Fairlight cycles - any opinions?

yours is a strael - his is a secan

i also think the sizing guide should be taken with a pinch of salt. i am surprised at 6ft you went for a 58R. i am 6ft 3 and ride that size (albeit in strael form. fits like a glove)

Conversely I'm 184cm and fit 58r well. Really it's all personal and a stack and reach comparison is needed to your current bike that fits.

Yeah - I did ref that - I meant more as general observation like yours on the sizing tool.

Also side note on Strael 2.0s, the clearance is suppose to be 32 with a lot of mud space but I think it could take at least 35 slicks with decent amount of room. I couldn’t find a good answer online so went 32.

The sizing tool had me on a 56 - my faran is 54T and I really wouldn't want it any larger

fuck stack and reach, the worse way to figure out IMO, its all 'reach' based and biomechanics change all the time, your core can get stronger/weaker, supporting muscles the same. IMO ST angle is more critical. The rest is 'ride feel'.

remember scoble once scrapped a custom bike and commissioned a new one because ST angle was off by 1º

(same guy who started the stack and reach thread)

But you can have the saddle in the same place regardless of ST angle by changing the offset of the seatpost and/or using the adjustment scale built into saddle rails. ST angle is a terrible way to measure if a bike will fit

Seat tube angle is only important when measuring how fashionable your mtb currently is

heard through the grape vine you can get modular geometry for stack and reach if your bike is compatible with "spacers" and "stems" - might be newer tech so would check with your bikes manual

Much more practical for cyclists looking for high end bikes to concentrate on immutable characteristics like ST angle / stack / reach instead of spacers / stems or god forbid stretching or planking

Unless the bike is titanium which is of course a bike for life

stretching or planking

This is pointless, as your body will always be fighting to regain its natural broken and crippled state

Or is that just me?

ST angle by changing the offset of the seatpost and/or using the adjustment scale built into saddle rails.

yes there is adjustability but not as much as stack and reach with more variables (spacers, stem length, bar shape/reach); what @Maj said

no1 should base their fit on ST angle, its just that stack and reach are seen as a gospel but they are just one of the factors and not even that important

Head tube length is the only true bike fit metric

@Hulsroy will back me up on this

for gravel bikes, head tube doesent matter, its suspension travel and RAD

Hello
It’s time to leave my crackling plastic carbon scrap, hesitate between the mason resolution and thr fairlight strael. I think the strael is more progressive and gives more for money, but im worried about the size calculator I’m 183cm and 87cm leg inside and a 58 T should fit, when i compare it with my 56 synapse the difference is enormously. What do you think a could a bike fitting test help ?

Talk of this upthread - Essentially take the calc with a pinch of salt. I’d try and find one to ride before committing.

Im about the same measurements as you and have a 56t strael. If you happen to be in the midlands you’re welcome to come try it.

My Faran arrived amazingly quickly once posted, and thanks to DHL customs was easy (though less than expected…still expecting some kind of follow up letter).

I have to be honest, the black does look good in person, just a shame I’m going to end up with only black bikes soon!

The fit calculator recommended me a 58R. I ended up getting a 54T, on the basis that the numbers were closer to my other bikes that fit fine.

Any forum feedback on how the Straels ride? (I'm sceptical of cycling media reviews).

I'm looking at putting together a more specific audax rig (more relaxed geo, possible dynamo routing) and the Strael (maybe the Secan) and the Mason Bokeh seem to be the more obvious off-the=peg solutions. Mason's new SLR looks especially interesting but it's a bit more than I want to spend, and while custom would be great, I don't fancy the cost or the wait.

Any first hand input appreciated.

I bought a Strael earlier this year and have mostly been Audaxing on it (I'm new to Audax this year) and honestly it's been everything I've wanted it to be. Really compliant, predictable, stable. Don't mistake that for boring though, if you do want to chuck it around its a fun bike, I just don't do much of that! I went for the Hope hubs & rims, probably should have gone for a dyno but anyway. I'm running 32mm Michelin Power Road tyres which come up pretty much true to size (60psi rear/57psi front, I weigh 80kg) and I find the ride pretty comfy, without feeling spongy if that makes sense. Not the lightest bike around but I knew that when I got it so doesn't bother me, I find it really stable descending as well.

I went for the 56T and the taller headtube + stack of spacers means a super relaxed position, did my first 300 a couple of weeks ago and yeah I was gassed at the end but relatively few aches and pains.

Not sure what else I can tell you but any questions just shout.

Thanks - exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

I've got a Mason Bokeh - great as a gravel bike but wouldn't be my choice for an audax specific bike. Would lean towards other Mason offerings - Resolution and Definition.

I’m looking for a bike which can do dual duties of summer gravel with nice wide tyres and winter road with 32s and mudguards and have convinced myself the Secan 2.5 is it. Anyone got experience of using it like this? I wonder if it’ll feel too sluggish for the winter road aspect.

I use mine like this. I always feel (and am) super slow on cold winter rides so I'm not sure I can comment, and have never really ridden a pure road bike as a winter trainer.

I'd say if you're coming from a 25c road bike it will feel sluggish. In some ways for the roads I ride in winter the extra tyre and coverage trumps any of that really so I'm less concerned with spritely road feeling, although every year it's good to get back on a proper road bike...

Mostly I avoid riding in winter though :D