Stayer Groadinger UG

The Groadinger UG. A bike frame so gorgeous I wrote a whole review about it. I bought the frame from Stayer Cycles in London, built it to my chosen spec using various second-hand and affordable parts and now ride daily, everywhere, anyhow and for every purpose.

The frame is a XL/58cm effective top tube that was purchased with just a Hope tapered headset and a Rotor T47 bottom bracket installed by Stayer. I specced it with rear rack and mudguard mounts, and it came with a third bottle cage mount under the downtube as standard.

Stayer calls this paint colour 'RawRawR' though it isn't quite 'Raw'; instead, the bare steel frame is painted in a deep transparent warm grey coat before being clear coated over. It's a stunning colour in practice and shows all the fascinating welds and flame marks on the steel frame.

Rather than buying a full frameset from Stayer, to go with their frame, I used a carbon fork that Windover Cycles were selling on eBay as excess stock. It came with cargo cage mounts and internal brake hose routing but sadly, no dynamo light routing and no fork crown mount. While it may not be 'COLumbus,' I ensured that it was, at least, 'COLd Dark North' branded.

The build was always going to be on a budget, but I wanted it to be the best it could within those limits. I sourced almost all of my drivetrain and components second-hand. The Shimano Tiagra hydraulic groupset was a super lucky find for just £350! Paired with a GRX rear mech, an 11-36 cassette and a Rotor 3D+ crankset with 46-36 chainrings (since replaced), I had everything I needed to get me around a range of terrains.

The finishing kit, again, was on a budget but intended to be as tasteful as possible. I went for a gloss black and red anodised theme in the end because my two-year-old Garmin mount happened to be red!

I've chosen 650B wheels for now to maximise tire size, but who knows what the future will bring? Initially, the bike was fitted with 47mm wide WTB Byway semi-slick tires, but I have swapped between those and 47mm Teravail Rutlands whenever the terrain demanded it. Tire choices are always TBC.

This section remains unfinished, because the Stayer is the bicycle I ride everywhere, everyday and one I anticipate riding for a very, very long time. It was a significant investment, but I made that choice because I was tired of buying cheap bikes often. I anticipate it will go through many, many changes in its working life but the soul of the bike - as a working, living and enduring machine - will remain. Look out on my blog, 'cos if you want to know what the Stayer's been up to, chances are it's on an adventure with me, somewhere.