Enhanced by feedback from the French Btwin-sponsored development squad, the Ultra 920 is unashamedly pitched at the racer in all of us.

Perhaps not what you’d expect from the in-house brand of sports superstore Decathlon. Beyond the bike’s racing credentials, it also sports a stunning paint job – we’re suckers for a flash of pink…

 

Frame

B’twin claims its Ultra Evo Dynamic carbon-fibre frame is ‘the most advanced frame for tackling mountain climbs and winning the most demanding classic races’, and that it was ‘specially designed for the most climbers and sprinters’.

Their U19 team rides this frame at races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège, so this rings true. The frameset features an oversized, square-profile down tube and chunky head tube.

Conversely, its bladed carbon forks seem positively slender by comparison and taper towards their ends, where a standard quick-release skewer attaches the front wheel (this is the only bike of our four not to use a thru-axle).

A great expanse of carbon-fiber wraps around a press-fit 86mm bottom bracket, while deep-section chainstays keep the rear end stiff for a better response to the power input.

Narrow seatstays project from the top of the seat tube in order to soak up vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted by the road.

All the cabling is internally routed. If you were the slightest bit concerned about buying a bike from a sports superstore, be aware that this frame also comes with a five-year guarantee.