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Thinking about a winter bike, and I'm keen to start with a frame and build up from there.
The Kinesis and the Equilibrium seem like the best options.
Which would you choose (or do you have) and why?
I think this depends on what you want.
I had a Kinesis 4S in 2016-17 and liked it a lot. It was fairly light, accelerative and although it'll take rack and 'guards, it's definitely more of a roadie than an all-round / tourer / commuter. In my humble opinion, the slightly more robust Equilibrium would be closer to those latter attributes - but is still a roadie.
To introduce some balance (and confuse you further) I have a 4S, and use it for pure road riding AND touring. It copes with both admirably - completely unphased by a 7 day road trip that took in roads of various conditions, Savernake Forest fireroad & about 20 miles of canal towpath between Devices and Bath.
To switch between road and touring modes required 32mm CX tyres instead of 26mm slicks, and the addition of rack & panniers.
Apart from a pinch flat, in the forest (down to too little pressure and too much speed) it never missed a beat.
The 4S and the equilibrium were my final short list of two, with the deciding factor being that the latter has flat mounts for the brakes, on the frame, but post mount on the fork - which is pretty strange, if you think about it.
Current Equilibrium is bolt thru and Flat Mount front and rear.
I forget what size tyre the Equilibrium Disc takes, but the rim brake model was only a 25 with guards, although stories abound of getting 28s in there.
For that reason I'd go 4S, lighter, and better tyre clearance with guards, what's not to like? If it's too low at the front, just swallow your pride and get some Specialized Hover bars, I run them on my commuter and haven't been laughed off the cyclepath/pelted with eggs yet...
Current Equilibrium is bolt thru and Flat Mount front and rear.
So it is - that certainly makes the decision less clear cut.
Unfortunately, it's over 18 months too late for me - which is probably a good thing. 😉