Genesis CDA 30 review

The aluminium little brother of the Croix de Fer, the Genesis CDA comes with good mixed-terrain pedigree

genesis cda 30
(Image credit: Dan Gould/Future)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

A true jack-of-all-trades, the Genesis CDA 30 offers a bomb-along ride that's reminiscent of a steel tourer. The 'Hellraiser' fork provides ample carrying capacity, but the brakes were slow to react and leave room for improvement.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Extremely comfortable

  • +

    Versatile

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Brakes are awful

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The Genesis CDA is the aluminium version of the British brand’s steel Croix de Fer, the bike Vin Cox rode to the round-the-world record in 2020.

Genesis says it’s suited to commuting, utility, touring, road and gravel. “Beaten up B-roads, bridleways, byways and everything in between, the CDA will tackle it with a grin,” goes the description, and I’ll say from the off that it’s an accurate one.

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Genesis CDA specification
RRP£999Row 0 - Cell 2
FrameAluminiumRow 1 - Cell 2
ForkChromolyRow 2 - Cell 2
Shifters Shimano Tiagra, 10 speedRow 3 - Cell 2
CranksetShimano GRX 46/30Row 4 - Cell 2
DerailleursShimano GRXRow 5 - Cell 2
CassetteShimano CS-HG500-10 11-34TRow 6 - Cell 2
BrakesPromax Mechanical DiscRow 7 - Cell 2
WheelsShining DB-31 32HRow 8 - Cell 2
TyresWTB Riddler Comp 700 x 37cRow 9 - Cell 2
Bottom bracketShimano Hollowtech IIRow 10 - Cell 2
Weight10.85kgRow 11 - Cell 2

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Simon Smythe

Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer. In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.