Genesis Bikes 2018 range includes all-new Fugio 650b road plus bike

Genesis teasingly revealed some of its 2018 range a while back, but today it is ready to unveil the entire range. There many updates and also some new bikes, including the Fugio, an old name reborn as a road plus/monster cross bike, plus a Volare Disc and updated Equilibrium Disc bike. Let's dive in.

Fugio

The Fugio is an old name in the Genesis range, it used to be a lightweight Reynolds 853 tubed cyclocross racer and gravel bike, but for 2018 it has been reincarnated as a road plus/gravel and adventure bike built around 50mm tyres on 650b wheels. It’s almost a mountain bike with drop bars, and fits the growing trend for big tyred drop bar road bikes that can go almost anywhere.

The frame is made from Mjölnir Cromo double butted tubing, with a full carbon fibre fork. To provide the necessary tyre and chainset clearance Genesis has taken a trick from the Open UP and dropped the driveside chainstay, which moves the tube out of that busy area. There's external cable and brake hose routing, flat mount disc brakes and thru-axles and mudguard eyelets.

It’s going to be available as a frameset for £799.99 or a complete bike as pictured for £1,999.99 with a Shimano 105 groupset and RS-505 hydro brakes.

We saw the prototype at the company’s show a while back and it’s good to see it making production. An interesting bike and a timely update, this is a bike we’ve put on our list to get in for review.

Volare and Volare Disc

When the Volare launched a few years ago, it was something of a game-changer, the result of an ambitious plan to serve the Madison-Genesis team with a steel frame light and stiff enough to be raced against carbon. For 2018 Genesis is offering the Volare in a choice of Reynolds 931 stainless steel or Reynolds 853, and for the first time, the Volare is available with disc brakes.

The disc frame uses flat mount disc brakes and thru-axles, with a new carbon fork and fully external cable routing. There’s also a BB86 press-fit bottom bracket, 27.2mm seatpost and tapered head tube.

- Review: Genesis Volare Team 953 road bike

• Volare 931 Disc: £2,199.99
• Volare 931: £1,799.99
• Volare 853 Disc: £1,199.99
• Volare 853: £999.99

Equilibrium & Equilibrium Disc

The Equilibrium has long been a favourite with road.cc since it was first introduced and as it has evolved over the years. It’s a great choice for that “does a bit of everything” sort of bike that increasingly more people are interested in, comfortable on a long Audax but flighty enough for a fast-paced club run, and practical for commuting, touring and winter training.

For 2018 the Equilibrium Disc gets an all-new carbon fibre fork and it switches to 12mm thru-axles - it used to have a steel fork and quick releases. This is another new bike we’ll be very keen to get our hands on very soon. There are a lot more choices in this marketplace since the Equilibrium launched and it’ll be interesting to see how it compares with these changes.

- Review: Genesis Equilibrium Disc road bike

• Equilibrium Disc 20: £1,999.99
• Equilibrium Disc 10: £1,499.99
• Equilibrium 20: £1,399.99
• Equilibrium 10: £999.99
• Equilibrium Disc frameset: £849.99
• Equilibrium frameset:  £499.99

Tour de Fer

Bikepacking is just touring made cool right? So how about doing it properly on touring bike with racks and panniers and dynamo front light. The Tour de Fer is ready for any multi day touring challenge, just add pedals and bags and away you go.

The frame is made from Reynolds 725 and there’s a steel fork and all the mounting eyelets you could wish for. The Tour de Fer 30 (£1,799.99) and 20 (£1,499.99) come equipped with a dynamo front hub, hub, Lumotec IQ-X headlight with B&M Secula rear light and mudguards.  The range also includes the Tour de Fer 10 (£1,199.99) and a frameset (£499.99).

• Tour de Fer 30: £1,799.99
• Tour de Fer 20: £1,499.99
• Tour de Fer 10: £1,199.99
• Tour de Fer frameset: £499.99

Datum

road.cc tested the original Datum back in 2015 before we really knew what gravel and adventure meant, it was definitely a bike ahead of its time with massive tyre clearance and a cleanly designed carbon frame with mudguard mounts and a thru-axle fork and disc brakes.

The bike hasn’t really changed much for 2018, and that's no bad thing, but it’s a shame given the rise of thru-axles that Genesis hasn’t switched the rear quick release axle for one. Bikes now come specced with 32mm wide Clement Strada USH tyres with 2x11 drivetrains, the top-end Datum 30 (£2,699.99) getting a Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset with hydro disc brakes.

There’s also the Datum 20 (£2,399.99), Datum 20 W (£2,399.99), Datum 10 (£1,999.99) and a frameset for £1,599.99.

Zero Disc

No sign of the Madison-Genesis team using the Zero Disc bike in the recent Tour of Britain, but the bike continues as a key part of the company’s 2018 range. There are four bikes and two frameset options from £1,999.99 to £2,999.99.

The Zero Disc was a new introduction in 2017 and when Stu tested it he found it to be an “impressive, lightweight, comfortable race machine.” Can’t argue with that. You get a full carbon frame and fork with flat mount disc brakes and thru-axles at each end and full internal cable routing for clean lines.

• Zero Disc ZD.i: £2,999.99
• Zero Disc ZD.3: £2,599.99
• Zero Disc ZD.2: £2,199.99
• Zero Disc ZD.1: £1,999.99
• Zero Disc Team frameset: £1,499.99
• Zero Disc W frameset: £1,499.99

Zero

The Zero is still available with rim brakes if you aren’t into disc brakes, and shares all the same key design features. The range this year includes a Madison-Genesis replica frameset and the choice of three complete builds starting from a Shimano Tiagra level for aspiring racers.

• Zero Z.3: £1,999.99
• Zero Z.2: £1,699.99
• Zero Z.1: £1,499.99
• Zero Team frameset: £1,099.99
• Zero frameset: £1,099.99

More details on the full range at www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes