakes of the test group, and featured a solid and dependable build dressed on a very competent and versatile frameset.

While one can’t ignore that the upgrade ceiling comes sooner than it will for an equivalent disc brake frameset, this may not matter to those who want a relatively cheap bike right now.

As a result, far from being a token inclusion in the 2024 Bike of the Year budget category, the Laterite proves competitive with more prestigious rivals – and deserves recognition for it.