We Introduced The Maxlight Ff29 Frame Last Year And It Set New Standards Of Performance For Longer Travel, Hardtail, 29er Trail Bikes.
We have put together a superb bike build, based around the hard hitting FF29 and using a host of high end, branded components, including SRAM X7/X9 and the plush, 120mm travel XFusion ‘Slide29’ fork.
BIKE SPECIFICATION
FORK Kinesis - Maxlight IX 29'er Carbon Fork - Taper ------- X-Fusion Slide 29 RL2 Tapered steerer 15mm Syntace available at an upgrade
HEAD SET FSA Orbit C-40-ACB Tapered
HEAD SET SPACERSUPGRADE 11/8" x 5mmx2 ,10mmx1,20mmx1
HANDLE BAR K-UK Maxlight Strut R750
HANDLE STEM FSA XC-300 31.8 ST-OS-190LX 6DEGREE 80MM
SEAT POSTFSA SP-SL-280 31.6X350MM
BRAKES TEKTRO 2013 Gemini
CRANKSET SRAM FC S1000 GXP 10S 175 BTBLK 3926
CHAIN KMC 10 Speed
SHIFTERSSRAM X7
FRONT MECHSRAM FD X7 HIGH CLAMP 2x10, DUAL PULL
REAR MECH SRAM RD X9 LONG CAGE ALUMINUM 10SPD GRY
CASSETTE SRAM CS PG 1030 11-36
SADDLE WTB Volt With Kinesis-UK Logo
GRIP WTB Tech Trail
WHEELSET WTB Speed Tubeless Ready
TYRES WTB Bronson 2.1 TCS Tubeless Ready
TUBES WTB 29" x 2.125 AV
SEAT CLAMP KALLOY 34.9 Kalloy
Images are only a guide, bike is as the above spec
FRAME SPECIFICATION
SEAT POST: 31.6mm. SEAT CLAMP: 34.9mm. FRONT MECH: 34.9mm. BB: 73mm. British.
HEADSET: Integrated, 41.8ø upper, 51.8ø lower, for taper head tube. Recommended: FSA No.42/ACB.
Both bearings are 'ACB', meaning 'Angular Contact Bearings'. The head-tube seat angle is 45º.The headset drops into a tapered seat in the head tube and is tensioned using a headset tensioner within the fork steerer. Tensioning the headset centers it on the taper and prevents any play.
FORK RECOMMENDATION: 100 - 120mm.
SPF: The FF29 uses Kinesis developed 'SuperPlastic Formed' tubing technology for it’s top tube, down tube and specially developed chainstay/seatstay bridges. SPF is similar to ‘Hydroforming’, but uses far higher temps. to produce complicated shapes in thinner wall tubing than was possible with Hydroforming. The result is lighter weight tubing that can be formed to make the frame perform exactly as we require.
KINESIUM: Developed by Kinesis International, Kinesium is a superb tubing for use in lightweight, high performance frames. Kinesium is enhanced 6000 series Aluminium alloy, which is 25% stronger than 6061 at the same weight level. Kinesium’s properties make it an ideal material for a very light, tough, responsive frame at an affordable price. Superior properties over other alloys, allow for a much thinner wall dimension, thereby dramatically reducing overall frame weight without compromising strength.
SUPERTAPER: ‘Supertaper’ stays give great response and specially developed SPF bridges allow up to a 2.2” tyre, the forged dropouts use post-mount for the disc caliper.
TAPER HEAD TUBE: The 1.5" lower bearing allows a tapered fork steerer and larger crown. This gives sharper response and helps reduce flex under braking. Increased heat tube dia. gives more weld area at the most highly stressed point.
What the reviews say:
SINGLETRACK:
“In short: we loved it”.
”Overall: So, so much fun; like a BMX for grownups. Buy one if you like riding with a stupid grin on your face at all times”.
@SteveWorland on twitter;
"Kinesis FF29 over-simplistic seven word review: Like a very fast 26er but smoother"
What MTB
Review - By Steve Worland, What Mountain Bike on Thu 17 May 2012
An almost perfect combination of fast, lively, point-and-shoot handling plus the smoother roll of bigger wheels.
... the FF29 impressed instantly. It combines the low weight and direct ride response advantages of a quality aluminium frame with bang-up-to-date 29er geometry.
The result is a lively trail character that'll seduce the big-wheeler cynics as well as impressing those looking for more hard riding thrills than has until recently been the case with 29ers.
...the bike Kinesis sent us was one of the lightest and liveliest big-wheelers we've tested.
What MTB
For the price, this is one of the most attractive high-speed big wheel frames we’ve tested. The Kinesis FF29 is the lightest bike on test. A lot of thought has gone into the fine detail of geometry, and the result is a bike we think is one of the best hard-riding trail hard tails available.
“An almost perfect combination of fast, lively point-and-shoot handling plus the smoother roll of bigger wheels.”
Of the five bikes on test it was the easiest to ride, and the most forgiving of errors.
Sussex-based Kinesis bucks the trend with its new FF29, which combines the weight advantage of aluminium with bang-up-to-date 29er geometry.
Tester (Steve Worland) says:
The long, low, lively geometry and clever front end combines perfectly with the stiff but light design, making it suited to riders in search of outright speed.
It’s still unusual to find a 120mm fork on a bike like this – and that opens up its potential to those who want more control than a pure XC race bike can offer.
MBR
Your starter for 29. A frame-only hardtail could be the place to try out the 29er revolution
It’s not just another wagon-wheel XC bike, though…. squarely targeted at the trail rider looking for a do-it-all hardtail. Kinesis has opted for a relatively steep 69.9° head angle to correct the geometry for bigger wheels.
It also wanted to make the bike as nimble as possible, so the seat tube kinks forward, just above the BB, to help reel in the chain stay length.
FF29 frame it does appear incredibly solid,… plenty of fork clearance.
In addition to the frame-only option, Kinesis offers the FF29 with various wheel and fork kits; the frame and X-Fusion Slide 29 fork for £699.99 looks ideal…Switching to 29 has never been so easy.
Quest Adventure.
"I have said that the FF29 is fast - it is. Today I had my fastest mountain bike ride ever"
Quest Adventure
Review One
Review Two
"The Kinesis FF29 frame is only £499. This is remarkable as the Kinesium tubing campares very well with all the carbon frames that I have tried. Its weight is in the ball park and is even more comfortable that the carbon race machine that I tried a few weeks ago and the medium Niner Air Carbon".
Sussex MTB
"Where this bike really excels is whipping through the singletrack. It handles quick changes in direction beautifully, without feeling at all nervous. Somehow they’ve managed to get the handling of a 26? wheeled bike, with all the benefits of a 29er.
I did a couple of decent rides on it, and on a spin round Stanmer Park it was a bit of an eye opener as on all the Strava sections I ended up setting personal bests..."
Review
Click here to view the geometry
Buy Kinesis Maxlight FF29 29er Mountain Bike Black online at Fatbirds