British brand Bowman Cycles has released its first ever steel frame, marking a new direction for the company.
Why the change of direction? "Stainless steel resists the worst that any winter can throw at it, while offering enough comfort to allow you to come back for more", the brand says.
In particular, that comfort is added through wider tyres and a 27.2mm seatpost, which Bowman claims will keep you going for longer.
Threaded bottom bracket keeps things traditional
Just because it's steel, doesn't mean the bike is old school, though. Bowman Cycles is keen to assert that it's a "contemporary take on the classic winter training frame".
In fact, the Layhams is brought into modernity thanks to its carbon fork and Di2 capabilities.
That said, it's still possible to run the bike the old fashioned way, with external routing.
Tapered head tube adds stiffness
Bowman says that it "favoured external cabling for mechanical gearing to ease on-the-fly maintenance and lubrication", but recognises people may want to run it with electronic shifting.
To maintain the clean looks, it developed a "removable cable routing system", which supposedly leaves no bosses in place when running an electronic setup.
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The new Layhams frame is billed as the do-it-all bike. According to the brand, the bike "marries year-round dependability with the prospect of two-wheeled adventures".
On paper it certainly looks good. According to the brand, the steel frame can accommodate 28mm tyres and mudguards with no problem.
What's more, the frame comes with a no-nonsense, 68mm threaded bottom bracket, which should make maintenance a cinch.
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