Flight of the Eclipse - Part 1

Preliminary evaluation
I want to give the Tern Eclipse S11i a proper review.
This will be done on stages.
The first phase will be a short-distance ride (below 30km) to break-in the bike and get used to the settings.
After a proper set-up, it would be taken for a longer ride (100km).

First impressions 
The Eclipse S11i is right on top of the food chain.
If you are to put down money for this bike, you'll get plenty back in return.
For starters, its one of the most elegant rides around incorporated with state-of-the art components and quite a luxurious setting.
From the colour matching KORE saddle to the Ergon GP-1 cork handled grips, this bike exudes class.
And frankly, for an asking price of RM7.7k, its not a lot.
To put it in perspective, any guy who wants and Eclipse S11i knew exactly what he wants.
I will get into the details when I get the full-review published on BaikBike.com

A cockpit view from the Eclipse

 The Circus Bear syndrome
A lot of guys whom I met are skeptical about riding a folding bicycle with small wheels.
They said it felt like a Circus Bear.
The Eclipse S11i dispels this fear.
A 24" wheelbase is slightly smaller than any standard mountain bike and being a heavy guy myself and standing at a height of 5' 11", the Tern Eclipse 'fitted like a glove'.
As a matter of fact, it looked great!

Ride handling and performance
I took the bike to the Subang Jaya Cycle Fest at USJ5.
This is a short ride from my home in USJ26 and after making the proper seatpost adjustments as well as the right steering height on the Andros stem, I was able to ride upright in total comfort.
Now, like I said earlier about fitting the bike correctly, I've added a saddlebag, rear blinkers and a Minoura water bottle cage holder on the handlebar stem.
For navigation, I've mounted an EDGE800 GPS on the handlebar.
This enable me to track my route as well as clock-in the required mileage to break-in the hub gear.
And additional gadget that I've bolted on the left handlebar was the Biologic Android Phone case.
The built-quality for this mount was awesome!
At 6:45am, I set the Eclipse S11i's dynamo hub to power-up the Valo light which is integrated onto the Andros stem. This is a wonderful feature and yield's clean power.
Since I am no stranger to the Andros and Valo system, I was really impressed with the brightness and efficiency of the dynamo-powered light.
Getting the bike to roll while cranking it was effortless with the Shimano Alfine-11 Internal Hub Gear (IHG).
It was smooth and seamless.
As for the Avid Elixir hydraulic disk brakes, some adjustments are needed for the rear brakes as its not really rolling smoothly. Other than that, no issues on the stopping power..

A solid bike: The Tern Eclipse S11i

 One thing that I've really enjoyed with folding bikes that came with a set of 'balloon' wheels are the Schwalbe Big Apple tires.
They are the ultimate comfort factor and having a puncture protection feature which is superior to any tires in the market, the pairing was perfect.
The Tern Eclipse S11i came with a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple 50-507 24" tires. My only concern, is the availability of the spare inner-tubes for this particular size.
For 2012, the Big Apple came with a set of new threads, much better if compared to the earlier model.

The first 23km
So far, so good..
I am very impressed with the smooth Alfine drivetrain and how simple the bike is set-up. 
As far as looks is concerned, the Eclipse S11i is one classy bike that generated a good first-impression.
Some of the guys whom I met were really impressed with the basic features that comes with the ride. 
I've got so used to my 20" Dahons, the Tern 24" foldie offered a totally different perspective.
Come this weekend, I will put the Eclipse S11i through the second-phase of testing on a long distance ride.. 

House-breaking the Tern..

The Eclipse S11i gets a tweak...

Bring it home... 
I clocked off from work at 7:30pm. 
Takes about 25 minutes to drive home from the office.
Bringing a bike home means making space from my overcrowded property. 
We have six bikes at home, adding the evaluation bike means seven.


Taking ownership
Even though the bike is on loan, I treat it as if its my own.
Now, on the bike, I noticed one thing: the MKS EZY quick release pedals were not there. This is a standard-issue with the bike. Instead, I got a pair of Wellgo folding pedals.
I think someone in the shop had sold the QR pedals or had swapped it. If I am to pay for this bike, I will give the dealership a good fucking for ripping me off. 
But since I am just evaluating the bike, its live and let live.
Okay, while tweaking with the Andros steam, I noticed that the Kinetix handble bar was offset at least by two inches.
This is nothing I can't fix with a hex wrench.
A couple of adjustments and its back to normal.
Next, I inflated the Schwalbe Big Apple 2.0 24" tires. It was almost flat when I received the bike. I got it up to 65psi and noticed that the tire was rubbing the rear fenders.
This needs a delicate touch-up.
While I cranked the pedal to see if the wheels are touching the fender, something went terribly wrong.


A problem I knew too well
I inspected the rear disk brakes. 
Noticed that the calipers were touching the rotors.
The Tern Eclipse S11i is fitted with a set of Avid Elixir hydraulic disk brakes.
In our Malaysian weather - hot and humid all the time, the DOT4 fluid on the brakes reservoir tends to 'swell' under the heat.
When you don't ride the bike, pressure build-up in the brake lines causes brake drag.
And like the Ashima PCB hydraulic disk brakes, the Avid Elixir had developed the same problem.
I removed the nut plug on the rear disk brake and as soon as the nut came out, brake fluid started to ooze out.
With a small syringe, I started to bleed the brakes till I can see a gap on the rotor and brake pads.
Then, I cranked the wheel to spin it and this problem is no longer apparent.


Fixing the luggage truss and Kanga rack
I'm pretty excited to fix the Tern luggage truss and the Kanga rack which was provided by Mobility Holdings.
Being the first piece in the country, it was truly a thrill to mount it on the Eclipse S11i.
Took me about 10-minutes to complete the task.

The Kanga rack fitted on a luggage truss

Cables everywhere!
The Kanga is a cool design.
If you have a Tern without too many cables dangling around, it would be perfect.
In the case of the Eclipses S11i, well, the cables got into the way.
I need to re-wrap them so that they don't obstruct the rack as well as impair the steering of the bike.. 

And now, back to the regular Tern programming..

Peace talk
I've decided to end six months of hostility with K2 Asia. 
These are the guys who market Tern Bicycle in Malaysia.
One of the key guys had apologized and admitted to the mistakes and shortcomings.
During a sit-down session yesterday, I voiced out my grouses and it was heard.

The word from Taiwan
Some months back, I was corresponding with Joshua Hon, VP for Mobility Holdings who owns Tern Bicycles about the possibilities of reviewing the Eclipse S111, winner of the 2011 Eurobike Best Design Award.
I saw the bike last year at the Tern Malaysia launch and fell in love with it.
Josh made mention of this after I previewed the Tern Link P9 and said he would talk to K2 Asia about making the bike available for a hand-on and detailed look.
I was surprised to find out that the RM7.7k bike was actually stuck at the Rodalink showroom in Bandar Botanic, Klang.
Six months has nearly passed and the Eclipse S11i is still wrapped in the box.

New accessories: The Kanga rack system

A true winner: The Eclipse S11i

 Sweet!
Tern Bicycle's consumer project manager Eric Mah had sent down a Kanga rack with a luggage truss adapter to go with the Eclipse S11i.
This is an awesome package and I am very impressed with the quality, fit and finish on this product.
The Tern Eclipse S11i, on the other hand, is a classy ride.
It's also a head-terner.
As I wheeled it into my office, Ah Wai Kor, the head honcho was stopped dead on his track.
He is a Tern owner who rides a Link D8 and actually said that the Eclipse is a beautiful bike.
Some guys from the office actually made a bee-line to check out the bike. Its really a dream machine..
So, that said, this weekend, I will take it out a spin and a long-distance ride next weekend..