To say we’ve put the Lauf Úthald via its paces can be an understatement. Three of us have been using them for a bit greater than a 12 months now, throughout every little thing from rolling east coast hills to Idaho’s dry backroads. From Japan’s coastal highways to their forgotten mountain passes.
And throughout all of these surfaces, via all of these terrains, all three of us find it irresistible.
Put merely, the Úthald may simply be the proper street bike for almost each rider. Right here’s why…
The Úthald flat out performs
To be honest, most of our using has been on regular roads, beneath principally regular circumstances. In group rides and solo escapes. We acquired our bikes simply earlier than our journey to Japan final spring, and initially prepped them for eight days of supported street biking throughout Japan’s Shikoku Islands and their almost flawless asphalt.
Out of the field, constructed, after which shipped half means around the globe to interrupt them in. An excellent begin, and for Steve, principally the primary time he actually acquired to journey it.
Regardless of, he felt proper at dwelling instantly, and instantly crushed me up each climb (including insult to damage by by no means as soon as shifting into the little chainring on the whole tire. Thanks, buddy.).
Equally, Harrison joined on his new Úthald for the second leg (extra on this under) of my Japan biking odyssey with only a few introductory miles on it. And he did advantageous, too.
Which is to say, the Lauf Úthald is each conventional in match, but extraordinarily forgiving in perform. Steve and I are each very skilled riders, besides, with many bikes, there’s all the time some quantity of studying curve to really feel at dwelling. Not often would you need to deliver a brand-new-to-you bike on a week-long biking tour, particularly if that tour is punctuated by one other week of bikepacking on the identical bike.
But, the Lauf made us all really feel instantly at dwelling, with no surprises or quirks, cruising alongside comfortably and easily, mile after mile.
And when it got here time to hammer to maintain up with the quicker people on our tour, it delivered the punchy, responsive acceleration we count on from a contemporary efficiency street bike.
Within the 12 months since that tour, the three of us have put untold miles on our bikes. Steve’s spouse loves it a lot she’s principally claimed it as her personal. And Harrison has turn out to be increasingly more of a bike owner in no small half due to how a lot he enjoys the bike.
As for me, it’s turn out to be my go-to street bike amongst a way-too-big fleet of choices I’ve accrued through the years. Why? As a result of…
It handles like a dream
It’s one factor to make a motorbike deal with nicely for a sure set of circumstances. It’s fairly one other to make it a real all-round performer that additionally stands out in a crowded subject of superb bikes presently available on the market.
I’ve reviewed my fair proportion of street bikes, from racing bikes to endurance bikes to all-road bikes, and I can actually say none excels throughout all three classes just like the Úthald.
That stated (and that is actually my solely caveat to selecting this bike), should you’re on the lookout for a crit racing bike, this isn’t it.
However that’s precisely why I like my Úthald, as a result of it’s not a twitchy little beast that calls for fixed consideration.
There’s a number of design consideration that went into making the Úthald what it’s, from a bent seat tube that creates intentional vertical flex for improved consolation to clearance for enormous tires (as much as 35mm).
However the largest factor that units it aside is the entrance finish geometry. Lauf gave it a slack 71.5º head angle with longer-than-normal fork path, yielding an extremely steady bike.
This bike is unshakable. Cruise together with no fingers, or simply a few fingers if the street is tough, and it’ll hold going the place it’s aimed. And when it’s time to carve a nook, it’ll maintain the meant line so nicely that it’s principally begging you to take it quicker.
Similar for descending, notably at excessive speeds on curvy roads…by no means have I felt extra assured on mountain descents, and by no means have I gone quicker than I’ve on this bike.
It additionally climbs like a machine. Brief chainstays stored my weight over the rear tire for nice traction and a quick, impulsive lurch ahead from each pedal stroke. Within the photograph above, we began low within the bushes, a lot decrease than you may see, and climbed and climbed and climbed.
Totally loaded, with a particular rearward bias to the packing, this mixture of slack entrance finish and quick rear did reveal the one time while you wished to pay just a little extra consideration to steering, however I give the Lauf a corridor cross on this as a result of let’s be honest: This bike was by no means designed with loaded touring or bikepacking in thoughts, which is strictly why I give it such excessive marks for having the ability to pull it off so nicely.
Decked out with the Previous Man Mountain Divide rack and North St. luggage, our bikes carried garments, tent, sleeping pad & bag, restore kits, first assist, snacks, lights, and extra. I reviewed that bikepacking gear right here should you’re eager on studying extra about how and what we packed and the way these things carried out.
It’s right here the place I worth Lauf’s philosophy on body building. They skip the lighter (and extra brittle) high-mod carbon fibers in favor of more durable “normal” modulus fibers. This makes their bikes extra sturdy, much less susceptible to impression injury, and, I feel, usually extra apt for real-world use from riders who don’t child their tools.
Whilst you could hear the phrase “journey it onerous and put it away soiled” extra typically within the mountain bike scene, if that’s your mentality, then a motorbike like that is precisely what you want.
The Úthald’s body was not designed with racks and bikepacking in thoughts. However OMM’s Divide rack has a pleasant workaround – it mounts to a via axle to assist the load, and has common mounts that safe across the seatstays. Thick protecting tape sits between the body and the keep mounts to save lots of the paint.
That’s nice, however I nonetheless wouldn’t put it on a featherweight street bike whose advertising and marketing revolves round what number of grams they saved by thinning each tube and stiffening it with hi-mod fibers.
However on the Úthald? I’ll do all of it day lengthy. In reality, we did do it, for seven full days, with loaded rear packs and a trunk bag. And the body continues to be completely advantageous. And this, this precisely, is why I actually like that Lauf made this body bombproof.
Oh, and it’s nonetheless mild. My dimension Giant bike with the most recent SRAM Purple, Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels, Maxxis 700×32 Re-Fuse tires (that are powerful, puncture resistant treads), pedals, saddle bag with device equipment and tube, prime tube bag with snacks, entrance and tail lamps, Okay-Edge pc mount, Hammerhead Karoo, and two bottle cages weighs simply 18lb 15oz (8.6kg).
So, a totally succesful, ready-to-roll-anywhere street bike with all the appropriate equipment (and snacks!) and nonetheless beneath 19 kilos. Respect.
Now’s a great time to confess that I’m a Lauf fanboy. I like their crew, and I’ve beloved their bikes because the starting. My Seigla is one among my prime picks for gravel rides, too. However I nonetheless preserve that I’m goal as regards to their merchandise, it’s simply that I can’t discover something flawed with this bike.
Neither can Harrison. Or Steve. Or Steve’s spouse. And I’ve talked just a few buddies into getting one, too, and so they love them.
Mainly, should you’re within the advertising and marketing for a street bike and need one which’s prepared for something (besides, possibly, a crit race), give the Lauf Úthald a great, onerous look. It’s a motorbike that makes a lot sense for thus many riders. It’s accomplished every little thing we’ve requested of it, and we’ve requested quite a bit, and retains coming again for extra.
If, in spite of everything of that glowing reward, you’re nonetheless on the fence, how ’bout this: Full bikes vary from $3,390 to $6,090, making them a fantastic deal, too. Framesets are $1,890 (costs correct at date of publication).
LaufCycles.com
