Road Test/Bike Review (1987) KESTREL 4000
 

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3a81f4f4b9.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...166d1aceb1.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3b70031976.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7810d24962.jpg

Oh yeah, I remember those. I wanted one so bad, especially when I saw Pro triathlete Mark Allen beating everyone using one.

EAT RIGHT. GET LOTS OF SLEEP. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS. GO LIKE HELL. :thumb:

I bought a his/hers set of 4000's for short money about ten or twelve years ago. I think it had by this time been rendered to fully "un-cool" or "has-been" status in the eyes of most roadies!

I still have the man-sized one, it rides ok but seems particulary sensitive to the use of old-school aero rims (as shown) for some reason, makes the bike wander crazily.

The bare frame is reported to be a whomping 3.7lbs, twice that of today's lightweight carbon frames. Mine is old enough to have the big hole in the bb shell used for pulling out the bladders. Later ones deleted the holes, and used much thinner air bladders that were simply left in place after molding.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ed11ca5fb3.jpg

Cool! Thanks for posting the photo.
Have you used other wheels from the same era that provided a more predictable ride on it?
It's a beautiful bike.
I really like the look of DA 7400 on that frame.

Yes, I finally figured out why the bike would sometimes wander on me when, on a hunch, I swapped wheels with a fellow rider.
He said my front wheel caused no issues on his bike, but on mine the steering was completely well-behaved using the other (box section btw) front wheel. His bike was one of the steeper-angled Masi frames from tha late-1980's for what that's worth.
The 4000 has steep angles, reportedly 74x74, so with the steering being on the light side it just doesn't seem to like those old-school aero rims when there's any wind around.
I've ridden another (albeit steel) aero-framed road bike that had uncomfortable steering, but only at high speed, and I'm suddenly remembering that it too used early-type aero rims.

I'm suspecting also that aero-profile main tubes tend to be none too laterally rigid!

No apology necessary. That's the one!
I am curious about the SCHWINN connection and why their decal replaced KESTREL in this Nike ad/poster.
I don't recall Allen being sponsored by SCHWINN and I don't remember I ever saw a 4000 in the wild with SCHWINN on it.

I was at an early season triathlon in '88 and I asked Lance Armstrong where his Kestrel was that he used the previous season. He said it was in his garage because he had cracked the bottom bracket. He was 16 at the time and back to riding a steel bike.

Allen was indeed sponsored by schwinn. Before rebadging the kestrel he raced on a red paramount.
BTW, my younger son who was 5yo at the time, had a nike shirt with the same saying. I had the poster and wish I still had it.

Paramount sold a midnight blue 200sci only in 1992, and it's weird that they left the 4000 on this bike for the photo.
But are those Nike shoes, and did Bell ever sell soft shell helmets?
What we can archive from this is: GO LIKE HELL!

Talked to a shop manager from the 4000 era several years ago about the 4000.
He said that they had bunches of cracked BB warranty replacements on the 4000, but the cracks turned out to be usually just in the paint, highlighted by grime!
Keep that in mind if you ever get to negotiate for one.
Kestrel's answer was to not use white paint any more.
Not to say that Lance didn't crush the BB in anything he rode.