New Genesis Croix de Fer and Vagabond: First ride reviews of two very different bikes

Genesis bikes, and the Croix de Fer especially, is a pretty well-established part of the British gravel scene. It might be a stretch to say the story of gravel cycling is the story of the Croix de Fer, but it is a model that has slowly and successfully navigated the transition from ‘cross bike proto-grav, through the mid-phase years of one-bike to do it all with road components, to now where it has been updated to lean more towards gravel than anything else. In my opinion, its success is in part due to its slower evolution. Given that, for many customers, it filled not only gravel duties, but road, touring, and commuting, it couldn’t necessarily follow the latest trends. In the fullness of time and many miles, it’ll be easier to see if it warrants a spot in our guide to the best gravel bikes, or perhaps more relevantly the best budget gravel bikes.

For the full facts and figures, there’s my news piece, bedecked with weight, specs, facts, and figures, but here I’m going to go into my first impressions of not just the latest Croix de Fer, but also the new Vagabond. I tested both on consecutive days in the very appropriate setting of mid-Wales, taking in road, flowing gravel, and some more testing singletrack.