Kestrel sent us a few photos of their new-for-2011 RT1000 road bike, which will be offered in three trim levels: Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105.
The RT1000 frameset uses their 800K Carbon, a proprietary new blend of High-Modulus carbon fibers to provide “the lightest, best riding frame possible while maximizing the handling response.”
Kestrel’s Steven Harad says “It allows us to custom tune the ride quality of the frame to be ultra stiff in the head tube, and bottom bracket area while allowing us to keep the ride quality extremely comfortable. Like our other Kestrel frames, we use a modular monocoque design that follows our Frameset Component Integration. This means the fork, seat post and rear stays are designed specific per size to ensure that each one of our sizes rides exactly like the other size. It’s important that the 62cm rides as well as our 48cm in ride quality. Our rear stays and fork are designed to absorb maximum road shock to keep the rider from feeling fatigued on a long ride and our sloping top tube and larger head tube provide the perfect combination for a more comfortable ride.”
The RT1000 Dura-Ace model is shown above, check out the Ultegra model after the break…
Price ranges from $2000ish for the Shimano 105 to $5800ish for the Dura Ace. Final pricing and weights will be determined shortly.
