Anyone got a Genesis Datum?

[Chicken Chaser]

I'm considering swapping my steel Croix de Fer 30 for a Datum 30. I like the CdF for its good clearances, disc brakes and comfort over long distance and once its up to speed it'll roll along easily. I upgraded the wheelset and tend to use a couple of different pairs of tyres depending on what i'm using it for, but I'm considering buying a Datum to get all that but in a lighter, slightly more lively package. I've never tried one though, only read the different reviews the mags seem to produce.

Has anyone got one that they can comment on? Are they that good?

[rugbyfiend]

Yes I've just got a datum 20 which is last years model.

I think it's a cracking bike and am particularly pleased with it. But... my last bike was a caadx with the fairly rubbish mechanical disc brakes and a sora group set so moving up to 105 and hydraulic brakes is a world of difference!

My one concern is that the clearance around the wheels is not as good, I've got a pair of 700x33 in and there isn't much clearance such that I'm nervous about putting a pair of 35s on I've got kicking around in the garage and I've wrapped the inside of the forks and rear stay in helicopter tape. I'm certainly not going to be experimenting with 650b on this bike which a mate of mine with a super x could.

The geometry is forgiving which is what I wanted, nicer cx bikes start to get fairly brutal and I wanted something that does the commute with a ttty off road blitz on the way home and allows me to spend a day doing off road tracks in the new forest easily.

I would have loved the datum 30 but there weren't any on offer at anywhere near as good a price as the 20. Do it 👍

[Chicken Chaser]

Its the clearance I was most concerned with really. After reading that they could take a 32c with guards, I then mistakenly believed that they would take something bigger without.It does appear that due to the seat tube being shaped to fit the tyre, and the front mech being quite close to the tyre also, that 32c is pretty much the limit although I did read Road.cc's review of the Dirty Reiver last year and they were using 36mm tyres on one? I use a 35c Clement Xplor for muddy stuff, and a 30c G-One for road. I have no doubt that there will probably be better tyres for the on/off stuff than the Clements but some of the Challenge stuff is ridiculously priced!