BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Kinesis UK has launched the new Race The Distance (RTD) ultra distance road model.
Its frame numbers follow Kinesis’ new ‘Rider Fit Geometry’ where the sizing is based on Stack and Reach rather than traditional seat tube and top tube measurements.
The Fork Rake increases 2mm to 47mm over previous road frames in the Kinesis range, combined with a two-degree slacker head angle.
The RTD frame is hand-welded with a custom Scandium alloy tube set, engineered to deliver a fast riding performance.
Kinesis uses a proprietary tube forming technique, Super Plastic Forming (SPF).
Using super-heated gasses rather than hot liquids to form tube shapes, the SPF process can create lighter tubes and more intricate shapes in the alloy.
This translates into a stronger and lighter frameset with a 55.5cm frame tipping the scales at 1530g.
The RTD’s oversized and heavily profiled down tube is key to its stability and it has a flared top tube and tapered head tube.
The seat tube requires a 27.2mm seat post and is coupled with the highly flattened seat stays.
A third set of bottle mounts are located under the down tube and there are full mudguard mounts.
The traditional rear rack mounts have been removed, with the RTD being thought of as a tool for bike packing where modern rack-less bags will be used.
The RTD is sold as a frameset and has a threaded 68mm BB shell with a water drainage hole to encourage long service intervals.
It is the first frame from Kinesis to showcase a new head tube with integrated cable ports for both gear cables and rear brake hose.
Removing any cable ports from the down tube allows for a stronger, yet lighter, down tube with the benefit of cleaner looking cable lines.
The RTD also chooses to spec a full carbon fork from Columbus, rather than one of their own branded offerings.
Kinesis has said that the new Columbus Futura model offered everything they wanted in a fork for the RTD with large 40mm tyre clearance, 47mm fork rake, clean internal cable routing and mudguard compatibility.
The frameset also features GW designed hollow Thru Axles with a patented removeable ‘Switch Lever’.
Kinesis UK is keen to point out that the sale of RTD frames directly feeds back into the financial support given by the brand to Transcontinental Race (TCR) race as a sponsor.
Marketing manager Rory Hitchens said: “We think of it like a circle of life. Paying forward to good times on the ride.
"RTD is available to everyone and inspiring to the end, just like the Transcontinental bike race itself."
Kinesis RTD will be on display at the NEC Cycle Show from 27th–30th September.
