CYCLING PLUS | September 2018 | 45

Photography Robert Smith

Carbon fibre is everywhere for road bikes, but what if you want something different? We pushed six metal machines to their

limits to take you down a different path

THRASH METAL

ANYTHING BUT CARBON

ROAD

TEST

46 | September 2018 | CYCLING PLUS

hat was once aspirational and exclusive to high-end bikes, carbon fibre frames can now be

found for around a grand, or cheaper. The flipside of carbon’s availability is the risk of classic materials, like steel and titanium, becoming the niche property of independent builders, elevating metals to the unobtainable levels carbon once occupied.

Thankfully, there are a number of brands keeping affordable metal alive. Italy’s legendary Cinelli, using its neighbour’s Columbus steel, has become involved in the world of fixed gear bikes; the Vigorelli track bike being its most popular. It has done the decent thing and taken the Vigorelli design and switched it up to a fully geared bike while retaining the bold pop art-inspired finish.

Across the Atlantic in Minneapolis is relative upstart All-City Cycles, it’s

been around for a decade now. The Mr Pink is its take on a road race bike, using Columbus’s Zona tubeset.

UK-based Genesis forged its reputation in steel. The Equilibrium is a modern take on the British all-rounder, built from Reynolds 725 tubing, with a full complement of rack and mudguard mounts.

Cambridge’s The Light Blue produces British steel bikes for road, touring and gravel. The Wolfson is its take on the classic British road bike, built using high-grade Reynolds 853 tubing.

Tom Ritchey is a legendary bike builder, and the company’s Road Logic has a big following. For 2018 it’s put together a complete bike using a swathe of Ritchey parts.

We’ve also included some rust-proof bling in Dolan’s ADX titanium bike. The ADX combines endurance/sportive geometry with disc brakes and Shimano Ultegra groupset.

Our six contenders set out to prove that steel and titanium can still

hold their own

YOUR TESTER Warren Rossiter

Senior

technical editor Warren has ridden more bikes than just about any other tester around. His Wiltshire

stomping ground gives him access

to a variety of test terrain, from

smooth A-roads to the military

tracks of Salisbury Plain.

ROAD

TEST

W+++++EXCEPTIONAL

A genuine class leader

++++VERY GOOD

One of the best you can buy

+++GOOD

It’ll do the job very well

++BELOW AVERAGE

Flawed in some way

+POOR

Simply put, don’t bother

RATINGSEXPLAINED

CYCLING PLUS | September 2018 | 47

THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON ULTEGRA £2099.99

DOLAN TITANIUM ADX DISC ULTEGRA £2401.98

GENESIS EQUILIBRIUM DISC 20 £1999.99

RITCHEY ROAD LOGIC COMP £2099.99

THE BIKES ON TEST

Cambridge-based The Light Blue is one

of the oldest British bike brands, dating back to 1895. The company uses

high-grade 853 tubing from legendary British steel tube maker Reynolds for this classic British road rider’s bike.

Dolan’s record in providing track bikes to future

(and current) superstars is unsurpassed, but the company also offers value-packed road

machines. This titanium-framed sportive special decked in Shimano Ultegra gearing comes at a price usually reserved for titanium frames.

US brand All-City combines Italian

Columbus steel with its too-cool-for-school sensibilities to produce a modern race machine. You’ll see slick attention to detail such as the

SL (Super Light) hubs, Whiskey No 7 Road Plus carbon fork, clearance for 32mm tyres plus some serious style chops in its custom head badge, signature steel dropouts and internal cable routing.

The Vigorelli has been the brand’s most popular

fixed-wheel bike for a number of years now. For 2018 the company has taken the Columbus-tubed classic in a new direction, adapting the

design into a geared steel racer, matching its Thron steel tubing to a carbon fork. It has been created with design input from the riders of Team Cinelli Chrome, Red Hook Criterium champions.

British metal expert Genesis has brought

the classic British light tourer bang up to date with the disc-equipped Reynolds

steel-framed Equilibrium. Featuring a carbon fork, Fulcrum wheels and full Shimano 105 gearing, Genesis places this firmly in the sportive camp.

Tom Ritchey is a legend when it comes to steel

bike building, and the highly-regarded, classic-inspired Road Logic is now available in an

off-the-peg complete bike build. The complete spec is made up of a Shimano 105 groupset, Ritchey finishing kit and has clearance for 30mm tyres.

ALL-CITY MR PINK £1899.99CINELLI VIGORELLI ROAD £1549.99

ANYTHING BUT CARBON

54 | September 2018 | CYCLING PLUS

Carbon can’t match the spring of a great

steel frame, which the Wolfson gives you

ou’d be forgiven for not knowing The Light Blue brand, but it was established back in 1895, and has

been under the ownership of the Townsend family since. Historically the brand was deeply associated with performance bikes, but over the last decade or so it has concentrated on producing the Parkside and Chesterton city bikes. These traditional basket-up-front and sit-up-and-beg riding position town cruisers have been hugely popular with students in The Light Blue’s home city of Cambridge.

More recently, The Light Blue

THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON ULTEGRA £2099.99 › Classic British road bike with a touch of the Cambridge blues

marque has expanded into a range of classic-inspired road bikes, gravel bikes and the Wolfson, based around the clubman-style road bike.

The Wolfson isn’t a retro-replica as its geometry (73-degree seat, 72.5-degree head angles and 1022mm wheelbase) makes it handle like a thoroughly modern road bike. That said the ride quality is far removed from modern carbon, which, when it’s used cleverly, can emulate steel in compliance terms. What carbon can’t match is the natural spring and life of a great steel frame, which is exactly what the Wolfson gives you. It’s made from Reynolds 853 tubing, which has the

benefit of a light, seamless construction and is ‘air-hardened’ to give greater strength in the weld areas over more standard steels. The 853 steel is also heat treated to further increase its strength and resistance to damage. The added toughness means you can make the tubes with thinner walls, so it’s lighter yet highly resistant to fatigue.

In real terms, that adds up to a bike with real character. Would we choose the Wolfson for a hard-riding-in-the-red, heart-rate-busting road session or power-producing intervals? No, not a chance when compared to modern race bike. But for spending long sociable days out

YSPECIFICATIONWeight 8.9kg

(58cm) Frame Reynolds

853 steelFork Carbon, alloy steerer

Gears Shimano Ultegra

50/34, 11-28 Brakes

Tektro Quartz Wheels Halo

Devaura Finishing kit

Genetic Creed bar and SLR stem,

Gusset Black Jack saddle, 28mm

Schwalbe Durano tyres

Below Mudguard mounts feature on the fork legs Bottom Air-

hardened and heat-treated Reynolds 853 steel makes for a strong frame

ROAD

TEST

CYCLING PLUS | September 2018 | 55

THE VERDICT

riding with friends or epic distances, we would go for bikes like the Wolfson every time.

Light Blue has balanced the frame with a skinny-legged carbon fork to create a really nice, balanced feel. The circa 1500g Halo Devaura wheelset is a decent match for the frame too, the freehub is quick to engage, and the wheels ride with no discernible flex. The rim profile is a great match for the 28mm Schwalbe tyres, which add another level to the overall comfort.

The Genetic saddle may be a little garish with its union flag pattern compared to the understated blue frameset, but the textured surface and shape only add to the luxury feel of the Wolfson.

To get an 853-framed bike at this price and one with an Ultegra groupset will mean some compromises, on the Wolfson it’s the brakes. The Tektro Quartz

units are decent enough stoppers, we like the low profile QR design and dual pivot action, but the pads are a little hard and a bit waxy, which means in the dry they work but feel a little dead. In the wet that feeling is exacerbated along with a drop in performance. Swapping them is an easy upgrade to make, though, and we’d be happy to pay extra for the full Ultegra setup.

If you prefer riding in comfort on a bike that can handle sporty licks yet still look after you all day, the Wolfson reminds us of everything that makes a great steel bike great.

The Wolfson reminds us of everything that makes a great steel

bike great

FOR A LITTLE MORE

THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON POTENZA £2199.99The same classy 853 frameset and carbon fork, finished with Campagnolo’s Ultegra-rivalling Potenza groupset.

FOR A LITTLE LESS

THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON 105 £1499.99 The 105 version has to be the cheapest Reynolds 853 complete bike on the market, a veritable bargain.

Confidence-inspiring handling combined with a luxurious ride

HIGHSLuxuriously

smooth ride at a great price

LOWSBrakes can’t

match the rest of the drivetrain

BUY IFYou want a bike that combines a wonderful ride

with fine handling and refinement

not usually found at this price

ANYTHING BUT CARBON

60 | September 2018 | CYCLING PLUS

WINNER The Light Blue Wolfson › Beautiful British bike for grand days out

hen you step away from carbon and its tyrannical dominance of ‘serious’ bikes, it’s

impressive to see that you can find just as much diversity from metal as you can from plastic fibres.

All of the bikes here have their own character, none seem to feel like a me-too product. Cinelli’s Vigorelli sees the most differences, with its hardcore fixed-gear racer’s heart it makes for an exciting ride, but one that you couldn’t really describe as an all-rounder.

The Mr Pink from All-City mixes in a bit of the racing heart of the

Cinelli with a more compliant and exciting ride, which matches its great looks. It’s a bit of a bargain too.

In the Equilibrium, Genesis has created a brilliant steel disc-braked bike for all-day rides. Some spec compromises leave it carrying a bit too much timber, however, to see off this competition.

The final three bikes all share what can only be described as a luxurious ride. The Dolan gets its from a relaxed ride position and a great quality titanium frame, the Ritchey with its triple-butted Logic tubing and wonderful ride position, combining responsive handling with comfort, is stunning. If

provisions were added for mudguards it would be the perfect steel bike for British riding.

That just leaves The Light Blue Wolfson. With its top-quality Reynolds 853 frame and slender carbon fork it’s understated but very well thought out. With bosses for mudguards and racks you may think it’s going to be a little boring, but that’s not the case. Yes, the Ritchey is a tad sharper, but the Wolfson is smoother, handles with great confidence, rides lighter and is the ideal year-round machine if you’re looking for something big-ride capable that eschews carbon.

With its quality Reynolds 853 frame and carbon fork it’s understated but very

well thought out

W

ROAD

TEST

NEXT MONTHWe set out to discover if there’s a �at-bar bike that will suit your commute but also pick up the pace for sportives. We have ridden and rate Scott’s Metrix 20 Disc, Giant’s FastRoad Comax 2, Cube’s SL Road SL, Cannondale’s Quick Carbon 1, Specialized’s Sirrus Expert Carbon and Trek’s FX Sport 6.

CYCLING PLUS | September 2018 | 61

ANYTHING BUT CARBON

CINELLI VIGORELLI £1549.99

ALL-CITY MR PINK £1899.99

GENESIS EQUILIBRIUM DISC 20 £1999.99

THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON ULTEGRA £2099.99

RITCHEY ROAD LOGIC COMP £2099.99

DOLAN TITANIUM ADX DISC ULTEGRA £2401.98

Size tested L 58cm L 59cm 59cm 58.5cm

Sizes available XS, S, M, L, XL 46, 49, 52, 58, 61cm XS, S, M, L, XL 50, 53, 56, 59, 62cm 51, 53, 55, 57, 59cm 50.5, 52.5, 54, 56.5 58.5cm

Weight 9.48kg 9.08kg 10.7kg 8.9kg 9.36kg 9.27kg

Frame Columbus Thron Columbus Zona Reynolds 725 Reynolds 853 Logic steel 3Al-2.5V titanium

Fork Columbus carbon Whisky No7 carbon Carbon Carbon, alloy steerer Ritchey carbon Alpina carbon, alloy steerer

Frame alignment Head-tube, fork dropouts and rear dropouts perfect

Head-tube, fork dropouts and rear dropouts perfect

Head-tube, fork dropouts and rear dropouts perfect

Head-tube good, fork dropouts and rear dropouts perfect

Head-tube, fork dropouts and rear dropouts perfect

Head-tube and fork dropouts perfect, rear dropouts good

TRANSMISSION

Chainset Miche Race HSP 50/34 Shimano 105 50/34 Shimano 105 52/36 Shimano Ultegra 50/34

Shimano 105 50/34 Shimano Ultegra R8000 50/34

Bottom bracket BSA Shimano Shimano BB-5800 Shimano Shimano Ultegra BBR60

Shimano BBR60

Cassette Campagnolo Centaur 11-32

Shimano 105, 11-28 Shimano 105, 11-28 Shimano Ultegra, 11-28

Shimano 105, 11-28 Shimano Ultegra R8000, 11-28

Chain Shimano Shimano KMC X11 Shimano KMC X11 Shimano HG601

Derailleurs Campagnolo Centaur Shimano 105 Shimano 105 Shimano Ultegra Shimano 105 Shimano Ultegra

Gear levers Campagnolo Centaur Shimano 105 Shimano 105 Shimano Ultegra Shimano 105 Shimano Ultegra

WHEELS

Front and rear Miche Race AXY-WP Halo Evaura Genesis SR220 rims, Formula RX Disc hubs

Halo Devaura Ritchey Zeta Mavic Cosmic Elite Disc UST

Tyres Michelin Power Endurance, 28mm

Schwalbe Durano, 28mm

Clément Strada LGG, 28mm

Schwalbe Durano, 28mm

Ritchey Tom Slick, 27mm

Mavic Yksion Pro UST, 25mm

Wheel weight F 1.25kg R 1.84kg F 1.17kg R 1.65kg F 1.42kg R 1.84kg F 1.21kg R 1.71kg F 1.33kg R 1.89kg F 1.44kg R 1.76kg

COMPONENTS

Stem Cinelli VAI Genetic SLR Genesis Code 7 Genetic SLR Ritchey Comp 4-Axis Deda Zero1

Handlebar Cinelli VAI Genetic Creed Genesis AL-194 Genetic Creed Ritchey Comp Logic Curve

Deda Zero

Headset ZS 44 Diatech Prestine PT-1806-616 Gusset Ritchey Comp Alpina

Saddle Prologo Kappa Evo Genetic STV Genesis Road Comfort Gusset Black Jack Ritchey Skyline Selle Italia X1

Seatpost Cinelli VAI Genetic Syngenic Genesis alloy Genetic Syngenic Ritchey Comp Alpina carbon

Brakes Miche Performance Dia-Compe BRS101 Shimano BR-RS505 Tektro Quartz Shimano 105 Shimano BR-RS8020

CinelliCockpit 73cm Standover 84.5cm BB height 29.5cmFork o�set 4.25cmTrail 6cm

The Light BlueCockpit 72.5cm Standover 82cm BB height 27.5cmFork o�set 4cmTrail 6.9cm

102cm

51cm

72.5˚73˚

41cm

58cm

102cm

55cm

74˚73.5˚

41.5cm

59.5cm

102.5cm

56cm

73˚73.5˚

42.5cm

58cm

100.5cm

55cm

73.5˚74˚

40.5cm

59cmAll-CityCockpit 70cm Standover 81cm BB height 28cmFork o�set 4.75cmTrail 5.8cm

RitcheyCockpit 73cm Standover 83.5cm BB height 27.5cmFork o�set 4.5cmTrail 5.1cm

Genesis Cockpit 70.5cm Standover 81cm BB height 27cm Fork o�set 4.75cm Trail 6.5cm

DolanCockpit 71cm Standover 85cm BB height 27.5cmFork o�set 4.5cmTrail 5.7cm

100.5cm

56cm

73˚73˚

42cm

54cm

103cm

51cm

72˚73˚

42cm

56.5cm