Kinesis Aithein

[theosaurus]

Time for a new race bike so I'm going for a 56cm Kinesis Aithein.
The only question is: black or orange?



Will be built up with campy chorus/record 10speed, tune hubs laced to velocity escape tubular rims, keo blades, newton shallow bars.
Everything else is yet to be decided.
More to come...

[m3ta1head]

Orange, definitely orange.

[theosaurus]

Orange is more in your face and interesting but black is classy and smart (also lighter).
Your bike does strengthen the orange argument massively though, size 56?

[m3ta1head]

Orange is more in your face and interesting but black is classy and smart (also lighter).
Your bike does strengthen the orange argument massively though, size 56?

Not my bike, it's this gentleman's: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12967046

The orange really pops in the sunlight-I'm a huge fan of it. Definitely a head turner-you're unlikely to ever see another frameset like it on the road. Black is great as well but a bit played out-good if you're going for a more incognito look I suppose.

[theosaurus]

Really glad I went for the orange.
Frame (56) 1295g
Fork (uncut) 357.1g







I'm thinking of doing a British themed build, with USE and Hope parts. but for now I'll just build it up with what's available.

[ultyguy]

Very interested in a ride review when built, looks great!

[brearley]

Good luck with the build.
I had the same idea for my Kinesis 4S.
Unfortunately buying UK products is difficult because I can't find a pair of round/classic drop bars from the UK and the cost is slightly over my budget.
Having said that, I should start building the bike in the coming weeks so watch this space.
I'll be putting Ultegra 10 speed DI2 on mine. The build quality of Kinesis frames is awesome.
Have you had any issues getting the crown race to fit? There is no split in it so it doesn't slide onto the fork as easily.

[theosaurus]

Thanks I will post a full build diary and then mini review.

@brealey: so far all I have is a hope stem (30 quid down from 70!), but as things progress I'll try and swap out some parts like: USE post and hope seat clamp and topcap. I'm in the same boat but I don't mind to much about using deda newton shallows instead.
The Crown race was a bit of a pain, you need a crown race setter or equivalent ( I had an old steel tube with the right internal diameter).
It'll be nice to compare bikes when done.

[brearley]

I might split the crown race tbh it'll be much easier.
Yours will be built a lot sooner than mine, I'm targeting October to get mine complete and looking for bargains along the way.

[theosaurus]

stem update



I'm embarrassed to say how much it weigh....178.3g ouch!
Does look nice though.

[theosaurus]

A little sneak peak.

[dogg]

looking good, I'm digging the use of components from UK companies.

[kgt]

Nice frame and weight.

[Timo]

Lovely! I'm a huge fan of the 10sp Record and Chorus components.

I'm thinking of doing a British themed build, with USE and Hope parts.

Perhaps you could also consider the Brooks C17 cambium saddle and Brooks bar tape? Another option for your build is a Middleburn crankset.

[theosaurus]

Ok It's semi finished...
I've taken on a couple of short rides and it's amazing (I'll post a proper review in the road section in a couple of weeks)
Weighs 7.235kg but new seatpost, cages, and few small things should drop 250-300grams.
I would use brooks but I can't for the following reasons: I don't have a beard, I've never partaken in 'cycle touring' and I sometimes prefer a gin and tonic instead of a pint of bitter.
Atm the only British Parts are the heavy hope stem, and USE skewers (not shown).
A Middleburn crankset would be so nice but I'm not sure the do a road one that would work on bb96?
Also I don't really have any money so that's always a problem, I am looking out for a cheap USE seatpost though.