User Guide

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well. But geometry charts only tell part of the
story, and Genesis bikes actually climb very
well.
Here’s two reasons why: with a shorter
stem, your shoulders stay more over the cen-
terline of the bike, even when turning. When
your center of gravity stays over the frame
centerline, the bike stays in better balance.
With Genesis geometry, it’s even easier to
hold your line on steep, slow speed climbs.
Secondly, when climbing hard in first gear
any bike will respond to the pressure of ped-
aling. Imagine if the headset were placed in
the middle of the bike, right below the sad-
dle. As you jam on the pedals, the bike would
hinge in the middle, between contact patches
of the tires. With every pedal stroke the rear
wheel would turn away from the pedaling
force. As a result, the front wheel would
turn toward the pedal side, and the bike
would swim like a salmon heading upstream.
But the further ahead you move the pivot
(headset), and the closer to your hands, the
straighter the bike will climb. With the short-
er stem, you stay over the bike, and the bike
tracks straighter, making it climb very well
indeed.
Short chain stays
Genesis bikes use ultra-short chainstays.
This positions the rear wheel more directly
under your butt. With more weight on the
rear wheel, you get better traction uphill,
and the tire bites better when you apply the
rear brake.
Short chainstays also moves the pivot
point for doing wheelies. With a Genesis
bike, you can easily lift the front wheel
when it’s time to bunny hop a water bar or
climb over a small log.
Steep seat tube
Genesis bikes, like most Fisher models,
have a steep seat tube angle. The duty, and
the effect, of the seat angle is to place the
saddle where you need it for support when
seated pedaling. The seat angle also interacts
with the top tube length to describe the posi-
tion of the head tube relative to the bottom
bracket. For every degree of seat angle, the
top tube is compensated about 10mm. In
other words, for every degree the seat tube is
steepened, the top tube becomes about 10mm
shorter. When comparing geometry charts, a
bike with a steep seat tube may look like it
has a shorter top tube than it actually does.
The function of the steep seat tube is to
place the rear wheel more underneath you.
This is useful when you transfer from a seat-
ed to a standing position. As you move from
a seated to a standing position (or the oppo-
site), you don’t have to move as much to
maintain traction. It becomes easier for you
to ‘attack’ a climb.
Genesis works for everyone
The features of Genesis geometry were
originally dreamed up by Gary Fisher, for
his own riding. As we point out in “Gary
Fisher: A History,” Gary has done a lot of
racing. But the same benefits that get a racer
around a course faster will also add pleasure
to a leisurely ride on the weekend.
Genesis bikes are more stable, especially in
more technical terrain or on steep downhills.
Genesis bikes allow quick, precise steering.
Genesis bikes climb really well, especially for
those who like to stand out of the saddle.
With these features, Genesis bikes offer a
superior ride to anyone looking for perfor-
mance off the pavement.