Race The Distance.
The Kinesis RTD is the ultimate transcontinental road bike frameset.
Designed to be ridden fast across cities, counties or continents, the RTD lives up to its name – Race The Distance, be that to work, on the Sunday club run, bike packing or even The Transcontinental Race. Perfect Audax bike or endurance road bike.
The RTD frameset geometry has been carefully refined to allow responsive, yet stable handling in all guises even when fully loaded for your next adventure.
The Kinesis RTD is the ultimate Scandium, all conditions, four seasons road bike frameset. Making it ideal for British winter and summer weather.
We have put everything we have learned during the last 17 years of alloy frame design and manufacture into this completely new and very advanced Scandium alloy road bike frame. Whilst other manufacturers focus has been on carbon, we believe that by putting the same development into alloy tubing, we have created a frame that rivals carbon in many ways, and hands down beats it on price.
Damian Mason of Kinesis UK said ‘Kinesis are the only frame manufacturer to use Super Plastic Forming (SPF) on their alloy frames. Most manufacturers use Hydroformed tubes, but with SPF we can create lighter tubes and more intricate shapes that will build into a lighter and stiffer frameset.’
The Kinesis RTD frame went through multiple prototypes to fine tune the geometry to make a frame that was stable when loaded, yet handled well and felt fast on an Alpine pass. As with the geometry, the tubing shape has been carefully selected to maximise the riding characteristics of the RTD. An oversized down tube, flared top tube and tapered head tube combine to make a laterally stiff front end. Whilst the flattened seat stays and narrow gauge seat tube add a level of compliance in the rear end.
We have integrated the gear cables and rear brake hose into the headtube. The absence of cable port holes on the down tube allow us to use a lighter weight down tube and has the added benefit of cleaner lines to the frame.
We have combined our flagship Scandium alloy frame with a full carbon monocoque from leading fork manufacturer Columbus. The RTD is fitted with the all new Columbus Futura fork. The Futura has everything we wanted in a fork for the RTD – masses of tyre clearance, longer fork offset, internal routing, mudguard compatibility, all wrapped up in a lightweight package.
As with our premium titanium GTD frameset, we have partnered with GW engineering and we are supplying the RTD with their patented ‘Switch Lever’ hollow Thru Axles with a removable lever.
The RTD uses adaptable cable ports which allow you to build your frame with exactly the right cable routing for whether you are running Di2 or mechanical gearing with either a 1x or 2x set up.
The frame has the full complement of bottle mounts and mudguard mounts, enabling you to build your bike up for your next epic adventure.
• Super Plastic Formed Scandium alloy
• Columbus Futura carbon monocoque fork
• 142x12mm Thru Axle rear spacing
• 100x12mm Thru Axle front fork
• GW ‘Switch Lever’ axles front and rear
• Clearance for up to 34c tyres
• Clearance for up to 30c tyres with guards
• Di2 / 1x / 2x mechanical compatible
• Three bottle cage mounts
• Mudguard mounts
• 68mm threaded BB
• 27.2mm seat post required
• 31.8mm seat clamp and front mech clamp required
• Kinesis designed tapered headset with ACB bearings
• Colour: Orca (white and black)
• 22mm long flat mount disc brake bolts required for the frame.
• Sizes: 48 / 51 / 54 / 55.5 / 57 / 60 / 63
• Warranty: 3 years
• Frame supplied with fork, headset, seat clamp, front & rear through axle, frame ports and cable guides.
• Weight: 1400g (51cm frame)
Live Ride Review, GuyKesTV: Guy Kestevan live ride review Dec 2020 - See video
“The RTD is a very practical bike that ticks all the boxes and rides just so smoothly What really stands out is the ride quality, a really damped, smooth feel that the RTD has in absolute spades. Its right up there with good steel and titanium bikes but with less weight than most. The way it eases speed onto the hill means it is no slouch. Always quick to pick up the pace. That smooth ride means the longer you go the less you fatigue and the better it gets. It just enjoys being ridden. The RTD is right up there with other top makers of alloy frames, it is really is a beautiful bike to ride. The geometry and room for big tyres means its handling gives a relaxed confidence. I’ve yet to find something this bike doesn’t make really enjoyable! Its really got me excited and got me out on it way more than I was expecting.”
Cyclingnews.com Nov 2020 Verdict
“… a stable, smooth, fat-tyre friendly machine that makes long distances easy….loaded with practical features. Where it really surprises though is in the lively, sprung responsiveness that so many carbon fibre bikes lack. Add an affordable price and this is a really charismatic and enjoyable bike that’ll delight on day-to-day commuting, fast training rides and weekend epics.”
Review Here
Cycling Weekly
The Bike
The RTD frame is made from a scandium alloy shaped specifically for the needs of the ultra-endurance rider...
This is paired with a Columbus Futura carbon fork and together they offer massive clearance for a 34c tyre or 30c with mudguards.
Internally routed cables (head tube) … really clean up the bike.
The test bike was supplied with Racelight box-section wheels and I also tested it with slightly more glamorous Reynolds AR41 carbon wheels.
The Reynolds AR41s improved the look of the bike a lot and improved its performance too. These wheels were an ideal option with their massive internal rim width of 21mm to support the wide 30mm Challenge Strada tyres that had been supplied.
The Ride
I was impressed with the Kinesis RTD’s ability to roll easily on the road…
The geometry is amazingly stable but allows your efforts to be rewarded.
At £850 for the frameset, the RTD represents a great value proposition for the right rider.
You’ll be getting a nicely designed, robust frame that truly is capable on multiple surfaces.
It has been designed with long rides and varying terrain in mind… this could be the overall fast-paced bike you’re after.
Review Here
Cycling Plus
Kinesis has Reached new aluminium alloy heights
Review Here
Bikes Etc
It’s Kinesis that’s delivered a bike which exceeded all our expectations of what we thought an alloy bike can offer.
The RTD may be designed with long-distance races or bikepacking treks in mind, but in reality, it’s a fantastic bike to ride over any distant – short or long.
With a superbly designed frameset at its heart, we reckon the Kinesis RTD might just be destined to become a bit of a classic.
Review Here