The new Fairlight Strael 4.0 “sets a new benchmark for steel All-Road bikes”, according to the brand’s co-founder Dom Thomas.
Although Thomas says this claim is “for others to judge”, Fairlight says the new bike is lighter and stronger than the Strael 3.0, which we awarded a full 5 stars in 2021. The lighter weight and added strength are largely due to the bike using new Reynolds tubing, developed in collaboration with Fairlight.
Fairlight says the Strael 4.0 blends the performance of a steel race bike with the comfort of an endurance bike. It claims the bike, with its 39mm tyre clearance, will enable you to ride comfortably on wet, slippy and rough roads – and that it can handle hard-packed tracks.
New Reynolds tubing
To refine the Strael, Fairlight worked with Reynolds Technology to create a new version of its 853 steel tubing called Reynolds 853 Road DZB.
DZB (Double Zonal Butted) tubing was originally developed for mountain bikes, and Fairlight used it on its Secan 2.0 gravel bike. But the brand says it saw the opportunity to apply this technology to all-road bikes.
Working in collaboration with Reynolds, Fairlight says that by adding material to high-stress areas of the tubes, it has been able to reduce wall thickness in the rest of the tube.
Fairlight says this increases strength and leads to “substantial weight savings” for the Strael 4.0 compared to its predecessor. A 54cm regular frameset now weighs 1.64kg, which is 280g lighter than the previous model in the same size.
This tubing required the development of new tooling and processes, and only the head tube remains unchanged from the previous Strael.
There was a long development process behind the new tubing, which began in 2022.
Having realised that adapting the existing tubing wasn’t an option for what it wanted to achieve, Fairlight and Reynolds had to create new tooling. This required the development of drawbars, which are used to shape the tubes and created using a process called grinding.
“Reynolds hadn’t made new tool bars for several years, and many of the specialist grinding companies in the UK had closed. In the end, it took nearly nine months to go from completed tube drawings to the tooling being finished,” Fairlight says.
Fairlight also says it saves weight by welding all parts of the frame together with a threadless bottom bracket shell. Once this is done, each frame is mounted into a CNC lathe and the bottom bracket threads are cut, while the wall thickness is also reduced, saving 67g.
New chainstays and seatstays
Many of the Fairlight Strael 4.0’s tubes use an ovalised profile to reduce wall thickness but ensure strength.
The chainstays and seatstays are also ovalised, but Fairlight has done this “to promote displacement (compliance) in the rear triangle under load, while also increasing resistance to pedaling forces”.
Fairlight says it has also increased the tyre clearance of the bike from 36mm to 39mm to allow for the use of wider wheel rims.
This required remaking the mould tooling for the chainstays, and also increasing the steel road bike’s wheelbase by 1mm – one of the few geometry changes Fairlight made for this new model.
Anraed 4.0 fork
Fairlight has also redesigned its Anraed fork for the Strael 4.0.
The Anraed 4.0 has a new leg shape and layup, which is said to lead to roughly 10 per cent more compliance.
It can also fit 39mm tyres – or 35mm tyres if you have mudguards, which can attach to what Fairlight calls ‘proper’ eyelets on the rear of the fork.
The fork also has a mount in the front of its crown for a front light and fully sleeved internal routing for a dynamo wire.
Fairlight says the new fork is only marginally lighter than the previous version, by 12g.
Modular dropouts
The Strael 4.0 features Fairlight's new MK III modular dropouts. Made in collaboration with Bentley Components, these dropouts are CNC’d from aluminium.
Fairlight says this is an expensive process compared to casting the dropouts, but that “it allows us to create exceptional quality parts”.
The modular dropouts mean your Fairlight Strael can be tailored to whichever gearing system you're using, including mechanical drivetrains, Shimano Di2 or SRAM AXS electronic drivetrains.
Fairlight has also produced a modular dropout for SRAM T-Type drivetrains that use SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger. In the press material for the Strael 4.0, Fairlight describes SRAM UDH as a “‘trojan horse’ designed to get frame makers to build in the required interface dimensions for installation of their Transmission (T-Type) rear derailleurs”.
But Fairlight says modular dropouts give the brand “the best possible chance of designing around any future standards; so that we can hopefully continue to provide compatibility solutions for our customers”.
Bentley Components has also created a mount for a rear dynamo light that attaches to the dropout.
Fairlight Strael 4.0 pricing
Fairlight says the Strael 4.0 is available as a frameset (£1,499) or in a range of builds:
- Shimano 105, from £2,599
- Shimano 105 Di2, from £3,299
- Shimano Ultegra Di2, from £4,099
- Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, from £4,999
There are upgrade options available including dynamo lighting.
The bike is available in 10 sizes – including regular and tall sizing – and three colours: stealth, ochre and monochrome.
