If you hadn’t already guessed, the large unpainted areas of shiny polished metal on the Genesis Volare 20 2014 Road Bike are a dead giveaway that the frame is made from a designated stainless steel tubeset. Part of the new wave of ‘super steels’, Reynolds 931 sits just below their flagship 953, offering a similar strength-to-weight ratio as 853 coupled with unrivalled anti-corrosive resistance (thanks to its 17% Chromium content) to offer both durability and looks to last a lifetime. More workable and less labour-intensive than 953 (price reflects this), 931 is a seamless, cold-worked tubeset, precipitation-hardening (or artificial aging) steel-alloy, meaning the crystal structure is altered and strengthened during heat-treatment stage, raising the tensile strength and hardening the material and allowing tube wall thickness of down to 0.4mm. With oversize 24mm round chainstays, 38.1mm downtube, a wide 86.5mm press-fit BB shell, 44mm oversize headtube, everything about the Volare 20 screams performance. The unmatched ride quality of steel is ever-present though, and in conjunction with the 27.2mm seatpost, the 931 frame does a great job of dampening out harsh UK roads – stiff enough to race, yet comfy enough for all-day training rides.

Reynolds 931: Similar in tensile strength to Reynolds 853, 931’s party piece is its 17% Chromium/4% Nickel content which designates it a stainless steel; resulting in brilliant corrosion resistance to the elements alongside a competitive strength-to-weight ratio – a true all-seasons bike for year-round use with durability to last a lifetime! Shimano BB86 Press-Fit: 86.5mm BB shell plays 68mm standard road diameter. What does this mean for us? A larger surface area with which to weld and adjoin other tubes to (we now have room to use stiffer, fully round, 24mm chainstays without compromising clearance) and wider spacing of the bearings. 44mm Headtube: By far the most versatile of headtube standards available, the 44mm headtube ensures full compatibility with the 1-1/2" – 1-1/8" tapered carbon fork. It also provides a larger weld surface area at both the downtube and toptube junctions to allow for larger diameter tubing and a tube shaping, not to mention increasing front end stiffness, improving tracking and handling. New Ultegra 11sp: All of the great features and fantastic shifting and braking performance of the flagship Dura-Ace 11sp componentry in a slightly more affordable package.