Kinesis Racelight Gran Fondo Ti V3 Disc with 50mm carbon clinchers

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fivethirtyonepm
Posts: 127
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:45 pm
Location: New Forest - UK

by fivethirtyonepm

I recently sold my old Giant TCR Advanced which I found was getting a little racy for my aged (40yrs) state of physical disrepair (too much time spent in the office and not enough time on the saddle).

My original plan was to order a Spooky Mulholland frame and go for a sporty build with full Thomson finishing kit. I then spotted the Kinesis for sale over on BikeRadar and the rest is history. I have added the Prime wheels and am now pondering what else, if anything to change next.

The spec is as follows:-

Kinesis Racelight Gran Fondo Ti v3 Disc frame – 57cm (Di2 ready with all the bits & bobs for the conversion)
Kinesis Tracer carbon disc fork
FSA headset

Prime RR-50 carbon clincher disc wheels 6-bolt (tubeless ready)
Maxxis Padrone-TR 170 28mm tubeless tyres
Orange seal

Shimano Ultegra 6800 groupset with RS805 flat mount disc calipers
Shimano RT86 Ice-Tech 6-bolt 160mm rotors
Shimano 105 cassette
Shimano R550 SPD-SL pedals

PRO PLT Ergo bars – 42cm
Fi’zi:k Performance 3mm bar tape
FSA OS-99 CSI 110mm stem
FSA K-Force Di2 carbon seatpost
Fi’zi:k Arione VSX K:ium saddle

As I mentioned above, I was rather lusting after a full Thomson finishing kit (Elite seatpost, X2 stem and carbon road bars) as all my mountain bikes have always had Thomson stems. The finishing kit on this bike is probably better than Thomson (other than perhaps the bars), so I guess it would be silly to change. There is still quite a bit of weight to take out of the bike from areas such as the cassette, chain, pedals and bars. The wheels aren't fantastically light, but unless I was going to spent huge amounts, it's hard to get really light with 50mm tubeless disc clinchers.

What I have found however is that although I carrying around a fair amount of added bulk from the Giant, the bike is seriously fast. The 28mm Padrones roll beautifully and the bike just zings along. It is also seriously stiff, yet not so much that the ride is uncomfortable.

It's still early days with the discs and I think I may be hampered by slightly contaminated pads (the brakes don't have a huge amount of bite and they squeal all the time). They still need running in properly, so time will tell.

Anyways, I hope you like....

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AZR3
Posts: 997
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:00 pm
Location: Az USA

by AZR3

Perfect! Nothing else to add or change....just prefect....and the Porsche is a bike holder :thumbup:

by Weenie


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FIJIGabe
Posts: 2241
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:07 pm
Location: The Lone Star State

by FIJIGabe

The bike looks sweet! Regarding the brakes, you can try removing the pads and rotors and giving them a good cleaning. On the rotors, use some sandpaper and hit them with some brake cleaner (be careful with the cleaner, because it will strip paint). Also, hit the rotors with the cleaner, let them dry and put them on. If they continue squealing, you may need to replace the pads.

Also, I noticed that the shifter boots seem to be a little bulbous on the shifters. If they tend to rotate in hand, you have the older, first generation version of the boots. Shimano quietly upgraded the boots and the replacements fit much better.

Go out there and enjoy it!

sib
Posts: 325
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:03 am

by sib

Very classy..!!

Any weights for the frame/fork/wheelset?

Mtek
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:27 pm

by Mtek

Love it, the aesthetic is very clean. Looks awesome.

Btw, I hope your Porsche is a manual trans. Nice car.

MoPho
Posts: 767
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: NorCal

by MoPho

FIJIGabe wrote:The bike looks sweet! Regarding the brakes, you can try removing the pads and rotors and giving them a good cleaning. On the rotors, use some sandpaper and hit them with some brake cleaner (be careful with the cleaner, because it will strip paint). Also, hit the rotors with the cleaner, let them dry and put them on. If they continue squealing, you may need to replace the pads.




Also are you using metallic pads or resin? The resin should have more bite and not make so much noise. And make sure you bed the pads in after cleaning/replacing.





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sawyer
Posts: 4485
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

Nice! Brave move also. How does it compare speed and ride wise to the TCR? And what are the Prime hoops like? They look really good VFM
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Stiff, Light, Aero - Pick Three!! :thumbup:

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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