The 2024 season marks an exciting milestone for the Alba Development Race Team as they make the move up to UCI continental level. With this ascent comes a notable partnership with the esteemed UK-based brand, Handsling, heralding a new era for the Scottish-based team.
With the road race season well and truly up and running, we thought it would be right to take a closer look at the team’s new steeds: Handsling’s striking A1R0evo.
The A1R0evo is Handsling’s all-round race bike, and as such, it has been designed with aerodynamics, handling, and lightweight firmly in mind. In line with modern-day race bike standards, the A1R0evo features fully internal hose/cable routing from shifter to brake caliper, as well as boasting truncated aero profiles on the head tube, and down tube. Handsling says the frame, which is manufactured from Toray T800 carbon, weighs in at 920g for a size 52, with a 350g uncut fork weight.
Modern-day disc brakes also allow for pretty healthy tyre clearance, which no doubt the British team would have made full use of in the recent CiCLE Classic race last weekend.
Plenty of room around the rear tyre, and dropped seat stays present too, which are said to aid frame compliance over rougher terrain. Particularly neat too is the frame sticker, which features the splendid Yorkshire Rose.
Skinner is running a full Shimano Ultegra R8170 Di2 groupset. It might not be the component brand’s range topping groupset, but this up to date offering still provides 12-speed shifting complete with Hyperglide technology. Skinner has opted for an 11-30 cassette.
This is paired with a 52/36 chainset with shorter 165mm cranks. On those cranks, you’ll find a one-sided 4iiii power meter, along with Shimano Ultegra carbon pedals.
The standout blue frameset rolls on a set of Parcour’s new Paniagua wheel, which measure 42mm in rim depth. Fitted to them, you’ll find a set of Vittoria Corsa Pro, set up tubeless in a 28mm width.
Finishing kit is predominantly taken care of by Handsling, with the brand providing an aero seat post, alongside its one-piece aero cockpit. The build is finished off with a Specialized Mimic saddle.