We've just caught up with Dom Mason, designer at Kinesis UK, and he showed us some CAD drawings of the new Racelight TK3 he has been working on for the past few months, along with a blurry photo of the actual frame that had just landed in his office. This morning he's sent over some details of the new frame that we can share with you.
The TK has been a popular frame for those racers and riders looking to build a winter training bike. It's an affordable aluminium frame that will stand up to hours of pounding through the mucky British roads in the depths of the winter.
Updated for the upcoming winter, the new TK3 draws on current road frame trends with a tapered head tube into which slots a matching painted Tracer carbon fork - a first for the TK. A Kinesium tubeset is hydroformed in key places and there is the required clearance for proper mudguards, 29mm tyres and long reach brake callipers, and features a 15cm tapered head tube. We're not sure, but we think this might be the only carbon fork with a tapered steerer tube and mudguard mounts.
Stock of the TK3 is arriving at Upgrade Bikes, the UK distributor who look after Kinesis UK, at the end of the month so they'll be available soon after.
Kinesis have also released the EVO5, a cyclo-cross frame aimed at racers wanting a light and simple frame that is focused on one job; winning races. Go to any UK 'cross race and you'll see a healthy number of Kinesis frames. They're popular for their good value and keen design, and the updated Evo retains the pure race features.
That means no disc brakes. You also won't find any unnecessary bottle, mudguard or rack mounts. The head tube is short and the geometry designed for racing. The frame uses an Easton Ultralite Taperwall and Kinesium tubeset with carbon stays. The top tube is slender and shaped for easier carrying, and while the down tube is oversized, it isn't too big to grab when you're carrying the bike over obstacles.
Plugging into the tapered head tube is an all-new PureCX full carbon monocoque unidirectional fork, based on the Cxd fork fitted to the Pro6. Weight is just 478g.
Like the TK3, the EVO 5 should be available at the end of the month. Check out their website for more info on both frames www.kinesisbikes.co.uk
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.