Tommaso Forcella Road Bike Review

Tommaso Forcella Road Bike Review

Some time ago, Tommaso shook up the market with the famous Tommaso Imola. But with time, the manufacturer added new upgrades, and consequently, they decided the new upgrade deserved a new name.

Tommaso Forcella began its life as a variation of the Tommaso Imola. However, the Forcella is more than an Imola with a carbon fork anymore; it is its distinct bike with some pretty amazing features not seen in any of our other aluminum bikes.

Today, the Tommaso Forcella stands for elegant Italian design, fantastic value for your more, a smart mix of carbon and aluminum materials and simply fabulous road cycling.

First Impression

This is listed as one of the top picked affordable road bikes in one of our posts. Tommaso like most other Tommaso bikes is hard to ignore when you spot it with your peripheral sight in your room or garage.

Sporting an aggressive modern matte accentuated with smooth lines, the Tommaso Forcella will urge you to take it out and ride it farther than the last time.

Forcella, equipped with a full Shimano Claris drivetrain offers an uncompromising approach to smooth shifting and power that you are sure to notice immediately.

The robust 24 Shimano Claris gears will not only provide a great range but will allow you to climb large hills and speed through the flats easily.

Tommaso Forcella: Who is it For?

The Forcella is one of the best values in cycling today and is sure to change the way you look at entry level road bikes and cycling in general.

Ideal for beginners looking for entry-level bikes, the Tommaso Forcella is synonymous with versatility.

Though an entry-level bike, the Forcella has a variety of utilities and can handle a variety of terrains from the rugged surfaces, tarmac to flat surfaces with expediency.

More importantly, the Tommaso Forcella also doubles up as a budget-option, and given that its pricing is quite competitive, it makes the bike hold such a premium value.

Tommaso Forcella Features

From the first glance, the fork on the Tommaso doesn’t look any different from the other aluminum frames in this price range. But, Tommaso uses a 6061 alloy composite frame, the type of frames that you will see in higher-end models like the Monza and Tiempo.

The 6061 frame is not only lightweight, making the bike feather-light and it’s excellent at reducing road vibrations as well.

More importantly, the presence of the 6061 frames in the Forcella allows riders at all price points to enjoy the awesome power of a compact frame set with tons of style from the premium and aesthetically-shaped tubes.

The High Point: Fork

Another distinguishing feature on the Tommaso Forcella is the fork.

At this price point, it’s quite rare to find a bike with a carbon fork.

Carbon is known as the most lightweight material, and this helps to boost on the lightness of the Forcella.

And given that weight is directly proportional to speed, the presence of the carbon fork renders the Forcella swift.

The major benefit, however, of the carbon fork is that it soaks up the imperfections of the road the best, or rather absorbs shock when riding on rugged terrains and this helps to improve the overall cycling experience.

The fork on the Tommaso makes the bike stiff and stable at the same time, and this helps to improve the transfer of power from the wheels to the pedals.

Drivetrain

Featuring a powerful 24 speed Shimano Claris drivetrain, the Forcella redefines what an entry level bike can be. Though the Shimano Claris groupset is not regarded as high-end, they are still part of reliable and durable Shimano equipment.

The crankset on the drivetrain is comprised of three cogs, while the cassette on the rear has 8. This is quite a rare combination of gears in most road bike, and it’s a good choice. This is particularly true if you live in a hilly area as the extra number of gears will provide you with unmatched climbing ability.

While the bike is ideal for the hilly terrain, it also works perfect for the smooth surfaces, and will, in fact, provide with a smooth, and reliable speed in the flats, turning heads wherever the road takes you. The cassette in the rear will provide you with an incredible range of speeds that will help you conquer old roads and find new challenges.

Though you might at first get deceived into thinking the bulky crankset will add some extra weight to your bike, you will be surprised at how lightweight it is. However, if you feel that the crankset is lagging you down, you can upgrade to a 2*10 drivetrain.

Having firsthand experience with the Tommaso Forcella drivetrain, I found all the components working perfectly and fluidly together to offer the performance I have always been looking for.

Derailleurs

The derailleurs, which are also part of the Shimano Claris groups, alongside the shifters, which are integrated into the brake levers.

What I like most about the derailleurs and the brake levels is their positioning, which will not require you to move your hand position when shifting the gears, and this helps to increase the overall cycling performance.

From the reviews, a majority of riders are satisfied with the performance of the Shimano Claris groupset of the Forcella. Though there are a few complaints, I believe it’s all about adjustability; when adjusted properly and maintained in the right way, this drivetrain will serve you well for a long time to come.

Tires and Wheelset

For a long time, Tommaso has been using the Weinmann wheelset. But that has been thrown out of the window in the Forcella, and the Tommaso Corsa TC-30 wheelset has taken its place.

The TC-30, featuring the strength of 20 front and 24 rear spokes is lightweight and can take anything you throw at it and ride away in style.

The 30mm rim on the wheelset improves on the aerodynamics, centrifugal force, and road dampening capabilities; with this wheelset, you get a huge compromise between speed and comfort.

The wheelset is further complemented with 700c Kenda tires that not only look good but also minimize both weight and wind resistance.

Braking Capabilities

Brakes are an essential part of any bike.

The Tommaso Forcella uses brake calipers as opposed to the disc brakes.

While the caliper braking system has both its pros and cons, it does provide plenty of stopping power even on wet conditions or when you’re descending.

Another benefit of the caliper brakes is they are lighter compared to the disc brakes.

Saddles and Pedals-Comfort

Tommaso has partnered with WTB VOLT- a renowned saddle manufacturer to produce the Tommaso Forcella saddle.

The saddle, sporting an ingrained Tommaso logo is not only aesthetically pleasing but also comfortable. However, the saddle might feel a tad stiff at the beginning until you break it in, but that’s standard with all the road bike saddles.

Another comfort addition on the Forcella is the exclusive UltraCompact handlebar. Featuring drop position, this handlebar will dramatically reduce the wind resistance and allow you to push your rides longer and further than before.

Finally, you will appreciate the fact that Tommaso delivers the bike alongside pedals, and this is a huge plus since few brands will include this.

Conclusion: Do we Recommend the Tommaso Forcella Road Bike?

Absolutely yes!

From the Tommaso review above, it’s evident that you get a lot of value or your money with the bike.

The bike has all the necessary components that will allow you to cover more distance with less effort.

Again, before you forget, Tommaso is an original Italian design, and the entire production process of their bikes always guarantees quality and longevity.