Lauf Úthald Race Wireless first ride review

Like the True Grit and Seigla gravel bikes before it, the new Lauf Úthald is designed to challenge a few road bike norms: namely geometry, handling and how riders achieve real-world speed.

You can read our news story on the new Úthald here, but to get an initial flavour of what Lauf has created, I travelled to Harrisonburg, Virginia in the United States.

Being thrown in at the deep end on a hilly 130km/80-mile ride, on an unfamiliar bike, is a somewhat nerve-wracking experience.

However, the Úthald passed my initial tests with high marks. Although further assessment of such a ‘different’ race-cum-endurance bike is needed, there are plenty of initial positives to take away.

Lauf Úthald Race Wireless initial impressions

My first impressions of the Úthald came via two conflicting perspectives, as I listened to Lauf’s CEO, Benedikt Skúlason, introduce the bike at the brand’s US headquarters.

On the one hand, I could see the Úthald as a progressive race bike, and on the other, a go-fast endurance bike.

Certainly, Skúlason heralds the design as the future of race bike geometry. Why have twitchy, nervous handling, he asks, when you could have it easier, which is all the better for focusing on getting the most out of yourself.

Having ridden many knife-edge road bikes, I can certainly see his point of view.

Meanwhile, the ride position offered by the middling stack and compact reach put me in mind of a sporty endurance bike.

After all, Úthald means 'endurance' in Icelandic, and given Skúlason also repeatedly mentioned covering long distances at speed, perhaps that’s how many will choose to view the bike.

Either way, compared to ‘big brand’ players in either the race or endurance road categories, it occupies a sort of middle ground between the two.

The cockpit is refreshingly uncomplicated, with Lauf claiming fully internal cable routing makes a negligible difference to the aerodynamic efficiency of the bike overall, and that the recent trend for this is more a reflection of the market’s aesthetic preferences.

I can understand this point of view – and it’s no doubt shared by many – but it’s slightly disappointing Lauf hasn’t provided any data to back up its claims.

Elsewhere, though, the aero design features are clear to see; the frameset is made up of a collection of truncated aerofoil tube shapes that are well-established in the bike industry.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but once again, the lack of evidence provided to affirm they're responsible for delivering a competitively aerodynamic bike is disquieting.

Of course, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and wind tunnel or track aero testing can only reveal so much about how a bike performs in the real world.

Nevertheless, if something is claimed to be aerodynamically optimised but no evidence is provided to back that assertion up, it’s hard not to feel somewhat sceptical (the eye test can only tell you so much, after all).

In contrast, Lauf has used its own test rig to measure the Úthald’s compliance, claiming it delivers up to 15mm of vertical compliance with a 75kg rider aboard.

Certainly, the combination of slim, 27.2mm seatpost, the curving seat tube and dropped, slender seatstays indicate the bike is designed to deliver a good degree of flex, and gives the Úthald a somewhat striking presence.

Lauf Úthald Race Wireless first ride impressions

My first experience with the Úthald was a tough one – a 130km / 80-mile ride covering more than 2,000m / 6,500 feet of climbing, from Lauf’s US base in Virginia into the nearby Shenandoah national park, and back to the resort of Massanutten.

The ride had a pretty large scale, and it left me and most of my fellow journalists well finished off by day’s end.

However, any struggles I had on the day were down to my jaded fitness level and a touch of jet lag, rather than the bike.

The Úthald is best described as a ‘calm’ bike to ride, with a geometry that keeps the handling very stable, yet doesn’t put you in such an upright-and-back position that you feel you’re perched on top of it.

This makes for an involving ride, with greater rider input needed to elicit a steering response. Although my general preference is for a faster-handling bike (without straying into the extreme), the Úthald’s slack head angle and high-rake fork bring a notable sense of assuredness.

I found I could push on and trust the steering on the sweeping, occasionally steep descents I encountered, picking and sticking confidently to my chosen line.

I came across very few obstacles I needed to avoid on the road, but the steering was reactive enough when required (once I’d grown used to it).

Climbing feels acceptably efficient too, and while I have questioned the lack of supporting evidence surrounding the bike’s aero qualities, it doesn’t feel notably held back on the flat.

There are certainly stiffer endurance bikes (the Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL8 is the most recent I’ve ridden, if far more expensive at £12,000 / $14,000 / €14,000). However, Lauf seems to have recognised most riders looking for their next bike are unlikely to need any more than the Úthald supplies.

The Úthald undoubtedly majors on compliance. Here, the ride proved very comfortable, complemented well by the glass-fibre section handlebar.

But on the two short gravel sections we covered (one climb, one descent), the Úthald felt somewhat out of its depth.

I don’t believe this to be the frameset’s fault – after all, even I, with my limited off-road skills, was able to rescue every hairy moment. I suspect it would have been far worse on an even sharper-handling, firmer bike.

However, when every pedal stroke or turning event brings broken traction and skipping, you know you’re on the wrong rubber. The 32c Maxxis High Road tubeless tyres, which felt competent on the road (and will be supplied with every build), are out of their depth on loose surfaces.

Naturally, you could switch them out, but given the Úthald only has clearance for up to 35mm-wide tyres (which to my eye is a true, rather than conservative, estimate), there’s limited flexibility here.

Given the best gravel bikes generally have clearance for 40c tyres or more, the Úthald doesn’t seem to be a gravel bike in road bike disguise.

This might come as a surprise to some, given Lauf’s history with the True Grit and Seigla, and I look forward to putting the bike to the test further.

Lauf Úthald Race Wireless initial verdict

The Lauf Úthald is an interesting bike – one that certainly bears further testing on home soil, side by side with competitors, to see how it stacks up.

My initial impression is it offers some of the easiest handling in a dedicated road bike I’ve ever experienced – and that (in theory) may help many people ride further and faster.

I’m unsure whether it will usher in the dawn of a new age of slackened, smooth-riding race bikes, but only time will tell on that. It’s certainly a little different from the norm, and for that at least, Lauf should be applauded.