These frames are super mass produced under a variety of brand names, there is nothing particularly special about these frames. That being said I am a huge fan of these because they are actually repairable and upgradeable.. The standardized headset, BB, and Disc brakes make this IMO a solid buy at this price. If you want to upgrade you can get some Shimano hydraulic brakes for $40. If suspension is a concern you can throw on a $50-60 Suntour NCX suspension seatpost to help out there. Other than that I wouldn't touch much else.
If you have some mechanical inclination buy the H1 model for $50 less and throw a 9/10 Speed Shimano CUES on it for an extra $70-90.
20% off code is THANKS20
After reading through countless shitty bike threads over the past few weeks, I think this might be the shitty bike for me.
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The thing about these bikes is that the 8-speed and 9-speed cassettes have the same gear range. You'd think that they'd have increased the gear range on the H2 since there is an added gear. As it is, both bikes will pedal almost identical (in terms of effort), and I'd guess that most people would not notice the difference of one less gear in the middle. I haven't used these particular derailleurs… Perhaps the shifting will be smoother with the 9-speed… at least I'd hope so for the increase in cost.
These bikes are for "leisurely neighborhood rides to daily commutes and light trails." They don't really need a different gear range then what they come with regardless of how many speeds they have.
The difference between the H1 and H2 is not all that different than the difference between a Trek FX1 and FX2. FX1 is 8spd 11/32 with Tourney/Altus components, mechanical disc and FX2 is 9spd 11/36 with Altus/Acera components, hyrdaulic disc. The price difference for Trek is $100-150 between them.
To me, $40 for the upgrades is worth it, but for others it may not be.
This is exactly the same bike as the Giordano H2 (can find threads about it from last year). I bought it last year and it comes horribly assembled from the factory. I strongly recommend you take it to a bike shop and have it tuned / properly assembled. My local shop charged me $50 to do this but it was 100% worth it as out of the box it would not shift properly and wasn't smooth at all. After the tune it was a pretty solid bike for the price, but I felt like I reached the limits of it pretty quickly and will probably upgrade this year to something with a carbon fork.
The H1 and H2 are lower end bikes for "leisurely neighborhood rides to daily commutes and light trails." What limits did you reach and what do you expect the carbon fork to change?
A carbon fork will likely cost about what the entire bike cost and most people may find different tires would make a bigger difference to ride quality/handling at a lower cost than a carbon fork.
The H1 and H2 are lower end bikes for "leisurely neighborhood rides to daily commutes and light trails." What limits did you reach and what do you expect the carbon fork to change?
A carbon fork will likely cost about what the entire bike cost and most people may find different tires would make a bigger difference to ride quality/handling at a lower cost than a carbon fork.
I agree. My list to do would be.
1--- Kick stand
2--- Water bottle cage.
3--- Seat swap or suspension seat (TBD)
4--- Tires maybe?
That is about it
Update... add quick adjuster to seat. So I dont need an allen wrench to adjust seat.
These bikes are for "leisurely neighborhood rides to daily commutes and light trails." They don't really need a different gear range then what they come with regardless of how many speeds they have.
The difference between the H1 and H2 is not all that different than the difference between a Trek FX1 and FX2. FX1 is 8spd 11/32 with Tourney/Altus components, mechanical disc and FX2 is 9spd 11/36 with Altus/Acera components, hyrdaulic disc. The price difference for Trek is $100-150 between them.
To me, $40 for the upgrades is worth it, but for others it may not be.
Agree that it's fine for leisurely neighborhood rides, but disagree if you're including "daily commutes." Many people would find a larger gear range beneficial for commuting. In your example, Trek increased the range along with the increase in gears, because that's what makes sense. Increasing the # gears with the same gear range provides almost no benefit to people who aren't focused on maintaining a specific cadence.
Agree that it's fine for leisurely neighborhood rides, but disagree if you're including "daily commutes." Many people would find a larger gear range beneficial for commuting. In your example, Trek increased the range along with the increase in gears, because that's what makes sense. Increasing the # gears with the same gear range provides almost no benefit to people who aren't focused on maintaining a specific cadence.
I didn't include anything. That is from the website for the bike as to it's intended use, hence why I put it in quotes.
Some people ride and commute on fixies with 44:18 or 46:16 ratio? These bikes at least have 8/9 speeds and a little wider range than that.
There is such a wide range of definitions for commuting, that it will be impossible to cover every use case. This is a lower end general purpose bike. Please keep that in mind. If one wants a dedicated commuter bike, I would tend to agree that a wider range might be more beneficial (as would a better bike overall), but it would depend on that individuals local terrain. If it is mostly flat with minor grades, it may not make any difference. I don't see this as a dedicated, longer distance commuter bike, but more of a low end, general purpose bike for short commutes. My opinion.
As far as the gear # increase from the H1 to H2, I can only speculate that it was done for marketing reasons to further differentiate the two models and justify the price differential between them. The Mezzo components on the H1 are available for 7/8/9 spd, but they chose to go with 8spd, while the Marvo LT shifter on the H2 is only listed on the Microshift site in 9spd configuration and is a decent upgrade over the cheap Mezzo components.
I didn't include anything. That is from the website for the bike as to it's intended use, hence why I put it in quotes.
Some people ride and commute on fixies with 44:18 or 46:16 ratio? These bikes at least have 8/9 speeds and a little wider range than that.
There is such a wide range of definitions for commuting, that it will be impossible to cover every use case. This is a lower end general purpose bike. Please keep that in mind. If one wants a dedicated commuter bike, I would tend to agree that a wider range might be more beneficial (as would a better bike overall), but it would depend on that individuals local terrain. If it is mostly flat with minor grades, it may not make any difference. I don't see this as a dedicated, longer distance commuter bike, but more of a low end, general purpose bike for short commutes. My opinion.
As far as the gear # increase from the H1 to H2, I can only speculate that it was done for marketing reasons to further differentiate the two models and justify the price differential between them. The Mezzo components on the H1 are available for 7/8/9 spd, but they chose to go with 8spd, while the Marvo LT shifter on the H2 is only listed on the Microshift site in 9spd configuration and is a decent upgrade over the cheap Mezzo components.
Yes, part of business is creating differentiation between your product lines. In bikes it's usually about weight or efficiency. You're probably right that it's just about marketing, and that brings us full circle to my original point: All I'm saying is that this configuration provides negligible benefit to the end user experience, to the point that the average customer would not notice the difference between the two models. I personally would like to see more tangible benefits when upgrading, but people can spend their own money as they see fit.
Yes, part of business is creating differentiation between your product lines. In bikes it's usually about weight or efficiency. You're probably right that it's just about marketing, and that brings us full circle to my original point: All I'm saying is that this configuration provides negligible benefit to the end user experience, to the point that the average customer would not notice the difference between the two models. I personally would like to see more tangible benefits when upgrading, but people can spend their own money as they see fit.
From a sales and marketing perspective, sometimes simply changing the color of an item is all the differentiation that is needed to the "average consumer". I don't see Kent in the same league as Trek or Specialized. Where Trek may make more significant changes between various models of the same bike, they also tend to have much larger price swings as a result.
This bike compares somewhat to the Trek FX1 and FX2. The FX1 has a steel fork and the FX2 has an aluminum fork, so when you "upgrade" from FX1 to FX2, there is a weight savings. Both the H1 and H2 have an aluminum fork, so there is no weight savings to be had between them. IMO, this is just a marketing gimmick that Trek does so they can show a "weight savings" and create a difference where one probably shouldn't really exist.
The price difference between the H1 and H2 was $50 at msrp ($40 for this deal). As a bike person, I feel the upgrades offered are worth the price difference. What kind of upgrades were you expecting for $40?
From a sales and marketing perspective, sometimes simply changing the color of an item is all the differentiation that is needed to the "average consumer". I don't see Kent in the same league as Trek or Specialized. Where Trek may make more significant changes between various models of the same bike, they also tend to have much larger price swings as a result.
This bike compares somewhat to the Trek FX1 and FX2. The FX1 has a steel fork and the FX2 has an aluminum fork, so when you "upgrade" from FX1 to FX2, there is a weight savings. Both the H1 and H2 have an aluminum fork, so there is no weight savings to be had between them. IMO, this is just a marketing gimmick that Trek does so they can show a "weight savings" and create a difference where one probably shouldn't really exist.
The price difference between the H1 and H2 was $50 at msrp ($40 for this deal). As a bike person, I feel the upgrades offered are worth the price difference. What kind of upgrades were you expecting for $40?
I would expect a different model to have more than a $40 price difference if it means including a worthwhile functional difference... otherwise just buy the cheaper model. I don't see much value in upgrading the derailleur if they also don't upgrade the shifters. It's not clear what they even use. If they put the same quality shifters on both bikes, they will also likely have the same shifting precision regardless of the upgraded derailleur. I've stated multiple times why I think the average person buying this type of bike won't benefit from doing the upgrade. I'll just leave it at that.
I would expect a different model to have more than a $40 price difference if it means including a worthwhile functional difference... otherwise just buy the cheaper model. I don't see much value in upgrading the derailleur if they also don't upgrade the shifters. It's not clear what they even use. If they put the same quality shifters on both bikes, they will also likely have the same shifting precision regardless of the upgraded derailleur. I've stated multiple times why I think the average person buying this type of bike won't benefit from doing the upgrade. I'll just leave it at that.
Also consider the price of the bike. The upgrade amounts to a 25% increase in price, and unless I have a specific need for the hydraulic brakes (which I don't) I'm not going to get 25% more value out of it. I'm not a bike person, but if I do become one I'm gonna sell this thing and buy something else regardless and I'd rather use the extra $40 for that purpose.
Both RDs support the same range, so there isn't really a viable upgrade path for either without changing cassette, RD, and maybe shifter which is easily going to be $40 or more.
I kind of prefer the red color and the brake and 9spd upgrades seem worth the $40 to me. I'm just looking for something to do with the 9 bafang kits I bought and these bikes seem like the best deal right now, but not sure if I want to downgrade the hydraulic brakes on the H2 or buy the necessary sensors.
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If you have some mechanical inclination buy the H1 model for $50 less and throw a 9/10 Speed Shimano CUES on it for an extra $70-90.
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The difference between the H1 and H2 is not all that different than the difference between a Trek FX1 and FX2. FX1 is 8spd 11/32 with Tourney/Altus components, mechanical disc and FX2 is 9spd 11/36 with Altus/Acera components, hyrdaulic disc. The price difference for Trek is $100-150 between them.
To me, $40 for the upgrades is worth it, but for others it may not be.
A carbon fork will likely cost about what the entire bike cost and most people may find different tires would make a bigger difference to ride quality/handling at a lower cost than a carbon fork.
A carbon fork will likely cost about what the entire bike cost and most people may find different tires would make a bigger difference to ride quality/handling at a lower cost than a carbon fork.
I agree. My list to do would be.
1--- Kick stand
2--- Water bottle cage.
3--- Seat swap or suspension seat (TBD)
4--- Tires maybe?
That is about it
Update... add quick adjuster to seat. So I dont need an allen wrench to adjust seat.
The difference between the H1 and H2 is not all that different than the difference between a Trek FX1 and FX2. FX1 is 8spd 11/32 with Tourney/Altus components, mechanical disc and FX2 is 9spd 11/36 with Altus/Acera components, hyrdaulic disc. The price difference for Trek is $100-150 between them.
To me, $40 for the upgrades is worth it, but for others it may not be.
Some people ride and commute on fixies with 44:18 or 46:16 ratio? These bikes at least have 8/9 speeds and a little wider range than that.
There is such a wide range of definitions for commuting, that it will be impossible to cover every use case. This is a lower end general purpose bike. Please keep that in mind. If one wants a dedicated commuter bike, I would tend to agree that a wider range might be more beneficial (as would a better bike overall), but it would depend on that individuals local terrain. If it is mostly flat with minor grades, it may not make any difference. I don't see this as a dedicated, longer distance commuter bike, but more of a low end, general purpose bike for short commutes. My opinion.
As far as the gear # increase from the H1 to H2, I can only speculate that it was done for marketing reasons to further differentiate the two models and justify the price differential between them. The Mezzo components on the H1 are available for 7/8/9 spd, but they chose to go with 8spd, while the Marvo LT shifter on the H2 is only listed on the Microshift site in 9spd configuration and is a decent upgrade over the cheap Mezzo components.
Some people ride and commute on fixies with 44:18 or 46:16 ratio? These bikes at least have 8/9 speeds and a little wider range than that.
There is such a wide range of definitions for commuting, that it will be impossible to cover every use case. This is a lower end general purpose bike. Please keep that in mind. If one wants a dedicated commuter bike, I would tend to agree that a wider range might be more beneficial (as would a better bike overall), but it would depend on that individuals local terrain. If it is mostly flat with minor grades, it may not make any difference. I don't see this as a dedicated, longer distance commuter bike, but more of a low end, general purpose bike for short commutes. My opinion.
As far as the gear # increase from the H1 to H2, I can only speculate that it was done for marketing reasons to further differentiate the two models and justify the price differential between them. The Mezzo components on the H1 are available for 7/8/9 spd, but they chose to go with 8spd, while the Marvo LT shifter on the H2 is only listed on the Microshift site in 9spd configuration and is a decent upgrade over the cheap Mezzo components.
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1--- Kick stand https://static.slickdealscdn.com/ima...lies/smile.gif
2--- Water bottle cage.
3--- Seat swap or suspension seat (TBD)
4--- Tires maybe?
That is about it
From amazon I went with
BV Adjustable Bicycle Bike Kickstand with Concealed Spring --- in black.
Found some other forum chatter that recommended it. I have no experience with it.
This bike compares somewhat to the Trek FX1 and FX2. The FX1 has a steel fork and the FX2 has an aluminum fork, so when you "upgrade" from FX1 to FX2, there is a weight savings. Both the H1 and H2 have an aluminum fork, so there is no weight savings to be had between them. IMO, this is just a marketing gimmick that Trek does so they can show a "weight savings" and create a difference where one probably shouldn't really exist.
The price difference between the H1 and H2 was $50 at msrp ($40 for this deal). As a bike person, I feel the upgrades offered are worth the price difference. What kind of upgrades were you expecting for $40?
This bike compares somewhat to the Trek FX1 and FX2. The FX1 has a steel fork and the FX2 has an aluminum fork, so when you "upgrade" from FX1 to FX2, there is a weight savings. Both the H1 and H2 have an aluminum fork, so there is no weight savings to be had between them. IMO, this is just a marketing gimmick that Trek does so they can show a "weight savings" and create a difference where one probably shouldn't really exist.
The price difference between the H1 and H2 was $50 at msrp ($40 for this deal). As a bike person, I feel the upgrades offered are worth the price difference. What kind of upgrades were you expecting for $40?
Not holding my breath - FailED EXpectations (FedEx) always makes me cringe
Not holding my breath - FailED EXpectations (FedEx) always makes me cringe
Wow that's fast
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I kind of prefer the red color and the brake and 9spd upgrades seem worth the $40 to me. I'm just looking for something to do with the 9 bafang kits I bought and these bikes seem like the best deal right now, but not sure if I want to downgrade the hydraulic brakes on the H2 or buy the necessary sensors.