Friday, October 26, 2012

Test Ride: Tern Verge X10

Great expectations..
I have never ridden any of Tern Bicycle's X-series 20" bikes before.
The closest ever - was a short ride on the Verge X-20.
That was six months ago when I was giving a helping hand to Kevin Tan, my colleague and captain of Starmetro's cycling team.
On Wednesday, the representative of K2 Asia had dropped off a Tern Verge X10 together with some goodies to my office.
I had it rigged up with the usual commute gear and decided to give it a short-distance test ride today.

Taking the VX10 out for a ride this morning

What you pay is what you get..
The Verge X10 carries a pricetag of RM5,740 a pop.
It ranks fourth of the Verge series in terms of pricing.
This bike is a notch above the Verge P18 and I must say that I love the VRO synthace stem that gives it such a firm and sturdy handling.
I must say that my greatest concern was the kinetix pro wheelset. The front wheel has 14 spokes and 16 on the rear.
For a Godzilla-sized guy like me who also pushed the weight-limit of the bike to the brim, I was proven wrong by the rim's ability in handling our Malaysian road.
Paired with a pair of Schwalbe Durano high-pressure tires (120psi at the max), the Verge X10 literally 'glided' along the bumps and knocks.

Uneven road surface, debris and sand is the tire's and rim's no 1 enemy
Weighing in at 9.7kgs, the X10 is lighweight. 
But when you fold it, you will need a hex wrench to free its handlebar. Unlike the conventional handlebar latch, this one keeps in firmly in place and yields a really solid ride.
Most high-end Terns would feature a VRO synthace handlebar, but this impedes folding if you require a compact and fast action on the go.
Its a little price to pay for performance, but when you are used to it, its not a hassle.

A solid ride
The Verge X10 folds and deploys with a solid-lock-up.
Once on riding mode, it handles really smooth.
I don't have anything to complain about its 10-speed drivetrain and the smoothness of the SRAM X-7 trigger shifter.
With a 55T chainring and a set of 11/36T cogwheels, this bike has everything it takes to tame the road including hills. Climbing is not an issue and on the high-gear setting, I pedaled at a constant speed of 25km/h effortlessly.
This goes to say that the combination of a lightweight frame and high-end groupset actually helped the bike to perform better. If you are a strong cyclist, all you need is this bike as its 10-speed drivetrain would take you places.

Satisfying commute: The Verge X10

4 comments:

SHAH MOLOKO said...

Hi Sam great review.I own both tern & dahon bikes.. So in term of choices do you think Tern have better tech than Dahon refering to verge x10 &vector x10 comparision. Do you agree verge X 10 is a smart buy if I'm looking for super fast yet compact & mobile. Currently I'm riding P9 on Guthrie Highway on the weekends. Tqvm

samo said...

Hello Shah,

Basically, the Vector X10 is the predecessor to the Verge X10. Both bikes are similar in many ways, but if you compare pound for pound, the Tern Verge X10 gets my vote.

Spare the "girlie" colour, this bike yields plenty with its 10-speed drivetrain..

Sam

geraldceasar said...

Hi Shah,

Could you recommend a bike shop where i could buy a tern folding bike in malaysia. Im still deciding between a x10 or x30h.

Regards,
Gerald

samo said...

Hmmm... Asking "Shah" a question on my blog.. Hahahah!!! I don't know if he is subscribed to this post..

Anyway, to answer your question, Terns are sold at Rodalink outlet. Their branch in Bandar Botanic, Klang has the most variety..

X10 and X30? How deep is your pocket?