Genesis Equilibrium decison

chris217

guys , hope you will excuse my interrupting however i need some help;

i am looking to change from a Spesh SL3 to an Equilibrium, reasons ? i am looking for sonething more practical that I can ride , commute , long distance endurance, train and sportive on come rain or shine !

i know there are many more steel options, Condor, Charge etc but the Genesis is on the money as frame and forks £400 which is pretty much my limit

and want to avoid the fragility of carbon , as while carbon is not paper i would still rather lean a steel bike up against a brick wall or metal fence than a carbon bike ..

issue is weight and losing the snap acceleration ...which i will but wondered whether there are any carbon to steel converts who have good experience. i was just concerned about a few comments saying the Genesis was 'ponderous' and slow. i am aware the steel ride is completely different and i will be getting a frame and putting an Ultegra / dura ace groupset with DT Swiss wheels so it will probably be fine but need some reassurance as i am not quite ready to join the local audax club ( nothing wrong with that ) and still want to be 'competative....
cheers for any input

asprilla

Have a look here. 30 pages of people talking about exactly what you want.

silverpigeon

Anybody who describes the Genesis as 'slow and ponderous' really doesn't know what they are talking about and should be ignored and avoided.

I have a blinged up Basso carbon bike and a very nice aluminium Principia - I haven't ridden either of them since building up my Genesis. At 10kg it's around 3Kg heavier than the other two but I can't say that it's noticeably slower and if I had to keep only one bike, this would be it.

passout

You may notice any extra weight when climbing, especailly if its on the wheels. Otherwise it probably won't make too much difference. I did notice the weight on my steel bikes but then I do a lot of climbing. Weight isn't everything though; comfort is important.

chris217

thanks guys, and Asprillia i have read the 30 pages of Genesis notes as well.

i agree and in the scheme of things the comfort and 'engagement' you get from a decent steel bike as so much different from that of a carbon frame. my Sl3 is a £2000 frame yet while responsive and pretty smooth , it works and is functional but i feel it is actually a bit soulless !!! i must be getting old ....but think i am going take the step and sell the SL3 and get the Genesis ....cheers

Steve236

A review of the Equilibrium 20 has just appreared on BR. It got 3.5 out of 5 stars and appears to have lost points for being steel (i.e. a bit heavier) and the brakes being a bit crap (which fair enough, seems to be a common complaint). I don't get why reviews like this penalise the bike for being steel. As they point out in the same review, anyone who wants a steel bike isn't after the lightest possibe ride anyway.

I can imagine a review of less than 4 stars would put some people off even if they had already settled on a steel bike with its inherent weight "penalty"

keef66

If my Racelight Tk got trashed or stolen I'd be buying an Equilibrium tomorrow. I'd buy it from Epic and get to choose all the bits.

asprilla

Steve236 wrote:

A review of the Equilibrium 20 has just appreared on BR. It got 3.5 out of 5 stars and appears to have lost points for being steel (i.e. a bit heavier) and the brakes being a bit crap (which fair enough, seems to be a common complaint). I don't get why reviews like this penalise the bike for being steel. As they point out in the same review, anyone who wants a steel bike isn't after the lightest possibe ride anyway.

Yeah, I find it weird too.

Brake wise, just swap out the callipers for Shimano R650s and away you go.

silverpigeon

Earlier BR reviews for the same bike give it a higher rating so I really can't see where they're coming from. I would recommend buying the frame and fork separately and building up with your own bits if you can get deals etc.

I did the same for mine and it came in at just over £1000 for a better spec'd bike than the Equilibrium 20 including a nice set of handbuilt wheels and a CK headset

If not that, then most owners do seem to recommend swapping the calipers for Shimano R650s