A Genesis Vagabond build thread - mostly continent crossing & commuting

Thanks. That’s a great summary with very good points that I wouldn’t have thought of!

This is awesome. I'd love to do something like that. The build looks great too. I always wonder whether after a trip like that, you build a bond with the bike that means you'd never want to get rid of it?

What size frame was this?

How’s the 2/3 of life going post ride? Fancy another long ride yet?

Ps - how long did this take you and what month did you start?

Funny you should say that.... I got fired from work last week (1yr 11 months in - blargh) so definitely itching for another big ride!

Since the divide I've ridden from Sofia to Istanbul and the Welsh section of the GB divide on this bike and commuted every day (prior to lockdown and firing).

Its just as happy with 30kgs of shopping as it is bikepacking or road touring. Love it!

For on road duties, I've put a thorn touring fork on that lowers the front end and lowers the trail to about 40mm. Handling is great with front panniers but toe overlap can be a problem.

Off road I put the original fork back on. At some point I'd like to add more cage mounts down the fork legs. Seems so silly it only came with the single one.

Frame is a medium. And Im currently running a 100mm 0deg stem. Fits me very well at 175cm tall.

For the Divide I started in late August and the weather was pretty much perfect. It was cold at night (below freezing multiple times in Montana and Colorado) but it warmed up quickly in the day without ever becoming too hot. It only rained seriously on the last day (tho I did sit out a substantial rain storm in a motel in Cuba)

I was following another British guy on Instagram who started a few weeks behind me and it got really really cold for him and he had to get a train further south so I think mid August is the latest time to start.

Think I did it in 40 days or so. Averaged about 60 miles a day.

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Great update!

Very interesting

Why did you swap the fork?

Been interested in trying low trail geometry and I had the fork anyway so thought I'd try it.

Maybe I've read too many gushing articles on the internet/here to be objective but I do find the handling is quick/twitchy at low speed with no weight up front. Then when the speed gets above 15mph or so it becomes silky smooth and predictable. Happily rode down cheddar gorge no handed with front panniers (had to keep applying the brakes tho)!

The og fork is definitely better for off-roading tho

Do you find it ok touring on the 1x ?

Never seen bottles/cages next to the cassette/rear wheel like that before

They're handy :)

I keep intending to get a braze on added on the top side of the seat stay 68mm from the dropout eyelet so I don't have to use a ziptie. It would also help angle the bottles upwards slightly more giving more heel clearance (currently just clears but is v close with wine)

I think the isen goat frames have mounts down there for bottles

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Very cool! Shame about the job but you never know, most new opportunities come out of nowhere in times like this. Are you in the SW then? All I need is a warmer sleeping bag and I'm ready to go on the Krampus, just a bit of a gamble with when things finally open up.

I would have water bottle cage mounts added to the seat stays. It was a pain sometimes to carry extra water in a foldaway rucksack.

What was the longest distance and duration between water sources do you think?

What was the most water you could carry at once?

I think about 6 or 7 litres for the Wyoming Great basin was the max

Ta

Wyoming Great basin

does the GDMBR go by Jeffrey City as well?

Don't remember the name but just looked it up. Looks like the route must get very close. Pretty sure I stopped in Rawlins

This is awesome. You've got me half planning, half dreaming!

This may have already come up, but this is a relevant article written by a nice man I shared a Warmshowers host with in Lander, Wyoming for a couple days - he was on the GDMBR and I was on the TransAmerica at the time.

https://bikepacking.com/plog/great-divide-mountain-bike-route-basics/

Another update to the build. I am now the proud owner of the August frameworks rack and modified fork first built for @TvH before the sad demise of his jelly beans Salsa Vaya. So I guess this is now a Genesis Vayabond.

V happy with the result! Just need to finish up the dynamo wiring. Will be riding the second city divide from Glasgow to Manchester in September 😁

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love this biek

This is so good chef kiss love the new rack and fork combo, suits it so well!

Glad it's ended up in a good home!

the top cap phone mount, what/how is it?

Dunno, but I know these ones exist. King Cage

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=34540