A decent bike for the money with a few small issues
This is the first bike I have bought for myself since 1986. My previous bike disappeared about 15 years ago and I have been without one since. Ive gotten ly and out of shape during the COVID era and decided I needed to do something to get active again before its too late. I looked at a lot of bikes on trying to decide what to get, but this one managed to rise to the top based on features and price. Im not going to be racing offroad or anything. I just wanted a basic bike suitable for riding around the neighborhood with perhaps the occasional excursion down a dirt road or path.
The features that attracted me were the aluminum frame with lighter claimed weight than most of the competition in this category, disk brakes front and rear, and front suspension. I would have liked both front and rear suspension, but they tend to get heavier in that category. I also figured the name has been around for a long time, so that might be worth something. (Though it seems like most reputable brands of our youth have become just marketing tools for the same offshore goods as every other brand)
The box arrived in good condition within 4 days after I placed the order, including a weekend. There were few dings and scrapes on the outside, but nothing that appeared to penetrate to the bike itself. Unboxing was super easy: Opened the top flap and lifted the whole thing out.
Assembly was typical for any bike. Just attach the pedals, handlebars, seat, and front wheel. The pedals took a 15mm box wrench. Most of the rest of the bolts took a 5mm hex key. Some of the adjustments required a Phillips (or JIS) screwdriver. The quick releases on the seat post and front wheel work well and hold securely when properly adjusted. The handlebars were the trickiest part mainly due to having to get all the cables routed properly. It took some fiddling and Im still not 100 sure I have them routed the best way.
At 57 with a 30 inseam, the height of this 27.5 version fits me just about perfect. I can stand over the bar flat footed and I just barely touch it. I wasnt thrilled that yellow was the only color available for this model, but now that its here, I can say I kind of like the color. Certainly, easy to spot in a crowd.
As you would expect with any new bike that you are assembling yourself, there were some adjustments that had to be made. The rear brake did nothing out of the box. Easy enough to fix by taking some slack out of the cable. The front brake kind of worked, but also needed to take out a little slack. The front caliper was not centered on the disk and pulled it sideways when applied. Even though this is my first bike with disk brakes, it didnt take long to figure out how to adjust it even without looking at the manual. I moved the brake levers around a little for comfort. The front and rear derailers both required some minor adjustment in order to get them to move through all the gear combinations smoothly.
All in all, I doubt it took more than an hour to get it assembled, adjusted, and road tested.
First impressions are that it is a decent bike for the money. There are a couple issues though. One minor, and one that I am debating contacting the manufacturer about. The minor issue is that the seat is crooked. It tilts to the side quite noticeably. (see photo) I tried loosening the adjustment/mounting bolt on the bottom to see if I could twist it straight, but no avail. I dont notice that much while riding (the seat isnt very comfortable no matter what), but it does make the bike look cheap or damaged.
The bigger issue is the forks. They have what seems to me like way more slop than they should have. Maybe its because I am used to motorcycle forks which are pretty tight in comparison, but these have a huge amount of play in them. If I had to make a diagnosis, Id say the bushings are either the wrong size or totally worn out. You can really notice by holding the front brake and rocking the bike forward and back. (see video) The whole fork twists due to the disk applying side torque. On top of that, the fork travel is quite stiff and they dont seem to do much other than make the front end feel looser. I am not impressed. Maybe thats typical of bicycle forks, I dont know. I havent had much experience with modern bike suspension. I dont notice it while riding though.
Others have complained about the manual not being specific to the bike, but honestly, Ive never bought a bike that didnt just have a generic manual. (I havent bought myself many bikes, but I have assembled a LOT of them for others over the years). I didnt actually even read the manual until after I had everything assembled, and it didnt really tell me anything I couldnt figure out on my own. If you are experienced with bicycle maintenance, you wont have any problems.
Overall, it seems like a decent bike for the money. Pretty typical of others I have assembled. I havent ridden more than a few miles yet, but it seemed to ride fine for the short tests around the neighborhood. My only real issue is with the forks. I may try taking them apart to see if there is anything that can be done, or contact the manufacturer to see if its normal.
I also just noticed the price jumped up by about sixty dollars since I ordered mine. Glad I got it when I did. I might have chosen a different one had it been at the new price when I was comparing.
A decent bike for the money with a few small issues
This is the first bike I have bought for myself since 1986. My previous bike disappeared about 15 years ago and I have been without one since. Ive gotten ly and out of shape during the COVID era and decided I needed to do something to get active again before its too late. I looked at a lot of bikes on trying to decide what to get, but this one managed to rise to the top based on features and price. Im not going to be racing offroad or anything. I just wanted a basic bike suitable for riding around the neighborhood with perhaps the occasional excursion down a dirt road or path. The features that attracted me were the aluminum frame with lighter claimed weight than most of the competition in this category, disk brakes front and rear, and front suspension. I would have liked both front and rear suspension, but they tend to get heavier in that category. I also figured the name has been around for a long time, so that might be worth something. (Though it seems like most reputable brands of our youth have become just marketing tools for the same offshore goods as every other brand) The box arrived in good condition within 4 days after I placed the order, including a weekend. There were few dings and scrapes on the outside, but nothing that appeared to penetrate to the bike itself. Unboxing was super easy: Opened the top flap and lifted the whole thing out. Assembly was typical for any bike. Just attach the pedals, handlebars, seat, and front wheel. The pedals took a 15mm box wrench. Most of the rest of the bolts took a 5mm hex key. Some of the adjustments required a Phillips (or JIS) screwdriver. The quick releases on the seat post and front wheel work well and hold securely when properly adjusted. The handlebars were the trickiest part mainly due to having to get all the cables routed properly. It took some fiddling and Im still not 100 sure I have them routed the best way. At 57 with a 30 inseam, the height of this 27.5 version fits me just about perfect. I can stand over the bar flat footed and I just barely touch it. I wasnt thrilled that yellow was the only color available for this model, but now that its here, I can say I kind of like the color. Certainly, easy to spot in a crowd. As you would expect with any new bike that you are assembling yourself, there were some adjustments that had to be made. The rear brake did nothing out of the box. Easy enough to fix by taking some slack out of the cable. The front brake kind of worked, but also needed to take out a little slack. The front caliper was not centered on the disk and pulled it sideways when applied. Even though this is my first bike with disk brakes, it didnt take long to figure out how to adjust it even without looking at the manual. I moved the brake levers around a little for comfort. The front and rear derailers both required some minor adjustment in order to get them to move through all the gear combinations smoothly. All in all, I doubt it took more than an hour to get it assembled, adjusted, and road tested. First impressions are that it is a decent bike for the money. There are a couple issues though. One minor, and one that I am debating contacting the manufacturer about. The minor issue is that the seat is crooked. It tilts to the side quite noticeably. (see photo) I tried loosening the adjustment/mounting bolt on the bottom to see if I could twist it straight, but no avail. I dont notice that much while riding (the seat isnt very comfortable no matter what), but it does make the bike look cheap or damaged. The bigger issue is the forks. They have what seems to me like way more slop than they should have. Maybe its because I am used to motorcycle forks which are pretty tight in comparison, but these have a huge amount of play in them. If I had to make a diagnosis, Id say the bushings are either the wrong size or totally worn out. You can really notice by holding the front brake and rocking the bike forward and back. (see video) The whole fork twists due to the disk applying side torque. On top of that, the fork travel is quite stiff and they dont seem to do much other than make the front end feel looser. I am not impressed. Maybe thats typical of bicycle forks, I dont know. I havent had much experience with modern bike suspension. I dont notice it while riding though. Others have complained about the manual not being specific to the bike, but honestly, Ive never bought a bike that didnt just have a generic manual. (I havent bought myself many bikes, but I have assembled a LOT of them for others over the years). I didnt actually even read the manual until after I had everything assembled, and it didnt really tell me anything I couldnt figure out on my own. If you are experienced with bicycle maintenance, you wont have any problems. Overall, it seems like a decent bike for the money. Pretty typical of others I have assembled. I havent ridden more than a few miles yet, but it seemed to ride fine for the short tests around the neighborhood. My only real issue is with the forks. I may try taking them apart to see if there is anything that can be done, or contact the manufacturer to see if its normal. I also just noticed the price jumped up by about sixty dollars since I ordered mine. Glad I got it when I did. I might have chosen a different one had it been at the new price when I was comparing.