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The Moda Vivo Disc is the British brand’s new entry-level carbon fibre road bike.

Moda says the Vivo Discs carbon frameset – designed, tested and assembled in Lancashire – has a comfort-oriented geometry. It is paired with disc brakes to suit riding across a variety of road types and conditions.

The Vivo Disc sits above the Vivo Rim in Moda’s range, offering not just ostensibly better brakes but a revised frame design featuring more aesthetically considered tube shaping that give it a premium look.

Priced from £2,449 there are more affordable ‘entry-level carbon bikes’ on the market, however Moda’s flexible component offering allows riders to opt for a more premium groupset or wheelset without having to invest in a higher tier package.

It’s a bike that, with the right fitting and spec choices, can offer comfort, speed and fun at a fairly reasonable price.

Unlike many ‘entry-level’ road bikes, the Moda Vivo Disc isn’t a case of trickle-down design, it was drawn up from scratch around a tried-and-tested main triangle geometry and a monocoque unidirectional carbon construction.

Moda says lot of attention has gone into the frame’s appearance, with tube shapes given modern touches to avoid – for the most part – round tubes. This gives the bike a refined look on the down tube and top tube.

This doesn’t pay off in all areas though, I personally wasn’t keen on the webbing between the seat stays, although I'll admit to that being entirely subjective.

Moda has also given the Vivo Disc oversized bottom bracket and head tube junctions, which play into the rest of the aesthetic while potentially increasing the frame’s stiffness.

Moda’s flexible spec options means the Vivo Disc bypasses the need to have a ‘range’, instead customers can choose to go with a more premium groupset or wheelset – or both – depending on budget and preferences.

The bike I tested was the most affordable you can buy from the brand’s website, with a Shimano 105 R7000 mechanical groupset and Mavic Aksium alloy wheels.

Alternatively, Moda are one of a few companies who are already offering Shimano 105 Di2 options. You’ll pay a £296 premium over the mechanical Ultegra option but it’s an excellent opportunity to get relatively affordable, 12-speed, semi-wireless electronic shifting.

However, I’d place greater importance on choosing a more premium wheelset. Investing in good wheels can truly level up a bike and I found the Mavic Aksiums, at a claimed 2,045g, were weighty enough to deaden the feel of the bike somewhat.

Generally they’re fine, but given the opportunity, opting for a better set shouldn’t be discounted if it’s within budget. Moda offers the Vivo Disc with Mavic’s Cosmic Elites and Ksyriums too, as well as Spinergy alloy and deep section carbon wheels.

The price increases involved will likely be too dear for most looking specifically for an ‘entry-level’ bike, but Moda has built the Vivo Disc with the capacity to be easily upgraded down the line to wheels outside of these options, which is a more viable method for most to spread the cost.

Elsewhere, the Vivo Disc is specced largely to keep costs down. However, the Deda Zero1 bar, stem and seatpost do everything they need to performance-wise, and the frame uses a maintenance-friendly Shimano threaded BB.

I’m particular about handlebar comfort and this Deda setup really didn’t do it for me, the tops are very narrow and the bar tape didn’t offer much support, but it’s an easy problem to solve with new bars and/or different tape.

The Vivo Disc’s geometry is endurance-leaning, with comfort a priority in this genre, though I wouldn’t say it reaches Cannondale Synapse levels of comfort.

A stack and reach of 567mm and 391mm in a size L (56) creates a fairly racy riding position however, When paired with short 402mm chainstays and a 63mm trail, it has a punchy feel in a straight line but the handling favours stability over agility.

I think most of the choices Moda has made in building the Vivo Disc are the right ones.

Although I was slightly underwhelmed by the Mavic wheels, the more time I spent with the bike, the more I enjoyed what it had to offer and got used to its vibration-damping capabilities.

I rode the bike in this year’s RideLondon-Essex 100, so ended up doing a 180km ride on it, and I found it fared well as a distance machine. The above picture isn’t actually the bike I tested, but another Vivo Disc in the wild.

It was comfortable enough so I didn’t have aches and pains by the time I got home, and racy enough that it wasn’t slow and could really shift when I put the power down. Climbing was easy and the handling is responsive enough as long you’re not racing a crit.

The wheels weren’t in any way a problem either – while they are a touch too heavy to extract the potential of the frameset, they were more than solid enough for most normal riding.

At £2,449, the price may seem a bit steep for an ‘entry level’ at first glance, but when the spec is considered with Shimano 105 and disc brakes, it sits around the market standard, just £100 more than the similarly specced Giant TCR Advanced Disc 2.

As an owner of a 2020 Giant TCR, I can vouch for the Moda Vivo Disc in this comparison. It wasn’t until I upgraded the wheels on my own bike that I started to love my TCR, so by Moda allowing customers to go more premium solely in the wheelset, I think the brand is onto a winner.

In terms of the frameset, the Vivo Disc has exactly what you’d expect at this price performance-wise and, if I were buying it, a quick handlebar and tape upgrade wouldn’t add too much on top.

The Shimano 105 Di2 offering is also a huge plus for those with the cash to spare. With that plus a better wheelset, it would put the bike at the higher end of ‘entry level’. Moda also offers a black colour option, which I would choose over this red.

Moda’s Vivo Disc is a more than capable carbon road bike that equally suits long rides and punchy efforts, and its potential for immediate upgrades gives it a real edge over its competition.

Moda’s all-out aero frame, the Finale, comes with the same groupset and wheels options with the added bonus of Shimano Ultegra Di2. With prices starting from £2,979, it’s not a huge step up in price if speed is your focus.

If you're still not sold on disc brakes, Moda's Vivo Rim bike starts at just £1,799, putting it at a real entry level pricepoint for almost identical spec as the Disc version.

Products reviewed by Cyclist are independently selected and tested by our editorial team. Cyclist may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through a retailer link. Read our reviews policy.

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