Mason Cycles’ all-new Macro is a lightweight modern aluminum hardtail mountain bike, built for adventure riding. It gets all the latest modern tech you could ask for, unique flexibility to build it however you want to ride, and of course enough mounting points to haul as much gear as you could want – whether for a weekend trip with friends or tackling one of the toughest ultra-distance bikepacking races in the world.
Mason Macro affordable alloy adventure MTB hardtail
Calling it a bit of a celebration of their 10th anniversary of building bikes under the Mason brand, the Macro is Mason’s 10th model. And it manages to adopt much of the latest tech trending in the bike industry – like progressive geometry, wide XC tires, integrated routing & UDH standards – but still retains full flexibility to let riders build it up how they really want. You can even pick from a rigid carbon fork or XC suspension fork depending on how you ride – or get both to adapt from race to race.
Plus, like their other adventure-ready alloy bikes, it is handmade in Italy from custom Dedacciai tubing and gets tons of mounts to hang your gear on it, all while still managing to hit a quite affordable pricepoint.
Developed for ultra racers looking for a lightweight but tough hardtail, the Macro is built to run either Mason’s burly HotShoe2 carbon fork for smoother bikepacking or a 100-120mm cross-country suspension for more gnarly off-road tours.
“I’m really excited about the Macro. It totally embodies all aspects of our ‘Ride Driven Design’ ethos and progressive philosophy. From the full custom tubeset and HotShoe2 carbon fork through to details like UDH compatibility and innovative routing, the MASON Macro provides a cutting edge tool for those who want to adventure with purpose. This is all about configurability. I wanted the rider to have as much control as possible over the way they set this bike up. That’s why I’ve spent lots of time working on the cable routing, the accessory mounts and the readiness for suspension forks. The Macro can be easily switched around for different adventures.”
– Dom Mason, founder & bike designer
Tech details & unique adaptability
- alloy frame welded in Italy from custom-drawn, heat-treated 7000-series Dedacciai aluminum tubing
- Cataforesi anti-corrosion-treated frame inside & out, before acrylic primer, topcoat & 2 tough clearcoats
- standard suspension-corrected tapered steerer full carbon Mason HotShoe2 fork with Anything cage, rack & fender mounts, dynamo routing, direct-mount for optional Shutter fender or Condenser mini rack, and flat mount 160 brake mount
- optional 100-120mm XC suspension forks available
- straight 56mm headtube for 1.5″ headset
- versatile, futureproof internal cable routing: pick from integrated fully internal routing through the upper Deda DCR headset bearing to get cables out of the way of external bags, or conventional internal routing through modular cable ports on the side of the downtube
- all the mounting points you would need: 3-pack anything cage mounts on top & bottom of the downtube, seattube bottle cage, top tube bag, and rear rack mounts
- 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket
- 31.6mm seatpost with internal dropper routing
- 12x148mm & 15x110mm Boost spacing
- 160mm post mount rear brake, and
- UDH dropouts for maximum drivetrain compatibility
- max 29 x 2.4″ mountain bike tire clearance
- flat bar or dropbar ready
- available in 4 stock sizes (S-XL)
- frame weight from 1875g, carbon fork from 700g (claimed)
Mason Macro MTB – Pricing, options & availability
The new custom Dedacciai tubesets for the Macro are currently being shaped now, and will get welded into the new frames in the coming weeks. Mason has now officially offered their new Macro adventure hardtail up for pre-orders, with the first bikes slated for delivery starting next month, from January 2025.
The new Mason Macro is available as a frameset for £1500 including Mason’s own carbon Hotshoe2 fork. And you get to pick from 2 ‘launch edition’ paint jobs – blue-grey Grigio Tecno and a limited-release TiltShift Metallic deep, dark brown.
If you are looking for a complete bike, Mason offers 4 stock builds, all of which are also customizable. And you can configure extra add-ons like Mason’s “load-bearing” Shutter fender for the riding fork that incorporates a small but effective mini rack shelf, or their still tidy but stringer direct-mount Condenser fork rack.
Pricing starts a £3000 with a mechanical Shimano SLX groupset and the rigid carbon fork, or £3400 with a 100mm travel DT Swiss F232 ONE suspension fork. If you prefer a wireless electronic drivetrain, get a SRAM GX AXS build for £3800 with the carbon Hotshoe2 fork or £4200 with the DT F232 One suspension.