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Kinesis RTD long distance road bike launched - £850 Scandium frame with 34mm tyre clearance

New £850 Scandium frame for the “ultra-distance racer” launched

Through smart design and an understanding of the demands of long-distance cycling and racing, Kinesis UK has aligned itself with cyclists looking for affordable and durable bikes aimed at riding a long way, whether it’s tackling the Transcontinental Race or more local rides. The new RTD is a case in point, a £850 frameset with a Columbus carbon fork, disc brakes and space for up to 34mm tyres and geometry aimed at the ultra-distance racer.

Kinesis RTD_Corner with confidence_pic.Roo Flowler

Much of the new RTD owes its inspiration to the Tripster AT that was launched last year and its development with the late Mike Hall, founder of the Transcontinental Race which Kinesis has been involved with since 2016.

“The RTD is very much inspired by the TCR racers pushing their limits every day, the race itself and Mike,” explains the company. “Kinesis UK are keen to point out that the sale of RTD frames directly feeds back into the financial support given by the brand to TCR race as a sponsor.”

Kinesis RTD_Bike

- Review: Kinesis Tripster AT

So the new bike then. It’s made from Super Plastic Formed Scandium aluminium with clearance for up to 34mm tyres without mudguards, reducing to 30mm if using the mudguard eyelets. The frame uses the ubiquitous flat mount disc brakes and 12mm thru-axles and features a 68mm external threaded bottom bracket and has space for three bottle cages, for those long rides when you need a lot of water. A tapered head tube, compatibility with 1x, 2x and Di2 groupsets and a 27.2mm seatpost complete the list of details.

Kinesis RTD_Scandium Frameset

Kinesis has developed the Scandium frame to deliver “fast riding performance with all-seasons features” and the proprietary Super Plastic Forming (SPF) allows for lighter tubes and more intricate shapes to be created compared to the more common hydroforming technique, according to the company.

It has used a very oversized down tube, flared top tube and tapered head tube to deliver suitable frame stiffness, while a 27.2mm seatpost and flattened seat stays help to provide a bit of bump-absorbing comfort. On the scales the frame weighs a claimed 1,530g for a size 55.5cm which is certainly a decent weight for the sort of riding this frame is intended for.

Kinesis RTD_Internally routed head tube_pic.Roo Flowler

The head tube is worth drawing your attention to, as it’s an all-new design for the company. It’s tapered, with a larger lower headset bearing for increased frame stiffness, but it now has integrated cable ports for the gear cables and brake ones. This removes the cable ports from the down tube which ensures this main structure of the frame can be as strong and clean as possible.

Typically Kinesis has developed its own carbon forks but it’s taken a different approach this time, speccing a Columbus Futura carbon fibre fork. It has clearance for up to 40mm tyres without mudguards or 30mm with mudguards, has a 12mm thru-axle and the graphics match the frame. It weighs a claimed 450g.

More about those graphics then. Kinesis worked with Mike Hall to develop a range of graphics and design details inspired by the TCR for the AT, and the new RTD follows the same direction. There are four bands on the top tube to represent the four checkpoints of the Transcontinental, and the other graphics were a collaboration with Mike and Kinesis designer Matt Gray.

“Drawings from Mike showed the bold graphics marked as black on a simple white background and both agreed the pure simplicity of this two-tone approach really struck a chord with the stripped back nature of bike packing races,” explains the company.

Kinesis RTD_Bike with bags

As for the geometry, the RTD has a slacker head angle (71-degrees) compared to its road bikes and an increased fork rake (up 2mm to 47mm) which it says produces more stability at speed. A size 55.5cm frame has a 574mm stack and 385mm reach, 1,026.80mm wheelbase, 420mm chainstays and a 170mm head tube. There are seven sizes from 48 to 63cm available.

It’s sold in just the pearl white with black graphics and comes with a 3-year warranty. There’s more info at www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Racelight/RTD

You’ll be able to see the new RTD for the very first time at the Cycle Show this weekend.

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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12 comments

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fukawitribe | 5 years ago
1 like

Let me just expand on that as you seem to be having some comprehension issues. I did read what you put forward as concrete alternative choices (not just "a new titanium rim braked frameset") - firstly an example of a second-hand bike, rather a bargain too but comparing against a new frameset is a hardly apples-to-apples. That frameset has a smaller stated max tyre spec (with mudguards) than the RTD but, as you found, you can squeeze a larger tyre in there - now apply that logic to the Kinesis frame as well. That you managed to get a cracking deal on a used bike hardly says much about the frameset in the article.

Secondly the frameset you suggested looks lovely but, as I put, is a bit over 50% (~53%) more expensive - not, as you said, "a little bit more". I made no comment about the tyre clearance of the Burls.

Avatar
fukawitribe | 5 years ago
2 likes

So a second-hand bike with a smaller max tyre spec and a different geometry or a frame-set that's over 50% more. Ok.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to fukawitribe | 5 years ago
0 likes

fukawitribe wrote:

So a second-hand bike with a smaller max tyre spec and a different geometry or a frame-set that's over 50% more. Ok.

learn to read ffs! That £1125 is for a brand new made to measure titanium frame better than a cheap shit scandium, add in £175 for the kenesis tracer rim brake fork which is a pretty good fork. The Burls will have the SAME max tyre with mudguard and at least the same without if not bigger. I actually paid £580 for a 105 equipped Sabbath, you're pretty good at making yourself sound like a tool.

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
4 likes

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

fukawitribe wrote:

So a second-hand bike with a smaller max tyre spec and a different geometry or a frame-set that's over 50% more. Ok.

learn to read ffs! That £1125 is for a brand new made to measure titanium frame better than a cheap shit scandium, add in £175 for the kenesis tracer rim brake fork which is a pretty good fork. The Burls will have the SAME max tyre with mudguard and at least the same without if not bigger. I actually paid £580 for a 105 equipped Sabbath, you're pretty good at making yourself sound like a tool.

You've just said exactly what I said - not sure what you think you're getting at.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
0 likes

For the clearance of this being so narrow you might as well buy a new titanium rim braked frameset. I've just accquired a second hand Sabbath September and have managed to squeeze in a 31mm measured tyre at the rear (28mm Panaracer Evo on a H+Son TB14

I paid less for the whole bike than the frameset here, I'm sure the Kinesis scandium is a nice frame but for a little bit more why not get something like a Burls made to measure, with the Kinesis carbon fork that'd be £1300 all in.

Avatar
Karbon Kev | 5 years ago
0 likes

They could have designed a better colourway for these, hideous graphics imo

Avatar
janusz0 | 5 years ago
2 likes

This article gave me some hope of resurrecting the street cred of my ageing "Scandium" Salsa, until I read about HLaB's chainstay.  Should I reconsider, the rough, laden touring that I subject it to?

Well, here's some optimism: https://aluminiuminsider.com/aluminium-scandium-alloys-future/ and a worrying aside on counterfeiting in: http://www.bikeblogordie.com/2016/11/what-ever-happened-to-scandium-bike...

All in all Scandium still seems like a good thing.  Bear in mind that the global annual output of Scandium is about 20 tonnes, but you only need about 1% Scandium to radically improve aluminium alloys.  That 20 tonnes could improve at least 2 million aluminium alloy bicycle frames.

Avatar
HLaB | 5 years ago
2 likes

My scandium kinesis cracked both of its chainstays just out of warranty. So I don't think I'd trust the material. It had done 24k miles though carrying a hefty 62kg and I do love the geometry its replacement Ti Kinesis has done over 40k miles in the six years since.

Avatar
Glov Zaroff | 5 years ago
5 likes

You heard it here first folks! The endurance and gravel bikes are dead – long live the ‘ultra-distance racer’.

 

This article was brought to you by MMAM (Marketing for Middle Aged Mugs)

Avatar
whojammyflip replied to Glov Zaroff | 5 years ago
1 like

See 59 wrote:

You heard it here first folks! The endurance and gravel bikes are dead – long live the ‘ultra-distance racer’.

This article was brought to you by MMAM (Marketing for Middle Aged Mugs)

Bit insensitive, given the death of Mike Hall being in the news, and him being involved in the design of this bike.

I've got a Kinesis winter hack (T2 Racelight with the DC forks), several guys in my club have one too. They are good for what they are designed for.

Avatar
Glov Zaroff replied to whojammyflip | 5 years ago
7 likes

whojammyflip wrote:

Bit insensitive, given the death of Mike Hall being in the news, and him being involved in the design of this bike.

 

At what point in my post did you come to the conclusion that I was being insensitive about Mike Hall? Grow up.

 

 

Avatar
vorsprung replied to Glov Zaroff | 5 years ago
0 likes

See 59 wrote:

You heard it here first folks! The endurance and gravel bikes are dead – long live the ‘ultra-distance racer’.

 

This article was brought to you by MMAM (Marketing for Middle Aged Mugs)

obviously marketing plays a part in any new bike design

but if you've ever tried to get a bike with a nice geometry for long distance riding - there isn't lots of choice.   So a new bike with good tyre clearance, a reasonably long headtube and more rake (that isn't a touring bike made of lead with 50 braze ons) is a step in the right direction

Not sure about the use of Scandium but hey 30mm with guards, gotta be good

I will have to replace the Specialized Roubaix at some point

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