Oxford Bike Works Model 1E review

Oxford Bike Works’ steel Model 1E is the company’s least expensive model.

Oxford proudly claims that its chromoly steel frames are made in the UK, by Coventry’s well-respected Lee Cooper Cycles.

This ups the cost of the bike, but the Model 1E's frame is lovely, foregoing the usual TIG welding for a super-smooth fillet-brazed construction.

The frame and fork have fittings for racks and mudguards, and there’s also a kickstand plate.

Steel, that most venerable of frame materials, is paired with a mix of components that span the last few years.

There’s a modern 1x chainset with a choice of chainring sizes, but gear changes come courtesy of an old-school bar-end shifter and braking is taken care of by the now rarely seen V-brakes.

Oxford Bike Works Model 1E brakes and kit

I set off on my first ride with a sense of trepidation. But then I remembered that even within my lifetime, V-brakes were once seen as a genuine upgrade, and the Oxford’s braking was actually very good. It has excellent power and control with no squealing, in both the £1,299 flat- and drop-bar configurations the bike is offered in.

Richard from Oxford Bike Works says he uses V-brakes because it means you don’t have to overbuild the fork and lose the springiness and comfort of steel. If you’re set on disc brakes, these are available for an extra £200.

Don’t worry about the length of our bike’s steerer. Oxford doesn’t have a huge fleet, so we didn’t cut the steerer, but if you were to buy one, it would be cut to length after a bike-fitting session that is included in the cost.

Being such a small company – Richard tells us it has "one and a half" staff – means Oxford can’t offer some of the services that multinational manufacturers can, but it can provide a few personal touches.

In addition to the bike fitting, you get some limited kit choices on the 1E, with much more customisation possible on Oxford’s more expensive bikes. But you do get a year-long ‘comfort guarantee’, so if you don’t get on with the saddle, stem or bar, you can swap them.

And while Oxford can’t offer a Bike2Work tax break, it does offer its own high-interest savings scheme.

Oxford Bike Works Model 1E ride impressions

What does all of this mean when it comes to the ride? Well, it’s everything you’d expect of a chromoly steel bike with supple 32mm-wide tyres and slack, touring-friendly geometry. It’s smooth, comfortable and shock absorbing with an upright riding position that put no strain on my back.

This regal position is great for both seeing and being seen, with the slightly ovalised handlebar tops comfy for long commutes and big days out. I thought the Terry men’s saddle would feel overly padded, but I got on with it very well.

The tyres are just about the right width for light touring, commuting and general riding, offering comfort on smooth and unsurfaced routes, and decent grip on towpaths, light gravel and broken country lanes.

The single chainring will always mean a limited gear range, and this bike's 36-tooth chainring and 11-42 cassette offer a 23-88in range; for flatter, faster riding I’d go for a larger chainring, for loaded touring I’d go smaller still. But for the great majority of my testing, the gearing was fine, just occasionally spinning out on descents.

The components are well chosen throughout, with little sign of cost-cutting. In addition to the brakes, chainring and Deore rear derailleur, both hubs are also from Shimano and, with the cabling all externally routed, even the vaguely competent home mechanic should be able to cope with most of the spannering.

Rounding out a well-considered package are a kickstand – very handy for loaded touring – full-length mudguards and a beautiful-sounding brass bell.

One of my very few criticisms is that, while the head tube sports a proper metal badge, the frame decals are just clear sticky plastic, but that’s aesthetic rather than practical.

Oxford Bike Works Model 1E geometry