Genesis Zero Disc i

New for 2017 is Genesis' Zero Disc range which sees the British brand take its carbon fibre race model and give it some tweaks, most notably the addition of disc brakes but there is more to it than that. Let's take a look at what makes the range-topping Zero Disc i such an impressive, lightweight, comfortable race machine.

The Zero was released a few years back as Genesis' entry into the world of carbon fibre race bikes to sit alongside their established Volare, the steel bike that their trade team were racing.

The Zero was designed to be used for the longer stage race where the balance between stiffness and comfort was a little more crucial. More importantly though it makes it a great bike for those who just want to ride fast without actually needing or wanting a license.

The Zero Disc is an evolution of that as with British Cycling still restricting use of disc brakes in races means, for now at least the Zero Disc is aimed squarely at the club rider, weekend warrior and anyone else who just wants to get out there and smash the pedals.

Ride

The first thing you notice once you start riding the Zero Disc i is just how light and responsive it is. Okay, at 8.25kg for our medium model it's not exactly a featherweight especially at this price but it rides like a bike much, much lighter.

Acceleration, whether that be on the flat or on the inclines is instant and dealt with in a controlled manner. The Zero Disc i doesn't whip about or feel unsettled on broken tarmac even when you are really stamping on the pedals, a testament to how much compliance they've built into the frame without sacrificing power transfer.

The Zero Disc i follows the tried and tested route of carbon fibre frame manufacture of oversized downtube, bottom bracket area and chainstays while the seatstays especially are very narrow to promote flex.

It uses Pressfit BB86 bottom bracket bearings which have a larger outer diameter than standard. They sit inside the frame, rather than being outboard, so the bottom bracket shell can be wider for increased stiffness. The larger surface area of the bottom bracket shell means the tube junctions can be increased in size too.

The front end isn't immune from a bit of a diameter increase either. Steerer and head tube are tapered. The steerer is 1 1/4in at the bottom for stiffness, narrowing to 1 1/8in at the top to take a standard stem. The handling is stable and very easy to live with and you don't get any surprises.

One of the longer test rides on the Zero Disc saw me head down to Dorset and then along the Jurassic Coast, a twisty lumpy B-road. It's a challenging road with plenty of climbing, bends and descents, it also happened to be 31.8°C and I didn't have a bottle!

I was struggling with dehydration, low blood sugar and fatigue but I wasn't going to let that get in the way of having fun on the descent to sea level. The road was pretty straight with just a slight bend in the middle, nothing too taxing and even in my less than alert state the Genesis just got on with the job even when I was well over the 50mph speed limit.

The steering has a neutral feel to it but it's well-balanced. I only found the Zero Disc i a little wanting when things started to get technical at speed. It lacks the sharpness and engagement of a bike of this geometry, with pretty steep seat and head angles plus a stack to reach ratio of 1.44 which puts it in the performance category.

On the descents, though, the fork stiffness impresses even when you really force those high braking loads through the legs. Genesis have gone for a thru axle so instead of a quick release spindle you get a threaded tube that passes through the first 'dropout' (it's actually a hole through the fork leg), through the wheel axle before it screws into the other fork leg.

On disc-equipped bikes with quick releases and traditional dropouts I've found stopping from 50-60mph can cause the feeling of the whole wheel twisting under load and I'd had to to re-sit the wheel to realign the rotor in the caliper. There is none of that here.

As I said earlier the Zero Disc i focuses on comfort and it makes the bike very easy to ride quickly over a long distance without fatigue kicking in.

Even with that racy position you never feel overly stretched out, neither do you feel too upright. The Genesis seems to sit you in a position that just feels right for the majority of terrain. You can hunker down in the drops if you want to push on and even the most inflexible should be able to maintain it.

The compact style frame has a heavily sloping top tube which exposes a lot of seatpost to flex for added comfort. When paired with those pencil thin seatstays this means the ride has a bit of a steel feel about it: smooth, velvety if you like. You certainly don't get the buzziness associated with a lot of performance carbon framesets.

Frame and Fork

The Zero Disc has a claimed frameset weight of 1.44kg which is pretty impressive for a frame and fork designed to stand up to the extra loadings of disc brakes. Things look even more impressive when you take into account the aero shaped oversized tubes which often add weight against saving watts in the wind tunnel. It goes a lot of the way to justify the £1799.99 price for the bare frame and fork.

The overall finish of the frameset is impeccable, with a deep paintjob keeping the carbon fibre covered up. I'm rather a fan of the grey colour too.

All the cables, hoses and wires are passed through the frame giving a clean look and protecting them from the elements. It also makes the frame compatible with both mechanical and Di2 shifters. The tube inserts aren't the most elegant I've seen but they keep paint rub at bay.

Finishing Kit

This 'i' model comes with a full Ultegra Di2 groupset with hydraulic brake levers, flat mount calipers and 160mm rotors. That is an expensive setup especially with those shifters costing more than many mechanical complete groupsets.

The shifting is brilliant and while I can notice a marked difference between Ultegra and Dura Ace mechanical there is little to separate them in their electronic form. A lot of this is helped by the non-series shifters which cover hydraulic Di2 throughout the range, as they need to be able to work with the top end stuff.

A lot of manufacturers have stuck with 140mm rotors front and rear, a setup that I think is perfectly adequate and I really didn't feel any benefit from the larger discs here. In fact, I wasn't overly amazed with the braking as a whole compared to my own system on the Mason with 140mm ColdTech rotors. That is probably more to do with setup preference though.

For gearing the Zero Disc i comes with a semi-compact chainset, 52/36T chainrings paired with an 11-speed, 11-28T cassette. It's a setup I'm a big fan of offering a decent spread of gears across the board for climbing and flat out pace work though you might want to swap to a 50/34T up front if you spend a lot of time in the hills.

The wheels are Fulcrum Racing 5 DBs, the Italian brand's disc-specific wheelset. They are a little average when compared to the frameset they adorn.

At a claimed 1715g they suffer a bit in the hills and blunt acceleration a touch so during testing I stuck on some Mason x Hunt wheels, a little more expensive but 160g lighter which made a real difference to how the Genesis rode and responded.

The Fulcrum's are a solid set of wheels though. You won't have much trouble from them at all in terms of reliability and they are pretty easy to service.

The Continental tyres are much like the wheels, solid and dependable without being truly outstanding anywhere and could really do with better rolling resistance for a frame of this style. Wear levels are good long term from personal experience and so is puncture proofing.

The Zero Disc i costs £3299.99 which is a lot of money. There is a lot of development in that frame, it's a good 'un, plus you've got the electronic/hydraulic groupset which all adds up but I still find the own branded finishing kit at this price a little poor, especially the basic alloy seatpost and cheap feeling, hard saddle.

I'm not expecting carbon (well maybe at the seatpost) but something a little more ground breaking would be a nice touch. Some mid-range Ritchey or Deda components maybe. What would it bring in performance terms? Very little probably but it all adds to the experience in my eyes.

Conclusion

I've ridden quite a few Genesis bikes over the years being one of the first to test the original Equilibrium and also owning a Flyer for the last five years. Over the years I've felt that the range had lost a little of that sparkle, I wasn't overly enamoured by the Equilibrium Ti but for me the Zero Disc is a welcome return to those exiting, responsive, enjoyable early frames.

It might not be the sharpest handling, most engaging ride for those who really like a lot of feedback, but for those who just want to ride very fast, for a very long time in total comfort it's hard to knock.

It's pricey, but it takes on the likes of the more expensive De Rosa Idol Disc with its head held high, although as I say I'd like to see a better level of finishing kit.

The Zero isn't a generic, off the shelf frame so Genesis have the added costs of R&D plus the tooling which for a range of different frame sizes plus forks doesn't come cheap and this goes a long way to justify that overall price.

If you can't quite stretch to the Zero Disc i model, there are four others in the range which should suit most budgets.

Verdict

Impressive, lightweight, comfortable race machine, deserves better finishing kit