Tyre clearance is increase to 38c, there are discrete mudguard and pannier mounts and an extra set of bottle bosses is present on the downtube. Ostensibly, this is a more budget-oriented version of the Vapour Carbon. Disc brakes remain present, but they have been changed to mechanical rather than hydraulic. The drivetrain is still a performance genesis bicycles oriented 1×11 set up and, in all, this is still a competitive racing machine. 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.
However, through our online retail partner Freewheel, you are able spread the cost of your new bike via a finance scheme. In 2019 Genesis became aware of a potential problem involving the durability of Samox AF-13 single speed chainsets, specified on certain Day One models. It’s really hard to give safe and accurate technical advice over the internet! We’d always advise going to genesis bicycles your local Genesis dealer, where they can see the bike and diagnose any technical or mechanical issues that you’re having with your bike. With so many different variables this is an impossible question for us to answer properly! Please do head over to your local Genesis dealer to talk through price points, intended use and of course compatibility with the rest of your set-up.
That way, we can provide exactly what you need to get the most out of your bike. The first thing you notice is that the cockpit is comfortable, it just feels right. Not too long and well balanced with none of the ‘too much weight on the wrists’ feeling that sometimes comes on trail hardtails.
Please note that Freewheel currently only deliver within the UK at this time. Given the versatility of this frame, it is perhaps to be expected that there is a large number of different builds on offer. It is available with flat bars and drop bars, carbon forks and steel forks, there’s even a titanium frame option. For each of the builds, there are different spec levels donated by a ‘10’ for the entry level and ’30’ for the top line. Other bikes might have the specificity to perform better in a single one of these uses, but very few bikes would be able to perform as well as the Croix de Fer in all of them. It is the combination of a vast array of mounts, a robust steel frame and wide tyre clearances that allow this bike to be such a jack of all trades.
This bike is designed for lightweight bike-packing, able to tackle ultra-distances on mixed terrain. The Fugio is a rowdier bike than the Croix de Fer, more suited to playing around on the trails and using the bumps as a platform to get some air. The dropper seatpost, slacker head angle, shorter chainstays and clearance for tyres up to 50mm wide on 650b wheels are responsible for this more playful handling. These bikes are designed for longer days out being able to handle heavier loads and rougher roads.
The battery powering this bike delivers ~36 volts of power and 9 amp hours of capacity. That’s kind of average and the pack is a bit heavier than some equivalent designs because it uses a Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry vs. Lithium Manganese or Lithium Cobalt. The pack is kind of large and you can actually upgrade it to be even larger if you want, just be careful over large bumps given the limited strength of just one pair of support struts vs. higher end ProdecoTech bikes. The greatest restriction on how fast genesis bike you can go when pinning singletrack is the tyres, yes they are fast rolling but they lack bite, something with greater cornering grip would certainly show off bikes handling better. At around 27lbs the Core weighs in somewhere in the middle of the scale that you would expect for a 120mm trail blaster but it feels nippy and easy to spin up to speed thanks to the lightweight rims and fast rolling tyres. If you have any questions about our products or your purchase, make sure to visit our customer service page.