We like to think that we’ve become a sort of Friday tradition, much like going for a pint at lunchtime, hiding your internet browser beneath a spreadsheet and carrying on extended conversations via email. So, open up the reports, smallify the browser and be prepared to look busy on demand…
Genesis Fortitude Race
Dom and Snooky from Genesis Bikes headed up to our corner of the world the other day and they brought this with them; the first production Fortitude Race in the country. Made from Reynolds 725 steel tubing, it’s a rigid fork specific big wheeler. That seattube is slightly flattened in the middle to give greater tyre clearance and give the shortest chainstays possible. Up front there’s a pleasantly relaxed 69.5° head angle.
It’s designed to take you back to the very essence of biking and be a reliable companion on rufty tufty epic rides. Following that theme, Sim and Dave have come up with a masterplan to go packrafting and this is Sim’s bike of choice for his adventure. Expect a full report in Issue 74…
Price: £1,249.99
From: Genesis Bikes
The drivetrain is a 1×10 Shimano XT/SLX mix with an e13 topguide keeping the chain in place. If gears add too much complication into your life then a singlespeed version is available, as it one with an 11spd Alfine rear hub.
We went for a spin up the valley sides with Dom and Snooky and it’s a rather entertaining and, for a rigid bike, extremely capable. You will look like you’re holding a whackerplate if you try and ride down cobbles at speed though…
There are tidy little cowled vertical dropouts on this geared model – the singlespeed and Alfine versions use horizontal drops.
RRP Neoguards
The classic RRP NeoGuard has been updated! The much better looking alternative to plastic mud guards or manky bit of innertube has gained a new logo and the larger model is now 10mm shorter to fit Boxxer forks better and to reduce buzzing on all other models. These swanky new guards will be replacing the older versions when stocks run out.
Price: £13.40
From: Extra UK
The small model with the new ‘graffiti’ logo in white.
The Extra Small model with the RRP logo.
Onza Canis 29er 2.25″
Onza has risen once again and this time they’ve got a whole load of tyres. This is the Canis, Onza saying that “It’s profile makes it wild as a wolf and reliable as your neighbour’s dog” and the casing has loads of tiny paws on it, possibly to confuse anyone trying to follow you. Hopefully it’ll help you Winalot, just as long as you don’t get dog tired. Yes, we are sorry.
Price: £34.99
From: Evans Cycles
Onza Greina FR 2.25″
These tyres are made for wet and muddy conditions, named after a “high alpine plateau littered with numerous creeks and tarns” with wide open knobs that aim to dig down to find traction. It’s a 55a compound with mid thickness ‘FR’ casing and folding bead. There’s also a downhill casing version with dual compound sticky rubber should you need something a bit tougher…
Price: £34.99
From: Evans Cycles
Onza Ibex FR 2.25″
The Ibex is named after, yes you guessed it, the famously surefooted Alpine goaty-sheep beastie. Come mating season the mountains are alive with the sound of them headbutting each other into submission for the right to mate – a bit like town on a Saturday night. Anyway, we digress. According to Onza “No trail is too steep, no section too narrow and no roots too slippery for this all round tire”. Hopefully that’s true – or we have a lot of crashing in our future. We’ve got the 60tpi casing with Kevlar bead and coating of 55a durometer rubber.
Price: £34.99
From: Evans Cycles
The Man Who Cycled The Americas book
Mark Beaumont – no, not the GT sponsored downhiller – is a rather tough cookie. He’s recently been hauled out of the sea after his attempt to row from Morocco to Barbados went awry and in 2008 he cycled around the world, smashing the previous record by 81 days. What do you do after one massive journey? Another one, that’s what. In 2009 he set off on a mission to climb the two highest mountains on the American continent in the same climbing season – and cycle the 31,000 miles that separated them. If you need some inspiration to get off your arse, then this is it.
Price: £8.99
From: Corgi
Comments (16)
Comments Closed
I do like the Fortitudes wish I was in a position to buy one (Adventure flavour for me).
Isn’t it curious that Madison, as UK Shimano hub, use a Truvativ crank on these bikes? Will the Big S not play nice and provide SLX cranks with no rings to their own UK distributor? Just curious really.
With the Fortitude’s 69.5 degree head angle and 40mm offset, how does it not handle like a wheelbarrow?
Are the Onza tyres made by Hutchinson? Font looks similar?
“These swanky new guards will be replacing the older versions when stocks run out”
Whats the difference, they appear exactly the same, bar perhaps ‘bold new graphics’?
The RRP guards are approx £13 more expensive than a section of old inner tube and 4 cable ties……..
(I conceed they look slightly better)
S-keeper: I’ll be honest, a rigid singlespeed 29er isn’t my usual style of bike but our quick spin out on it was one of the best rides I’ve done for a while.
Handling feels very ‘connected’, none of the the overly fast turn in or weird flop some 29ers still suffer with. Handles well at low speed and is the same at high speed, although rigid forks are a bit of a shock to the system 😉
“Are the Onza tyres made by Hutchinson? Font looks similar?”
I was just thinking that, too.
Nope, Onza tyres come out of the CST factory (Aka Maxxis Int.)
“The Extra Small model with the RRP logo.”
Sorry, isn’t that a 160mm fork? Do these go down to XXXXXXS for 100mm forks?
Keep us updated on the Fortitude 🙂
Really keen to hear what the Fortitude is like.
Is it a 17.5″?
amplebrew: That one is a 19″ – I rode the 17.5″ and it fitted my 5’8 frame nicely.
Thanks, that’s good to know.
I’m 5ft 7 and I wondered if the 17.5 would be too big. Sounds like it would be spot on with a shorter stem.
“designed to take you back to the very essence of biking ”
Yes I remember those days; being bounced around like an idiot until front suspension was invented!
With rigid forks becoming trendy again, I predict a reincarnation of Girvin’s Flex-stem in the not too distant future 🙂
They could bring back the titanium Flex Stem; that would be cool 🙂