Genesis, the in-house brand of shimano’s uk distributor madison, are best known for the engaging equilibrium steel bikes. for 2013 they will have added a titanium equilibrium, dropped their aluminium aether bikes and replaced these with four competitively priced aluminium bikes, beginning from this volant 00.
volant, incidentally, suggests that ‘moving lightly’ or ‘nimble’, and these are designed with a lot of aggressive geometry when compared to the aethers they’re supplanting.
the 00 has relatively racy geometry and gearing. its compact chainset is paired utilizing a 12-25 cassette, and therefore the 16cm head tube makes obtain a lower and a lot of aggressive riding position, and combines when using the oversize steerer for sharp, snappy handling.
the frame has unfussy spherical 6061 tubes with bulky, practical though not elegant welds, though the end quality is initial rate.
the volant is fairly portly, and therefore the additional grams it carries don’t do the work any favours ; it feels only that bit slower out to get up out to speed when you set the foot down than.
and despite having a customary 27. 2mm seatpost it doesn’t have quite the long-distance comfort of alternative budget bikes we’ve tried. however its transmission feels super-smooth and efficient, and its slightly firmer ride would possibly well suit the bigger, a lot of powerful rider.
the wheels combine alex r450 rims with formula hubs. they will run well enough, and traditionally spoked wheels are quite simple to look when, however at 3, 346g they’re not light-weight. the conti 25mm tyres run smoothly, grip well, survived cut-free on terribly poor rural roads and absolutely really undoubtedly are a cut on top of lots of budget rubber.
genesis’s own bar, stem and seatpost are normal at this price, however the handlebar tape is beautiful and grippy and therefore the brakes higher than on most bikes at this price purpose.
there are not any mudguard or rack fittings, and clearance is minimal, thus you’ll have out to fit race blades or similar for ’guard duties. this will limit its use just like a winter trainer/commuter, showing that it’s most likely aimed a lot of for the budget-conscious sportive or fast fitness rider, where it might do a bang-on job.
Source = bikeradar
