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TECH NEWS

Just in: Pearson Cycles Once More Unto the Breach

Pearson's £799 singlespeed/fixed wheel road bike for winter training or year round commuting

Pearson Cycles have made a bold attempt to rebrand their range of road bikes in the past year. We were really impressed with the carbon race bike HammerAndTongs. The Once More Unto the Breach we have here is their singlespeed/fixed wheel offering and costs £799.

Based in London, Pearson Cycles know a thing or two about cycling in and around London and this shows in the Once More. The smartly designed 7005 aluminium frame has double butted tubes to save a bit of weight. It’s finished in a very smart paint finish with some nice contrasting white panels. It proudly wears a sticker on the seat tube that reminds you that Pearson is the longest-running bike shop in the world.

It looks from the geometry of the Pearson that it's aimed at road cyclists who want to ride fixed as a main bike through the winter, as much as their popularity ensures they're the go-to choice for city commuters. A road bike with one gear, in essence. Back in the olden days people might have thought twice about an aluminium frame for riding long distances, but modern alu frames offer plenty of ccomfors and there's not reason to think this one shouldn't be comfortable on the longer rides this bike is surely capable of. The weight and geometry certainly suggest you should get a stable and light ride. Condor's Tempo, a similarly pitched fixed/singlespeed, springs to mind as a good comparison. The head tube on this 56cm size is on the short side, just 128mm, which should ensure a racy position for tackling head winds at this time of year. If steel is your thing, there is also a steel version the Now You See Me which is a chunk of change cheaper at £649.99 and is made from Reynolds chromoly steel. Our guess, and that's all it is, is that the difference in price tag suggests that the Once More Unto the Breach is lighter.

Up front is a carbon fibre fork with a mudguard mount at the dropout. The hubs are the track-style large flange design with 32 spokes in both wheels. Rims are 30mm deep with reinforced eyelets, to add extra strength and robustness. 25mm Vittoria Rubino tyres with a white stripe to match the frames paint job completes the wheel package.

It wears the necessary mounts and has the clearance for fitting proper full-length mudguards.The rear hub is a flip flop design, with a threaded sprocket carrier on both sides. It comes fitted with a singlespeed freewheel on one side and a fixed sprocket on the other, making it easy to go singlespeed or fixed wheel.

The finishing on our test bike comes from Italian company Deda. There are plenty of spacers to allow us to get a good fit.

Brakes come from the TRP stable of components and are RRL Alloy brake levers pulling on R539 black polished calipers.

Geometry on this 56cm example (seven sizes are available) is a 73° head angle with a 72° seat angle. The head tube is short, keeping the bars low, at 128mm.

The Driveline Track Chainset has a 48t chainring and this combines with an 18t fixed and singlespeed sprockets out back. This gives a 70in gear which is good for places like London, but anywhere hilly and you might want to consider dropping down to something smaller like a 67.

The complete bike as pictured costs £799. You can buy the frame and fork for £449.

More details at www.pearsoncycles.co.uk

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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14 comments

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Fritz80 | 8 years ago
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Thanks for the information that you've shared. Nice. purchase soundcloud plays

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robert_obrien | 11 years ago
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'My kingdom for a horse' would've been more topical.

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fourstringsisplenty | 11 years ago
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Looks like the product of a late-night encounter between a Dawes Galaxy and a Dolan track bike.

At least it's not all-black, though!

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bfslxo | 11 years ago
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perfect for SKS longboards - finish it off a treat and you won't even notice the brakes then

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betweenbikes | 11 years ago
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stick some full length guards on it quick

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betweenbikes | 11 years ago
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is that shot in wide angle?
if not...thats not a nice looking bike  19

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horizontal dropout | 11 years ago
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fishmitten | 11 years ago
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I just built one of these frames up as a SS commuter and love it. Very fast and responsive.

It is a shame there is so much wheel clearance, as it limits your choice of brake caliper somewhat, but it still makes a good looking bike with the right components.

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Old Cranky | 11 years ago
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I guess the clearance is to cater for the fitting of a set of mudguards. Out of interest, what mudguard is suitable with the track-style rear dropouts?

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Pearsoncycles replied to Old Cranky | 11 years ago
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Pretty much any mudguard will fit but we most frequently use the SKS Chromoplastic P35

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nod | 11 years ago
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I'm all for a wheel clearances, but that's catachasmic! Makes the bike look horrible.  31

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james-o | 11 years ago
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Cool bike names from Pearson )

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timmah | 11 years ago
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Both 7005 aluminium and steel framed at the same time?
Nice  16

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David Arthur @d... replied to timmah | 11 years ago
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timmah wrote:

Both 7005 aluminium and steel framed at the same time?
Nice  16

Ok well spotted, suitably edited

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