Scottish brand Shand bills its new Leveret as a commuter bike, but we reckon it’ll handle much more as winter sets in. Its combination of belt drive, 8-speed hub gear, wide tyres and mudguards mark it out for winter rides, and possibly a bit of off-road action too.
The Leveret starts off with Shand’s triple-butted steel frameset, with steel itself being the classic option for a winter bike and hard-core commuting duties. There’s also internal cable routing, with the brake hose running through the top tube, then externally down the left seatstay, tied into guides brazed to the frame. The front brake hose is routed internally through the left leg of the carbon forks.
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You get an external bottom bracket, which should help with maintenance in the long run. The shifter cable runs through the down tube and is then fully enclosed under the right chainstay to the Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub gear, which should help keep the weather out too. Spare ports in the down tube for a front mech cable are neatly blanked off.
The Gates belt drive should help not just to keep your commuting trousers clean, but cut down on winter maintenance – no oil, no rust! – plus, putting all the mechanical gubbins inside the hub should reduce post-ride clean up.
Stopping power comes from TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes, which again look like a good option for dodgy road conditions.
The TRP brakes with their razor-thin levers and single Microshift bar end shifter for the Alfine gears along with the loops of cables and hoses give the Leveret a bit of a retro feel that we're quite fond of.
There are enough bosses and mounts on the Leveret’s frame not just for the mudguards, but also for racks and bottles, and there’s even a redundant derailleur hanger, in case you miss having a rear mech.
To up your night-time visibility, Shand’s logos on the down tube are reflective. There are reflective elements on the wheel rims too and Shand wraps the bars in reflective tape.
The Leveret rolls on 35mm Schwalbe G-One All Round tyres, which should cope well with wet conditions, as well as a bit of off-road action. Their tan sidewalls also add a touch of class and their low profile round knob tread and the wide section should give plenty of grip without too much road noise as they roll.
They’re tubeless-ready, as are Shand’s own 32 spoke alloy wheels, so there’s the option to up your puncture protection on the way to work.
Finishing kit is Shand’s own brand, including the bar, stem, seatpost and saddle. There’s a flat-bar option available at the same price.
The Leveret is sold by Shand direct from its site and both the drop-bar bike and the flat-bar version are priced at £1,995, with Shand promising delivery in seven days.
There are four sizes available from 51cm up to 58cm. Until end-November, Shand is adding a free set of Cateye Sync lights to the mix, including a wearable rear light, so you’ll be set up for the winter commuter.
