Singular’s Peregrine is a versatile, sure-footed modern day randonneur-style tourer, with disc mounts for winter duties and tyre clearance for the emerging breed of wider 700C options.
This is a bike to tour on, hack around your local woodlands or, nodding to the past, bedeck with retro chromeware for a classy finish.
Ride & handling: ready for anything
The ride is on the sure-footed side – not as fast steering as, say, a Surly Cross-Check. Still, its handling manners felt superb on long road rides, particularly with a load – where its stability proved a real bonus. Off-road, it took a few rides to get used to, but then felt confident and comfortable over long distances.
Versatility is key here, with an eccentric bottom bracket for using as a singlespeed or with a hub gear. Particularly clever is the discreetly placed cable stop under the bottom bracket, preventing excess clutter if you do forgo the front mech. Likewise, open-side cable guides mean you can quickly remove the drivetrain to run as a singlespeed. With mudguards there’s some toe overlap, but nothing to worry about.
And we loved that versatility. Shod with Schwalbe’s fast rolling Marathon Supremes it felt ideal for lightweight tours, with a real turn of speed. But when these were swapped for Bontrager’s trail-friendly 1.8in Jones XR tyres the Peregrine turned into a rough rider’s dream. Its large diameter wheels, fat tyres and forgiving chromoly frame roll easily over obstacles – the frame will even take a 2in tyre.
Frame: high quality steel
While the price may be a step up from many Taiwanese offerings, the Peregrine is a big step up in quality. The lugs are well finished and, even if the pin-stripe paint lining isn’t as neat as a fully custom bike, it’s not far off. There’s a stylish head badge, the frame is fully faced and wax sealed, plus it’s got three bottle mounts and rack mounts front and rear.
A small UK-based operation which has its bikes built in Taiwan, Singular was previously a specialist in steel-framed 29er mountain bikes (bikes with 700C-sized wheels with fat tyres, giving an approximate 29in diameter).
Equipment: great gear selection
The Peregrine is currently available as a frame and fork, but there are plans for a £1200 build kit similar to the one we tested, bringing the bike in at around £1600.
Our test model came beautifully built with Nitto finishing kit, Hope hubs, Avid mechanical brakes, Gilles Berthoud stainless steel mudguards and Stronglight cranks.
At 28.3lb as tested, it’s not the lightest of bikes, but you get a solid, built-to-last feel that’ll suit heavier riders too. Our one request would be a custom option for the rack mounts – the current ones can mean the rack ends up sitting quite high.
Sizes: S (54cm), M (56cm), L (59cm)