Review by: Matt Eagar | Bike Hub
The recently introduced Titan Racing Valerian aims to deliver a light, stiff, aerodynamic road bike all in one package. We got our hands on the great looking Valerian Carbon Empire, which sits two tiers below top of the range model.
The Valerian has a modern and elegant design that follows the latest trends in road bike geometry. It has Kammtail tube profiles that reduce drag with dropped seat stays that improve comfort and compliance. The Empire in particular has a subtle but striking paint job that makes it stand out from the crowd.
My first impression of the Valerian Empire was that it’s an incredibly sensibly specced bike in terms of offering top-end touches like wireless electronic shifting and carbon wheels at a more palatable price point. We repeat the same in every Titan Racing review, but once again Titan delivers excellent value across the Valerian Carbon range with the base Carbon Comp model starting at R 35,000.
ON THE ROAD
I received the review bike a few days before the Double Century in November 2022. With a team set on maximising hours per kilometer (more than 8 hours on the road) it was the ultimate test of comfort and compliance.
And the Valerian felt great. Sizing and setup was on point. At 1.83cm tall on their large (56cm) frame I felt quite at home. I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and smooth the Valerian was over the distance on what was essentially my first ride. It absorbed the road vibrations well and did not cause any fatigue or discomfort.
The Valerian also performed admirably on different terrains. It was fast and responsive on the flats, with a smooth and crisp shifting from the SRAM Force eTap groupset. It was agile and lively on the climbs with punchy acceleration. Some might balk at the weight being a touch on the wrong side of 8kg, but without knowing the exact weight before riding the bike I can’t say it ever felt heavy or sluggish.
On the descents it felt stable and confident with a reliable handling and powerful braking thanks to the disc brakes. The only downside was that while the frame’s tube profiles may do well to shrug off the wind, the 50mm wheels were a bit susceptible to cross winds, but that’s nothing unique to the Valerian.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall I was impressed by the Valerian Empire. It is a bike that delivers on its promise of being a versatile and high-performance road machine. It also offers great value for money, considering the quality of the components and overall package. With a recommended retail price of R79,999 it’s no small amount of money, but for a modern race-ready road bike with AXS and carbon wheels it’s tough to match.
WORDS: Matt Eagar – Bike Hub | IMAGES: Dylan Lamb
