Sabbath Mondays Child Review

Who is Sabbath?

We previewed the Sabbath range here but briefly Greg and Iain Roche launched Sunday Cycles in 2006. The two were retired elite bike racers with a preference for titanium framebuilding. After a couple of years Sunday Cycles became Sabbath and in 2011, the ownership changed but the emphasis on titanium construction has remained.

Andrew Rink, the new owner of Sabbath explains the singular focus, “With creative tube manipulation, which is Sabbath’s hallmark, we can make bikes that are comfortable, stiff and responsive. Titanium is as strong as steel but 40% lighter, it does not corrode in any atmospheric conditions and it has that famed springiness for a comfortable ride.”

Sabbath Mondays Child

In addition to the Mondays Child reviewed here, Sabbath offers three Audax/Sportive frames, the Aspire, September, Silk Route, and the Silk Road which we reviewed previously. It’s refreshing that the line-up doesn’t include any acronyms or numbers: The Mondays Child, a reference to the nursery rhyme of the same title, is named after one of the founder’s children, born on a Monday. Andrew explains “All our names are personal to Sabbath and our location. The Silk Road is named after the Silk Road (A523) that runs south through Macclesfield and originates from the region’s silk industry.”

Mondays Child Specification

Titanium bikes are rarely striking. Usually a dull ‘silver’, with round, straight gauge tubes, it’s difficult to tell one frame from another if the name isn’t visible on the frame. This Sabbath is dramatically different; there isn’t a round tube on the bike. Andrew explained the rationale for using such unusual shaping: “We wanted the Mondays Child to be responsive, feisty, and well-suited to aggressive riding.”

Surface area for welds has been maximised throughout the frame

This target drove the team to focus on maximizing contact points at the critical frame joints and altering tube shapes to improve lateral stiffness while maintaining frame compliance. The down tube is the most striking. With swooshing curves and changing diameters, the design reminded us of 80’s era Columbus Max steel tubing. This structure stresses the titanium improving lateral stiffness while the steeper angle of the downtube-to-headtube increases contact area at the join.

That Mondays Child downtube, shapely and effective

The convex seat stays, slightly triangulated top tube, and ovalized seat tube are also designed to either improve stiffness via larger contact area between the tubes or change the way force is applied to the tubing under stress. The frame also includes a replaceable rear derailleur hanger; a nice touch, particularly for the racy target audience.

Seatstays have a slight outward bow and welds throughout the frame are purposeful, as befits a race bike

 
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