The Mason Resolution Ekar in review

With the Resolution Ekar, British brand Mason have sent a road bike with a Columbus steel frame and Campagnolo EKAR groupset into the group test. Does the English-Italian liaison stand a chance against 14 of the best road bikes of the 2021 season? You can find out here.

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best road bike of 2021 – 15 models in review

British bike brand Mason have made a name for themselves amongst enthusiasts, individualists and adventurers with the motto, “Fast Far”, and with the Resolution Ekar, send one of their steel bikes into the group test. Their portfolio might include lighter titanium and aluminium frames, but company founder Dom Mason wanted to underline the comfort, robustness and secure ride of this steel road bike, which weighs 8.72 kg in size 56. The frame is constructed from Columbus tubing with a 68 mm BSA bottom bracket and has swappable inserts, dubbed Mason MultiPort, allowing it to be adapted to route both mechanical and electronic groupsets internally. The in-house developed Aperture 2.2 carbon fork for Flat-Mount brakes integrates both a brake hose and a cable if you’re planning to use a dynamo wheelset. If you don’t make use of the mudguard mounts, tires up to 700 x 35C will fit in the frame. With mudguards, the Resolution will fit tires up to 32 mm wide. At 1,347 g, the HUNT 30 Carbon Aero Disc wheels keep the rotating mass competitive, are tubeless compatible and come set up as such. These wheels also stand out for the fact that they are easy to service with standard tools, while the 33 mm deep rims are a good compromise between crosswind stability and aerodynamics.

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Like the Mason, the 1×13 Campagnolo EKAR groupset is manufactured in Italy and is supposed to impress with its intuitive use. While the power and modulation of the Campagnolo brakes convinced us completely, it’s a different story when it comes to shifting performance. The vague and clunky shifting couldn’t keep up with the performance of the other groupsets in the test. The 9–36 t cassette is paired with a 40 t chainring and while the 1-tooth jumps in the “hard” top third of the cassette were exceptionally well-suited to rolling terrain and the short steep ramps prevalent in Tuscany, the smallest available 38 t EKAR chainring will still be too big for the largest 10–44 t EKAR cassette. That means long and steep climbs in alpine terrain will never be the prime example of the groupsets capabilities.

Size	50	52	54	56	58	60
Seat tube	500 mm	520 mm	540 mm	560 mm	580 mm	600 mm
Top tube	533 mm	537 mm	552 mm	561 mm	581 mm	586 mm
Head tube	130 mm	140 mm	155 mm	170 mm	180 mm	190 mm
Head angle	71.5°	71.5°	71.5°	71.5°	72.0°	72.0°
Seat angle	74.5°	74.5°	73.5°	73.5°	72.5°	72.5°
Chainstays	420 mm	420 mm	420 mm	420 mm	420 mm	420 mm
BB Drop	73 mm	73 mm	72 mm	72 mm	72 mm	70 mm
Wheelbase	999 mm	1,004 mm	1,010 mm	1,020 mm	1,025 mm	1,030 mm
Reach	381 mm	383 mm	383 mm	388 mm	395 mm	397 mm
Stack	543 mm	553 mm	566 mm	580 mm	591 mm	599 mm

The Mason Resolution Ekar in review

Our € 4,300 Mason test bike misses the light footedness of most of the other bikes in our group test. In the duel of the “slow accelerators”, it gets up to speed more quickly than the ROSE REVEAL FOUR but is distinctly slower than the MERIDA SCULTURA ENDURANCE. What the Mason is missing in sprightliness when accelerating it makes up for with its efficiency on the flats. There, with the good rolling characteristics of its tires and the integrated, sporty riding position, it’s happy to maintain speed. The Mason stays true to its creed and maintains its motto, “Fast Far”.

The Mason is the heaviest non-ebike in the test and perfect proof of the fact that weight alone is of secondary importance – it’s about distributing it cleverly!

The forward-biased weight distribution generates a pleasant amount of pressure on the front wheel which, together with the high cornering grip of the tires, leads to a lot of fun on winding roads. Despite the comparatively large tire volume, the Resolution corners willingly, even if precision might be just a touch too little for the most ambitious uses. However, in terms of good-natured and intuitive handling, the Mason gets top marks! It displays a good balance between agility and stability, and is neither sluggish nor nervous, letting its handling shine in comparison to the test field.

Comfort is also very balanced: the vibration damping of the René Herse Stampede Pass tires is outstanding. As a result of the comparatively high tire volume, they can be ridden at low pressures which, together with their supple casing, leading to a very plush ride. The compliance of the frameset also harmonises well with them and makes the Mason easy on your back even over long rides. Thanks to the slight flare of the bars and the stable handling, the Mason conveys a high feeling of security. You don’t feel like you’re riding on top of the bike but in it, making it a lot of fun to try and find your limits. On challenging surfaces i.e. gravel and hardpack, the Resolution transforms into a gravel bike, where it’s able to take blows in its stride and leaves all the other models in the group test behind.

Tuning tip: Shimano Di2 groupset for defined and quick shifting

Conclusion

The Mason Resolution Ekar is the perfect road bike for all those who don’t want to be tied down. Everyone from novices to pros will get a bike that stands out with its versatility, intuitive handling and first-class long-distance comfort. While there are better bikes for alpine terrain, very steep climbs and races, the Mason is the best fit for all those looking for less “race” and more “bike” at a fair price. Congratulations on your well-earned Best Buy!

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For more information head to masoncycles.cc

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best road bike of 2021 – 15 models in review

All bikes in test: BMC Roadmachine 01 ONE (Click for review) | Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD Disc Ultegra (Click for review) | Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 eTap (Click for review) | Cervélo Caledonia-5 Dura Ace Di2 Disc (Click for review) | Mason Resolution Ekar | MERIDA REACTO TEAM-E CUSTOM (Click for review) | MERIDA SCULTURA ENDURANCE CUSTOM (Click for review) | OPEN MIN.D. (Click for review) | Orbea Gain M20i (Click for review) | ROSE REVEAL FOUR DISC Ultegra Di2 (Click for review) | SCOTT Addict eRIDE Premium (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Aethos (Click for review) | Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc Ultegra (Click for review) | Trek Domane+ LT 9 (Click for review) | Wilier Filante SLR (Click for review)

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Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl