BlackHeart Road Plus AL reviewed: A quick and capable road bike, an underbiker’s delight
Lively on the road and game for dirt detours, BlackHeart’s aluminium all-rounder makes a strong case for spending good money on an aluminium bike
California-based BlackHeart Bicycle Company has released their latest road bike, the Road Plus AL, which is designed to offer a perfect blend of road-first handling and light gravel capability. The brand is known for its performance-oriented metal bikes, using aluminium and titanium, and avoids the stiff and harsh reputation aluminium sometimes receives.
The Road Plus AL is built from double-butted 6066 aluminium, features a gently sloping top tube and dropped, curved seatstays, and is aimed at riders who want a bike that can handle long days in the saddle or rides that mix pavement with dirt. It is marketed as 70% road and 30% gravel, with a slightly wider tyre clearance of 700 x 42 compared to BlackHeart’s Allroad model, which is designed for 50% road and 50% gravel.
The frame is completed with a SRAM Red AXS road groupset, an ENVE cockpit, and ENVE SES 4.5 wheels with Wolf Tooth hubs, wrapped in 38mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres. The Road Plus AL comes in eight sizes and has an affordable price range, starting at $1,699 for the frameset and going up to $7,449 for complete builds with SRAM Red AXS XPLR.
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