This post is presented as a stark reminder that as much as we may like to think our struggles have been overcome, N+1 never sleeps and is always lurking; patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike..
Evidently the universe felt I need another bike and I now find myself in possession of this:
I'm not going to go too deep down the rabbithole on this one as there are many more pressing matters to attend to and I'm not even sure I'll be keeping the bike.
However, as always I feel it necessary to court the validation of the CC hive mind and maybe repay this privilege by feeding some of the fruits of my research / experiences back into the ether so that others might benefit. Or at least get five minutes of entertainment from my latest folly..
Since its introduction in around 2009 the originally drop-bar-only jack-of-all-trades Croix de Fer range has steadly expanded; with the introduction of a flat bar variant in 2020. This was based on the entry-level CdF 10 model using Genesis' propriatory Mjolnir steel for the frame and fitted with a Sora 3x9 drivetrain.
2021 saw the CdF 10 FB remain much unchanged other than a new colour scheme, and also saw the introduction of a higher-end flat bar CdF 20 variant with Reynolds 725 frame and a mixture of 2x10 Tiagra and GRX. 2021 also saw some wider-reaching changes to the whole range - including the frame becoming festooned with mounting bosses and the seatstays being subjected to a bit more squashy-squashy for greater tyre clearance.
These models remained unchanged until the 2025 model year when everything changed substantially with new frame geometry, the CdF 20's frame material being demoted to Mjolnir and both of the flat bar variants now getting 1x drivetrains.. none of these being changes for the better IMO but this is somewhat subjective.
Until I was educated I'd largely looked down my nose at the flat bar variants as watered-down offerings for those who couldn't hack the drops we all know define a proper gravel bike...
However, this changed when I learned that even the lowly CdF 10 FB gets proper hydraulic disc brakes - while the drop versions of the 10 and 20 have grotty cable-operated calipers and you have to push to more than twice the price of the CdF 10 FB and part with north of £2k for a CdF 30 if you want hydro discs and drop bars.
While commuting through two winters on the rim-braked Brompton has driven home the advantages of discs, it's also softened me to the advantages of straight bars in an urban environment where responsiveness and an upright, informed posture are beneficial for the negotiation of surprise obstacles.
These revelations, plus the fact that I'll soon be moving closer to work so will be commuting on a full-size bike suddently made the CdF FB seem like a very appealing proposition. I started sniffing around - just for research purposes, you understand - and this little-used example popped up; not a million miles away and at a reasonable price.
Since its acquisition I've done a few small jobs - replacing a broken cable barrel adjustor, removing the sticky factory gak from the chain / drivetrain and of course waxing the chain. The RD's limit screws / cable setup have been tweaked and a few of the components have had a few small scuffs touched up (those on the frame might get looked at if I put my hand in my pocket for paint). I've also deburred the typically poorly-finished seatpost clamp, cleaned the associated components and refitted with fresh grease.
I did look at re-routing the gear cables as the shifters are currently plumbed into the cable stops on the same side of the frame; making the cable rads unnecessary tight. On my Fuji I've run them to opposite sides to increase the rad and remove cable rub (crossing the cables underneath the downtube) however this is complicated on the CdF as the cables would foul the front bottle mount on the underside of the downtube... so for now this has been left.
After all this I took the bike for a quick spin round the village and I'm... ambivalent.
On the up-side I'm impressed with most of the components. Despite the brakes being Shimano's boggo entry-level MT200s they're fantastic; powerful, smooth and predictable. The Tiagra shifters are snappy, crisp and precise; feeling very well put together thanks to the bulk of their construction apparently being cast alloy rather than plastic. The frame and saddle are familarly comfortable, the grips well-fitting and solid, while typically everything feels well put-together.
On the down-side the long (compared to drops) bars make the steering feel somewhat ponderous and slow - perhaps better suited to stability off-road than quick changes of direction on the tarmac. On top of that the tyres feel sluggish and a bit vague; again probably due to their pronounced tread which would be more at home on rougher terrain.
While I like the toe cages that came on the basic pedals supplied with the bike there's noticeable overlap with the front tyre - not a problem during yesterday's brief use but I know it's there and would obviously only be made worse by fitment of the obligatory mudguards. Finally, despite the GRX RX600 46/30 crankset being Shimano's lowest-geared "gravel" offering, it's still too bloody high and (especially in the face of aching legs and a headwind) I found myself constantly cross-chaining to the low end of the cassette whilst in the big ring..
As it stands I'm unsure where to go from here. On paper this latest CdF could be a great utility bike on a largely a city environment. However, it seems that in order to achieve its full potential in this role it would need some changes making which all cost money, and I don't want to fall into the trap of chucking hundreds at something that I need to be able to use in all weathers / leave locked up without having a panic attack.
Running the Genesis as a utility bike would also mean it replacing my faithful Fuji as the main utility hack; perhaps not be a bad thing as it could stay at the homestead for use there, although I'd feel both a bit guilty deserting it as well as less keen on using the so much more tidy and overtly expensive / thievable bike for shopping etc.
Also in terms of outright usability the Genesis isn't universally the victor as I still much prefer the Fuji's easy-going 3x9 drivetrain to the hamstrung and IMO still absurdly highly-geared 2x10 setup on the CdF.
While in itself the bike wasn't a bad buy I do feel like a bit of a muppet for its fairly impulse purchase; at a time when I have a lot of other stuff I should be doing / things that need money throwing at them from my already eviscerated savings. I'm currently on the fence as to whether to hang onto the bike and persevere, or cut my losses and move it on..
Evidently the universe felt I need another bike and I now find myself in possession of this:
I'm not going to go too deep down the rabbithole on this one as there are many more pressing matters to attend to and I'm not even sure I'll be keeping the bike.
However, as always I feel it necessary to court the validation of the CC hive mind and maybe repay this privilege by feeding some of the fruits of my research / experiences back into the ether so that others might benefit. Or at least get five minutes of entertainment from my latest folly..
Since its introduction in around 2009 the originally drop-bar-only jack-of-all-trades Croix de Fer range has steadly expanded; with the introduction of a flat bar variant in 2020. This was based on the entry-level CdF 10 model using Genesis' propriatory Mjolnir steel for the frame and fitted with a Sora 3x9 drivetrain.
2021 saw the CdF 10 FB remain much unchanged other than a new colour scheme, and also saw the introduction of a higher-end flat bar CdF 20 variant with Reynolds 725 frame and a mixture of 2x10 Tiagra and GRX. 2021 also saw some wider-reaching changes to the whole range - including the frame becoming festooned with mounting bosses and the seatstays being subjected to a bit more squashy-squashy for greater tyre clearance.
These models remained unchanged until the 2025 model year when everything changed substantially with new frame geometry, the CdF 20's frame material being demoted to Mjolnir and both of the flat bar variants now getting 1x drivetrains.. none of these being changes for the better IMO but this is somewhat subjective.
Until I was educated I'd largely looked down my nose at the flat bar variants as watered-down offerings for those who couldn't hack the drops we all know define a proper gravel bike...
However, this changed when I learned that even the lowly CdF 10 FB gets proper hydraulic disc brakes - while the drop versions of the 10 and 20 have grotty cable-operated calipers and you have to push to more than twice the price of the CdF 10 FB and part with north of £2k for a CdF 30 if you want hydro discs and drop bars.
While commuting through two winters on the rim-braked Brompton has driven home the advantages of discs, it's also softened me to the advantages of straight bars in an urban environment where responsiveness and an upright, informed posture are beneficial for the negotiation of surprise obstacles.
These revelations, plus the fact that I'll soon be moving closer to work so will be commuting on a full-size bike suddently made the CdF FB seem like a very appealing proposition. I started sniffing around - just for research purposes, you understand - and this little-used example popped up; not a million miles away and at a reasonable price.
Since its acquisition I've done a few small jobs - replacing a broken cable barrel adjustor, removing the sticky factory gak from the chain / drivetrain and of course waxing the chain. The RD's limit screws / cable setup have been tweaked and a few of the components have had a few small scuffs touched up (those on the frame might get looked at if I put my hand in my pocket for paint). I've also deburred the typically poorly-finished seatpost clamp, cleaned the associated components and refitted with fresh grease.
I did look at re-routing the gear cables as the shifters are currently plumbed into the cable stops on the same side of the frame; making the cable rads unnecessary tight. On my Fuji I've run them to opposite sides to increase the rad and remove cable rub (crossing the cables underneath the downtube) however this is complicated on the CdF as the cables would foul the front bottle mount on the underside of the downtube... so for now this has been left.
After all this I took the bike for a quick spin round the village and I'm... ambivalent.
On the up-side I'm impressed with most of the components. Despite the brakes being Shimano's boggo entry-level MT200s they're fantastic; powerful, smooth and predictable. The Tiagra shifters are snappy, crisp and precise; feeling very well put together thanks to the bulk of their construction apparently being cast alloy rather than plastic. The frame and saddle are familarly comfortable, the grips well-fitting and solid, while typically everything feels well put-together.
On the down-side the long (compared to drops) bars make the steering feel somewhat ponderous and slow - perhaps better suited to stability off-road than quick changes of direction on the tarmac. On top of that the tyres feel sluggish and a bit vague; again probably due to their pronounced tread which would be more at home on rougher terrain.
While I like the toe cages that came on the basic pedals supplied with the bike there's noticeable overlap with the front tyre - not a problem during yesterday's brief use but I know it's there and would obviously only be made worse by fitment of the obligatory mudguards. Finally, despite the GRX RX600 46/30 crankset being Shimano's lowest-geared "gravel" offering, it's still too bloody high and (especially in the face of aching legs and a headwind) I found myself constantly cross-chaining to the low end of the cassette whilst in the big ring..
As it stands I'm unsure where to go from here. On paper this latest CdF could be a great utility bike on a largely a city environment. However, it seems that in order to achieve its full potential in this role it would need some changes making which all cost money, and I don't want to fall into the trap of chucking hundreds at something that I need to be able to use in all weathers / leave locked up without having a panic attack.
Running the Genesis as a utility bike would also mean it replacing my faithful Fuji as the main utility hack; perhaps not be a bad thing as it could stay at the homestead for use there, although I'd feel both a bit guilty deserting it as well as less keen on using the so much more tidy and overtly expensive / thievable bike for shopping etc.
Also in terms of outright usability the Genesis isn't universally the victor as I still much prefer the Fuji's easy-going 3x9 drivetrain to the hamstrung and IMO still absurdly highly-geared 2x10 setup on the CdF.
While in itself the bike wasn't a bad buy I do feel like a bit of a muppet for its fairly impulse purchase; at a time when I have a lot of other stuff I should be doing / things that need money throwing at them from my already eviscerated savings. I'm currently on the fence as to whether to hang onto the bike and persevere, or cut my losses and move it on..
Last edited:
) but the Ergons have caught my eye in the past and I'll definitely keep them in mind if I find the bars restrictive. That said I've done decent distances (relatively speaking) on the Brompton and not found the lack of hand position choice problematic.
