Why is the Pearson Shift So Good?

People often ask us in @velorunner if all bikes are the same. We try to keep it simple and say, no, they're not. Some brands invest heavily in marketing or sponsoring riders, while others concentrate on enhancing their bikes' performance and durability. Pearson is definitely in that second group.

But what does that actually mean? The Shift from Pearson Bikes is a performance bike, meticulously designed for speed and precision. Built with an aerodynamic profile and lightweight Toray carbon, it's the ultimate platform for creating a race-winning machine.

The frameset delivers exceptional stiffness for powerful sprints and sharp handling, ensuring you stay competitive at every level. Perfect for cyclists looking to push their limits and achieve top performance.

So, how is that achieved?

Well, first of all, Pearson uses Toray Carbon Fibre throughout the bike. Toray carbon fibre is world-renowned because of its exceptionally high strength-to-weight ratio, superior stiffness, durability, and chemical resistance.

Key Characteristics:

• High Strength-to-Weight Ratio:

  Toray carbon fibres are incredibly strong and stiff for their minimal weight, which helps to reduce overall product weight, improve speed and efficiency, and enhance performance. 

• Excellent Stiffness and Rigidity:

  This property is crucial for applications requiring high structural integrity, preventing deformation under stress. 

• Durability and Fatigue Resistance:

  Toray carbon fibres offer excellent fatigue resistance and protection against corrosion and galvanic corrosion, leading to longer product lifespans. 

• Chemical Resistance:

  The fibers are resistant to acids, alkalis, salts, and solvents, making them suitable for harsh operating environments. 

Pearson Shift 2.0 Carbon Aero Road Bike - Shimano Ultegra

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However, it's not particularly cheap, so most Bike manufacturers don't use it, and when they do, it's a sliver here and there, unlike Pearsons, who use it in key performance areas of the bike, like the Headset and Bottom Bracket areas. The Frame and the Forks utilise the Toral T1000 & high rigidity M40JB, including around the BB, to provide increased stiffness around the bottom bracket shell, ensuring every watt is transferred to forward movement.

IT doesn't stop there, though. The Shift with Dura Ace build benefits from a full Ceramic Speed headset and bottom bracket, while the Ultegra has the fantastic Hope TR47 bottom Bracket as standard and full carbon and super quick ERE Genus II AE65 full Carbon hooked rim 65mm Wheels.

Then there are its Aero credentials and attention to detail. Punching air away where needed and grabbing it in others. For example, the paint on the forks of the Shift on the leading edge is glossed and smooth to allow the air to flow over it with minimum resistance. However, the Trailing edge is rough, designed to efficiently "guide" or "catch" the air as it departs the fork's surface, rather than being a "catch" in the sense of capturing it. Its precise shape influences the direction of the air's exit and the formation of the wake, which are crucial for controlling drag.

So no not all bikes are the same, not all of them are the Pearson Shift.