As sure as the season change from summer to autumn has come the realisation that riding a lightweight full-carbon race bike in this gritty weather is just sacrilege. And about this time of the year for the past couple of seasons I’ve sworn that I’ll invest in a bike fit for the winter, a lightweight touring bike with full length mudguards.

Only thing is, I’ve never actually gotten around to it. I’ve struggled through winter with flimsy clip-on plastic mudguards which always left me feeling that they just weren’t really up to the job when the weather got really grim.

So this year I decided to do something about it. I picked up the telephone and, after a short conversation with Mark Reilly of Enigma Bikes, I had ordered a black Ethos steel touring frame. And just a couple of weeks ago, it arrived (just in the nick of time to allow my inclusion on Richard’s annual autumn tour).

And here it is in all its splendour. I’m rather proud of it, I’ll happily admit. Partly because it’s taken so long, but also because, despite the fact it’s been rapidly cobbled together from bits that were just laying under my desk, that it looks smart and understated. I’ve tried to keep most of the components, like the mudguards and stem and seatpost, black to give it a discrete look – and also one that won’t show up dirt and grime after a mucky ride quite so readily.

How does it ride? Beautiful, like a graceful swan it flight, it flows smoothly from bend to bend, the steel frame and fork (by Surly) working harmoniously to filter out the bumps of the road. Handling is positive and engaging, with a short head tube giving the low front end that I was seeking. In conjunction with a 13cm stem, it’s not at all the sit-up-and-beg position that I was worried might be the result of such a build.

Its first proper outing, other than a shakedown to watch the Catford CC hill climb, was a ride from my flat in south east London to Exeter. A trip of 330km that proved a decent test of the frame as well as my bike building skills – nothing fell off, I can happily report. The Enigma performed faultlessly.

I won’t go into detail about the frame; instead you can head over to the Enigma website and take a look for yourself: enigmabikes.com/ethos. You can also check out our First Look review of the Enigma Ethos frame and fork here.