Happy Christmas From Us | The MASON 23 Roundup

I have TWO years of words stored up, so apologies for the long intro! 2022 was so busy that I didn't 'quite' get round to sending a Christmas newsletter, so this year, we've made up for it!
 

Once again, there has been a lot going on! We always seem to be busy here at MASON, more on that later. It's impossible to ignore the fact that the cycling industry has been experiencing turbulent times, mostly stemming from unprecedented Pandemic supply and demand conditions, with a sprinkling of Brexit thrown into the mix.

We are in it together and no-one is unaffected, but we are happy to say that at MASON we have always tried to do things a little differently, 'working to stay small' and trying to run things in a flexible, responsive and sustainable way. We have never believed in 'Model Years' and since the start, we have worked with small high quality makers within Europe. This approach, along with the fantastic support from the community that surrounds MASON, has allowed us to ride the waves, react fast and come out at the end of the year feeling like we've worked hard, but also feeling very positive about what we've achieved and the year to come.

2024 will be a big year for MASON. Our beginnings in 2014 mean that 2024 will mark TEN YEARS for our brand. To mark this we'll be thanking the people that have got us here, by giving back to our community with rides and events. Watch out for news of those soon.
We'll also be bringing our range up to 10 models, watch out for that too!

Our supported riders continue to do amazing and inspiring things [more of that later too] and it just happens to be the 10th edition of the legendary TCR, it's almost 10 years since Josh Ibbett won that race on our Definition, starting us on our #FastFar route. Josh is riding the TCR again in '24, so it feels like a very meaningful event for us.

OK, thanks for reading, I've probably written too much! It's been a full-on year, but the overwhelming feelings I'm left with, are ones of extreme pride in what we've achieved with our small team here at MASON, huge thankfulness for the support we feel from our growing community and excitement for the the year to come. THANK YOU.

Wishing you all a very happy and restful Christmas and a peaceful 2024, full of sun-dappled lanes and dusty gravel trails...
 

Dom, Julie and all at MASON Cycles.

The Bokeh 3.0

This year witnessed the latest evolution of our classic and ever-popular Bokeh. The 3rd generation of this exceptional Dedacciai Aluminium frame has brought about a few small but impactful design enhancements. The Bokeh 3.0 goes from strength to strength and is awarded a 5* review by BikePerfect. Read the review here

Events

This year, we successfully ran a South Downs Way event at the Mason barn in collaboration with Wild Cycles. Our Tailfin x MASON Demo Day was a hit, bringing riders together for a day of riding and testing. We plan to work more closely with Tailfin in 2024 and will be announcing further demo day dates soon! Our #MasonSolstice ride (just gone) was a festive gathering of riders at the barn, covering 35km of Sussex's finest and muddiest trails.

Stay tuned for the 2024 South Downs Way event, more demo days and small scale events with friends at Neighbourhood Gravel.

Build of the year

When speaking to the MASON team, it became very clear that this simple yet elegant Resolution in Vela was the cream of the crop. A stunning Winter Ready Resolution in Vela for Joe W, heading out of the barn on a long ride home to Margate. It is always super nice to hand our bikes over to our customers in person, especially this build which seemed to have real class to it.

The DT Swiss Craft Bike Days MASON Exposure

We were very proud to be invited to the DTswiss Craft Bike days gathering in Germany. What an honour to be surrounded by so many talented builders and iconic brands. This was an event that deserved a special build, so we decided to put together the MASON Exposure of Dom Masons dreams!...

"I've been watching the new Exposure bikes go out of our workshop and each time one leaves the Mason Barn, I think 'I really want one of those for myself'. The DTswiss show came up and I saw my chance!

I love to ride fast trails and singletrack, so I knew that I wanted 650b wheels, so we started with a custom set of DTswiss GRC1400 650b carbon wheels, laced with SON hub. The 52cm frame has a specially made, polished stainless MASON icon on the seat tube and it's finished in our lovely 'FilterYellow' with copper detailing. All components are chosen for maximum, all-terrain speed and ground covering fun. I really love the way it turned out and can't wait to ride it!"

Films

We are proud to support the "All At Once Vignettes from the Highland Trail 2023" film project for the Steezy Collective. As huge fans of the formidable Highland Trail 550 Event, and with several MASON riders in the field this year including Philippa Battye on her RAW - it was a no-brainer when we were asked to support this project. The film was awarded Bikepacking.com's Best Event Documentary.

Also, in Bikepacking.com's film shortlist, "Racing the SRMR" by Josh Ibbett and Ryan Le Garrec came in third place. We have noticed that Josh's self-filming capabilities have improved over the years, and this film shown at our screening earlier this year proved this theory! It was an entertaining and informative watch from a very competent rider.

Highland Trail 550

All three MASON RAW riders, including Josh Ibbett, Angus Young, and Philippa Battye, participated in the Highland Trail 550 this year and finished in the top 10. Angus even managed to win while setting a new course FKT record of 3 days, 1 hour, and 36 minutes. 

European Divide FKT

MASON rider Angus Young set another vastly impressive FKT on the European Divide Trail in just 32 days, 6 hours, and 28 minutes. Watch the film of his 7,800-kilometer (4,850-mile) length between Grense Jacobselv in Norway and the lighthouse at Cabo San Vincente Portugal. Read more on Bikepacking.com

South Downs Way FKT

MASON rider Naomi Freireich kicked our South Downs Way event off in fine style by setting an FKT for the route on her Mason Bokeh, completing the course in a blistering 10hrs 50mins. 

Lisa Pfeiffers TCR

We were greatly impressed with MASON rider Lisa Pfeiffer's TCR adventure, crossing numerous countries on her MASON Definition. She never gave up despite the arduous and challenging conditions.

Definition 3.0

Many of you have spotted the latest version of our Definition, which has recently been featured in various articles, and with Josh Ibbett testing the first sample on his Japanese Odyssey ride.

We are excited to announce the launch of the newest Definition model in early January. Already unique, the definitive sporty, all season, AllRoad Definition, has evolved further. This updated version will include subtle enhancements, new colourways and will be a part of our 10-year campaign alongside several other models that will also be receiving updates. Watch out for more information, and additional details on Definition3.