Genesis Fugio 10 (2022) review

The Genesis Fugio 10 is a great entry level gravel bike spec’d with 650b wheels, big tyres, plenty of mounting points and guaranteed smiles.

NB: Genesis have just recently updated the Fugio range but the following review of the outgoing (2022) model is still more than relevant. Enjoy!

• Brand: Genesis
• Product: Fugio 10
• Price: £1,699.99
• From: Freewheel
• Review by: Lewis Deacon for 4 months

Pros

• The ride
• Small wheels / big tyre combo for Calderdale ‘gravel’
• The geometry

Cons

• Tyre/rim combo
• Gear ratios – depending on intended use
• Front end feels a bit jarring

The Bike

The Genesis Fugio 10 sits at the bottom of the Fugio range, replacing the steel framesets found on the Fugio 20 (SRAM Apex 1x) and 30 (Shimano GRX 1x) with aluminium, but retaining the carbon fork found across the range.

The Fugio 10 is supplied with SRAM Mechanical Apex 11 speed 1x drivetrain and mechanical TRP Spyre callipers.
The frame comes spec’d with 47mm WTB tan wall tyres on 650b WTB wheels (more on that later) and has the adaptability to run 40mm tyres in a 700c wheelset for great versatility depending on the terrain you ride.

The colourway is updated for this line-up and is fixed for each Fugio model, and the Fugio 10 comes in a green progressively fading to black colour with gold decals – quite 90’s inspired.

The Ride

If I was to describe this bike in three words it would be solid, capable and fun – the smaller wheels and frame geometry made this bike feel playful and nimble. It’s not the lightest bike or the cheapest but It just wants to be ridden and challenge what a gravel bike is capable of. I have just come off riding a Lauf Seigla round the ‘Mills and Moors’ winter rides and the Dirty Reiver and the two bikes are worlds apart.

The Fugio 10 is very adaptable, taking two wheel sizes and offering 16 mounting points (no under downtube mounting points on the Fugio 10, but these are found on the Fugio 20 and 30, taking the mounting points to 18). This means there are plenty of mounting options to suit different bottle / frame bag sizes and also mounts on the fork legs for cages as well as top tube mounts for a bolt on top tube bag, which is a much better solution for a gravel bike.

Is this too many mounting points? Yes probably, but during some longer gravel rides I have definitely appreciated having options to change bottle height to accommodate larger framepacks.

The supplied wheel and tyre combo offered really good grip in a range of conditions, whilst still not feeling too sluggish on smoother / road sections – although a lighter set of wheels would improve this further. Onto the tubeless set up… This WTB rim and tyre combo were a bit of a nightmare to get to sit, the internal rim profile has a deep channel that is v-shaped, the tyres sat very loosely on the rim and just would not allow the bead to become seated. I had to resort to using a friends compressor, which still required the tyres to be wrestled on with a tyre lever pulling the bead to the rim – although once on have been solid, even at quite low pressures.

The SRAM Apex 1x groupset is functional, simple and reliable, but the lever movement on the shifter has quite a long range (non-adjustable) that on colder or longer rides meant my hands got quite tired and was harder to upshift on technical terrain, although this is minor issue.

I was pleased to see the TRP Spyre callipers supplied with compressionless housing – this meant they worked well and were able to control the breaking down some of the steeper trails, obviously with less modulation than a hydraulic equivalent.

The geometry encouraged me to ride downhill faster than I have with other gravel bikes and the smaller wheel size made handling the more unexpected larger rocks a breeze. I found the reach on the Large frame (395 mm) and the stack height (613 mm) kept the front end planted and my eyes up so I could focus on the trail, especially during some of the more technical gravel / MTB trails that my Pennine terrain has to offer. I found I was right at the front during group rides, often buzzing past friends on the harsher terrain / wet muddy conditions. One particular group ride down an infamouse descent in horrible wet conditions I really let the bike go and it flowed over the terrain really well, although riding in conditions like that always reminds me of the advantages of an MTB front mudguard. This bike just felt planted.

However, the front end felt a bit jarring at times and the shifter / bar combo meant my hands were either bounced off the non-hydraulic shifter hoods (these are significantly smaller than their hydraulic equivalents) or I was needing to hold onto the drops really tightly – a change of tyre pressures improved this but if I were to keep this bike that would be something I would consider changing. Obviously I am coming from a Lauf fork and shock absorbing carbon bars, but the front end on the Fugio just seemed to bounce a bit more than expected.

The other contact points were all Genesis branded and I think that those are all personal choice, especially a saddle and I didn’t get on with the OEM one particularly well, but it was fine on shorter rides.

The main quandary I have is this bike doesn’t quite know what it is. On one hand the bike wants to be ridden fast, through twisty terrain and down descents. Its spec’d with a 11-42 cassette and a 42 tooth chainring which means it climbs well and has enough gear ratio to keep you moving on faster terrain without being under geared and the cable operated discs are capable enough to stop it. All this results in the fun ride that I have described in this review. On the other hand the mounting points demonstrate the designers want for this bike to be loaded up and used as a gravel / bikepacking set-up, I am not sure the gear ratios match this, as climbing with this bike fully loaded (and stopping going down) might be a bit of a challenge with the groupset ratio and cable actuated callipers. I am not sure I would wanted to do long multi-day rides on it.

Overall

This Genesis Fugio 10 is a fun, adaptable, robust bike for exploring local trails (did I mention it made me smile?) and for the occasional overnight trip or commuting. If you want an entry-level gravel bike that’s focussed on the fun element and is adaptable this could be the bike for you, although the Fugio 20 or 30 might be worth considering for the frame material and groupset upgrades.

Genesis Fugio 10 (2022) Specification

• Frame // Aluminium
• Fork // Carbon
• Wheels // WTB ST 125 TCS 2.0 650b
• Hubs // KT Front – QL-SL2F / Rear QL-X2DR
• Tyres // WTB Venture 650b x 47 mm
• Chainset // SRAM Apex 1x 42 Tooth, 172.5 mm on Size Large
• Drivetrain // SRAM Apex 11 Speed Mechanical, 11-42
• Brakes // TRP Spyre-C FM Mechanical Disc
• Stem // Genesis Alloy 31.8 mm, -6 deg, 100 mm
• Bars // Genesis Alloy 16 Deg Flare, 460 mm on Size Large
• Bartape // Genesis
• Seatpost // Genesis Alloy 27.2 x 350 mm
• Saddle // Genesis
• Size Tested // Large
• Sizes Available // X-Small, Small,. Medium, Large, X-Large
• Weight // 10.7kg

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