Genesis Croix de Fer Ti
Some 14 years ago, I was given a Genesis Croix de Fer 2009, or rather bits of a Genesis Croix de Fer 2009. The story of my (re)build project is here. However, that bike no longer exists, as it was broken up and recycled a few years ago, for reasons I won't go into here. Then in March of 2024 I came across a size L Genesis Croix De Fer Ti Frameset on sale at a very reasonable price, so I bought it. This is (or will be) the bike this page is about.
One curious thing I have found with this frameset is that the fork that comes with it, is not the Genesis CGR1 Fork 12mm that I would have expected it to come with. This fork is at least 193g heavier (264g if you include the thru-axle) than the CGR1, and it also lacks the internal dynamo cable routing. This last bit is really disappointing, the Croix De Fer Ti is (or maybe was, it seems to have disappeared from the website) Genesis's top end adventure/gravel bike, so you'd expect details like internal dynamo cable routing as standard.
Before I go further, a short divergence into the background of the Genesis Croix de Fer brand. The Genesis Croix de Fer started out as a steel cyclo-cross bike, "Croix de Fer" being French for "Iron Cross" the name was a pun. However, over the years it has morphed into a gravel bike to suit the changing fashions of the bicycle industry. Long the way, the materials that Genesis uses to make its Croix de Fer bikes also changed, with a variety of steel alloys being used, but this frame is made from 3AL-2.5V double butted titanium. This titanium alloy contains 3% aluminium and 2.5% vanadium, making it lighter and stronger than steel. My intention is to build gravel/light touring bike, which can also play on the rough stuff when needed.
The picture above is the way it would looked is what the Standard off the shelf CdF looks like, the bike I intend to built will be a wee bit different, see below. The frame comes with multiple luggage mounting points, 12mm thru-axles, headset, seat and collar included. The weights given, are for the components I have actually weighed (my scales are accurate to ± 1g) unless shown as to be confirmed (tbc), in which case they as given by the manufacture or retailer.
| Detailed Standard build Specification (Off the shelf, not custom built) circa 2024 |  |
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer: | Genesis | |
| Model: | Croix de Fer Ti | 10.2Kg (tbc) |
| Year: | 2024 | |
| Colour: | Raw Polished Titanium | |
| Frame & Fork | ||
| Frame: | 3AL-2.5v Butted Titanium (size L) | 2.71Kg |
| Fork: | Genesis Carbon Disc-only | 593g |
| Transmission | ||
| Shifters: | Shimano GRX ST-R810 11 Speed | 286g (tbc) |
| Front Dérailleur: | Shimano GRX FD-RX810 | 96g (tbc) |
| Rear Dérailleur: | Shimano GRX RD-RX810 Medium Cage | 255g (tbc) |
| Rear Dérailleur hanger: | Genesis Hanger (GNSPR40002) | 30g (tbc) |
| Chainset: | FC-RX600 46/30T | 806g (tbc) |
| Chain rings: | 46/30T | 816g (tbc) |
| Bottom Bracket: | Shimano BB-RS500 | 92g (tbc) |
| Cassette: | Shimano CS-HG800-11 11-34T | 335g (tbc) |
| Chain: | KMX X11 | 270g (tbc) |
| Brakes | ||
| Calipers: | Shimano GRX BR-RX810 Hydraulic Disc | 141g each (tbc) |
| Rotors: | Shimano SM-RT800, 160mm, Centre Lock | 128g each (tbc) |
| Wheels | ||
| Rims: | WTB ST Light i23 TCS 2.0 | 446g (tbc) |
| Spokes: | Steel | 14g each (tbc) |
| Hubs (front): | Formula CL-712 (100mm x 12mm through axle), Centre Lock, 32h | 150g (tbc) |
| Hubs (rear): | Formula RXC-142s (142mm x 12mm through axle), Centre Lock, 32h | 355g (tbc) |
| Tyres: | Kenda Booster 700 x 40c Tubeless Ready | 484g each (tbc) |
| Contact Zone | ||
| Saddle: | Brooks Cambium C, 145mm | 295g (tbc) |
| Seat collar: | Genesis 31.8mm | 15g |
| Seatpost: | Genesis Alloy 27.2 x 350 mm | 325g (tbc) |
| Handlebars: | Genesis Alloy, 16 Deg Flare (420mm wide) | 330g (tbc) |
| Bar Tape: | Genesis Vexgel | |
| Stem: | Genesis Alloy, 31.8mm, -6 Deg, 100mm | 172g (tbc) |
| Stem cap: | Genesis | 13g (including bolt) |
| Headset: | PT-1860bc IS42 Upper / IS52 Lower | 69g |
| Pedals: | NW-91K With Cage | 300g each (tbc) |
| Return to top | ||
| New Detailed Specification (changes from original in bold) | |
| General Information | ||
| Frameset manufacturer: | Genesis | |
| Model: | Croix de Fer Ti | |
| Year: | 2024 | |
| Colour: | Raw Polished Titanium | |
| Frame & Fork | ||
| Frame: | 3AL-2.5v Butted Titanium (size L) | 1964g |
| Fork: | Genesis Carbon Disc-only | 593g |
| Transmission | ||
| Left Brake leaver: | Shimano GRX RX820-LA | 275g |
| Right Brake leaver/Shifter: | Shimano GRX RX820-R | 298g |
| Rear Dérailleur: | Shimano GRX RX822 - SGS | 296g |
| Rear Dérailleur hanger: | Genesis Hanger (GNSPR40002) | 19g |
| Crankset: | Shimano GRX RX820 1X12 170mm Cranks | 639g (inc chain ring) |
| Chain ring: | Shimano GRX 12 speed 40T | 78g |
| Bottom Bracket: | Shimano SM-BBR60 | 78g |
| Cassette: | Shimano M8100 10-51T | 477g |
| Chain: | Shimano M8100 12 speed | 281g |
| Disc Brakes | ||
| Front Caliper: | Shimano GRX RX820-F | 168g (inc hose & mount) |
| Rear Caliper: | Shimano GRX RX820-R | 168g (inc hose & mount) |
| Rotors: | Hope tech Disc Rotors floating 160 mm, black | 103g each (without bolts, bolts 2g each) |
| Wheels | ||
| Rims (front): | Halo Vapour 29" 28 hole | 466g |
| Rims (rear): | Halo Vapour 29" 32 hole | 479g |
| Rim tapes: | Schwalbe tubeless rim tape | (tbc) |
| Nippels: | DT Swiss brass silver | (tbc) |
| Spokes: | DT Swiss Competition J-bend Double butted silver | ave 7g each |
| Front Hub: | SP Dynamo PD-8 6 Bolt Disc | 414g |
| Front Thru-Axle: | 100mm x 12mm | 71g |
| Rear Hub: | DT Swiss 350 Classic rear disc 6 bolt | 266g |
| Freehub body: | DT Swiss aluminium Shimano MICRO SPLINE 12-speed | 48g |
| Rear Thru-Axle: | 142mm x 12mm | 82g |
| Tyres: | 484g | |
| Tyres: | Teravail Washburn 700cx42 Durable Black | 530g tbc |
| Valves: | Filmore Hi Flow Tubeless | 5g each |
| Whole wheel (front): | Spec see above | 1007g |
| Whole wheel (rear): | Spec see above | 1105g |
| Contact Zone | ||
| Saddle: | Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow (I have one sitting around) | 257g |
| Seatpost: | Specialized S-Works Pavé SL (I have one sitting around) | 220g |
| Seat collar: | Genesis 31.8mm | 15g |
| Handlebars: | Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink (without loop) | 368g |
| Bar tape: | Kinesis 4 Seasons (Black Reflective) | 142g |
| Stem: | Vecnum freeQENCE (90mm) | 287g |
| Stem cap: | Genesis | 13g (including bolt) |
| Headset: | PT-1860bc IS42 Upper / IS52 Lower | 69g |
| Headset spacers: | SPA CYCLES Titanium Headset Spacers | 42g |
| Pedals: | Hope F22 - Black | Pair 368g |
| Other bits added on | ||
| Bottle cage: | Elite Vico carbon | 28g |
| Front Light | Supernova E3 Pure 3 HBM | 131g |
| Rear Light | Supernova E3 Tail Light 2 | 47g |
| Top tube bag | 7Roads Loko | 120g |
| Rack: | Tubus Logo classic (with fitting kit) | 811g |
| Mudguards: | Kinesis Fend Off (wide) | 672g |
| Lifting strap: | Temple Leather Carry Handle | 78g |
| Frame lock: | AXA Victory | 595g |
| Frame lock fitting kit: | AXA Flex Mount | 48g |
| Return to top | ||
The frameset as it was when it first arrived:
details of my bike build project start here.
There is still some tuning to be done and there are a few more accessories to add, but currently weights in at 10.9Kg, so have to look at loosing a few grams ;-)
Here is the bike in its current working state, rather more weight added to the original build lol.
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