Genesis Equilibrium
TMR
Posts: 3,986
I'm thinking about buying the orange Equilibrium to build into a Winter trainer. Does anyone have one? If so, opinions on quality and ride please.
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There is a whole thread dedicated to them in commuting.0
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Still interested to read the views of anyone in this forum.
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It looks gorgeous. Don't have one, but am interested after seeing it here http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/70802-best-%C2%A31000-%C2%A31500-road-bikes0
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Ive just bought the frame and forks from Evans with a 25% off code, delivered yesterday the frame looks lovely in the flesh just need to get the bits sorted to build.0
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Built up one from a frame as a training / audax bike earlier this year and have about 5000km on it now, with a longest single spin of 300km (and one local club-league crit, for sh!ts and giggles, though they did make me take off the mudguards).
Good bits
1) Probably a combination of the steel and the geometry, but the bike is surprisingly spritely. It replaced a Ribble Audax / winter trainer which, although not much different in weight, is nowhere near as agile.
2) Great at handling sh!tty Irish roads - broken surfaces & potholes don't transmit as much through the frame
3) I think the carbon fork is the unsung hero of the package - there's a lot of focus on the steel frame but the fork works well too - its not an expensive one but feels matched to the rest of the frame.
4) Apart form the paint (see below) the frame is very well put together
5) With proper mudguards (SKS), the frame will take 25mm tyres without problems (and probably 28mm if I could be arsed checking)
Bad(ish) bits
1) Paint is very weak and chips easily
2) The Tektro brakes (shoes AND calipers) are dreck, especially in the wet. I swapped out the Tektro inserts for Shimano but eventually I ended up taking them off and putting on a set of long-reach Shimanos with Swisstop pads.
3) The frame does not have rack eyes at the top of the seat stays (or separate rack leg eyes at the rear drop-outs) if that is important to you. The upper eyes seems like a curious omission for a frame that has threaded bosses on the seat stayand chain stay bridges for moutning the mudguards.
4) The rear drop-outs are Ritchey "Breezer - style" hooded dropouts - a nice detail but if you plan to use the bike on a turbo, you may find it difficult to get the axle support "cups" of the turbo in under the cowling without damage to the paint or metal
As I said to a mate of mine - if I had to get rid of all my bikes bar one, I'd keep the Genesis. Not the lightest or fastest but by far the most versatile.'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
Sounds good for a winter bike then, shame about the paint. What kind of weight is yours LangerDan?0
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giant man wrote:Sounds good for a winter bike then, shame about the paint. What kind of weight is yours LangerDan?
Short answer - don't know, but it mightn't be strictly relevant either as it is fitted out with dynohub, lots of lights, mudguards etc. C+ just included one in their recent winter-trainer test and the built-up Equilibrium 10 (Tiagra spec) came in at 10.15kg for a 56cm. Frame is 1.878kg, forks are 0.568kg'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
Hi – bought a frame and fork to build one up as a winter trainer last year, mostly with shimano 105 stuff and a pair of Shimano r500 wheels, also fitted SKS full mudguards and currently using 25mm tyres but I think you could also get away with 28mm if required.
Agree with all of the above from LangerDan and have had no problem getting it on my turbo, just enough space around the dropouts.
Haven’t had any problems with chips in the paint either.
As for the riding I was so pleasantly surprised when I first took it out. Its really comfortable without being sluggish at all, used it recently on a very fast club run and it felt great and very agile, even with the not so great wheels I am using. It is by far the most comfortable bike I have and for the money I don’t think you can go wrong at all.0 -
Thanks for the responses.
@ LangerDan - I also have a 2011 Ribble Winter Trainer (which I hope the Genesis will replace) and that will be the donor bike - so I'll transfer 2011 105 GS to it. I've got the full SKS guards (which don't fit the Ribble - FFS!).
Shame about the paint - suppose there's nothing you can do about that. Is that particular to your frame or is it a general issue?0 -
The Mad Rapper wrote:Thanks for the responses.
@ LangerDan - I also have a 2011 Ribble Winter Trainer (which I hope the Genesis will replace) and that will be the donor bike - so I'll transfer 2011 105 GS to it. I've got the full SKS guards (which don't fit the Ribble - FFS!).
Shame about the paint - suppose there's nothing you can do about that. Is that particular to your frame or is it a general issue?
Seems to be a general problem, according to the thread in Commuters. My frame is the "hookers lipstick" red - don't know if that colour is any more or less prone to chipping. What I have noticed is that the paint on the forks seems a little more robust. All I can suggest is to apply a coat or two of a wax polish before assembly.'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
Great, thanks for that.
I'll be going for the orange frame.0 -
yeah I think I might actually, between this and a tk3 alloy. Thing is, the evans price of frame + fork (didn't realise frame comes separate to fork) - is £470, almost the price of the TK3, decisions decisions ....0
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Love orange...I demand pictures!0
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'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0
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I bought a red frame and built it up with my own bits and pieces off an old bike. SRAM Rival groupset, Stans/Hope wheels and Zipp finishing kit. Its not the lightest bike in the world but its not particularly heavy either, probably about 18lbs I'd guess.
It rides really well, dead comfy, goes down rough hills great, climbs nicely (out of the saddle aswell). I think the agility is down to the pretty short stays (where alot of mudguard equipped frames have long ones)
Dunno how many miles Ive done on it, a fair amount though. I ride it round the lake district, never feel it holds me back on any of the steep climbs. It took me round the Fred Whitton in 7 hours and I felt fairly fresh at the end which is probably a good indicator of how comfy it is. Rode it in the Alps this year, again it caused no issues.
Obviously its "not about the bike" but I've never felt it holding me back, but then Im not the greatest rider in the world.
The only thing is, you can sense a small amount of flex in the BB if you're sat down and cranking away as hard as you can, but I cant do that for very long periods of time so it never bothers me!
The paint is shite, mine is now powder coated.
The Tektro brakes are also fairly shite, although they work a bit better with Swissstop pads.0 -
Bought the Aether (alu version)
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/36397/Genesis_Aether_20_Bike_2011
I've changed the brakes for
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/brakes-brakes-road-shimano-r650-57mm-brakes/shimbrar360
the tyres for
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCHWALBE-DURANO-PLUS-700-X-23-ROAD-BIKE-FIXIE-TYRE-NEW-21-PLUS-FREE-P-P-/160927711479?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D333005%26algo%3DRIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D12%26meid%3D3649166712091417185%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1005%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D170852125432%26
and the saddle for a Spesh Romin I bought from the classifieds here.
It's a fantastic commuter/crap weather bike.0
