| I Like It. LOTS |
| Reviewed By: Peter Cox |
Rating: 4/5 |
Date: May 11, 2004 |
1152 out of 2124 people found this review helpful
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| Finally got my grasshopper and it is well worth the wait. necessarily brief since I've only managed to put 200km in so far - longer term comments will follow. The handling is superb - very confident into corners at both high and low speed (up to 50km/h), though a little disconcerting when combined with a bad surface and off camber when the bike feels a little as if it's going to lose traction when its only the suspension moving. The bodylink seat is very comfortable, but needs to be set right. My initial estimate was a bit long and the thing was foul until I found the approproiate length. Since then - fine. I would suggest it is an improvement over the Streetmachine. It climbs easily and feels a lively yet stable and predictable ride. The suspension just wipes out most road vibration and is hugely recommended. The quality of build and design is just what you'd expect from HPVelotechnik - everything very well thought through. My only quibble is with the gearing. perhaps I am too used to my road bikes but the jumps on the 11-34 cassette are just too wide for the performance that the bike seems capable of. The chain bangs against the big ring iwhen in the 40tooth ring, though the changing is remarkably easy. I intend to fit an intermediate 50 tooth and would like to see some better options available - perhaps a shimano capreo hub could be offered? I intend to track one down and try to see if it gets a better selection. It is not the range that has been miscalculated, but the available gears in the ratios I use the most are just not there. However, these are very personal choices and on any non-standard cycle will depend on the rider and their particular style and circumstances. Overall, very impressed - will add more once i've got some serious distance on it. |
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