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TECH NEWS

Former Genesis designer Dom Thomas launches Wold Cycles + video

New steel bike brand makes production and custom framesets in Lincolnshire

Dom Thomas, formerly designer of Genesis Bikes, has launched a new steel bike brand called Wold Cycles that makes small batch production framesets alongside fully custom bikes.

We actually gave you a sneak peek of Wold Cycles’ bikes in our reports from last month’s Bespoked handmade bicycle show, but we have more details now.

“The first Wold production model is the Elm which is a super-versatile and multi-functional frameset for touring, commuting, cross riding, winter road training, a real jack of all trades,” says Dom. “It is made from a mix of Reynolds 853 and Columbus Life.

“The fork is also made from 853 and uses disc specific 17mm tipped legs to create a strong but lightweight raked steel fork that can handle the forces of disc brakes. The Bentley [more on that in a mo] front dropouts are CNC machined with offset faces, giving lots of rotor clearance without having to dent the fork leg.

“For those wanting to ride singlespeed or use Alfine, or give themselves the option to do so in the future, then the Elm EBB features a Bentley eccentric bottom bracket.”

The Elm has clearance for 40c tyres, or 35c with mudguards, plus rack and mudguard mounts.

‘Bentley’ refers to Mark Bentley who was formerly the toolmaker and prototype engineer at Pace Cycles. Dom also used to work at Pace too, which is where the two met.

Wold production bikes feature (and will continue to feature) ‘Bentley by Wold’ CNC machined parts. These include the dropouts and the eccentric bottom bracket with integrated bearings and grease ports.

It looks like high-quality work with distinctive touches that give it that ‘special’ air. All Bentley parts are machined in York by Mark while the bikes are built in Wold’s Lincolnshire workshop.

“There has been a significant investment in machines, tooling, fixtures and jigs to help streamline the production process and to ensure that every frame is built with accuracy and precision,” says Dom.

“Production models are built the same way as the custom framesets, but by having set designs and set sizes Wold are able to build sub-assemblies of chainstays, dropouts and forks in small batches and then complete the build when an order is received.”

Wold offer each model in six sizes with 12 paint colour choices and three decal colour choices. They aim to deliver each order in nine weeks or less.

Wold have collaborated with Cardigan-based active clothing company Howies to produce a limited edition version of the Elm, available in two designed colourways featuring two tone wet paint and custom decals and dropout detailing.

To mark the launch of the bike, Dom got together with Ade from Howies and did an ‘As The Crow Flies’ ride from mid Wales out to the coast, taking in mountains, boggy tracks, rocky paths and river crossings. Here’s the video of the ride.

As The Crow Flies from howies on Vimeo.

The Elm frameset is priced at £1,399.99, the same as the Howies Ltd Edition model, with the Elm EBB (eccentric bottom bracket) version at £1,549.99.

We’re going to get an Elm in for review here on road.cc. For more info go to Wold’s website

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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11 comments

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jellysticks | 9 years ago
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Great film, great ride, great looking bikes. Added to the long list of 'want but am unlikely to get' alongside Ti Pickenflick, most Genesis, Cotic MTBs and a plethora of smaller brands.

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WolfieSmith | 9 years ago
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Lovely film. Not easy to shoot across country like that. Hope they got a model release from that sheep though? 'Stop filming me...Baaaa'

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Deac | 9 years ago
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As The Crow Flies best 5 mins of my day. Wold Howies two great brands.

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whars1 | 9 years ago
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Very nice

Any idea on frame and fork weight?

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MKultra | 9 years ago
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It was all going so well until I saw the the eccentric BB. No matter how many people talk them up they remain over priced over complicated overly fragile gash.

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nowasps replied to MKultra | 9 years ago
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MKultra wrote:

It was all going so well until I saw the the eccentric BB. No matter how many people talk them up they remain over priced over complicated overly fragile gash.

The one on my bike is simple inexpensive and elegant. It has performed its task impeccably over six years and counting. This is just my experience, so perhaps I've been lucky.

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workhard | 9 years ago
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Good old Lynn Biriany, used to love riding round there. I thought Cwmystwyth was regarded as the middle of Wales mind, bit further north than the Dolgoch YH.

Brilliant ride mind, everyone should do Beulah, Tregaron, Cardigan, or similar,at least once in their lives.

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harman_mogul | 9 years ago
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That is very nice indeed. Add me to the growing list of those who want one! And the vid is a real tonic too.

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captain_slog | 9 years ago
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Great video: fantastic countryside.

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SamShaw | 9 years ago
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Another one added to the list of steel bikes I'd love to own, especially pertinent as a Yellowbelly. All I need to do now is to justify one at some point in the future!

Lovely website design by the way.

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Jones The Steam replied to SamShaw | 9 years ago
0 likes
SamShaw wrote:

Another one added to the list of steel bikes I'd love to own

+1  29

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