Don’t Miss the Redesigned 2024 Brother Kepler

Photos by Conny Mirbach

Introduced as one of the small UK-based brand’s flagship models in 2015, the Brother Kepler has been a stalwart do-it-all platform for nearly a decade. Over the years, we’ve seen riders turn their versatile steel Keplers into a kaleidoscopic array of builds to suit their needs, from gravel bikes, to tourers, to commuters, and much more.

For 2024, Will and James at Brother Cycles decided it was time to refresh the longstanding Kepler, and this year’s frameset sees more updates and changes than ever before. They say the functional and cosmetic changes help keep the platform in line with the evolution of their personal cycling interests, and we’re fully on board with the new vision. The reworked 2024 Brother Kepler features an all-new lugged steel fork with dynamo light wiring, internal cable routing for the rear brake, a brazed seat collar, bottle mounts under the downtube, and a fresh metal oak leaf head badge. Sand Yellow (pictured here) and Teal Fade are this year’s color options, and the frame’s much-loved geometry remains unchanged.

As part of their design and development process, Brother often sends out prototype framesets to their network of dealers for feedback. They shipped a Kepler to Davo at Guten Biken in Munich, Germany, a good friend of the brand and Brother in the Wild collaborator, and he built up something special that exemplifies what’s possible with the latest iteration of the Kepler. Find a little about Davo’s build and a full list of components below.

Davo’s 2024 Brother Kepler Build

Words by Davo Phillips

One of the advantages of “bike dreaming” is the freedom to swim between different ideas without investing too much time or money. I always try to keep this phase open as long as possible before I’m committing to a new personal bike. Whether it’s parts that are migrated from another build, rare pre-owned ones, maybe parts negotiated from a fellow enthusiast, expensive, new or cheap parts, or common ones that need to be modified, I love thinking about the many ways a build can come together.

I previously rode a Kepler and really enjoyed it. For this build, the fenders include extra mounts to make them stiffer and are set as high as possible for mud clearance/tire contact. The friction shift to 12 speed should be an adventure every time I change gears! It’s unclear if the bike will stay in this exact format, as I’m bound to make some changes once I’ve had a chance to get out and ride it!

• Frame/Fork: Brother Cycles Kepler 56 cm
  
• Rims: Nextie 27.5″ Premium Edition, 27mm
• Hubs: SON28 (front) / Chris King MTB 6-Bolt (rear)
• Tires: Ultradynamico Rosé Race 650B x 48mm
• Handlebars: SimWorks Wild Honey, 510mm
• Headset: Tange
• Crankset: Middleburn R02 Road X-Type
• Chainring: Cross drilled Stridsland 110 BCD 40T
• Derailleur(s): SRAM X01 12-speed
• Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace SLR
• Brakes: Paul Comp. Klamper FM
• Rotors: Hope Floating 160/160
• Shifter(s): Microshift Bar-End, set to friction
• Saddle: SQlab 612 Carbon
• Seatpost: SimWorks Beatnik, 300mm
• Stem: Simworks Rhonda, 70mm
• Lights: SON Edelux II upside down, silver (front) / Blue Lug Koma USB Light (rear)
• Other accessories: BLB rack, Yokozuna cables, Büchel stainless fenders

Pre-orders for the 2024 Brother Kepler framesets will open around the end of this month, and frames should arrive in April. Pricing for the frame and fork is £799 ($1,000) including UK VAT. You can follow Brother Cycles on Instagram and keep an eye on BrotherCycles.com for more. We’ll be sure to share the news as soon as pre-orders open.

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