Hi folks. First post on here and looking to get into road bikes. I am after opinions of The Genesis zeal 20 mgt carbon 105. Theres not a lot I could find over the interweb but generally the Genesis brand seems well received. I also had my heart set on a BTwin Triban 540 from decalthlaon. A fair bit cheaper but great value and reviews. Thoughts please.
they are very different bikes. The genesis has an all carbon frame, the decathlon an aluminium one. The Triban has some mudguard clearance, the genesis has basically none. The geometry is different between the two.
I would go as far as to say that -depending on how much 'value' you attribute the frameset with- the genesis is either mediocre or poor value for money. In particular it has a fairly low-rent wheelset, for a bike like that. Ironically the wheelset could be made both good and reliable, given suitable TLC, but it almost certainly won't have had such TLC before you get it. Similar considerations apply to the wheelsets fitted to many triban models, not sure about that one.
If I understand my geomtry (complete novice btw) the genesis has a longer TT length (around 10mm in my size L). This means for a more aggressive geo for race? I think!?
Agree they wheel / tyre spec seems mediocre, however the triban 540 is set with mavic axiums.....these are good at this price point! my thoughts were with the Genesis becuase of the carbon frame. the wheels / tyres can be upgraded later but is the frame good enough to warrant this....still checking I guess...
you can buy a different stem 10 20 or even 30mm mm longer/shorter if you need to, but you need also to worry about the seat tube angles in your size; if the seat tube is steeper angled and the TT is longer, it is a double whammy.
If you are a very strong racer you might tolerate a steep seat angle (that doesn't really let you put the saddle back far enough) but if you are not then a slacker seat angle is a much better idea.
For yhe btwin triban 540 Large seemed better to me then a medoum. Although I could ride a medium yhere was not much in it. Im yet to try a Genesis Large...
