The Fairlight Strael is a classy, all-season road bike

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New kid on the block Fairlight Cycles recently sent us through its all-season, mile muncher — the Fairlight Strael — and I’ve spent the last few days ogling the jazzy paint job and classy lines of the steel machine.

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As we recently reported, Fairlight was co-founded by Dom Thomas and Jon Reid, and the brand recently launched its first two bikes: the Strael and Faran.

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Thomas is no newcomer to the industry however, having previously worked as a designer at Genesis — bringing us the classic Volare.

We’ve found little fault in the Volare, but Thomas says that the Strael “is without doubt the best road bike I have ever designed”.

Fairlight Strael frame design

When it comes to steel road bikes, very few manufacturers set out with the intention of making an explicitly lightweight bike. Most are primarily interested in the resilience, smooth ride and classy looks that a steel frame affords.

Starting up front, the front triangle of the Strael is constructed from Reynolds 853, which barring the oh-so-shiny stainless 953, is the British tubing manufacturer's flagship tubeset

Fairlight Strael wheel set up

Given how much thought has gone into the design of the frame, it should come as no real surprise that the fork is also custom-made to Fairlight’s specifications

Fairlight Strael fork

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You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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