I was excited to receive my size 60cm Racelight 4S frameset recently, and hurried to get it built-up so I could take advantage of some surprisingly decent December weather here! Following are my first impressions of that bike, based on a quartet of 30-something mile rides, mostly dirt road.

The packaged arrived as expected and in good condition, with the frameset and associated bits smartly packaged. I was particularly happy to see both a seat collar and a good quality, branded steerer expander wedge and top cap included, neither of which necessarily expected.

Inspecting the frame and fork showed very good finish quality; it's a good looking frame. The bottom bracket did need chased and faced before building, but otherwise, with the headset included, it was ready to go.

I installed a Campagnolo Athena 11speed mid-compact drivetrain without issues, and fitted 26c Panaracer GravelKing tires on Mavic Ksyrium Equipe S wheels. Braking is provided by TRP RG957 long reach brakes.

Being nitpicky, I will mention two small points. One, while the paint finish is perfect and fairly lustrous, the metallic flake Diamond Black paint lacks richness and a sense of depth. Second, the downtube water bottle boss is slightly off centerline, causing a misalignment with the seat tube mounted cage. Both are very minor and in no way detract from my sense of enjoyment and value, but do exist.

I hit the road with the bike at 19.25lb fully kitted with bottle cages and pedals.

Ride quality is solid and competent. It's really smooth over rough road, but a little vague under pedal input, in the sense it doesn't jump forward under hard effort. Handling is predictable and fairly relaxed, steering a little more at the bars than the hips, but acceptably responsive to direction changes. It does seem most on-point when responding to out-of-saddle efforts, so perhaps I could have gone with a smaller frame and just pulled my center of gravity forward more, but I did want the longer wheelbase for dirt/gravel road comfort and stability.

And it is on dirt road that this bike is most fun. Whereas I'm accustomed to a shorter, tighter, more aggressive ride on the pavement, those attributes are not so great for dirt/gravel riding, and the less reactive elements of the 4S chassis do a good job of muting the unwanted feedback from uneven, unstable, unpaved surfaces while still providing a playful feel. The dullness under hard efforts, such as climbing, is still there, however, and may be attributable to the longer chain stays than I'm used to, or perhaps BB flex, or the aluminum feel; I'm not sure.

Whether on dirt or pavement, the bike seems most at home at pace on the fast rollers and gentle curves than it does being prodded to jab and surge. Maybe that's the frame size talking, though, rather than geometry; on paper, the numbers look pretty sporty, insofar as I can tell.

I made a tire switch to 30c Kenda Kwik K897s for one of the rides, and they cleared the frame with plenty of space front and rear. 32c would fit, but would have to be aired-down to clear the brakes when removing/replacing the wheels.

Overall, while this doesn't show the brilliance and alacrity of a race thoroughbred, for my intended purposes, namely to reel off less aggressive miles in the rain and cold, and to do some fast dirt road riding (maybe racing, too), I think it will be fairly well suited. I've still got to learn how to ride it best, and get the setup dialed in, but it's comfortable, sporting, handsome and affordable, and added needed options to my stable.