The Reid Falco Elite is built around a solid aluminium frame and carbon fork, both of which come with a lifetime warranty. The bike comes fully fitted with a Shimano 105 groupset and brakes. Bikes from other brands with similar specs won't leave you with much change, if any, from $1,500 and even then you generally get partial 105 with mixture of lower spec Tiagra brakes or cassettes - so this is exceptional value.
Weighing in at just over 9kg, the Reid Falco Elite remains competitive with rival aluminium road bikes. Finished off superbly with an FSA seatpost, stem and oversized handlebars that feel great. The Velo saddle is also comfortable and works well with the Falco’s colour scheme.
A great feature is the overall smoothness of the ride. The Reid carbon forks dampen the road surface to help give a comfortable ride. The gears shift smoothly, precisely and even after the 2,500km I've done so far they are still changing true. As one would expect from the quality components.
Whilst the Alex Rims on lower level Reid's are solid enough, I'd suggest the Mavic Aksium wheel upgrade for the Falco Elite if you're keen to maximise performance. The lighter rims and sealed bearings of the Mavics will provide less rolling resistance to help get you up top speed.
I would thoroughly recommend this bike to anyone who is keen to get in to road biking or maybe someone who's looking to upgrade their current bike to something a bit sharper, and doesn't want to pay the Earth for it. The Falco Elite certainly doesn't look out of place in the peloton, but being light and tough would also be up to the bike task of commuting to work.
Overall, if you're looking for a great value performance bike, you've found it.