5 stars of Genesis' 2020 range

We paid a visit to Genesis yesterday and have just about enough time to tell you about a few highlights coming your way in 2020. It's going to be a whistle-stop tour. Genesis isn't abandoning carbon-fibre entirely but there's a huge focus on metal-framed bikes, for which the brand has always been best known.

One of the big developments is the introduction of Shimano's gravel-specific GRX groupset. We've yet to use GRX (the mechanical version is due to arrive any minute now) but, being from Shimano, it's pretty much certain to make a massive impact on the market. 

Find out all about Shimano GRX here. 

The Croix De Fer Ti (double-butted 3Al/2.5V titanium) is built up with a GRX groupset along with Jalco/Formula wheels. The fork is full carbon-fibre.

The bike is priced £3,799.99. 

The Fugio 30 – the top-specced Fugio model – is another bike that has gone down the GRX route. In the past, this bike has been made of what Genesis calls Mjolnir steel, but it gets an upgrade to Reynolds 725 heat-treated cromo for 2020 and the fork is now full carbon. 

Genesis says, "[The Fugio is] the bike that will take its time on the boring bits and come alive just as things get interesting. That might mean turning a bump into an opportunity to get the wheels off the ground, or flicking the back wheel through some turns."

The Fugio 30 comes fitted with tubeless compatible wheels and 47mm-wide tyres, along with a dropper post, so it's fair to say that there's a big mountain bike influence going on here.

Price? It's £2,199.99

We're intrigued to find out how the 2020 Croix de Fer 10 Flat Bar performs.

The frame (available in two finishes) is Genesis Mjolnir seamless double-butted cromoly and the unicrown fork is cromoly too. You get a Shimano Sora groupset and Shimano BR-MT200 hydraulic disc brakes, all for £999.99.

The 2020 CDA 10 swaps steel for 6061 aluminium, resulting in the price coming down to £599.99. It shares its geometry with the Croix De Fer and is compatible with mudguards and a rack. 

The CDA 10 has a Shimano Claris 2x8 drivetrain, Promax Dsk-300 cable-operated disc brakes, and a gorgeous paint job. The CDA 20, with a Shimano Sora groupset, is £100 more at £699.99.

We reviewed the carbon-framed Genesis Vapour 30 (was £2,499.99, now £2,599.99) cyclocross bike earlier in the year and we'd very much like to call in one of the cheaper models for review. 

The £999.99 Vapour 10, for example, is built around 6066/6061-T6 double-butted aluminium frame and a carbon/aluminium fork with mudguard/ rack mounts and is billed as 'a versatile all-rounder'. It has a Shimano Sora groupset and Promax Dsk-717 mechanical disc brakes (like the CDA 20). Although fitted with 33mm Donnelly MXP 33c tyres, there's clearance for 38s.

Right, we're going to try to talk the nice people at Genesis into giving us a lend of as many of these bikes as possible.

For more info go to www.genesisbikes.co.uk.