Having trouble choosing the best hybrid bicycle to buy? The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike might be just what you’re looking for. It’s a fast and dependable hybrid bike that looks and feels amazing.
In this article, we’ve outlined its important features, as well as its upsides and downsides, to help you make the right buying decision.
Table of Contents
Features and Specifications
Tommaso Bikes made it their mission to give their customer the “best equipped bikes for the lowest cost” possible. The result is the Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike, which boasts of a perfect fit frame and high-quality components.
Let’s take a closer look at this men’s hybrid bike.
Dialed Fit Frame
A dialed fit frame means one thing: perfect fit. Tommaso Bikes used laser technology to create a Super-Light Aluminum (SLA) frame that’s optimized to your size, giving you the confidence, control, and stability you need for your road adventures.
It’s not just the frame. Most of its components—crank arm length, handlebar width, and stem length—are also set up to fit your body and riding style.
HCT (High-Modulus Carbon) Fork
Tommaso Bikes combines the SLA aluminum frame with their HCT (High-Modulus Monocoque) carbon fork to dampen the road vibration and shave a few pounds off the bike. To help you feel even more comfortable, it has a deeply padded and broad WTB Street Smart Saddle and Tommaso Gel Grip flat bars (for a more upright riding position).
Shimano Acera Shifters and Drivetrain
Tommaso Bikes is the only manufacturing company that uses full Shimano gears for their bikes. For the Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike, they equipped it with 27-speed Shimano shifters and drivetrain:
The Shimano Acera 3×9-speed drivetrain includes a 48/36/26T crankset and an 11/32T cassette, which give you a wide range of teeth for getting over those steep hills and other road conditions.
The Shimano Acera Rapid Fire shifters offer quick, smooth, and reliable gear shifts. Its simple and clear gear display lets you tell exactly which gear position you’re in.
Kenda K193 (700 x 32c)
The Kenda K193 (700 x 32c) road tires have a smooth, circular tread with deep grooves for dispersing water. These thin tires perform well on smooth, hard-surfaced roads. The tires are fitted on 28-spoke Migda alloy rims, which are light and equally durable as 32-spoke wheels, like the ones on the Retrospec Critical Cycles Parker City Bike.
Recommended Rider Height
The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike is available in six sizes, thus it fits a wide range of riders:
- XXS: 4’9” – 5’1”
- XS: 5’1” – 5’4”
- S: 5’4” – 5’7”
- M: 5’7” – 5’10”
- L: 5’10” – 6’0”
- XL: 6’0” – 6’3”
Technical Details
- Frame: 6061 aluminum alloy, semi-compact road frame
- Fork: Tommaso HCT carbon fiber fork
- Brakes: Tektro RX1 V-Brakes
- Brake levers: Shimano Acera
- Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN26
- Front derailleur: Shimano Acera (3spd)
- Rear derailleur: Derailleur Shimano Acera (9spd)
- Chain: KMC Z99 – (9spd Chain)
- Crankset: Shimano Acera Triple 48/36/26T
- Cassette: Shimano HG50 – 11-32t – 9spd (11,12,14,16,18,21,24,28,32T)
- Bike weight: 24.25 lbs
- Maximum weight limit: 280 lbs (for the wheels) and 350 lbs (for the frame)
- Assembly: The bike arrives partially assembled.
- Accessories: The pre-drilled holes in the frame allows you to add your favorite bike accessories, including fenders, racks, and water bottle cages.
- This bike includes pedals.
The Good
Light and Enjoyable to Ride
The thin tires, carbon fork, Super-Light Aluminum frame—Tommaso Bikes made sure this bike stays light, so larger cyclists are more successful in tackling steep hills. This bike weighs almost the same as the average bike meant for kids, which weighs around 24 pounds.
Although it’s light, it doesn’t affect its ability to carry heavy loads. This won’t have a problem handling a 250-pound guy who needs to carry saddle bags on the rear rack.
A Versatile Bike
The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike allows you to get creative and make it unique. It’s designed to accommodate a variety of fenders, racks, water bottle cage, and other bicycle accessories by pre-drilling the frame. It would’ve been nice if it already came with fenders and a rear rack, like the Schwinn Men’s Wayfarer Hybrid Bike. However, but it’s not really a major deal breaker.
An Extremely Wide Range of Gears
On flat roads, the benefits of a multiple-geared bike aren’t obvious. When combined with lightweight frame, tires, and fork, this 27-speed hybrid bike is prepared to take on hills and a mix of flat and hilly terrain.
If you see yourself riding mostly on flat, concrete roads, a hybrid bike with less gears or one gear might suit your needs. You have plenty of options, one of which is the sixthreezero Explore Your Range Men’s Hybrid Commuter Bicycle.
The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike is the perfect bike for today’s urban rider.
The Bad
Dependent on Shimano Upgrades
Tommaso Bikes doesn’t release new models every year, unless Shimano will update their products for that year. For instance, since Shimano didn’t make any improvements for 2019, the 2018 and 2019 versions of this bike are the same.
Chain Slipping Issue
This issue is uncommon, but it’s still worth noting. To avoid paying another fee, let your local bike shop do the assembly and adjustments. Or, if you already put it together and are afraid you may break the chain, you might want to replace it instead.
Larger Frame than Recommended
Bike-fit related issues are common, so choose your frame size carefully. Contact the seller to make sure you get the right fit for your body size. For instance, if you’re 5 foot even, the XXS model might be too big and heavy for you.
Who Is It For?
The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike was built for people who commute daily, are conscious about their health, want to de-stress, and enjoy a relaxing bike ride. Comfortable, fast, and reliable: If those are what you’re looking for in a hybrid bike, you need the La Forma.
Conclusion
The Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike is the hybrid bike that the guys at the bike shops told you about. It has the right features that you want for commuting, getting fit, and leisure riding. For a 27-speed hybrid bike that looks and feels great, it seems to be well worth the price.
Optimized fit and exceptional comfort, the Tommaso La Forma Lightweight Aluminum Hybrid Bike will make you enjoy riding again.