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The ultra-limited Mason SLR LE all-road touring bike is built for adventure, whether that’s mixed surface ultra-distance bikepacking races or more casual randonneur globetrotting. But the trick is, this second premium steel bike collaboration between Mason & Italian framebuilder Cicli Barco is that only 10 Launch Edition framesets are being offered, after which you’ll have to get in a line to wait for the handbuilt production models later this summer…
Mason SLR steel all-road adventure bike
c. Mason Cycles
We only just learned about Mason’s ultra-limited Launch Edition steel Exposure last weekend, but they already teased us that a more rando-focused iteration was set to drop as well. The all-road adventure version is the Mason Super Long Range (SLR)
Again, the SLR LE will offer just 10 framesets in its initial run – each individually numbered, with polished stainless steel badging, Launch Edition graphics, and an LE gift pack.
Note: All photos show an unpainted pre-production bike, but all Mason SLRs will be wet painted in Italy.
Tech details
Road touring means different things to different cyclists, but Mason is quite generous with their new SLR. It’s an all-road bike with room for 700c x 40mm tires with fenders. That’s still plenty wide to take on a healthy dose of gravel for most riders, but also means a plush, low rolling resistance ride for those who stick to smoother hardpacked road surfaces.
The Mason SLR all-road adventure bike is TIG-welded & silver-brazed in northern Italy by Cicli Barco from a set of exclusively custom shaped & formed Dedacciai Zero/Zero Uno tubes with phosphate anti-corrosion treatment, custom CNC-machined dropouts, and a UK-made internally-butted/externally-reinforced Reynolds 631 headtube.
The bike features an integrated tapered 1.5″ headset, a threaded T47 bottom bracket that allows for cables to stay internal, a 27.2mm seatpost, flat mount disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles, semi-hidden full-coverage fender mounts, and modular internal cable routing (mechanical or electronic). There’s also “discreet” dynamo taillight routing in the underside of the toptube, a chain hanger peg on the seatstay, and pump pegs in the main triangle for a full-frame pump.
The frameset gets plenty of cage mounts for max loading & flexibility – two sets of cages inside the front triangle, a pair under the downtube, and full rack & fender mounts.
Up front, the SLR LE (and subsequent production editions) get Mason’s new full carbon RangeFinder AR fork, an all-road variant of the same fork as the Exposure with tons of tire clearance (up to 50mm tires, or 40s with fenders). The AR fork features a lighter carbon layup (vs. the gravel version) and pares back its mounting to traditional rack & low-rider rack mounts, plus dynamo routing, internal brake routing & tabs for 52mm wide full-coverage fenders.
Adventure All-Road Geometry
The SLR comes in the same wide 8 size range as the Exposure (XXS 48cm – XXXL 62cm), but with adventure all-road tuned geometry. Geared towards long, loaded hard-surface tours, the SLR gets less BB drop, shorter chainstays, longer frame Reach, shorter Stack, 1/2° steeper head & seat angles, and slightly longer wheelbases overall – all befitting a more on-road focused rider position and handling. Even though it’s lower than the Exposure, the SLR has a 20mm higher stack than Mason’s ‘4Season’ road models for a slightly more upright rider position “to maximise rider comfort and relaxed riding style”.
Again, Mason’s geometry adapts across the size range, and recommends different tire sizes for different sized riders.
Mason SLR all-road – Pricing, options & availability
A few of the ten numbered SLR LE (Launch Edition) framesets are/were still be remaining (as I type) for £1995, with their limited edition metallic paint and polished stainless badges and late June delivery. Launch Edition complete bike build sells for £4285 with a Campagnolo Chorus 2×12 compact drivetrain, Deda Zero 100 cockpit, Hunt All-Road Disc alloy wheels & tires of your choice. Mason will also sort out a customized build kit as well, with a bunch of other wheel/tire/cockpit options possible.
Looking for something bigger, check out our coverage of the SLR’s gravel adventure sibling – the Mason Exposure.
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