Who doesn’t love a metal bike?
With the release of the latest Cannondale CAAD earlier this year, I got curious about who else is doing interesting things with aluminium. Not simply a more affordable copy of a carbon bike model, but bikes designed specifically around the material.
California-based BlackHeart Bicycle Company is one of those brands. They bypass carbon altogether in favour of aluminium and titanium only.
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These aren’t budget bikes either. They’re performance-oriented metal bikes, available as framesets or custom builds, with clean aesthetics and a cool, L.A. vibe.
There aren’t many brands leaning into aluminium these days, as the material has a reputation (not unjustified) for being stiff and harsh. But alloy bikes have long proven they can perform, and the Cannondale CAAD and Specialized Allez Sprint have long been popular in the crit scene.
But what about long days in the saddle? Or rides that mix pavement with dirt?
That’s where BlackHeart’s newest model, the Road Plus, is meant to shine. BlackHeart calls it the “evolution of the endurance road bike,” pairing road-first handling with light gravel capability.
I received a frameset in “Lunar Frost” silver and built it up to the nines with a SRAM Red AXS road groupset, an ENVE cockpit to match the ENVE In-Route fork, and I even splurged on a few blingy bits from Wolf Tooth. The build is completed with ENVE SES 4.5 wheels – with Wolf Tooth’s new hubs – wrapped in 38mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres.
About BlackHeart
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
BlackHeart has a little of that LA cool about it. A name with a punk rock edge, clean aesthetics, and vibe-y marketing. At the same time, there’s a playful streak. Bikes aren’t meant to be taken so seriously, and they’re certainly not meant to sit looking pretty in a garage.
Founder Zach Lambert is big on that last part, especially.
“You can have the fastest bike in the world, but it doesn’t matter if it sits in your garage.”
He has a lot of opinions and interest in geometry, fit and sizing, but keeps coming back to the same point: the best bike for you is the one that makes you excited to go out and ride.
“Get the bike, get the colour, get whatever spec that you’re stoked on,” he told Cycling Weekly.
Personality plays a big part for BlackHeart. When the brand launched, I clearly remember it standing out for offering its titanium frames with custom-painted forks. Custom Cerakote paint remains an option for all its models, adding a little individual expression to those otherwise restrained designs. Beyond colour, you can opt to fully customise your build during the buying process, from paint and drivetrain to crank length, bottom bracket options and tyres.
Colour aside, Lambert set out to “make bikes for the 90%.” Riders chasing their friends, exploring back roads on the weekends and squeezing a ride into a busy day.
“Let’s make bikes that are kind of a little more timeless in their design so that they don’t look outdated in a few years,” he said. “Let’s make bikes that are simple so that in three or four years, when they stop making the special shaped seat post, your bike’s not obsolete. Bikes that use universal standards and you can get a part for anywhere in the world. And frames that won’t end up in landfill.”
In short, a bike you intend to ride a lot and keep for a while. Not one you’ll replace the moment a new model year comes out.
And that brings us to the Road Plus AL.
Meet the Road Plus AL
The frame is made from double-butted 6066 aluminium, with a gently sloping top tube and dropped, curved seatstays. Those stays are part of BlackHeart’s answer to aluminium’s reputation for a punishing ride.
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
BlackHeart pitches the Road Plus AL at 70% road, 30% gravel. By comparison, BlackHeart’s Allroad model is made for 50% road and 50% gravel yet has a slightly narrower tyre cleance: 700 x 40 (or 650v x 50) vs the Road Plus’ 700 x 42.
Looking at the geometry, the two bikes are closer than those road-to-gravel percentages might suggest. In size 46, the Road Plus has a shorter top tube and a longer head tube, yet stack and reach are almost identical. Its slightly slacker head angle might suggest slower steering, but the extra fork offset largely counteracts that. With the same chainstay length and just 4mm between their wheelbases, they are more similar than not.
Where the Road Plus’s more road-focused identity comes through is in its aero shaping, full cable integration and commitment to 700c wheels and electronic-only drivetrains.
The frame is made from double-butted 6066 aluminium, with a gently sloping top tube and dropped, curved seatstays. Those stays are part of BlackHeart’s answer to aluminium’s reputation for a punishing ride. The kammtail downtube and fully integrated cable routing bring a little aero ambition to the mix.
Lambert’s preference for common standards is seen in the threaded T47 bottom bracket, a round 31.6mm seatpost and a UDH derailleur hanger. There are also fender mounts, which I, as a Pacific Northwesterner, appreciate.
The AL comes in eight sizes, from 46cm to 62cm. Stock colours are Lunar Frost, Frozen Berry and Dark Magic, with custom paint available in the U.S.
Build options & pricing
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
The Road Plus AL frameset starts at $1,699 / €1.502 and includes the ENVE In-Route fork, seatpost and headset.
Complete builds start at $3,549 / €3.138 for SRAM Rival AXS XPLR and run up to $7,449 / €6585 for Red AXS XPLR, with Hunt carbon wheels in the listed builds.
The ride
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
There’s something about a good aluminium bike that makes me want to get out of the saddle and stomp on the pedals for no particularly good reason. The Road Plus is no different. Put some effort into the pedals and it responds with an immediacy that makes it difficult to leave a perfectly sensible steady pace alone.
One of the first outings on this bike was a Thursday night group ride that, according to my ride file, was 67% paved and 33% unpaved. Pretty close to the brief, then.
It was a social pace on the pavement, but the legs – and those 38mm slicks – got tested on the gravel. The unpaved section includes some narrow singletrack and even a tiny rock garden. I had to be on my toes, but I was grinning from ear to ear. This was pushing the Road Plus beyond its intended use, but it handled it just fine. I even came away with the W in the sprint finish to the designated dive bar.
Sometimes, bikes in the endurance or all-road category prioritise stability and comfort to the point that the ride feels a little dull. The Road Plus keeps things interesting. It’s no crit machine, but it has the liveliness that I look for. Its capacity for long days and dirt detours hasn’t dulled that road-bike feel.
The weight is respectable, too. With all its fancy parts attached, my build came out to 18.2lb (8.26kg) ready to ride. That includes bottle cages, a computer mount, sealant and even Wahoo Speedplay pedals. Pretty good for an aluminium bike with 38mm tyres. Granted, the SRAM Red AXS drivetrain and ENVE components help, but the frame clearly isn’t holding this build back.
It looks the part, too. The silver frame, tucked-away cables, deep wheels and little flashes of colour make for a real head-turner.
Tyre clearance for up to 42mm
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
Comfort was perhaps the biggest question for me, given aluminium’s reputation for harshness. I was worried my back would have something to say about 70-plus miles with 30 miles of gravel thrown in. But, with high volume tyres and a good set of wheels, the anticipated punishment never really arrived.
Those high-volume tyres deserve some credit. How much comes from the frame, fork or wheels is harder to untangle, but the complete package works very well. There’s enough comfort for a long day and enough feedback and response to keep that day interesting.
It’s also a versatile bike. Gravel bros might scoff at the 42mm tyre limit, and roadies will want something more single-minded about speed. Fair enough. But for my mix of riding, the Road Plus AL ticks the boxes.
I’ve long been a proponent of the modern allroad category. These are the bikes I think more of us should be riding. Race bikes are fun, no doubt, but their priorities don’t match the riding we actually do. I want a bike that keeps me comfortable over cracked city streets and chipsealed farm roads, lets me push the pace without forcing myself into an uncomfortable position, and leaves room for a dirt-road detour when the route looks too good to pass up.
There are even fender mounts there should you want to use the bike as a super commuter or winter road bike (note: the clearance drops down to 35mm with fenders).
For my mix of gravel, rough city pavement, farm roads and the occasional questionable route choices, the Road Plus AL is an underbiker’s delight. It can hang on the group ride, carry me comfortably across mixed-terrain adventures and doesn’t ask to be babied.
Value and verdict
There’s just something about a metal bike
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
The BlackHeart Road Plus AL has few direct competitors. The ones that come to mind are all alloy copies of carbon siblings, often built with entry-level components and aimed at a budget-conscious consumer or beginner. BlackHeart gives it rather more attention than that.
Of the bikes I’ve ridden in recent years, the Specialized Crux DSW is perhaps the closest comparison in terms of versatility, the case it makes for a quality aluminium frame and price. The Crux DSW frameset retails at $1,799. It’s primarily a gravel bike, but it has very good N-1 potential. Road, gravel, cyclocross, commuting – it does it all, and it does it well.
The Road Plus AL is similar in that regard but has the edge on the Crux DSW when it comes to road riding. It feels livelier and snappier. And, with its tucked-away cables and aero shaping, it looks the part, too.
If your riding will be more gravel than road, then the Crux DSW’s 47cm tyre clearance will be more appealing. Still, for light gravel and mixed terrain jaunts, the 42mm tyre clearance suits me fine.
The price won’t suit anyone who expects aluminium to mean cheap, but at $1,699 for the frameset, including the ENVE In-Route fork (a $625 value), seatpost and headset, it’s an appealing starting point for a quality bike you plan to make your own.
There’s also something to be said for riding a bike that isn’t already under half the group. Liking the look of your bike counts for something, and BlackHeart’s paint and build options give you plenty of scope to make it uniquely yours.
I’ve long been of the opinion that a good aluminium frame with a quality build can rival a carbon frame with a lesser build. Save your pennies on the frameset and spend them on nice parts instead. The Road Plus AL makes a very good case for that approach, even if I got a little carried away with the rest of the shopping list.
