Today, British brand Genesis announced updates to three of its best-selling machines. The round-the-world capable Tour de Fer, the monster-cross Vagabond, and perhaps most importantly, the all-mighty Croix de Fer. Of these models, the latter can fully claim to be the first gravel bike, successfully making the jump from cyclocross machine to a little bit of everything phase to the present as a complete and unmatched gravel bike.

There are some updates that need to be taken further, but if you want to know what the two bikes are like to ride, check out my first ride reviews of the new Croix de Fer and Vagabond. Further testing will reveal all, but for now let's dive into the key numbers, build options, and important updates.

Given the current trend in gravel bike design, the major change to the venerable Croix de Fer is not surprising: increased tire clearance. The new models can accommodate up to 47mm tires, and all full models come with 45c Maxxis Rambler tires. Genesis states that the bikes can generally clear 45c tires with fenders, but this is somewhat dependent on the specific tire/fender combination. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] This means that if you want to use a suspension fork, up to 40mm of travel will not significantly affect the geometry.

The boost spacing rear hub and mountain bike gearing mean that the Vagabond is as close as possible to a drop-bar mountain bike before committing to a flat-bar machine.

Vagabond is only available in two full builds for £1,799.99 / €2,149.00 and £2,299.99 / €2,699.00, with a frameset only option for £899.99 / €999.00.