Thinking of a steel winter bike frame - Genesis anyone?

n4th4n007

I'm thinking of getting a steel road frame for the winter as my current winter bike is pretty stiff and not the comfiest !! I'm looking at a Genesis Volare or Equilibrium, does anyone have one for a winter bike?

Also how much comfier is it? I know thats a pretty broad question as I'm sure all steel frame / grades are different. But i have the choice of Equilibrium Reynolds 725 or the Volare which is 853. The Volare doesn't take full length guards which might be a consideration.

Any one ride one of these or can suggest anything as an alternative?

jordan_217

Ribble 525. Granted it's the lowest grade of steel that bares the Reynolds sticker but it's cracking value and really nice to ride. It ticks every box as a commuter or dedicated 'Winter' bike. It's also within C2W scheme budget.

47p2

I bought a Genesis Skyline last year, the original owner bought it new a few years ago and covered a maximum of 20 miles on it then left it sitting in his garage. When I first saw it I thought it was just out the wrapper, absolutely immaculate, not a single blemish. Between November and April I managed to clock up almost 2000 miles in snow, frost, rain, sleet and the occasional sunshine. One of the comfiest bikes I have, so much so that I've just bought my second Genesis, a Volare 20 stainless steel number with full Ultegra. Genesis are not the cheapest bikes out there but they are top quality and very well made. I've no doubt that some day I will manage to stretch my budget to the Volare Team 953

Genesis Skyline Reynolds 520 tubing


Genesis Volare 20 Reynolds 931 stainless steel tubing

dj58

Does the Skyline take full mudguards?

n4th4n007

LOVE that Volare !!

47p2

Yes the Skyline does take full mudguards, the Volare doesn't

kingstonian

jordan_217 wrote:

Ribble 525. Granted it's the lowest grade of steel that bares the Reynolds sticker but it's cracking value and really nice to ride. It ticks every box as a commuter or dedicated 'Winter' bike. It's also within C2W scheme budget.

Don't look any further than this.
The Ribble 525 is just ridiculously good value, especially if you get it on C2W.

simon_masterson

Depends on what you have to spend, and what you want to kit it out with, really. I love my old steel bikes (though I wouldn't say no to a 953 number!), but I also use downtube shifters and quill stems (etc). If you want to use modern equipment, you'll probably find it easier with a modern frame.

That Ribble looks nice. I doubt that there's a massive difference in build quality between that and the Genesis frames.

thegibdog

The Volare is designed to be a stiff race bike, not a comfy winter bike. 47 pages of Equilibrium info here:
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12780959

andy_s_t

I have a Genesis Croix De Fer, think it's the original one. I bought the frame from the classifieds on here. Very good winter bike, the discs through the winter are great, and it's pretty comfortable too.

neeb

thegibdog wrote:

The Volare is designed to be a stiff race bike, not a comfy winter bike. 47 pages of Equilibrium info here:
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12780959

+1.
It's seriously oversized stainless steel and will not be bedspring-comfy like old-school steel. On the other hand it will be stiff under pedalling. I have an Enigma Extensor in Columbus XCR, a similar type of frame. It's a fantastic bike and feels like high-end modern carbon when jumping on the pedals, but on rough roads it rattles the teeth more than my Scott Foil.

careful

Spa steel Audax makes a great all rounder and winter bike.
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... b0s21p2866

IanRCarter

I have the Ribble 525 steel frame. Bought a steel fork off ebay, swapped the Sora components off my other bike (excuse for an upgrade!) and everything else - seatpost, handlebars, stem etc - were cheap ebay purchases. Used the old wheels I'd replaced on my Specialized and bought a set of Vittoria Rubino 25c tyres because of the mixed information about clearances (they do fit, for the record but larger 25c tyres may rub).

I haven't got much experience with different bikes, but it is much smoother to ride than my aluminium Spesh, it's comfortable and I can still put the power down when I need to. You do notice the extra weight on the hills though. I couldn't find a steel bike anywhere near the price of the Ribble, especially for just a frame.

aw1808

I have the genesis equilibrium , great bike and very comfy to ride . Bought it last month and has been great on the wet commute and also longer miles .

Only recondition would to change the wheels as they are crap !!!

simon_masterson

IanRCarter wrote:

I couldn't find a steel bike anywhere near the price of the Ribble, especially for just a frame.

There are definitely some bargains to be had second hand on complete bikes, but building up can get very good for relatively little if you're a bit savvy. My latest build I'm hoping will be rideable for well under £600, and that includes all of the postage and courier costs, and tyres, pedals, cables, bolts, bar tape, everything. The frame is a beautiful fillet brazed masterpiece in 753, made by Terry Dolan for Chris Boardman, and parts are Campag. Granted, that figure includes a few bits that were donated and that I already had, but by £800 I'm hoping to have new pedals and computer and a new rear wheel, and by £1000 an additional rear wheel and carbon wheel covers.

I like to think if all you wanted was a half decent ride in 531, it could come in at least half that built from scratch...

mikenetic

I genuinely don't understand why Ribble build their winter frames so that only 23c tyres are genuinely guaranteed to fit. They need to be able to take 25c with mudguards comfortably. It's daft.

jordan_217

mikenetic wrote:

I genuinely don't understand why Ribble build their winter frames so that only 23c tyres are genuinely guaranteed to fit. They need to be able to take 25c with mudguards comfortably. It's daft.

The 525 takes 25mm Conti GP 4 Seasons, no problems with mudguards. The Alu Winter trainer, as you say, only takes 23's.

mikenetic

jordan_217 wrote:

mikenetic wrote:

I genuinely don't understand why Ribble build their winter frames so that only 23c tyres are genuinely guaranteed to fit. They need to be able to take 25c with mudguards comfortably. It's daft.

The 525 takes 25mm Conti GP 4 Seasons, no problems with mudguards. The Alu Winter trainer, as you say, only takes 23's.

Ah, that's good to know. Cheers!

fatdaz

I built an Equilibrium disc with hand built wheels from Ugo/Paolo on here. With 28mm Conti 4 seasons on it's a very comfy and stable ride on crap roads in the wet. I'm very happy with it for Winter riding although it's noticeably harder work to get up to speed than my summer bike.

Bozman

Somebody is selling the black and green Volare frames on eBay for £695 at the mo.

matt-h

Bozman wrote:

Somebody is selling the black and green Volare frames on eBay for £695 at the mo.

I have one. It's fantastic

Matt

MartinB2444

I have a Genesis Equilibrium 20 with mudguards and 25mm GP 4 seasons tyres as my wet/winter bike. My other bike is a pimped up Cube GTX Race with 23mm tubeless tyres.

Both bikes are very comfy. I get less road buzz with the Cube (especially since fitting carbon handlebars). The Genesis soaks up big pot holes better. The Genesis is significantly less lively especially on hills but tracks beautifully on descents.

I think the comfort benefits of steel over carbon are well over stated. However, the Genesis does look really nice, and I enjoy riding it.

schlepper

Saw a 2015 Equilibrium 20 earlier today. They look lovely. Test riding next week. Looks aren't everything, but...