Kinesis and Morvélo combine to not form a team

Two Sussex firms enjoy their bike riding so much they've formed a strategic alliance to....erm...ride their bikes, write about it quite a bit and wear some really cool kit. But not to start a team. Their slogan, however, is 'Come Out To Play.'

Remember Jo Burt blogged about the Brighton clothing company Morvélo a couple of weeks ago?  Two graphic designers "looking for a way to combine their artistic sensibilities with their shared passion for bicycles" according to Jo. In fact, the ensuing Friday Schwag Grab featuring their clobber got the biggest response yet so it goes to show how a spot of artistic sensibility struck a chord.

Through riding the local cycling scene around their South Downs locale, the guys at Morvélo soon found themselves in cahoots with another Sussex-based company, bike-makers Kinesis and after a couple of high-level executive meetings have decided to not form a team.

According to Oli Pepper, co-founder of Morvélo, "It's a logical step. Both companies have a love of riding all types of bikes and in Kinesis's case creating them. Both love to race but didn't want a race team with the sole objective of having a name at the top of the results board. Instead they created The Kinesis Morvélo Project  - The KMP - a collection of individuals who love to ride, race and roam no matter what type of wheels they may be spinning."

The component companies seem to like the fresh new approach too and The KMP already has the support of TRP brakes, Manitou, Microshift, WTB and Exposure. The KMP will ride, race and review a whole assortment of these products during the coming year.

Oli goes on, "There are no attitudes or 'race faces' in The KMP,  just a focus on enjoying the ride and having a good time. The KMP is so far made up of 11 riders who cover a diverse range of age, nature, lifestyles and priorities and each one contributes their tales of cycling adventures and challenges, photos and videos to The KMP website.

From 24 year old Scottish Elite racing whippet Rab Wardell to 42 year old seasoned veteran of all cycling disciplines Paul Hudson, The KMP is a mixed bag. They have a previous Singlespeed UK champion in the shape of Phil Moore, long distance and Great Divide Race madness rider Jenn Hopkins as well as guys and girls who simply just love to get out and challenge themselves, whether it's a 24hr MTB race, a track session or just wanting to complete the Fred Whitton."

The KMP riders plan to use their many hours in the saddle to review the kit they use throughout the year. Chief designer at Kinesis, Dom Mason, will be writing about their very latest developments from geometry to decals. Oli Pepper will be sharing his thoughts on graphic design and fashion in the bike world and there will writing on all manner of bike events with guest bloggers joining in to provide a comprehensive insight to a world that just can't escape the joy of riding a bicycle.

In Sussex? Join in?

Kinesis Morvélo Project on Twitter and on Facebook