I used to own a Trek 2200 road bike a couple of years back which i used for commuting to work. It was stolen. Damn heart pain. Bike thefts have been on the rise over the years & they have gotten more audacious by climbing into porch to steal. Once bike is stolen is very very hard to recover cause the police won't waste their time recovering bikes.
So far i've done the eastern park connector loop, northern loop & exploring sentosa(darn small island which has gotten more artificial) Total distance so far is in low 300km+
Why did i choose this bike? Well i'm more of an avid recreational rider. I mostly commute for errands & exploring/sightseeing & then pitstopping at hawker centres for value for $ nice hawker food. F100 suits my budget for a roadie & with a flat bar which i'm more accustomed to. The dropbar series of road bikes start at $650.
Slim tires are a breeze riding on roads & park connectors compared to the amount of energy expended pedaling my old 'chapalang' bike which i still use at times to certain commuting locations due to fear of new bike stolen.
Hi there. Good day. Good review you have. Im a entry level cyclist and have found this bike that suits my budget. I was wondering which category does this bike belong to if you have any idea. And my biggest worry will be bike theft. Is there any ways to best prevent thefts? I would greatly appreciate your help. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Yang, Is in the road bike(flat bar) category. I bought this bike similarly because of its budget as i've lost an expensive bike to theft. Best way to lock this bike outside for commuting use is 1) cable lock secure front & rear wheels to a stationary object.
ReplyDelete2) U-lock secure rear wheel with frame to stationary object.
3) Slim cable lock secure saddle with frame to stationary object. Even if replace quick release with bolt, a thief can still unscrew the saddle with allen key & steal it so need to lock.
The shifter for front derailleur on this bike is not good though which is the downside but given the price tag i'm ok with it.
Thats a lot of locks we are talking about. Do you usually lock this much or just one of the above?
ReplyDeleteI have visited a shop in Owen Road and have searched it online. Apparently its named Ah Tan and according to the forum, his service were quite poor. I have visited there before and he told me road bike cheapest is 650 there. But they do have bikes which are these frames --->> http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207431_180545615327047_172783439436598_395901_6695881_n.jpg compare to the usual --->> http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206699_180663591981916_172783439436598_396487_6706309_n.jpg Do you by any chance know the difference in the geometry of the frame? Thanks for your help!
As the F100 is new, i still ride my old rusty 'market bike' for library, mall trips which i secure with a cable lock by securing front wheel, saddle & frame to an unmovable object at a prominent place. Front wheel & saddle are quick release so i secure it. When this new F100 looks worn it will become my mainstay commuting bike.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 bikes picture u shown doesn't have a rear derailleur. $650 is rather pricey compared to F100 which i bought for $450 (before 5% discount). Is only in size 50 though- ok for my height. Other models like F300 & F500 have size 54 if it suits u. Part of reason why i went for the entry F100 is the price - at least not so heartache if anything "unfortunate" happen during commuting use.
Why not go down to Rodalink to take a look physically? U don't have to buy. I went down twice before i made my purchase on my 3rd trip.
Hi Xianlong,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog and found it very useful. I am a beginner and want to take up recreational biking. I am planning to get a flat-bar road bike and am confused between Polygon F100 and Trek fx 7.1. The latter is $100 more expensive and it a more trusted / popular brand. However, I think Polygon F100 is good value for money and would be suitable for me. What are your thoughts / recommendations on this.
Thanks a lot!
Anurag
Hi Anurag,
ReplyDeleteYes the F100 is good value for $$ as u said. However is only available in size 50. Bike fit is important too. F300 & F500 come in size 50 & 54.
U made the right choice picking a flat bar model. Flat bar road bike is more for recreational & sightseeing while still performing on roads.
Get the F100 2012 model though is bit more expensive. It comes in double chainring instead of triple. I don't use the smallest since i don't climb steep slopes. With double chainring i believe the shifter is better for the 2012 model as my 2011 model's triple chainring shifter is not good.
thank you for your review xianlong. i bought f100 2012 and quite satisfied with the performance. Now it's almost 300km with this bike and getting some issue with the shifter. never had maintenance yet. maybe it's time adjust some of the screws.
ReplyDeletenevertheless, this bike is of good value for $$.
peri
Hi peri,
ReplyDeleteYou can bring it back to the bikeshop for free tuning since the cables will get stretched after initial usage. You seem a avid rider with 300km mileage so far. I rode between 2000-2500km before i replaced my stock chain that got stretched as i'm a hard pedaler on higher gears.
I've ridden the bike to Kukup & Kluang in Johor with no breakdowns. As a leisure, commuting & touring bike it is good value for $$.
Hi, may I know if you have ridden this bike on slightly off road situations?? Like grass patches or sand pavement in Singapore??
ReplyDeleteIs it like a performance hybrid??
Comfortable??
Sorry for asking so many questions, I want to get this bike so Im asking around for ur opinion(:
Hi xianlong, what's your opinion on trek 370 and helios f100? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Jonathan & riconeo,
ReplyDeleteSorry for awfully late reply. For off-road situations i have ridden the F100 on the unpaved section of Punggol PCN (slow speed though). Anything rougher than that is a no-go.
I wouldn't classify it as a performance hybrid. The F100 is more for commuting & sightseeing rides.
As for opinion on Trek 370, i find Trek bikes overpriced thus it is not my brand i'll consider. $$ saved can be better spent elsewhere.