Mason Resolution
An Italian stallion born and bred in Sussex
Mason Cycles occupies a rare space in the bicycle industry. Its boutique approach to bikes, operating from a converted barn in a tranquil corner of Sussex, is indisputably artisanal, yet it remains far enough removed from the ‘one man and his dog’ framebuilding model that you won’t have to wait two years to own one.
The bikes combine the warm dependability of the local builder with the exotic flair of
Italian craftsmanship, and this Columbus steel Resolution is a case in point. Like the illegitimate child of a Pegoretti and a Surly, it’s a thing of beauty, and it exudes durability and versatility.
The Resolution was conceived in Britain by Mason, but built in Italy in a small-scale Tuscan workshop where, we’re assured, the focus is on quality not quantity. Certainly the frame’s exquisite details suggest it has passed through hands that are highly skilled with a brazing torch.
‘We thought long and hard about this new frame,’ says Mason’s brand manager, Cal
Nicklin. ‘We wanted an engaging ride and to maximise the vibration-dampening properties of steel paired with our four-season geometry. We designed it to be as forgiving as it is thrilling. We have lighter aluminium and titanium frames, but felt the Columbus steel tubing was the best fit here. It’s durable and has a lively feel and that was more the focus here than light weight.’
It’s a promising pitch, but can it deliver?
No slouch
There’s no question the frame is stiff enough to provide speed. The Columbus Spirit and
Life tubesets were plenty firm enough to react favourably to my most aggressive efforts. With relaxed geometry resulting in a wheelbase that’s at least 20mm longer than an equivalent sized race rig (mainly thanks to 420mm chainstays), plus 32mm tyres and a weight of 8.63kg, my expectation was the Resolution might feel somewhat languid, but that wasn’t the case.
It proved to be pleasingly agile, and overall it felt well balanced – capable of injecting a bit of excitement if I wanted, but calm and collected whenever I decided to relax and enjoy the view.
The frame and Mason’s own custom Aperture 2.2 carbon fork are capacious enough for up to 35mm tyres (32mm with mudguards). Yet even with voluminous 32mm Rene Herse tubeless tyres at only 55psi I was still not oblivious to the chatter of a broken road surface, and I was definitely still feeling the jar of bigger strikes,
so I wouldn’t classify the Resolution as a cushy ride. That’s no bad thing, though, because it offers a real sense of connection with the road.
You makes your choices…
As with all Mason’s builds, the spec is entirely your choosing, so Campagnolo’s 1x Ekar is optional, but I have to give this groupset some serious praise. While Campagnolo wouldn’t usually be my first (or even second) choice, the Ekar really piqued my interest.
There are still some classic Campagnolo idiosyncrasies, such as the flimsy-feeling shift paddles and the odd-shaped thumb button, plus there’s an ever-present industrial clunkiness to every gear change, but I cannot deny the 13-speed 1x setup really excels. The range of gears offered by the 9-36t cassette and 40t chainring combo was spot on for where I ride in the New Forest, and never left me wanting.
Other riders would be perplexed by my small chainring compared to their (ahem, outdated)
The Resolution is not a cushy ride – that’s no bad thing, though, because it offers a real sense of connection with the road
I’ve become a fan of a slightly flared bar on road bikes as I feel the benefits are just as applicable as on a gravel bike
52t rings, but then moments later I’d be riding alongside them, chatting and without spinning at a ridiculous cadence. I truly believe the 1x road revolution is coming (see more on this topic on p100) and Ekar has so much potential as a road groupset that it shouldn’t be pigeonholed as a gravel-only product.
While I’m on the subject of trying to purge dyed-in-the-wool roadies of their old-fashioned mentalities, let’s talk about flared bars. Lately I’ve become a fan of a slightly (not fully) flared handlebar on road bikes as I feel the benefits are just as applicable as on a gravel bike. Deda’s Gravel100 bar is spot on, with a relatively mild 12° flare adding roughly an extra 4cm to the bar width at the drops, in this case flaring a 42cm bar to 46cm. This maintained my preferred position on the hoods, but then I appreciated the added control and stability for descending or sprinting in the drops.
The Resolution has versatility in spades and is the perfect choice if you want to sample all the benefits of modern thinking in bike design, yet still want to look like you’re riding a classic.