THE LIGHT BLUE WOLFSON ULTEGRA
£2099.99 › Classic British road bike with a touch of the Cambridge blues
You’d be forgiven for not knowing The Light Blue brand, but it was established back in 1895, and has been under the ownership of the Townsend family since. Historically the brand was deeply associated with performance bikes, but over the last decade or so it has concentrated on producing the Parkside and Chesterton city bikes. These traditional basket-up-front and situp-and-beg riding position town cruisers have been hugely popular with students in The Light Blue’s home city of Cambridge.
More recently, The Light Blue marque has expanded into a range of classic-inspired road bikes, gravel bikes and the Wolfson, based around the clubman-style road bike.
The Wolfson isn’t a retro-replica as its geometry (73-degree seat, 72.5-degree head angles and 1022mm wheelbase) makes it handle like a thoroughly modern road bike. That said the ride quality is far removed from modern carbon, which, when it’s used cleverly, can emulate steel in compliance terms. What carbon can’t match is the natural spring and life of a great steel frame, which is exactly what the Wolfson gives you. It’s made from Reynolds 853 tubing, which has the benefit of a light, seamless construction and is ‘air-hardened’ to give greater strength in the weld areas over more standard steels. The 853 steel is also heat treated to further increase its strength and resistance to damage. The added toughness means you can make the tubes with thinner walls, so it’s lighter yet highly resistant to fatigue.
In real terms, that adds up to a bike with real character. Would we choose the Wolfson for a hard-riding-inthe-red, heart-rate-busting road session or power-producing intervals? No, not a chance when compared to modern race bike. But for spending long sociable days out
Carbon can’t match the spring of a great steel frame, which the Wolfson gives you
riding with friends or epic distances, we would go for bikes like the Wolfson every time.
Light Blue has balanced the frame with a skinny-legged carbon fork to create a really nice, balanced feel. The circa 1500g Halo Devaura wheelset is a decent match for the frame too, the freehub is quick to engage, and the wheels ride with no discernible flex. The rim profile is a great match for the 28mm Schwalbe tyres, which add another level to the overall comfort.
The Genetic saddle may be a little garish with its union flag pattern compared to the understated blue frameset, but the textured surface and shape only add to the luxury feel of the Wolfson.
To get an 853-framed bike at this price and one with an Ultegra groupset will mean some compromises, on the Wolfson it’s the brakes. The Tektro Quartz units are decent enough stoppers, we like the low profile QR design and dual pivot action, but the pads are a little hard and a bit waxy, which means in the dry they work but feel a little dead. In the wet that feeling is exacerbated along with a drop in performance. Swapping them is an easy upgrade to make, though, and we’d be happy to pay extra for the full Ultegra setup.
If you prefer riding in comfort on a bike that can handle sporty licks yet still look after you all day, the Wolfson reminds us of everything that makes a great steel bike great.
THE VERDICT Confidence-inspiring handling combined with a luxurious ride