I love the ride of a well-made, lightweight steel frame. I always have. It’s what I’ve always ridden and what I still default to time and time again. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are some real benefits to riding a carbon frame. But, for the most part, I prefer to ride steel. That being said, my Wilde Rambler SL (Super Light) frame set is one of the best riding steel bikes I’ve ridden in a long time.
The Rambler SL frameset comes with a color-matched, carbon fork and is built using proprietary Wilde TLC tubing. The TLC stands for Tough, Light, and Compliant. The tubing diameters, wall thickness, and butting profiles are chosen based on each model and frame size. The result is a steel frame that Wilde says is “built to last, light as practical, and exceedingly comfortable”.
Wilde Bicycles also offers the Rambler with a steel fork.
The Rambler SL Build
Let me start by telling you that I’ve been longing for a Wilde Rambler SL since I wrote the PR piece about it a little over two years ago. This last January, I was finally able to acquire one. I chose the XL in the Copper Metallic color. It’s a beautiful color.
I also appreciate the frame’s aesthetics. I’m just a sucker for skinny frame tubes and understated graphics. And this frameset ticks both of those boxes. When I was building the frame into a bike, I wanted to keep the build simple and elegant.
Some of the components I used to build the Rambler SL were taken from my Masi Incanto. Stuff like the GRX 1x drivetrain, White Industries R30 cranks, XTR pedals, GRX brakes, King Cage bottle cages, Velo Orange drop bars, and my Camp And Go Slow bar tape (which just happened to match perfectly).
For the new parts, Paul Components sent me a new 90mm Boxcar Stem and Tall & Handsome seat post. Chris King sent over a headset, bottom bracket, and seat collar.
For the wheels, I chose the Hunt 35 Carbon Gravel Wheelset. For the tires, I went with the new Teravail Updraft gravel tires.
When the build was complete, I weighed the bike. With pedals, bottle cages, and computer mount installed, the complete weight came in at 23 lbs, 4 oz. That’s decent for a steel frame in the X-Large size. I’m totally satisfied with the build, both mechanically and aesthetically. I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Nice Frame Details
There are a few subtle, but unique frame details that I really like about the Rambler SL. I love that there are no clips on the chainstays for running your hose and cable housing. This means no tacky zip ties.
There are nice modular clips on the down tube, and full loop braze-ons added to the chain stays. No afterthought here, it’s part of the initial design of the frame.
This frame has accessory mounts everywhere they should be. There are three-pack mounts on top and bottom of the down tube, bottle bosses on the seat tube, fender and rack mounts, and top tube feedbag mounts as well. Perfect.
The other detail I love about the Rambler SL is the color-matched carbon fork. It is such a nice touch, and really adds to the elegant look of the bike. Lastly, the color. The Copper Metallic is gorgeous and pops in the sun. Wilde took the time to wet paint the frame and fork, and it looks amazing.
In my opinion, that kind of attention to detail matters. And Wilde’s owner, Jeff Frane, is no stranger to honing in on the details. I mean, just take a look at the details on last year’s Best of Show award winner, at the MADE Show.
The Rambler SL Ride
Jeff is also some sort of geometry wizard. He knows what he’s doing when it comes to frame geometry, and the geo on my Rambler SL feels totally dialed. It’s one of the better-fitting bikes I’ve ridden. The same could be said for the Wilde Supertramp I just reviewed as well. So, dialed geometry seems to be a thing over there at Wilde.
Wilde Rambler SL Geo
All of the above numbers indicate a bike that is ready to tackle everything. I’ve done quick rainy road rides, short techy dirt loops, favorite single track, bombed long paved descents, and roamed many gravel roads.
No matter what the ride, in the last 500 or so miles that I’ve ridden my Rambler SL, I never once felt like I was on the wrong bike. It’s light, and it rides and pedals very fast. I love every minute of my rides on the Rambler SL.
The Rambler SL’s carbon fork is perfectly balanced to be both predictable, stiff, and compliant. Combined with the Hunt carbon wheels and the butted steel frame, the bike rides exceptionally smooth and stable.
I ended up swapping the Tumbleweed Big Dipper drop bar that I built the bike with, for one of my favorite bars, the Velo Orange Nouveau Randonneur drop bar. It’s a lighter bar that isn’t so overbuilt. Plus, I stepped down in width when I replaced the Tumbleweed bar, from a 51cm wide bar to a 46cm wide bar. In the future, I would like to try a set of carbon bars on this build.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line here is that this steel frame rides like a dream. Period. In my opinion, the frame is lightweight, durable, and versatile. It’s literally everything I look for in a bicycle. The Rambler SL rides like a much more expensive, custom-built steel frame. And at $1500, the Wilde Rambler SL frameset is reasonable and affordable. I would have zero issues recommending this beauty of a frame to anyone. I’ll be riding mine for many, many years to come.
I can’t think of anything I would change on the frameset… I’m pretty much totally in love with it. Check the link below for more details, and our original post on the bike for all the tech specs.
