Koga has released a road version of its Olympic gold medal-winning Kinsei track bike. The new Kinsei Road mimics its aero profile, including an oversized head tube and integrated stem, but has less aggressive geometry and more tyre clearance.
The “blazingly fast carbon aero racer” has the hallmarks of the best aero road bikes. Deep truncated aerofoil tubes, fully integrated cable routing and a D-shaped aero seatpost all feature.
The Koga Kinsei Road will be available in four builds, all with electronic groupsets and disc brakes, costing from €4,199 to €9,999.
Koga Kinsei Road frame design
The design of the Kinsei Road largely replicates that of the Kinsei Track, which Koga calls the world's fastest track bike, not without reason. The bike was ridden to three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
The enormous head tube looks about twice the depth of the fork and tapers sharply. The down tube is similarly shaped, though not as thick.
The back of the seat tube curves around the rear wheel and blends into the angular seatstays. As with the fork, these flare outwards to accommodate a maximum tyre size of 28c, up from 23c on the track version.
Koga says it has introduced more compliance to the rear end of the Kinsei. The seatstays are a touch lower than on the track bike and the own-brand carbon seatpost is more forgiving, according to the brand.
The aero road bike has a higher front end than the hyper-aggressive track bike to improve comfort on longer rides, according to Koga. The stem sits flush with the top tube on the track bike, but it protrudes slightly out of the taller head tube on the Kinsei road bike.
Without disclosing the efficiency saving in watts, Koga claims the Kinsei Track is 24 per cent more aerodynamic than its predecessor.
The brand says the track bike has been calculated and optimised in CFD (computational fluid dynamics – a type of software used to model aerodynamic drag). The CFD analysis correlated well with subsequent wind tunnel testing, according to the Koga.
Koga used the same CFD settings to develop and optimise the Kinsei Road in CFD. Because of the similarities in frame design, Koga deemed it necessary to put the Kinsei Road through its own wind tunnel testing.
| | XS | S | M | L | XL | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length (mm) | 480 | 510 | 530 | 550 | 580 | 580 |
| Top tube length (mm) | 531 | 547 | 568 | 585 | 600 | 600 |
| Heat tube angle (degrees) | 72 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 74 | 74 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 73.5 |
| Chainstay length (mm) | 405 | 405 | 405 | 405 | 405 | 405 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 130 | 150 | 170 | 190 | 210 | 210 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 |
| Fork axle-to-crown (mm) | 368 | 368 | 368 | 368 | 368 | 368 |
| Rake (mm) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Stack (mm) | 525 | 548 | 567 | 590 | 609 | 609 |
| Reach (mm) | 380 | 390 | 400 | 410 | 420 | 420 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 981 | 989 | 1005 | 1012 | 1026 | 1026 |
Koga Kinsei Road spec and prices
Four builds share a frameset and fork, which are claimed to weigh 1,180g and 485g respectively in size large.
All versions come with 700 x 28c GP5000 S TR tyres set up with inner tubes.
The first three models are specced with a Selle San Marco Shortfit carbon saddle. The magnesium model is reserved for the top-of-the-range build. The Kinsei Pro is also the only bike to get 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200.
The range starts with the Kinsei Prestige at €4,199. The entry-level bike is built around a Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 groupset and rolls on DT Swiss P1800 Spline wheels. The alloy, round handlebar is a Controltech Cougar.
Next up is the Kinsei Premium at €5,199. It’s upgraded to 50mm-deep Koga carbon wheels and a 12-speed SRAM Rival AXS groupset. It uses the same handlebar as the Prestige.
The Kinsei Prime costs €5,999. The second-tier bike is equipped with the same wheels but a Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170 groupset and carbon Controltech Cougar Aero handlebar.
The Kinsei Pro tops the range at €9,999. Besides pro-level Dura-Ace Di2 R9200, it has DT Swiss ARC-1100 Spline carbon wheels. Its aero bars are identical to the Prime’s.
Koga says the Kinsei Road should be on sale in April. We’re hoping to have a bike to test soon, so keep an eye on BikeRadar for our review.
Koga Kinsei Pro
- Price: €9,999
- Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9200
- Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR, 700 x 28c
- Handlebar: Carbon Controltech Cougar Aero
- Stem: Koga alloy
- Saddle: Selle SanMarco Shortfit Magnesium saddle
- Seatpost: Koga carbon
Koga Kinsei Prime
- Price: €5,999
- Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170
- Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR, 700 x 28c
- Handlebar: Carbon Controltech Cougar Aero
- Stem: Koga alloy
- Saddle: Selle SanMarco Shortfit carbon
- Seatpost: Koga carbon
Koga Kinsei Premium
- Price: €5,199
- Drivetrain: SRAM Rival eTap AXS
- Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR, 700 x 28c
- Handlebar: Alloy Controltech Ergo
- Stem: Koga alloy
- Saddle: Selle SanMarco Shortfit carbon
- Seatpost: Koga carbon
Koga Kinsei Prestige
- Price: €4,199
- Drivetrain: Shimano 105 Di2 R7100
- Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR, 700 x 28c
- Handlebar: Alloy Controltech Ergo
- Saddle: Selle SanMarco Shortfit carbon
- Seatpost: Koga carbon
