MEC Provincial Road 233

The MEC Provincial Road 233’s predecessor, the Provincial Road 222, got it’s name from a highway that follows the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg. “Its one of those great Prairie inter-lake roads. I thought it’s the perfect name for that bike, the adventure spirit of it,” said Tim McDermott, MEC bike product manager and bike designer. McDermott knows the road from growing up in Winnipeg. He also cited a solo EP of the same name by John K. Samson of Winnipeg’s The Weakerthans as inspiration. That bike debuted in 2015. This year, the 233 came out.

Provincial Road 233

Components SRAM Rival, Easton EA70 stem and bars
Wheels Easton EA70 SL Disc
Sizes XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL
Price $2,800

While McDermott might have looked northwest for the new name, he looked upward in terms of performance of the components on the new machine. The 233 gets a full SRAM Rival drivetrain, instead of a partial one. Its wheels are the aluminum Easton EA70 SL Disc. Where the 222 has Columbus Cromor tubes, the 233 uses the more refined Columbus Spirit steel. “The Cromor is great,” McDermott said, “but the cool thing about the Spirit is that it’s drawn in Italy. It’s really nice with its thin walls. Weight-wise, the difference is 200 or 300 g. But the main difference is the ride: the Spirit is nicer.”

One feature McDermott didn’t have to change was the geometry, which is same as the 222 and the MEC Cote. It favours a slightly longer wheelbase and lower bottom bracket than road or CX bikes for comfort and stability during long rides. When I took a look at the geometry, the stack and reach numbers of the 233 put me between a small size and medium. I choose small for the test rig. If this bike were to be my regular ride, medium would be the best option for me, to take advantage fully of McDermott’s design. The small did work for me, but I’m at the upper limit of the size of rider it can accommodate. That arrangement, I learned, also has its advantages.

My city has lots of ravines, islands of nature that you can dip into to get out of the urban jungle. Early in the morning, when almost no one is around, you can tear along creeks and through woods. On the 233, these rides were a hoot. I’ve enjoyed these ravine rips on my ’cross bike, but there’s something a bit “serious” about those rides. I’m usually gearing up for the season on UCi-legal treads. On the 233, with the who-cares-about-UCi-rules 35c Clement X’Plor tires and its easy-for-me-to-whip size, those rides had me grinning.

I later swapped the Clement tires out for 40c Maxxis Ravagers. With more width and grip, those rips were even better. I found 30c slicks were a good match for long rides that stuck mostly to tarmac. The 233’s versatility doesn’t stop at your tire options though. The frame is ready for racks at the back and front for fully loaded rides. Throw on fenders for your commutes. Or strip all that off for a gran fondo or charity ride. The 1-by Rival with 42-tooth chainring and 11–42 tooth cassette will be good for most cyclocross races. Or, you can just have fun on whatever route catches your fancy, whether it’s a lakeside highway or a tucked-away ravine.