The Mason Macro Eagle 90 is a bike-packing, mile-munching, multi-day adventure bike. Designed to be fully loaded on multi-day rides, the Macro blends capability with comfort. The endurance-focused geometry ensures a stable and relaxed riding position, even after hours in the saddle. As with any customisable bike, costs can climb quickly if you’re not careful with spec choices. Still, the Macro remains a solid choice for anyone seeking a reliable, adaptable, and adventure-ready rig.
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Mason Macro Eagle 90 – Technical Details
The Mason Macro is a do-it-all, configurable and versatile adventure hardtail. Built around 29-inch wheels, it can be configured as a lightweight cross-country hardtail suited to tackle trails where the terrain is a bit rough, or it can be built to suit rides with longer distances or greater elevation gain where a gravel bike may not be quite enough. Extra comfort can be achieved with a 100mm suspension fork, or Mason’s Hotshoe 2 carbon rigid fork can be spec’d for a lighter and more efficient ride.
The frame has been made using Dedacciai 7000 series aluminium. A lot of care and development has gone into the construction of the frame to tune the ride characteristics to create a versatile and reliable build.
Starting with the head tube, it has a generous wall thickness with large joints to give a very strong and durable set-up. The large diameter headset allows large bearings to be used for increased durability and gives provision for the use of an internally routed headset. Whilst internally routed headsets are more of a headache for maintenance, in the case of bikepacking, it makes sense to be able to get all the hoses out of the way of bar bags and racks. Internal routing through the frame can still be achieved without going through the headset by using Mason’s multi-ports in the downtube.
Moving onto the downtube, it starts with a round profile at the headtube that ovalizes towards the bottom bracket to provide the largest weld area possible for maximum strength and plenty of rigidity for a stable pedalling platform.
The top tube is wide and flat to increase compliance whilst providing a stable mounting point for accessories such as a top tube bag.
The bottom bracket shell is a large 57mm diameter unit, which makes room for hoses to be routed inside, and it gives a large weld area to make the frame joints strong. A threaded BSA bottom bracket is always a welcome sight, as it’s the most reliable and readily serviceable option.
The bike’s seat stays are shaped to give vertical compliance and comfort whilst retaining lateral stiffness for pedalling efficiency. The chain stays finalise the ride-driven design with a deep section to create good power transfer, they’re swept low for plenty of chain clearance even when in the smallest gear.
Mason’s rear dropouts are UDH compatible with threaded rack mounts incorporated into them and a 160mm post brake mount.
The frame has a host of mounting options to mount bags and accessories – the top tube, seat tube, and downtube have braised threaded mounts, whilst the rear triangle features provision for a rear pannier rack.
This frame is claimed to come in at 1875g and is available in four sizes, ranging from S-XL, which’ll suit riders from 162cm up to 198cm. Two colours are on offer, grigiotecno (blue) and tilt-shift (bronze metallic).
The geometry has been carefully considered to give a comfortable and efficient ride. A 75-degree seat angle gives a commanding seat position without putting too much weight forward onto the arms. 432mm chain stays across all sizes and a 67.5 degree head angle will give a lively ride that’ll be manoeuvrable even fully loaded at low speeds but may prove twitchy on rougher descents.
A low stack of 593mm will help with getting into a more aero position for the long hauls, but you may want to add spacers under the stem and higher rise bars if a strong descending body position is important to you. Reach numbers across the sizes (466mm for a large) strike a great balance given the intentions, which, along with the seat tube angle, result in effective top-tube lengths that won’t be too outstretched for long days in the saddle.
Mason Macro Eagle 90 – Componentry
While Mason offers standardised builds which are configurable through the checkout process with options to suit your intended use, the brand can also support a custom build and price it accordingly if you want something completely bespoke.
As standard, the Macro Eagle 90 uses the mechanical T-Type direct mount drivetrain from SRAM, which features a 32T chain ring and 10-52T wide range cassette in a 1x format (single chain ring up front). Standard wheels are from Hunt with the Trail Wide alloy wheelset wrapped in WTB Ranger or Schwalbe tyre options.
The base fork option is the rigid carbon Mason Hotshoe 2 fork with the option to upgrade to a Rockshox SID Ultimate for an extra £600.
SRAM Motive brakes give plenty of bite with four-piston callipers and great lever feel, offering plenty of control. These are paired with a 160mm rear disc and a 180mm front disc.
Finishing kit comes as standard with a Deda Peak riser or flat bar at 780mm wide, the stem has standard lengths ranging from 50mm up to 80mm.
The standard seat post is Mason’s carbon offering with dropper post options from PNW Components as a cable-operated option or Rockshox Reverb AXS if you want to go wireless.
Final options are around setup, including tubeless tyres, dynamo lighting, brake lever set-up (Euro or UK), chain stay protection and Invisiframe protection.
The Macro on test came with upgrade wheels in the form of Hunt’s Proven XC Race carbon wheels (+ £550), set up tubeless (+£25) with the Vittoria Mezcal tyres (+£40). It also included a full Invisiframe package (+£220), which brought the total to £4135.
Mason Macro Eagle 90 – Performance
Setting up a fully rigid bike doesn’t take long, a quick adjustment to the seat height and tilt got things comfortable whilst I opted to start with 40psi in the rear tyre and 35 in the front, favouring reduced rolling resistance.
My initial shakedown ride was really positive, but I did notice a couple of things. Without being loaded up, the Macro is very lively thanks to a steep head angle and my chosen short stem (50mm). Small inputs into the steering resulted in quick and direct changes of direction, which took a bit of getting used to compared to the large, more aggressive bikes I’d usually ride.
It became quickly apparent this bike was built with all-day comfort in mind, and it gives an immensely comfortable seated position, which feels very efficient. The mountain bike 10-51T gear range with a 32T chainring allows all but the steepest hills to be climbed at a sensible pace without running out of top-end speed on the faster sections.
Getting the bike packed up for a multi-day trip was a cinch with so many mounting options being available to cater for my needs. Whilst the bike has been on several bike-packing trips through testing, a four-day jaunt along the Badger Divide in Scotland proved a varied and well-rounded test for the Macro. For this trip, I settled on using the Shutter fender to carry a dry bag filled with layers whilst riding, a saddle bag for dry evening clothes, along with a frame bag and top tube bag for snacks and tools.
With the bike loaded up, that twitchy handling settled down into a stable bike and yet remained manoeuvrable enough to pick out the smoothest lines when the gravel got chunky. I intended to have the Macro set up as a comfortable flat bar gravel bike, which drove the decision to use the rigid fork. With the 29 x 2.4”, there was enough comfort for the chunky gravel tracks to not become fatiguing whilst remaining a lightweight and efficient ride. This was especially noticeable when out of the seat, climbing steep mountain passes where a suspension fork would bob, sapping energy.
Higher-speed descents were handled admirably with the Macro, leaving me impressed by what a rigid bike could ride over. The whole bike remained quiet and composed during some tough descending, yet on more technical descents, it was easy to balance the loaded weight and pick the most sensible lines. The four-piston SRAM Motive brakes have plenty of bite, which gave me the confidence to bomb every smooth descent I could, trying to break my top-speed high score.
After 350km over four days, I am happy to report that the seat position remained comfortable and felt very natural. Over the last 800km of riding, the whole build hasn’t put a foot wrong. The mechanical T-Type Eagle 90 drivetrain has been excellent, remaining reliable and quiet with consistently smooth shifts. For bikepacking, particularly in remote areas, mechanical shifting will always be my choice over wireless, where I favour being able to repair a snapped gear cable over cursing the Gods of electrons.
The Vittoria tyres have been superb, they’ve proven to be tough enough to withstand some very rocky descending whilst being impressively efficient on the road, a real companion for gravel-related long-distance riding. Having said that, as a word of warning, the 2.4” width does fit in the frame, but it’s tight, so mud clearance could become an issue here.
Mason Macro Eagle 90 – Verdict
The base price of £3,300 for Eagle 90 mechanical gearing and alloy wheels is certainly not cheap, especially in the absence of any suspension. There is no doubt the Macro is a top-quality, incredibly well-considered and executed build which is backed up with Mason’s heritage, but, as always, there are other configurable bikepacking options.
Last year, I tested the Sonder Broken Road ST, a steel-framed rigid 29” bike that is also built for adventure. It offered a comfortable and efficient ride whilst being a fair chunk cheaper at £2,149 for a similar spec, however, it’s also quite a bit heavier, being a steel-framed bike.
For similar money, at £3,249, the Windover Beacon Race gravel bike is another flat bar, 29” wheel option. It’s a hand-built steel-framed gravel bike with 29 x 2.4” tyres and a rigid fork, which has similar intentions to the Macro. A Shimano SLX drivetrain and Magura MT5 brakes are arguably a slightly lower spec than the SRAM kit on the Macro, and it’ll no doubt be heavier as it uses a steel frame, but worth considering nonetheless.
The Mason Macro in the Eagle 90 spec is an immensely versatile bike which can be built to handle a wide range of adventure-based terrain. A comfortable seat position and manoeuvrable handling when loaded up show the intentions of the geometry, which is paired with a lightweight and well-considered frame construction. The configurability from the factory is impressive and allows the bike to range from a flat-bar gravel bike to a cross-country mountain bike; it has all the details to be the perfect bike-packing companion.
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About the bike
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 :
The Macro is highly configurable, conceived around bikepacking loads, accessory attachment and fluid-carrying capacity from the outset. It is much more than simply a flat-bar gravel bike – designed for customisation, allowing the rider to fine tune a configuration that matches their requirements and planned adventures.
State the frame material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.:
Aluminium 7000 series frame
Components are completely configurable although this spec will come with Eagle 90 mechanical drive train with Hunt wheels, and SRAM Motive brakes
Frame & Fork
How much suspension travel does the fork have?:
Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.:
Descending on a rigid bike was more comfortable than expected – good compliance in the frame and fork along with the 2.4″ tyres
How was the bike in terms of sizing and angles? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size and intent?:
Comfortable seat position for all day pedalling
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Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?:
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B > SEAT TUBE C/C 420
C > BB DROP 63
D > REAR CENTRE 432
E > TT EFFECTIVE 623.5
F > TT ACTUAL 600
G > STACK 593.5
H > REACH 466
I > S/O – 29 x 2.4
(Measured vertically, 50mm in front of BB centre) 778
J > OFFSET 45
K > TRAIL
Trail data for more wheel/tyres in full geo. chart (where applicable) 107.2
L > FORK CROWN HEIGHT 483
M > HEAD ANGLE 67.5º
N > HEAD TUBE LENGTH 110
O > VIRTUAL ST ANGLE
(BB Centre to Centre of post Clamp at seat height shown) 75.2º/780
P > WHEELBASE 1161.7
Q > HANDLEBAR (OUTSIDE DIMENSION) 800
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Riding
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Rate the bike for high speed descending
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Suspension
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Drivetrain
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Wheels & tyres
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Controls
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Summary
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Overall performance:
Product likes:
Multi-day levels of comfort
Great handling when loaded up
Product dislikes:
Price
Handling is lively when unloaded
