Stoater, Stooshie, Tumshie, Bahookie, Skinnymalinky… It sounds like a guttural lesson in Scots vernacular, but in fact it’s the model range from Shand – a bike builder near Edinburgh. The firm was started in 2003 by Steven Shand who made bespoke one-offs for customers in the know. He’s now expanded, fabricating hand-built production bikes here in the UK as well as designing and supplying carbon fibre bikes manufactured by overseas partners.
The firm’s out and out bestseller is the Stoater – which could very well be all the bike you’ll ever need. Built with high spec custom blend tubing from legendary Italian tube manufacturers Columbus and Dedacciai, it’s durable, comfortable and versatile and feels equally at home touring on tarmac as it does blasting down gravel paths.
Shand wanted this bike to be an antidote to the uninspiring touring bikes of yesterday. Now you don’t have to sacrifice fun and speed for stability and load carrying capabilities. The Stoater, because of the carefully designed geometry and tubeset, gives you everything you want in a predictable, fast tourer. Versatility is key, which is why you are as likely to see a Stoater doing an Alpine tour in the summer as you are lapping the local X-cross loop in the winter.
The mudguard and rack options make the Stoater the perfect choice for your daily commute, too. The bigger, more comfortable tyres also open up some alternative routes into work that you might not have considered. This does mean that you might like to leave for work a little earlier than normal though!
It’s available with a Shimano 105 gearset or a Rohloff hub. If you are unfamiliar with this gear it is a superb system of 14 gears completely sealed within the rear hub – doing away with the need for front and rear derailleurs, multiple chainrings and rear cassette. The gear ratios are equally spaced to provide an optimal range of gears comparable to a derailleur setup (no gear overlap). Gear shifting and indexing takes place within the sealed hub, not the shifter. For the majority of cyclists, a Rohloff equipped bike makes for a reliable, maintenance free ride, letting you spend more time riding and less time fettling.
The Stoater is ready for all weathers, all track conditions and all adventures. As you’d say in Scotland, the bike’s an absolute stoater… (shandcycles.com).
Frame: Reynolds 853
Gears: Rohloff speedhub
Tyres: Continental Cyclocross Speed 700 x 35C
Brakes: BRP Hylex Hydraulic
Crank: Race Face
Cassette: Gates Beltdrive sprocket
Price: £3,595
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
