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One has come up locally, hoping to view tonight.
I commute at times, ride nice places on road and easy forest tracks at weekends and do some short tours on / off road. Last months Moray triangle was a 'perfect' summary of what I am riding on and enjoy on a 'do it all' bike.
My current Merlin is very 'old CX geometry', not a lot of tyre clearance and few mounts.
I would likely put faster tyres and full guards on it.
My concern with a Vagabond is a) weight and b) I was thinking of a flat/alt bar thing next.
Any owners care to comment?
Oh, and I am 6' with average to long leg proportions so Large should be ok?
I had a medium, bought it just before doing a bikepacking trip on the Hebridean Way, it was great for that. Only change I made (it was a brand new 2019 one) was to go tubeless and lose the heavy wire beaded tyres.
I sold it later same year as i found it a bit hefty for regular rides, and on techy terrain the toe overlap was a hazard for me ! I use a Topstone Lefty (650B) for the stuff I used the Vagabond on, and it's better in every way for my needs. I do also have a 'fast' gravel bike, more road oriented, which sees a lot of use and if doing Moray triangle would probably be the one I would take as it's lovely of the road sections and pretty able on trails (carbon Diverge on 700's and with Futureshock)
size wise would agree you'd fit best on a Large Vagabond
Does anyone know how heavy the stock wheels are? I am wondering if I could swap them over on the Merlin and save a chunk of weight.
Hmm...
sold it later same year as i found it a bit hefty for regular rides,
This +1, built mine up from new frameset purchase and although it rode well just seemed too hefty for what it was, much happier with my AWOL. Mind you my brother loves his & does bazzilions of miles on it.
I love mine. Completely stock 2018. It is heavy but I don't notice it and so comfortable compared with my Arkose. You won't need to go to flat bars as the drops are so high that you can sit on them all day without any discomfort.
I used mine for quite a few 1000 miles of commuting, old school xc rides and what we now call gravel rides. The hills and mountains around here (S Wales) have lots of access roads which can get very rocky, and 40ish mm tyres soon get out of their depth - this is where the Vagabond excelled. I did actually find that it was fun bike to ride anywhere, though, which is why it got used for commuting. It's pretty much as fast and capable as whatever tyres you put on it.
FWIW: I have found previous genesis steel bikes fairly dull (even compared to other steel bikes, some weighing even more). Not to say they are bad but they are always plodders and for me psychologically sap a bit of energy.
Have a look at the Fairlight Faran too.
Designed by the same person as the Vagabond I think but just a bit better. Not much more money either...
I bought a Vagabond frame:
Use it for backpacking and mountain biking (rigid fork, drop bars, tyres are 2.35 front 2.2 rear)
It is heavy, up to you if you can make your peace with that
The more recent models have thru axles, so you'll need to check that before swapping your old wheels over
Surprisingly expensive, I think around £850 for the frame, new. That puts it in the same price range as other, more boutique-y brands like Singular and Surly
The ride is lovely, can do long days on it no problem, lots of fun on singletrack. Obviously not one for the black runs or bike park tho
^^ it is a very capable, if a bit dull, ride, so for that deal you are unlikely to be disappointed. I toyed with the idea of changing the wheels on mine, but Dave (Madison) talked me out of it, as the standard wheels are decent enough given the heft of the general frame and componentry..
Enjoy. I have one of the 725 ones and am still amazed at how hefty it is for what it is.
It’s lighter than I thought.
Your current merlin bike must be heavy then 🤣
I really wanted to like the vagabond but it was just heavy and I felt that ruined the ride. In it's defence, it was a stick bike with heavy wheels and tyres and inner tubes.
Looking forward to the pictures and seeing what changes you make to it.
Are you keeping the drop bars? Or converting to something else?
Your current merlin bike must be heavy then
Maybe with rack and full guards!
I picked it up thinking it would be 'gosh that's Enduro bike heavy' and in fact it was more 'hmm, that's hardtail heavy'...
Maybe with rack and full guards!
I picked it up thinking it would be ‘gosh that’s Enduro bike heavy’ and in fact it was more ‘hmm, that’s hardtail heavy’
That sounds about right to me. I've got some fairly nice wheels on mine, and it feels fun enough. It's no racer, obviously, but I look forward to riding it
I dropped nearly 1kg with lighter wheels and tubeless tyres on mine, made it feel a lot nicer.
I'll happily do rough back lane + bridleway 100km rides on it in four hours or so.
Not the lightest maybe, but a very comfy bike for longer rides. Think I've done nearly 10k km so far on it in total.
A little update.
I rode the bike 'as is' for a few weeks. It is heavy to pick up, but doesn't feel it out riding. In fact it trucks along nicely on road and tracks.
It is more comfortable than my last bike, but I am looking a marginally narrower bar and one which is flared.
I have added mudguards - Edge AL's which I posted about the hassle of fitting. It messes/clatters on the rack which is old so I will change the rack and then somehow attach it to the rack if needed.
I like the TRP Spyre brakes, a lot. A lot more powerful than my last mechanical brakes...
The Double Tap Apex shifters work, but they are just plasticy and flexy feeling with a more clunky shift than Shimano. That said, they work.
I just changed the tyres from Nano 2.1's to Continental Terra Hardpack 50mm (come up more like 46/47mm). It has saved a chunk of rotating weight, and I am going to go tubeless to save more, but it has also upped the cruising speed some. They are quieter than the Nano's on road and just hold onto speed more, as well as the lack of weight helping spin them up. A real change.
Before tyre change:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53279611275_b865c0ca19_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53279611275_b865c0ca19_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2pb8Wcv ]2020 Genesis Vagabond[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
I had Spyres on mine, check they've got new pads in as the TRP ones are awful compared to pretty much anything else.
Sold mine as like others I just found it heavy and ploddy. There wasn't any ride where I wouldn't have rather been on either the much lighter/faster feeling CX bike, or a rigid MTB. It was a shame because I really wanted to like the concept.
Mine was a custom* built with hope / DT wheels, Thompson stem/post, XTR cranks, so it really shouldn't have felt heavy.
*I had a very bling parts bin.
It's quite Fargo-tastic, isn't it?
Great update, thanks for that. The bike's looking lovely, too!
It is heavy to pick up, but doesn’t feel it out riding. In fact it trucks along nicely on road and tracks.
For me this is the key thing, if it fits and feels good then (to a degree) that's the main thing.
Enjoy.
I have a Shand,probably my heaviest build,but it's often my first choice,as riding it all day never feels like an effort.
Don't get me wrong, I keep eyeing up thinks like a Singular Gryphon, Cotic Cascade & Escapade or Pipedream ALICE and think 'how nice would this ride be and save a couple of kilograms of weight?' - but then wonder if they would be as good when I whack a couple of panniers on...
Nice. I've had a few steel Genesis MTBs over the years and although they've mever been light they've always ridden nicely.
My Cascade's 13.4kg with SKS Edge AL56s and various lights fitted, but it doesn't feel it. Light(ish) wheels and tyres definitely help that, I've got Pro4s with XR391s, 700x50s set up tubeless. No immediate plans for panniers on mine though.
Yeah, they're not light, but they are very comfy 😎
I've done plenty of centuries on mine (both metric and imperial) and few multi-day trips.
Love my vagabond. Great gravel style bike. Great for more gnarly pff road - no.suspension, go a little slower. Got me out bikepacking this year for the first time.
Not light. Not.the most lively handling. Bit very comfy. Very capable.
just seen the bike on flikr. very nice Matt.
Singular Gryphon
Is this lighter?
I would have thought so - but I've not peeped at grammes...