What Bike & Components Did A PRO Bike Reviewer Spend His OWN Money On? (Staff Bikes Ep.6)
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- čas přidán 15. 03. 2024
- Can a steel bike REALLY still compete against carbon or titanium in 2024? Our professional bike reviewer puts his money where his mouth is and spends his own money building his dream bike. In this road.cc Staff Bikes episode we take a look at Stu's new Fairlight Secan 2.5 gravel bike.
Stu reviewed over 70 of the best road bikes and best gravel bikes in 2023 but this is the one that he chooses to ride when he's not at work.
For the full build spec including Shimano GRX and Panaracer GravelKing tyres click the link below:
road.cc/content/feature/staff...
Let us know what you think of this dream gravel bike in the comments section!
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I lived in the Uk for years and you see a lot of very serious cyclist riding really practical and durable steel bikes like this. In the US, everyone is on carbon.
I live in California, and I still enjoy and prefer my steel bike.
3 different steel bike builder's around Portland, Oregon.
Everyone?
@@531c my point exactly - it seems both _irony_ and _absolutes_ are nullified by the internet
I have to steel bikes in the US desert. My wife has one steel and one ti bike(carbon fork) currently. Surly, Soma and Kona all US brands with steel options. Marin still has a few steel bike builders.
Nice to see a shift from racing inspired cycling to more leisurely and exploratory cycling. Forget your Strava and egos and materialism and just enjoy your cycling.
The best of cycling is the fun, the fitness, the exploring, the experience. An interest in equipment can also be a fun and rewarding thing, sometimes, but far too often it becomes empty consumerism in the negative sense imo. And I don’t mean simply cheap is better - this bike isn’t cheap - but bought to last more than a year or two. This kind of bike is what far more people should be riding.
I've tried carbon, aluminum, titanium, and even magnesium framed bikes but steel is what I prefer. The ride quality of high quality steel frame bicycle is quite nice.
I have a 12 year old Genesis Equilibrium with Reynolds 725 steel, full mudguards and a narrow Tortec velocity rack, which sits close to the wheel. Absolute beauty to ride. Daily commuter but has also been on touring holidays and even the odd sportive
I just ordered an iridescent plum Secan 2.5, super exited to ride this beauty next summer! I will install a 1X drivetrain because I like to ride more off road and to tackle the step climbs around the area, love the versatility that the bike offers and the attention to details. When someone so knowledgeable, who tests and rides dozens of bikes as a job and he decides to buy the same bike as I ordered makes feel confident about my choice. I’ll start looking for those orange bolts because I ordered orange headsets and seat clamp 😎
Thank you for the video
I was set on Strael for my first project and I already got all the gear (with 48/32 and 11-36 along with alroad wheelset) except the frame and after watching this video I am starting to think about Secan. I will say thank you for now 🙂
I’m in the same situation. Only that I’ve decided to go for Secan if I decide to go Fairlight. Leaves a space for carbon bike in my (future) stable. The logic being Strael is a great all round, all year road bike. Secan is not far off on the road (as per David Arthur-Just ride bikes, they ride very similar), able to cover gravel, too. Both Strael and Secan leave space for a carbon sunshine climbing bike (meaning even more roady Strael isn’t meant to compete with climbing carbon bikes) while Secan being able to cover much more of reasonable drop bar ground vs. Strael. I mean if you want one bike for the next 15 years and do not plan to ride tougher gravel, Strael would be great. But I think I’d like to try and buy an updated carbon bike every so often while having a reliable, fine-tuned, steel servant ready to rock n roll any time with any wheel or gear setup. Based on reviews, Secan is the one.
I’ve had a Secan for about 4 years now, one bike that does it all. It’s perfect 👌
Very interesting and enjoyable discussion in a relaxed mood, more videos of this type please. Good choice of bike. Minus points for not knowing where Ritchey is from, surprisingly.
I have had two Fairlights over the years.
Current one is the Secan 2.5.
Currently haven't a pure road bike and been using this.
Mainly in commute mode at the moment with 700c wheels and 32mm GP 5000 but early in the year it was wearing 650b and 2.25 Racing Ralphs!
It does everything well!
My only only disagreement is i am a Sram AXS fan!
I am running 1 X as well! Road or offroad and its great!
Rival/ Force mix.
I have a strael mk3. For gravel ive a 2021 Genesis Croix de Fer. Both lovely to ride.
Love this Fairlight build! 😊
"A really nice all-round wheel-set!" 🤣
Excellent choice 😊 ❤ I love steel framed bikes own 3 and a titanium.. mechanical to.. awesome dude Pete 🚴🏻😃👍
Two guys having the crack about a lovely bike 😊
Nice vid thnx!
Fabulous setup 🥰
Thanks for posting. I have my eyes on a Fairlight Strael or Secan for my next bike!
Good choice!
I've had my Strael 3.0 a couple of months, 1,000 miles in and absolutely love it.
Great choice! I've been a fan since their mark 1 Strael. I'm very very fortunate to have one of each of their bikes now 😊
Awesome! We're quite jealous!
I have just taken delivery of my new Fairlight Secan 2.5. I have already put over 150km in 5 days. I live rural UK and the beauty for me with the Secan is that this will be my all year round bike. Country lanes, bridal-ways, forrest and actual gravel will be my mainstay with this bike. Went for the Desert colourway which is actually amazing in the flesh.
Forgot to mention I have a few steel and carbon bikes. For me buying steel is a long term investment and bikes that will be handed down. Carbon is amazing no doubt but not a long term investment for me.
I think my last bike would be the one made of steel (even though I’m riding one now). With proper gear ratio, it would be a perfect bike to decorate my later days.
Latenight Scroller here, too, so much fun to find some finds on components and such, either used or new or new-old-stock. And thanks for this look at this bike, gorgeous build. 😀
Love that bike. Super practical and sporty geometry at the same time, with just enough slackness in the head tube and fork to make it work for cargo carrying for touring should you ever wish to do that. The principle of this regular model is a lot like a Litespeed Cherohala except with much more aero geometry in terms of stance due to the lower stack and shorter head tube (the tall models conversely are very much like the Cherohala to within about 5 millimeters as I'll explain in a moment). And a perfect choice of groupset too. I got my Cherohala with Ultegra-11 but would have happily gone for GRX-11 had that been available at the time. I think the Secan regular geometry is a bit severe for my back though even though it looks better! My size L Cherohala effectively has the reach of the Secan 56T with stack that splits the difference between the 56T and 58T and then the wheelbase of the 58T and 58R Secan frames.
I have the panaracers GKs too (32c)..genuinely amazing tyres that can take a lot of abuse.
Hoping that the new ones are equally as good or even better!
@@roadcc m not updating anytime soon :)
i have built myself during the lockdown a genesis equilibrium rim brake. running a tubeless conti 5000 stl it is soo incredible comfy. i can sit in the saddle for over 8hrs with no problems. i think for the „normal“ consumer, a steel frame is more than enough and it’s more comfortable than a super stiff carbon frame
Absolutely love my Secan 2.5 for bikepacking. But when I'm not bikepacking, I'm not a fan of the dampened steel feel. I much prefer the agile, and fast feeling of a good carbon bicycle.
I must be getting closer to that lotto win by now and when I do, that Secan is the first thing I’m buying
Can’t wait
Sounds like a good plan to us!
I prefer a steel frame with sockets, 140kg frame load capacity, 2x11 and Gravel tires. I need a bike for everyday riding, road, gravel and multi day trips. I want to own one bike for life.
I weigh 50 kg. 😊
My drooling over the Secan continues…
King cage water bottles would compliment the frame very well.
smart choice indeed !!!
Love the steel - the only thing I might have done differently is replace the disc brakes with rim brakes to enhance the "retro" look. Another touch would be to acquire a high quality, raked steel fork. Ihave an old Raleigh Team 753 Technium with those characteristics.
"Raked" for more compliance, handle the bumps...?
Minoura bottle cages look lovely on steel bikes - cost about a tenner and less than 50g
You're not going to get pinchs flats at 45-55 psi, so tubeless is superfluous. Thx for the video. Have a great ride.
I just think that is a lovely bike and it feels like it takes all the pressure off trying to get the max performance from your carbon bike
Awesome Bike :)
Nice to see he got a more main stream bike than is sold is most places , Great review thanks
Mainstream? I have never seen one. I see trek madones and sworks everywhere, but never exotic steel bikes.
@@kidShibuya i live in va usa . what ur seeing where u are is car money in most places , this is too lol , but its more targeted in selection , like he picked every part of the bike , u cant get that at s works or trek lol so , to pike everything for the same price 5k or better i love his choices . We can all do the same thing Aliexpesss has choices if u have time , u dont have to spend 10k just dont try to do it it for 1 and you will be happy
Fairlight... why not? Looks like a great bike.
Standert also makes great steel bikes.
are Fairlight Secan 2.5's...available in Canada?....looks like a Proper kind of all around Bike for my 'Riding' Needs!!!! cheers!
Norco Search XR S2 is available in Canada , i have one and it looks very much like this , it's under rated probably , it's a work of art and it's 1.5 pounds heavier than carbon bikes in the same category .
Yes I use BananaWax Bike Bearing Moly Grease Wax.
I was thinking of getting a secan for a few month, but the shipping to the EU is so expensive. I am looking at sour frames now. Also no custom paint on fairlight.
Stu is going the David Arthur-route, testing a Secan and loving it so much that he ends up buying one with his own money...
I have a Secan 2.5 and love it! Oddly It was thanks to David Arthur many years ago that I got mine. On road and off road it's fantastic.There's just something special about steel. Switched out my DI2 for 1x mechanical with Paul Components Klammper brakes.
In retrospect, not going mechanical was my only mistake with my Secan 2.5. While SRAM AXS is brilliant, afterwards I recognized that out in the field (like the far field gravel rides) a mechanical setup would be easier to repair/service.
Sweet bike.
Nice - though I'd go for the Strael.....
We were slightly surprised that Stu didn't tbh!
At the end of the day, it’s just hard to beat a high quality Steel bike- timeless beauty and maximum durability and comfort- I don’t need that fancy over engineered Carbon Fiber-
In Canada the Norco Search XR S2 is very much like this bike , it rides nice , .. awesome infact , it's 1.5 pounds heavier than Carbon fiber bikes in the same category and price , infact was $1000. cheaper than carbon fiber last year but with recent sales I just bought a Trek Checkpoint for the same price even though I don't think it will be better than the steel bike , 1.5 pounds might be noticible .. Tom Ritchey was one of the guys who'de buy beer for the friend with the truck who would drive them up the mountain in marin county California . They would then ride Schwinn Cruisers down the mountain with single speed drum brakes , They would burn the grease out of their hubs each time and need to repack the hub with grease , ... I don't know if that's why , but it's called repack mountain ... Ritchey was 17 years old and began flllet glazing his own frames by hand one by one , .. and then started building bikes for his friends including Gary Fisher and the guy who still owns Specialized . it's where mass production of mountain bikes began although there's a debate about whether or not they invented the mountain bike ? And by the way , the Norco Search which looks alot like the fairlight Secan is designed in the Mountains of the Pacific Northwest , Canada , .. It's not as fast as a suspension hardtail MTB on singletrack but it seems like a very unique bike , and has a ride quality , capability , go fast geometry and pack mounts .. I don't have the new carbon fiber bike yet so I don't know how they compare but I think they'll be different bikes .
Minoura bottle cages. Cheap, light, metal and available in a few colours. Cheap like under £10
Lovely bike , no points for not knowing where Ritchey is from, you are reviewing bike for living and don't know Ritchey?? Is like saying you have never heard of Shimano or Campagnolo, Colnago or any other giant of the industry
Ritchey is an mtb/gravel pioneer from Northern California. A total legend in bikes. FYI with the SK+ since they are thicker than the regular you can run them 2psi less to gain back a little smoothness without loosing performance.
Everyone already knows about Tom Ritchey my dear. Also 2psi less huh?! Not 3 or 4. But 2. Ok. Cool…….😅
Rad bike!
Tom Ritchey, American Badass Moustache
MTB legend! and manufacturer of great kit. Back to school for those lads.......................
I hate how on the lower spec GRX crank, like I have, they but the GRX logo down close to where the pedal attaches. My foot rubs there and it's wearing off the logo.
If this really bothers you that much you can put on a silicon or plastic crank arm protector or even just a strip of clear helicopter tape. Very unobtrusive and problem solved. But apart from that if your foot / heel is making contact with your crank arm that much you may want to look at your Q-factor and/or cleat position. If it’s all set up correctly this shouldn’t really be happening.
50x11 on 25mm tires has the same gear inch measurement as 48x11 on a 38mm tire.
Aesthetically I'm not really a big fan of svelte steel frames spoiled with those wide blade carbon forks and fat headtubes - looks unbalanced to me. Apart from that, and the huge saddle to bar drop, it's not a bad looking bike :)
The only thing I'd change is to ride the thing till wheels drop off !
Now this is my kind of bike. Love it!
he should get a king cage iris!
Nothing against carporn fiber, but there’s no denial we’ve become too spoiled focused on technicalities instead of just riding. Give me any bike, any day. That’ll be a fabulous day 💜
Someone's nicked your Carradice bag mate. It's a grovel bike dressed up as an Audax. It's everything you want that is. Bought a steel Spa Elan last year, then another in titanium. Prettier than a carbon aero offering to my mamil mind. Orange Hope seat clamp please and matching orange headset, there is no excuse....and Hope orange bar ends.
9:23 pleeeeeeaaase cut those wires.....
Where is there gravel in the UK?
The north of England. Scotland. Wales. The south west of England maybe. So, everywhere that’s not the southeast.
Nice video but omg the ever repeating muzak. Next time, use it for the intro and outro and any scene breaks, but give our ears a rest, please!
Why no bottle cages
Where do I find out what kind of steel?
Hi Dave, It's Reynolds 853/853-DZB :)
Thanks that quality stuff, Im a big fan!@@roadcc
Blackburn Chicane stainless bottle cage...20 bucks USD and looks right on a slim, steel. bike.
We’ll take a look! Cheers!
It always surprised me how many media folks had steel or Ti bikes for their personal rides.
@@roadccKing Cage Iris looks great on Secan. I have two on mine :)
Wouldn't a Strael be better for 80% road riding?
Maybe, but as this guys saying he wanted an easy going bike that he could take anywhere he set his mind about. So, if he was riding and saw a cow path, he could follow it. I was much the same when it came to choosing the Secan over the Strael.
Steel & sc gravel kings all day
A gravel bike makes more sense on the road for everyone but people entering races. You give up very little speed for a whole lot of comfort and control.
“Is it better than anything carbon or titanium?!”
No. By his own admission, Stu just has a thing for steel bikes.
Beautiful. Despite that it sounds like the goal was appearance over function, this is a very practical and functional bike. Except for the slammed stem. Thanks for sharing.
stem ain't slammed, fred, there's two 5mm spacers there (not to mention the upper bearing cover).
lolol, tell us what you're runnin', 30-50mm? more?
@@seanmccuen6970 Haha. Did my years on the crit and RR circuit. No more. I ride in a more reasonable position nowadays. Keep lookin' at yourself in the mirror, Freddy.
@@mediumrick7667 good for you, fred, enjoy your 'reasonable' position.
@@seanmccuen6970 Hey I get it, I used to be like you, judging others on the number of spacers below their stem and how "pro" their setup and kit was. I'm older now and I've realized how utterly fucking ridiculous that is. If you're getting paid to ride fast in a WT position, more power to you. If not, do whatever you like. Either way, get over yourself.
We are getting bike performance advice from someone who "Doesn't drink on the bike". LOL
Oh we don’t let him do ANY performance advice don’t you worry!
What the hell have Panaracer done to their lovely branding, oh dear!
Its good but it's not a Cotic!
Seems like the industry is going back to steel again. Bike manufacturers are going to price their steel bikes higher.
Ritchey is Central California - it's not a German flag, it's a UCI champion flag.
It's Steel the best, there's a Dad joke for ya
I would never in a million years put a customer on a bike 2 sizes too small due to dangerous handling and bad position. This bike is a 54 and the rider looks like he needs a 60
👌👍
I have had those Fend off guards for a while. They are great but the rear one has developed a squeak from the rear brake mount bracket. I recommend fitting some foam tape in between the bracket and guard.
The fork is carbon tho'.....
When they do these videos, and if I believe they like bikes like this, then I know all their other reviews are pretty much unreliable shilling.
It is in fact possible to like more than one type of bike
It sounds like the reviewer doesn’t really ride much. His bike is a closet queen.
Panaracer GravelKing are so bad, they puncture so easily!! For commuting a disaster… get the Grand Prix URBAN in 35c or the STRADA BIANCA PRO in 36c soooooooo much better! On every level
Surprise, surprise - when it's your own money you go for the simple, robust and failsafe gear you can fix yourself.
This "I never really work on bikes" genius is awarding pass/fail on companies' products? Haha.
Very nice.....Shame they cheap-out on production costs with those horrible carbon forks....If that had steel forks it'd look the bees!
You can get the Faran which has steel forks but is otherwise pretty similar to the Secan
I jave the Strael and find it one of the worst handling bikes ive ever ridden. Way more twitchy than the Scott Foil it replaced or the Cannondale Supersix i test rode recently, which will likely be the replacment. It was meant to be my long-term 'retirement' from (amateur)racing bike but it was such a bad purchase . I did fit a angled headset which did calm it down significantly though.
@blahblah24304 your probably the only person ever to say that about the strael. Maybe learn how to ride a bike.
There are like 100 things that can affect the handling so blaming the frameset is damn stupid. HT angle is only one of them.
Ritchey with the German flag printed on the stem would probably make it German
Are we just ignoring the blue and green stripes? (It’s the world champs stripes that appear on all the WCS components)
@@roadccwooooops😂
Mug
Lush accent.
There sure is a lot of carbon on your steel bike.
Is the fork carbon? If it’s steel then it’s necessarily heavy. If it’s carbon, is the steerer tube alloy or carbon?
Carbon fork. Doesn't count as a steel bike imo.
if im able to buy UK made bikes, Fairlight for steel & Mason for aluminum🤌
Fairlight are made in China so that's a bit of an odd comment tbh
@bjmaston Wrong. Not made in China.
@@strickostricko Unfortunately it lists the manufacturing location on the Fairlight website. So unless you have a more authoritative source...