Named after the river that meanders its way through the North Yorkshire Dales, and inspired by the hardy Swaledale sheep that roams the area, the Medusa Swale is made for endurance on paved surfaces. Paved surfaces in the UK vary somewhat in quality, with potholes and erosion being commonplace – the Swale’s clearance for 35mm tyres including mudguards has this covered.
Generous tyre clearance paired with a moderate bottom bracket drop enhances the Swale’s stable ride characteristics, without having to sacrifice a short and responsive chainstay length, maintaining the true road bike feel. This is amplified with the use of the ‘triple triangle’ seat stay configuration and doubled-up chainstay design for stiffness, making the bike a reactive sprinter when needed. But the Swale will feel equally at home loaded up with gear for fast touring. Its geometry features a fork trail measurement that inspires stability when riding with bags fitted, and fast descents on rough country lanes will feel well controlled in any weather.
Prices for the Medusa Swale frameset start at £3600 and specification for full bike builds can be discussed, as required.
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Reynolds 931 stainless tubing was chosen for the front triangle, not just for its all year round performance, but also because of how well it lends itself to being drawn into tubes with wafer-thin wall thicknesses. A toptube butting of 0.35mm and downtube butting of 0.4mm make for a surprisingly lightweight frame that maintains the suitable suppleness for long but comfortable days in the Dales, even as the nights draw in.
The swale is equipped with the same guided internal dynamo cable routing that can be found in the Deka frame, so there is no need for the worry of light batteries dying. Everything is safely enclosed with nothing to snag, a true fit-and-forget system. I have tried to keep things simple with the Swale frameset, embodying the hardy nature of the Swaledale sheep, all external shift and brake line routing promotes straightforward servicing, helping to maintain a healthy relationship with your mechanic! A T47 bottom bracket shell allows for a more open-ended crankset compatibility, making the Medusa Swale a blank canvas for the wildest bike component dreams.
