Test from Girs Solo

With the Solo, Girs intends to democratize the notion of performance and versatility, by offering a machine that is safe, efficient and relatively accessible thanks to the experience acquired by the French brand over 25 years. The result is convincing. 

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: @Vincent Lyky

Girs is a French brand created in the late 90s by two brothers, Guillaume and Alexandre Girout, then barely out of their teens, who were able to complete their baggage by each spending a year on their own as pro riders a few years later. The family business has evolved at the same time by gradually establishing itself as a solid distributor in France of renowned brands such as Zipp, Speedplay, Sram, Ceramic Speed ​​and today Castelli, Factor, Good Year and Maurteen and Pillar. In short, Dagg – since that is now the name of the company – is well established in the cycling landscape, but has not abandoned the brand of its beginnings, the one that made it known. After the famous G-Star and G-Max which at the time (in the mid-2000s and early 2010s) had demonstrated the innovative capabilities of the Girout brothers with revolutionary technical solutions (such as the rear triangle Twinflex G-Star to promote comfort and traction, or the reversible bottom bracket of the G-Max to offer scalable geometry), Girs has stayed in the race with more consensual models like the Oscar or the Gravel RNR, who come almost complete the range of Factor bikes, with which they sharetagnow have some DNA.

Simplicity and modernity

Launched in 2022, the Solo follows the same trend, establishing itself as a relatively accessible bike with a frameset at €1690 and a complete bike sold from €3250, but which does not neglect any of the latest technological advances with aerodynamic tubes, disc brakes, complete integration of cables, sheaths or hoses and wheel arches allowing tires up to 32 mm in section. The frame is not particularly light at just over 1000 g (300 more than the very high-end models on the market, sold for more than three times the price), but the brand insists on the solidity of the design, an argument that cannot leave indifferent the parents of young budding couriers, the triathletes who travel around the world and the amateur runners who battle it out every Sunday on circuits that are not always well-paved.

Made from Toray T700 and T800 carbon fibers and EPS molding, guaranteeing strength and rigidity, the Solo benefits from a superposition of layers of material intended to optimize comfort as well as performance. But it is obviously the tires, with here the possibility of mounting 32 mm, which are most likely to improve vibration absorption, or on the contrary to bring a sharper edge to the machine, with the montagand a section of 25 mm for example.

Despite its massive, profiled tubes, and therefore generous wheel arches, The Girs Solo maintains aesthetic and balanced lines, even in small size. Usually sailing between two sizes (between 49 and 52 or between XS and S depending on the brand), I had a hard time integrating that Dagg had sent me for this test the smallest of the five sizes currently available. I had to check the dimensions of the bike several times, and in particular the angles of the seat tube (quite straight in small size) and the head tube to adapt my position. The brand announces that it will soon launch two smaller sizes (44 and 46) to offer this model to even more different riders.

Montagand on the map

From the Shimano 105 mechanical 12-speed to the Dura-Ace Di2, including the Sram Force and Rival AXS, Girs offers a wide choice of groups to equip the Solo, also available in three colors. The same goes for the wheels, from the Fulcrum Racing 900 in aluminum to the Black Inc., passing through the complete range of Sonic carbon wheels, including the Super 3 which equip the bike here test. For the pilot positiontage, you have the choice between a classic Ritchey aluminum stem and handlebar or a Sonic Super carbon combo like here on the bike of test, with very careful ergonomics. Finally, two types of saddle (Selle Italia) and tires (Good Year) are offered, and there is even the possibility of ordering the bike with a pair of Assioma power sensor pedals.

With the Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed groupset, carbon wheels and Sonic cockpit, The Solo is priced at €5970, but those who want to treat themselves or can afford it can spend up to €10 on Dura-Ace with the expensive Black Inc. Five wheels.

Stability and security

As equipped, the bike test is not very light, with a weight of just under 8 kg without pedals. The 71,5° head tube angle here for a small frame does not help the bike's responsiveness. The Solo thus seems a little lazy when picking up speed and changing pace during the very first kilometers, done in town and on a demanding course with many false flats. But once well warmed up, I begin to appreciate a lateral rigidity that facilitates the general performance of the machine, as I can see by looking at the numbers on the speedometer. As it revs up, the Solo seems to come alive, displaying a dynamism that is closer to much higher-end bikes.

The fact remains that these first sensations need to be refined after the first outing, and for that I decide to review all the position settings, in particular with the placement of the brake handles, which I find much too low on the bike. test. By putting them back on the pilot stationtage by a few millimeters (so by bringing them closer to me), not only do I feel better wedged in the saddle without having the impression that my arms are pulling my pelvis forward, but above all I lighten the front part of the handlebars and I feel less weight directly above the front wheel. As a result, the steering immediately seems lighter, and The Solo seems to regain tone as soon as it comes to lifting the buttocks off the saddle.

On the hills, the Solo is not the machine that will transform you into a winged climber, but its rigidity largely compensates for its slight excess weight. Whether in cadence or by riding more forcefully, we maintain the feeling of being one with the bike. Even with a lot of watts put into it, no part of the frame, wheels or cockpittage does not seem to weaken. And with the very versatile 35 mm rims that the model is equipped with test, the wheels are far from being a handicap when the route gets up.

On the flat, I would obviously have preferred higher rims, with a little more inertia, but the Solo is far from collapsing when a sustained cruising speed is chosen. Thanks to the rigidity and the aerodynamics of the frame, it is possible to ride for a long time with a gear without weakening.. And above all, gusts of side wind have little effect on the bike, which maintains its line perfectly with the help of the reasonable profile of the wheels and a geometry that rather favors stability.

The Right Price

In the end, the Girs Solo demonstrates very healthy behavior, which emphasizes rigidity and stability in order to ensure all the necessary safety for those who are discovering competition or on the contrary for those who want to push themselves to the maximum in situations that they do not always master. Even if it does not have the very incisive side of very high-end bikes mainly because of a weight of 8 kg, This bike as equipped provides the essentials: performance, comfort, solidity, the reliability of disc braking and the pleasure of an electronic transmission. For many practitioners, it really won't be worth spending more.

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