TERN Verge P18 Review

TERN Verge P18 Foldable Bike 

 

Singapore's Retail Price: S$1800 (exclude Fender)

Tern bicycle is a relative new player in the market formed only in 2011 after the major hooha saga involving Dr David Hon (or DAHON) and his son and wife. Tern is based in Taiwan and the P18 is derived from the Verge high performance series. Weight in at 11.5 kg, it utilise the same AL-7005GT Aluminium frame (a stiffer frame compared to AL-6065GT of the Link series) unique to the Verge series which is further enhanced by the curvy hydroformed aluminium finishing.


Verge P18 comes in 2 colours (either the Red or Light Blue) with white as the base coat for this model. It is among the only 2 Verge model with front derailleur (apart from X20) which offer 44/55T chainring for both slope climbing and speeding of maximum 95" gear range. It's not difficult to clock exceed 30km/h on flat ground with the standard Kojak tires.



The shipping box have almost all the parts assembled minus the seat post and pedal which will need to be self installed before using. The bike were tuned and checked according to the bike shop in Taiwan. I chosen the Red / White TERN Verge P18 as local distributor rarely brought this colour into Singapore in recent months.

Verge series have attracted my attention with the S11i and X10 being the key culprits that probably drawn me to TERN. I was mostly researching on Link D8 and P9 and even test ride the P9/X20 on the busy street of Taipei. It does seems solid and stiff while gear change are reasonable smooth with the SRAM trigger shifter (quite similar to the trigger shifting Shimano Revo shifter on the previous Polygon bike) and components. Decided to bite the bullet at the last go and upgraded to Verge P18 at the last moment (even though no P18 is available for test riding at the bike shop).

The allure of the 7005-GT (more rigid) aluminium and curvy Verge frame are the main reason for the switch, together with the well-known chain dropped issues on P9 that strengthen the decision.

Verge P18 is the only Tern that uses the SCHWALBE 20" Kojak tyres, a first time that I uses a treadless tyres as I was on Kenda or lower grades tires. Riding wise is pretty good while a quick read at the various reviews seem to indicate that Kojak tyres are actually very well respected in the 20" field. With a 1.35" profile, it's a lightweight durable tires that's suitable for speedster.

The large 55T front chainring does help to keep pace with the roadbikes if necessary when speed is the essence. The Verge P18 does give me very high satisfaction as every ride is smooth and fun with very few complains or issues.

Below are the summary of the Pros and Cons of P18 based on 2 months of usage.

Features:

• SCHWALBE KOJAK Tyres
• SHIMANO TIAGRA 9 speed Derailleur set (durable without squeezing performance)
• Biologic Arc handle bar with hidden tool.
• Superb flexible folding design (very little strength is required)
• 28 - 95" gear range that allows user to leverage on the 18 speed control
• Room for upgrade (to SHIMANO 105 or ULTEGRA)
• Free Biologic rear reflector cum LED blinker light

Cons:

• Physis QR handlepost - (unable to fit in bullhorn upgrades)
• White base (hard to maintain, perhaps a black base model?)
• FSA custom crankset which will maybe harder to replace after wear-and-tear

There aren't much cons but being on the Verge family doesn't means one can upgrade to a X30h anytime from the base model as P18 uses Physis QR handlepost (vs Physis T-bar VRO on X10/20 which allows upgrade more flexibility and slightly further handle bar position) This restrict it's upgrading path while I may still upgrade the wheelset (Kinetix Pro), tyres (SCHWALBE Durano or Ultremo) to cut down on weight of the bike if necessary. The Kojak tyres are pretty satisfying in the rides, with No major creaks or abnormalities till date.

P18 is the 3rd foldable bike I rode (previously being Aleoca and Polygon Urbano 3.0). It's an absolutely exciting upgrade from the previous 2 as Verge P18 accelerate fast and quick with the best folding experience I had of the 3.

Some good read about how Tiagra is compared to 105 (or even an ULTEGRA)
http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/shimano_105_or_tiagra_whats_the_difference/