A solid steel range and a smattering of aluminium and carbon models brings the brand bang up to date. Credited with creating the first-ever gravel bike, Genesis bicycles are designed to take you on adventure — off-road, on-road, or wherever your heart desires. The low price point makes it easy to get excited about the Genesis 500 but you are trading functionality, range and stability.
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. Not quite mainstream, yet still hugely popular, Genesis Bikes are a British brand loved by steel-aficionados and adventurers alike. Well thought out geometry, good looks and great handling make the Genesis Core 26.4 stand out as a great bike at a good price. 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.
For the entry level, you’ll get a Shimano Claris 2×8 drivetrain, an aluminium frame and carbon fork. Whilst the 30 model gets a Shimano 105 2×11 drivetrain, along with the aluminium frame and carbon fork. 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.
PromotionWe were asked to help create promotional items for the first company store in the US. Packaging SystemThe packaging system had to accommodate everything from small replacement genesis bicycles parts to complete bikes. Packaging SystemWe created a packaging system that both stood out at retail and aided in finding the right product at a glance in a crowded retail environment.
The Datum comes with 32c tyres, which is a bit closer to the ‘road’ end of the spectrum. But there is clearance for up to 38c, so if the conditions require it, this bike is able to handle the rougher stuff. Just because a bike is designed for one specific purpose doesn’t mean it is limited to that purpose. Adventure bikes are very versatile and can be put to a multitude of uses.
You have the option to have your new bike delivered to your local dealer, or to your door. In the 90’s, the retail model of Beta Bikes was developed as a franchise and these franchise stores operated under the fascia of Freewheel. Whilst the stores looked great and performed well for a while, running a successful bike shop is hard work and requires a huge amount of dedication and this is not so easy to replicate through a franchise. At the same time Madison grew at a rapid rate and it was clear that the future of the business lay in being a distributor to the trade rather than a retailer. Madison pulled out of the franchise scheme in the mid 1990s and stores continued to trade for several years after but eventually were sold or absorbed into other retail chains so none exist anymore. 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.
In this range there are also women’s specific models – in addition to the unisex ones. With these bikes, the saddles have been changed for a women specific model as well as shorter cranks and narrower handlebars being specced to better suit female proportions. 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. An impressive fork at this price point and sensible kit are great and the wheels finish the package off nicely but the main attraction here is the geometry. Packaging SystemGenesis created a holistic packaging system that was impactful and highlighted specific features across a product offering that reached almost 3000 SKU’s. Your bike frame & fork are protected under our Lifetime Warranty policy.