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#1
01-04-2023, 01:04 PM
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Anyone with a Fairlight Strael? How does it stack up?
This bike, in its 2.0 and 3.0 iterations, has received glowing (as in, full marks) reviews from several websites, mostly based in the UK. I'm a little skeptical, and of the mindset that these encomiums might be bolstered by some amount of homerism, since Fairlight is a UK brand.
Still, gosh darn am I tempted, especially in that nice nice purple colorway. Does anyone have a Fairlight? Can you tell me how it rides compared to other bikes you own, steel or otherwise? 
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#2
01-04-2023, 02:05 PM
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I dont have a Strael, but I do have a Fairlight Secan as my gravel bike frame.
If I didnt have a main road bike I love, or multiple backups, I would 100% pick up a Strael because the geometry looks pretty perfect and I already have a good opinion of the company. Well really, if it were just my main road bike that needed to be replaced, I would get the Strael and expect it to be the new main road ride. Buckle up... Fairlight as a company is really cool. They provide so much info on their frames that it can almost be difficult to sort thru, but I would much rather go that route than not enough info. The lookbooks are super cool and the design notes for each frame are awesome. It is very clear that Dom(designer) puts a lot of effort into the frame designs. They are well thought out, feature really nice quality bits, and I would say the result is a frame thats elegant(vs kludgy). Fairlight's willingness to show tube butting details, frame weights, and more all means they have nothing to hide and are proud of what they offer. I actually emailed back and forth with Dom a few times while deciding which frame I wanted to buy back in 2018. He was quick to respond and helpful- and he geeked out on some details there too, which was cool to read. The varied sizing(R and T) makes for a ton of options to help ensure fit for most everyone. And its really neat that so many measurements are adjusted for each frame size(compared to some other companies). The welded front triangle and brazed rear triangle looks very nice both naked(lookbook pics) and painted. My Secan is an 853 main triangle with shaped tubes and 4130 stays that are heavily manipulated. I like the look and result- lots of tire clearance. The main triangle uses an 853DZB downtube though, and that thing is a beast. They have to use it in order to pass testing, but its so strong and thick at the head tube joint that I bet a truck could roll over it and that end of the tube wouldnt deform. As a result, it isnt the lightest frame ever built. I knew that ahead of time though, and it also is lighter than comparable frames from Jamis, Niner, Kona, AllCity, etc so its not like there was much of a choice when it comes to production to get lighter. The finish on my frame has been fanstastic and the new frames are even better with the changed dropout and stainless plates. As for the Strael, the tubing is thinner than my Secan, as shown on the site/lookbook so it will obviously be a bit lighter. The redesigned stays and tire clearance are really nice on the Strael. If the geometry is what you are looking for, I wouldnt hesitate based on anything else. The company is solid, the thought and design is excellent, and the finish is great. Geometry that works is most important and you will have everything you would want(at least everything I would want). One thing worth noting- I enjoy external cables. I dont care if cables are hidden or not and the external cables are very well managed by using a 3d printed guide under the downtube. Just worth mentioning since the current trend for eliminating cables from being seen is increasing. What else are you considering? One other British company with a similar road bike is Mason. https://masoncycles.cc/shop/categories/resolution-bikes
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#3
01-04-2023, 03:21 PM
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Dang, that's a great post. Thank you very much. I'm going to be selling my main road bike soon...maybe I'll pick up a Strael frameset.
I also have no problem with external cabling. While I have an eTap bike (and have had several di2 bikes), I really like classic-style analog bikes with cutting edge modern hard components attached (wheels, bars, stem, post, etc). I've seen Mason, but I like the looks of the Strael better than anything they're doing. I'm not partial to a bike made in the UK or anywhere in the world. My current steel ride is a Norco Section Steel, which I think is incredible fun with a wonderful geometry and handling that is planted but exciting. My only concern is that the Strael would be a little too similar...but I bet I'll be taking that risk sometime this year.
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#4
01-04-2023, 03:42 PM
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I've got a Faran 2.0 and have used it for adventure/bikepacking and also around town. Super versatile, well-designed bikes. I think they're some of the best production steel bikes available at the moment.
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#5
01-04-2023, 03:50 PM
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Quote:
The orange Strael 2.0 was a really cool color(my main road bike is orang/white fade, so I am partial), but the new purple Strael is just killer cool. I wish there were more of me so I could ride more bikes and justify adding a purple Strael!
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#6
01-04-2023, 04:05 PM
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I am really impressed with the looks and quality of what I see on their website. Looks to be a fine example of a modern steel road bike at a very good price point. Color choices are not great, my only detraction.
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#7
01-04-2023, 04:26 PM
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I have the Fairlight Strael 2.0 in a size 54T. Have had it for about 4 months now. It’s a really sweet ride except for one issue. It’s weight. I run dynamo hubs and the total weight with Force AXS works out to 22lbs. I can’t say that I don’t notice it but anything flat it excels.
 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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#8
01-04-2023, 04:40 PM
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For you Fairlight riders/owners, how was the ordering/shipping process? Painless?
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#9
01-04-2023, 04:58 PM
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It delivered quickly, I think 3 days after it shipped - UK to Iowa. The packing was perfect- secure and still minimal. I bought mine pre-brexit/pandemic. No idea how delivery costs are now, but they were listed and very reasonable back in '18.
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#10
01-04-2023, 06:13 PM
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Perhaps a little OT, but I test rode a Fairlight Strael against a Mason Resolution and a Definition; TL/DR, I went for the Definition. Part of that was fit, but I did feel the Strael lacked a certain zing; as a previous poster alluded to, it's not a terribly light bike. And while I would absolutely agree that weight isn't anything, the Definition felt noticeably sprightlier. I also prefer Mason's aesthetics and European provenance, but those things are subjective.
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#11
01-04-2023, 07:24 PM
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Fairlight Strael is heavy compared to CF of Al, but it's among the lightest steel framesets. Standert makes some lighter that are pure road bikes, but that's all I've seen. Not many steel frames <2000g, which the Strael is for all sizes <61
Mason Definition mentioned above is Al, for instance. The Mason Resolution frame is steel and appears to be about ~190g heavier than the Strael frame.
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#12
01-04-2023, 08:40 PM
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Quote:
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#13
01-04-2023, 11:34 PM
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When discussing weight, hopefully some info to compare will help.
My Secan is size 61t, so the largest there is. It has 43mm tubeless tires, 2x drivetrain that's 105 shifters and hydraulic brakes with Ultegra RX RD. Praxis Zayante aluminum crank, aluminum h+son rims with bitex hubs and 32 spokes for both wheels, aluminum seatpost as well as stem and bars. A not light Brooks C17 is on there too. Basically, it is quality, but not spec'd with weight as the focus. It weighs 23.25# right now in ready to ride mode(pedals, bottle cages, GPS mount). If I changed the saddle and wheels, I could easily drop 1#. If a 54r frame were used, that's another 0.5# saved in frame weight alone. So a 54r Secan could very easily weigh 21.75# without doing anything goofy or expensive. That would lead me to think a 54r Strael with narrower tires, smaller cassette, lighter wheels, typical weight road saddle would come in at 20.5#, without going crazy to buy only the lightest. That doesn't seem bad to me, at least not when you consider it's a steel road bike with hydraulic disc brakes and many carbon road bikes weigh that much or more in recent years. I also do recognize that it is not the lightest bike around.
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#15
01-05-2023, 04:39 AM
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Quote:
One of my biggest fears is that, coming from a rim-braked Focus Izalco Max (at ~1.0kg for frame and fork), am I going to hate myself for going to reasonably heavier bike (7.3kg to ~9kg)? Anyone else made the a similar transition from lightweight carbon to steel and lived to tell the tale - and any thoughts from the experience?
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