Review: AeroCat ACR500

December 14th, 2008 by Review Man View Comments

AeroCat is a relatively new bicycle manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Indiana. We’ve written about them in the past, featuring them in one of our Interbike vendor spotlights as well as product features for their mountain bike, the M450, and high-end road bike, the R750 (which BWN will be reviewing soon). The company made their public debut at Interbike in 2007 with a single road model, and they’ve since expanded their offerings to include two road bikes and a mountain bike.

A time trial/triathlon bike will be available starting January 15th, and the company will also release two additional road models by February 15th. Both alloy and carbon road wheels are in the short-term pipeline, and as the company grows, they are pursuing relationships with carbon fiber experts in the open-wheel automobile racing world as part of their efforts to bring innovative ideas to the world of bicycling.

After meeting the AeroCat folks at Interbike they made arrangements to send us an ACR500 for review and we were more than ready to get some time in the saddle. The bike is in the middle of their road line, with a carbon monocoque frame and carbon fork, and our bike was outfitted with the very reliable SRAM Rival groupset and Reynolds Solitude wheels.

While I have ridden carbon and aluminum bikes before, I have logged much more time on a steel frame than on all other materials combined. I will be looking for a new primary ride over the next several months, and I have been curious to see how carbon bikes have changed over the past few years. As a result, I was very much looking forward to being able to put some serious time in on a carbon bike.

First Impressions

The AeroCat is a sharp looking bike. The slightly oversized frame and fork tubes are subtly shaped and eye-catching and the blue, white and green paint gives the bike a fresh and vibrant look without appearing loud or overstated. The Solitude rims matched well with the cranks, saddle, seatpost, stem and hoods, while the while bar tape nicely complimented the white on the top tube. I received several favorable comments on the bike when I had it out and about.

For those who prefer a more subdued color scheme, the R505, which can be pre-ordered now and which will be available on January 15, 2009, is the same bike with a matte carbon finish. Going paintless also saves 2 tenths of a pound, so sticking with basic black has other benefits as well. While we’re talking about weight, our 60 cm test bike came in at 17.1 pounds after we added Shimano M520 dual-sided pedals.

On The Road

One of my very first impressions after I got on the bike for the first time was that it gave a very smooth ride. Being in the Midwest, the roads around me go through many freeze and thaw cycles each year, and they have the expected rough surface to prove it. Not necessarily potholes (they’ll come later this winter!), but lots of small cracks, slightly exposed asphalt aggregate, and other similar imperfections. At low speeds, I figured some of this smooth feel could be attributed to the Michelin Pro3 Race tires, which I was quite surprised to find as stock equipment on a bike that comes from the middle of a manufacturer’s product line. However, as I began to get more comfortable on the bike and push it more, it became obvious that the bike itself was helping to smooth things out.

The comfortable, even feel of the AeroCat inspired confidence in the stability of the bike, and that confidence proved to be well founded. It was quite nimble, going quickly and easily where it was pointed and it stayed on its line very well. I’ve been on a few bikes that had a slightly more relaxed geometry and they tended to drift wide during moderately aggressive cornering, but the AeroCat was well behaved in this regard.

I’m in an area with a lot of elevation change, which gave me a chance to try the ACR500 out on some steep hills and moderately daring descents. The bike felt very stiff and solid under stress on a climb and I didn’t feel like I was losing any power due to undue frame flex. Between this rigidity on climbs and the dampening effects over slightly rough road surfaces described above, some of those changes in carbon technology that I was looking for were quite apparent in this bike.

The stable tracking was very welcome during descents, and I never noticed any wheel flex, even during fairly significant braking through curves on the back side of a hill. I should mention, though, that a friend who is a little heaver than me reported some wheel flex when he took the bike out for a spin. For the record, I go about 150 pounds and my friend is around 180, so a beefier wheelset may be in order for those in the upper end of that range and above.

Final Thoughts

All in all the AeroCat gave what I would call a very consistent and very enjoyable riding experience that blended performance with comfort. It was sporty enough to provide great responsiveness and it obviously felt comfortable being pushed a bit. At the same time, it was forgiving enough to ride for long durations without becoming uncomfortable at all. With the shorter days this time of year and the somewhat early blast of significant chilly temperatures here in Ohio, my longest single ride was right about 50 miles, but I would’ve gladly continued on for many more if there would have been enough daylight to permit it.

The MSRP for the ACR500 as tested is $2849. Pedals are not included, but that price does include an upgrade to an SSM Aspide saddle from a Velo Pronto SL. This bike offers a great combination of features for that amount of money, and the real beauty is that the features come from both ends of the performance/comfort spectrum. Some bikes might offer a little more stiffness or have a slightly more responsive geometry, but I feel confident that they would cost much more than this bike, and they probably wouldn’t be very comfortable for the weekend century rider. Similarly, any bike that gave a softer ride than the AeroCat would most likely come up short when being ridden aggressively. The ACR500 offers a package that should appeal to a wide variety of riders, from a newer rider looking for an equipment upgrade to an experienced cyclist looking for a lot of bang for their buck.

Base price: $2799

Price as tested: $2849;result of a saddle upgrade to an SSM Aspide from a Velo Pronto SL.

Weight of test bike: 17.1 pounds

Pros: Great value, excellent combination of features for the price

Cons: Die-hard performance enthusiasts may prefer a lighter bike

Rating: 5 bikes

Test Bike Details

Frame/Fork: AeroCat ACR500 (60 cm)

Groupset: SRAM Rival

Cockpit: Ritchey Pro

Saddle: Selle San Marco Aspide

Wheelset: Reynolds Solitude

Tires: Michelin Pro3

Pedals: Shimano M520 (not included from AeroCat)

About AeroCat, LLC

AeroCat, LLC is based in Portland, Indiana, USA and is a manufacturer of high performance bicycle products. The company specializes in high-end carbon fiber road, triathlon, and mountain-bike bicycles. For more information visit the company’s website at www.aerocatbike.com