Genesis CdF Ti

Donie75

Hi,
I may be able to get a good deal on a Genesis CdF Ti 2016 model. I've read a few reviews and it looks like a good bike. I'm looking for a good winter bike for club spins and winter training. Does anyone have one of these and would you recommend it?
Also, is there a weight limit for these bikes? I'm a big guy so will probably get a good set of handbuilts built.

alan_sherman

Lovely looking bike, looked at one a few times on Evans on my lunch break. However it would have to be an amazing deal to be better value than the planet x ti bikes with ultegra, or other titanium bikes. I didn't like the mudguard mounts half way up the fork and the flared bars. It's not light either, but is built to go off road more than just an audax bike. Check whether it has the 105 shifters or the nicer looking non-series ones as the listings may not be correct.

DeVlaeminck

The CdF is a bit of a tank - probably suits some people - flat terrain if you aren't in a hurry it's actually a nice bike to ride but I wouldn't want to do group rides with it unless the group was pretty steady. Off road I actually find the weight more of a drawback and if buying again would probably go for a cyclocross race bike.

thomasmorris

DeVlaeminck wrote:

The CdF is a bit of a tank

Do you mean CdF (steel)? The Ti version is just under 10 kg, so hardly a tank for winter bike.

However, the CdF is a step beyond 'just' a winter bike. I think it's really designed for a bit of off road / gravel paths type touring.

It obviously depends on how comfortable the OP is with the club runs pace, I'm not suggesting you're going to get dropped, but some of the features of CdF which are great for off road, will leave it a little sluggish and cumbersome in a group road ride (wide tyres, slack steering, upright geometry).

If you just want a wet weather bike for training and club runs, I'd keep the geometry pretty close to your summer bike, and just look for something that fits wide-ish road tyres (25-28) with guards. The equilibrium is more along these lines if you like the genesis brand.

trek_dan

Bit expensive for a winter hack?

DeVlaeminck

thomasmorris wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

The CdF is a bit of a tank

Do you mean CdF (steel)? The Ti version is just under 10 kg, so hardly a tank for winter bike.

Yes admittedly I do mean steel - hadn't checked the weight of the Ti just saw the comment above about it not being light.

thomasmorris

trek_dan wrote:

Bit expensive for a winter hack?

depends on your mentality / disposable income.

For some, expense isn't the main reason, they just want another nice bike, but which is optimized for winter. In which case why spend less than you would on the summer bike?

Is ever buying a winter hack going to save you money?
Riding a good bike through the winter may accelerate wear so that I'm buying a set of wheels yearly rather than every 2, and replacing chain / brake pads / cables / grips twice a year rather than yearly. So £1,400 over two years rather than £700. For the £700 I can build up a winter bike and not have to worry about taking guards on and off, as long as I only maintain it with cheap parts it'll have paid for itself after three years.

But this is me doing 10,000 miles PA, i'd say a lot of people replace their bikes well before they've worn through two sets of wheels, in which case the economics of a winter hack will never work. You could argue keeping your nice bike out of wet and rain means when you come to sell it, it's worth more. But the actual wear on a used bike never really changes it's resale value as it's hard to measure, normally resale value is just effected by age (it's not like a car where a low mileage and full service history will increase it's value).

bendertherobot

How good a deal is the deal because, well, Pickenflick

Donie75

The economics of it doesn't really bother me. I've had a tough few years and I feel I owe myself a few luxuries. I have a nice carbon bike but I find that I end up doing more cycling during the winter and spring. I also have an idea that I might try a bit of touring next year so mudguards and a pannier rack compatible bike would be ideal. The Mason bikes also look really good but the steel one is a bit pricey and the the Alu bike might not be a big gain.
I started off looking at a Canyon Endurace Al 6.0 and the Cube Attain SL or SL disc.
Then I though maybe I should just up the ante a bit and get something really nice and more long term.

thomasmorris

Sounds like more than enough justification to buy a bike to me!

The CdF titanium looks an awesome bike, but I'd only buy it if I had serious intentions of doing rough road touring or my commute involved unpaved tracks. For a very nice winter training bike / tourer with discs I'd go with the equilibrium. It'll handle better on group rides a feel more lively.

If you want to spend a little more there is enigma http://www.enigmabikes.com/bikes/versatility/

Or kinesis http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Racelight/GF_Ti-DISC

Or cheaper is planet x http://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes/hurricane

bendertherobot

That's really the point. The PX kills the Genesis on value and, arguably, kit. So unless it's cheaper than that......