K.I.S. steering stabiliser: A flop on mountain bikes! Will it soon be on road bikes too?

​True innovations are few and far between some 200 years after the invention of the bicycle. Carbon, as a lightweight material, and modern geometries were regarded as genuine game-changers. “And K.I.S. is part of that too,” says Robert Kühnen, a graduate engineer.

The K.I.S. advocate cannot understand why the system has not caught on. The idea is that the steering system makes mountain bikes run more smoothly at high speeds, thereby making riding on challenging trails easier.

A look back at the history of mountain biking

In 2022, inventor and Syntace founder Jo Klieber introduced the system to the cycling world. His aim was also to eliminate the drawbacks of shallow steering angles. Reactions in the specialist press ranged from cautious to enthusiastic. Peter Nilges, then head of testing at BIKE magazine, also recognised the system’s clear advantages. Everyone noticed the positive effects, some more so than others. At the same time, there were of course critical voices along the lines of: ‘I can steer just fine as it is, and please, no more bits on the bike.’

The road bike wasn’t a factor at that point.

The big K.I.S. boom never materialised. The mail-order giant Canyon secured the rights for a year, fitted the system to high-travel bikes – and continues to do so on many models to this day. Other manufacturers did not follow suit. “Perhaps that’s also one reason why K.I.S. didn’t catch on – besides, innovations that don’t establish themselves in racing tend to struggle,” says designer and bike visionary Peter Denk. His conclusion after a brief test ride with K.I.S.: It’s nice to have, but not essential.

​I once got a friend to ride a bike with an aero attachment – one with long triathlon handlebars. He’d never held anything like that before. Normally, the first time you ride one, you end up weaving from side to side, so it looks as if you’re drunk. With K.I.S. activated, he rode in a dead straight line right from the very first metre. I’d never seen anything like it. For me, that was the proof.
Robert Kühnen, TOUR tester

Does K.I.S. make sense for road bikes as well?

“The system has so many advantages and would even make sense on road bikes and city bikes,” claims Kühnen. He has tried it out on a road bike with aero handlebars. Without K.I.S., it’s particularly difficult to ride in a straight line without weaving – but with K.I.S., it worked. Even critic Denk can envisage a positive effect here. Kühnen sees another area of application in city bikes. “The steering geometries of these bikes are often too twitchy anyway – and many riders are relatively inexperienced. With K.I.S., the handling would become much smoother,” says Kühnen.

According to our information, manufacturers are said to have experimented in this area as well – but it seems rather unlikely that anyone would dare to relaunch a product using K.I.S. again.

More views on K.I.S. in mountain biking

​“I’ve never tried K.I.S. before, but I’ve never had any trouble steering. So why K.I.S.?” Janik Rohe, BIKE reader (by email)

​“I gave K.I.S. a quick go right at the start – I wasn’t entirely convinced. It probably didn’t catch on because it might not have been fully thought through. I’d be happy to give it another go with suspension. Besides, it’s yet another part on the bike that could break.” Peter Denk, cycling visionary

​“K.I.S. is a nice feature, but in my view it’s not a game-changer. I noticed differences (in Canyon) – some of them positive – but on mountain tours with lots of hairpin bends, I found K.I.S. rather tiring.” Laurin Lehner, BIKE tester

​“K.I.S. offers significant advantages, particularly on wet or slippery descents. But yes, it does take some getting used to. Of the few test bikes we had fitted with K.I.S., I much preferred the Liteville system to Canyon’s. It feels smoother, less ‘digital’, even with a lot of spring preload.” Adrian Kaether, BIKE tester