Bike at bedtime: Bowman Weald

Landing one year ago today, the Weald is Britain’s Bowman Cycles’ fast endurance bike that replaced the Pilgrims Disc. Handbuilt to order in the UK, Bowman says “the Weald is ready for long day rides through to nights away, right up to the most inspired of long-distance adventures."

Described as “spritely yet stable”, this endurance steed is made from 6069-T6 aluminium and has a slightly longer headtube than the London-based brand’s Palace range to slide you into a distance-friendly position.

> Video: Bowman’s Layhams Disc and Pilgrims ‘Project X’ frames

Its fork is full carbon for compliancy and, like the frame, it takes a flat mount disc brake and a 12mm thru axle which should ensure the disc rotors run true when putting in the power.

For strength and predictable handling, Bowman introduced new CNC’d slimmer headtubes for this frame which house a 1in upper bearing, flaring out to 1 1/2in at the bottom. The unusual size in this design is said to reduce weight while maintaining front end stiffness. BSA threaded bottom brackets are used for simple installation and reliability

At the rear, to balance stiffness with comfort, Bowman says their Flare Square 2.0 seat tube “reduces deflection when really hauling, while the tubing’s form allows us to use a smaller 27.2mm seat post to improve comfort”. It is no oversized or aero post, this skinny specimen is included for comfort.

Diverting onto the rougher roads is not a problem. It has wide clearance for up to 32mm tyres, which can be run on lower pressures to provide cushioning and grip, without sacrificing speed and rolling resistance.

Riding all year round, whatever the weather, is also possible on the Weald thanks to the full set of mudguard mounts, including a slick design at the rear which allows for direct mounting without a bridge.

Removable cable ports ensure a sleek finish is achieved, while allowing for ease of installation and cable lubing maintenance.

For those who prefer the stealthy and the subtle, the Weald is available with a deep-charcoal base but comes with bursts of colour outlines to brighten up the build a tad. A glossy finished Spearmint is the other option.

Frameset only the Bowman Weald comes in at £845, while an Ultegra build, with Noble TLR26 tubeless ready wheels wrapped in Continental GP5000’s, totals £2495.

www.bowman-cycles.com