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TECH NEWS
Dom Mason - Upgrade BikesKinesis designer Dom Mason to launch new bike brand: Mason Progressive Cycles
Dom Mason is leaving Kinesis UK to set up a new brand called Mason Progressive Cycles.
“The Mason brand will stand for progressive, forward thinking design, grounded in the needs of real riders and using the finest craftsmen, materials and componentry,” said Dom.
Dom has long been a champion of metal frames, and that looks set to continue.
“We’ll launch our new brand with two highly refined, beautifully finished framesets, built using the vast heritage and skill of carefully selected Italian makers,” he says.
“Frame material has been chosen to perfectly match the intended use and a unique carbon fork has been designed from the ground up, as no existing product could meet our requirements. All features are modern and highly functional.
“A carefully detailed bike range will be available to order, based around our framesets and using a specially selected mix of components.”
In his past couple of years at Kinesis, Dom was pushing the capabilities of aluminium alloy, using superplastic forming (a Kinesis International patent) to come up with the 1,200g Racelight Aithein frame.
He also designed the titanium Tripster ATR all-rounder that impressed us massively when we reviewed it here on road.cc last month.
“Leaving a stable, well paid job running one of the best bike brands in the UK for a growing distributor may look crazy from the outside, it’s also pretty painful to leave the brand that I have worked on for so long, worried over every detail and have so many plans for,” said Dom. “But, I wonder what is worse, taking the chance to follow your dream or burying it and looking back in 30 years and thinking ‘what if?’”
“Now is the time to see if the dream can translate into reality.”
Details about Dom’s new project are scarce right now but if you want to find out about developments as they happen, head over to the Mason Progressive Cycles website and get your name on the mailing list.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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31 comments
Apologies for bombing this thread and thanks for all your positive comments. I look forward to your thoughts and views as MASON products surface on these pages.
Dom.
What is he doing in the photo? Looking for that "just-right" shade of bartape?
The blurb is long on atmosphere and short on detail - do tell why existing forks are still lacking and "no existing product could meet our requirements".
And the Tripster? That's the fashion-concious tapered integrated headset designed-for-obsolescence bike du jour?
It's OK - I understand the cycling press has to love everything new - but I don't have to. I see why he's moving on.
Hang on.. so you can see why he's moving on from kinesis but it's because he designed a frame for them with a feature that you don't like?
1. No, those are anodising swatches. I was at road.cc discussing the upcoming 'Racelight Aithein' and looking at possible finishes.
2. The blurb is short on detail because I haven't released any detail yet, the brand is at early stages and still being developed. It's all down to detailing, I am developing a fork because there is not a product available as OE that has the features I need: correct crown height, cable routing, eyelets where I need them, ride quality, clearances etc etc.
3. The Tripster is absolutely not based on fashion, in fact 'fashion' is so fickle it would be foolish to base any design on it. The taper headset is there so that you can run a taper fork which has all sorts of advantages.
These people [21 pages of them] decided to embrace something new and I think even you would have to agree that they seem to be glad they did > http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tripster-atr-finally-built-up-lush
4. Not sure I quite understand this but, road.cc are not well known for 'loving everything new' they are quite often vocal about products they don't like.
No one is trying to 'make you' like the innovations and new stuff in the bike world, it's a free world, but no harm in being open to developments, sometimes they can take you in unexpected directions, even change your life > http://welovemountains.net/
I hope it doesnt turn into where only the MAMILs of the SE can afford the bikes.
That is certainly not the idea, there will be a small launch range with various price levels, frame materials and build options.
As someone about to do the same thing in a similarly craft based but different industry, I can completely relate to this reasoning and I wish him the very best of luck. He who dares, Rodders, he who dares.
Thanks Nick : ]
"Don't worry, Rodney. This time next year, we'll be millionaires!"
Good luck Dom.
Better to look back on life and say, I'm glad I did, rather than, I wish I had.
Very true and thanks.
Big up the Masonator!
Thanks Nick : ]
[Masonator...I like that. *saves for product name*].
Just finished my cx pro 6 self build. And now I'm glad I didn't bother waiting to see if they'd update it at all (only things that would be worth changing would be to screw thru axles front and rear).
Love love love love this bike.
Good luck Dom, follow your dreams!
I too thought Dom was Kinesis, too! His work has lead to many happy hours lost on Hampshire roads
I wish him well!
Thanks! Very pleased to have helped you get happily lost ; ]
Really excited to see Dom branching out on his own.
One of the nice guys in cycling and a cracking designer as well - he encouraged me to self build my Crosslight Pro 6 and helped me out with all sorts of dumb rookie questions whilst I was doing so.
Wish him all the best for the new venture
Thanks for the kind words VeloPeo, glad to help :]
Dom was very helpful when we had some compatability issues fitting the front disc brake to a tripster custom build for a customer
Good luck with the new venture!
I must have gotten lost somewhere along the way, I always thought Dom was Kinesis and he ran the whole show.
Good luck to him in his new venture, if others think like me, I see no problem in him having success.
Ha! Yeah, me too.
Still have my trusty 4T, seven years a great bike, from CX to commute to Audax to Touring bike... Top frames.
Best of luck to him, hope he's in my price range
Ditto. The web page has the words 'italian' and 'artisan' on though, which does not bode well for the wallet.
My understanding (I'm happy to be corrected!) was that Kinesis, the parent company, is a manufacturer of various metal tubing products based in Taiwan. The UK part of the operation designed bikes using Kinesis aluminium tubing technology, hence the article's mention of Kinesis' patented "superplastic forming" tech on the Aithein. This is why the framesets also carry stickers proudly mentioning the Kinesis alloy tubing used, for example the TK3 claims to be made from some aluminium alloy called "Kinesium" if I remember correctly.
Thanks alotronic, there will be a small launch range with various price levels, these will be beautifully finished bikes but the idea is to keep the pricing as real world as possible. I hope we are in your price range too : ]
I guess it's the difference between being an au pair and having a child of your own.
Thanks Nick T. Absolutely spot on.
Thanks for your good luck wishes and kind words Gkam84
I hate the name already. I'm sure the bikes will be sweet though.
The name on the bikes will be MASON and it will become the name that the brand goes by, the 'Progressive Cycles' bit is the company name.
Thanks for the feedback though ; ]
Wow, in my head Dom is Kinesis, partly because of his design input and partly because he participates on here when one of his bikes is discussed, so I didn't see that coming. Looking forward to seeing what he's got in mind.
Good luck Dom!
I wonder who will fill his rather large boots at Kinesis?
Thanks for the good luck wishes notfastenough. Kinesis UK was me really, but there is a team there to carry it on and designs already penned will continue to be released until they find someone to fill my boots...although I only take a UK8.
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