Some adventures are about taking your time and drinking in your surroundings, others are about getting there fast. This bike is designed for lightweight bike-packing, able to tackle ultra-distances on mixed terrain. Despite being already expansive, the Genesis Bikes brand continues to grow, with the British company striking out even further to the gravel/adventure cross market. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
The Alpitude needs to be ridden hard to get the best from the frame, if you hit rough sections too slow then the bike can stall and you have to work to get back up to speed. The Revelation fork is simple to set up but it is worth remembering to go back and reset them after a couple of rides as they begin to sink into their travel once bedded in. Specialized also launched a Peter Sagan collection with a largely gold frameset a few years ago. We’ve got to say, though, that we’ve never seen anything like the head tube on Adam Blythe’s bike. But more than that, there’s front and rear dynamo lights, so you never need worry about forgetting/neglecting to charge your lights. An internally geared hub goes a long way to weather proofing the drivetrain, as do the full housed gear cables that help stop dirt degrading your shifting performance.
Even if you’re not a bike enthusiast, you’ve probably noticed the giant bicycle perched on top of the store at 126 Bushkill St. You can see it as you pass by on Route 22 heading into New Jersey. The CDA on the other hand is less race and more sportive, with relaxed endurance geometry and massive tyre clearance for knobblies so you can truly take it anywhere. You’ll find a range of materials used in Genesis bikes, though the brand is well loved for its steel offerings. Once set and on the bike genesis mountain bike the first thing that you notice is the high front end, the high rise bars and 6º rise stem are the reason for this and can easily be changed if you prefer to go wide and low. There has been much talk about the Alpitude and the clear design ethos behind it, which was to make a bike that you could take anywhere and ride anything on. The understated finish and determined stance of the Alpitude certainly suggest that this is a bike that will go about its business in a quiet and purposeful manner.
A rim brake version is available in addition to the disc option and both come with Shimano Ultegra 2×11 groupsets. The maximum tyre size on bike is 28c, typical for rim brake set ups but relatively narrow for a bike with discs. But for races that are solely on roads, this should be more than adequate.
Genesis are building a reputation for thoughtful and well designed bikes so it is fair to say that there had been a sense of expectation once we knew the Alpitude was winging its way to us. As mentioned in the Tweet, the 24-carat gold leaf finish has been created by Fatcreations, a Sussex-based company that has been responsible for countless stunning paintjobs over the years. Product PresentationWe developed the product graphic presentation for more than 200 unique models every year…while being on-trend, fresh and true to the brand.
The Croix de Fer comes in three steel options (10, 20 and 30) as well as a titanium model. The angles are steep, the front end is low and there aren’t mudguard or pannier mounts. 33c tyres are specced (the maximum permitted in UCI sanctioned cyclocross races), while the maximum tyre size recommend is 35c. There aren’t mounting points for front or rear pannier racks; strap on bike-packing bags are the weapon of choice here.
None of these things alone would be an issue but add them up and they mean you have to push hard to get the bike really moving. You get out what you put in though and once up to speed the bike is a different animal. The adjustable Revelation forks up front give you the option to wind down the travel to sharpen up the handling through singletrack and help you up the steep genesis bicycles stuff, turning the Alpitude into a true all mountain steed. Steep technical drops are taken in its stride and on fast smooth downs the Alpitude feels stable so long as you stay out of the saddle. Genesis give their geometry figures with the bike at 25% sag, so you can take just over a degree off the stated numbers to give you the figures of the bike unweighted.
The Tour de Fer is a steel touring-specific bike with a longer, stable wheelbase, and comes complete with mudguards and racks. Finally, for the bikepackers, the Longitude is a fully rigid, steel-framed mid-fat expedition adventure bike. The Genesis Tarn is a steel-framed short-travel hardtail with 120mm travel and 27.5in wheels, and is equipped with Maxxis Rekon tyres. The Genesis Seat bicycle is a valuable choice to improve your cycling experience, with its innovative Seat and handlebars, the Genesis is a peerless Bike for shoppers who desire to explore new ways to bike. The black and gray color scheme is yellow bottom is a top-notch addition to cycl routine. Our main criticism of the Alpitude is its lack of acceleration; this is a combination of the short top tube, high front end, weight and slightly draggy tyres.