Speaking of which, be prepared to spend time messing with the drivetrain. Although it’s from Shimano, the 3×7 shifters and derailleurs have more than enough slop that your LBS may simply refuse genesis mountain bike to work on it, knowing they will never be able to get it to shift smoothly and consistently. Before anyone gets concerned about the shipping weight of over forty pounds, don’t panic.
The Croix de Fer comes in three steel options (10, 20 and 30) as well as a titanium model. Almost the antithesis of the Day One, the Flyer is sublime in its simplicity. It employs easily adjustable genesis mountain bike rim brakes, a single 42×17 gear, and it has mudguards to keep the spray off. Although the frame is steel, it’s relatively lightweight with a carbon fork and no excess components weighing it down.
For those interested in dipping their toes into racing, or just want a sportier feeling bike, the Zeal range is Genesis’ entry level carbon option. The geometry is more aggressive than the endurance-oriented Equilibrium, but not quite as ‘head-down bum-up’ as the dedicated racers that are the Zeros. I did have to buy some new pedals and I always carried my allan wrench because the handle bars would often get loose, other than that this was a dependable bike, I even had to outride a German Shepard one morning. My legs had never been so muscular in my life than the time I rode my Genesis mountain bike, I was in pretty good shape and my body didnt care if the bike was from Wal Mart.
Don’t count on an open end or adjustable wrench, as these nutted axles don’t have the best hardware either. Due to being disc brake only, the bridge between the seatstays could be removed. This further increases mud clearance and also adds to the frame’s compliance, providing better control. Definitely not a versatile bike; this is designed with only CX racing in mind and makes no compromises – except for, perhaps, its two sets of bottle bosses. There aren’t mounting points for front or rear pannier racks; strap on bike-packing bags are the weapon of choice here.
With a 2×9 Shimano Sora groupset and mechanical disc brakes, there are notable differences to the higher end Croix de Fer. But these won’t present an impediment to getting out and using the frame for the huge variety of applications it has the capability for. Gravel riding, endurance road riding, cycle-touring, commuting, these are all still possible on this bike – it’s just a more accessible genesis mountain bike platform to get started with. As the name suggests, these are bikes that are designed for the explicit purpose of riding on the road. Some are more race oriented, meaning mudguard and pannier mounts are forgone and the geometry is longer and lower. Others have more of an endurance focus, better suited to long rides and have all the mounts you need for light cycle-touring.
One year on Vin Cox set off from The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Some 163 days and 18,000 miles later, he returned a world record breaker. The best riding is off the beaten track, on that road – or path – to who knows where. PromotionWe were asked to help create promotional items for the first company store in the US.
Finally, the Columbia Rd is a beautiful step-through with a low maintenance and practical 8-speed internal hubgear. Perfect for pootling around town, plus the twin top tube adds a touch of elegance. For commuters and city-dwellers, Genesis has several bikes to choose from. Genesis has a lot of bikes in its ‘other’ category, so we’ve broken them down into Adventure, Cyclocross and Urban. Finally, if you want to build your absolute dream machine, the Volare and Volare Disc framesets are available in both Reynolds 853 and 931 tubing options. If you’re a roadie, Genesis has a few models for you to consider.