Diamondback

Century 2 Shimano 105 Complete Road Bike - 2015

The Diamondback Century 2 Shimano 105 Complete Road Bike is designed to balance a responsive ride with the kind of endurance geometry enjoying a recent ascension in atmospheres as competitive as the European peloton. The butted tubing varies wall thickness so that the 7005 alloy frame keeps things light, stiff, and comfortable where appropriate — even when your ride takes you away from smooth tarmac, the Century 2 is equal to the abuse.

Though it's not specifically targeted for gravel riding, the Century 2 can still take on light dirt roads and pebble-strewn paths with relative confidence. This attitude toward variable surfaces is bolstered by the inclusion of HED's redoubtable Belgium rims, whose 25-millimeter girth is our favorite feature of the bike's build because it makes for higher tire volume and more vertical side wall. The result is a ride that's suppler, more confident in corners, and enjoys less rolling resistance for more efficiency.

The bike is finished with Shimano's workhorse 105 groupset, which may not carry the pomp and flash of Dura-Ace, but it does promise to carry you through several seasons of riding with virtually no maintenance — something the more finicky "race" drivetrains can't guarantee. This doesn't mean that the Century 2 can't get up and go when the up get going, as the tapered head tube ensures efficient power transfer and sure tracking through hard efforts and sweeping descents.