Self Bike Check: Neon Fade Mash Steel
Alright, I know I’m a little bit late to the party.
You’ve seen them online or in your local group ride, but after the new release of the Mash steel, and the sexy Blue Lug/Mash color exclusive, I couldn’t really deny that I wanted one. I had to see it for myself! What was that crazy color and how was everyone gonna build the new-gen of Mash steel? As the title explains so well, today we’re gonna go on a tour of my new Mash Steel which is probably the most expensive “parts bin” build I have ever made.
Full disclaimer here, by parts bin I don’t mean “Oh nah all of that is cheap stuff for me”. It’s actually quite the opposite. I already owned all those parts and decided to build a bike with what I had available. It might look like a lot but I have many years of buying used or new stuff and saving it for later, so only one component was missing, but we’ll talk about that later.
For someone that already owns a Mash steel and a Mash work, it doesn’t sound interesting to get another one to just have the same bike 3 times in different colors. And to that, I would answer that you’re totally right and I literally fooled myself into getting this on the basis of “Yes but that geometry suits me well. Or, yes, it’s the same bike but I really like that colorway.”. Basically, the hype boy in me couldn’t resist but I swear it’s the last time. (Or Mash will have to send it to me for “paint review” but I highly doubt that would ever happen).
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Neon Fade Mash Steel (L)
Chainring and Cog 49T AArn X KingKog, 18T cog
Crank 165mm Campagnolo Record
Seatpost and Saddle
USE Ti, San Marco Aspide
Stem and Handlebar
Deluxe Integrated Handlebar
Wheels Zipp 30 with Harmony Lab Rear Track Hub
Tires 35c Continental Terra Speed
Since I’ve never talked about the Mash Steel here, so let me quickly describe it to you. It’s simply the combination of Cromor tubing, a good track geometry with big tire clearance, and the clever Mash branding that makes for a great successor of the Mash Work. Compared to its older brother, it is just one centimeter longer and has a higher standover, so you could say it’s a little bit slacker. But it’s usually the price you pay for bigger tire clearance, and the best way to describe it would be: “It’s a real track bike but for relaxed people”. Add to that the super high bottom bracket for all your tracklocross “get over that stump” needs or just to avoid pedal strikes on the weirdly high curbs, such as those in Paris.
Let’s get to the “plat de resistance” and I’ve gotta start with the color. I think Mash really knocked it out of the park with this release. The Klein hommage was a good idea, the realization of it is on point, and the tints are crazy vibrant. It’s a paint job that really glows in the sun and will stay subtle on cloudy days.
It will be delivered to you with a seat post clamp, a top cap, a star nut, and the right amount of screws to cover the mounting holes for your two bottle cages as well as front and rear V brakes. Yes, at $850 it is an expensive frameset with a funky paint job. This being said, track bikes with a cool geometry and big tire clearance are more and more out there, but buying one always feels like a struggle for everyone.
Either not in stock, too many braze-ons, weird geometry, or simply frustratingly heavy, I see too many people having headaches trying to find a similar bike. For my part, I already knew the Mash steel and I’m having tons of fun commuting around with them so I don’t regret the price I paid.
What about the mysterious part I got for the build? Well, a few months before the drop I was as usual just looking at parts on the internet and other bike components websites, a classic Monday you would tell me. Browsing for a headset since I didn’t have a spare, I was slowly drowning in the depths of non-listed/miss-labeled eBay items, and that day, something truly unusual came upon me. A Chris King Ti (for titanium) 1 1/8, the very limited version of everyone’s favorite headset.
A little bit of background. A few years back, Chis King decided to make a Titanium Version of some of their headsets. Produced in a really small quantity they are now worth crazy prices on the second-hand market and to be honest, it was on my “I’ll probably never own that” list. Because it’s a Titanium version, you would naturally think it’s lighter. Wrong! It’s actually twenty grams heavier and the weird quirks don’t stop there. The bottom cup has no laser engraving, and on the top one, the logo has horizontal lines that you would only see years later on the new matte versions.
If you’re on the hunt for one, it isn’t that rare to see them for auction at $800+ and collectors will still buy them. So I couldn’t hide my joy when one popped up in Spain for 200 euros, shipping included and no taxes since it was already in Europe. From there the direction was set, we’re going titanium!
I already had a few “exotic” titanium parts laying at home like my Deluxe combo or the custom-made Ti rack I got a few years back. After years of accumulation of random yet pretty cool Ti stuff, it was finally coming together to create an interesting combination. All that weight saving wouldn’t be complete without a featherweight yet resistant pair of wheels. I went for a used Zipp 30s in the most recent lacing (18/24) and rebuilt the rear one with an aluminum-carbon bonded Harmony Lab track hub. It’s surprisingly light for an aluminum pair and I like the touch of silver added by the brake track. For reference, they are even lighter than my pair of clincher 404s but since I never weigh anything I couldn’t really tell you how many grams I saved. One more detail I wanted to talk about! As some of you may already know, I’m kind of a Sugino 75 fan, and when there are none available, I go for DuraAce. In the past few years, I’ve seen a fair bunch of people using SRAM Force crank with MTB narrow-wide chainrings on their Mash-steel or tracklo build. I liked the idea but it wasn’t what I had handy at the time, so I went for a classy Campagnolo record crank paired with that oh so sweet Aarn X King Kog second collab. A tasty blend.
You pretty much know it all at this point. It’s an awesome bike, and the feeling of a comfy steel frame mixed with not having to pull something dead heavy is great! Yes, Cromor (or 4130 Cro-Mo) is hefty, but pairing it with fairly light parts makes an easy ride for the streets with a lot of versatility.
If I had one thing to change at the moment, it would probably be the tires. Remember how I was also mentioned in my Bardenas trip article that the Continental Terra Speed in 35c was an awesome tire. It still is, but for the city, I’ll probably go for something more “slick” in the near future.
Overall, the bike is just way too clean, and I definitely don’t ride it enough with my recent multiple injuries. But I also know what it can handle and I don't mind going down a few sets of stairs that could make my commute more efficient or just more fun. I needed something a little bit more chill to cruise around while keeping the fun factor fully on, and I think I did a pretty good job creating that.
Big thanks to @diegomhx for the picture of me on the bike!
