KINESIS GRANFONDO TI DISC
£3851.98 › Pricey but thoroughly modern titanium all-road machine
With the popular fat-tyre-happy Tripster unavailable at time of testing, it’s the Racelight Granfondo that steps up to the plate for Kinesis. It’s a bike we’ve rated before in a higher spec but how does it compare in a more intensive six-bike shootout?
This is the dearest complete bike here and at £1999.99 it also has the most expensive frame. That’s because the CWSR tubeset is extensively cold-shaped and then stress-relieved to remove potential weak spots. Other costadding details include a double- butted top-tube, a convex tapered head-tube that’s machined from a single piece of titanium, and a cold-forged flat-mount rear disc brake fitting. The carbon Tracer fork also uses a flat mount and there are thru-axles at both ends. That keeps frame weight down to a claimed 1.49k, which is impressive. It’s practical too, with space for 32mm slick tyres and fittings for a rear rack and front and rear guards.
Raised blocks hold switchable internal routing inserts for single, double or Di2 setups, though the mix of insert style and cable/hose spacing on the down-tube looks slightly clumsy. And while the titanium seatpost clamp is a nice touch, the rough finish on the inside of the seat-tube scratched the post, and the rear triangle was slightly out of alignment. While there are no custom options seven sizes, including a rare 63cm XXXL, should cover most of us.
With no complete bike options it’s a build-your-own affair. Kinesis’s own Racelight 700 Disc wheels are a light and lively match, and the Praxis Zayante crank cleverly squeezes a stiff oversized 30mm axle into a conventional threaded bottom bracket. The Vee Tire Apache tyres are slow, numb and had us off at the first greasy
Frame weight is an impressive 1.49kg and it’s practical too, with space for 32mm tyres
roundabout, so we switched to Continental GP4000 IIs. The TRP Spyre cable-actuated disc brakes need very careful and patient setup to approach hydraulic levels of power and control.
That’s particularly obvious as the 73-degree head/73.5–degree seat angles are all about quickwitted, road-racing agility and the low, longish riding position gives a naturally predatory persona. Add light wheels, racing rubber and the lowest weight here and it launches out of corners or into climbs with relish. But even with the stiff Praxis chainset and Conti tyres the curved ‘AntiRoadShock’ stays and other frame elements dull power delivery on sustained climbs or during sharp accelerations.
But you do always feel well connected to the road on what is a firm and accurate ride, rather than the silkier-feeling and springier rides offered by some of the other bikes. That won’t suit riders looking to dance down the road but it reinforces the bike’s purposeful feel. It also offsets the potentially nervous off-piste handling that could result from the short wheelbase, and it also helps to keep it composed on rough-road descents. We’d strongly suggest going for a carbon or titanium seatpost through the 31.6mm diameter seat-tube, and should you plan on regular rambling the about-to-be relaunched Tripster ATR – with its ability to take wider tyres – is probably the better bet.