Finally, I can tell you all about the marvelous new adventure MTB that I’ve had the pleasure of helping design with Kinesis UK. I say helping, in reality I think it’s safer to say I’ve badgered Damian Mason (you know, the DM of DMR) with every idea that I could think of for adventure riding until he gave in.

Let’s start with a potted history of how Fernweh came about. Back in 2018 I decided to ride the Grenzesteintrophy, a 1200km bikepacking route which heads along the former East/West German border, right on the Panzer weg (tank tracks). The concrete plates have a series of oblong holes in them. After a bit of trail and error, I figured out that the ideal tyre size was 3” to stop said holes from eating your tyres. At the time Kinesis didn’t make an MTB and my beloved Tripster ATR on this rare occasion wasn’t right. So, for the Grenzesteintrophy we converted an older discontinued Kinesis Sync into something of a frankenbike which was just about suitable for some long haul truckin’.

“Fernweh (n.) A strong desire to travel and visit far off places. Literal translation ‘Far-sickness’”

Thirsty for more, I entered Bikepacking Trans Germany, a 1600km route which heads from the most southerly to the most northerly points of Germany. It required only a few refinements to the trusty Sync and was a much more bike friendly route. While riding the route, I had plenty of time to daydream about what the prefect bikepacking bike might be.

Back to Brexit Island once more and the first in a very very long string of emails began. Thankfully Kinesis agreed that with an adventure road and gravel bike already in the range, it really did seem fitting that they add an MTB. I’d been waving some cartoon-like drawings and notes at Damian and the two women who were over from the factory where Kinesis bikes are built in Taiwan. Just as an aside, it was pretty bloody cool to meet two women with such detailed knowledge of titanium bike building, and even more so that the team behind the Fernweh comprised three women and a man for once!

Over the next few months, we went over all the details. We knew the bike needed to be as ‘regular’ as it could be, with no ‘funny’ components or weird dimensions and assembled with parts that were easy to find in any bike shop anywhere. I didn’t see the need for carrying the weight of a conventional suspension fork, but instead wanted a ‘chubby’ 3” tyre matched with a lighter rigid carbon fork. 

The bike needed to be light, comfortable, strong, available in a good range of sizes and, I know, I know, I’m shallow, but it had to look awesome. 

What makes this bike really special is the mix of my enthusiasm and Damian’s knowledge of every bike design, mixed with all the new ways of working. Not all titanium bikes are equal. I’m fortunate enough to have ridden a wide variety of them so knew what kind of ride feel I was after. Getting to work on the design with Damian and harnessing the properties of titanium with his skill and knowledge was an amazing experience. 

He even indulged some of my pet hates on frames, which I know after often done to save money, but they’re ugly. We went through all the tiny details - where the bags go, what rubs where, what you’d want for one trip but not another. We’d hoped for a prototype to be standing on the Upgrade Bike stand at the Core bike show in February 2020 show.

And then there was Covid. And everything stopped.

I think the prototype frame actually arrived in July 2020, without the fork, which appeared maybe six weeks later, also a prototype by Columbus, in raw form. A little disclaimer here, if you see the prototype, I painted the forks with a rattle can, using a cardboard box as a spray booth.

Then there was all the fun of the parts shortage. Building bikes during the pandemic took ages! Mixed with my vanity, it took even longer. I must say, my titanium Thomson post really finishes it nicely and goes really well with the ti-nitride spokes on a rather fancy pair of Hunt carbon dynamo wheels.

After the build-up came the best bit - actually riding it! I’m biased I know, but it was bloody brilliant. I’ve ridden loads of prototypes over the years for Kinesis, usually spotting the odd thing that I’d change or bits which felt harsh or soft or adding details. But the ride quality of the built-up Fernweh was really on a different level. The mind that can unravel my waffly ideas and turn it into a functioning design and excel at it, is really something.

I remember it when it was brand new. Hiding it so nobody could see it. Then riding it around the Yorkshire Dales 300 route, grinning from ear to ear as it flew down the hills eating the bumps with chubby tyres and beautiful design.

Then obviously, especially after I’d come up with the name Fernweh, it had to go to Germany. I rode 600km on what turned out to be a solo trip due to Covid, along the route of the CandyB Gravelleur, which traces the route of the Candy Bombers from the Berlin Airlift. The bike, faultless. My fitness, beginning to enter the pandemic lethargy.

The Rapha Pennine Rally was next, 600km from Edinburgh to Manchester. I must confess, the Fernweh was a lot of bike for a gravel event, but I’ll bet I had a comfier ride than anyone else!

I can’t think of a bike which has been ridden so much prior to launch! By this time, we’d been chatting decals and details and what colour the forks could be. We were even down to my pedantry of being able to read all the decals with many different designs of bags strapped on to it! 

Close friends knew about the prototype, one of which,  Mathieu Davy, a man of many talents, is an expert at custom spraying bike frames. Matheiu began to experiment with some spectacular paint effects for the forks and was handed the challenge of custom painting the first 10 pairs of forks and one of the other two prototypes to test. They’re pretty special. Much better than my rattle can efforts!

At this point there were two Fernweh frames built up, so we decided to enter the inaugural GranGuanche Trail, 800km of island hopping across the Canaries. Pandemic lethargy and two rounds of Covid had eaten a bit too much of my fitness to be there really but we tried. Fernweh did as expected and ate the hills and the lava up. 

And now here we are, three and a half years since those initial cartoon drawings, thousands of kilometres later. Do you know the only thing that’s needed changing from the prototype? A little tweak of the rear brake line! 

I can’t wait to see how everyone else builds up theirs and find out what they do with them.

Tschüss

Spec sheet:

• Built from lightweight cold-drawn seamless 3Al/2.5V titanium tubing for ultimate strength and rider comfort.
• Fits up to 29” x 3” Tyres
• Tapered integrated headset compatible (not included)
• You can add an optional Columbus Futura Adventure Carbon fork to your order (frame is sold without fork)
• Suspension fork compatible – the Fernweh accepts 470mm fork length – which is a 29” fork set to 80mm travel
• Euro threaded BB, 73mm
• 148mm Boost rear hub spacing
• Dropper post routing
• External cable routing for ease of servicing
• Disc brake spec - flat mount
• 31.6mm seat post size, 34.9mm Seat clamp size
• 5 sizes – XS to XL
• Comes with a Ti seat clamp, rear axle, cable routing fittings
• Frames will be available here from April 2023 and will retail at £2400.