We’re a small business. Big enough to cope, but small enough to care. It’s a fine balance that we put a lot of effort into.

The world of cycling is becoming increasingly expensive. Well above the rates of inflation. In 2015 you could get a decent carbon frame with Ultegra Rim brakes for £999. If we use Freddo economics and a downgrade to accomodate the increased cost of disc brakes – a quick search tells us that mass produced 105 disc carbon bikes now start at roughly £1750. That’s a 75% increase in 8 years. Thats bonkers.

We’re a long way from being able to solve the overall problem, but we can start asking more sensible questions. We spend a lot of time building super bikes, but what happens we ask “what can we do to build the best, best value bike out there?”.

We can build The Adventurer.

It’s good to be a part of something. It’s better when that something leads to great outcomes.

We know that there are a lot of folks who ride bikes and would love to be part of a UK brand pushing boundaries but have found our NorthRoad Carbon just that bit too expensive. We can’t in good faith do Carbon any cheaper but we can do an Aluminium bike at a more accessible price point.

Proper kit. Lots of stuff you’ll need and nothing you won’t.

Shimano Tiagra has taken the title for king of value this year. It’s a really positive and engaging system with hydraulic brakes you’d be hard pressed to split from the (far) more expensive options. Although we don’t advocate for blindfolded brake testing. Gloriously, the Tiagra shifters work flawlessly with the Shimano GRX400 rear derailleur. This derailleur has a clutch system that keeps the chain under tension even over rough terrain allowing you to disappear on gravel adventures until your hearts content. Up front we’ve stuck with a 2X system making sure you’ve got as much high and low end gearing as anyone could ever need.

We’ve made things a little more efficient.

Being able to customise your bike is something that we’ve been proud of for a long time. However, one of the sacrifices we’ve had to make to meet the target price is to keep things simple. Stealth, Classy, Inoffensive. Matte black with gloss logos. Like it or lump it. (but probably like it)

There’s still room for a few pleasant surprises.

Value isn’t about being as cheap as you can. It’s about getting as much as you can for as little as possible. The Adventurer still has a gravel specific carbon fork, which means it’s strong but has more low level compliance than a metal alternative. Speaking of strong, we’ve managed to squeeze a pair of Miche Reflex 100 wheels onto the build. They’re made in Italy and we’ve tested them extensively. They’re tubeless ready and lighter than they should be at this price.

On trend, on sensibility.

The Adventurer will ship out with 35mm rubber. A great trade off for road, mixed trails, and gravel. We’ve chosen the Schwalbe GX Comp as they’re fast rolling but offer plenty of bite when the going gets rough. There’s mounting points for mudguards front and rear.

Why Pre-Order?

At the moment there are hundreds of thousands of crap bikes sat in shops. Bikes that no one wants. Some of the big manufacturers, in the spirit of making hay whilst the sun was shining, doubled down on production through lockdown when there was a bicycling boom. They made bikes for people who didn’t know anything about bikes.

Now folks have had time to consider, and we don’t want to contribute to additional waste nor do we want to leave people wanting more. A pre-order process means we can get the numbers right. Our first batch is due in April (as of January 2023) and we can add to that batch right up until the end of March.

Final points

The Adventurer is £1250. If you want to pay by cycle to work voucher it will be a little bit more, depending on who your provider is. (They all charge different rates of commission).

Honestly, we think you’ll be hard pressed to find a frame this nice, with kit this well thought out on it. Of course, if you’ve got any questions we’d love to hear from you. Otherwise hit the link below to place your pre-order today!