KINESIS RTD £2550

A PERFECT BLEND OF SPEED, PRACTICALITY AND COMFORT

Even the day after a hard race, with tired legs, the new Kinesis RTD feels fast. This perhaps isn’t so surprising once you realise that RTD stands for ‘race the distance’, and the bike’s inspired by the ethos of long-distance riding.

At £850, the frameset isn’t that cheap, but scandium is a rare beast. When alloyed with aluminium, it’s around twice as strong as the 6061 or 7005 grades of aluminium, more corrosion resistant and around 10-15 per cent lighter. A 51cm RTD frame is claimed to weigh 1400g and our 57cm model weighed in at a little over 9kg.

The classy Ritchey WCS finishing kit sets the tone for a bike with epic ride pretensions, and they’re ably backed up by Shimano’s sublime Ultegra disc groupset. Its excellent hydraulic levers operate reassuringly powerful disc brakes and, with its 52/36 chainset and 11-28 cassette, a road-focused drivetrain.

Completing the build are Kinesis Racelight 700 Disc wheels with 30mm Challenge Strada Bianca tyres.

The 71° head angle provides a relaxed and stable front end and, along with the 1032.5mm wheelbase of our 57cm frame, makes the RTD ideal for riding with luggage. But unladen, it flies – there’s enough lateral stiffness to give it true race bike speed, but sufficient compliance to keep you sitting comfortably. Kinesis has nailed it here, producing a great bike that will get you to your destination swiftly, and in style, however far away it may be.