Genesis Vagabond – anyone got one?

Never thought it could take 650b with 50mm tyres though.

I did a lot of research on bikes that could do both because I thought it would be a good way to go for me. Obviously mountain bikes that did 27.5+ or 29 would do the other most but I found a bunch of drop bars too, which I was mostly interested in. I can find a lot of them including the guy doing it on a ridgeback panorama but I can’t for the life of me find the guy that did it on a CdF. I know the forks changed from year to year so maybe you need the right year to do it.

Edit: it was a picture of a 2014 with 650b and 2″ panaracer comets and a guy who fit 2.25 mtb tyres in but rubbed too much to ride. He was going to try 2″ but never posted the outcome.

@w00dster

I’m also local to Woburn. Usually once a month or more.

Welcome to take my Vagabond for a spin. See how you like it.

Just reread your comments. A £1200 bike to leave at the station? Sod that!

Thread resurrection 😜

I have just ordered a 2019 Vagabond which will be used initially for a Hebridean bikepacking trip in a few weeks and then as a jack of all trades. I have a Croix De Fer but wanted something a bit more forgiving for off road and this looks ideal. I have a long low HT and a FS for trail riding.

2 questions please, Trp Spyre brakes – I am used to 105 and Ultegra hydraulics, what do I need to know about these ?

Similarly bar end shifters ? Never used them before and used to STIs.

Many thanks

2 questions please, Trp Spyre brakes – I am used to 105 and Ultegra hydraulics, what do I need to know about these ?

Similarly bar end shifters ? Never used them before and used to STIs.

The Spyres aren’t too bad, but I find myself adjusting for pad wear every few rides. It’s a tiny bit fiddly but not too bad. If I could justify the cost I’d change them for a full hydro set-up just to avoid that fiddling.

Bar-end shifters – I wasn’t expecting to like them but I genuinely love them. They suit the character of the bike.

I agree pad wear is worse than my 105’s although I am still on original pads so maybe an easy fix.

Idlejon have you stuck a 3mm allen key in the hole on the side of the caliper – turn till the pads binds and then wind back a fraction.

Bar end shifters – no probs once you stop banging your knee on the lever. You will only do it a couple of times! Also mine hit the crossbar on full lock (not whilst riding only crashing / maneuvering)

Just to be annoying 😉 I don’t get much pad wear on my Spyres and really like them,but they get more road than off road use ,and the off road that I do doesn’t require big handfuls of brake.
I am also running bar-end shifters just now.
As good as they are,they do sometimes get in the way on off road climbing if it gets technical.

Idlejon have you stuck a 3mm allen key in the hole on the side of the caliper – turn till the pads binds and then wind back a fraction.

Yes, that’s what I meant about being slightly fiddly. Despite having boxes full of tools I haven’t quite got the right shape and length of 3mm to get through the spokes! 🤔

As good as they are,they do sometimes get in the way on off road climbing if it gets technical.

Never had a problem with that, or with hitting my knees on them because I’ve managed to avoid nasty crashes on mine. However I still change gear almost every time I dismount!

Thanks for info, any links to setting up and adjusting the Spyre’s or is it pretty intuitive ?

Just also double checking on size, I’m 5ft 10 and a little bit, with 30.5 IL. Pretty sure medium is right for me as am on a medium Croix De Fer, and similar size to Malvern rider, though short legs, long back.

Afternoon… Long time lurker on this thread and getting close to putting a Vagabond together.

Does anyone have opinions on carbon forks and the Vagabond? I’m planning on putting WTB Resolutes on so won’t get all the squidgy benefits of a 2.2/2.3 tyre but not convinced slapping a carbon fork on top of what will be, essentially, a budget(ish) build is worth it.

Having said that, I have thought about the Redshift Shock Stop Stem…

Sorry, thinking out loud here.

And re: TRP Spyres, my experience of them has been pretty good but the last pads I bought, Clarkes I think, seem a bit rubbish. I’m wondering about Spykes next time out, if the price is right.

Just also double checking on size, I’m 5ft 10 and a little bit, with 30.5 IL. Pretty sure medium

You sound the same height as me, with slightly shorter legs – 5ft 10” and a bit (179cm), 32” IL. Medium is the perfect fit for me.

****

I had thought about upgrading the fork to something carbon, when I first bought the bike. I don’t find the standard fork too harsh, so haven’t really thought more about it. Mine gets used quite a lot off-road.

^^^ many thanks for that.

Spyres are great. Far and above the best mechanical oùt there in my opinion. Unlike the awful HyRd brakes.

Put bar and shiftes on mine and am really happy with them. Never hit my knee and they are super easy to use

Can you recommend any particular pads you use with the Spyres? I’m looking at some Swiss Stop, I think, organic pads but they are 15 quid a wheel…

I think I put uberbike pads in mine last time. The front one whistles..

Anyone using mudguards and recommendations ? May just put a mucky Nutz on the fork crown .. and a quick release thingy on the seatpost..

well, just been out for a spin up and down the street on it , and think it’s going to do me well ! Weird feeling, drops and mtb tyrer, hops off kerbs a treat !

One question – the bar end shifters and cable tension adjustment for indexing – is it just a case of nipping up the inner allen bolt on the microshift a wee bit ? I do have small barrel adjusters too on the top tube, so tightening them would also work.

^^^^ scrub that silly question – I just watched a setup video 🙂

Stealth ad – my medium is for sale after all seeing as I’m still out of action. 2x 20K rides since summer last year. Sod it.

^^^^ 🙁

Malvern Rider – how much are you thinking, and where are you?* I’ll mention it to the guys I ride with.

* I guess somewhere near the Malverns, just maybe? 😁

^ pm’d you, thnks, it’s in classifieds.

Can you recommend any particular pads

I just changed my organic pads for these semi-sintered ones. Not squealing, not properly bedded in yet and already giving slightly better stopping than the factory-fitted organic pads. They should last a good deal longer too. I did a fair bit of forum-scouring and many recommend EBC Gold (sintered)

The stock pads, as mentioned, required adjusting almost after every long descent!

20 gravel miles tonight round nearby windfarm. Surprisingly fast and very comfy and stable. I dropped the stem 10mm and it still feels really high so think I might turn it over and see how that feels.

Impressed overall 👍

Though on reflection it only feels high on the tops, the drops are perfect…

Stealth ad now retracted. Have never had a bike that was so hard to sell yet so happy to keep. Turns out that I was re-tearing an old ab injury (from gym) by climbing seated and hyperextending. After 6 months healing re last re-injury (from seated hill-climb on the Vagabond) pretty sure now that I made a big mistake by raising the seat to optimal in one go, rather than incrementally. Stripick me that I used my SS MTB in the same period and it gave me no probs. Then I thought – I mever climb seated on the MTB. Penny-drop.

Now using the Vagabond more as a gadabout/mountain bimblebike with stem flipped to riser and seat lowered, 35c and guards removed for summer tracks/trails/towpaths mode. Nano 2.1s refitted. Also refitted the old, wide Spesh Sonoma seat as the Phenom doesn’t suit upright posture nearly so well.

3hr Wyre forest blast one night last week, fire roads, railway line, bridleways, gullies/ruts, rock-gardens, streams and a bit of road work, no probs. No re-injury. It wasn’t the bike, it was my riding-style/config.

Amazingly versatile and fun bike. It obviously has good taste in rider too 😎
I promised it was a keeper when first bought, and (despite repeated efforts to sell owing to injury/thwarted touring plans) it seems that it really is. Firm plans now to use the Vagabond carefully as my recovery trainer with a more hopeful future, hoping to avoid surgery.

Anyone recommend 10 speed shifters? I might try some flat bars and hydros at some point🤔

Hebridean bikepacking sounds ace, iainc. What’s the loadout looking like?

^^^ cheers, yes, cannae wait ! I haven’t had a trial load up yet, though here’s the kit on the other gravel bike. I think I’ll drop the frame bag as I don’t think there’s space for it, and bottles, on the Vagabond, so will likely take a small backpack.

@Malvern Rider

Can’t go wrong with SLX at the price mate.

If anyone’s looking for one of these, I’ve actually just put mine on eBay.

Medium frame in white.

Titled Genesis Vagabond – Medium – Steel – Adventure Cyclocross Bikepacking on eBay if anyone is interested. Open to offers

Did 50 miles on mine today in road/gravel mode. First time out on it since Xmas. What a great bike 😎

My actual road bike hasn’t been used since I bought it over 2 years ago now.

Mine is ready and waiting for it’s maiden trip to the Outer Hebrides on Thursday. 3 gravel rides in since picking it up 10 days ago, and about 80 miles covered. Swopped saddle and post to an ISM and layback, popped on some Time SPDs and tweaked the gearing now that cables have stretched.

I am hugely impressed with it. On fireroads it is a bit, but not much, slower than my Croix De Fer and when it gets proper bumpy it is a gem. Slow on the road but still good compared to my other MTBs.

I think it’s going to get used quite a lot !

You can see a pic now. Cheers

First decent trip done, loving it, very capable and comfy :

I am picking up a pair of secondhand Hope Pro 2/Mavic 719’s from a pal which will I think make a significant difference, as the stock wheels and tyres are weighty. Will put folding tubeless versions of the WTB Nano’s on.

Anyone know if 719s need the full Stans conversion kit or will they go up and hold with tape and tubeless valves ?

Kinda stealth add, not sure whether it’s being kept or not but I’m not getting much time to use it as I’ve already got a CX, SSCX and a rigid MTB. The sensible option would be to sell three and keep the all rounder, but I’m not sensible.

Large purple frame, hope wheels, Thompson post and stem, xtr cranks, trp spyres, setup single speed with a doofer. Anyone want to make a sensible offer on it or the frame?

Slim chance I’d consider a swap for something lighter/racier but I do have those bases covered so it would need to be something really nice like a pickenflick or cannondale slate or something dedicated single speed and disk braked.

Nice one iainc, look fwd to the report on lighter wheels. Which cassette?

Am still running the stock cassette, wheels + tubes but these will be the second place I’ll be looking to upgrade (losing 20kg off self being the first 😬*)

No real complaints about the Volares tho’, decent enough on the strength-weight-cost ratio. Funnily enough, pretty sure this is the first decent (stock) bike I’ve owned and not upgraded the wheels within first year of owning. Probably a budget-related exception to be fair.

*Working on the (probably faulty notion) that heavier bikes make lighter work of personal weight-loss

Onwards and upwards…

PS anyone else messed about with flat bars or some type of swept bars on a Vagabond?

^^ Malvern Rider – will just swop the existing cassette over, hoping all fits, have some QR adaptors for the hubs and ordered a set of DT Swiss skewers. Will likely use a Stand conversion kit as well, just to be on the safe side.

anyone got a view on the standard wheels on the current version ? I have popped some folding bead tyres (Nano 2.1 TCS) on them for now while sorting out the secondhand wheelset, which I may use as main one, or may run with different tyres. It’s better quality, but pretty tatty…

So tempted by one of these, been offered one of the earlier old sparkling blue model , has there been any changes frame wise si ce it was introduced. It’s this or a cx with 40ish mm clearance I think

Btw will it fit road cranks on blurb seems so but reading posts seems perhaps not

Th aks

^^^^ not sure on the changes or the cranks, but what I would say is that is really is very able. Last weekend had one day with 55 road miles into a fierce wind, and another day with 1000m of climbing and hikey bikey and a full on rocky path descent and it just did it all, no fuss !

Following my other thread about tubeless options, I found out that the current spec rims are tubeless ready. 2 wraps of Tesa tape, Stans valves and sealant and half an hour later all setup. I bought a set of WTB Nano 2.1 TCS and they sealed very well, with Schwalbe Booster (airshot) and no mess or leakage. Significantly lighter than the as supplied wire beads and tubes and looking forward to seeing how they feel.