Hi, I’m looking at getting a Genesis Croix de fer 10, for commuting, winter road riding and general family type riding.

Is see the 10 is a non reynolds 725 version made with Mjölnir steel, its obviously cheaper (The 10 is £300 cheaper than the 20 at my LBS), but can anyone tell me if its worth the extra for the reynolds steel versions and are they that much ligther/better?

Thanks for any adivce or actual experiences anyone can give.

Best thing to do is test ride both. Doubt you’ll notice much (or any) difference.

Suppose it would be hard to tell without a good test ride, unfortunetly they dont have demos available other than a quick spin out the door which may not help much.

Going to look at them both again later today.

anyone else got any comments? Or happen to know the real world differences?

fwiw from when I used to work at Genesis, the original Equilibrium 520/crmo was made of 520 since I didn’t feel that the changes we could make with 725/heat-treated crmo were worth the cost increase or would be easily noticed. If it was a hard-riding MTB then it could have been different.
But everyone wanted a ‘better’ version with higher numbers on the Reynolds sticker as the ‘basic tube’ one rode really nicely .. that was the point .. even so a 725 one came out and sold well. I’ve ridden both back to back and I stand by my original point, 520/basic crmo is great stuff. The 725 bike was a little lighter, not much but that counts for something.

Peterpoddy has a new cdf10 and has been raving about it, have you seen the thread ? Some useful thoughts on it. I had a 2014 one, which is 725. If buying again I’d be more likely to go for the 10 over the 20 and swop out a few bits. That said I have ordered a 30 😀

James Comments are interesting and sort of fit with my reasoning on the subject

These my thoughts

Firstly on the Genesis website the £300 saves a few 100 grams (300g)

Some of which won’t be the frame, suggesting fairly similar wall thickness

Secondly 725 and 520 are the same stiffness (as material) but 725 is stronger

So in theory the 725 can be lighter for the same strenghth but a bit less stiff. A bit less stiff might be cool in a bump absorbing way. Or it might be less stiff in a scary with touring stuff way

Given that the Tour De Fer has a thicker tubes to stop it flexing. It seem that that using 725 might be of marginal benefit in this role

Thanks for the comments all.

Test ride both tonight but only over a short distance, both felt the same weight and feel as far as I could tell.

Ampthill, I had the same thought process as you with weight and component spec which pushed me towards 10.

For what I want the bike for the 10 will do the job well hopefully.

My croix de fer weighs more than the sun and is a dull and lifeless ride, but its a bomb proof commuter.

Weight difference of frame negligible and they ride pretty much the same. Main thing to look at is if you want 9spd Sora & cable disc brakes or 10spd tiagra and cable actuated hydraulic brakes.

I do indeed have a CDF10.
It’s a lovely bike, spot on what I needed. It’s not light. It’s not fast (with me on it anyway) but it’s pleasingly solid, pretty comfy and nicely specced for the money. Even at full price I think its good VFM.
I bought it because I had a road bike I wasn’t using, and built one for a customer and really really loved the look of it. It’s a very handsome bike.
I lowered the gearing with a CX50 chain set (wish I’d just bought Sora though) and put some wider bars for better control and more space for my bar bag. I also fitted Specialized Bar Phat tape at the same time, for comfort as I have a slightly dodgy left hand. Also put some matt black SKS guards and a minimalist Tortec rack, so I can carry a lock or pop a pannier on.
I’m using it for local exploration and pootling around, but I might do some light touring on it too.
It’s a nice solid ride, especially out of the saddle. Where my road bike would flex, this feels a lot less prone to that. It’s a nice riding position with the stem flipped high. I went a size down to get better stand over height and to keep it shorter for rough stuff.
The only two disadvantages are toe overlap, but the ‘guards and my 52cm frame don’t help with that of course, and the brakes feel a bit wooden from the hoods, but there’s plenty of power from the drops since they’ve bedded in.

I’ve not ridden a 20, and I had no intention of buying one either. Yeah it’ll be a bit lighter I guess. But the geometry is the same, and that’s where the ride and handling come from. Lighter wheels would make the most difference, but mine feel tough as old boots. I might change them. I might not….
You pays yer money and you takes yer choice!