The Fairlight Strael: Review And Advanced Buyer’s Guide

The Strael is a contemporary road bike from Fairlight Cycles. This Euro bike is constructed of high-quality materials, has a contemporary style, and takes the rider into account with every creation. The Old English word strael means arrow, missile, or dart. And this cycle’s name fits the description perfectly.

The Fairlight Strael: Review

The Reynolds 853 tubes that this frame is built with have been custom formed and shaped to achieve the unique design, which has been approved by frame build specialist Thomas. They’re specially selected to provide a balance of stiffness and comfort for riding on European cols, Flandrian cobbles, and most importantly UK B-roads.

Frame & Head Tube

The Fairlight is a beautiful bike. Skinny tubed road bikes are popular, but many riders can’t stand out from the competition without costly bespoke paint. A skinny tubed gravel bike, on the other hand? Visually, it’s something of a different color.

 The eye is drawn to that top tube of the Secan right away; it’s tiny and ovalized along the horizontal axis with subtle patterns near the seat tube. It has a timeless appearance and goes well with the thin, wavy stays. 

Thicker tubing on the downtube and headtube, along with a carbon fork with thick blades, creates a stunning frameset that looks even better when outfitted with big tires.

Fork

The fork is a carbon number, like you might expect from a high-end bike, but it isn’t a standard off-the-shelf model. Rather than settling for anything, Thomas and Reid went to the trouble of developing their own because they felt no brand could fulfill the demanding qualities they desired in the frameset.

The Anraed fork is made out of 365g of material and has the stiffness of a top-level carbon prong with the compliance to match, with additional features including mudguard attachments, clearance for 32c tires, or 28c with mudguards installed, as well as a dynamo-powered light mount and, of course, internal cable routing.

Bottom Bracket

The existence of press fit BB is something that vexes most bike mechanics. This frame is one-of-a-kind because it’s made of carbon steel, has a considerably ovalized down tube, a big round chain stay, and a 68mm threaded BB shell. This results in a frame that is laterally robust but does not require press fitting.

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So, if a noise-free riding experience appeals to you, the Strael’s anti-rattle system is ideal.

Disc Brakes

The bike is decked out in Shimano Ultegra, complete with BR685 disc brakes. It comes equipped with Hunt 4 Season wheels that have double-sealed bearings and weigh a competitive 1,585g for the set.

 They’re matched up to fast Vittoria Corsa G+ rubber (though the stock bike comes with Continental Gatorskin tyres). Fairlight has also added a Hope upgrade, which costs an extra £40 for the colour-coded headset and seatpost clamp. Very smart indeed. 

The Fairlight Strael, on the other hand, shows us that no matter how conventional steel appears, it is a material that may absolutely withstand any test of the modern cycling world when handled by the proper hands.

Tire Clearance

The Strael’s frameset is designed to fit larger tires, as the trend towards fatter tires continues for cross-cycling. You can bike with less pressure, greater traction, and on a variety of different road conditions with wider than standard tires.

Cable Routing

The Strael has external cable routing that is D12 compatible, as well as internal cable routing for those who prefer a D12 build or are upgrading. While aerodynamic construction is becoming more popular, the servability-factor of most British riders outweighs the need for aerodynamic benefits. The seat tube, down tube, and chainstay have D12 holes. Stress was reduced by reinforcing the holes.

Builds and Pricing

There are 5 different builds to purchase from Fairlight Cycles: The Strael Frameset, The Strael 105, The Strael Ultegra, The Strael Ultegra D12, The Strael Dura Ace.

Bottom Line

Upgrade your ride with a Fairlight Strael road bike. With a reputation for being one of the best British brands for steel road bikes, you know you’re in good hands. The Strael is their third iteration of the four-season road bike, designed to be versatile and tough enough to take on any challenge throughout the year. Whether you’re hitting the gravel trails or sticking to pavement, this bike can do it all.

It’s been difficult to find areas of improvement for the Strael because it is such a great bike. It is well-designed, has a smooth ride quality, and can be adapted to different uses and seasons. This is definitely a bike that will last a long time.