Custom build. Genesis Croix De Fer

Today we are joined by guest, Marc Andersson, serial bikepacker and all round cycling enthusiast who recently finished a winter build. Marc's Croix de Fer is an example of how easy it is to transform a standard bike, with off-the-shelf parts and accessories, into a formidable all-round tourer and gravel bike.

Hi Marc. There are lots of options out there, what made you choose the Croix de Fer as a base for your custom build?

I ended up picking up a Genesis Croix De Fer 20 from Ebay. The Croix De Fer has been around over a decade and has a kind of cult-like following in some parts of the cycling community. Apart from some changes to the colourways it looks pretty true to the original which was one of the early cyclocross bikes way back before gravel became cool.

I chose the Croix De Fer 20 for a few reasons. It is the first model in the range that comes with a Reynolds 725 steel frame. It also comes with a Tiagra groupset. The 2016 version I picked up also has some pretty decent rims and tyres as standard.

The bike arrived on Thursday well-packed. But to be honest I was very disappointed when I took it out of the box. I know buying from Ebay can be hit and miss. Over the years we’ve bought some excellent bikes. A few years ago I bought a Specialized Allez that came absolutely spotless at a bargain price.

The drivechain on the Croix De Fer was caked with a few years’ worth of grease, and from the cobwebs between the spokes it was pretty obvious the bike hadn’t been used for a long time.

I washed it down with hot water and soap and then some white spirit for the tougher spots. As I scrubbed away thankfully it became clearer that, under all the dirt, the frame and components were all in very good condition.

Genesis Croix de Fer 20 custom build. Lightweight carbon handlebars and UNO Kalloy stem. Carbon seatpost by Litebike.

In true Litebike fashion, I've got to ask, can you remember how much it weighed off the shelf?

The bike weighed 12.5kg. That was after I washed it!

You could then turn to the fun job of upgrading the parts. How did you get on?

That's right.

I made a few carbon upgrades where I could to improve the ride quality and bring the weight down. For example, I replaced the Genesis seatpost that comes standard on the Croix de Fer 20 with one of your lightweight carbon seatposts. I wanted carbon fibre because it will make a big improvement to comfort, especially as I want to use the bike for touring.

I also made some big weight savings on the handlebars and stem. After following your advice, I combined the Litebike x Pro with your UNO Kalloy. The thing that I've really noticed is how damn good the strength to weight ratio is on the x Pro. Where my old carbon bars tended to flex under load, especially when sprinting or descending on the drops, yours offer that same level of stiffness and support as a heavy pair of alloy bars at half the weight. Remarkable. Of course the UNO Kalloy is already a Weight Weenies favourite and incredibly popular.

Apart from the few hours of initial degreasing and cleaning, the only other challenge was working with the disc brakes. The TRP Hy/Rd-C on the Croix De Fer work like a hydraulic brake, and took me a while to figure out that a cone wrench is far more appropriate than a tyre lever for pushing the pistons back into place so I could reinstall the pads.

For now I have kept the original rims and tyres. But I have saved a few hundred grams in weight by removing the old butyl inner tubes and replacing them with your lightweight ones. That was another great suggestion.

Final question! Again I've got to ask what did it weigh in the end?

The final build weighed in at just over 11kg. So a fairly decent dent of around 10%. But the biggest difference I've noticed is plushness, if you can call it that, of the carbon fibre. Reducing the road buzz and making longer cycles on the Croix de Fer more enjoyable.

Full specifications below:

Frame - Reynolds 725 Heat-Treated Chromoly

Fork - Straight Blade Unicrown Cr-Mo Disc

Headset - FSA Orbit DL / No.1

Shifters - Shimano Tiagra ST-4700

Rear derailleur - Shimano Tiagra RD-4700-GS

Front derailleur - Shimano Tiagra FD-4700

Chainset - Shimano Tiagra FC-4700, 50/34T

Bottom Bracket - Shimano BB-RS500 68mm

Chain - KMC superlight waxed chains

Cassette - Shimano CS-HG500-10, 11-34T, 10sp

Rims - Alex Rims Draw 1.9P Tubeless-Ready (TCS), 32H