2018 Genesis bikes go road plus, XC carbon, and more new bikes in stainless & titanium

Like their racier mountain bike sibling, Genesis has a bunch of new bikes to show for the upcoming season. Two completely new bikes – the steel road plus Fugio & carbon XC hardtail Mantle – are the biggest updates, expanding Genesis’ adventure and mountain bike ranges even more. But there are also other updates to existing bike platforms with new bikes & framesets for both road & trail riding.

Genesis Fugio steel road plus bike

The Fugio probably stands out the most, because it seems to fit so well into the steel adventure road bike concept that defines Genesis in my head, that I am maybe surprised that it didn’t already exist in the lineup. 650b+ is making big inroads to all-around road, adventure & bikepacking riding versatility with the expansion of excellent tires like the WTB Horizon, Byway & Resolute offering grip for everything from smooth road to hardpack trails. The Fugio comes with 650b x 50mm Clement MSOs, another versatile option.

Genesis themselves call the Fugio a mix of their Equilibrium Disc, Croix de Fer & Tarn. That’s pretty much road, cross & mountain rolled into one. But to us it really is just another example of the Gravel Trends we talked about last week. That’s not a bad thing though.

Road plus wheel/tire combo, thru-axles, flat mounts, dropped chainstay, a full suite of rack & fender braze-ons, full carbon tapered fork – it’s got all the boxes ticked with a premium double butted Mjölnir Cromo steel frame.

The Fugio is available either in a £2000 complete build with a Shimano 105 groupset and RS-505 hydro disc brakes to hit up either road or trail (at a claimed 11.32kg/24.95lb). Or for just £800 you can get the bare frameset (3.5kg/7.7lb including frame, fork, headset, seatpost collar & post axles) to build it up however you want.

Genesis Mantle carbon XC hardtail mountain bike

The carbon XC Mantle is another big step for Genesis, adding another carbon frame to the line. Like the Datum & Zero, the new carbon hardtail mountain bike is built to be light, responsive, and race-ready, but just as capable of use as a smooth everyday bike.

The carbon hardtail gets two complete builds with either the blue £3600 Mantle 30 with an XT 1x and Fox 32 StepCast fork (10.14kg/22.35lb), or the more affordable orange Mantle 20 at £2600 with SLX, the same fork & lower end DT wheels (10.82kg/23.85lb).

Both share the same 1460g carbon Mantle frame that you can get alone for £1500. The 30T carbon frame gets full internal routing, Di2 internal battery clamp, a tapered headtube, PressFit BB, 31.6 seatpost, and Boost spacing. The complete bikes get built with 29er wheels, but the frame can also handle up to a 27.5 x 2.8″ tire, even with a front derailleur.

Genesis Tarn Ti titanium trail hardtail frameset

Plus-sized ti hardtail is what Genesis calls a Tarntanium mountain bike. The long, low & slack 27.5+ Tarn has been a rider’s favorite, so Genesis decided to give it a bit of the premium titanium treatment.

Only available as a £2000 frameset, paired to a suspension corrected 27.5+ tapered full carbon fork, the Tarn Tanium should be a fun bike to build up with either 29″ or 27.5″ wheels. Run it 1x or with a front derailleur, the Boost bike is ready for dropper posts or comes with a shim for a more comfy 27.2mm post. The 3.04kg frameset (frame, fork, headset, seatcollar & both axles) even comes with both Shimano Direct & a standard rear derailleur hanger, so it is pretty much only limited by your imagination.

Genesis Volare 931 & 853 steel disc brake road framesets

Genesis’s premium steel Volare 931 & 853 race road bikes finally get the update to disc brakes. Both are available as framesets only, now with flat mount discs and 12mm thru-axles.

The bare & blasted stainless steel Volare 931 Disc sells for £2200 with the tapered full carbon fork, headset, seat collar & both thru-axles included (2.60kg/5.73lb). The teal & black Reynolds 853 Volare 853 Disc is a grand cheaper at £1200 for the same kit (2.82kg/6.22lb). Both use a 1.5″ tapered headtube, BB86 bottom bracket & 27.2 post.

If you want to stick with rim brakes the Volare is also still available as framesets in 931 for £1800 or in 853 for £1000.

Other updates

If you still want more Genesis has a few other gems sprinkled throughout the line-up. Their steel Tour de Fer loaded touring bike gets a new build with a flat bar for those who want an upright fit out on tour. The disc brake road carbon Zero Disc gets several new complete bike builds, plus a pair of framesets with a new women’s team option. The Equillibrium Disc also now gets a new set of 12mm thru-axles & a new carbon fork to go with its tapered steerer.

GenesisBikes.co.uk

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