starting to think about a new road frame and one of the local shops just picked up kestrel (no they don’t have them on the floor yet so i can’t test ride and yes i did a search on the forum already).
does anyone have any experiences with the RT800/RT900 or the Evoke? reviews, opines, criticisms, complaints, or any other forms of commentary? at the moment my road bike is a carbon giant TCR so that’s what i’d be comparing it to. this is just for group training rides and perhaps an early season road race, not triathlons or TT’s. thanks for any input.
We starting carrying them last year and have sold quite a bit. No complaints and many happy customers. The only negative thing is that the mechanics arent fans of the internal cable routing, but this isnt an issue on some of the road bikes.
in the family we have an rt and it’s awesome. internal cabling is a breeze with the ‘ports’ Kestrel uses - a brilliant design, check out their online pdf manuals you can download.
bike rides and handles great - check out the geometry tables. Nice and stable for tricky descents.
I have an RT700, got it from Bikesdirect.com for $1999 and I really like it. Very aero road bike, I’ve ridden down some steep technical roads in the Alps and it is very nice. I’ve also used it with clip-ons and it seems very stable in a steeper configurartion for me. Only thing I don’t love is the copper color – but they were out of the black frames…
thanks for feedback marty. how tall are you and what size did you get? the shop that started carrying the brand only has talons in stock right now and none in the size i “think” i need. i ride a small giant TCR and think the HT is a bit too short. any opinion?
I’m not sure what you want here. I have an Evoke. It is an extremely nimble bike, and reminds me of my Calfee Tetra, which is suppose unsurprising as they have a common lineage. It soaks up road vibration extremely well, making me feel like I’m riding slower than I actually am. I would buy another one. My frame is a 50cm, I’m 65" tall with a 28" inseam and 140lbs. A 52 would probably have been a better fit but the deal was one I could not pass up. I ride more strongly with a more forward seat tube angle, and the Evoke is a bit steeper than most road bikes. The moment I got off of the Lemond team frame I was riding and on to the Evoke I became a stronger climber.
I also have a 52cm Evoke (for sale BTW if you’re interested). I really like it. It is light and super stiff. I went that route in part because it does not have internal cable routing. I got a deal on a 52cm frame and built it. After only a few hundred miles on it I am realizing I should be on a 54cm. Sweet ride, just wrong size. FWIW I am 5’8" and ride a 52cm Felt DA.
I’m 5’10", and got a 53 cm RT700, fits perfectly. With a Thompson zero-offset seat post, going to a more steeper seat tube angle with clip-ons isn’t a problem. It was a great deal.
I have riding/racing an Evoke for a couple years now…no complaints really. It isn’t as stiff as I would like for crits but the ride is very nice on the road.
I also have a 52cm Evoke (for sale BTW if you’re interested).
i know this is a blashpamous comment here on ST but…what color is it? seriously, we’re about the same size. what length/degree stem are you using and why do you think you should be on the next size up?
That’s an acceptable question in my book. It’s black and white. PM me with an email and I can send some pics if you want. Sorry I can’t remember the stem exactly off the top of my head, but I think it’s 105 or 110 with -6degrees. This is probably a stupid reason to go up a frame size, but I’ve got too much seat post sticking out. If I put it where I wanted it I’d be about 4-5cm beyond the min. insertion line. It’s a Kforce light seat post ($$$) and an odd ball size (32.4mm I think). I don’t really want to drop $130 or whatever for a long post. I could probably find a cheaper one and / or shim, but I would also be alright with a little shorter stem and tall HT.