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review
£3,100.00
VERDICT:
Highly capable and feature-packed adventure bike
Weight:
9,400g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The new Mason Bokeh is a highly capable adventure bike with a feature-packed aluminium frame, splendid aesthetics, and handling that ensures it's as at home on the road as it is on the trail.
Adventure is a fast-growing segment of the cycling world, with the combination of versatility, capability and ruggedness appealing to cyclists who don't want or need the lightness and stiffness of a World Tour race bike. Suitable for just about everything, from winter training rides to commuting, touring and audax to off-road trail exploring and bikepacking trips, adventure bikes have few limitations.
The Bokeh combines an aluminium frame and carbon fork with all the key ingredients of an adventure bike, including wide tyres, disc brakes, thru-axles, relaxed geometry and mounts for mudguards and racks. The Bokeh goes the extra mile with a front dynamo mount, third bottle cage mount, 700C and 650B wheel size compatibility and fully internal cable routing.
The new Bokeh essentially builds on the solid foundations laid down by the Resolution and Definition. 'It's an AdventureSport bike,' says Mason founder and designer Dom Mason. 'It's a response to this move in cycling towards venturing off road and using bigger tyres, disc brakes and lightweight packs and having adventures, but not necessarily on bikes with masses of luggage.'
Ride and handling
As lovely as the Bokeh undoubtedly looks, its appearance is pointless if it's not backed by a high-quality ride. Fortunately, a high-quality ride the Bokeh most certainly does deliver. In a nutshell, it's a lovely bike to ride, whether on tarmac or gravel roads, or woodland byways.
In many ways the Bokeh mirrors the company's Resolution and Definition road bikes, but there are some important changes that ensure it feels right at home when riding on loosely surfaced and bumpy off-road tracks. The bottom bracket is higher for increased ground clearance (but lower than a cyclo-cross bike) and the wheelbase is longer and the head angle slacker. That sets the Bokeh geometry halfway between an endurance and cyclo-cross bike.
> Cyclo-cross bikes vs adventure/gravel bikes – what's the difference?
The stack and reach measurements (the vertical and horizontal measurements from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) are very similar to the company's previous models, ensuring the position between the models has some similarity – ideal if you are lucky enough to own one of each – and provides the sporty ride that Mason was keen for this new model to provide. Though the fork is longer, the head tube has been shortened to 155mm on the 56cm size frame to keep the stack measurement about the same.
Those numbers gift the Bokeh a sporty and lively ride, backed up by the rock solid stability you want when blitzing down a fast gravel road descent chasing another adventure bike.
It's right at home on the road, with neutral handling that lends the bike an easy grace when carving through country lanes. The low stack height means it never felt compromised as a road bike, a fact backed up by the fitting of slick tyres: it's perfect on long road rides and climbs and descends very well. The wide-range SRAM 10-42 cassette paired to the 42t single chainring up front will get you up and down most climbs and descents without unduly running out of ratios.
But it's the Bokeh's off-road capability that is the real highlight, and how easily it transfers from one surface to another. Head off into the wilderness and show the Bokeh some muddy bridleways or gravelled roads and it feels even more home than it does on the road. Its stability, from the long wheelbase and slack head angle, is a massive boon when tackling rough tracks, and it inspires confidence on loose terrain.
The Bokeh can tame rough roads and gravel tracks better than most carbon, steel or adventure bikes at this price. Despite its comfy ride character, the Bokeh is responsive and agile. It's a little less nimble than a cyclo-cross bike at lower speeds when weaving between tightly spaced trees, but at higher speeds, it is confident and enjoyable.
This is a bike built for going the distance, or as Mason puts it, 'Continent crushing rides'. From my time riding the Bokeh, it's clear you could happily keep riding until you ended up in some far-flung corner of Europe. It's how it slips from rugged gravel blaster to smooth road tourer that is its real secret. It's not a bike of compromise, as some adventure bikes can be.
If your aims are a little less ambitious, the Bokeh is ideal for stringing together local off-road paths and woodland tracks with sections of road to make the ride a bit more interesting. And it's fun, so much fun. The Bokeh will tackle just about anything, and with the 650B tyres fitted it didn't feel a million miles away from a rigid mountain bike, unsurprisingly.
700C versus 650B
The Bokeh Force bike is sold with 650B wheels, but Mason supplied a set of 700C wheels for us to test and compare the two wheel sizes. Mason has designed the Bokeh to be compatible with regular 700C wheels, with clearance for up to 41mm tyres, and the increasingly fashionable 650B wheel size, with tyre capacity increased to 50mm. Mason is selling the Bokeh with a choice of two wheelsets: 700C Hunt Four Season Gravel Disc wheels with 35mm Panaracer GravelKing SK tyres, or – as on our test bike – a Mason x Hunt 'AdventureSport' 650B wheelset with Panaracer Comet Hardpack 650B 2.0in tyre.
Swapping between the two wheelsets is easy, and with just 12-13mm difference in the outside diameter with the slightly smaller 650B wheels, there's only a small difference in the bottom bracket height. The bigger difference is in how the bike rides.
With the 700x35mm wheels and tyres the Bokeh behaves like many other adventure bikes I've tested: it has all the manners and much of the speed of an endurance bike on the road and doesn't get flustered if you point the bike down a farm track or bridleway. The Panaracer GravelKing SK tyres roll fast on hard surfaces and offer plenty of grip in the loose; they particularly excel on the fast and smooth gravel roads around Salisbury Plain.
With the 650B wheels and larger Panaracer Comet Hardpack tyres fitted, progress on the road is a bit slower, with the extra weight and increased frontal surface area blunting pace. But what they lack in speed compared with the bigger wheels/skinnier tyres, they more than make up for with their sheer smoothness. The larger tyre provides much more cushioning than the skinny 35mm tyres, and that's a bonus on poorly surfaced roads where the comfort outweighs the slight loss of top-end speed. I would have loved to have tried a slick 650B tyre on the Bokeh but sadly I didn't have the bike long enough to experiment with different tyres.
Neither tyre can really cope with proper mud, but the Comets are certainly more capable off-road when the going is rough and unpredictable. You can delve further into the wilderness in more comfort with the bigger tyres. And there are enough good 650B mountain bike tyres and ample clearance in the frame and fork to dabble with more aggressively treaded tyres if you do want to fit a tyre that won't come unstuck in the gloop.
Which wheel size is better? They both have their pros and cons. If you're riding more road and just the occasional off-road and value speed, the 700x35 setup is a better option for you – faster certainly, with enough cushioning and grip for dealing with hardpacked gravel tracks. If you value comfort over speed and want to do a lot more off-road riding, the 650x50 combination is probably better, with vastly increased cushioning and only a small dent in top-end speed.
Frame and equipment
Mason has opted for a custom shaped 7000-series triple butted aluminium frame, made by hand, by Dedacciai, in Italy. The frame is exquisitely finished, all smooth welds and draped in a lusciously thick coat of gloss paint, with Mason's usual gift for sharply designed graphics finishing the frameset off a treat.
Each tube has a specific role. The down tube has the same oversized D-shape as the Resolution and it, along with a tapered head tube and ovalised top tube, provides the necessary lateral and front-end stiffness. Custom shaped bowed seatstays help to provide the necessary compliance, while the dropped chainstays provide chain and brake clearance. The seat tube accepts a 27.2mm seatpost, further contributing to the comfort factor.
The Bokeh is packed with details. It's disc brake-specific, naturally, and uses the flat mount standard with thru-axles to clamp the wheels into place. Mason has stuck with a conventional 68mm threaded bottom bracket but uses a wider-diameter outside shell to both increase the down tube weld area and route the cables and hoses through on their way to the chainstays.
There are three bottle cage mounts, with fully internal cable routing using the same Multiport adaptable design, as first used on the Resolution, providing Di2 compatibility. There are mudguard and rack eyelets on the frame and the new Parallax full carbon fibre fork, which can also be used with a dynamo hub, an indication of the sort of distance riding the bike is designed for.
You can buy a Bokeh frameset for £1,150 or choose one of four complete builds. You can choose Shimano 105 or SRAM Rival 1x11 for £2,795; Shimano Ultegra or SRAM Force for £3,100. The Shimano bikes come with 700C wheels and 35mm tyres, the SRAM bikes with 650B wheels and 50mm (2.0in) tyres. Hunt wheels, Deda finishing kit and Fabric saddles are used across the range.
The test bike is the top-end SRAM Force 1x11 with its wide-ranging 10-42t cassette and 42t chainring. The gearing provides all the range you need for most off-road and road rides, the lowest gear helping you scale all but the very steepest hill. And if you do find yourself over-geared, the chainring can be swapped for a small outlay.
SRAM's hydraulic brake levers might not be the best lookers on the market but performance is excellent, with plenty of power and satisfying modulation, and the tool hoods provide reassuring anchor points when hurtling down rough and loose tracks. If I'm being really picky, the levers don't have the same smoothness as a Shimano hydraulic lever.
The Hunt wheels collaboration continues, as I've already mentioned. The new Mason x Hunt AdventureSport 650B wheels use an extra-wide rim, making them the perfect fit for wider tyres and are tubeless-ready. Rims are laced via J-bend spokes to hubs rolling on replaceable cartridge bearings. It's a stiff and strong wheelset, as evidenced by the rigorous off-road testing it coped with easily.
A finishing parts package includes Deda SuperZero stem with an aero handlebar. The latter has an aero shaped centre section, which might reduce drag, but more realistically provides a comfortable place to rest your hands. I wasn't that impressed with its shape or appearance, and would probably swap it for a more conventional bar if I was buying this bike.
Mason specs Fabric Scoop Elite saddles across the range, with a colour-matched base which points to Dom Mason's fastidious attention to detail. It's a supremely comfortable place to plant your bum for as many hours as you want. A Mason branded carbon fibre 27.2mm seatpost clamps the saddle into the frame.
Conclusion
The big appeal of adventure bikes is their do-anything and go-anywhere capability, and for many cyclists they might very well be the only bike you need. They're more than n+1 – they could free up a lot of space in your garage or bike shed and replace several bikes at a swoop.
The Bokeh is expensive for aluminium, but it is at least extremely nicely finished and feature-packed for the price – you're certainly getting a lovely looking bike and the performance is without fault.
Mason has managed to produce in the Bokeh an adventure bike that is highly capable and outlandishly smooth and controlled off-road, yet is sprightly and entertaining on the road. The Bokeh might be the last bike you ever need to buy. It's a brilliant bike, and if the price doesn't put you off, I'd recommend it.
Verdict
Highly capable and feature-packed adventure bike
road.cc test report
Make and model: Mason Bokeh Force
Size tested: 56cm
About the bike
State the frame and fork material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.
Dedacciai, custom formed, triple-butted performance Aluminium frame with Mason Parallax full carbon Thru-Axle fork.
Unique Mason MultiPort adaptable internal routing.
Mason 'ThruBB' 50Ømm, internally routed bottom bracket shell.
Lightweight, full SRAM Force 1x HRD groupset with hydraulic disc brakes.
Precisely engineered 10-42T wide range cassette.
Clutched rear mech keeps chain securely positioned.
High peformance F160/R160 2-piece centrelock floating rotors.
Specially developed Mason x Hunt 650B AdventureSport wheelset.
Panaracer Comet Hardpack 650B tyres claw into trails and roll easily on road.
Ultra-light and triangulated for stiffness Deda Superzero stem with aerodynamic Superzero1 handlebar.
Mason x Fabric exclusive, UK designed, Alloy rail Fabric Scoop Elite saddle with colour matched saddle base.
Carbon Mason Penta microadjust post and Mason Macro clamp.
Fully and discretely eyeletted for rack and 'guards.
Integrated Parallax fork-crown boss for fixed light set-ups.
Clearance for full mudguards.
3rd Bottle cage bosses on the underside of the down tube designed to work seamlessly with Fabric bottles and tool kegs.
Tell us what the bike is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?
Mason states on its website:
The new 'Bokeh' [Alu] and 'BokehTi' frame sets and bikes have been in development for over a year, they are AdventureSport machines for fast 'Continent Crushing' rides and they can use either 650b x 50mm or 700c x 41mm tyres. These new bikes are big news for us because they are the ones to follow up our first ever models, the Award Winning Definition and Resolution, these two bikes were a tough act to follow! The pressure was on and I knew that whatever I came up with had to be good.
We have started from the ground up with the Bokeh geometry the clearance is increased to take up to 650b x 50mm or 700c x 41mm, I think anything larger is MTB territory. The wheelbase is longer and angles a little slacker, with the fork using a 50mm offset to keep the trail dimension under control
I've kept the stack height very similar to the Definition and Resolution, I didn't want overly long head tubes because these are fast bikes and they need to accelerate and climb well. Sizes are 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60cm, click the link below for full geometry.
The carbon monocoque 'Parallax' fork has been developed in conjunction with our Italian frame builders, it uses a Ø12mm thru-axle, flat-mount and internally routed hose and weighs just 465g. As with the frames, there is a full compliment of discreetly sited rack and fender eyelets and an extra one at the front for a Dynamo light.
Frame and fork
Overall rating for frame and fork
9/10
Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?
Top notch build quality and finish, as we've come to expect from Mason Cycles.
Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?
Triple butted and custom shaped aluminium tubing handbuilt in Italy.
Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?
A bit more relaxed than an endurance bike like Mason's own Resolution, and differs from a cyclo-cross bike in a number of key areas.
How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?
Perfect.
Riding the bike
Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.
For an aluminium bike it was incredibly smooth, more comfortable on and off-road than many steel and carbon adventure bikes I've tested.
Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?
Despite its comfy ride, it didn't lack stiffness when putting the power down on the climbs.
How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?
Very efficient.
Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?
None.
How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive? Neutral.
Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?
Behaved very well on and off-road, and with both 700C and 650B wheels fitted.
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?
The Hunt wheels and SRAM Force groupset and brakes all worked reliably.
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?
The carbon seatpost provides an extra measure of seated compliance.
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?
No changes.
Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
8/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
8/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
8/10
Rate the bike for high speed stability:
9/10
Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:
8/10
Rate the bike for low speed stability:
7/10
Rate the bike for flat cornering:
7/10
Rate the bike for cornering on descents:
8/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
7/10
The drivetrain
Rate the drivetrain for performance:
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for durability:
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for weight:
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for value:
7/10
Wheels and tyres
Rate the wheels for performance:
8/10
Rate the wheels for durability:
8/10
Rate the wheels for weight:
8/10
Rate the wheels for comfort:
8/10
Rate the wheels for value:
8/10
Rate the tyres for performance:
8/10
Rate the tyres for durability:
8/10
Rate the tyres for weight:
7/10
Rate the tyres for comfort:
9/10
Rate the tyres for value:
8/10
Controls
Rate the controls for performance:
7/10
Rate the controls for durability:
8/10
Rate the controls for weight:
8/10
Rate the controls for comfort:
8/10
Rate the controls for value:
8/10
Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?
I wasn't that impressed by the aero shaped handlebar, and would probably swap it for a more conventional bar.
Anything else you want to say about the componentry? Comment on any other components (good or bad)
The Fabric Scoop saddle is a smart choice, it seems to suit most people.
Your summary
Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes
Would you consider buying the bike? Yes
Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes
Rate the bike overall for performance:
9/10
Rate the bike overall for value:
7/10
Use this box to explain your score
The Bokeh is expensive for aluminium, but it is at least extremely nicely finished and feature-packed for the price – you're certainly getting a lovely looking bike and the performance is without fault.
About the tester
Age: 31
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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Add new comment
47 comments
I took the plunge and ordered a Bokeh frame and fork to build up myself in December. Since then, I have not ridden anything else - out of choice. I am now looking at the other bikes in my shed and am deciding which ones I no longer need.
To ensure maximum flexibility and least hassle, I have three wheel options - 650b with a Racing Ralph on the front and a Thunder Burt on the back, Grails on Hope Hubs with WTB Nanos and Hunt 4 Season with Bontrager 700 x 32c slicks.
I can honestly say, this is the most fun and engaging bike I have ridden for a long, long time. Off road in 650b mode, I have started to pick up KOMs which have long eluded me on my mtb and/or previous bike (Kinesis 5T Disc), with the Grail/Nano combo I am hitting PBs almost every ride and with the Hunts, while my gearing and age preclude me competing with the really fast road men, I am clocking up PBs on climbs and sprint segments practically every time I go out. Unless I have just got faster of late, I am getting better results than on a 'carbon everywhere' Super Six more importantly though, I am enjoying my riding a lot more.
The overall sensation I get is one of "having" to pedal harder, go faster, for longer and as a result, I am absolutely bushed when I get home. You can take it easy on this bike but it really benefits from being pushed as hard as you can.
The comments about price for an aluminium bike are interesting. Yes it was dear, and yes it made me think for a bit (quite a few times) but what price can you put on fun?
I am really glad I bought it. If you get the chance to have a ride on one of these bikes, grab it with both hands, it lives up to its reputation and delivers performance in spades.
As for wheel preference - it seems much more competent in 700c mode in my opinion. It is good with the 650b but just that much better with big wheels.
What is high end? Something with better quality and or design than others.
Don't see it here (defintily don't care for the name for a bike as I have expressed in the past). I have bought myself a Kensis GF Ti DI2 with Hunt Aero wheels and I think it is high end and a price I am willing to pay with carbon fork and everything together £3,800.
To pay for Rapha high end of course for their design and customer service (don't buy all their stuff).
For antoher £400 at £3,500 I can build DI2 with Trek Domane SLR.
I would have never even consider a Aluminum bike at £3,100 and together with those grupsets and components I wouldn't even look at it twice.
Whats more is that most mountain bike are moving towards 29ner but you are going back to 650b. Even if you did so what? with Tubless 29ner I can acheieve the same comfort and go faster why is the option of 650b have any appeal to me or to even boast about?!!!
BTW I just also bought a Giant Trance 0 for £2,9000 and it is just much better value than this if I want to go off road.
If it weren't for one good review from road cc of this bike (probably got bribed or paid) then no one will look at any of the bikes from this frame builder.
Happy riding to those who did or are going to get a Bokeh. I don't think I will look at this frame builder again. Its not some magical geo that you are buying and I sure wouldn't recommend it to any one in the forums because there are just way too many other bikes that worthy of your hard earned cash than some empreor's clothes. Trek offer life time guarantee as well I think this only has 2 years.
Good points. Well made.
Dom | Mason Cycles.
Dom's reponse to you was very restained. I've taken the bait entirely!
Your snobbery/closed mind/ignorance could just be your loss . If you can't justify spending that on a bike that's one thing, but what Mason are doing is providing something different and unique, and that has a value in itself, which means you are missing the point by comparing materials and components - what you need to do is compare the whole package (engineering, componenty, materials, appearance and that intangible 'something' that only firms like Mason can give a bike, and that not everyone gets). Alu can be as good as Carbon, steel or Ti, it just depends on the intended application and engineering.
Wrong! Race MTBs are mainly 29", but everything else is heading in the 27.5+ area, and in fact a few have now demonstrated that on rougher and twistier courses, 27.5+ is faster than 29" (wasn't olympic gold winner on 27.5 wheels?). I think this will probably translate to the 650b/700c road bikes in a similar way.
That's like comparing a Dakar Rally car with an Ariel Nomad. Not really the same thing.
I think that's hugely unfair. I'm as sceptical as most when it comes to magazine and web reviews, but I don't see much evidance of 'paid' marketing from Mason, unless you are accusing Road.cc of not declaring the stuff they've covered Mason bikes in as Advitorial content. And if you are suggesting that, then why do you trust anything on the site, and therefore why are you here.
Have you ridden a Bokeh? If not, they you can't recomend it because you've no idea what it's like.
Kinesis GF Ti? As designed by Dom Mason?
Hi, just a quick question about the groupset/tyre size combinations.
Can you run the 650b with the Shimano groupset or is that not possible? It's just I haven't seen that particular combination mentioned and I'm curious! Living here in Japan, having the Shimano set up would make life a slightly easier in terms of parts/maintenance but I really fancy the the idea of the bigger wheels. Thanks!
Hi Jayinjapan,
I dont see why not. You would need a 650B rear hub without the SRAM XD hub.
Would have loved to have had Shimano myself if they had a 1 X Road system. Even thought about having 1 X XT or XTR but then there would have been a faff about the Q factor. In the end went with SRAM. It is the first time I have run a SRAM system and it is very nice so far. No complaints.
Ask the Mason guys from their website. They good at responding to questions.
Thanks
B
Hi Jayinjapan,
Yes, it is totally possible to run 650b and Shimano. We can provide either wheel size with SRAM or Shimano setups.
Get in touch through the 'Contact' page on the site and we can talk further : ]
Dom | Mason Cycles.
I got one. The first customer 650b Force1 to roll off the line apparently. Did the price bother me at the time. A little bit. My view was to buy something very special and that it would be my bike for years to come.
My requirements were a tough, light bike that could take me on adventures for years to come. It had to be able to run both 650b and 700. Through axles, disc brakes. Able to be adventured up for bike packing.
Travel to Greece mostly for holidays and always take a bike with me. Roads on the islands are diabolical. There are also some great gravel rides but the road bike could not cut it and always left the island feeling cheated out of some cracking rides.
Open was in the running. However the customer service I got was so meh from distributor when expressing interest. Maybe they are used to people spunking 5 to 10 on super bikes. To me it was a big deal.
Carbon was also not a material really in the mix. My retired Aluminium 29er. Another one of Dom's frames had rock strike scars that would have ruined a carbon frame. Sure this is not the kind of bike you should point down a rocky lakes district chute.
You never know though!
When news of the Bokeh broke, could not believe my luck or the timing. The service from Mason was out standing. From the minute I expressed interest. Was treated like a valued customer. They get that this means a lot of investment to people and treat you well.
As for the bike. When you see one you will understand where the money went. The frame and paint is exceptional. The attention to detail and thought that went into it very obvious. The complete package is amazing.
The ride is brilliant. Have a mixed off on road loop close to where I live. Normally would do it on my Mtb hardtail. It's a blast on the Bokeh. It is very liberating to go on a ride and not have to stop at the end of the road.
If anyone lives in North London and wants to see one, drop me a line.
Thanks Brendan,
Very glad you are pleased with the bike and thanks for your good words here : ]
Stay in touch!
Dom | Mason Cycles.
I don't own a Bokeh but I do own a Mason Definition and it is without doubt the best bike I have ever ridden. What Dom Mason has achieved is incredible and that kind of attention to detail is never going to be as cheap as a mass-produced bike. It can be hard to look beyond the price but if you get the chance, do what I did and contact him to arrange to test-ride one of his bikes; you will not be disappointed. But be prepared to sell everything you own to buy one!
Thanks julianrh,
Very glad you are loving the bike! : ]
Dom | Mason Cycles.
How do you think one of these would work for a long ride like the Tour Divide from Canada to Mexico? Tons of dirt roads with lots of washboarding. Some bumpy single-track. And how aggressive a tread can you fit into this bike with a 650b wheel? And could one swap out a different fork--say a Lauf "Grit"--to add some extra shock absorption?
Hi Felton Grips,
The geometry is designed to be fast, engaging and comfortable and Josh Ibbett has been testing the p.types and perfecting the geo. over some very long rides including the Tuscany Trail Race and a very long ride across Europe and down through Greece. We have also been hammering the bikes through singletrack and over stutter bumps and roots and they are a blast! Very fast and secure feeling.
The frame is really designed for a 50mm max tyre on 650b wheels but I do know that people have built them with 2.1's and they fit OK [check our Instagram feed]. There is masses of clearance in the fork.
I was looking to spec the Lauf fork as a standard build early on and the geometry looks like a really good fit actually. Crown height and offset are well within what will work, so I think it should work nicely although I haven't tried one.
I hope this helps and do contact us from the site if you would like to know more.
Dom | Mason Cycles.
I think the problem with selling high end bikes is that there is a certain amount of elitism creeping into cycling and it's easy to get tarred with that brush. There are many of us remember a time before cycling became a lifestyle, with blokes throwing thousands at bikes and hundreds at Rapha clothing etc. For years, club runs and sportives for me were done on a £500 Schwinn Fastback Comp and nobody really cared. These days, you will get judged by a proportion of riders, for whom cycling is a hobby in which you can make a statement about how much you can afford to throw at it. So if people say 'that's a lot to spend on a bike', it's as much a reaction to that, rather than a comment on the relative value of the frame etc. I suspect.
Don't be a tit. You can go to any club run or sportive in 2016 and you'll still see people on £500 bikes and nobody really cares. Except you, appaerntly.
Where the f*ck do you get off calling someone a tit as you happen to not agree with them? I've got no opinion on people based on the value of their bike, I certainly have an opinion of keyboard warriors based on their rude posts on forums however mate.
There is a snobbery thing with some people that are keen cyclists nowadays, hence all the talk of MAMILs and complaints that "cycling is the new golf". Perhaps you've just not encountered it.
I'm I have to admit to being a fan, but I'm also sceptical of the Alu frame, not in terms of reliability but in terms of comfort for the type of adventure riding that the bike would be doing.
I've mentioned in another thread about previously owning a steel frame bike, running it tubeless with low pressure and a carbon folk - this was a cheap as chips bike but the frame material and the tubeless tyres made it a joy to ride, both on and off road.
I've since upgraded to a new high end Alu frame. Its just not the same to ride. I was hoping Alu frames had improved other the last few years, but I'm just not seeing the evidence.
I'm thinking that the mistake I made was buying a road bike with hydraulic brakes that can take wide knobbly tyres - thinking I could also use this as an adventure bike.
I'll definately look into the Mason next year when I've badgered Mrs W into letting me swap out my bike I've only recently purchased. My worry is that I could spend £3k on the bike and realise that all Aluminin frames aren't as good as the cheap steel frame I previously had.
Hi w00dsy, Come and ride one : ]
The Alu Definition is already well renowned for it's ride quality and comfort and the Bokeh goes even further. I gaurantee you'll be impressed.
Josh won the TCR on the Definition.
Alu is a great material for this type of bike, it's light, tough and if treated in the right way very comfortable.
Our bikes are designed with comfort, ride qulaity and durability in mind, not ultimate light weight and they aren't 'race' bikes, so I think you'll be very impressed with the ride. Take a look at our FB or rider reviews on the site for direct feedback.
Dom | Mason Cycles.
Hi All,
Thanks for your comments and nice to raise a bit of a debate over materials, pricing, pronounciation etc! The idea with Mason is that we are pushing things a little and producing something different and because of that our bicycles are bound to produce a bit of debate, even down to the name, but that's great because that's the idea. We don't want to be doing 'OK' products that stay under the radar.
My aim with Mason Cycles was to work with very small but very high quality frame makers to produce the absolutely best framesets that we could. I started with Italy and we use separate tiny [compared to the factories in Taiwan] specialist workshops to produce the Alu, steel and soon Ti. We also use a super high quality painter in another area of Italy and the decals are made by the best people I could find in Italy to do that. It is possible to get everything done in one place - all frame materials, decals and paint, this is MUCH easier but it causes compromise and we want to achieve the best in all areas.
So, as we grow, that will continue to be my aim and we'll hunt down the best makers for the particular frame, fork, material or finish. we aren't an 'Italian Bike Co' so these products could come from anywhere that can do the job best - Germany, Sheffield, USA...
The Bokeh has an almost ENTIRE custom tubeset, we produced our own tooling with Dedacciai, this doesn't normally happen with small makers like us but they liked what we were doing and actually got quite passionate about the whole thing and worked with us to make our perfect tubeset. It's very high end tubing and every shape and bend is our own. This took over a year to achieve because it was HARD, we had to make sure all the clearances were right and it rode beautifly and passed the ISO tests. We worked with TCR 2015 winner Josh Ibbett to perfect geometry, detailing and ride quality. 5 prototypes came and went...
Because every tube is designed with a specific function in mind for that specific bike [it's not 'just a tubeset'] the Bokeh is very functional in appearance and use.
As with our Resolution and Definition frames, we tooled up for our own fork too and collaborated with Hunt Wheels to make our perfect wheelset. Not quick or easy but we think, BEST. Our bikes are designed 'up off the wheels and back off the fork', we don't compromise on ride quality and handling by using an off-the-shelf fork and wheelset - harder, more expensive but best.
All this stuff, the materials, the development time, the tooling, the testing, the detailing, the finish quality, the use of tiny specialist workshops for all specific processes... it's all more expensive, but we didn't set out to make bikes to a price point, the idea was to make the BEST framesets that we could achieve and build them with a build kit that we had thought very hard about to perform in a very specific and purposeful way. 'We don't build down to a price point, we build up to a quality standard' ... I think I said that somewhere and I really stand by it and we'll continue to do that.
So yes, our framesets and bikes are more expensive than other brands for many of the reasons I've outlined above. Making custom tubesets in small batches with a top European tube maker and having them welded in tiny, super high quality workshops is not cheap [the tubeset alone is probably the same cost as an entire welded frame from TW]. But it does give a frameset that rides incredibly well and comes out on top of grouptests against other premium materials [Five stars and test winner in Cycling Plus]. The paint finish alone costs over 4 times that of a Taiwan paint finish, but it is the BEST and it's made to last.
These bikes are supposed to be an investment and be your friend for a long time.
Anyway...I waffled a bit.
These bikes aren't for everybody, we can't really compete on price and we aren't trying to do that. We are tracked down by very enthusiastic riders from all over the world because we are producing something unique, there are other bikes out there that are 'sort of like ours' but the riders who buy ours don't want that, they want a Mason.
Sorry I went on a bit but I'm very passionate about what we do and incredibly grateful to all those who have invested in one of our bikes and write to me from around the world telling me about their adventures! Amazing. I feel we are building something different here.
OK, I'm going on a bit again. Thanks for reading if you got as far as this! : ]
Dom | Mason Cycles.
bokeh = bow - keh (where 'keh' sounds like the start of the word kettle)
https://youtu.be/iqipY-wQaxc
https://youtu.be/OR8HSHevQTM
Actually it is not that expensive.
This is not some generic "let's slap some tubes together"-frame. Every tube in the frameset has been shaped specifically for this bike, with a definite function.
I am not associated with Mason, but I did (and do still somewhat) consider getting a Bokeh frameset. I wanted to explore the 'adventure bike'-thing and when I started looking around for a frame, the bokeh wasn't out yet, but Mason were already teasing the Bokeh on their Instagram. I followed the development somewhat and mailed back and forth about geometries etc. and I believe it is one of the best 'adventure bikes' out there.
So why didn't I get one? Well, the offroad thing is new to me and I first wanted to get an idea of wether I'll be using this type of bike. So I decided to get a cheaper option (cheaper due to brexit-exchange rates as I bought it in the UK but I am in euroland and cheaper due to a short crazy 60% off sale). But I know the frame I got isn't as good as the bokeh. If I decide that the fast-far/adventure/bikepacking thing is something I want to take seriously (and it's looking like it) then I will probably get a Bokeh.
And the whole steel vs. alu vs. carbon vs. ti thing doesn't really work anymore.
Like someone else said, alu has come a LONG way, just like carbon has for example.
You can get a sh!t bike in any material, just like you can get a great one in each of the available materials. It all depends on wether the builder knows what they are doing, from start to finish.
So before you start shouting that it's too expensive, maybe check what development went into this frame and consider that Mason aren't going to sell as many as Trek, GT or Specialized do since they have retailers all over the world.
And to Mason I say: it's great that there are still people willing to stick out their neck, taking huge financial risks developing bikes like these. I really hope to own one of these one day.
I'm happy to stand corrected on the advances in Alu fram making, and the price of bespoke frames etc; I did only put it out there that maybe you could go off the peg Ti or bespoke steel for the price - I don't know and that's partly why I posted the comment.
I'm just making the point that in my opinion for that kind of money I would want to feel like I was getting something a bit different than it seems I could get for a much lower price, and as a non pro/non expert that means to me a more "exotic" material - I know it's shallow and not based on any science or engineering or even test riding evidence, but there you go!
And I get your point about the development that went into it: my point about paying for the design (e.g with Dyson products) was a reference to that - I also totally appreciate the whole paying more for a smaller, "local" innovative builder rather than lining the major players pockets, and I have paid through the nose on occasions for clever design, to support smaller producers, and product "kudos" in the past when the product itself was right for me. I too hope Mason et al do well; and as I said a couple of times, I really love the look of this.
Perhaps I'm just a tightwad and don't really like premium pricing strategies, perhaps I don't understand the bikes enough. However I do still believe there are plenty of strong contenders in this arena that look pretty similar on the surface, for a lot less money, and for the average person like me that's much more realistic. i.e for my intended purpose and level of expertise it seems expensive.
Either way, I'm more than happy to be proved wrong totally and eat my hat if FC drops one down my chimney in a few days time...
Hi dgmtc, Thanks for 'getting it' : ]
Dom | Mason Cycles.
Personal obsv, obvs, but I don't like the yellow.
+1 on the Bowman. Pilgrims looks a lovely frame.
Very nice, but flipping pricey compared to, say a top rated On-one Titanium Pickenflick. You could then still buy a GT Grade with the change. I'm surprised at the pricing, it is a lot compared to Bowman, who charge more like £600 for a really nice frame.
Well, my Carl Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f2 lens on my Sony RX 1 R mark 2 gives me fantastic Booka especially it is when used wide open ! I have spent a hideous amount of money on this camera and therefore have the right to pronounce Booka any way I want! It costs more than a Mason Bokeh Force bike if you are interested!
As a bit of a photography enthusiast, I pronounce it bow-key but I've heard it pronounced bow-care.
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