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OPINION

#mycyclingweekend: the 400km bike swap

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There's probably a simpler way to return one bike and pick up another. But it won't be this fun.

We've recently taken delivery of the Mason Definition here at road.cc for an exclusive review and the steel Columbus tubed Resolution is lined up for the same treatment. Admittedly the transition from one bike to the other could be done by courier but where's the fun in that?

The Mason bikes look as though they'll be perfect for getting those long miles in so designer Dom and I have come up with a little plan. Well I say it like it was a joint decision, but it was more like me saying, "You know what'll be a great idea? Why don't I ride from Wiltshire to Mason HQ, swap bikes and ride back the next day?" With Dom just looking at me as if I was mental.

So the morning of Saturday 11th April I and another slightly unhinged cyclist will be leaving Westbury for a trek to the coast hopefully arriving in time for tea. After copious amounts of food and possibly (definitely) beer with a bit of sleep we'll get up and do it all over again.


 
According to the route planner it is 200km bang on with 1670m of climbing with a mixture of A roads, B roads, country lanes and city centre traffic with the return on Sunday being a reverse of the same route, probably.

It's a bit of a personal challenge for me as I've not done back to back 200km days for years, I'm just hoping the dodgy back and knee ligament behave themselves.

It's a great way to test the bikes too comparing the materials and ride quality in quick succession. They share the same geometry and the plan is to have them share the majority of the same components and wheels so we can let the frames do the talking.

I'll be sending updates via Twitter (@StuKerton) using road.cc's #mycyclingweekend tag so if youíre interested in seeing us in various stages of fatigue interspersed with the obligatory photos of cakes and coffee then give us a follow. Feel free to join us for a few miles too if you like.

Fingers crossed then for some decent weather and a tailwind both days. Part 2 will be up next week when we'll share the delights and most probably dislikes of our ride with the reviews of both the Mason Resolution and Definition being up on the site over the coming weeks.

Wish me luck!

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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11 comments

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LarryDavidJr | 8 years ago
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stuke | 8 years ago
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If anyone wants to see the Mason bikes in the flesh (alloy Definition on Saturday, steel Resolution on Sunday) we'll be stopping at the below for cakes and coffee. All the times are approx. but we'll be putting updates on twitter.

Old Sarum Airfield café - 09:00 Sat, 14:30 Sun
Eighteen71 café, Guildhall Winchester - 11:30 Sat, 12:30 Sun
Attibassi, Church Square, Chichester - 14:30 Sat, 09:00 Sun

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il sole | 8 years ago
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May I suggest a slight change to the route?? It looks like you're going from westbury to salisbury via main roads...I would say the minor wylye valley road from heytesbury to Wilton is much quieter and more pleasant. You can then cut across salisbury which is fine before joining up with your original route ...
Anyway, it looks like a great ride, so enjoy!!

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stuke replied to il sole | 8 years ago
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il sole wrote:

May I suggest a slight change to the route?? It looks like you're going from westbury to salisbury via main roads...I would say the minor wylye valley road from heytesbury to Wilton is much quieter and more pleasant. You can then cut across salisbury which is fine before joining up with your original route ...
Anyway, it looks like a great ride, so enjoy!!

We're going to be leaving at 7am so those early main roads will be quietish but we will probably do something like you suggest for the return route on Sunday.

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Yorky-M | 8 years ago
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class

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notfastenough | 8 years ago
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Sounds ace. Have fun!

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bikeandy61 | 8 years ago
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I could be tempted to try it myself if it meant I got to ride both the Mason machines. Enjoy?

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Metjas | 8 years ago
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surely this should set the standard for all road.cc bike reviews from now?

awesome - hope you like at least one of the bikes  1

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Chuffy | 8 years ago
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Good luck. This weekend I'll be riding the Valley of the Rocks 200km audax (3900m) on Saturday and the Glastonbury 100 Miler audax (1440m) on Sunday. If I can remember how a phone works I'll try to do a thousand yard stare selfie.  17  17  17

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Elliot Johnston | 8 years ago
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That sounds like it's going to hurt. At least you're looking at a northerly wind - and subsequently no headwind - on either of your rides. Good luck!

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jamesagain | 8 years ago
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Heads up - Brighton Marathon is that weekend. I'm not sure how centrally you'll be going but I imagine it'll be pretty busy with some road closures on the Sunday. I absolutely love the look of those bikes and everything about them. Enjoy the ride. (PS - I'm doing it the marathon)

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