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Cores and mantles are all 9psd while the high latitude is 1x10.
mrben101 - Member@simonbowns Do the Core/lower end Mantle look like decent starter bikes?
i hope Si won't mind me chipping in...
the Core and Mantle are excellent bikes. Think of the High Latitude as a Mantle, but for people who wear sandals, have a beard, and think bikes made of steel are inherently 'better'.
i tick all of those boxes, so i bought a High Latitude. If i didn't have a beard, and read the guardian, i'd have a bought a Mantle, which is a bloody great bike.
Equilibrium Disc looks a great option for those who want a posher spec than the Croix De Fer - and won't be looking to use off road.
Fortitude - there's still a *few* available. Email me for a magic special deal price, we've just done a couple.
Core - they're being realistic with what actually sells for us/them, they're very popular as a mountain bikers second bike brand, the steel hardtails do a bit, but not enough to justify a larger range. We also have Cotic there fro that, so I think that has some impact.
MrBen - absolutely, we've got a hire place next door using Cores and they've held up really well despite the amount of use (and the fact that the hire folks don't service them as much as we keep suggesting!)
yes to 9 speed. Really impressed with the trickle-down technology, dual release now featuring on Acera.
Depending on your height and the use for the bike would dictate Core vs Mantle. Email the shop if you'd like to chat more? info@18bikes.co.uk
Thanks ahwiles.
I have a beard and own a nice pair of Birkenstocks. Looks like I should get saving 😉
Is the Latitude noticeably heaver than the mantle in your experience? No where near me has a core (the current 26") or a latitude in stock to throw a leg over so its all guess work for me atm.
Darn, shame the High Latitude LT (650b) is only available at £1500, if there had a £1000 version that'd be ideal for cyclescheme I've been looking into.
mrben, i bought my Latitude frame from 18bikes, and built it up myself.
my 20" frame weighed exactly* 5.5lbs.
(*on my highly accurate £4 luggage scales)
my built-up bike weighs a shade over 30lbs, and it's built from some of the heaviest components known to man, including some old 400gram Dh handlebars, and some 2200gram coil-forks.
it's chuffing ace.
Volare 953. £2300 for frame and fork???? You have got to be f...ing kidding me?
Custom Enigma Extensor in XCR + fork = ~£2k
Custom Rourke + fork in 953 = ~£1750
For a mass produced frame - surely that price should be the best part of £1k less? Somewhere between £1200 & £1500 would sound (more)reasonable?
JonEdwards - MemberVolare 953. £2300 for frame and fork???? You have got to be f...ing kidding me?
Custom Enigma Extensor in XCR + fork = ~£2k
Custom Rourke + fork in 953 = ~£1750
For a mass produced frame - surely that price should be the best part of £1k less? Somewhere between £1200 & £1500 would sound (more)reasonable?
Yeh, that's what I thought. Dunno, though, is it mass produced? Might be hand made by someone in the UK? Guess it's got a pretty good R&D history, not many steel frames could claim that.
Jon, you're a fair way off the mark there tbh. The Volare 953 is definitely not a mass-produced frame and has some very special tube profiles in it that the two bike you mentioned definitely won't have. 953 is hideously difficult to work with and hence the more work that goes into the tubes, the more expensive it gets. The Volare isn't really a competitor for the Enigma or the Rourke at all. They are relatively run of the mill frames but with custom geometry whereas the Volare is a proper race frame. The material might be similar but the design, level of detail and level of work is different.
I reckon the Volare frame is actually very well priced and has come in at a fair bit less than I was expecting.
As for the complete bike, I reckon that's a really really good price.
Jsut had a look at the frameset prices. £1750 for the Equilibrium 853. Now I'm assuming this should be £750, but still, that's quite a lot for a mass produced frame with a cheap fork. All the design was there aswell, all they needed to do was build it out of different steel.
Considering a company like Cotic can knock out an 853 frame for less than £500, it seems alot. Wish they'd crack on with a road bike.
I dunno, Genesis might have got it a bit wrong, liek they did with that full susser last year. I think everyone has come to expect good value from them, but over £2000 for a steel road frame? The chances are, if you want a £2000 steel bike, you'll get it hand built by a bespoke builder, and custom sized. If you want a bike to race on, you'll probably buy a cheap carbon or alloy frame.
Those two frames are listed as having Enve forks, which are what? 400 quid, so not a totally like for like comparison
Why is the normal equilibrium a mingin colour again? Who wants a semolina coloured bike with brown bar tape?
There are hundreds of options for carbon race frames or steel all day' frames, what Genesis have done with the Volare is try to create a totally modern, competitive race frame in steel, this makes it pretty unique.
Considering that most carbon frames have all the crash impact resistance of a wet paper bag, a raceable frame that'll last for years rather than until the next pile-up has a certain appeal to the privateer, even if the initial outlay is no less than a nice carbon jobbie and it's a bit porkier.
The equilibrium 853 is £749.99.
@ simonbowns
Thanks for the info. I'm 5'11 - I was an 18" on 26er and I suspect about a 17.5" on a 29er.
Will email you when I have the cash - don't want to waste your time when you have a shop to run! I need to sell my road bike that doesn't get used first - anyone near Birmingham fancy a 2007 Trek Madone 5.2 - 2 careful owners, one of them (not me!) a bike shop owner? 🙂
@ ahwiles
That's good to know 🙂 Couldn't afford to build one up though - it would be a 1x10 off the shelf job for me if I could stretch.
So when do we see pics of the new MTB range, anyone know? Really like the sound of the High Latitude LT but can only find a sneak peak on the Genesis FB page.
Merlin managed to make a profit selling Kinesis made 853 Rock Lobster frames for £300.
£750 is outrageous.
Still, the new Croix De Fer looks nice.
Are the cheaper Volare's in in 853, 631 etc the same sort of weight and/or strength as the top model?
Will any of the cheaper Volare frames be available frameset only?
Starley are going to be doing stainless frame and carbon fork for £1500, and claimed weight 1300g - wonder how does that compare?
Just ordered a Day-One Alfine for my bike to work. Oh how much fun this shall be 🙂
£2300 will buy you an advanced SL level Giant frame. Not steel, not custom, but I know which one I'd choose. Genesis are racing 953 because they have bikes to sell. One might argue the same for Giant, Cannondale, Cervelo, etc... But it will be a long time before steel makes a comeback in the UCI pro tour.
As hatter points out, crash alu or carbon and thats likely to be the end of a frame. 953 you pick the bike up and carry on.
The chances are, if you want a £2000 steel bike, you'll get it hand built by a bespoke builder, and custom sized. If you want a bike to race on, you'll probably buy a cheap carbon or alloy frame.
Right on
You might just have to look further afield than the UK though
As hatter points out, crash alu or carbon and thats likely to be the end of a frame
That is disposable society, a 2K frame in 953 is built for you ,its not a 500 quid On One off the shelf
Disclaimer other carbon brands are available
Yeh, that's what I thought. Dunno, though, is it mass produced? Might be hand made by someone in the UK? Guess it's got a pretty good R&D history, not many steel frames could claim that.
Didn't the chap that worked for genesis leave? It could be made in the UK?
Dom left for another company, be interested to know what he's doing as I liked where he's taken the brand. Fugio looks nice
Its not made in the UK according to this (but not necessarily mass produced either) [url= http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/blog/07/05/13/a-very-british-engineering-challenge-pt3-who-what-how-bloody-much ]Volare Blog Pt3[/url]
Binning a carbon frame cos you've crashed it isn't disposable society for the sake of it - say On One's cos they're fairly cheap - but often the reality that there's a big hole in the side of it or you've snapped it.