Finally, after 7 weeks, the dang thing came. Of course on the stormiest
of nasty days. Gave me the patience to dial it in at least.
Everything on it is good quality for starters. Nothing is skimpy
feeling. Stuff like house branded post and Alex rims are
inexpensive--but it's a two bolt post and double wall eyeletted rim
regardless. Tektro brakes are fantastic, I don't care if they're
inexpensive. Super feel, and stopped with aplomb in this downpour.
Frame welds are small and neat, and the paint looks to be very decent,
fading from black to grey. Two bottles of touch up paint, black and
grey are included. Fenders are top notch Planet Bike. Hubs are value
Formulas w/o labeling, and smooooth. Crankset is a FSA with bmx sized
rings, so cheap to replace. Pedals are Wellgo, but the model that comes
with the non-cubical bearings, plenty smooth. Mini-clips are a matter
of personal taste. The included chainguard is next to invisible, and if
you run it fixed, a super safety device, if a bit Fredly. Mine's
staying on. Finally, the included saddle feels suspiciously like a
rebadged or cloned WTB. It's narrow, and a bit squishy--but seems
perfect for sub ten mile urban rides. The ladies will deffo need a
wider saddle.
Shortfalls: moustache bars on this thing are set up like [censored] in my
experience and on all the photos I've seen on the net. Most shops set
the bars with too much angle, but you want almost flat with just a
slight downward lean on the flats. The brake levers are completely set
up wrong. Redline should deal with this on the production line. I
unwrapped the bars and slid them a few centimeters inward. The clamp
needs to be at the center of or a little towards the stem in relation
to the curve. Angle works best flat or very slightly down with the
hoods. Making them right makes the cables too long, so I've left mine
exiting the tape at the lever, not the stem, till I can shorten the
housings. Have your shop fix this if they sell you one, as it really
makes a difference in comfort and safety as the stock setup offers
measly lever travel.
Sizing: if in doubt, size up. I've got a short inseam of around 33" for
a 6 footer, and my shop insisted on the 58, but I kindly demanded a
60cm. It fits like a glove--mind, I do have a long torso. Post is
extended enough to read the whole RL logo. It's still a good healthy
lean to the bars. If you buy this bike small, you'll be wanting a
higher rise stem.
All in all, Redline did well by this simple but smartly specced
machine. They do need to mount the brake levers properly is the main
thing. I hear folks claim that the Nitto bars are far more comfy than
the moustache bars on this bike. Nope, they're almost identical, but
the brake levers come too far outboard from the factory is all.
Big thumbs up. Only major thing I would have changed are using
semi-horizontal rear drops to make wheel removal simple. Track style
dropouts are fashionable, with their rockin' chain tugs and all, but
quite dumb when you're using a rear brake. I can live with that.