Genesis hilariously advertise this bike as "the illegitimate lovechild of a road and mountain bike, a 'Frankenbike'" and while this might not sound too appealing, it does have some seriously relevant applications. On adventures deep into offroad territory, where you're likely to meet deep swathes of gravel, the 2.1 inch 29er tyres offer plenty of traction and stability. Rack eyes, bottle mounts and even fork mounts provide options for long-haul luggage, altogether making the Vagabond an off the shelf, offroad adventure machine, ready to load up and disappear on.
Genesis have been building adventure bikes before they even became a 'thing', and their experience shines through with the intelligently specced Vagabond. The easily field repaired Cro-moly frame is compliant, complimenting the high volume tyres, and everything is brought to a halt by mechanical disk brakes - which are much easier to fix than hydraulic when you're far from a specialist bike shop. The rest of the build consists of well-proven, reliable Shimano Deore, and Genesis own finishing kit taking care of stem, seat and saddle.
We love the old school graphics and understated paintwork that blends nicely into the background while remaining attractive and 'workhorse' like.
Verdict: A fantastic all round bike for taking on pretty much anything you care to throw at it.
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