Audax Bikes / Light Tourers / Randonneur

Please follow the links below to find more information on our handbuilt "off the peg" Audax/Randonneur bikes.

• Randoneur Sora £1099.99 - Our entry level Randonneur is superb value for those on a budget
• Randoneur Tiagra £1399.99 - Our most popular Randonneur/Audax bicycle
• Randoneur 105 £1699.99 - For people who want better quailty but still competitively priced

What is and Audax/Randonneur Bike?

For those of you that don't know what Audax bikes are, here is a quick explanation. Audax bikes are named after after the event they are designed for. An audax is a non-competitive organised ride over a set distance to be completed in a set amount of time. The objective is basically to get to the finish in the allotted time.

Audax bikes are popular for all types of cycling because they are very versatile. The bikes are fast, reasonably light, can be fitted with mudguards and a rear rack and can take tyres up to a 700 x 28c. With mudguards fitted we always provide clearance so your pedals/feet don't interfere with the front wheel when steering. They are the perfect all-round road bicycle as at home crunching the miles in an audax event as on your daily commute.

There some good sites on the web that explain the ins and outs of Randonneuring, but here's a good piece on VeloWeb.

Our Audax / Randonneur Bikes

All our audax bikes are designed to be perfect for this style of riding but without the compromises on geometry and specification found on factory built bikes, from the bigger manufacturers. In our long history we have built many audax bikes (mostly before they we're even known by this name!) so we have had the opportunity to hone our geometry and spec to perfection. In fact our frame builder has been building these machines for over 35 years now.

Note on size range

All the bikes we build are based around a 700c wheel, so there is a limit to how small a frame we can build. For our Randonneur frame we can build anywhere between 20½" and 25", which will suit people between 5'6" and 6'4".

To build a bike any smaller would require either drastic geometry changes or a smaller wheel. Both options have plenty of drawbacks. For example to go smaller with a 700c wheel, you either need to have a long top tube, toe overlap with the front wheel, a high bottom bracket, a steeper seat angle or more than likely a combination of all four. All these would lead to a bike which would be a major compromise. So you might conclude that smaller wheels are they way to go? Unfortuantely tyres and rims are almost unavailable in the appropriate sizes, which makes it quite impractical to build a bike with smaller wheels.

We get many enquiries from men and women who can't fit our standard sizes and we would love to build a bicycle for them but unfortunately at present we are unable to do so.

Randonneur Sora

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Our audax bike is by far our most popular full bike. Suitable for light touring, audax and commuting.

At the heart of this bike is our popular Randonneur frame. We offer 3 standard sizes but we can build to your spec at an extra cost.

Reynolds 631 is our material of choice for the Randonneur. Unlike previous tubesets from Reynolds such as 531 or especially 753, 631 benefits from brazing with brass rather than silver. The higher temperatures, heat treat the joins resulting in a stronger frame and lighter frame.

Our Randonneur frame is built with quality cast lugs with standard brazings for light touring / audax, including rear rack mounts, mudguard eyes and twin bottle cage mounts. Any single colour from our range of enamels is available.

27 speed Shimano Sora groupset with Tiagra STIs, Pro handlebars and stem and quality wheels Tiagra hubs with Mach1 rims. Although this is the Sora spec bike we've still upgraded some othe important components to Tiagra. For instance the Tiagra hubs are better sealed than Sora hubs which helps reduce service intervals and Tiagra STIs are far more intuitive than the more basic Sora levers.

If the standard bike is not to your liking, other options/upgrades are available or we can build you a full custom bike to your spec. Please ask for details.

Specification
Bottom Bracket	Suntour
Chainset	Suntour SP Comp Triple 30-42-52
Cassette	Shimano Tiagra 12-25
Chain	KMC Z9000 Chain
Shift Levers	Shimano Tiagra STI
Rear Deraileur	Shimano Sora
Front Deraileur	Shimano Sora braze-on
Brake Levers	Shimano Tiagra STI
Brakes	Shimano R450
Hubs	Shimano Tiagra
Rims	Mach 1 CFX Double Wall
Spokes	ACI Black
Tyres	Michelin Orium 700 x 25c
Bars	Pro LT
Stem	Pro LT
Seatpost	Kalloy Silver Alloy
Saddle	Charge Bucket
Weight	approx 24lb/10.9kg

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Randonneur Tiagra

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Our most popular spec by far, offers a good balance of quality, function and value.

At the heart of this bike is our popular Randonneur frame. We offer 3 standard sizes but we can build to your spec at an extra cost.

Not only has this bike been upgraded to a full Shimano Tiagra groupset throughout for 2010 but also we have uprgraded the wheels, which now consist of Tiagra hubs, Mavic Open Sport rims and ACI Double Butted Spokes.

Just like the other 2 models we use the same 631 handbuilt, cast lugged frame. Built in our workshops by our master framebuilder, to the highest quality, not contrained by production quotas or time.

If the standard bike is not to your liking, other options/upgrades are available or we can build you a full custom bike to your spec. Please ask for details.

Specification
Bottom Bracket	Shimano Tiagra
Chainset	Shimano Sora 50-39-30
Cassette	Shimano Tiagra 12-25
Chain	KMC Z9000 Chain
Shift Levers	Shimano Tiagra STI
Rear Deraileur	Shimano 105
Front Deraileur	Shimano Tiagra braze-on
Brake Levers	Shimano Tiagra STI
Brakes	Shimano R450
Hubs	Shimano Tiagra
Rims	Mavic Open Sport
Spokes	ACI Silver
Tyres	Michelin Orium 700 X 25c
Bars	Pro LT
Stem	Pro LT
Seatpost	Pro LT
Saddle	San Marco Rolls
Weight	approx 23lb/10.5kg

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Randonneur 105

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Just like our popular Tiagra spec bike, our 105 model uses the same cast lugged Reynolds 631 handbuilt frame.

Shifting is taken care of by Shimano 105 10 speed gears. Polished Shimano R650 brakes add are just nicer than the cheaper R450s. Shimano 105 hubs are built into a light wheelset, with double butted spokes and Mavic Open Pro rims.

Pro handlebars, stem and seatpost give the bike a classy look and only a San Marco Rolls saddle is good enough for our bikes, unless you want to upgrade to a brooks of course!

Again if the standard bike is not to your liking, other options/upgrades are available or we can build you a full custom bike to your spec. Please ask for details.

Specification
Bottom Bracket	Shimano Tiagra
Chainset	Shimano Tiagra 50-39-30
Cassette	Shimano 105 12-25
Chain	KMC 10 Speed
Shift Levers	Shimano 105 STI 5700
Rear Deraileur	Shimano 105
Front Deraileur	Shimano 105 braze-on
Brake Levers	Shimano 105 STI 5700
Brakes	Shimano R650
Hubs	Shimano 105
Rims	Mavic Open Pro Rims
Spokes	ACI Double Butted Black
Tyres	Continental Ultra Sport 700 x 25
Bars	Pro LT
Stem	Pro LT
Seatpost	Pro LT
Saddle	San Marco Rolls
Weight	approx 22lb/10.0kg

Due to fluctuating component prices, specification is subject to change without notice

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