The Genesis range of urban bikes has increased in size for 2016, and the Smithfield has split into two branches – the standard one with a frame inherited from Genesis’s Croix de Fer lineup of cyclo-cross bikes and this new radical iteration.
Twin top tubes
This bike has a pair of narrow diameter top tubes that are welded to the seatpost before flowing straight into the seatstays, almost like an old-school women’s mixte-style frame. The advantage of this configuration is a lower standover height.
Theoretically the frame won’t be as stiff, but stiffness is more of a concern for wannabe racers, not the commuters and leisure riders that this is aimed at. If you want speed, a 14.37kg bike with a swept-back bar and a sit-up-and-beg riding position probably wouldn’t – or shouldn’t – be your first port of call.
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The eight-speed Nexus hub gear is roughly equivalent to a 12-38 cassette
The Smithfield really is a very leisurely, elegant ride. Don your plus-fours and spats, grow your Edwardian ’tache and cycle along in the wheel tracks of Edward Elgar (maybe listening to Pomp and Circumstance on a rear rack-mounted boombox, as an antidote to today’s R&B). The frame design also means that a lot of the narrow 27.2mm diameter is exposed, which should keep it comfortable, as should the dropped seatstays. And it does; the Smithfield is very plush.
Leisurely cruiser
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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