Monday, November 21, 2011

First impressions: Tern Verge S11i


Class, defined.
I've seen many attempts to exude class on a folding bike.
Where most had failed, one bike really stands out from the crowd.
When if was opened from its box for a short photo shoot, I'd immediately fell in love with it.
What I love on the Tern Verge S11i, is the clean lines and its classic appearance.
While my wife scoffed at it, I felt that the colour scheme is suitable for a middle-aged guy like me.

Something completely new
The Verge S11i is not your run-of-the mill bike.
It commands a pricetag of RM6.8K and you better believe it.
One of the significant feature on this bike is the physis stem. It locks really solid and provides a stable handling. 
While the Andros steering system is something that really pushes the envelope in a folding bike handlebar design, much of its chrome-brushed finished appearance blends with the frame design.
And the Verge's frame alone, is an award-winner. Hydro-forming increases its structural integrity, yielding superb handling on any road conditions.
Even the folding has improved.
With the new N-fold system, it deploys under 10-seconds. Pretty fast!




Anytime, anywhere...
I can't complain about the Shimano Alfine-11 drivetrain.
Its quiet and silky smooth.
You don't need to spend much time maintaining it and to my surprise, the whole bike is pretty light in comparison with other bikes that comes with an internal hub gear.
The Biologic freedrive chain guard actualy makes this bike looked futuristic. But it had a purpose - to protect you, the cyclist.


How can it be further improved? 
With all the bells and whistles thrown-in, all the Verge S11i needs - is a set of hydraulic disk brakes. Yes, it will push up the cost, but this will be a value-added feature incorporating both safety and handling.

Conclusion
No matter how you view it, the Verge S11i is a perfect bike. So, there's still time to spend your money on a Christmas gift for yourself! hhahahahahah!!!








1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yes, a disk brake would be nice, so does a belt drive system. i am surprised Tern didn't incorporate a belt drive for lower maintenance.