Elves Falath Pro 2022, Ole's build

A carbon aero road bike with electronic shifting and disc brakes, for a lot less than a brand-name bike. Here is how I chose mine and built it.

Finished red and silver Elves Falath Pro road bike, side view
Finished red Elves Falath Pro road bike against a red brick wall
Delivery box from Elves Bikes standing in the driveway
Finally the wait is over
Elves frame with crankset fitted in the workshop
The new and shiny frame

Why I went for an Elves

In the spring of 2023, my son Mathias and I got curious about high-performance road bikes with electronic shifting and disc brakes. I had always ridden mechanical groupsets and rim brakes, and I also ride a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL5, so I knew what a good road bike should feel like. Electronic shifting and disc brakes were new territory.

A bike from a well-known brand with that spec costs a staggering amount. We looked at frames from Winspace and Yoeleo, which are cheaper, but once you add deep carbon wheels and aero handlebars the price creeps right back up. Then we found Elves Bikes, another Chinese brand with a good mix of price and quality.

We both fell for the Falath Pro 2022. I took the package with the aero frame, 50 mm carbon wheels, aero handlebars and aero seatpost, and added a custom paint job. Mine is red and silver, with a fork that changes colour in the light. Designing the paint went surprisingly smoothly, which only made the wait harder. Delivery to Denmark was estimated at 6 to 8 weeks.

I considered Shimano 105 Di2 and SRAM Force, but ended up with Ultegra Di2 12-speed. If you're going electronic, you might as well go for the better one. The tyres were an easy choice: Pirelli P Zero Race TLR.

Building mine

When the box finally arrived, the frame was wrapped in plastic. The build went well. Cable routing through the frame was the worst part, and the handlebars were the worst of that.

The bottom bracket is BB86 press fit, so you need the right tools. The one in the box doesn't spin well, so I'd buy a better one.

The paint job is the real surprise. Photos don't do it justice, it looks fantastic in real life. The head tube, bottom bracket and brakes were all nicely prepared.

My verdict: the frame, wheels and handlebar bundle is great value for money. I've only managed a few hundred metres so far because of the Danish weather, but it feels just as stable as my S-Works Tarmac SL5, so I'm looking forward to some longer rides.

So my advice is to go and buy one before it gets more expensive. You get the quality of much more expensive brands. Mathias built the same frame in teal, and you can read about his build too. Ride on!

See bikes at the Elves website

Images from the build process

Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres and rim tape ready for fitting Pirelli tyre boxes and tubeless valves on a workbench Carbon road wheel with rear hub lying on a workbench 12-speed cassette on a workbench Delivery box from Elves Bikes standing in the driveway Red Elves Falath Pro frame wrapped in protective plastic Red and silver Elves frame clamped in a workshop stand Close-up of the colour-shifting paint on the chainstay and dropout Close-up of the red head tube paint Elves frame in the garage workshop with tools on the wall Bottom bracket shell on the silver Elves frame Seat stay and dropout with colour-shifting paint Fitting the hydraulic disc brake caliper Internal cable routing inside the frame Cable entering the head tube of the red frame Shimano Ultegra crankset fitted to the frame Crank arm and chainrings during the build Elves frame with crankset fitted in the workshop Carbon steerer tube marked for cutting Rear derailleur and cassette fitted to the frame Chainrings and bottom bracket area with the wheel fitted Ultegra Di2 shifter and brake lever on the handlebar Stem and head tube fitted to the red frame Front wheel fitted in the Falath fork Di2 front derailleur next to the chainrings Bike on the workshop stand with the saddle fitted Finished red Elves Falath Pro road bike against a red brick wall Finished red and silver Elves Falath Pro road bike, side view Seat stay and rear wheel on the finished Elves bike Finished Elves Falath Pro road bike seen from the front at an angle Red and silver Elves Falath Pro frame with a colour-shifting green fork, front left view Red and silver Elves Falath Pro frame and fork, side view Red and silver Elves Falath Pro frame with a colour-shifting green fork, front right view Close-up of the glossy red paint on the Elves Falath Pro frame Close-up of the handlebar, shifter and green fork on the finished bike Elves Falath Pro road bike from the front on a rug Finished Elves Falath Pro road bike standing on a rug indoors
S-Works SL4Rebuilding a 2012 Tarmac at 6.6 kg.Mathias' ElvesThe same frame, built together.