When Mason debuted the 650b Bokeh back in 2016, it was billed more as an adventure road bike than a gravel bike per se. But in the years since, mixed-surface gravel adventure riding and even racing have blown up, and Mason has quietly rolled out a version 2.0 update to the Bokeh that makes it more capable than ever.
Mason Cycles Bokeh2 alloy adventure gravel bike
In the years since the Bokeh’s debut, riders have fully accepted mixed surface road riding, pretty much dividing into two separate categories: all-road gravel for fast moving with big volume 700c tires, and more off-road adventure gravel with wider, even mountain bike tires often on 650b wheels.
The Bokeh was created to expand the all-road capability their Definition already offered, moving in the adventure direction. And now this new update takes that all one step further…
What’s new on the Mason Bokeh 2?
The new Bokeh 2 doesn’t really look any different beyond the snazzy new green paint job adopted from their 29er ISO, but Mason actually breaks down the updates pretty well in this graphic. The biggest change to the bike is actually the new, more capable fork – but the frame itself also gets improved routing, tubeset detailing, an extra frame size, and more tire clearance.
All of the updates to the new bike come directly from rider feedback, whether the in-house Mason team who rides these bike on the gravel roads that lead directly out of the farm where they are located in the South Downs of England (including ultra-endurance rider Josh Ibbet), or just customer feedback.
A subtle improvement is new modular cable routing ports that move out of the way to offer cleaner routing when using bikepacking framebags, together with bento toptube bags, with the added benefit of slightly smoother cable operation. The chainstay brake hose exit was also tweaked for straighter hose runs to modern flat mount brake calipers.
A part of the updates to the custom shaped & triple butted Dedacciai 7000 series tubeset is a new larger 56mm diameter oversized bottom bracket shell, which brings with it a number of improvements. It still uses a standard threaded BB, but offers better clearance inside.
Hidden internally, the biggest functional improvement is that extra space around large 30mm diameter BB axles, so the brake hose can run completely internally without hitting the spinning axle.
All that extra BB real estate also allows Mason to weld the chainstays on lower (& wider). That smooths out internal routing for mechanical shift setups, but also means a stiffer bottom bracket and some extra room for tires.
Mason isn’t trying for stick monster tuck tires inside the Bokeh (leave that for the 29er/27.5+ ISO), but now there is plenty of room for a proper 2.1″ (54mm) 27.5/650b tire, as well as generous clearance for 700x45mm tires with room for mud.
The new Parallax2 fork is probably the biggest overall change for the new Bokeh. The new fork carries over plenty of room for 650b x 2.1″ tires (or 700c x 45mm), flat mount disc brakes & a 12mm thru-axle from the original Parallax (dark gray above center. The light gray fork above left was an early prototype trying for a more road-evolved look, but didn’t offer enough clearance.) But now it adds a set of triple mount Anything cage bosses on the leading outer edge of each fork leg. Adventure riders need the ability to haul more water, so these slightly angled cage mounts offer much more carrying capacity to the bike, while keeping weight low & out of the way.
The new fork also includes a mount on the crown to set up a dynamo front light, and features internal routing for a dynamo wire, in addition to the internal brake line routing in the opposite leg. It also gets more durable hidden fender eyelets to withstand more off-road abuse. The new full carbon Parallax2 fork has a claimed weight of 465g.
As of now the titanium Bokeh still comes with the first generation Parallax fork, but we expect that will get updated soon as well.
Geometry
The geometry of the new Bokeh remains for the most part unchanged from the original, with the exception that there is now a new larger size, a 62cm frame to fit larger riders. That bigger frame (like similar ones offered for the Resolution2 & Definition2) uses an oversized seattube for extra off-road-ready frame stiffness.
The new made-in-Italy Bokeh 2 is available now as a frameset for the same £1250 that the original was just a few weeks back. (It is £100 more expensive than when it first debuted three years ago.) Frame weight is claimed at 1730g for a 56cm frame (+/- 40-50g as you go up & down each step in sizing).
Complete bikes are also available now with a SRAM Force 1x build for £3100 with Hunt wheels, and you get to pick whether you want a 700c x35mm or 650b x 50mm build. Other complete bikes are expected to be available later in June, including 2x builds with Ultegra Di2 for £4000, Ultegra mechanical for £3000, 105 for £2800, plus a Rival 1x build also for £2800.
All new orders for Bokehs will automatically get all of these updates, whether in the standard gray or orange paint jobs, or this limited edition Filter Green. Some of those other colors may not be in stock for a week or two, but the green bikes are in stock and already available today.
