When you think about integrated bike companies, you usually think about the big manufacturers behind some of the best road bikes, not boutique brands coming out of Bentonville, Arkansas, but that’s exactly what Allied Cycle Works is. They make some really interesting bikes, and stubbornly produce all of their frames in-house, in the US.
They also don’t care for convention, often framing their work around the idea of balancing performance with adaptability, rather than chasing purity in one direction or another.
The new Echo sits in that space. On paper, it’s a carbon road bike with clearance for tyres up to 45mm. Overlapping road and gravel. But Allied is not presenting it as a compromised proposition. The geometry is road-led, with a focus on stability and control: it isn’t even labelled as an endurance bike.
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Allied Cycle Works Echo remains a thoroughbred road bike despite the wide tyres
(Image credit: Allied bikes)
The frame is built around a fully integrated cockpit using Allied’s new HB10 handlebar and ST03 stem, and routing is internal throughout for wireless electronic shifting only. SRAM Red and Force builds are available, with both 1x and 2x drivetrains supported via a removable hanger and UDH compatibility out back.
The intent, according to Allied, is to treat the bike as a single system, rather than waiting for parts to be bolted on. That’s a pretty familiar approach these days, but the brand has been moving toward it for several years, developing and manufacturing more of its own parts in the US.
As gravel and road racing and riding continue to merge, bike handling and riding positions on and off road get ever closer. It’s therefore likely that riders will look for bikes that can do both. Hold speed in a fast group ride, handle rougher back roads and tracks as well as everything in between.
The Echo is Allied’s answer to that shift, shaped by the thinking that delivered their success in gravel. In a world where the mainstream industry insists on creating niche after niche and selling us new kit to use in ever narrower conditions, this is a breath of fresh air.
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A 1x drivetrain comes on the Echo(Image credit: Allied bikes)
Deep truncated headtube is the norm on aero frames(Image credit: Allied bikes)
(Image credit: Allied bikes)
45mm of clearance requires some big forks(Image credit: Allied bikes)
The Echo looks like a race bike, but won’t be pigeon-holed(Image credit: Allied bikes)