We break down the age-old mountain biking debate and help you decide whether clipless or flats are right for you.Clips Vs Flats? Which is the right shoe and pedal for you?Deciding on whether to make the jump to clipless pedals (assuming youve started on flats, like most of us did) Continue reading

The Croix de Fer packs new features, and rides well too

British adventure brand also announces updates to Tour de Fer and Vagabond models, the "long-standing icon of the Genesis range" the Croix de Fer now with new tube shaping and space for 47mm tyres for "improving already fantastic ride comfort"

Stage 4 of the Tour de Pologne is actually the first time that the sprinters will have the opportunity to fight for the stage win. It's not an easy day but it will provide a much deserved opportunity for the fast men to succeed.Follow the stage on our live blog below!

An excellent chamois, but plenty of room for improvement elsewhere 5/10

Stage 1 of the Vuelta a Espaa will be a short flat individual time-trial where the first red jersey will be given. It will be an exciting opening day of racing in Lisbon which will also open up the GC fight.The race starts off with an 11-kilometer long time-trial in the capital of Portugal: Lisbon...

Genesis has revealed an updated Croix de Fer with dropped seatstays, increased tyre clearance, additional accessory mounts, new tube profiles and fresh builds.A long-standing and popular do-it-all steel gravel bike, the new Croix de Fer range comprises seven complete bikes and three framesets, including stainless steel and titanium options.Starting at 1,499.99 / 1,749 for the Croix de Fer 10 and topping out at 2,799 / 3,299 for the Croix de Fer 50, the bike is available exclusively in the UK via 130 approved dealers.Genesis has also updated the Vagabond its adaptable steel monstercross-inspired-drop-bar-MTB trail-shredding adventure wagon.Compatible with 40mm-travel gravel forks, replete with mounts for every accessory under the sun and featuring a Boost-spaced rear end, the new Vagabond is available in two complete builds and as a frameset.Finally, Genesis has updated its four-model, expedition-ready Tour de Fer range with new builds and subtle frame updates.The Croix de Fer gets its biggest update since 2008While it sticks with a familiar ethos, Genesis says this is the most significant update to the Croix de Fer since it launched. - Jack Luke / Our MediaIntroduced in 2008, the original Croix de Fer was a unusually for the time disc brake-equipped cyclocross-inspired gravel-ish bike before the term gravel had entered widespread use.The first run proved unexpectedly popular, with subsequent generations moving towards a modern gravel bike with conventional cable routing and increased tyre clearance.Although it has been updated subtly over time notably gaining thru-axles in 2018 the overall design of the Croix de Fer has remained consistent, with a classic double triangle and clean lines.While the overall ethos is similar, Genesis says the new Croix de Fer is the biggest update to the range since it was introduced.The bike now features dropped seatstays and an ovalised top tube. - Jack Luke / Our MediaVisually, the biggest change is the move to dropped seatstays, which is said to improve rear-end comfort.The dropouts have been redesigned with a stiffer derailleur hanger and cleaner look.The bike now features internal cable routing, ditching the old external cable routing and handsome brass barrel adjusters.The new Croix de Fer features routing for dropper posts. - Jack Luke / Our MediaSwappable ports enable riders to switch between mechanical, electronic, 1x and 2x drivetrains. All bikes are also compatible with internally routed dropper posts.You could mount just about anything to the new bike (note: the placement of fork bosses will be different on production bikes). - Jack Luke / Our MediaLeaning further into its position as a do-it-all bike, the new Croix de Fer range bristles with mounts for full-cover mudguards, front and rear racks, top tube bags, four bottle cages on the main triangle and triple boss mounts on the fork. Both the carbon and steel forks feature dynamo cable routing.Tyre clearance on the new Croix de Fer has been increased to 45mm with mudguards. Without mudguards, the official tyre clearance is 47mm.All complete bikes ship with bang-on-trend wide 45mm Maxxis Rambler TR tyres. The tubeless-compatible rims are supplied pre-taped and with tubeless valves as standard.Subtly altered geometry Old Croix de Fer (large)New Croix de Fer (large)Difference Seat tube (mm)550560+10.0 Top tube (mm)582573.8-8.2 Stack (mm)612603.6-8.4 Reach (mm)3953950 Head tube length (mm)175155-20.0 Head angle (degrees)71.571-0.5 Seat tube angle (degrees)7373.5+0.5 BB drop (mm)73730 Fork offset (mm)50500 Wheelbase (mm)1,0521,059.4+7.4 Handlebar width (mm)440460+20.0 Stem length (mm)1001000 Reach + stem length (mm)4954950 Edit Table Although stack and seat tube lengths change considerably, reach is close-to-consistent across the Croix de Fers five-size range. Instead, stem lengths change throughout the range to suit rider proportions.According to Genesis, this approach reduces toe overlap while maintaining ride quality across all sizes.If all else remains equal, shorter reach reduces front-centre distance, increasing the chance of toe overlap. Alternatively, reducing reach while slackening the head tube or increasing the fork offset would impact the ride quality of the bike.The ride of the Croix de Fer should be consistent across all sizes. - GenesisGenesis says its approach provides a rider height-appropriate fit, while reducing toe overlap.Outside of reach, comparing equivalent sizes, the new Croix de Fers stack is a touch lower and the wheelbase longer, but other key figures are similar across both generations. XSSMLXL Seat tube (mm)470490530560590 Top tube (mm)553.2557.2558.2573.8589.4 Stack (mm)551.6565.8584.7603.6622.5 Reach (mm)395395385395405 Head tube length (mm)100115135155175 Head angle (degrees)7171717171 Seat tube angle (degrees)747473.573.573.5 BB drop (mm)7373737373 Fork offset (mm)5050505050 Wheelbase (mm)1,041.51,046.401,042.901,059.401,075.90 Handlebar width (mm)420440440460460 Stem length (mm)7080100100100 Reach + stem length (mm)465475485495505 Edit Table New Genesis Croix de Fer range overviewGenesis uses its own tubeset on entry-level bikes. - GenesisThe entry-level Sora-equipped Croix de Fer 10 and GRX-RX400-equipped 20 use Genesis Mjolnir steel tubing with a matching steel fork. These bikes stick with quick-release dropouts.The Croix de Fer is available in flat or drop-bar versions. - GenesisThe GRX-RX400-equipped second-tier Croix de Fer 30 and GRX-RX600-equipped 40 bump up to a Reynolds 725 frame and thru-axles.The GRX RX820-equipped Croix de Fer 50 is the top-spec complete build. It uses the same 725 frame but has a carbon fork, saving around 900g versus the steel fork. This is also available as a frameset-only option.The Croix de Fer is also available in stainless steel and titanium frameset options. - GenesisFrameset-only Reynolds 931 stainless steel or 3AL-2.5v titanium options complete the range.Unlike the other bikes, these two frameset-only options feature a tapered head tube, so use a slightly different carbon fork (no steel fork is available).A T47 bottom bracket shell is specced on frameset-only options. - GenesisSimilarly, the Reynolds 725 and Genesis Mjolnir frame versions use a standard 68mm BSA bottom bracket shell, but the frameset-only titanium and stainless options feature a T47 bottom bracket shell to boost crankset compatibility.Croix de Fer 10 Flat Bar: 1,199.99 / 1,399Croix de Fer 20 Flat Bar: 1,399.99 / 1,649Croix de Fer 10: 1,499.99 / 1,749Croix de Fer 20: 1,699.99 / 1,999Croix de Fer 30: 2,299.99 / 2,699Croix de Fer 40: 2,499.99 / 2,899Croix de Fer 50: 2,799.99 / 3,299Croix de Fer 725 Frameset: 899.99 / 999Croix de Fer 931 Frameset: 2,499.99 / 2,999Croix de Fer Ti Frameset: 2,699.99 / 3,199Introducing the new VagabondThe Vagabond is pitched as a do-it-all adventure bike. - GenesisIntroduced in 2014, the Genesis Vagabond is an unusual monstercross-ish drop-bar 29er adventure bike.The new bike sticks with the same formula as the outgoing model but, like the Croix de Fer, sees subtle refinements to broaden its versatility and increase compatibility. Old Vagabond (large)New Vagabond (large)Difference Seat tube (mm)490530+40.0 Top tube (mm)593613.6+20.6 Stack (mm)627640.3+13.3 Reach (mm)395430+35.0 Head tube length (mm)160185+25.0 Head angle (degrees)7169-2.0 Seat tube angle (degrees)72.574+1.5 BB drop (mm)7372-1.0 Fork offset (mm)5550-5.0 Wheelbase (mm)1,0831145.9+62.9 Handlebar width (mm) w460#VALUE! Stem length (mm)10060-40.0 Edit Table Following wider mountain bike trends, the reach and wheelbase of the new Vagabond are significantly longer than the outgoing bike. The head angle has also been slackened, from 71 to 69 degrees.The Vagabond has clearance for large 29in mountain bike tyres. - GenesisThis, Genesis says, will make the bike more stable and comfortable, particularly on technical terrain.Size-small and extra-small bikes are built around 650b/27.5in wheels to reduce toe overlap and standover height for shorter riders.The Vagabond is a versatile do-it-all drop-bar platform. - GenesisThe Boost-spaced rear end broadens compatibility with modern mountain bike wheels, but the fork uses a conventional 100mm-spaced hub. The use of a 148mm rear end means the bike is not compatible with gravel cranksets, so complete bikes pair aftermarket Genesis-branded cranksets with either a Microshift Sword or SRAM Apex XPLR groupset.To broaden crankset compatibility, the Vagabond uses a T47 bottom bracket shell.The bike is also compatible with gravel bike suspension forks with up to 40mm of travel. Complete bikes ship with a steel suspension-corrected fork with triple-boss Anything cage mounts.Vagabond 10: 1,799.99 / 1,999Vagabond 20: 2,299.99 / 2,699Vagabond Frameset: 899.99 / 999The new Tour de Fer is ready for adventureThe Tour de Fer is a staple for the Genesis line. - GenesisFinally, Genesis has updated the Tour de Fer with new builds.Available with drop or flat bars, all four builds are expedition-ready with mudguards, front and rear pannier racks and bottle cages as stock. The Tour de Fer 30 and 40 also feature dynamo lighting.With a full complement of accessories, the Tour de Fer is expedition-ready out of the box. - GenesisThe new bikes do away with semi-sleeved cable routing in favour of full-length housing for increased protection from the elements.All builds now use wide-range double cranksets, doing away with triples, which have been largely abandoned by drivetrain manufacturers.Tour De Fer 10: 1,299.99 / 1,499Tour De Fer 20: 1,499.99 / 1,749Tour De Fer 30: 1,799.99 / 2,149Tour De Fer 40: 2,199.99 / 2,599

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