You can see our work for Giant in the grueling Tour de France, on Tokyo commuter streets, and in a garage much like your own. Versatility still pervades the frame, with downtube bottle bosses and mounts for a rear rack and mudguards. Although this bike can take on the commuting duties or a bit of cycle-touring, it is more suited to lively riding in the woods and on bridleways. With a 2×9 Shimano Sora genesis bike 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 platform to get started with.
The Genesis Tour de Fer, as the name suggests, is a fully equipped long distance all road tourer. One year on Vin Cox set off genesis mountain bike from The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Some 163 days and 18,000 miles later, he returned a world record breaker.
The bikes are available either with rim brakes or hydraulic discs, but there is only one spec level with these bikes. The rim brake version can take tyres up to 28c, whereas the disc version can handle 30c. As the name suggests, these are bikes that are designed for the explicit purpose of riding on the road.
If you’re looking for a fun bike that can also do the grunt-work when required, this is the one for you. But if you want a dedicated workhorse, the Croix de Fer or Equilibrium will probably suit you better. Capable on and off road, it was a gentle step away from our original Vapour and towards a bike that was intended to go further… but we never imagined quite how much further. The serial number is stamped into the bottom of the frame (under the bottom bracket).
Although the frame is steel, it’s relatively lightweight with a carbon fork and no excess components weighing it down. The basics are there in full length mudguards, a rear pannier rack, and puncture resistant tyres. With clearance for tyres up to 38c and a steel frame that will be robust and help deaden the road chatter, this is a bike with the stamina to match your own.