In 2021 the Basque brand caused a sensation with the introduction of the Aerolight equipped with the famous Air Bow fork. This summer, the Aerolight’s brother, the new Ultralight, was released, which was almost completely redesigned. With the spirit of the times they created the fashionable genre mix, that is, they combined a fast, aerodynamic and a light climbing bike. The most striking change was the powerful appearance of the Air Bow fork and the “aero”. But on top of that, the new Ultralight retained its previous dynamic, stiff and comfortable characteristics.
Wondering what the new bike is like in real life? We ordered one and tested it!
In advance: I had high expectations, as the bike looked really nice and good on paper and in the first pictures. However, its situation was already difficult, as the Ultralight had to compete with a 2022 Bianchi Specialissima, which I have been using for the past two year. Specialissma is one of the best bikes on the market. So it had something to grow up to. How did it do?
Look out, painting
The new Ultralight came out right after we started selling the brand in Hungary at the beginning of the summer. We wanted to order it with the 2022/23 frame, but in the meantime this year’s (2024/2025) came out and of course we were buy it. I liked the 2022 paint job better, it was a beautiful white with a little red accent, but it didn’t work out: BH had reduced the price of the older bikes and they are now only available in limited quantities.
The new 2025 version, however, has a deep burgundy, with the trendy marble pattern. BH uses this color on several bikes, and I liked it in pictures. The bike was delayed a bit due to the large number of orders, but we received it in early July. Our jaws dropped at first glance. It’s rare to see such a beautiful painting and polishing. It looks as if it was just a burgundy polishing over the carbon fabric, so it shines in the sun with a kind of crimson, velvety – satin pattern. In the pictures, it looked like a marble pattern, but it’s really not. In the shade, it’s simply deep burgundy. It’s extremely eye-catching, it’s hard not to be amazed.
Structure
Although many things have changed, both in appearance and technology, the new bike inherits a lot from its predecessor, the 2022/23 Ultralight Evo. Most notably, the frame basics and technology. The new model is also made of Toraya 1100 carbon, which is a huge plus, since very few bikes are made from the best and stiffest carbon fabric. The technology used to treat the carbon has also remained the same.
This is the HCIM (Hollow Core Internal Molding) manufacturing process, which allows the frame to be manufactured without any excess material inside the tubes and the thickness of each section can be controlled down to the last millimeter. This technology eliminates inconsistent pressure, bubbles and imperfections in the composite material, ensuring the best stiffness-to-weight ratio.
The most noticeable change is the “aero” aspect. At first glance, the entire bike looks more aero than a climbing machine. BH wanted to create a bike that was both lightweight and aerodynamic while still maintaining the maneuverability of a versatile bike. The 2025 series looks much more like its sibling, the Aerolight, than before.
This is of course primarily due to the redesigned frame and front fork. The Air Bow fork has become much more pronounced, I really like it, it gives the bike a very strong character and makes it instantly recognizable among a thousand others. According to BH, this was primarily done for greater maneuverability, but aerodynamics also played a role in its development. The head tube is quite short and much “sharper” (and its shape is very nice – unlike some of its brand peers, let me not give you an example), the handlebar stem has a completely negative angle, all of which serves the forward leaning position.
The curved and pronounced shapes of the rear triangle are also aimed at greater stiffness and compactness. However, compared to previous versions of the Ultralight, the support is much lower and the tubes are thicker. The current trend of this geometry is to provide increased explosiveness during acceleration and increased comfort by dissipating road vibrations.
I’m familiar with FSA’s ACR system, as they also use it on the Specialissima, so I was happy to see that, like its predecessor, the Evo, the Ultralight also comes with the FSA ACR headset. Thanks to this, the Ultegra version also gets a fully integrated carbon handlebar.
The result of the making aero is that while the previous Evo frame weighed only 750 grams, this bike weighs 880 grams. The development of aerodynamic tubes always adds weight.
Stiff and comfortable
So how is the new Ultralight while riding? The most important thing is that it is very comfortable and stiff, which is an advantage of the increased weight. The bike is very consistent, it gives direct and good feedback. It is a real tough, well-traveled, durable bike that is not afraid of the roads. It has good roadholding and grip, especially on the descents. The steering is excellent because of the AirBow, it is not neutral, but quite direct, the bike adapts perfectly to the turns and it is a real pleasure to descend on winding and tricky roads with it.
Equipment
BH does not saving on parts. Nowadays, it is common for manufacturers to saving many on wheels. After all, the frame is the bike itself, you can’t save there, the set is the same everywhere, but the wheel can be unique. That’s why many people follow the sales strategy of having the user buy a wheel and selling bikes for 5-8000 euros with an aluminum base wheel, almost for the same price.
BH doesn’t save on this. The Ultralight 7.0 we tested comes with a 12-speed Shimano Ultegra DI2 groupset, Vision SC45 carbon wheels, FSA integrated carbon handlebars and a Prologo Dimension seatpost. All this for a suggested retail price of 7,000 euros (we’ve got it for a much better price!). True, the SC45 is only Vision’s mid-range carbon wheelset, and it’s not that light in its class, but it does its job safely and honestly. (The Ultralight 8.0 and 9.0 come with Vision Metron and Zipp 454 wheels, respectively.)
Interestingly, the wheels can be removed with the integrated tool and the thru-axle is hidden. To improve aesthetics and aerodynamics, the Basque manufacturer has developed bottle cages to limit air resistance, as well as a toolbox that can be placed at the bottom of the horizontal tube (there are 3 bottle cage mounting bolts!). It’s a very clever system, as is the factory rear light, which is also optional and can be attached to the seatpost with a magnetic system.
Sizing
We ordered a size M, which has a top tube of 542 mm (Stack 542.8 mm, Reach 381.2 mm). The BH sizing is not optimal for me, because I am exactly between M and L. My measurements: 180 cm
, 82.5 cm inner leg length, my ideal top tube is 549 mm. So I decided to go 7 mm shorter rather than 10 mm longer (L dimensions: 559 mm, Stack 557 mm, Reach 388.7 mm).
The interesting thing about the Geometry is that the bike is quite low-built, has little slooping, and looks quite sporty (not quite!). That’s why the M in Stack would be a good choice, and the L in Reach. The head tube is extremely short, so the steering is direct in the bent Air Bow fork.
Based on my experience, I can say that it’s a good chose the M. It’s comfortable while riding, and the handlebar distance is just right (fortunately, the integrated handlebar stem is only 90 degrees), so I was able to set all my bikefitting data on it.
Summary
Obviously, the most important thing in a test is how the bike rides, what its riding characteristics are. But first of all, about the appearance: the appearance of the Ultralight is completely atypical. It has not been given the usual shapes and curves, which suits it very well. This is what they say is that it has character and is unique. I really like special, unique things, I like when something stands out from the crowd (unfortunately, bikes are slowly becoming completely the same and featureless), so in the case of the Ultralight, the score is a given.
Together with this and the special paint job, the Basques have designed a very beautiful and unique bike. I think it really benefits from the heritage of its aero sibling (Aerolight).
The advantage of the bike is that it is truly versatile. I would rather call it aero, but you could tell that by looking at it. Moreover, after one of the best climbing bikes in the world, the Bianchi Specialissima, this part of its ride characteristics was unusual. On the flat, at high speeds or on slopes, it is much faster, it goes better.
But it also behaves well on the climbs, it absorbs power very well, it is easy to maneuver, it likes to go uphill. Obviously not as much as the Specialissima, but I didn’t expect that. It is a bike designed specifically for climbing.
I would say it’s about 60-40% aero. This is reinforced by the increased weight of the frame and the not-so-light wheels that come with it.
With all of this, the only thing that made me a little hesitant was the weight. The bike weighs eight kilos with this equipment (without pedals).
Whether this is a lot or a little is a matter of judgment. Five or six years ago, when disc-DI2 bikes started to spread, we said, “Whoops!” to an 8-kilo bike. Today, this is not the case. Today, bikes with a similar level and equipment to the BH Ultralight weigh more like 7.2-7.6 kg. My Bianchi Specialissima from two years ago with Ultegra DI2 weighs 7.4 kg. It is true that it is a dedicated climbing bike and it is also true that it is not 7000, but rather 8200 euros with a stock wheel.
On the other hand, the extra weight of about half a kilo
can be reduced with a better wheel and tire, you gain 300 grams and you’re at 7.7, which is a pretty decent weight. However, everyone has to ask themselves how much is it worth spending to save 2-400 grams? Is it worth it? Because the bike is still very solid and you don’t feel the extra weight at all.
The bigger problem is the sizing (for me for sure). They come in five sizes, so it’s a tough situation for someone who is between two sizes, like me. In real life, however, a bike that’s smaller on paper is perfectly usable. After the test rides, nothing hurt, I got off the saddle like I got off a Bianchi.
Details:
- Frame: T1100 karbon
- Fork: full carbon
- Set: Shimano Ultegra Di2
- Front/rear brakes: Shimano Ultegra 160/140 mm
- Front/rear derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Di2
- crankset: Shimano Ultegra 52/36
- Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11-30
- Wheels: Vision SC45 carbon
- Saddle: Prologo Dimension
- BH recommended price: €7,000, BH Hungary 2,295,000 HUF. Price of the test bike: 1,990,000 HUF
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