Kinesis ✨ 🍆⚡️

I'd like to chase my bro around the Epping paths but my Ribble 525 only fits 25mm tyres. Don't want another bike so it's getting replaced with something that'll do light trails, winter road rides and commuting / getting around London.

Carbon feels a bit risky to lock up, would love SRAM AXS but it's kinda asking to be nicked. Think I've landed on what I want but please do chime in with suggestions.

• Kinesis GX Race - aubergine sparkle
  
• Shimano GRX 600 / 400 / 800 whatever I can find with a deal - 1x11
  
• VEL 28mm Alloy Disc Wheelset
  
• Generic Carbon Post
  
• Pro PLT Ergo flat top bars (not really into the flare thing) other aero / flat top bar suggestions welcome
  
• Gravel King Slick or similar. Can I be fucked with tubeless?
  
• PDW or Curana Matt Aluminium 'guards
  
• Anodised Jazz
  
  
  

This frame was quite tempting when I was poking around for a gravel bike replacement for the Tripster. Will it fit 42mm tyres though?

Can I be fucked with tubeless?

I'd say definitely, as finding the tiny thorns embedded in a mud covered tyre is no fun in the cold

@giofox can advise on skinny tyres for Epping

Which season doesn't it work for?

Says 40mm with 'guards so must do. £675 at Sigma with EXTRA10 code 😉

edit: fuck, worked yesterday

Fancy carbon LOOK for summer

1x !! WHY??

That's almost the same price as the Tripster frameset I was also looking at on ebay. I'll have my MTBs back shortly so I'm going to stop drooling over new gravel bikes.

Please post this in the grav thread when you get it rolling

Code expired last night! I'm giving them a sob story on WhatsApp so we'll see...

I've been rolling with 10s 42 x 12-29 on the Ribble forever, works for me. Looks nice and clean and with the new mad 11-40 cassette ranges that's more than enough gears for me

Sob story worked - frame and hoops en route!

Well, isn't this exciting! My 2pence? I wouldn't bother with tubeless for this one, I only put up with it on the mountain bike where the lower pressures help more.

Tyres, I like my panaracer paselas, supple, but perhaps not worthy of Epping?

Thats a great choice.
Basically an alloy Cx with guard mounts, right?
Or a pfadfinder without the hipster tax ( looking at you, standert thread alumni )

Love the colour of that frameset!
I’m normally well in the tubeless camp, but for commuting you need to know where you stand with a flat. Changing a tube takes X amount of time. Where as plugging a tubeless it not holding etc is an unknown. Not the stress you need in the way to work.

Some more pics from Kinesis

I rarely get punctures anyway (Michelin Pro4 Endurance) - what's the actual advantage of tubeless?

Actually maybe that's for another time. I go tubes for now I think. I've already bitten off quite a lot with all the tech I have no idea how to do; disc brakes, Shimano anything, even internal routing. What could go wrong?

What size rotors do I need? Is that frame thing, or a groupset thing?

what's the actual advantage of tubeless?

Faster, lighter, smoother, lower pressures.

I personally don’t really care about the fewer punctures.

This will be a great looking bike, very much aligned with my way of thinking too! On the bars, point noted about not wanting to go flared, but I have just done my Fairlight Faran build and have got alloy Ritchey Butano bars on it - they are 42 at the hoods but flare out no more than a couple of cms, and it's a really nice feel to it, noticeable difference on the drops but not OTT. Recommended.

What size rotors do I need? Is that frame thing, or a groupset thing?

The frame and fork dictate this - probably 160mm or 140mm but I don't know, sure Kinesis will have the info somewhere. Occasionally an adapter will let you go one size different but probably not more than that. Groupset (i.e. brake calipers in this instance) shouldn't care what size rotors it's grabbing.

You might find yourself lucky and not experience a lot of punctures. you might also get 3 on a short ride in epping, and decide to try it out.
off-road, the advantages are tenfold and as listed by others, on-road too but the margin is smaller.

second the butanos or similarly slightly flaring bars. it would allow you to smash it on the drops in epping.

Might borrow the Gravel King TLCs off my wife's Orbea Vibe to try the tubeless thing. I expect this will mostly be ridden on roads though.

Having said that, hiring a Cervelo Aspero in Bavaria was very sick, could basically go anywhere. Shame there's not the same endless network of forest roads here. Bet there's some in Kent...

The Cervelo did have flared gravel bars, also much higher than my road bike. Took a minute to work out I could ride in the drops on the road most of the time, probably about the same height as the hoods on my Look.

Don't need more than 28's for the Epping paths mentioned. 32's would be more comfortable.

Edit: I ride 32's summer 35's winter for Essex road let alone light gravel riding given how crap the surfaces can be in the lanes and it's plenty quick enough...

I have a sneaky KOM on one section riding the road bike with 25s. Terrifying going down the steep rollercoaster bits though, looking forward to 35s

The best kind of KoM