New tubes, wider tyre clearance and more accessory mounts than ever make this the most versatile Croix de Fer yet
Genesis has revealed an updated Croix de Fer with dropped seatstays, increased tyre clearance, additional accessory mounts, new tube profiles and fresh builds.
A long-standing and popular do-it-all steel gravel bike, the new Croix de Fer range comprises seven complete bikes and three framesets, including stainless steel and titanium options.
Starting at £1,499.99 / €1,749 for the Croix de Fer 10 and topping out at £2,799 / €3,299 for the Croix de Fer 50, the bike is available exclusively in the UK via 130 approved dealers.
Genesis has also updated the Vagabond – its adaptable steel monstercross-inspired-drop-bar-MTB trail-shredding adventure wagon.
Compatible with 40mm-travel gravel forks, replete with mounts for every accessory under the sun and featuring a Boost-spaced rear end, the new Vagabond is available in two complete builds and as a frameset.
Finally, Genesis has updated its four-model, expedition-ready Tour de Fer range with new builds and subtle frame updates.
The Croix de Fer gets its biggest update since 2008
Introduced in 2008, the original Croix de Fer was a – unusually for the time – disc brake-equipped cyclocross-inspired gravel-ish bike before the term ‘gravel’ had entered widespread use.
The first run proved unexpectedly popular, with subsequent generations moving towards a modern gravel bike with conventional cable routing and increased tyre clearance.
Although it has been updated subtly over time – notably gaining thru-axles in 2018 – the overall design of the Croix de Fer has remained consistent, with a classic double triangle and clean lines.
While the overall ethos is similar, Genesis says the new Croix de Fer is the biggest update to the range since it was introduced.
Visually, the biggest change is the move to dropped seatstays, which is said to improve rear-end comfort.
The dropouts have been redesigned with a stiffer derailleur hanger and cleaner look.
The bike now features internal cable routing, ditching the old external cable routing and handsome brass barrel adjusters.
Swappable ports enable riders to switch between mechanical, electronic, 1x and 2x drivetrains. All bikes are also compatible with internally routed dropper posts.
Leaning further into its position as a do-it-all bike, the new Croix de Fer range bristles with mounts for full-cover mudguards, front and rear racks, top tube bags, four bottle cages on the main triangle and triple boss mounts on the fork. Both the carbon and steel forks feature dynamo cable routing.
Tyre clearance on the new Croix de Fer has been increased to 45mm with mudguards. Without mudguards, the official tyre clearance is 47mm.
All complete bikes ship with bang-on-trend wide 45mm Maxxis Rambler TR tyres. The tubeless-compatible rims are supplied pre-taped and with tubeless valves as standard.
Subtly altered geometry
| Old Croix de Fer (large) | New Croix de Fer (large) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 550 | 560 | +10.0 |
| Top tube (mm) | 582 | 573.8 | -8.2 |
| Stack (mm) | 612 | 603.6 | -8.4 |
| Reach (mm) | 395 | 395 | 0 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 175 | 155 | -20.0 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 71.5 | 71 | -0.5 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 73 | 73.5 | +0.5 |
| BB drop (mm) | 73 | 73 | 0 |
| Fork offset (mm) | 50 | 50 | 0 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,052 | 1,059.4 | +7.4 |
| Handlebar width (mm) | 440 | 460 | +20.0 |
| Stem length (mm) | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Reach + stem length (mm) | 495 | 495 | 0 |
Although stack and seat tube lengths change considerably, reach is close-to-consistent across the Croix de Fer’s five-size range. Instead, stem lengths change throughout the range to suit rider proportions.
According to Genesis, this approach reduces toe overlap while maintaining ride quality across all sizes.
If all else remains equal, shorter reach reduces front-centre distance, increasing the chance of toe overlap. Alternatively, reducing reach while slackening the head tube or increasing the fork offset would impact the ride quality of the bike.
Genesis says its approach provides a rider height-appropriate fit, while reducing toe overlap.
Outside of reach, comparing equivalent sizes, the new Croix de Fer’s stack is a touch lower and the wheelbase longer, but other key figures are similar across both generations.
| XS | S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 470 | 490 | 530 | 560 | 590 |
| Top tube (mm) | 553.2 | 557.2 | 558.2 | 573.8 | 589.4 |
| Stack (mm) | 551.6 | 565.8 | 584.7 | 603.6 | 622.5 |
| Reach (mm) | 395 | 395 | 385 | 395 | 405 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 100 | 115 | 135 | 155 | 175 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 74 | 74 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 73.5 |
| BB drop (mm) | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 |
| Fork offset (mm) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,041.5 | 1,046.40 | 1,042.90 | 1,059.40 | 1,075.90 |
| Handlebar width (mm) | 420 | 440 | 440 | 460 | 460 |
| Stem length (mm) | 70 | 80 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Reach + stem length (mm) | 465 | 475 | 485 | 495 | 505 |
New Genesis Croix de Fer range overview
The entry-level Sora-equipped Croix de Fer 10 and GRX-RX400-equipped 20 use Genesis’ Mjolnir steel tubing with a matching steel fork. These bikes stick with quick-release dropouts.
The GRX-RX400-equipped second-tier Croix de Fer 30 and GRX-RX600-equipped 40 bump up to a Reynolds 725 frame and thru-axles.
The GRX RX820-equipped Croix de Fer 50 is the top-spec complete build. It uses the same 725 frame but has a carbon fork, saving around 900g versus the steel fork. This is also available as a frameset-only option.
Frameset-only Reynolds 931 stainless steel or 3AL-2.5v titanium options complete the range.
Unlike the other bikes, these two frameset-only options feature a tapered head tube, so use a slightly different carbon fork (no steel fork is available).
Similarly, the Reynolds 725 and Genesis Mjolnir frame versions use a standard 68mm BSA bottom bracket shell, but the frameset-only titanium and stainless options feature a T47 bottom bracket shell to boost crankset compatibility.
- Croix de Fer 10 Flat Bar: £1,199.99 / €1,399
- Croix de Fer 20 Flat Bar: £1,399.99 / €1,649
- Croix de Fer 10: £1,499.99 / €1,749
- Croix de Fer 20: £1,699.99 / €1,999
- Croix de Fer 30: £2,299.99 / €2,699
- Croix de Fer 40: £2,499.99 / €2,899
- Croix de Fer 50: £2,799.99 / €3,299
- Croix de Fer 725 Frameset: £899.99 / €999
- Croix de Fer 931 Frameset: £2,499.99 / €2,999
- Croix de Fer Ti Frameset: £2,699.99 / €3,199
Introducing the new Vagabond
Introduced in 2014, the Genesis Vagabond is an unusual monstercross-ish drop-bar 29er adventure bike.
The new bike sticks with the same formula as the outgoing model but, like the Croix de Fer, sees subtle refinements to broaden its versatility and increase compatibility.
| Old Vagabond (large) | New Vagabond (large) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 490 | 530 | +40.0 |
| Top tube (mm) | 593 | 613.6 | +20.6 |
| Stack (mm) | 627 | 640.3 | +13.3 |
| Reach (mm) | 395 | 430 | +35.0 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 160 | 185 | +25.0 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 71 | 69 | -2.0 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 72.5 | 74 | +1.5 |
| BB drop (mm) | 73 | 72 | -1.0 |
| Fork offset (mm) | 55 | 50 | -5.0 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,083 | 1145.9 | +62.9 |
| Handlebar width (mm) | w | 460 | #VALUE! |
| Stem length (mm) | 100 | 60 | -40.0 |
Following wider mountain bike trends, the reach and wheelbase of the new Vagabond are significantly longer than the outgoing bike. The head angle has also been slackened, from 71 to 69 degrees.
This, Genesis says, will make the bike more stable and comfortable, particularly on technical terrain.
Size-small and extra-small bikes are built around 650b/27.5in wheels to reduce toe overlap and standover height for shorter riders.
The Boost-spaced rear end broadens compatibility with modern mountain bike wheels, but the fork uses a conventional 100mm-spaced hub. The use of a 148mm rear end means the bike is not compatible with gravel cranksets, so complete bikes pair aftermarket Genesis-branded cranksets with either a Microshift Sword or SRAM Apex XPLR groupset.
To broaden crankset compatibility, the Vagabond uses a T47 bottom bracket shell.
The bike is also compatible with gravel bike suspension forks with up to 40mm of travel. Complete bikes ship with a steel suspension-corrected fork with triple-boss Anything cage mounts.
- Vagabond 10: £1,799.99 / €1,999
- Vagabond 20: £2,299.99 / €2,699
- Vagabond Frameset: £899.99 / €999
The new Tour de Fer is ready for adventure
Finally, Genesis has updated the Tour de Fer with new builds.
Available with drop or flat bars, all four builds are expedition-ready with mudguards, front and rear pannier racks and bottle cages as stock. The Tour de Fer 30 and 40 also feature dynamo lighting.
The new bikes do away with semi-sleeved cable routing in favour of full-length housing for increased protection from the elements.
All builds now use wide-range double cranksets, doing away with triples, which have been largely abandoned by drivetrain manufacturers.
- Tour De Fer 10: £1,299.99 / €1,499
- Tour De Fer 20: £1,499.99 / €1,749
- Tour De Fer 30: £1,799.99 / €2,149
- Tour De Fer 40: £2,199.99 / €2,599