At around 27lbs the Core weighs in somewhere in the middle of the scale that you would expect for a 120mm trail blaster but it feels nippy and easy to spin up to speed thanks to the lightweight rims and fast rolling tyres. In collaboration with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, we have rated bike helmets using the STAR evaluation system. Our impact tests evaluate a helmet’s ability to reduce linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the head resulting from a range of head impacts a cyclist might experience.
The bike’s range varies from 12 to 90 miles depending on the terrain, the rider’s weight, and how often the electric motor’s assistance is used. Riders can toggle between the modes by using a screen on the handlebar. The model number can be found on the lower portion of the seat tube just above the crank on a black and silver decal. The sorted geometry is pitched just right, making the bike exciting and fun yet not too much of a handful and it is not just a quick blast fun bike, it is light and the comfortable riding position means it will take you as far as you want to go. Over ten years the range expanded beyond commuter bikes to include road, mountain, cyclo-cross, gravel, kids and fat bikes. At Genesis we have a history of doing things our own way, whether that’s making bikes we want to ride, or heading in a direction that might seem a little crazy at the time.
The Core 26.4 came fitted with 2.2 Mountain Kings, the originals not the much improved Mountain King II. The Core range is based around a 6061 aluminium tube set that is butted where needed with some gentle manipulation to ovalise the down tube as it meets the seat tube at the bottom bracket shell. There are strengthening gussets where the down tube and top tube meet the tapered head tube and the seat stays are an old school wishbone style, the lack of a bridge gives ample mud clearance. The greatest restriction on how fast you can go when pinning singletrack is the tyres, yes they are fast rolling but they lack bite, something with greater cornering grip would certainly show off bikes handling better. An impressive fork at this price point and sensible kit are great and the wheels finish the package off nicely but the main attraction here is the geometry. Point it downwards and speeds soon pick up, the Core has a tendency to encourage an attacking riding style but it is worth remembering that the bike is equipped with 120mm up front and can get out of its depth if you try to blunder through rather than use finesse.
There has been much talk about the Alpitude and the clear design ethos behind it, which was to make a bike that you could… The correct tyre choice would also help calm the stiff and somewhat unforgiving rear end, it is not as harsh as many aluminium frames but taking the edge off it with some floaty rubber would help ease take some of the sting out of the trail. Set up was simple, the bike did come with a whole bunch of spacers below the stem, after less than 30 seconds on the bike I had genesis mountain bike these shuffled to get the front as low as possible and it was off to the trails. Genesis supply the 27.2mm seat post, 75mm stem and 685mm medium rise bars, the Flux saddle is practical but may not suit everyone. Testing hardtails often throws up some pleasant surprises and the Core was calling out to me with its old school looks and promising geometry, motivation enough to get me out in the cold through frost and snow galore to see what this 120mm equipped ‘trail hardtail’ was all about.
Deliveries will start in the summer of 2024, and Audi hasn’t clarified what it means by “limited-edition model” yet. Riders can also order Audi-branded accessories such as riding gloves, cycling jerseys, water bottles, and even bike racks compatible with some of the brand’s models, such as the Q7. Once rolling the true nature of the Genesis started to shine through, a lively agile genesis mountain bike ride that encourages you to push on and flick the bike through singletrack whilst looking for roots and rocks to bunny hop and pop off. Cornering is quick and precise with rear wheel drift easily attainable. The wheelset is lightweight with an internal rim width of 19mm that will take good sized rubber which means you could add some float to the ride with some high volume tyres.
All this set up with a comfortable riding position featuring a padded saddle and rise handlebars will keep you out of the chiropractor’s office. Marketed as a limited-edition model, the 56-pound mountain bike features a livery inspired by the RS Q E-Tron, which won the Dakar Rally earlier in 2024. It has a two-tone black and gray finish on the frame with orange accents on the battery cover and on the wheels. Livery aside, Audi’s e-bike looks a lot like the Fantic XEF 1.9 Factory that it’s based on. Established UK brand Genesis produce some of the best quality road and mountain bikes on the market.