Anyway, I attempted something I wouldn't have done on a new bike. I decided to try a mini-epic on this bike to find out more about how well it rides. The results were quite promising.
So the route goes as normal starting from the west area at Bt Batok Central and heads to Mandai, Yishun, Hougang, Kovan, Old Tampines Road, Changi, East Coast, Keppel Road, up Kent Ridge Park from Pepys Road, Winding up South Bouna Vista and returning back to West Coast Road to Jalan Buroh then to Jurong Hill (I over shot and ended up in Tuas), then Boon Lay and finally back to Bt Batok. Took intermitten breaks of 10-15mins to have a hot drink and also to rest my joints as I had not been riding for more than 3 weeks. Still got me legs! Yeah!
Ride Verdict!
This bike rides very smoothly especially after changing the tires to Panaracer Tough Minits and also a Scott Speed Saddle. Managed to do coastal park connector at 38km/h comfortably but was over-taken by a bunch of roadies but managed to hang with them on the whole stretch of Jalan Buroh just by spinning. Thought I would take a rest by drafting them. They were not very fast, probably going 35km/h so it was quite good considering that I had already done 100km by then. The soft-tail kept rough bumps and road trash comfortable to ride on and also lessened the stress on the lower back.
This is a very good epic road bike as it folds and has a wheel-base that is slightly longer than your regular road bike. About 2 inches longer. Considering that it is lower than your average bike, it's centre of gravity is lower and also more stable. Bull-horns help reduce the vibrations on the front but make it harder to pound up hills. Maybe will consider changing to drop bars in future. The soft-tail is a boon on rough terrain and road trash. The bike is generally stiff on the frame but has parts that flex in front and the rear making the bike a very comfortable bike to ride especially on long distances. Top speed for the bike can reach 45km/h comfortably and can easily cruise at 35-38km/h even with its small wheel size. All in all, as a comfortable training bike, and an all-rounder if set up properly.
Ride Details
Avg Spd : 23.1 km/h
Max spd : 53.7km/h
Ride time : 5hrs 55min
Distance : 137.38km
