Kinesis TK3 Alternatives? Advice please.

Enigma have launched a nice looking steel frame for £525 - the Ezona.
Looks like a nice bit of kit

Take a look at Kona Zone (cheepest model). Also comes with all the eyelets you want and clearance for mudguards. Looks nice too.

A Genesis Equilibrium -in 725 format.

My bikes include an Equilibrium 20 and in short - Wow

Surly Cross Check frameset plus an aftermarket carbon fork would come in at less than £500. So would the Surly Pacer. The Pacer users caliper brakes, the CC uses cantis.

That way you have a steel frame bossed for mudguards and loaded touring, a matching steel fork for heavier touring loads if you wanted too (if you went for the CC), or the option of a lighter CF fork that would do you for club runs and credit card tours. Or racing Cyclocross!

Plus, it's as tough as you like.

I've got a fair few bikes, but if you were going to put a gun to my head and tell me I could only keep one it would be the Cross Check. One of the most versatile frames you can buy.

I bought a tk3 last April. Built up with veloce and khamsins it takes a very close second to my 953 Rourkie. I don't think you can go wrong with it. Nice and comfortable but also responsive and stiff, I am sure you could race it if you wanted. I would like to try the Ribble steel winter frame, it looks very nice and a lot of my riding mates are very happy with their alu winter frames.

As an all year round bike the TK3 doesn't really have any rivals - to my knowledge it's still the only road frame to combine a racy tapered steerer, crit bike style geometry and full size mud guard and rack mounts. Which is precisely why I bought one for myself.

If you have to have mud guard mounts and a rack stop looking and get a TK3!

I have a Tk3, and the Racelight T from way back in 2004. I also have a number of other bikes including a titanium Ritchey, a carbon Look, a USA-built Cannondale CAAD 8 etc. The Tk3 is, without doubt, the best ride of the lot. Quick-steering, stiff but not uncomfortable, light enough, able to accommodate 28s under full mudguards, and it can take a rack too. It's a genuine year-round, do-it-all bike - pretty much the same geometry as the Ti GranFondo which has done so well in the Road CC Superbike Shootout at a third of the price (f&f). Mine's built with Ultegra and Ksyriums, but it's damn near as good with Tiagra and Aksiums.

Buy it.

I have a Ribble Audax (which you can probably get in frameset form) as my winter bike, and I see them on London's roads very, very frequently.

BUT, were I replacing it, I would probably buy a TK3 instead (not having ever ridden one, but I have just never felt as good/fast on my Ribble Audax as on most of my other bikes). Never heard anyone say a bad word about the TK3