KTM Revelator 5000

 

While it is always nice to see a full groupset on a bike, the choice of a 50-34T compact chainset, albeit an Ultegra one, does seem a little out of character for what is essentially a race bike, even more so given that it’s matched to an 11-32T, 11-speed cassette; not that I’m complaining too loudly as I appreciate the wide range and lower gear on the hills where I regularly ride.

 

Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels and matching Mavic Yksion Comp 23c folding tyres certainly hint at the Revelator 5000 being a serious road contender too. They do what the world of cycling has come to expect of Mavic products and seemingly continue to do so with joyful monotony.

 

 
KTM branded over-sized bars and stem are perfectly acceptable to me, though others may expect a ‘brand’ name given the bike’s price. The added girth of the over-sizing does, however, help prevent any unwanted flex when sprinting out of the saddle and push through the bars and the four bolt fixing on the face of the step and the opposing bolts on the steerer clamps all suggest quality and considered design. There’s also the taping on the bars that somehow strangely appeals to me; the lower portion is in white and above the brake hoods there’s black tape.

 

 
That black and white theme continues to the Fi’zi:k Antares saddle sitting atop a two-bolt KTM branded post. The seat clamp did loosen slightly on the first ride, but has been fine since and was the only thing to need any attention during the whole test period. I know saddles are an intensely personal thing, but for me the Antares has been one of the most comfortable saddles I’ve ever used, which is nice because I found myself wanting to ride this bike a lot.

 

 
The frame is stiff, and so it should be given its on trend design, but that also means it’s not the most comfortable bike to ride. Yes, you feel the ever changing road surface coming through the seat and bars, but the trade-off for this is instant acceleration when you stamp on the pedals; something that is most noticeable on short steep climbs, the sort of climbs that can catch you out if you’re not prepared to attack them.

 

Now, while I like the Revelator a lot, even with its uncompromising stiffness, I can’t but help thinking that it has a bit of an identity crisis. The stiffness and steep angles of the frame, tapered steerer, over-sized bottom bracket junction and electric shifting compatibility all suggest that the bike is a race-bred machine, but then there is the large stack of spacers under the stem, the compact chainset and widely spaced cassette, which all point to more leisurely riders being targeted.

 

 

Personally, I think this design ethos may be a very clever move by KTM. There are a lot of new riders coming to road cycling who have a high disposable income and want a high-level carbon fibre frame, but at the same time don’t want to struggle pushing big gears, or who struggle to get down on low set drops. While I’ve got more years of cycling behind me than I care to think about, I like the idea too as, with the onset of middle age, old knee injuries are resurfacing ready to cause me problems. I want a top-end frame but don’t want to be aggravating those injuries by trying to keep up with riders running 53/39T chainsets and close-ratio cassettes.

 

 
While for those that want to race the Revelator it should be easy enough to negotiate a change of chainset or rings and cassette at the time of purchase, and swapping the spacers on the steerer to lower the handlebars is a five-minute job. And there is no reason why you shouldn’t race on it either, especially as Iranian Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour recently rode a Revelator 5000 to victory in Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi.

 
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KTM UK (Fli Distribution)