Genesis Fugio 30 review

The original Genesis Fugio arrived in 2017, sporting 650b wheels and an all-steel frame. For 2024, the Fugio has had its first serious makeover.

The new bike switches to an aluminium frame (and loses more than half a kilogram in the process), has a 1x drivetrain and fits massive 2.1in (54mm) wide gravel tyres.

It’s now a bike capable of taking on much more than tame gravel riding.

Genesis Fugio 30 frame details

The Genesis Fugio 30 may be less expensive than some rival gravel bikes, but no expense has been spared on the finishing.

The alloy frame is welded very tidily, with even fish scale patterning on the major joints. There are well-finished stainless bolts used for the fork mounts, bottle bosses and rack bosses too.

The paint, which blends a dark, almost purple, base layer with splattered sky blue, harks back to the paintjobs of classic 1990s aluminium mountain bikes from the likes of GT, Kona, Klein and Marin.

The graphics and logos add sharp detailing, as does the brushed metal head badge. It all adds up to a bike that looks far more expensive than its modest price tag suggests.

Genesis Fugio 30 geometry

The geometry is well thought out for a bike that’s built to go way beyond your average gravel route.

The 70.5-degree head angle isn’t as slack as the Rondo MYLC, for example, but it's slackened enough to cope with really challenging terrain.

The 73-degree seat tube angle pitches you over the cranks, for more efficient power transfer, and the extended 1,062mm wheelbase (on my size-large test bike) is intended to bring handling stability at speed.

The ride position is tall up-front, with its 613mm stack married to a short 395mm reach.

The 50mm fork offset, combined with smaller 650b wheels, the head angle and 54mm tyres results in a 71mm trail.

Tracking through tight singletrack with slick, slippery exposed roots and wet rocks, the Fugio’s front end finds a way.

Genesis Fugio 30 specification

The build consists of solid choices that have proven capable of some serious off-roading in all weathers.

The drivetrain is SRAM Apex 1 (Apex’s older 11-speed guise), with a broad 11-42t cassette paired with a 42-tooth chainring.

Genesis deviates from all-SRAM components with a crankset from Taiwanese brand Prowheel.

The forged aluminium crank arms feel stiff enough for all relevant applications, but the chainring features a built-in chainguard.

While there to help chain retention (in place of SRAM’s own tooth profiling), it transmits a bit more chatter and vibration when the chain is crossed at either end of the wide cassette.

It doesn’t affect the quality and accuracy of shifting, but it doesn’t feel as smooth as the all-SRAM drivetrain on the GT Grade Carbon X, for example.

The brakes are also from SRAM’s Apex line, providing bountiful power and lots of modulation. They can squeal in the wet, though.

Genesis provides the finishing kit and the alloy stem, matched to a wide 46cm bar with a 20-degree flare prioritising off-road control.

At the back, a simple in-line alloy seatpost is topped with a swoopy, well-padded Genesis Adventure saddle.

Genesis-branded wheels are supplied, pairing Shining DB-X25 rims and KT hubs.

Shining and KT may not be the first names on anyone’s lips, but the boxy rim has a broad 25mm internal width and weighs less than 500g (claimed).

Its only major shortcoming is the lack of tubeless compatibility, but the burly Vittoria Mezcal tyres aren’t the sort to puncture easily.

Genesis Fugio 30 ride impressions

The Fugio performs brilliantly off-road – and, by ‘off-road’, I mean ‘very off-road’.

On tarmac or a relatively smooth gravel road or byway, the Fugio is a bit ponderous. It barrels along like the gravel bike equivalent of a Land Rover. It's not exactly sparky in its pace and the deeply treaded tyres sap speed when not being asked to grip.

Get the Fugio off-road and it becomes easy to manipulate and confidence-inspiring in the worst conditions.

I rode the Fugio through the same technical trails as the effectively full-suspension GT Grade Carbon X and, although it didn’t feel as nimble, it’s just as capable bouldering through the terrain.

Where a lightweight gravel bike would demand constant alertness and full concentration, on the Fugio the only thing you need to keep constant is your own power.

The combination of the grippy tyres and the relaxed geometry makes it easy to find a path ahead.

I got the best out of it by easing my effort on the front end and keeping my concentration on spinning the cranks and getting my gearing right. Effectively, this enables the front wheel to settle more easily, especially when climbing.

On descents, the flipside was I needed to concentrate a little more, but the impressive tyres really helped matters.

The only limiting factor I found when descending on sketchier natural singletrack trails was saddle height. If ever there was a bike that deserved a dropper post, to tuck the saddle out of the way, then this Fugio is it.

The massive tyres, naturally, do the lion’s share of the work of keeping you comfortable, but the generously thick bar tape, with a nicely textured surface, was a particular highlight.

The same goes for the well-padded saddle, but the usual caveats around personal saddle preference apply here.

Genesis Fugio 30 bottom line

The Genesis Fugio 30 not only brings cool old-school mountain bike graphics and finishing to gravel, it also brings an old-school MTB sensibility with it.

The Fugio 30 is all about the journey, the exploration, and riding terrain and trails beyond your comfort zone – and that of your bike.

The odd component downgrade to help it hit the sub-£2,000 price point holds it back from perfection, though.