Weight Weenies

What do you say? I really like the paint-job on the Kinesis and it is fairly lite. On the other hand the Caad 12 got some ugly paint-job but handles very well and are really lite.

What to choose?

From a lot of the reviews out there, it would be a mistake to infer that the Aithein handles poorly.
Check the geo and see which suits you best. That is the one to buy.

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Aithein handles like a proper racer, very easy to chuck around and stable too, very stiff, but not to brutal a ride. Sort of felt like a columbus max frame, but not quite as smooth riding. Quite short headtube compared with the current crop of RR frames. Weights are pretty accurate , 350-360g fork, and ~1200g for a 56cm frame. My green one was 1330 with shimano BB, headset, derailleur hanger and factory seatpost clamp. Factory seatpost is a bit porky at 250g. Good tyre clearance front and back, 25s and crud mudguards. External cable runs add a retro feel, but i know some people don't like that!
No experience of CAAD, but would prefer its bb30 to kinesis' bb86. The paint is very bright FYI.

Thanks both of you. Kinesis it is

Awesome bike Machinenoise.

I'd go Kinesis but just for the relative rarity and because I love the bright, simple paint jobs.

It would be best to check the geometry sheets before making a purchase, the Kinesis has very long and low geometry (relatively) to the CAAD. The sizing is a little weird as well (stack and reach does not progress proportionally). If you want long and low the Kinesis would be a better bike, but if your fit dictates a higher position you might get closer with a CAAD, you also get a wider range of stack and reach variation.

can't speak for the caad 12 as its so new, but had the kinesis for a bit last year and ended up selling it. great frame but it is made for a purpose, which is racing and fast aggressive riding, very stiff,light and nimble to ride, however i also found it to not dampen the road too well, which got painful on longer rides and the geometry is long and low, so you need to be pretty flexible to get a decent fit without resorting to big spacer stacks or a flipped stem. I'd recommend the kinesis if you race or for shorter fast rides, but if you like to go out all day and don't have the smoothest roads the caad would probably be a better shout as there is allegedly some compliance built into the frame, forks and skinny seatpost.

I built up a black Aithein with Force 22 a year ago... I thought it would become a bike for smashing it in the summer or taking to the alps. It has become my everyday bike - I can't get enough of it. Naturally I don't take it out in crappy weather but will be riding it on nice days this winter. For sure I would avoid cobble riding on it here in Belgium, but its been fine for long days in the alps.

I've just created a thread on it in the introduction section of WW with full build list.

In terms of comfort, its not as bad as people make out. Indeed rear end comfort is on par with many carbon bikes I've ridden, front end, you can tell its an Aluminum racer... But maybe this is due to the bars I run (?).

Handling is superb - direct and fast, just what you want on a twisty descent or when fast group riding.

I think the aithein is a better looking frame, but maybe the CAAD is lighter and a touch more comfortable. The CAAD is more expensive tho! I had my Aithein with the fork cut to my size and bb installed shipped to Belgium from the UK for £550...


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Again, thank you. My Kinesis are going to be build up with fairly standard bits(got some - going to buy some). Aiming at 6,5kg.

Frame: Kinesis Aithein (Orange)
Group: Red22 shifters, front and rear derailleur.
Cassette: Black Recon
Brakes: Don't know yet
Chain: Black KMC 11s DLC
Crankset: Rotor 3d SRM
Stem: Extralite
Exspander: Extralite
Handlebars: 3T Team Stealth
Seatpost: Some kind of carbon post(around 150g)
Seat: Carbon seat 98g(100% genuine Chinese seat)
Tyres: Don't know yet. Maybe Tufo(have to look at some rolling resistance charges)
Wheelset: Reynolds RZR

Nice, sounds like you are gonna had a blinging Aithein. What colour frame are you having?

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I am going with the orange. It just look stunning i think

You can't go wrong with any of the colours. I opted for black in the end, convincing myself than anodised would be lighter than paint, as my rational!

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I recently completed the Deloitte Ride Across Britain on an Aithein, riding as one of the chaperones. 970 miles in nine days (Land's End to John O'Groats) at an average of around 15mph, and whilst it's clearly geared more towards shorter, faster rides I didn't find the bike's ride quality to be too bad over long distances on our terrible roads. It has a carbon Kinesis seat post and I used Shamal Ultras with 24mm Open Corsa SRs and latex tubes.

My race and training bikes are all Colnagos most of which I'm quite precious about, so I needed a workhorse which I wouldn't be too concerned about being thrown in the back of trailers, hung on crowded bike racks and dumped in hedges etc. when helping stricken riders. I have a Kinesis TK3 as a winter bike which I cannot fault so the Aithein was a likely choice and I have to say I'm really pleased with it. I bought the frame used for half its retail price; it's in mint condition but the steerer was cut a little short necessitating the use of an 86° stem. As previously mentioned you can't go wrong with any of the colours but the burnt orange has a lovely metallic flake which really pops in the sun.

As a man who covets Colnagos, how does the Aithein stack up in comparison? Happen to have a C60 or V1-r?

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MikeyBE: love your racelite! how does it do on the climbs? is the BB portion and the rest of the frame stiff to transfer the pedal power to the wheel? how much does it weigh with your build?