Genesis is a British brand has been around for while now and seems to be developing a reputation as a company that delivers no nonsense bikes built around well-designed frames. Initially conceived as Ridgeback’s upmarket brand it has become a brand that is recognised in its own right with a growing range of bikes. While their road bike range is relatively small and is probably best known for some solid no-nonsense single speeds, their geared bikes are really worth a look.

The Equilibrium is the top of the range road bike in the range and although in Roadie terms it’s quite affordable, it really does deliver the goods. Essentially the Equilibrium draws on well-proven materials and parts, and proves that a good road bike doesn’t need to be expensive.

a stiff, yet compliant frame with the clean looks of a classic road bike...

With a few notable exceptions, bike frames at this price range tend to be aluminium - there is some carbon around but not much. The Equilibrium’s though is steel, to be precise it’s tig welded Reynolds 520 (effectively Double butted 4130 chromo). Now at first glance steel isn’t the most exciting material out there, it lacks the sculpted looks of a modern hydro-formed aluminium frame and it certainly doesn’t have any of the unusual tube profiles that can be achieved with carbon. However it does deliver a stiff, yet compliant frame with the clean looks of a classic road bike that, if you look after it will still be with you in twenty years time.

Whilst there may have been a temptation to stay with steel at the front end, Genesis have added a more modern carbon bladed fork. Given the price its not surprising that it has an alloy steerer and crown rather than being a monocoque design. Overall, the frame and fork combo is well made, the welds on the frame are neat, the paintwork was up to scratch and decals were all lined up. 

There is space for 25c tyres and mudguards should you choose to fit them, making the bike very versatile, though there are no mounts for a rack. For a steel bike the geometry is pretty classic and there are five sizes available. There’s a a 73.5 degree seat angle and a 72 degree head tube; an interesting touch is that smaller sizes get a 74 degree seat angle for a more specific fit. Genesis also offers the Equilibrium frame and fork separately costing £229 and £119 respectively.

The contact points all work well, the stem, bars, seat post and saddle are all Genesis own branded but are easily a match to a lot of other ‘high end’ alloy parts that are out there.

a wide range of ratios that will get you up the steepest of hills...

The drivetrain is courtesy of Shimano with 105 shifters and mechs coupled with an R600 compact crank, the combination works as smoothly as you would expect. With 34/50 up front and a 12/25 at the back the gearing delivers a wide range of ratios that will get you up the steepest of hills whilst still preserving your knees to fight anther day. Braking is delivered via a pair of reasonably deep drop Tektro dual pivot calipers that are providing plenty of clearance for the 25c tyres and, should you choose to fit them, mud guards. Whilst cheaper than the 105 equivalents these seem well finished and reasonably stiff. However, the pads are perhaps a little on the hard side and don’t provide the best modulation.

The wheels definitely fall into the solid and reliable category with Alex rims built onto Tiagra hubs, laced up three cross with plain gauge spokes, they are not the lightest but certainly not the heaviest wheels out there for the money. As a pair of everyday wheels these are very functional and easily serviced, the Tiagra hubs use a cone and cup set up and should provide years of service if looked after. Continental Ultra Race tyres in a 25c size complete the wheel package, providing a grippy but reasonably compliant ride from the wheels.

This gearing and frame combination technically puts it into the Audax/Sportive/Commute/Training categories, which is a lot to deliver in one bike, fortunately it seems up to the job. This bike really is about munching the miles and it does so in a very comfortable fashion that many more expensive carbon bikes aspire to and in some cases fail to meet. 

a very comfortable ride that doesn’t cause undue fatigue...

First impression of riding the bike on the flat was that it was exceptionally comfortable to ride and the frame and fork package seems very capable of providing a compliant ride. We specified a 54cm bike but the guys at Genesis recommended a 56cm and fit wise they were right on the mark - their roadframes are touch short in the top tube for a given size with the 56cm seatube giving a 55cm top tube.

Given the advice to upsize, the Equilibriums cockpit really does deliver a distance-orientated position that’s easy on the back enabling you to easily get to a variety of different hand positions on the realtively shallow drop bars, the fairly long head tube also to thank here. When coupled with the frame and fork’s ability to absorb road noise, it makes for a very comfortable ride that doesn’t cause undue fatigue leaving you to enjoy the ride rather than battle through.

When the road starts heading upwards, the Equilibrium seems determined to get you up the climb in an efficient manner if not an overly spritely one; it promotes a sit down and spin approach that will get you up pretty much anything as long as you keep turning the pedals. Getting out of the saddle on the hills and mashing the gears won’t necessarily reward you with an instant surge of speed in the same way that it does on some more race orientated bikes.

point the bike downhill... it is nothing short of exceptional...

This becomes more obvious when you try sprinting with the bike, while it picks up speed and is certainly no slouch, the sense of truly rapid acceleration isn’t quite there. In a way this is a little at odds with what happens when you point the bike downhill (where it is nothing short of exceptional) and some of the blame for this may lie with the wheels being usefully ‘sturdy’ in construction rather than seeking outright light-weight. If you were to put a pair of race wheels on the bike it would no doubt become a lot more responsive and the frame and fork certainly deserve it.

If you point the Genesis downhill on a twisty country road the handling of the bike really starts to shine through, it is nothing short of impressive. The bike feels very surefooted and confident through the bends; there is no ‘noodling’ from the forks or detectable understeer. Even when accidentally hitting reasonably sized pot holes it didn’t throw the bike off line. Given the smoothness of its ride, the bike’s outright confidence and speed on bends was a bit of a surprise as you might have expected some unwelcomed give from such a comfy frame. But it just seems to keep willing you to go faster and hold your line. In a way its methodical approach to hill climbing and lack of perceived speed makes the handling on the descents all the more rewarding and surprising.

Overall this bike is no slouch, a quick glance at the computer after the ride proved that local loops were dispatched with the same pace as bikes costing almost double. It eats miles surprisingly efficiently and the comfort with which it does so just happens to dull the actual sense of speed slightly. As a machine for getting the miles in its astonishingly good value and when compared with some of the carbon bikes out there that claim to do the same thing for twice the money, that value really shines through.

Update: check out the 2011 Genesis Equilibrium spotted at IceBike

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