Verenti Kilmeston

Review from Bikeradar

Verenti's Kilmeston – named after the Hampshire parish known for its long climbs and rolling terrain – is designed to be a versatile, year-round riding machine.

To this end, it comes with mudguards front and rear, along with rear rack mounts and clearance for 25mm tyres. It could easily be used for audax, the daily commute and even a spot of light touring.

The frame is triple butted 7005 aluminium, a step down from its pricier aluminium/carbon stablemate, the Verenti Millook. In the saddle, though, the difference isn't that marked, the Kilmeston offering a solid, comfortable ride.

Its head-tube – 215mm on our XL – creates a more upright riding position than a race bike, and the steering is smooth and predictable. With a well specced cockpit of 120mm stem and wide 44cm handlebar with shallow drops, it's more a mile eater than a miles per hour machine – a bike for taking in and enjoying the countryside rather than thrashing through it.

The drivetrain is mainly SRAM Rival combined with a Truvativ compact (50/34T) chainset. Rival has proved solid and dependable throughout the test and climb-friendly gearing is always welcome.

Verenti's own-brand finishing kit consisting of an Me3 handlebar, stem, seatpost, brakes and saddle is all well finished. The brakes are particularly good – not in the same league as those in higher groupsets, but up with the best on bikes at this price. Our only complaint is with the saddle; the profile is flat from nose to tail and we found ourselves sliding around on climbs trying to find an ideal spot.

The wheels are good, solid, mid-range offerings branded Verenti but actually handbuilt by Pro-Lite. While they're no lightweights, they've stayed true and the hubs have been trouble-free throughout.

In conclusion...

The riding position and confident handling make the Kilmeston a great option for a first foray into the drop bar world. Its £900 price tag makes it spot on for Cycle to Work buyers, and it's perfect for commuters wanting to build to bigger distance rides, though we'd also recommend it as a winter trainer.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review from Bicycle Buyer

The striking Kilmeston offers a market leading combination of versatility and value from Verenti. A brilliantly designed frame, coupled with price-point beating componentry set the Kilmeston apart from the rest.... Designed with the normal road rider in mind the geometry of the Verenti's 7005 alloy frame is suitably relaxed offering up a more sedate head tube angle which promotes a more upright and comfortable riding position.

In conclusion...

Overall the Kilmeston offered up relaxed and consistent performance at an amazing price.

Review from road.cc

Wiggle describe the Kilmeston as offering 'versatility and value' and on initial inspection you can see where they're coming from compact gearing, rack and mudguard eylets and a near full Sram Rival groupset for £900! The Verenti range has been receiving rave reviews throughout the cycling press since the launch so we gave the Kilmeston nearly two months of testing day in day out to see what the bike is like to live with long term.

At this price point the Kilmeston is obviously aimed at the commuter coming in nicely under the £1000 limit of most bike to work schemes. The tall headtube gives a slightly higher upright position than an all out racing machine which alongside the neutral handling works well for filtering through traffic and makes it more comfortable riding with a rucksack, coming with mudguards as part of the package its ready to go straight out of the box, rain or shine.


Come the weekend the same relaxed geometry turns the Kilmeston into a comfortable, quick, long distance machine. Most of these characteristics are provided by the triple butted 7005 aluminium frame, this allows the tube walls to be thinner at the centre to reduce the road buzz while the thicker ends give better stiffness and weld contact. While the acceleration isn't the quickest due to the high rotating mass of the wheels, once up to speed the Verenti is happy to cruise along with very little effort. The Verenti Me components that adorn every contact point also help on the comfort front and over the three days of the Tour of Wessex the most notable difference over previous years was less rider fatigue.


The Me aluminium seatpost, handlebars and stem all work well while fitting in nicely with the overall look of the bike. There is nothing overly flash about them but they do the job and keep the cost down. The handlebars are shallow drop which are great as most riders only use the drops for descending anyway and they enable a low position without having to have your nose on the stem. The saddle, also Me, was a great perch with just the right amount of flex without being soft and no soreness was felt throughout the test period.

Climbing is helped with by a 12-27t cassette working alongside a 50-34t Truvativ Elita chainset, this covers virtually any terrain you're likely to encounter. In terms of handling the Kilmeston is very sure footed especially descending at high speed from any of the steep climbs you're bound to encounter on a sportive route. The only chink in its armour component wise are the Me brand brakes which provided a few scary moments especially in the wet. This to be fair though could probably be sorted by a change of pad compound.

Sram's Rival shifters are very solid in use and give a very sharp and positive change both up and down the block. I did find my fingers had a tendency to slip on the longer stroke sometimes when wearing long fingered gloves so this could be a concern in the wet during the winter months. Both Rival mechs behaved faultlessly as well with the rear only needing slight adjustment of the cable after about 500 miles.

The wheels while heavy are dependable, no troubles with trueness and they do look smart with their slightly aero rims at 35mm depth. I would like to comment on the Vittoria Diamante Pro tyres but unfortunately on the first ride I hit a metal strip dropped by a lorry which sliced straight through the rear tyre and tube. The remaining front tyre gripped well in the wet and the dry even though it felt quite a hard compound. This should help with longevity though especially on the rear.


Taking everything into account apart from racing there is very little that the Kilmeston couldn't deal with. if you're limited by funds or space and can only have one bike the Verenti should be very near the top of your list, its quick and agile enough to excite yet can be comfortably ridden for hours with little rider input (apart from turning the pedals obviously!!). the spec list is probably the best you will see at this price point as well. all in all a great bike, while not really excelling at anything in paticular a cracking ride and an easy bike to live with.

In conclusion...

Really versatile all rounder, that's fun to ride and top value too.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review from Road Cycling UK

The Verenti Kilmeston holds the entry level spot in Wiggle's latest in-house range, and is also their most diverse, boasting substantial fitted mudguards, space for rack mounts and a slightly more relaxed geometry than your normal sportive bike. It's also got a huge headset stack so there's plenty of adjustment options, and possibly a quick session with a hacksaw once you've made your decision.

Nevertheless, it's quick - the stiff and light triple butted alloy frame really helps to put the power down off the mark thanks to the oversize tubes and, once up to speed, the SRAM Rival shifters and mechs are crisp and clean in operation, and also quite a rarity at this price point.

Most of the kit is Verenti's own "Me" brand and, aside from a rather shonky saddle, quality seems good, most notably the wheels. These are hand built affairs with some surprisingly light 35mm deep rims which responded admirably clad in the provided Vittoria Diamanto Pro tyres. The weight is still apparent, mind you, and is the only real hindrance to otherwise solid acceleration.

During the daily assault on London's potholed roads the surprisingly slim and flexible in-house carbon fork was initially a shock after the weighty reassurance of your reviewer's usual steel. However, in combination with the stiff frame, the machine handles well while remaining comfortable. The compact Truvativ chainset performs admirably on climbs and the tactically pre-padded drops keep everything comfy.

In conclusion...

The Kilmeston's a clear year-round bike, trendy enough in white to get the odd envious stare and solid enough to get you through the winter months at speed. Finally, at the £900 price point there's hard to see how you can get more for your money in an all-rounder.

Rating: First Ride

Review from Cycling Active

The Kilmeston is the latest own-brand offering from mail-order giant Wiggle. The higher-end Verenti machines are notable for their distinctive carbon tubes and lugs, but the Kilmeston has a far more traditional approach, with the frame made from lightweight triple-butted aluminium and a carbon fork...
Despite being at the bottom of the Verenti hierarchi the Kilmeston certainly looks great, with neat little design cues like two small Verenti emblems pressed into the metal of the headtube, and fun and funky decals that add a bit of visual excitement without descending into tackiness...One design aspect you can't miss is the high head tube, showing from the outset that this bike's focus is on comfort, rather than out-and-out speed.


Going from a pure raceing bike's head-down geometry to the lofty Kilmeston is an odd experience - you initially feel so high up you might as well be on a Dutch cruiser. Thankfully there's no sensation of being removed from the action; the handling is stable and secure, and very comfortable. The Kilmeston's seatstays feature a significant kink, making it the smoothest, most forgiving aluminium frame I've ever ridden.


That doesn't mean it wallows when it should be speeding, though. If anything, the sure-footed handling serves to inspire confidence when you want to up the ante. Descents are a wobble-free joy, and it's no slouch going uphill either. The SRAM Rival/Truvativ compact drivetrain offers a good selection of speeds, even if it did take us a little while to get the shifting working as well as we'd like. At 9.1kg, the bike's weight is reasonable, if not especially light.

Finally there's the whole Wiggle buying experience. We received our Kilmeston in a brand-new box just as any other customer would. It came complete with a mini multi-tool to adjust contact points, a spanner to fit the included pedals, all instruction leaflets and a handy little book explaining basic bike mechanics. We naturally feel that nothing should be able to beat the service you get from a local bike shop, but these little extras certainly help make your online bike-buying experience more enjoyable.

In conclusion...

So time to sound like Jeremy Clarkson: if the bike was a car it would be an SUV - designed for the road, big on practicality, but with an undercurrent of adventure. The high front end means it's a sensible all-day ride, and allied with the rear rack mounting points hints at serious touring potential. The included mudguards makes it an obvious choise for winter training and all-year commuting. And the wide tyre clearance suggests that a change of rubber could create a decent cyclo-cross machine or soft roader. Unlike SUV's, though, you don't pay a premium, at £900 it's a bargain.

Rating: First Ride

Review from Cycling Plus

Verenti's Kilmeston - named after the Hampshire parish known for its long climbs and rolling terrain - is designed to be a versatile, year-round riding machine. To this end, it comes with mudguards front and rear - handy as, even though it's summer, most of the riding we've done on the Kilmeston has been in the wet - along with rear rack mounts and clearance for 25mm tyres. It could be used for audax, the daily commute and even a spot of light touring.


The frame is triple butted 7005 aluminium, a step down from its pricier alu/carbon stablemate, the Millook. In the saddle, though, the difference isn't that marked, the Kilmeston offering a solid, comfortable ride.


Its head-tube - 215mm on our XL - creates a more upright riding position than a race bike, and the steering is smooth and predictable. With a well specced cockpit of 120mm stem and wide 44cm handlebar with shallow drops, it's more a mile eater than a miles per hour machine - a bike for taking in and enjoying the countryside rather than thrashing through it.


The drivetrain is mainly SRAM Rival combined with a Truvativ compact (50.34) chainset. Rival has proved solid and dependable throughout the test and climb-friendly gearing is always welcome. Verenti's own brand finishing kit consisting of an Me3 handlebar, stem, seatpost, brakes and saddle is all well finished. The brakes are particularly good - not in the same league as those in higher groupsets, but up with the best on bikes at this price. Our only complaint is with the saddle; the profile is flat from the nose to tail and we found ourselves sliding around on climbs trying to find an ideal spot.


The wheels are good, solid, mid-range offerings branded Verenti but actually handbuilt by Pro Lite. While they're no lightweights, they've stayed true and the hubs have been trouble-free throughout.

In conclusion...

The riding position and confident handling make the Kilmeston a great option for a first foray into the drop bar world. Its £900 price tag makes it spot on for Cycle to Work buyers, and it's perfect for commuters wanting to build to bigger distance rides, though we'd also recommend as a winter trainer.

Rating: 9/10

Review from Cycling Plus

The Verenti stands out for its impeccable ride and handling, and its sheer value for money, it was good value at £900 RRP , so with the £150 discount (as we go to print) it's amazing value. Wiggle's buying power and direct sales route account for some of this, but it has also clearly spent alot of time sweating the details to make the Kilmeston a terrific all-round bike for the money.

In conclusion...

The top choice for an all-rounder road bike.

Rating: 9/10