Kinesis launched the Tripster ATR in 2012 and the forward-thinking titanium machine helped define the burgeoning adventure bike market. The second-generation frame arrived last year and now Kinesis have introduced an aluminium model – the Tripster AT.

Affordability is key here. While the Tripster ATR V2 frame comes in at £1,849.99, the Tripster AT will cost £699.99. In fact, Kinesis will offer a complete Tripster AT bike with SRAM Rival 1 and own-brand Crosslight CX Disc.v4 wheels for £1,699.98 – less than the cost of the titanium frame alone.

Kinesis say the AT shares the same DNA and geometry as the ATR and the geometry is easy to quantify, with the Tripster designed to inspire confidence off-road, while retaining a sense of speed on the tarmac. You’ll find a slack headtube angle (70.5 degrees on a 55.5cm frame), a high bottom bracket to provide plenty of clearance (with a BB drop of 70mm across all frame sizes) and a long wheel base (over a metre on all frame sizes).

As for DNA, the Tripster is a machine with a thirst for adventure and that’s obvious from the smaller details. The AT has stacks of tyre clearance – 700 x 45c or 650b x 52c – and you’ll also find mudguard mounts, triple bottle cage mounts and – something which will please home mechanics – a threaded BSA bottom bracket shell.

Kinesis also worked with the late Mike Hall, who tragically died during the Indian Pacific Wheel Race in March, during the development of the Tripster AT. Kinesis say Hall brought his bike-packing knowledge to the AT, while also working with the Sussex-based brand’s designer to develop two new colours: ‘Arran Blue’, inspired by the blue-grey light and wide open spaces found in the Scottish Highlands and the Island of Arran, and ‘Seeon Yellow’, described as ‘an unashamed shouty frame of neon yellow that will get you seen in any light and certainly on the road.’