If you want a suitably chic, reasonably priced, do-it-all gravel bike from a British brand then looking in the direction of Kinesis wouldn't be a bad idea. We told you about the new G2, a £1,500 complete gravel bike back in July and it was one of the first bikes we headed over to take a first look at on our arrival at the 2018 Cycle Show. 

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Following on from the success of the Tripster AT and the ATR, Kinesis has launched the G2, a bike that is even more versatile but no less capable than the above models. Compared to the AT and the ATR, the G2 is a bit more road-oriented: the head tube has been shortened, as have the chainstays meaning it puts the rider in a slightly more aggressive position and should make the bike feel a bit more nimble on the road. Kinesis says it's More capable than a road bike, more comfortable than a ‘cross bike and more versatile than an out and out gravel bike. 

The understated alloy frame has a sophisticated look in the metal that we really liked. The frame features a carbon fork, a standard threaded bottom bracket and internal cable routing throughout. There is also a cable stop for a front mech, should you decide at a later point that you need a double chainset up front. The full build comes with a SRAM Apex 1x11 drivetrain with an 11-42t cassette and a 40T chainring.

There are through axles front and rear and the bike is built for disc brakes only. In this case SRAM Apex hydraulic with 160mm discs.

The handlebars are a flared drop; they're Kinesis own brand and they have been thoughtfully wrapped in black bar tape with a reflective underside, a nod to the commuters. Kinesis has paired the flared bar with a shorter stem (80-100mm depending on frame size) for a more direct steering feel. There has also been thought given to the comfort of smaller riders with a semi-sloping top tube present on the smallest bike. This reduces the standover height and gives more seat post extension, bringing the comfort in line with our larger models.

There is room for 700x40c tyre (or a 38mm with mudguards), so you can easily fit some multi-surface rubber for bikepacking, or some cyclocross tyres for winter racing. Adventure bikes are about versatility, so of course there's mounts for mudguards and a rear rack. There's no low-rider mounts, or a third bottle mount under the downtube, again signposting the fact that the G2 is a bit more road-adventure than gravel-bikepacking. 

There are four sizes on offer, a 51cm, a 54cm, a 57cm and a 61cm, with the 57cm (large) weighing a claimed 10kg. Bikes are available to pre-order on the Kinesis UK website now and are due in stock in December 2018.

Our friends at road.cc have first dibs on getting one of these in for test so check back there for a review soon. 

• www.kinesisbikes.co.uk
• www.upgradebikes.co.uk

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