Brother Cycles’ Mr Wooden is a retro rejection of gravel bike convention

Do-it-all bike features canti brakes, 650b wheels and skinny steel

By Oscar Huckle

Published: Wednesday, 01 February 2023 at 12:00 am

The Brother Cycles Mr Wooden is a new all-purpose bike designed to tackle anything from audaxes to gravel riding, or loaded off-road touring.

The steel bike forgoes disc brakes in favour of cantilever brakes and uses 650b wheels. It also has a plethora of mounts to adapt the bike to your needs.

The frame can be pre-ordered for £699 and is expected to be available from April.

A steel fusion of the past and present

""
The Mr Wooden is far removed from the current generation of gravel bikes.
Brother Cycles

Brother Cycles says it developed the Mr Wooden when many of its customers requested a rim-braked all-terrain drop-bar bike after its popular Kepler model was updated with disc brakes.

Constructed from double-butted 4130 chromoly steel, Brother claims this provides the perfect balance of performance and durability. It also says there’s an ED (electrophoretic deposition) coating under the paint to protect against corrosion.

Brother claims a 2kg frame weight in a size medium and 1.1kg for the fork with an uncut steerer tube – about average for a 4130 steel frame.

The new bike is designed around a 650b wheelset, with clearance for up to 50mm gravel bike tyres. The frame uses quick-release dropouts and a 27.2mm seatpost diameter.

"Brother
Cantilever brakes are seldom seen nowadays.
Brother Cycles
"Brother
The frame is ED-coated, so rust shouldn’t be an issue.
Brother Cycles
"Brother
There are engineered bosses to run a cable stop or down tube shifters, if you wish.
Brother Cycles
"Brother
The Mr Wooden has an unfussy aesthetic.
Brother Cycles

The Mr Wooden uses cantilever brakes. Brother says speccing rim brakes enables it to use lighter-weight tubing compared to the heavier tubes required to resist the forces of disc brakes. This results in a more comfortable, flexible and fast ride feel.

The fork has been designed with a lower trail figure than is typical for a bike of this style. This quickens handling, improving ride feel when fitted with a heavier load up-front.

Mechanics will be happy to learn the bike uses a 68mm threaded bottom bracket and a good ol’ straight 1 1/8in headset.

There’s space for three bottle cages on all sizes, with two mounts in the main triangle and one on the underside of the down tube. It can also accept front and rear racks, as well as mudguards.