I used to own the KM40 - 650c - great bike and fastest thing on two wheels I have ever owned. Is the new 700c Kestrel Air Foil the same bike? Does anyone own one in the 700c version? Do you like it? Thanks in advance.
Mike
No Mike, the new Kestrel Airfoil Pro is not the same as the late KM40.
Although I do not own a Airfoil Pro (at least not yet), the main difference between them from my point-of-view is the fact that the KM40 was a one piece monocoque while the Airfoil Pro is a modular monocoque (like the Talon).
I asked Kestrel about the differences between the bikes and here is their answer:
"The Airfoil Pro combines everything we’ve learned in making carbon fiber
frames since 1986/87 as well as making carbon tri bikes since 1989. It is
improved over the KM40 Airfoil in virtually every way we could think of -
some huge leaps, some incremental tweaks. As a result the “A-Pro” is
lighter, stiffer, smoother riding, more stable and more aerodynamic; plus
it provides improved geometry & fit for most riders. Given the outstanding
ride, performance and success of the KM40 bikes, that’s a strong comparison
statement.
While the monocoque construction of Kestrel frames such as the KM40 Airfoil
is outstanding, we have developed our “Modular Monocoque” methods to
capitalize on the best of our one-piece monocoque frames while eliminating
some of the less desirable aspects. We have worked long and hard to
maintain or enhance the performance and ride quality of our products which
utilize this technology. That’s not to say we couldn’t make a one-piece
“full monocoque” frame that is just as good as the A-Pro - it’s just not
the approach we have chosen to take. (By the way, don’t be fooled by some
of our competitors, who claim “full monocoque” construction, but in fact
utilize multi-piece structures and even bonded/overlapped lugs and tube
sections. Our philosophy at Kestrel is to be open about how we make our
frames, and not try to cover it up with a paint fade or a patch of carbon
cloth.)
Our Modular Monocoque construction is just as tuneable as the old process,
but allows us to offer more sizes (6 vs 2 in this case) due to the somewhat
decreased tooling costs and less complex molding procedures. This allows an
increased quality level while reducing scrap/rejects. It also allows us to
invest more on details like metal parts, fit & finish, etc. But at many
hundreds of thousands of dollars in development costs, the A-Pro is by no
means cheap.
I’m confident that given a proper fit on the Airfoil Pro, any rider would
find it equal or better to our previous tri bikes, or any other aero bike
on the market for that matter."
As you, I used to ride a KM40. I plan to buy a new bike in the near future and there are good chances that I will go with the Airfoil Pro (I am not impressed with all this noise about the new Cervélo P3 Carbon).
Why are you not impressed by the P3 Carbon? I have a reg. P3 and like it.
Wow, thanks for all the great info maka - someone emailed me a about the Kouta - it looks like a sharp bike as well. I did hear that Kestrel was going to make a KM40 in 700c, I guess they didn’t go that route?
Don’t get me wrong. The Cervélo P3 is a very good bike, but I think that there is too much enthusiasm around the P3 Carbon since it is only a marginal improvement over the existing P3 line.
As for wheel size, the new Kestrel Airfoil Pro comes with 650c wheels on frame sizes 47, 50, and 52, while the frame sizes 54, 56 and 59 comes with 700c wheels.
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