Trips

This Kinesis Tripster Ace arrived at my door last week, so I wasted no time in swinging a leg over the top tube and getting ninety miles in.

Our tester is the 60cm, which is a little on the generous side for yours truly-I’ve a 33 inch inseam, stand 1m81 and would be better served by a 57. ACE is an acronym, meaning “Adventure, Commute, and Explore”; though Upgrade bikes tell me at a penny shy of £800; it’s aimed at the cycle to work audience who want a versatile workhorse cum commuter with a little extra sparkle.  

Two hundred miles hence and I’m rapidly concluding this is a very fair reflection.

Features of note include a 6061 chassis with some obvious mountain bike DNA-just look at those curvy stays, industrial looking ends and beautifully executed TIG welds. Carbon forks follow this narrative, although this standard of detail comes as little surprise. Kinesis built their enviable reputation on high quality, competitively priced aftermarket frames/forks and have only recently entered the complete bike market.

Some people sneer at Sora but lower end groupsets are ideal choices for daily drivers- functional, yet cheap to replace when they finally turn sloppy and don’t scream “steal me” in the same way Tiagra or 105 would. New chains and cassettes are plentiful and can be found online for £15, ideal for keeping running costs low on a bike used in all weathers.  

Tektro Clara hydraulic discs are another lovely (moreover, inexpensive) surprise. Modulation, feel and stopping prowess is impressive-not in the same league as a high end hybrid system perhaps but fade is minimal-even when screaming downhill and towing a trailer’s worth of kit.  Light years ahead of mechanical types in every respect. Lower maintenance is a bonus too, no more adjusting pads and hoses seem reassuringly stout although some may be put off by the need to bleed the system every so often.

The overall package is very subtle though very seductive, so choose location carefully and follow the 10% (of bikes replacement value) rule locks-wise when parking in the street.  Anyhow, I’ll put 400miles on it and you can read my full report in an upcoming edition of "Seven Day Cyclist."

Talking of discs, I was rationalising the spares bin when I resurrected these Cane Creek V brake road levers, which also played very nicely with mechanical discs. Arguably my Ilpompino's existing R200 unit works more than adequately but being a perpetual fettler, I'm consumed by the urge to improve on this when a wet and windy Saturday afternoon presents.  Anything designed for Vs is an absolute no-no for cantilevers on account of the amount of cable pull-grab and handful and you’ll pitch yourself straight into A&;E...

Aside from the KA refusing to start, or idle-suggesting its ignition coil pack (a common mk1 

KA vulnerability) was expiring last Sunday night, Stenning photographic was busy in the midlands. 

This week I was commissioned to capture a 65^th birthday bash in Birmingham and am presently working with some models, seeking out suitable locations to shoot their starter port-folios in September. This will dictate choice of equipment- lenses, filters, lighting and backdrops. An exciting and moreover, very welcome new challenge for me-stay tuned.