Kinesis Racelight T2

jomoj

Finally put the finishing touches to my T2 build, started just before Christmas. It's a mix of new and used bits acquired under a loose plan that I wasn't going to pay full price for anything so all the new stuff was from sales (CRC mostly) & eBay shops and the best of the rest came from my Kaffenback - which has been rebuilt as my winter / commuter. This is my 'nice bike' it's strictly not for winter slogging! Funding was almost exclusively from the sale of an underused Brompton purchased via Ride2Work but I went a bit over budget here and there...

I wanted something quick but that would be still be good for all day rides on lumpy country roads and the occasional 3 day B&B tour so the T2 seemed to fit the bill. I've got 28s on at the moment and there's plenty of room for some proper SKS type guards front and back but I may fit slimmer tyres for the summer. Fork is the Deda Black Rain which was about half the price of Kinesis DC07 fork but matches nicely and seems decently built with alloy steerer and crown and carbon blades.

The frame is generally well finished with a solid paintjob, only problem was that the BB thread was a bit grotty and I couldn’t get the BB in. Credit to my LBS, they cleaned and faced the shell nicely and Chain Reaction footed the bill so that was ok.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with it, don't know how long the orange tape will stay not-grimy but I fancied a bit of colour on it! - pic below and full spec underneath




Big Pic

Frame: Kinesis Racelight T2 54cm
Fork: Deda Black Rain
Headset: FSA Orbit IS2
Stem: Planet-X Superlight 100mm
Bars: FSA Vero 44cm
Tape: Bontrager Gel Cork
Seatpost: FSA SL-240
Saddle: Charge Spoon
Chainset: Shimano Ultegra 6503 Triple 172.5mm
BB: Shimano 105
Pedals: Shimano M520
Front Mech: Shimano Tiagra
Rear Mech: Shimano Ultegra
Cassette: Shimano Tiagra 12-28 9spd
Chain: Sram PC51
Levers: Shimano Ultegra
Brakes: Shimano BR450 (long drop)
Cables: Shimano brake, Avid gear
Hubs: Shimano Dura Ace
Rims: Planet-X DN16 32H
Tyres: Continental Gatorskin 700x28
Accessories: Cateye Strada Wireless Computer, Trek alloy bottle cage, Deda Dogfang

gingerdog

loving your bike. After something like that myself! How tall are you? I'm after a TK frame but would like to be able to try one out for size. Will have to see if i've got a L(ish)BS that stock them.

jomoj

cheers - I'm 5'10", 33cm inside leg, short arms, long in the torso apparently -paints a delightful picture...

Anyway - It's a good fit for me and although the frame is quite long in the top tube with a fairly short headtube, I like the position with a mid length stem and compact bars, but I have left 40cm of spacers stacked up at the front for stem adjustment until I can get some real miles in. Definitely worth trying a complete bike for size if you can, I looked at the 54 and the 57 but the 54 just felt right.

The TK frame is a cut above the T2 in the finishing department - very nice - but I had to stick to a budget so it was the T2 for me.

Just be aware that there's limited choice of brakes for these frames, you've basically got Tektro, Miche and Shimano to choose from, with the latter there's the BR450 which is kind of tiagra quality and the 650 which is 105 / Ultegra level. Same brake - better finish and pads from what I can see.

cheers
Joe

bazbadger

LIke that - good looking bike.

Always thought the kinesis frames were good.

keef66

@ gingerdog

where are you? I have a Tk you'd be welcome to try if local. Mine's a 51 cos I'm slightly vertically challenged (but still a giant among the local jockeys)

Tinman_66

Nice bike, is it Alu framed / carbon forked?

I've got the old Racelight T built up with 105 and its a good bike and taken everything I've thrown against it in the last five years.

jomoj

yes, double butted aluminium frame, Deda fork is alloy crowned and steerered and carbon bladed. I think the matching Kinesis fork is all carbon but I'm a bit of a luddite and still prefer a chunk of metal to clamp my bars too. A friend has the original T frame and this seems similar but with fatter tubes and more generous tyre clearance.

gingerdog

Keef I'm based in Brighton. I've got a Ribble Nero Corsa and have never really got on with the size (large) and find it a bit stretched out. Would like to swap the frame over but thinking that might cost quite a lot. Fancy something a bit more versatile than a carbon frame. I'm 5 11 and have long-ish legs.

PhilofCas

I like the handlebars (always like to see orange on bikes/cars, maybe something to do with an favourite Fiat Mirafiori's in that colour!!), they look a nice shape, probably very comfy in the drops. Nice build