Aero-influenced, disc-brake entry-level road bike

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Wizard is a new name to me and the Spark 2.7 Disc is the first of the company’s bikes I’ve tested. However, the Wizard name offers a bit of a clue, because it’s the moniker Preston’s long-established Merlin Cycles uses for its own-brand budget bikes.

Merlin describes the 2.7 Disc as “the perfect bike for the first-time road cyclist”, and the same bike is also available as the Spark 2.5 for £429 (RRP £599.99), with caliper rim brakes rather than cable-actuated discs.

As with most budget road bikes, the Spark 2.7 is based around a 6061 aluminium frame, though rather than carbon or aluminium, Wizard has paired the frame with a curved steel fork.

But perhaps the most striking features of the Spark bikes are the aero-influenced design touches.

These take in a teardrop-profile aero seatpost and a seat tube with a cutaway to accommodate the rear wheel.

How much this is going to gain you in the wind tunnel or on the road is a moot point, but it gives the Spark a distinctive air at this price point.

My concern was that these aero features, in conjunction with narrow tyres and a super-soft and squidgy saddle, would be uncomfortable because aero seatposts aren’t renowned for comfort at the best of times.

As for the tyres, while the rest of the world is going wider, the budget Kenda Sports may nominally be 25mm but they measured under 23mm, the sort of skinny width I haven’t seen since my time-trialling days.

The tubes also have Schrader valves, which are unusual on today’s best road bikes. If you prefer Presta, there are grommets that will enable you to use the narrower Presta valve in a Schrader-drilled rim.

All these factors left me with a lot of questions before I rode the Wizard: how would it handle? Would it be comfortable? How would the budget disc brakes and nine-speed MicroShift and Sora shifting work?

Well, I’m pleased to say all these questions were answered positively and pleasingly, and while the Wizard’s ride may not have been magical, it was much more comfortable than I’d expected. It handled well and the kit was up to scratch.

I would have preferred less padding on the saddle, but saddle choice is highly subjective, and the tyres have just about enough volume for comfort, though you will feel bigger bumps and potholes, especially if you’re riding on the tops.

The semi-compact alloy frame and curved steel fork must be one of the reasons for the Spark’s decent balance of comfort and stiffness.

Less obvious than the aero stylings are the practical features, with front and rear mudguard fittings, including in the bridge between the seatstays and a neat threaded fitting behind the bottom-bracket shell.

Merlin has chosen the gearing and brakes well for its Wizard.

MicroShift’s right-hand lever has a dedicated brake lever, an inner lever for shifting to a larger sprocket (lower gear) and a small paddle for shifting to a higher gear.

The left-hand setup is similar, with the inner lever moving the chain to the large ring on the ProWheel compact chainset, which provides a good range of gears with the 11-32 cassette.

MicroShift and ProWheel components have clearly been chosen to keep the Wizard’s price down, but they both work well, though unlike with Shimano’s Claris and Sora levers, MicroShift’s gear cables aren’t routed under the bar tape, instead exiting inside the levers like washing lines, before disappearing into the frame.

Braking from Radius’s budget cable-actuated single-piston disc brakes is very decent too, with good power and control, and no noise. They’re probably second only to the Triban’s Promax cable disc stoppers.

In spite of its somewhat racy appearance, the Wizard’s geometry lends itself more to leisure and commuter riding.

I very much enjoyed my time aboard the Wizard, in spite of my initial trepidation.

There are some odd kit choices – notably the tyre-narrowing rims and soft saddle.

However, the resulting ride is comfortable and controlled, and ideal for commuting or longer leisure rides.

This has the same aluminium frame, steel fork, wheels and finishing kit as the 2.7 Disc, but instead of Radius cable-actuated disc brakes, you can cut costs by going for the same company’s caliper rim brakes.

A step up from the 2.7 Disc, Wizard’s take on a sportive bike has a 6061 aluminium frame and fork, and kit based around Shimano Sora, save for a ProWheel Ounce chainset and Radius cable-actuated disc brakes.

Simon Withers is a freelance cycling writer and bike tester. He has been cycling for as long as he can remember, and more seriously since his time at university in the 1980s. Simon has ridden and raced almost every type of bike over the years and has toured extensively in Asia and Australasia, including riding solo 2,900km from Cairns to Melbourne. He’s been testing bikes and working for BikeRadar and Cycling Plus in various capacities for two decades. Simon has ridden and reviewed countless bikes and products, and specialises in affordable road bikes, gravel bikes and cycling kit, helping riders understand what’s really worth their hard-earned money.

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