  We have used R_C I_C CCD photometry from the Isaac Newton telescope and
intermediate resolution spectroscopy from the Gemini North telescope to
identify and characterise low-mass (0.15<M/M_sun<1.3) pre-main sequence stars
in the young open cluster NGC 2169. Isochrone fitting to the high- and low-mass
populations yields an intrinsic distance modulus of 10.13{+0.06}{-0.09} mag and
a model-dependent age of 9+/-2 Myr. Compared with the nearby, kinematically
defined groups of a similar age, NGC 2169 has a large low-mass population which
potentially offers a more precise statistical investigation of several aspects
of star formation and early stellar evolution. By modelling the distribution of
low-mass stars in the I_C versus R_C-I_C diagram we find that any age spread
among cluster members has a Gaussian full width at half maximum <=2.5 Myr. A
young age and small age spread (<10 Myr) are supported by the lack of
significant lithium depletion in the vast majority of cluster members. There is
no clear evidence for accretion or warm circumstellar dust in the low-mass
members of NGC 2169, bolstering the idea that strong accretion has ceased and
inner discs have dispersed in almost all low-mass stars by ages of 10 Myr.
