Just Released: the TIME Scylon Gen 2, a Sleek, Fully Customizable, Do-It-All Road Bike

Today, TIME released the latest iteration of its most high-end road bike: the Scylon Generation 2, a highly aerodynamic and beautiful bicycle. For a breakdown of what you should know about this do-it-all road bike, including why Contender added it to our lineup, please read on. 

Setting the Stage: TIME Scylon Backstory & Why Contender Chose This Bike

Founded in the 1980s by Frenchman Roland Cattin, TIME has consistently hung its hat on an enviable sweet spot in the cycling world, with a unique balance of craftsmanship, top shelf ride quality, and clean, sleek aesthetics. And while not the very first to offer carbon fiber road bike frames, TIME did pioneer a more craftsman, bespoke approach to carbon frame building. Specifically, the company starts with individual carbon fiber threads, which are woven into a sock-like tube, which TIME pulls over a frame-shaped wax mold. The carbon tubes and wax mold are then placed into an industrial manufacturing version of a panini press type structure, where resin is injected in and out of the carbon fiber and final frame design, until the desired quality is achieved. Finally, the interior wax mold is melted out and removed from the frame, followed by sanding, painting, branding, and overall quality control. The result is a higher quality, more consistent carbon frame construction, which our staff has come to know for its exceptional ride quality and overall durability. As a fun fact, TIME is one of just three brands in the bike industry building frames this way, and if one were to bisect a TIME frame into two halves, what you would see is a seamless, smooth network of carbon panels and construction on the interior, which is part of what drives the aforementioned durability and ride quality. For a deeper dive into TIME’s frame building process, check out our Contender Journal post on this very topic, including an excellent mini documentary from TIME.

Fast forward to the modern era, TIME released the first edition of the Scylon (pronounced “Sky-Lawn”) in 2015, and is now coming out with the Generation 2. In our view, this is an excellent option for the discerning cyclist–someone who craves European heritage, high-end craftsmanship, and highly aero technology, but packaged up in a more classic, aesthetically pleasing frame, without the time trial look commonly associated with this genre of bike. Sure, there are lighter, more aero high-end road bikes out there (see below for some competitive set options). But few bikes come close to the Scylon’s aforementioned balancing act, making this an eye-catching, do-it-all road bike, equally at home on a local group ride to the backroads of Europe to a competitive Grand Fondo. 

Furthermore, with TIME offering the Scylon as a frame-only option, we also selected this bike to cater to cyclists who live and breathe customization, poring over every component, from drivetrain to cockpit, and from wheels to saddle.  

What’s New? Key Features of the TIME Scylon Gen 2

Specifically, we see the following as the most noteworthy features of the Scylon Gen 2: 

• Cutting Edge Frame: beyond its craftsman, one-of-a-kind carbon braiding technique, TIME swung for the fences on the Scylon Gen 2, seeking to raise the bar on a range of frame characteristics, from weight and stiffness, and from ride quality to aerodynamics. To achieve this, the Scylon Gen 2 features a continuous braid topology that starts at the bottom bracket and extends through the front triangle, creating an unbroken carbon fiber structure for exceptional strength and performance. The result is an aerodynamically enhanced frameset–its fastest, most aero frame to date, per TIME–that weighs under 900 grams raw, while also featuring full cable integration.

• Wider Tire Clearance: as road bike tires trend wider, the frame of Scylon now accommodates a 32c tire, delivering a more stable ride quality, ideal for both high speed cornering and wet, unpredictable conditions. 

• Seatpost: quite possibly the most eye-catching quality of an already charismatic bike? The Scylon’s seatpost. Produced using the very same materials and technology as the frame, the seatpost delivers a handsome blend of integration and aesthetics. In addition, the new seat rail clamping system features a patented design that allows for both a -20mm and a +10mm offset, accommodating a wide range of body types and bike fits.

• Open Source Flexibility: designed to be a highly open source and flexible solution, per TIME, “the Scylon Gen 2 is supplied with an FSA integrated headset system and SRS top cap. This system allows usage of any semi-integrated or fully integrated cockpit or handlebar / stem configuration.” The net? Cyclists have the ability to choose their desired level of cockpit integration. 

• Custom Build: as noted above, the Scylon is fully customizable, owing to its frame-only optionality from TIME. While not everyone’s cup of tea, for a certain subset of cyclists, we know this ability to customize is just what the doctor ordered. 

Odds & Ends

• Weight Reduction: reduced by 100 grams per frame size (versus Scylon Gen 1)

• Aerodynamics: 12% pedaling improvement (versus Scylon Gen 1)

• Colors: available in 4 colors, including Nude, Pearl, Brilliant Red, and Brilliant Purple

• Sizes: 6 sizes, from XXS to XL (note: frame sizes released in waves, from March t June 2025; contact Contender for details)

‘Do-It-All’ European & Customizable Road Bikes: What Else is Out There? 

For those interested in high-end, do-it-all road bikes with European heritage, or frame-only options that can be customized from the ground-up, Contender also offers the bikes below:  

• Pinarello Dogma: blazing fast, gorgeous, Italian. For the cyclist who demands the best, and if walking out the door the same day is preferred (versus a custom build), the Pinarello Dogma demands strong consideration. 

• Colnago V4RS: among this bike’s many superlatives, just one might rise above all others: before switching over to the Y1RS (for the 2025 season), Tadej Pogacar rode the V4RS for the past several years, winning an enviable range of races, from one-day spring classics to European grand tours. With cutting edge technology, the V4RS delivers maximum power transfer and precision handling, in fully built out options. 

• Enve Melee: for cyclists  that prefer US-based brands while maintaining the ability to fully customize, the Melee is an ideal option–also unique, also fast, also gorgeous. 

Learn More

Interested in learning more about the TIME Scylon Gen 2? We’d love to help out. Feel free to drop by the shop, send us a message, or give us a call at (801) 364-0344.