The CIMA, named for the Cima Coppi - highest climb in the Giro d'Italia - is a lightweight, performance-oriented road bike frameset from Evolve.
As befits the mountain-inspired name, the bare frames come in at a barely-there 680g. Featuring fully integrated cable routing, disc brakes (of course) and a threaded BSA bottom bracket, it's an ideal platform for a high spec build.
The CIMA frameset is priced at $2299 (£1700) including seatpost and some fancy CeramicSpeed headset bearings. A bar-stem cockpit, the Kreuza Apex, is offered alongside the frame for an additional $200 (£150).
It's an extremely appealing proposition on the face of it. But what exactly have this new brand, Evolve, cooked up here: and how does it stack up on a rainy summer's day on Irish roads?
Evolve kindly sent us a frameset to try out, and I set about building it up with suitably high-end parts in the shape of Campagnolo's Super Record WRL groupset.
Unboxing is a pleasure: Evolve ship the CIMA frameset in a slick branded box, with aero seatpost, headset, Kreuza integrated bars and sundry finishing kit wrapped in tissue paper and neatly packed in nesting boxes.
A comprehensive manual is a very welcome touch, complete with a spares list, torque specs, cable routing diagrams and the sort of practical, mechanic-friendly information that is far from standard.
Evolve only sell the CIMA as a frameset, rather than fully built bikes, but thankfully they have made things easy for the home or shop mechanic. I wouldn't quite say a treat - those internal cables ain't gonna magic themselves through the bars and frame - but it's about as straightforward as they come.
The excellent user guide certainly helps, as does the choice of a wireless groupset. In a sign of the times, the CIMA is only compatible with electronic groups, whether that's wireless offerings from SRAM and Campagnolo or the semi-wireless Shimano Di2 groups with seatpost mounted battery. It is not compatible, as I found out, with Campagnolo's previous generation EPS groups (the internal power unit/battery is too big to fit the CIMA's svelte aero seat tube).
Incidentally, those headset bearings are not your basic OEM spec: Evolve ship the CIMA complete with a set of £200 SLT bearings by CeramicSpeed.
The Danish company say their SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology) bearings are their toughest yet, designed to be self-lubricating, corrosion-resistant and maintenance-free. It's a little soon to comment on those claims, but it's certainly welcome to see a brand spec their premium frameset with equally high-quality parts.
With brake lines installed, the rest of the build is a snap. Derailleurs attached, saddle installed, wheels on and away we go - well, after a minor hiccup getting the Campag shifters to pair with the derailleurs.
I took the chance to weigh the various components and took photos as I went for future reference; unfortunately, I smashed my phone mid build (tragic rollercoaster accident, don't ask) and lost the photos. What I can tell you is that every component, whether it's the through-axles, seatpost or even the frame itself, has been pared down to just about as light as you can get.
To give a few examples: the fork is 330g, the included bartape and plugs are 32g, headset bearings 21g apiece, seatpost clamp 18g... you get the idea.
More than that, it reflects a brand that understands what the customer cares about, and will go the extra mile to ensure every little detail is optimised out of the box, rather than leave it to the end user to carry out fine tuning at their own expense.
The final build for my size medium, including pedals, computer mount and a bottle cage, came in at 6.9kg. That's with 32mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres (set up tubeless), Crankbrothers SPD pedals and a carbon-railed Cadex saddle.
Swap in a set of 28mm tyres, lighter wheels or road pedals, and you'd quickly be on the "wrong" side of the UCI minimum of 6.8kg.
After a final check of the bolts it was time for a test ride - and when it comes to ride feel, "bolts" is the word. Coming after a summer riding mainly MTB and gravel, the Cima feels like hopping onto a wild colt: lively, stiff and very fast.
The sheer efficiency and responsiveness of the bike was actually unnerving at first. It's so light, so eager to respond, I took a few miles to adjust. Those miles were ticked off at a rapid rate: this is not a bike that will readily tolerate the rider sitting back and taking it easy. I would say it invites you to put in an effort, but it's more than that: it virtually insists.
The good news is that your efforts are rewarded with instant acceleration. My second ride was on a familiar 66km coastal loop. I'm some way off peak condition after a summer break spent dunking croissants in Nutella with the kids. So I was pleasantly surprised to get back from that first ride with a new PB for the loop, averaging 3kph faster than average.
The added speed is enough to make up for the inevitable reduction in comfort compared to a gravel bike. Even with 32mm tyres, the CIMA offers a relatively stiff ride - certainly compared to my Topstone Carbon with its rear suspension.
Of course, you'd expect nothing different. The bike is engineered to be stiff, with a blend of Toray T1100, T800 and M40 carbon fibres tuned to translate watts into forward momentum with the minimum of wastage.
The CIMA's aero seatpost no doubt contributes to the firm feel, as does my saddle choice - the Cadex with its chunky carbon rails is designed for speed rather than comfort.
At the front end, the Kreuza one-piece cockpit also feels rock solid. I specced the bike with a narrow, 36cm c-c bar width; wider bars may offer marginally more flex and leverage when power-climbing out of the saddle, but I'm enjoying the narrower stance at the hoods.
The Kreuza Apex cockpit is, like the CIMA, a beautifully finished, premium bit of kit. Available as an optional add-on to the frameset, it's a no-brainer for the extra $200 (£150) - you could easily pay 2-3 times that for an aftermarket cockpit of similar quality. The Kreuza also comes in a good range of widths and stem lengths that should suit pretty much any rider.
My only minor gripe is that the curve of the drops prevents a completely flat transition from the bar tops to the shifter hoods. I partially resolved it by fitting the shifters a little higher than I'd otherwise have done. This has a marginal knock-on effect on brake lever reach from the drops, but as I spend more time on the hoods it's not an issue.
I took a couple of rides to get the fit dialled in - nudging the seatpost down a couple mm - and get used to the bike, and each time fell a little more for the charms of the CIMA. It's just a blast to ride, the feeling of speed is addictive.
And that's despite the fact that our local roads, in particular on my coastal test loops, are generally in such degraded condition. The bike - like any road bike - would buck beneath me at times where wider, softer gravel tyres might soak up the bumps. But on smoother sections the CIMA is an absolute joy to pilot: it simply flies along, urging you to ever faster speeds.
Campagnolo's WRL groupset is of course top tier kit, and the wheels play a part too: despite being marketed for gravel, the Elitewheels Drive G45 are more than capable road racing wheels.
But the bike itself has discreet design touches aimed at reducing drag. The top tube narrows from front to back, blending into the pencil-thin aero profiled seatpost. The seat tube is cut away around the rear wheel and again offers minimal frontal area to the wind.
Up front, the slender, hourglass headtube, lack of external cables and the aero profile of the Kreuza bars again must surely shave a few watts off.
It all means that, although the CIMA is not an out-and-out aero bike, aerodynamics have been considered: factor in the low weight and you have a bike that sits in both the aero and lightweight camps, maximising its appeal to the rider who wants it all.
As you'd expect given the skimpy overall weight, the CIMA shines on climbs where the lack of mass will take seconds, if not minutes off your best times. If you're hunting KOMs on your local hills, this is the weapon you've been looking for. But I was equally impressed on the descents: the CIMA felt surprisingly stable ripping downhill even with those 45mm rims and some blustery autumnal crosswinds in the mix.
In terms of geometry, I ran a few comparisons through the useful bike comparison tool at geometrygeeks.bike and the closest match I could find to the CIMA was for the Specialized Tarmac SL8. The CIMA shares a virtually identical geometry: exact same reach and stack when you compare a size M with an SL8 in 54.
Coincidentally, Evolve claim a similar frame weight as Specialized's advertised 685g for the S-Works version of the SL8 (the Fact 10r Carbon comes in a bit heavier at 780g). What it doesn't share is the price tag: at £1700 the CIMA is less than half the £3500 RRP of the Specialized.
Pricing is one thing, performance another. I've not ridden the latest SL8 so can't directly compare, but I have ridden other WorldTour spec race bikes and I can't imagine anyone feeling short changed by the performance on offer from the CIMA. It feels every inch an elite-level race weapon.
Evolve, too, are clearly keen to test their bike at the top level: the CIMA frame is UCI approved, and Evolve are looking to sponsor a UCI Continental team next season.
But you don't need to be a racer to appreciate the CIMA: any cyclist who enjoys a lightweight, top quality bike will delight in this bit of kit.
Evolve may be a new brand, but I'd say they've sprinted straight out of the blocks with a winner here. The Evolve CIMA is a pro-level race bike that will appeal equally to competitive club cyclists as to ambitious sportive fans looking to hit their personal best whether it's at L'Etape du Tour, Paris-Roubaix or any other season goals.
There is simply nothing to find fault with. On the aesthetics front, the smart gloss and matte paint finish of my "Nirvana" black test bike will suit fans of a more stealthy look, but the CIMA is available in several other colourways, including a jungle-inspired green, hazy grey and white.
I can't end without mentioning the tagline emblaxoned on the downtube: "Nature chooses the fittest to survive".
I was slightly unsure about this at first: nothing wrong with it as a slogan, but shouldn't it be kept for the marketing material rather than emblazoned on the bike itself? I'm not the fittest cyclist, so it was too overtly aspirational for my liking.
But if you picture the slogan applying to Evolve itself, rather than you as the rider, then it sits a lot more easily. Bike tech is constantly evolving, as is the cycle industry, and you could argue that both the CIMA, and Evolve as a brand, sit at the surging crest of the wave in evolutionary terms.
Add in a keenly competitive price point, and you can really see not only where Evolve are coming from, but also perhaps a glimpse of cycling's future.
Suddenly, "the fittest survive" begins to sound like a statement of intent. If Evolve continue as they've started, a few of cycling's "big beasts" may soon be looking anxiously over their shoulders.
Evolve CIMA frameset, $2299 / £1700 from www.evolvebicycles.com.
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