Kestrel built a brand developing carbon bikes, for arguably longer than any other bicycle maker since the late 80s, and is now mostly known for high value & affordability. This year though Kestrel has already made some big performance updates on the road, and the upcoming Ter-X looks like it will do the same thing for gravel riders.
2019 Kestrel Ter-X carbon gravel road bike
This year’s endurance RT-1100 road bike was Kestrel’s first disc brake, drop bar bike, and now it gets a dirty gravel sibling in the new Ter-X. Kestrel says that as the gravel segment was maturing, they’ve been fine tuning what they think a lightweight, versatile, high performance gravel bike can be. And now the Ter-X is almost ready for its debut.
Tech details
Focusing on building a bike with plenty of tire clearance, rider comfort & efficient power transfer, the Ter-X gets an oversized bottom bracket, but tall asymmetric chainstays that will fit up to a 700c x 47mm tire, or even a 650b x 2.1″. Seatstays get flattened (they are wider than they are tall) for a bit of rear end flex, while the seattube even incorporates a ‘flex zone’ to soak up road & washboard buzz. The progressive taper fork legs are said to offer similar high frequency vibration reductions up front too.
The frameset gets plenty of accessory points, with three bottle cage mounts on the main triangle, plus two more on the fork, a toptube set of bento box bosses, rear rack mounts, and full fender mounts. The frame sticks with a tried & true threaded BB, looks to be compatible with a front derailleur (at least in some configuration), and is built of Kestrel Super Light ultra high-mod carbon.
The bike comes in seven frame sizes (46-61cm) and will be available in three different specs. It isn’t officially launched yet, but BikesDirect is already pre-selling one model for $2100 with a SRAM Force 1x & Stan’s Grail wheels.