The TIME Alpe d’Huez Disc: The Ultimate Road Bike. Here’s Why.
Few climbs in the Tour de France can match the legend and mystique of the Alpe d’Huez. Since 1952, this iconic climb has stood alone as a monument to the Tour de France itself and perhaps the very pinnacle of competitive cycling. Many of history’s greatest riders—Marco Pantani, Bernard Hinault, and Andy Hampsten, to name a few—have left their mark on the 21 switchbacks of this epic French mountain.
So, for TIME to name our flagship road bike, the Alpe d’Huez, especially as a French brand, sets the tone that this bike must be more than good—it must be the best road bike in the world. We believe that it is.
Nothing Beats the Ride
At TIME, everything begins with the most critical aspect of a bicycle: ride quality. As with any no-compromise, high-performance road bike designed with racing, fast group rides, and long days in the saddle in mind, the Alpe d’Huez focuses on minimal frame weight and maximized power transfer. But the ADH is more than merely stiff and responsive under power. TIME’s decades of experience designing carbon fiber bicycles for professional teams have resulted in a ride that feels alive. Road chatter and sharp hits are muted without compromising the energizing snap and springiness when jumping out of the saddle to close a gap or punch up a pitch. Many brands claim to achieve this balance, but TIME is among the very few that truly deliver it—thanks in no small part to the unique way our bikes are crafted. And you need to look no further than our owner reviews for proof.
A TIME Feels Different Because a TIME is Made Differently
The exquisitely refined ride quality of the ADH comes from the unique way we build bikes at TIME. We start with up to 16 types of dry, high-modulus carbon, Vectran™, and Dyneema™ filaments and weave them together to create a three-dimensional “sock” of fibers called a Braided Carbon Structure (BCS). The BCS is combined with internal and external molds, and then resin is introduced under heat and pressure in a process called Resin Transfer Molding (RTM). These processes are almost unheard of in the bike industry, allowing TIME to design incredibly complex carbon structures with full-length, unbroken fibers that distribute ride and impact stress more effectively across the entire structure. This allows TIME engineers to fine-tune the ride of the ADH specifically for the demands of high-performance road cycling in ways not possible with traditional pre-preg carbon fiber construction. At TIME, we believe this is the superior method for creating a high-performance carbon fiber bicycle—and the only way to make a bike like the ADH.
Proven Geometry Based on Decades of Road Racing
TIME has been designing race bikes based on pro rider feedback for nearly 30 years, with geometry that’s revered for stable and predictable handling, avoiding the latest fad in favor of a proven formula. The ADH carries on this tradition with five highly refined frame sizes, each with neutral geometry that’s as capable of carving a twisty criterium course as it is comfortable while careening down a high mountain pass. Some bikes feel aggressive and intense in the parking lot, while others, like the ADH, instantly feel like a trusted companion.
The “D” in Alpe d’Huez Could Stand for Details
If you’re setting out to design the Ultimate High-Performance Road Bike, the nuances and details must be flawless. For the ADH, this includes standard, non-proprietary 27.2 seatpost compatibility, which preserves ride compliance, forged carbon dropouts with 20 times the fatigue life of steel or aluminum, and a 60% fiber content allowing drilling and threading without cracking. Fork steerer tubes are reinforced with Kevlar or Vectran fibers to add strength, and our press-fit bottom bracket interface is the most precise in the industry (thanks to our unique manufacturing processes), which maximizes bearing smoothness and life while eradicating annoying creaks.
The Alpe d’Huez Family
The Alpe d'Huez is the ultimate pure high-performance road bike, optimized for 25-28c tires with a geometry ideally suited for traditional road racing, fast group rides, long days in the saddle, steep mountain passes, blistering sprints, and everything in between. For riders looking for a versatile, multi-surface experience, the Alpe d'Huez X offers the same fit and similar ride feel as the ADH but with more relaxed angles, a longer wheelbase, and clearance for 25-38c tires. And for rides covering even rougher routes, there’s TIME’s full-on gravel slayer, the ADHX 45. While it retains much of what we’ve learned in the decades of refinement that went into the ADH, its geometry and ride quality are tuned for 700x45c tires and the rigors of chunky, aggressive gravel.
The Alpe d’Huez isn’t Just the Ultimate Bike—it’s an Investment.
At TIME, we believe the proprietary BCS and RTM manufacturing processes used to construct the ADH and all our bikes offer a level of precision, consistency, and ride quality that’s unmatched by traditional pre-preg carbon frames. It’s a difference you can see in the beautiful and flawless finish quality of any TIME frame. Built to be flawless both inside and out, our bikes offer a level of durability that allows us to confidently back the Alpe d’Huez with a Lifetime Warranty.
The Alpe d’Huez is available as a frame/fork/headset in both disc brake and rim brake versions, and as a complete bike with SRAM and Shimano build kit options in six colors, as well as a ready-to-paint option.
