“A new benchmark for steel all-road bikes”: Fairlight Strael gets a huge redesign

Fairlight has unveiled an updated version of its Strael, the 4.0 version coming with a new variant Reynolds 853 steel tubeset and clearance for 39mm tyres. The Strael 4.0 is also said to be lighter, stronger, and more versatile than previously with its designer Dom Thomas saying it “sets a new benchmark for steel all-road bikes”.

The Fairlight Strael 3.0 was introduced four years ago and promptly got a 10/10 review here on road.cc. Our team made it the road.cc Recommends Bike of the Year 2021/22. 

We summed it up as “a high-end endurance machine when it comes to comfort, handling and performance, but not the price,” and barely had anything negative to say, so we’re intrigued to hear about the new version.

“It’s been a massive project, with every tube (except the head tube) redesigned from scratch,” says Dom Thomas, co-founder of Fairlight, as well as brand, marketing and product design director.

Like Dom Mason of Mason Cycles, Dom Thomas is a designer with an eye for detail. In fact, that’s something of an understatement. Nothing happens without a focus on practicalities and a huge amount of consideration

“Each tube required a completely new toolset or mould (in the case of the rear end tubes), representing a substantial investment in R&D and tooling,” says Dom. “The fork has also been completely redesigned with a new mould opened.”

First of all, Fairlight collaborated with Reynolds Technology to create a new variant of 853 steel specifically designed for all-road riding: Reynolds 853 Road DZB.

This tubeset is designed to add strength while reducing weight, but you can find out all about it in this video:

The chainstays are similar to those on the Strael 3.0, but the moulds/tooling have been remade to create greater tyre clearance and to allow the use of wider rims.

The seatstays are a completely new design, Fairlight moving from a 14mm stay to a 16mm stay for increased resistance against leverage forces from the rider. However, Fairlight says it has flat-ovalized those seatstays to ensure there is no loss of compliance at the rear end of the frame.

The frame is fully welded with a threadless bottom bracket shell in place, but each frame is then fixed into a CNC lathe, the BB threads are cut and the shell is relieved – the wall thickness is reduced in a single machining process that takes 30 minutes. Fairlight says that this provides a significant weight saving.

Speaking of weight, Fairlight says that a Strael 4.0 in a 54R geometry (each size is available in R/Regular and T/Tall geometries) weighs 1.64kg without bolts, axle, and inserts. The Strael 3.0 in the same size weighed 1.92 kg, so the new model is 280g lighter.

The frame is ISO-certified having apparently passed all the fatigue tests on its first attempt.

One of the biggest changes this time around is to tyre clearance. Whereas the Strael 3.0 could take tyres up to 700c x 36mm, the 4.0 is now compatible with tyres up to 700c (as measured), with 4mm of clearance on each side. Fairlight certainly doesn’t see the Strael 4.0 as a gravel bike but as a model designed for year-round riding in all conditions.

“It’s a bike built for tarmac - whether that’s the smooth roads of Mallorca or the potholed, moss-covered back lanes of the British countryside,” says Fairlight. “With generous tyre clearance (up to 39mm measured), the Strael lets you ride comfortably on wet, slippery, or rough roads. On a dry summer day, if you want to link two of your favourite lanes with a stretch of hard-packed farm track, it’s ready for that, too. The truth is, this is exactly the kind of riding road cyclists have been doing for years.”

As mentioned above, Dom Thomas is a details man, and that’s obvious when you take a closer look at the Strael 4.0. As previously, the Fairlight x Bentley Mk3 dropouts feature a removable cable stop so whether you’re using mechanical, Shimano Di2, or SRAM AXS gearing, the frame looks like it was designed specifically for that groupset.

If you go for mechanical gearing, there’s an all-new 3D-printed bottom bracket cable guide.

“We have made one part do several jobs; as well as guiding the front and rear derailleur cables, it also acts as a guide for the brake hose and for the dynamo rear light wire,” says Dom Thomas. “Ultra utility – everything in its place.”

There’s a specific 3D-printed bottom bracket guide for Di2 and AXS setups, which guides the brake hose and dynamo rear light wire. There’s also a new 3D-printed down tube cable guide available in 1x (no front derailleur) and 2x versions. The brake hose now routes through this part “for a more elegant aesthetic”.

The down tube brake hose clips are now CNC-machined modular parts that were designed in-house to be as elegant and light as Fairlight could make them. They feature a bevelled cut-out that matches the new cut-out details on the disc side dropout washer. Like we said: details.

The updated Strael comes fitted with a brand new Anraed 4.0 fork. Fairlight reckons that the new leg shape and lay-up combine to provide around 10% more compliance (in specific test conditions) than the Anraed 3.0. The fork length remains at 381mm axle to crown and the tyre clearance matches that of the frame.

In terms of geometry, Fairlight has made some small tweaks… but we really are talking small. The chainstay length has increased from 418mm to 419mm to add a little more tyre space, for example, and head angles now match on Regular and Tall variants. Stack and reach figures remain largely unchanged, although Fairlight says it has taken the opportunity to address any outliers.

Incidentally, while we’re on the subject, a R/regular geometry is lower at the front end and longer in terms of reach, while a T/Tall geometry is higher at the front and shorter in reach, designed for people with longer legs and a shorter back, and for those who want a more upright riding position – but you’d probably have worked that out for yourself. Fairlight offers 10 sizes, if you count the R and T sizes separately.

The Fairlight Strael 4.0 is available in three colours: Ochre, Stealth and Monochrome. A frameset is £1,499.

Complete bike builds start at the following prices

• Shimano 105 R7100 12-speed, £2,599
• Shimano 105 R7100 Di2 12-speed, £3,299
• Shimano Ultegra R8100 Di2 12 speed, £4,099
• Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2 12-speed, £4,999

Lots of upgrade options are available, including dynamo lighting.

Fairlight says that the first drop of Strael 4.0s has already arrived, although it already has a backlog of orders. Full availability dates for each size are shown in the configurator on the Fairlight website.