30th May 2019
BOKEH2
SO, WHAT’S NEW FOR BOKEH2?
RideDrivenDesign. Some background.
The original Mason Bokeh was launched in 2016 and was a direct response to the riding styles and requirements that we were seeing developing in ultra-endurance and adventure cycling.
This movement was spearheaded by riders like Josh Ibbett. He took his Definition to the Pyrenees, his taste for hitting remote gravel trails taking hold. At that time the Definition V1 maxed out at a 32mm tyre [35mm now], he wedged in a 33mm CX tyre but it just wasn't enough volume for the fast rocky downhills of the mountains.
I had been watching the 'Gravel Racing' scene in the states and had designed a bike for 'Adventure/Tour/Race' for my previous brand. I was also very interested in the advances in tyres by companies such as WTB making it extremely viable to design a bike around both 650b & 700c wheel sizes.
So, I knew the time for a modern, fast, drop bar bike that was comfortable, light and capable of taking large-volume treaded tyres for extremely long, mixed terrain rides was here.
We developed a new tube set with Dedacciai, a new Carbon fork with our Italian suppliers and a new 650b set of Mason x Hunt wheels and the 'AdventureSport' Mason Bokeh was born! Once again, we saw ourselves being one of the first brands to be offering a bicycle of this type.
Fast-Forward to 2019 and the cycling world has fallen head over heels in love with 'Gravel' and adventure riding & racing with many riders wanting to get away from the roads and take a break from the pressure of modern life by having an adventure.
The Bokeh has been quietly advancing as and when we see a need for a detail change to keep up with technology or riders needs [we don't really do 'model years'].
This year we have packed enough significant changes into the frameset to make worthy of the title 'Bokeh2'. All these updates and modifications are in direct response to rider requirements and advances in component technology. 'RideDrivenDesign' means we don't do anything unless it has a performance advantage. We are not driven by fashion or aesthetics.
Here's What's New
- Parallax2 Fork: The original Parallax carbon fork embraced the latest Ø12mm ThruAxle/FlatMount standard and had internal hose routing + rear mount for fender. The latest Parallax2 is updated with triple-boss cage mounts on each side. This is because we see riders wanting to carry more fluid for longer, more remote rides or have alternative mounting points for 'Anything Cages' to take sleeping mats, bivvy bags, down jackets etc when they have used the frame space with a full frame bag.
The Parallax2 also has a crown mount for dynamo lighting and internal routing for running the dynamo cable direct to the light, out of harms way. Another update is larger, tougher fender bosses on the inside faces the fork blades.
- Revised hose/cable routing: More riders are using top-tube mounted packs for smaller 'on the fly' supplies, so we re-located the front TT MultiPort to underneath. Easier to strap on the pack and a little more resistant to the elements. Smoother cable run too!
The chain stay brake hose MultiPort has been moved forward slightly to work more smoothly with the latest caliper designs.
- Larger BB shell: Our 'ThruBB' allows the brake hose to run internally under the crank axle and out to the rear. For Bokeh2 we have increased the dia. to Ø56mm, this makes it fully compatible with modern Ø30mm axle cranks, for example the SRAM DUB BB used with AXS. The chain stays are welded on lower to give smooth routing and the increased dia. allows us to weld right up to the edge giving a huge weld area and super stable and efficient pedalling platform.
- A little more clearance: The new BB has allowed us to squeeze a little more tyre clearance at the chain stays. We aren't into the 'tyres arms race' thing, but a 2.1 is now more comfortable in the Bokeh2.
- 62cm frame size now available: We offer a special order 62cm frame size for our Resolution2 and Definition2 frames and this is now available with Bokeh2. The 62cm Bokeh2 has a larger, Ø34.9mm seat tube size for Ø31.6mm seat-post. This adds 'core stability' to this largest frame size, to perform better with larger, heavier and more powerful riders, when loaded and in off-road conditions.
We developed a new tube set with Dedacciai, a new Carbon fork with our Italian suppliers and a new 650b set of Mason x Hunt wheels and the 'AdventureSport' Mason Bokeh was born! Once again, we saw ourselves being one of the first brands to be offering a bicycle of this type.
- New Limited Release FilterGreen finish: Our framesets are made and painted in small batches in Italy and to introduce Bokeh2 we have had a small quantity painted in the new 'FilterGreen' colour.
'Limited Release' means that we only have a small qty. from each batch painted in this colour, so it is very exclusive. The colour is accentuated with tungsten-grey/mustard-yellow/white decals under a thick coat of lacquer.