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Mason celebrates new SLR and Exposure steel framesets with Launch Edition specials

Take an exclusive look at Mason's new premium steel grand-tourer and gravel bike in limited Launch Edition colours

British brand Mason has two new steel models in the SLR, a model designed for long-distance grand-touring, and the Exposure, which is essentially a new version of the Bokeh gravel bike, so let's check them out. To celebrate the release of the new bikes, Mason has created a very special and very limited selection of Launch Edition frames...

2022 Mason SLR Launch Edition - Launch Edition badge.jpg

Mason SLR

The SLR, in Mason's own words, is the "result of our focus on ride quality, long-distance performance, and luxury grand-touring capabilities." This all-road and touring bike features space for up to 700c x 40mm tyres, full mudguard mounts and multiple attachment points for accessories and carriers.

The new bike has been designed and made in collaboration with renowned Italian frame builder Cicli Barco, but more on that in a minute...

The SLR will usually be offered in Mode Red and the same ShutterBlack finishes that we've seen on other frames such as the Definition. However, being an LE (Launch edition) model, the bike above is in a "never to be repeated" DarkRoomRed Metallic finish and the frame below is another LE special DiffuserBlack Metallic.

> Review: 2022 Mason Definition Chorus

Other changes to the Launch Edition models include special stainless steel badging brazed to the seat tube and Launch Edition decals.

Anyone who pre-orders one of the 10 Launch edition frames will also get special Launch Edition 1-10 personalised bottom bracket numbering for each model and receive a MASON x Barco card signed by the designer and welder that worked on the frame. The owner also gets a Cicli Barco cap that is signed by the welder.

Both the Launch Edition and production SLRs share a custom shaped, progressively-butted, phosphate-coated Dedacciai Zero/Zero Uno tubeset that is made exclusively for this frame. Mason says that this "offers class-leading compliance and weight, combined with a propulsive, plush ride quality, and maximum pedalling efficiency."

> Best steel road bikes 2022 — versatile, durable and comfortable steeds

The frame is manufactured using 100% Italian TIG welding and silver-brazed frame construction which features a stainless-steel T47 threaded bottom bracket shell. This allows hoses and cables to be internally routed, exiting through the chainstays which keeps them out the way of frame bag straps.

2022 Mason SLR frameset - bottom bracket.jpg

Other features include silver-brazed bottle bosses, clearance for 50/34T double chainrings and discreet internal dynamo-light routing in the top tube with stainless-steel port reinforcement as standard.

Just look at how pretty the welding is on this raw pre-production frame that is finished with just a coating of beeswax.

Mason SLR 2

Unlike many low-volume brands, Mason has chosen to go to the trouble of designing and making its own full-carbon fork, the RangeFinder AR (‘AR’ for AllRoad). Mason says that this allows it to tune the fork to each individual model, provides full control of the moulded-in eyelet placement, and means there's no need to make geometry compromises.

> The 10 best bikepacking bags in 2022 — how to choose lightweight luggage

The RangeFinder AR on the SLR has been tuned for "all conditions riding on firmer surfaces with large tyres." It also has mounts for a front rack or rando-style bag support in addition to an internally-routed dynamo front light.

2022 Mason SLR - fork.jpg

The rear dropouts are interesting too. Anyone who has been exposed to steel frame building will know that this is an area that regularly causes headaches because, as Mason's Italian frame makers put it, "[Steel bikes are alive when heating and cooling."

> Should you choose a steel, aluminium, titanium or carbon road bike?

Mason's solution is its TiltShift precision-aligned UK-made BEAR dropout design. The dropouts use a clockable stainless steel insert to enable absolute accuracy in alignment during fabrication. Mason says that this allows it to achieve perfect alignment without any cold-setting after welding.

2022 Mason SLR frameset - rear drop out 1.jpg

Mason has stuck with its eight-size range which is impressive given the scale of production. The SLR is, as you would expect, a little more relaxed than the Definition with a shorter effective top tube, longer wheelbase to allow for the larger tyre clearances and shorter reach.

2022 Mason SLR geometry

The SLR frameset will set you back £1,995 with the Launch Edition model costing the same despite the more expensive paintwork and badging. However, it is limited to just 10 units so you'll need to move fast!

Full pricing and build specs can be found at masoncycles.cc but a SRAM Force eTap AXS build starts at £5,000 and the one that we had a look around complete with racks was specced to £5,435.99.

The SLR LE DarkRoom Red GRX 2x Limited bike pictured above has stainless Berthoud muguards and a Luminance Upgrade lighting setup bringing the total build to £5,253.

Mason Exposure

The second recently released bike is the Exposure which has even larger tyre clearances – 700c x 50mm/650b x 58mm – and is designed for "fast, long-distance and multi-month adventure touring over very variable and unpredictable terrain." You can liken it to a steel reinterpretation of the Bokeh.

The Exposure has mounts galore, full mudguards, multiple attachment locations for accessories, racks, and extra fluid. You name it, the Exposure has it.

In fact, you'll find four bosses on the top side of the down tube, three underneath, three on the seat tube; two on the top tube and two on either side of the seatstays. That's before we even get into the rear rack bosses, dynamo lighting ports and the exclusive (removable) stainless-steel threaded lower mount for rear mudguard fitment. All of them are stainless-steel and silver-brazed.

2022 Mason Exposure Launch Edition - fork.jpg

With the rigours of multi-day riding in mind, the Exposure uses custom-shaped, progressively butted, phosphate-coated Dedacciai Zero Uno tube set with a Reynolds/BEAR 631 44mm head tube which is shaped exclusively for this frame. Mason says that this steel tubing "offers class-leading toughness and weight, combined with engaging pedalling feel, ride quality, and efficiency."

> Bike at Bedtime: Steel is still real: take a look at the new Mason Exposure

Like the SLR, the new Exposure uses a T47 bottom bracket and gets a full carbon fork that has been designed and made by Mason, this time a 'RangeFinder AS' (‘AS’ for AdventureSport) - which is said to be tuned for all- surface riding conditions.

2022 Mason Exposure Launch Edition - bottom bracket.jpg

The Exposure gets clearance for a 48/31T double chainset or 40T single chainring.

Like the SLR, the Exposure will also be available in the DiffuserBlack Metallic Launch Edition colourway and production colours: Filter Yellow and Optic Green (shown below) which Dom Mason explained were inspired by another versatile machine, the Mercedes Unimog (it's a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries).

2022 Mason Exposure.jpg

The geometry on the exposure is designed to provide stable and predictable handling especially when carrying packs and panniers. The stack has also been increased to allow for a more relaxed/upright riding position.

2022 Mason Exposure geometry

The Exposure frameset comes in at £1,995, the production OpticGreen Exposure bike with Campagnolo Ekar components shown above is £4,250, and the bike shown in the gallery, the Exposure LE DarkRoom Red Force AXS eTap, has a price tag of £5,095.

2022 Mason Exposure and SLR - paintwork detailing 1.jpg

We're looking forwards to testing out the two new bikes in the coming months so be sure to check back for our full reviews...

www.masoncycles.cc

What do you think of the new bikes? Let us know in the comments section below...

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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17 comments

Avatar
emjay49 | 1 year ago
2 likes

Very impressive bikes that stand out in a crowded marketplace. Awesome to see a small business have such a focus on design and quality.

Avatar
Dom replied to emjay49 | 1 year ago
3 likes

Thanks emjay49! 'Ride Driven Design' is our thing. No frame features or additions there for fashion or aesthetics, everything should have a real riding advantage. We are so lucky to be working with the world class riders and frame makers that have helped to bring MASON to the point that it's at today, 8 years in.

Avatar
andystow | 1 year ago
0 likes

Is that generator lighting a factory install? Do they not have anyone who can cut and strip wires?

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Dom replied to andystow | 1 year ago
5 likes

Hi andystow, yes we build all the bikes here in the UK to the custmers spec. We have to cut, strip and solder the wires when we fit our 'Luminance Upgrade' dynamo lighting system, which includes coaxial connector to the hub. The reason for the coil of wire around the front light support [I guess you are referring to that] is so that the rider has enough free wire to move the light to alternative positions [bar mount], when fitting a front rack for example.

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
3 likes

All beautiful frames - their beauty is only matched by the weeping that will ensue when a good sized rock bounces off and chips that paintwork.

 

Though I lust after both of them I cant help feeling that gorgeous paintjobs and offroad dont mix very well.

Avatar
Dom replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
3 likes

Thanks Secret_squirrel ! We use the best Italian paint shops that we can find and the frames have 2 tough coats of lacquer, so they are pretty hard wearing and resistant to rock strikes. We aren't going to give them second-rate/less gorgeous paint finishes just becuse people will take them off-road ; ]

The thick paint and lacquer are also backed up by corrosion treatment inside and on the surface of the tubes.

Avatar
wtjs | 1 year ago
2 likes

British brand Mason!?

This reminds me of a Michael Bentine sketch in which the effusive broadcaster praises some new Europlane where the ashtray is made in Britain. In this case it's 'the precision rear dropouts'

Avatar
Sriracha replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
1 like

It's odd, there is clearly a lot of marketing cachet in "British", and yet so much dissemblance when it comes to delivering on the promise (here's looking at you, "Brooks England").

I'll be honest, in this case I'd already given up on the "British" and was satisfied that it was in fact made in Italy, not just a case of Far East with a serving of pasta sauce. Lovely looking machine of course.

Edit - to be fair, I don't think Mason themselves are playing the "British" card, their "story" takes a totally different line and tells it straight.
https://masoncycles.cc/story

Avatar
Dom replied to Sriracha | 1 year ago
3 likes

Thanks Sriracha, We are a British brand, working from a flint barn on the South Coast near Brighton. [See my reply to wtjs above].

We don't really push the 'UK Design' or 'Made In Italy' thing too hard, preferring for the bicycle designs to speak for themselves.

I try to keep as much as possible within the UK and Europe, with just our forks coming from a high quality maker in Taiwan.

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joules1975 replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
2 likes

You're confusing 'brand' with 'manufactured'.

A brand can be associated with a country or place for one or more of a number of reasons - country of origin for the company, where it's made, where the company is based, a particular 'hook' onto which a marketing campaign is attached, or simply what it gets tagged as being organically by those that become familiar with it.

Where the brands products are manufactured can and often is totally different, and these days is rarely one place and therefore often a little hazy.

 

 

 

Avatar
Dom replied to joules1975 | 1 year ago
2 likes

Hi joules1975, absolutely. We are a UK brand. We design and build all our bicycles to order, here in the Mason Barn near Brighton and we make as much as possible within the UK and Europe. From the start we have actively avoided shipping materials across the world if at all possible.

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Secret_squirrel replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
2 likes

Its also unarguable (to me at least) that the british based designers do bring a certain je ne sais qua to a frame.  Or whether thats the 100% oxygen free audio cable effect is up for debate?  Someone buy me a couple of Mason's so I can check for the Placebo effect?

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Dom replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
2 likes

Secret_squirrel wrote:

Its also unarguable (to me at least) that the british based designers do bring a certain je ne sais qua to a frame.  Or whether thats the 100% oxygen free audio cable effect is up for debate?  Someone buy me a couple of Mason's so I can check for the Placebo effect?

- Thanks! I think you might be right ; ]  '100% Oxygen free audio cable' is not noticable by normal humans, whereas a well made bicycle frame is. Discuss.

Come and see us and take a couple of MASON's out for a few hours!

Avatar
Dom replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
3 likes

Hi wtjs, Wow, Michael Bentine.

We are a British brand. I design all the frames, graphics, bicycles here in the UK and we build them all to order in the Mason Barn here on the South Coast near Brighton and ship them out from here into the world.

Almost all our frames are made in Italy by various makers, except for the RAW hardtail, which is fabricated and painted by our friends at FiveLand in Scotland. The SLR uses UK made dropouts, the Exposure uses UK made head tube and various other MASON frames use Reynolds UK seat tubes, HT's, dropouts, Reynolds UK Ti CS's and 3D printed dropouts. We have racks made in Holland and chainstay protectors made in Germany. My thing from the start has been to work with small makers in Italy [and the UK where possible] and source all components and tubes from within Europe. This is certainly not the easiest or cheapest way to do things, but it's the way that works best for us. Our carbon forks are made in Taiwan because they are the absolute best.

There's more on all this stuff in our Story here > https://masoncycles.cc/story

and in 'Thinking' here > https://masoncycles.cc/thinking

I hope this helps.

Avatar
Sriracha | 1 year ago
6 likes

Deed poll coming up, I'm changing my name to "Miles"!

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Secret_squirrel replied to Sriracha | 1 year ago
3 likes

First name Miles second name Long

Avatar
Dom replied to Sriracha | 1 year ago
2 likes

Sriracha wrote:

Deed poll coming up, I'm changing my name to "Miles"!

- A friend of mine was asked " is your boyfriend called Miles?" when they were walking through an airport wearing our #MadeForMiles T!

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