NXR from Time – Nothing to Hide
Pure Road Craftsmanship as Autumn Turns to Winter
by Robert Thorpe, Editor in Chief & Global Brand Editor at TIME Bicycles
There is an honesty to the lanes in mid-November. As autumn gives way to winter and the last leaves fall away, the barren trees strip the countryside back to its true architecture. Without summer’s heavy canopy, you see the clean, sculptural lines of every branch—and the real texture of the tarmac winding beneath them. As a writer I love this time of the year, with the crisp cold air and pure state of the landscape.
It is hard not to draw a parallel when you stand in the garage on a Thursday evening, checking tyre pressures ahead of the weekend and looking closely at the TIME NXR.
Most modern carbon bikes spend their lives sealed behind thick coats of opaque paint, hiding how they were actually built. The NXR does the exact opposite. Like the bare winter trees outside, it has nothing to conceal. Finished in translucent jewel tones—Cobalt, Ruby, Amethyst—or bare Nude Carbon, the tinted gloss lets you trace the continuous, unbroken pathways of TIME’s Braided Carbon Structure (BCS) right through the surface. Every directional shift, every hand-laid transition is on full display.
The Purity of the Frameset—and the Ride
TIME calls the NXR a Pure Road machine: everything you genuinely want from a modern road bike, and nothing you don’t. That purity starts with its lineage. Rather than chasing fleeting aero gimmicks, TIME’s engineers built the NXR directly on the proven DNA of the iconic Alpe d’Huez—a frameset revered by climbers and rouleurs alike for its razor-sharp tracking and balanced, classic road geometry.
You aren’t stretched into an aggressive World Tour tuck, nor are you sat upright on a sluggish endurance bike. Instead, the NXR places you in a natural, timeless road posture—the kind that feels effortless four hours into a crisp winter loop yet responds the instant the gradient kicks upward.
That sense of purity is what makes the ride feel so alive on cold, chipped British roads:
• Braided Carbon & Vectran Dampening: Traditional carbon frames rely on flat, pre-preg sheets that can feel harsh and deadened on rough tarmac. Because TIME weaves dry carbon fibres on proprietary looms, engineers can integrate Vectran—a high-tech liquid-crystal polymer fibre prized for its extraordinary vibration-dampening properties—directly into the continuous braid alongside Dyneema® and Kevlar®. The result is uncanny: high-frequency road buzz from coarse winter chip-seal simply dissolves into the weave, leaving crisp, uncorrupted road feel in your hands and saddle.
• Scylon-Inspired Precision: Up front, a newly sculpted fork borrows from the aerodynamic Scylon, pairing knife-edge steering accuracy with that signature damped composure.
• Built for Real-World Conditions: Revised chain stays open clearance for up to 32mm tyres—allowing lower pressures for wet, grit-strewn lanes without dulling the frame’s eagerness to accelerate. Practical, mechanic-friendly choices like a standard 27.2mm round seatpost, a stiff PF386 EVO bottom bracket, and a SRAM UDH hanger keep the setup refreshingly simple for year-round riding.
Doing Things Properly
In a season that strips cycling back to its essentials—cold air, quiet roads, and the steady rhythm of turning the pedals—there is deep satisfaction in riding a frameset built with the same unvarnished integrity. Crafted in Europe using aerospace-grade Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM), the NXR (£2,639 frameset) proves that when a frame’s internal structure is pure, you don’t need paint to dress it up—and you don’t need gimmicks to feel the difference on the road.
I’m slightly biased I know, in that I love and admire the bikes that TIME create. It’s why I’m happy to both ride them and to write about them. It also means that I get to truly understand them and the artisans that weave their magic to create these Swiss watches of the cycling world. Are they the best carbon bikes in the world? I think that they are, yes. They follow the philosophy of Roland Cattin, seeking the purity of the ride and the perfect ride. The NXR is all this and more, with nothing left to chance. You’ll always get an honest answer and heartfelt words from me, and I truly believe that the NXR is art on 2 wheels. It is everything that Roland Cattin set out to create.
TIME don’t make bikes simply to fill a void in their range. They take their time, think deeply, consult and research – then they craft something quite special. The latest NXR from them is indeed something special – both from an engineering and aesthetic perspective. As the winter winds approach and strip the final leaves from the trees, we’d certainly recommend you taking a look at this pure carbon masterpiece, crafted in the heart of Europe. And, due to some very clever tooling from TIME, the aspirational is now affordable.
Visit the TIME website for more information
