Dutch company BeOne started out a decade ago making custom downhill mountain bikes and enjoying major success on the downhill World Cup circuit. Since then they’ve gradually expanded their range and now offer five different road bikes, the Storm being the second one up. It’s available in a Shimano Tiagra build but we got our grubby mitts on the slightly more expensive 105-based model.

The ride
The Storm picks up speed pretty sharply from the off, benefiting from a reasonably low weight and a taut rear triangle that transfers your leg power efficiently into road speed. The down tube starts with a teardrop profile at its front end and morphs along its length to extend across the full width of the bottom bracket (BB) and provide a firm pedal platform. External BB bearings
also add a touch more rigidity than an internal set-up.
The BeOne is an enthusiastic climbing companion with the triple chainset offering low enough gear ratios to get you up pretty much anything short of vertical. Chances are, you won’t need the bottom ones in triathlon, but you might be glad of the option ‘just in case’ and they’ll prove their worth on long, hilly training rides. When you do need to shift, the mid-level 105 groupset is just a touch crisper than the Tiagra found on the Giant and the Pinnacle, and it’s good value at this price. In fact, in terms of performance per pound, it’s arguably Shimano’s most attractive range.
The only problem on the slopes is that we found it hard to get completely over the tall front end when standing up on the pedals to tackle real back-breakers. Even with the stem angled downwards and positioned as low as it would go, we never felt we were able to get our full power in.

Down the other side and the Storm’s 105 brakes are the most adept here, giving you the confidence to lay off the levers until the last moment. The same is true on the flat where you can steam into turns at full speed, safe in the knowledge that there’s plenty of well-modulated power at your fingertips if things get sketchy. That high front end – the head tube on our 57cm model measures a whopping 21cm – makes for an upright ride position that remains comfortable for hours, and some riders, particularly beginners and those lacking in confidence, will value the better view of the road ahead that this set-up provides. But the downside is that it’s harder to get aerodynamic for racing, even with a set of clip-on tri-bars.

The build
The Storm is built around a busy 6061 aluminium frame that comes with all sorts of custom-shaping, including a top tube that bulges downwards at the front and triangular section stays. Does all this add to the performance?
Probably not, but it’s eye-catching and well built all the same.
We’re big fans of Shimano’s 105 groupset, especially at this price, and though the Alex wheels aren’t the lightest, they’re pretty much flex-free.

More information and pricing on the BeOne Storm 1.0 can be found HERE.

To view our full range of BeOne bikes click HERE.

For up to date information on new products and the complete BeOne range of bikes go to BeOne-bikes.com