To say we’ve put the Lauf Úthald by way of its paces can be an understatement. Three of us have been using them for a bit greater than a yr now, throughout every 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, by way of all of these terrains, all three of us adore it.
Put merely, the Úthald would possibly simply be the right street bike for practically each rider. Right here’s why…
The Úthald flat out performs
To be honest, most of our using has been on regular roads, underneath principally regular circumstances. In group rides and solo escapes. We obtained 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 practically flawless asphalt.
Out of the field, constructed, after which shipped half manner all over the world to interrupt them in. An incredible begin, and for Steve, mainly the primary time he actually obtained to trip it.
Irrespective 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 all the tire. Thanks, buddy.).
Equally, Harrison joined on his new Úthald for the second leg (extra on this beneath) of my Japan biking odyssey with only a few introductory miles on it. And he did nice, too.
Which is to say, the Lauf Úthald is each conventional in match, but extraordinarily forgiving in operate. 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 carry 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 yr since that tour, the three of us have put untold miles on our bikes. Steve’s spouse loves it a lot she’s mainly claimed it as her personal. And Harrison has turn into increasingly of a bicycle owner in no small half due to how a lot he enjoys the bike.
As for me, it’s turn into my go-to street bike amongst a way-too-big fleet of choices I’ve accrued over time. Why? As a result of…
It handles like a dream
It’s one factor to make a motorbike deal with properly 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 at present in the marketplace.
I’ve reviewed my justifiable share 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 picking this bike), in the event you’re in search of 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 secure 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 supposed line so properly that it’s mainly begging you to take it quicker.
Identical for descending, significantly 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 picture above, we began low within the timber, a lot decrease than you may see, and climbed and climbed and climbed.
Absolutely loaded, with a particular rearward bias to the packing, this mix of slack entrance finish and brief rear did reveal the one time while you needed to pay a bit extra consideration to steering, however I give the Lauf a corridor move 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 properly.
Decked out with the Outdated Man Mountain Divide rack and North St. baggage, our bikes carried garments, tent, sleeping pad & bag, restore kits, first help, snacks, lights, and extra. I reviewed that bikepacking gear right here in the event 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 “commonplace” modulus fibers. This makes their bikes extra sturdy, much less vulnerable to impression injury, and, I feel, usually extra apt for real-world use from riders who don’t child their tools.
When you might hear the phrase “trip it laborious 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 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. The truth is, we did do it, for seven full days, with loaded rear packs and a trunk bag. And the body remains to be completely nice. And this, this precisely, is why I actually like that Lauf made this body bombproof.
Oh, and it’s nonetheless mild. My measurement Massive bike with the most recent SRAM Purple, Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels, Maxxis 700×32 Re-Fuse tires (that are robust, puncture resistant treads), pedals, saddle bag with instrument equipment and tube, high tube bag with snacks, entrance and back lights, 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 underneath 19 kilos. Respect.
Now’s a superb time to confess that I’m a Lauf fanboy. I like their crew, and I’ve liked their bikes because the starting. My Seigla is one in all my high 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 a number of pals into getting one, too, they usually love them.
Mainly, in the event you’re within the advertising for a street bike and wish one which’s prepared for something (besides, perhaps, a crit race), give the Lauf Úthald a superb, laborious look. It’s a motorbike that makes a lot sense for therefore many riders. It’s accomplished every thing we’ve requested of it, and we’ve requested lots, and retains coming again for extra.
If, in any case of that glowing reward, you’re nonetheless on the fence, how ’bout this: Full bikes vary from $3,390 to $6,090, making them an incredible deal, too. Framesets are $1,890 (costs correct at date of publication).
