New bike choice has come down to the Orange P7S or the Genesis Altitude 10 (has to be under £1,000 for the Bike To Work scheme).
I'm curious about sizing of the Altitude. I'm 5 ft 10 with a 30 inch inside leg. I assumed the 17.5" would be right, but I've heard that Genesis bikes tend to be smaller than the figures suggest, so would a 19" be better?
And is the Altitude a better bike than the P7? It's certainly a bit lighter.
I'm exactly the same height and leg length. I sat on a 17.5 and it did feel a little small. I didn't get to sit on the 19 which was a shame as its a cracking bike. Best to try and get a demo on both.
I think they size up quite normally. I'm 5'10 and I'd have a 17 for all round duties. 19 would be too stretched out unless it's just a pure xc bike.
I am looking at the same choices but later in the year once work has settled etc.
I think a lot of new bikes are coming up on the short side to cater for the "all round" riding style currently favoured by riders(mag influenced?)
Noticing a lot of short stem/long fork combos.
Mate was testing a 20in Orange 5 on Wed, he is 6ft+, i`m 6ft and found it perfect considering I ride a 19in Kona Dawg.
The Altitudes do have weird sizing if you just look at the sizing description (eg small, medium). I usually ride a small or maybe even a medium but I have an XS (16.5" I think) Altitude (and the guy in Alpine Bikes where I bought it rode a small whereas he said he usually needs a medium).
It's Alpine Bikes I'll be getting it from (if I go for the Genesis), so will maybe see if I can get them to get both the 17.5 and 19 in the shop.
Not sure if they are the same geometry but The Hub at Glentress has Genesis io-ids in their hire fleet so you could get more than just a "sit on in the shop" test there.
I'm 6ft 1 and I found the 19.5 comfy.
I think 17.5" would be ideal for you.
Best sitting on one first at LBS.
I'm down at Glentress on Monday for a skills course, and I think either Emma or Tracey has a Genesis, so will speak to them too. Cheers guys.
TreksterI think a lot of new bikes are coming up on the short side to cater for the "all round" riding style currently favoured by riders(mag influenced?)
Yeah, stupid mags. Stupid bike manus. Don't they realise people only want to xc? When will they learn.
Mabie shop has a fleet for hire bikes
Hello I have a altitude which I'm very happy with. I emailed Genesis direct for sizing info before I went for a test ride. They were very helpful. This is part of the email I recieved which might be helpful to you:
Actually it's easy to recommend a size to you since you're the same
height and leg as me, and my local riding is woodland singletrack too.
The 19" is designed for someone of 5-10 to 6-2, 6 ft is ideal. I can. recommend that size 100%, the post is 400mm so you'll get full range
there, and the stem is a 90mm which works well for mid-travel use, an 80mm stem helps if you prefer full-time 130mm forks. For the use you describe and from my own riding I'd stick to 90mm and around 115-120mm travel. I'd be very surprised if you didn't get on with the 19" for
that type of use.
Cheers Slacks, sounds like the 17.5 might be better for me.
I've had an Altitude 00 for over a year now, same frame as the 20. The bikes are noticeably small made, no question. My last bike was a Specialized Hardrock which was 17". The Genesis is 17.5" but feels a lot smaller and more upright. It's fine off road but far from ideal for long road stints.
Also, the stem is quite long, I think it's about 90mm, so if you fit a shorter one it'll shorten the cockpit even further. I fitted a shorter stem and the handling feels much better so my advice would be to go for the larger bike. I'm the same hight as you and I wish I had.
Got an iO but checked an alitutde for fit and couldn't even stand over the 19" at 5'10"
"I think a lot of new bikes are coming up on the short side to cater for the "all round" riding style currently favoured by riders(mag influenced?)"
- i've never liked overly-long bikes but it's all down to body shape and riding style, we've had same frame geo for 3-4 years and it seems to work well for the 70-90mm stem / 120mm fork style. middling compared to most i'd say.
our 17.5 is 585mm top tube when sagged so maybe 587-590mm static. at 5'10" the OP on the upper limit of the 17.5 but it's a good bike for the trickier side of xc so i wouldn't go too big.
i'm 6" and of boringly average proportion and i find myself thinking 'maybe i could be half inch more stretched out' toward the end of a big day ride - and also 'this bike couldn't be any longer and stay confident on it' when hacking through the singletracks or on steep drops. so to me it feels spot-on for all-round trail riding and adjustments between uses or riders are within the range of stem, bar and seatpost tweaks.
James / Genesis
(edited to add - i ride a 19". also, iO and Altitude are designed to fit the same, only the angles and bb height change to suit shorter forks)
slight hijack - I am looking at a Core 10 as a hack bike, through C2Work - any idea on the 2010 spec and is the geometry same as altitude ? 5ft 10 here also and been thinking oof a 17.5... Thanks
I'm 5 10 on a good day and my 17.5 io id fits me spot on. I would not say they are an odd size. My other bikes are all of similar size.
I'm 5ft11", 32" inside leg and I like a longish bike. The 19" works well for me.
james-o, you mention 70-90mm stems. I would swear that mine came with a 50mm stem?
Excellent bikes, only a few niggles to do with the wheels (not great quality), and tyres (Conti Mountain Kings, puncture city maaaaan!).
kennyp, I was weighing up the P7 as well. I seem to remember the Genesis having a better fork, but then I was looking at an Alt 20. ( I had a good deal in the shop.)
I went for the 17.5" Altitude in the end and it's a great fit. It's a nice bike. Only niggle do far has been a rubbishy seatpost clamp.
I got one too and I love it. I not had any problems with the seat post clamp.
lol, I didn't notice the dates on this thread - good advice kennyp, you should take it! 
BTW my seatpost qr needs to be very tight to stop the seatpost dropping.
Same as Idle John I'm 5ft11", 32" inside leg and I like a longish bike. The 19" works well for me.
I have an altitude and an iO
BTW my seatpost qr needs to be very tight to stop the seatpost dropping.
I had a number of issues with my bike, including the sliding seatpost. All were sorted out by the dealer at no cost.
The seatpost clamp is not the best but the issue is the post itself. My post kept sliding down too. I clamped it up so hard in attempting to keep it still that the clamp broke. The replacement clamp was identical so didn't fix the problem.
Genesis supplied a replacement post of the type fitted to the more expensive bikes and it solved the problem instantly, the post stays put with far less clamp pressure. The original Altitude 00 post is an extruded tube, so is very smooth. The replacement tube have a machined/turned outer surface, that's all it takes. The frame then has something to grip on.
The way the barrel on the seatclamp is countersunk removes a heck of a lot of thread, which is why it can fail if you really crank it up.
Is the Core 10 the geometry same as altitude ?
Yes, I think it is, and a couple of pounds lighter.
only a few niggles to do with the wheels (not great quality), and tyres (Conti Mountain Kings, puncture city maaaaan!)
These bikes seem to be very much set up for off road. The tyres are really good off road, I've never had a puncture, but I do run quite high pressures in them. I think it's a case of setting the bike up for what you're going to be riding on.
I've replaced the wheels with Mavic Crossride for off road use but the supplied wheels seem perfectly good quality for the price. I've put a lot of miles on them with no issues whatsoever.
Love love my genesis altitude 20 but:
1. crushed the back wheel jumping down some steps - now have superhardcore ex500 / hope hub wheels
2. The seatpost clamp is embarrassingly crappy
all in, it's a superb bike and one I'm proud to pootle about on.
I have an Altitude 30. I'm 6ft 1 and got the 19 inch frame.
I am really chuffed with this bike. It really flies uphill and floats over the technical stuff. It never ceases to amaze me how much more comfortable steel is. I thought this was a myth until I got this bike.
I'd recommend it to anyone.
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