Ow, Ugo, there's a new Fugio!

bendertherobot

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adv ... ugio/fugio

ugo.santalucia

What happened to the selling point.... the 853 steel?

bendertherobot

ugo.santalucia wrote:

What happened to the selling point.... the 853 steel?

Mjolnir is quite nice, as it happens, (it's on my Equilibrium). Probably not as good, but, it's named after Thor's hammer............

ugo.santalucia

Mine was a race CX frame, this seems to me yet another gravel bike... there is no gravel to speak about in the midlands...

arthur_scrimshaw

bendertherobot wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

What happened to the selling point.... the 853 steel?

Mjolnir is quite nice, as it happens, (it's on my Equilibrium). Probably not as good, but, it's named after Thor's hammer............

My shopping bike is made of Mjolnir so not sure if that's a recommendation or not

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rwMEzmJs66hn6REh2

(sorry since the photobucket debacle I don't know how to post pics on here anymore)

cycleclinic

enoylds tubing has become too expensive. Also gravel bikes are selling and not just for gravel riding. People use them for long distance audax's and light off road use. The CX race market is smaller than the potential "gravel" market which is old fashioned MTB XC sort of thing renamed.

timothyw

Ugly colour scheme, heavy, doesn't even have a full carbon fork, 105 and they're sticking a £2k price tag on it?

Good luck with that....

I had a Genesis day one disc which was Mjolnir. Seemed fine. It was better than the allegedly reynolds steel Verenti that replaced it after it was written off in a crash.

ugo.santalucia

thecycleclinic wrote:

enoylds tubing has become too expensive. Also gravel bikes are selling and not just for gravel riding. People use them for long distance audax's and light off road use. The CX race market is smaller than the potential "gravel" market which is old fashioned MTB XC sort of thing renamed.

I have seen all sorts of bikes at Audax events, but no gravel bike that I remember... certainly none with gravel tyres. As for the "light off road" stuff... I am not quite sure what that is... is it the local un-tarmaced cycle path? I think more than a gravel bike, it's a pair of mudguards that is needed there when it's wet.

Gravel bikes did appear a good idea, but in the absence of great outdoors with gravel roads like they have in Canada (or even somewhere in Scotland) there is very little use for those. Even the classic off roads bridleways in Englad (South/North downs, Chiltern way etc) are a bit rough for a gravel bike... I'd rather have a basic hard tail with flat bars there

veronese68

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I'd rather have a basic hard tail with flat bars there

But for the handlebars that's what the gravel bikes are becoming. The Canondale Slate has a bouncy front end, hasn't somebody developed short travel forks for gravel bikes. Some terrain that is a bit scary on my CX is easily manageable on a hardtail with 2" tyres and bouncy forks.
I must say I prefer the Fugio like yours to the new one.

cld531c

But presumably you get to cover at least twice the miles with the ' mile munching Clement X'Plor MSO 50c tyres'

ugo.santalucia

cld531c wrote:

But presumably you get to cover at least twice the miles with the ' mile munching Clement X'Plor MSO 50c tyres'

I thought that bigger was better until I got to 38 mm and realised that was one step too far. high 20s to 30 mm is good but as you get bigger they get really draggy

ugo.santalucia

11.3 kg is a bit outrageous. At the time I did manage to get my Fugio down to 9.8 kg with basic components

cld531c

ugo.santalucia wrote:

cld531c wrote:

But presumably you get to cover at least twice the miles with the ' mile munching Clement X'Plor MSO 50c tyres'

I thought that bigger was better until I got to 38 mm and realised that was one step too far. high 20s to 30 mm is good but as you get bigger they get really draggy

I was referring to our resident multi mile recording MileMuncher1

gabriel959

I agree about the whole gravel thing. Are there lots of gravel paths in the UK? Very few in Cambridgeshire (or East Anglia).

I have a gravel bike which I treat as a comfortable, winter road bike. It weights just under 10kg. But it is carbon and a XL :-)

w00dster

Apologies if I sound a bit of a rant (it really isn't!)

People are getting to concerned about the genre name. Gravel bikes / adventure bikes or even monster cross bikes are all merging into one. I ride my "adventure" bike all over the place, Wales, South Downs, Yorkshire, Scotland, Cumbria even in Buckinghamshire. In my view we have two issues, generally you have to drive somewhere to do a decent "gravel / adventure " ride. Second issue is that they don't always join up very well, it can take a fair amount of time to work out a route that works well. There are a fair amount of resources on the web to help with routes though, it just takes time to find them.

50c is good for a drop bar bike off-road tyre. Not great for muddy CX races and certainly not great on the road. I've done the South Downs way on a rigid MTB and also on an 40c tyre on an"adventure" bike - different weather conditions but the adventure bike was significantly quicker - can't remember the time difference, but I know it felt a lot easier and I was a lot fresher setting up camp at the end of the ride. For long distance rides of which certain gravel rides comes into this, I don't like doing this on my hardtail with a flat bar, either a drop bar bike with nice wide tyres (anything from 40 to 57c) or I have a Jones Loop H Bar on a rigid mountain bike which is far more comfortable than a flat bar.

This Fugio seems like it may be replacing the Vagabond, at 11kgs it does seem heavy. My hardtail isn't much heavier. I also think the gearing is wrong, 50/34 and 11-32 isn't great for off-road use. If its intended for road then fine, but then why the 650b wheels? If its intended for off-road then a lower gearing would be preferred.....but then that's the Vagabond. I certainly wouldn't consider this as a bike I could use for multi day off-road use due to the weight and the gearing. On its own the weight would be OK, but the gearing just doesn't compliment it.

In terms of light off-road use, most disc braked road bikes are capable of riding light off-road terrain. I use my Domane for riding forest trails (mainly Thetford), I also use it for a Sustrans Route (bridleway, bumpy none technical single track) with the kids on their mountain bikes. I much prefer to do this on a tyre with more volume than a 25c can hold, even a 33c cross tyre isn't anywhere near as comfortable as a tubeless 40c panaracer gravel king.

During the drier months its great to have the option to mix a ride up, in Snowdonia I do a couple of rides that are 60% road and 40% off-road. Opening up the countryside is awesome and really should be something everyone tries, I just slow down and enjoy the great outdoors, no cars, no strava, no one else to be seen or heard. This is where this type of bike opens up different opportunities, but we are back at the having to drive somewhere to appreciate it.

Some adventure cross rides where these bikes are ideal:-
https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/event ... ture-cross
http://www.cxsportive.com/
http://www.granfonduro.cc/

I'll be doing the White Horse Ridge CX event at the end of September, in previous events there have been a mix of CX, Adventure / Gravel and MTB (Full Sus, Hardtail and Rigid). Personally at this time of year where the ground isn't full on mud, then a 40c gravel tyre will be excellent for this type of ride, 650B 50c again excellent. I'll be doing it on a 3" tyre - will be very slow but lots of fun.

bendertherobot

it's in addition to the Vagabond. I like it, a lot.

In 6 months time it will be available for £1k, which is great

w00dster

At £1k I'd be tempted to get this and ditch my Cotic escapade build, a set of Hunt 650B wheels and a couple of hundred to sort out more off road specific gearing.

itboffin

I got rid of my CX bike because basically every "trail" down this way is either 6" deep in mud or rutted from illegal motorbikers, in fact even riding a full MTB is hard work, so I gave up, mind you not until i'd seriously hurt myself multiple times.

Erm the ridgeway being a prime candidate for said motorbikes, ruts and mud, mind you i'm at the south end (Windshire) of it so maybe its different over in Oxfordshire.

cycleclinic

Many people think a MTB has to be slow and lumbering so they opt for a gravel bike ugo for mixed road/bridleways duties. An MTB can be just as quick if built right. I consider light off road use to be bridleways and other suitable rights of way.

I won't be buying one I have a lighter 29er which will be just as quick but I can see its appeal. 11.3kg is not that heavy, the road bike I rode on sunday is a similar weight. It's not meant to be a racing bike dressed as it is.

Moonbiker

Woodster what gravel monstercross bike do you have takes 57C tyres?

w00dster

Hi Moonbiker,
Salsa Fargo, unfortunatley it isnt my bike, i just have access to it as my brother is working away.
From memory the Fargo can take 650B 3" tyres.

haydenm

ugo.santalucia wrote:

(or even somewhere in Scotland)

gabriel959 wrote:

I agree about the whole gravel thing. Are there lots of gravel paths in the UK? Very few in Cambridgeshire (or East Anglia).

Yep, between forestry and windfarm roads you could ride for hundreds of miles up here on gravel roads. I use my equlibrium with cx tyres for that, along with XC type stuff (my MTB is the wrong sort) and there is a mix of road to get off road. I also use my equlibrium for touring, left the CX tyres on for the NC500. I agree with the 'adventure bike' label rather than gravel though, it's just a hard wearing bike that comes out when I don't want to ride my fast bike