Spotted on the opening day of the 2017 Cycle Show, Mason Cycles’ updated Definition frameset now has thru-axles and flat-mount disc brakes at the front and rear, while the geometry has been revised to provide a more energetic ride.
Mason Cycles launched in 2015 with two frames: the aluminium Definition and steel Resolution, both design as disc-specific, year-round road bikes with wide tyre clearance.
Since then Mason has also introduced the Bokeh adventure bike, which featured in this year’s RCUK 100, and there’s a Bokeh Ti on the way, too. We’ll come on to that shortly.
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When the Definition was launched, disc brakes were still an emerging technology on the road scene, with bike brands yet to settle on whether to stick with traditional quick-release dropouts or move to the more secure and stiffer thru-axles (or use a combination of both).
The original Definition had quick-release dropouts, and while the front moved to thru-axle with the launch of the Aperture2 carbon fork last September, the latest frame now has a rear end to match.
The geometry has also been updated, with shorter chainstays that should help acceleration, resulting in a livelier ride.
“We had seen that the racier character of the Definition really suited punchier riders who mix it up with club runs, chain gangs, commuting, and generally sportier riding, so the shorter rear-end is a response to this and to give it a bit more of a punchier ride to suit these riders,” says Mason’s Callum Nicklin.
Otherwise, the Definition is still made in Italy from the same Dedacciai aluminium tubeset, with 33mm tyre clearance, and full rack and mudguard mounts.
Also on show at the NEC was the Bokeh Ti. If you’re not familiar with the Bokeh, it’s Mason’s adventure bike, another inductee into the RCUK 100 and typically made from aluminium but now available in titanium.
It’s not just a case of swapping one metal for another, though, with the Bokeh Ti handmade by a titanium-specific frame builder, from a blend of Dedacciai and Reynolds tubing. The downtube is shaped specifically for the Bokeh and the rear dropouts are 3D-printed by Reynolds.
Those dropouts are particularly neat and have minuscule pin marks which can be threaded or adapted for use with a Di2 groupset, if that’s what the customer orders. On that note, if a Bokeh Ti is being built up with a SRAM Red eTap groupset, Mason can do away with all the cable ports typically used for a wired or cabled groupset.
You’ll find huge tyre clearance for 650b x 50mm or 700c x 41mm tyres, helped by the presence of the Mason Parallax carbon fork designed for the original Bokeh.
Both the updated Definition and new Bokeh Ti are extremely easy on the eye – two of the stand-out bikes of the Cycle Show – and we’re hoping to get the former in to review to see if it rides as good as it looks.
Website: Mason Cycles
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