Fairlight Strael 3.0 £3,099 | 8.8kg

An all-rounder steel road bike that's hard to fault, writes Luke Friend

- Luke Friend

TYRE CLEARANCE

With clearances for up to 36mm the Strael can go extra wide for endurance rides or allow you to run full-length mudguards for winter riding and commutes without having to resort to narrow tyres that could adversely impact comfort levels

CNC'D HEAD TUBE

The 4130 cromoly head tube is turned from a solid billet into a tube on a CNC lathe. The head tube is 46.5mm in diameter, but flared at both ends to allow for increased wall thickness for the fitting of the headset cups

EXTERNAL CABLE ROUTING

The Strael opts to keep cables and hoses visible across the frame, which is a bonus for home mechanics. The modular cable guide is 3D printed with specific guides for 1x and 2x set-ups. If you opt for SRAM's eTap AXS a 6mm rubber bung neatly covers the Di2 hole

PROS & CONS

+

LOVELY WORKMANSHIP

MODERN GEOMETRY

CONNECTED RIDE

BIG TYRE CLEARANCES

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NONE

SPECS

Frame Fairlight Strael 3.0 Fork Fairlight Anraed 3.0 carbon Groupset Shimano Ultegra R8000 Wheels Hunt 4 Season Disc Tyres Continental GP5000 28mm Bar FSA Gossamer Compact Stem FSA Energy Seatpost FSA SI-K carbon 27.2mm Saddle Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite Weight 8.8kg Size tested 54R