Rondo Ruut CF2 Review

“No excuses, no bullshit. Stop fking around!” The new Rondo bike brand strikes out with radical statements – which is not surprising considering that owner Szymon Kobylinski is a former Polish rockstar and head of the NS Bikes mountain bike brand. Are these just loud marketing slogans or actual convictions – and what can the € 3,000 Rondo Ruut CF2 really deliver?

Here you’ll find our current group test on the best gravel bike.

Rondo Ruut CF2 — **Rondo** Ruut CF2 | 8.98 kg | € 2,999

With bright colour accents and radical shapes, the Ruut CF2 clearly tells us that it doesn’t want to hide in the back row. The TwinTip fork deserves particular attention; its variable dropouts allow for two axle positions. This is intended to significantly change the character of the bike. “Go fast or go long” the guys from Poland say, by which they mean low and agile CX-style vs. more upright and smoother endurance geometry. For our nerds: this conversion of the TwinTip fork allows for a 0.5° steeper steering angle, a 10 mm lower front end and a 13 mm shorter fork trail. Enough that the difference in handling is clearly noticeable.

Swapping in between settings is rather tricky, not exactly an “on the fly” operation. We don’t see the problem in this, as we’d usually end up staying in our favourite setting anyway. A brief explanation on the fork would be a helpful and welcome touch. We mainly rode the bike in the upright endurance setting, where it convinced us with its direct and precise handling. The voluminous and stiff bottom bracket converts every bit of energy into acceleration . However, the rather heavy aluminium wheels and slightly flexy (yet ergonomically excellent) 440 mm aluminium handlebars hold the bike back. Despite the bend in the top tube, which is meant to create more room for seat tube and seatpost flex, the Ruut CF2 doesn’t provide a great deal of comfort.

In order to offer their bike for € 3,000 the people at Rondo have saved on the components. All in all the Ruut CF2 weighs 8.,98 kg for a medium size. Also the final assembly left something to be desired. The badly glued rim tape left us with two flats. Still, the Panaracer GravelKing SK in 35 mm width was our favourite tire in the entire test field. Smooth on tarmac with excellent grip on gravel and lose ground, and a precise, always predictable feel. With this wheel combination the actual size of the tires comes up to 38 mm.

Only the puncture resistance of these pretty tan wall tires could be better. If you want to beef things up a bit, the Ronda Ruut also takes 650b wheels fitted with tires up to a width of 2.1”. The hydraulic SRAM Rival brakes paired with 160 mm discs and the SRAM Rival 1×11 drivetrain with a 10-42 t cassette are alright for the price and leave you with options for future tuning. The Rondo Ruut is available in carbon, aluminium and steel. With this sort of model range the Polish brand want to cater for all material fetishists.

The Rondo Ruut CF2 in detail

Drivetrain SRAM Rival 1
Wheelset Rondo
Brakes SRAM Rival
Tires Panaracer Gravel King SK
Weight 8.98 kg
Price € 2,999

Geometry of the Rondo Ruut CF2

Conclusion

The Rondo Ruut CF2 splits opinions, and attracts attention. With its loud appearance, great handling, and interesting features it’s a good choice for fun-oriented riders with rockstar ambitions. Both the design of the TwinTip fork and the quality of the assembly left us with some question marks. Still, considering the price, you get quite a bit of bike for your money.

Tops

– Unique look
– Adaptable Geometry
– Superb tire grip
– Functional spec

Flops

– Assembly quality
– Conversion of the TwinTip fork is fiddly
– Cheap components

More info at: rondo.cc