Like many others I bought this bike based on the price.
Its a second bike, I have a practical budget 20" folder.

Its got some very nice bits given the £125 bargain price.

To put the price into perspective, the 7 speed hyperglide
freewheel fitted is £25 as a spare part from Halfords.
(Halfords is a big UK bicycle retailer).

Though given the nice bits its got some odd budget
bits, that do add unnecessarily to the weight.

Nice are all the Shimano gearing bits, the Promax braking
bits, the threadless headset stuff, the cartridge bottom
bracket, the frame and forks, and of course the "aero"
black spoked and black anodised alloy wheels.

Its "made" in Bangladesh, though the only parts identified
so are the tyres and innertubes, though other bits might be.

It is basically a MTB type aluminium frame with steel forks.
The latter is good for feel usually, steel can be more springy.

Steel is used for the alloy style cranks (which then must be
immensely strong), the handlebars, the chain wheels, saddle
clamp, hubs, spokes and I assume the crankpin.

The chainwheel arrangement is distinctly odd. There is a tacky
chromoplastic "cover", covering up what looks like a chainwheel
from a one piece crank, there is a strange holed lug behind
the right crank, very odd, never seen it before.
I've ditched the cover, most wouldn't I suspect.

I'm average height and average weight, and the bike
size should suit me perfectly, though one should
note there are not a lot real adjustments for fit.
Seat height and handlebar angle basically.
Some fore and aft on the seat.
I inverted the handlebar stem to raise the bars a little,
so that is at maximum, the extension is of course fixed.

You can ignore the nonsense about the rims and punctures,
whoever wrote that clearly knows nothing about bicycles.

The bike is a bit of a stickerfest, attacks of good taste
have left one sticker each side of the wheels, the seattube
stickers, the fork stickers and the front sticker, the rest
of the stickers just really had to go, just far too tacky.
The ones left are enough for the colour scheme and "Virago",
it ends looking a lot classier and more expensive IMO.
"Piccadilly" not a good name for a road bike, it had to go.

From my folder I know how much decent tyres make a
difference, and so for this bike I bought new tyres.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/C...9&SortBy=Price

Personally I've ordered a Schwalbe 30mm Speed Cruiser
for the rear and a Michelin 32mm City Road for the front.
Both are reflective, so I'm ditching the reflectors.
Reusing the original innertubes, rated 23mm to 32mm.

Haven't tried the standard 28mm tyres but they look
to be adequate. They are very near slick tyres that
should do the job, but they are budget and basic.

The plastic pedals are functionally fine but
I've changed them to alloys and full toeclips.

The brakes are longer reach, to clear mudguards, (and
bigger tyres), so they are never going to be brilliant.

I've ordered some SKS trekking style quick release mudguards,
not quite full mudguards, but you leave the brackets on
the bike, and if rain is a possibility slap them on.

It will take a while to form an opinion on the seat.
Usually a seat that you need to get used to is better.

Other trivia is I've ordered a red underseat bag to it,
(tools, spare tube etc and a waterproof), fitted a pump
on the seat tube, a water bottle and cage on the downtube.

Gearing is 14,16,18,20,22,24,28 rear and 42,52 front.

For the money, seems a nice bike, some minor quirks, but
some very nice bits and features. Seems a good bike for
the heavier rider as it seems built strong and tough.
Its not a "real" road bike though.