Genesis gave us a glimpse of two new drop-bar bikes at iceBike* 2026, which pull the brand in very different directions.
One prototype is Genesis’ interpretation of a modern steel all-road bike, blending handsome slim tubes with generous tyre clearance and do-it-all practicality.
The other is far more experimental: a 32in-wheel gravel wagon aimed at long-distance efficiency rather than technical trail handling.
After a significant refocussing of the brand following the post-Covid boom years, these are the first new steel bikes to be shown by Genesis since the Croix- and Tour de Fer were updated in 2024.
The brand also showed off a range of mid-range alloy gravel bikes designed to hit “important” price points for Genesis dealers.
Slender, versatile, handsome
The unnamed steel prototype is Genesis’ work-in-progress interpretation of a contemporary steel road bike.
With clearance for 40mm tyres, brand manager Brodie Gardias says the bike’s geometry errs towards the endurance end of the spectrum: “It has road but relaxed geometry – it’s not meant to be a race bike.”
The bike aligns most closely with the discontinued Equilibrium – Genesis’ steel endurance road bike: “Effectively it’s something similar to an Equilibrium – so a little more all-road than the Volare, which though it was steel, was quite race-focussed in geometry.”
The bike uses a bespoke tubeset, which Gardias says goes beyond more commonly available tubesets. “The down tube is a little bit above what you’d find in Reynolds 853,” Gardias says.
This is paired with stiffer-than-average chainstays that, in spec terms, sit a touch above Reynolds 725.
Elsewhere, Gardias says the top tube and seatstays are more compliant to improve comfort.
Rather than use a more typical 1 ½in tapered fork, the bike is designed around a 1 ¼in tapered fork. This enables Genesis to use a more slender head tube. “On a road bike, a wider steerer can look a bit overkill – we wanted to keep that really slim aesthetic of a steel bike,” Gardias explains.
The custom fork also features routing for a dynamo cable, and a full complement of mudguard and rack mounts, adding to its do-it-all appeal.
Unexpected compliance challenges for 32in bikes
32in wheels remain a niche choice, but one the cycling industry is taking increasingly seriously.
Genesis remains sceptical about the direction they’ll go in, although it’s a tech trend it wants to better understand, hence commissioning a small fleet of prototype bikes.
“We’re not convinced it’s necessarily something that will [sell in] big volume, but it has some potentials – it’s something we wanted to test,” says Gardias.
“A lot of the focus in the press and in the public sphere has been on 32in mountain bikes – there are some World Cup teams testing them. If they test them and it’s faster, they will ride it – end of.”
However, he remains sceptical as to how useful they will be for the majority of riders: “For most people, for a mountain bike, I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be very practical.
“The handling difference and the inertia that’s created with a 32in wheel – plus the weight due to the need to have thicker spokes – for a mountain bike on technical terrain, I think it’s quite potentially limited."
He sees a more likely future for 32in wheels in gravel: “For something that’s just meant for steamroller-ing 200km in a straight line over rough terrain, actually, [32in wheels] could be something really interesting.”
The prototype bike bears greatest resemblance to Genesis’ Vagabond drop-bar monster cyclocross bike, or the long-discontinued Longitude in a drop-bar format.
Built with 2.4in-wide Maxxis tyres, a wide-range GRX groupset paired with an XT crankset, and a wide drop bar, this really is a mountain biker’s gravel bike.
Market trajectory aside, Gardias points to the difficulty in accommodating a wide size range with such big wheels: “The reality is it will never be something for shorter riders – you could maybe start at what we traditionally call a medium – maybe! – but in reality it's large and extra-large only.”
It’s fair to assume standover height would be the biggest barrier to entry for 32in-curious riders, but front-centre – the distance from the bottom bracket to the front axle – is the bigger issue. “[With 32in wheels], you have to worry about the toe overlap," Gardias says.
“There’s compliance and regulations for that – you can only make the front-centre so short. That’s one of the reasons that, while tyre size have gone up on regular [700c] gravel bikes, you’ve seen bikes get longer in the front end.
“To have a bigger tyre, you simply have to have that longer bike – you can’t squeeze it into the same space.”
Alloy gravel
Shown alongside the steel bikes was a range of alloy gravel bikes built with a range of GRX, Cues and mixed groupsets.
Gardias explains the prototype bikes, which make extensive use of Madison’s Amplitude components, are “commercially important for our partners".
“We’ve found that the entry-point for hydraulic disc brakes on a drop-bar bike is really key," he says.
“At the moment, we start with quite a high-end, high-quality steel frameset. We don’t currently have something that’s a bit more entry-level. That’s what these bikes will solve.”
Pricing, final specs and availability for the bikes are to be confirmed, with Genesis up-front about its desire to gather feedback from dealers and the public before committing them to production.
