Genesis Flyer singlespeed

The Genesis Flyer is a great winter bike or no-nonsense commuter and Genesis have sensibly concentrated the spend on the excellent frame and fork, with unexceptional but solid wheels and finishing kit that'll last for ages. Overall it's fun to ride as a training bike and with mudguard and rack mounts it's versatile enough to carry a load too. For £600 it's a great addition to your stable and it'll get plenty of use.

The ride: involving, assured

First things first: the Flyer is a fun bike to ride. Much of that is down to the frame. It's no coincidence that the geometry of the Flyer is the same as that of the Genesis Equilibrium. The Equilibrium was instrumental in bringing steel back into the limelight, thanks in the main to the fact that it was – and still is – a lovely bike to ride. And the Flyer is too.

Genesis have used several varieties of Reynolds tubing for the Equilibrium – 520, 725, 853 – but the Flyer uses what Genesis have dubbed their Mjölnir tubeset. It's a double butted, seamless 4130 chromoly, but the fact that's it unbranded means it's a bit cheaper and that leaves room for a slightly better spec at the same price. The steel frame is mated with a carbon/alloy fork and both frame and fork are designed for long-drop brakes with clearance for bigger tyres and mudguards.

The Flyer doesn't suffer for not being a Reynolds-tubed frame. It's not a light bike at 9.65kg, but it responds really well to rider input and it has a supple feel, especially over rougher tarmac of which we have plenty round here. You need to put some oomph through the rear triangle to get a singlespeed to crest the hills and the Flyer copes with that admirably; it doesn't have the monolithic feel of a carbon bike but neither is it flexy enough to cause any problems. It's springy, if it's anything. And not in a bad way.

Coming down the other side the Flyer doesn't really suffer for the lack of a tapered headset, with an assured and unfluttered gait on the descents. Mostly you'll be freewheeling them as the 68-inch gear spins out at not much over 20mph. The plus side of that is that it's a low enough gear to get up most of the climbs around here without expiring. For varied terrain it's pretty much the perfect gear. If you live somewhere flat you'll probably find yourself swapping the 18-tooth sprocket out for something a bit smaller.

The position is comfortable and not especially racy. The 60cm I tested has a stack height of 612mm and a reach of 404mm. That's a stack-to-reach ratio of 1.51, which is well into sportive geometry (race bikes are rarely below 1.4, and a tourer would be closer to 1.7). It doesn't feel like you're catching too much of the wind and the compact drops offer a slightly more aero position when you need it, although given the geometry I'd probably be happy with a deeper drop for when the headwind is blowing, it's not like it would be too aggressive.

The build: decent parts to a budget

The kit the Flyer is built up with is decent and sturdy. It's not top-end stuff but then at £600 there are going to be a few compromises. The Lasco 46-tooth chainset spins on a square taper cartridge bottom bracket. Some might look at that as a compromise but personally I think it's a sensible spec for a winter bike. Chainset and bottom bracket flex (there's a bit) are much less of an issue on bikes like this, especially a singlespeed where there's no mech rub to annoy you, and a cartridge bottom bracket will run for ages.

The wheels are best described as solid: 32-hole Alex rims on deep-flange Joytech track hubs. Certainly they're not light but they stayed true throughout testing and they're stiff enough to cope with an uphill grind without any brake rub. The rear uses 120mm track spacing and has a flip-flop hub so you can also run the Flyer as a fixed wheel. The frame has decent chain tensioners built into the dropouts; bear in mind that with rearward-facing horizontal dropouts, getting the back wheel out can be a bit of a fiddle if you decide to fit mudguards. It's worth buying an extra set of pop-out stay mounts, like you'd normally fit at the front, to allow you to move the 'guard out of the way.

I took the Conti 28mm tyres off because they wouldn't fit under the mudguards I fitted; Genesis say there is room for 28s and 'guards but not the ones I tried. Anyway, the bike was a lot better with some fast-rolling 25s, the Contis are durable but they're wire-beaded and heavy and they feel a bit lifeless. Stopping them going round is a job for Tektro R315 long-drop callipers and RL-340 brake levers. They're not the most powerful brakes in the world – long drops seldom are – but they're decent enough and the lever shape is good, with a fairly long body for plenty of hand space. Fitting better quality brake pads once the stock ones wear out will improve matters.

The Genesis-branded alloy finishing kit is all solid and unremarkable stuff. The bars are a good shape, the bar tape (often a problem on cheaper bikes) is decent and comfortable, and the same can be said of the saddle. Overall there's nothing really that's bad enough that you'd feel the need to swap it out before it's worn out, with the possible exception of the tyres.

Overall: just what you need from a singlespeed

Most people will be looking at the Flyer as a winter trainer or everyday commuter, and for that sort of riding it's well-specced and fun to ride at a sensible price. The frame is excellent and versatile, and worthy of upgrading, and the stock build is all kit that's dependable and should last even in UK winter conditions. I'm not a fan of the tyres but those are easily swapped if you feel the same way. For £600 you're getting a well-thought-through bike with proven geometry. Recommended.

Running changes

Sportline have been in contact to let us know there'll be some running changes to the Flyer, some of which address points in this review. The rear-facing dropouts are to be replaced by a traditional forward/diagonal dropout which should make puncture fixes a lot easier on the roadside if you're running mudguards. Which you will be, because the Flyer will ship with 35mm Chromoplastic guards in the longest length Genesis could find them, with full mudflaps for maximum winter protection. The gear is lowered slightly more to a 65" (42x17) so you'll definitely need to budget for an extra freewheel if you live anywhere that's not too lumpy. Brakes are upgraded to Promax units with catridge pads (still long drop of course) and the 28mm Continental tyres get swapped for Maxxis Re-Fuse 25c rubber. All those changes together mean the bike should be an even better out-of-the-box winter trainer in its next incarnation.

Verdict

Well-considered singlespeed workhorse with a lovely frame and decent spec for the money