This is a versatile bike which will feel familiar for mountain bikers, and will inspire confidence for road cyclists who want to get off the pavement once in awhile. The bike has a striking balance between quality, performance and cost.
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Pros
Pro Good braking system
The bike uses cable-operated disc brakes. Although they have fairly large 160mm rotors, their performance is somewhere between traditional V-brakes and hydraulic brakes. While they are better at braking compared to V-brakes especially in wet conditions, they fall far behind hydraulic brakes. Still, they are easier and cheaper to maintain compared to hydraulic brakes but are more expensive compared to V-brakes.
Pro Has room for upgrades
There are slots and holes on the bike where you can add or upgrade equipment. There’s an internal cable routing port for a front derailleur if you want to add one. There are also mounts for mudguards and a lug on the seat tube to mount a rack, so it would serve commuting and load lugging duties well too. The frame lets you put on wider tires if you are thinking about more serious off-roading.
Pro Frame has a good compromised between lightness and sturdyness
The frame is made from aluminum and is fairly light, so you can gain speed on flat surfaces while still being sturdy enough to not bend when going off-road.
Pro Customizable for wider tires
If you want even wider tires, the frame can easily take 35mm wide tires too.
Pro Balanced gear for both road and mountain biking
The bike combines the best from both worlds. The 30mm wide Schwalbe G-One tires with lightly dotted treads lets you ride the bike quickly on tarmac while providing a decent amount of grip when going off-road and the drivetrain provides a wide range of gears, so you can use the bike to gain high speeds on flat surfaces or to do steep climbs.
Cons
Con Cable slot is vulnerable to debris
There is a large slot at the bottom end of the down tube through which the cables pass. While this is good for threading new cables, it also means there’s a chance of dirt and sand getting caught there that can deteriorate the cables overtime.
Con Doesn't support V-brakes
You cannot install V-brakes on this bike.
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