YeloNeko

Hey, thanks for the advice, I got my Downtube, took it around the block, and I found it was a nice bike. I also skipped the bike shop tune up since I don't quite have the cash to throw around, so I just made sure everything seemed, well, normal(should I spend the money? if so, how often should I get it checked?).

So today I decided to do something a bit longer and test it's ability to get on a train.

So since it's been my first time in years really riding a bike(not going around the block), and first time riding in a city, I stupidly decided to take the sidewalk, and a couple people said sidewalk to me. So after that I rode on the busy streets of boston, which was, quite frightening sometimes haha, I guess thats something I need to get used to.

Overall I did about 4.5 miles from my apartment down to Boston Commons, and I got lost a couple times along the way even though I've been here for a year and, walked around a lot haha

I found the bike quite solid, and you could roll it while walking, but it was quite a hassle when the roads were uneven.

My seat post was twisting around so I tightened it, but another issue I found was that the velcro strap that came with the bike to keep the wheels together was too short, so It wasn't useful.

The other issue I have with it, is that the bike gets easily scratched when you fold it, so I have a bunch of white scratches over the bike, after just one trip.

Oh, I really don't like the screw style release to fold the handle bar, it's the longest thing to fold on the bike.

I also find the gears at 7 to do fine, but I found it to be a bit lacking, like I would want to go one or two more higher but 7 gears was sufficient(I found myself keeping it on 7 most of the time unless I was going up a hill).

I ended up taking the bike onto the subway for the return trip,(I ran out of water, I need a bigger bottle). No one stopped me, which was good since I didn't want to argue that folding bikes were allowed (it says it on the website)(i dont have a bag for it). And while the bike did seem a bit big, it wasn't the biggest thing I've seen on the Train(I've seen people bring huge trashcans and trashbags full of cans).

Overall, I'm quite happy, and people even complemented my bike and asked about it.

I hope it stays solid for years to come, right now I'm quite happy with it, but I'm not sure how it would handle bad weather like rain(any experience with this?)

Dave1899

Thanks for the review. I've been thinking of a DownTube as well. I'd like to ride one first. Where's the pictures?

JosephLMonti

+1

Urbanis

I ended up selling my Nova because I wasn't happy with the limited gear range--I wanted higher top speeds, so I agree with your assessment.

As for rain, I would worry less about how the bike handles and more about how you're dressed--you'll get soaked if you're not wearing rain-proof gear. You can always leave your bike at home or take it on the subway on those really nasty days.

mulleady

That's down to the tires and your stock ones are fine for the rain!