Hercules Ryders ACT 105 Max – Early Review

Yesterday I went cycling once again on my new Hercules Ryder ACT 105 Max and realized a few pointers, which I find worthy enough to share -

The gears –
Shimano Tourney are decent and OK; just get the mechanical adjustments done from your dealer properly.

The rear derailleurs on mine were good except for smoothness while down shifting. I would have loved them to be a bit more smoother. (Up shifting was smoother than downshifting and moving to lower gears – 1,2,3 was not very smooth)

The mechanical adjustments on the front derailleurs were improper. The derailleur did not seem budge even with extreme efforts. The dealer has to attend this today evening.

However, while I state this, remember that all the above mentioned irks are due to the mechanical adjustments and not a faulty gear system. You have to try it out and then settle on the smoothest mechanical adjustment; and with just 2 days after purchase I am still finding that perfect adjustment.

Revo shifts work for me, specifically when I am just ‘graduating’ from mo-bikes to bikes. The shifting is easy to handle and the revo mechanism doesn’t require you to change your grip or any other adjustment.

The rear gear also has a small indicator to sow which gear is engaged while riding, but for me it is practically of no use, because the position of the gear indicator is such that you just cannot see it in your normal riding position.

Weight –
The aluminum alloy frame is light enough to be comfortable carried along the stairs of my apartments. I reside on second floor and carrying the bike is no task.

The frame –
The frame looks sturdy and promising enough to bear some shocks on off road trails. Just tried some bumpy ride and the bike seems to have responded well.

As for the frame size – Any one around and above 5 feet 6 inches will require adjustment of seat height. The seat post provided with the bike is too short for my liking and if you are taller than 5′8′, you will require to get a longer seat post.

The tyres –
The rims are black in colour and looks nice with the over all colour combo. The tyres are firm and offers reasonable grip on the gravel n’ sandy trails. Also tried them on wet surface and it was nicely stable without any trace imbalance or skidding.

Also note that the tyres mentions a maximum load bearing capacity of 90 Kgs. So if you are on the heavier side of the scale, this bike probably will not hold good under you.  The tyre states a recommended pressure of 45 PSI.

The brakes –
The V-brakes respond nicely and offered near immediate halts from good speeds. Tried the brakes on gravel and wet surfaces and was happy with the result. It confirms the fact that unless you are doing down hills on wet and slushy surfaces you don’t really need disc brakes.

Aesthetics –
The paint job and over all colour combination are good. The bike looks chic and attracts attention. I was surprised to see that me riding the bike through the lanes made people turn their heads. I never had this privilege on my Honda Shine mo-bike. Hmm.. Kalyan is yet rising to the biking spirits, but my ACT 105 definitely proved to be a head turner.

The saddle –
The seat are comfortable and well cushioned. It doesn’t follow the hard-saddle principle that Merida follows and would definitely be comfortable on longer and bumpy trails. However, I would have liked the seat post to be longer. The provided seat post isn’t long enough to adequately adjust to my height and I would soon be getting a longer seat post.

The front suspensions –
The are set hard and doesn’t unnecessarily absorb small shocks of the uneven tarmac. This will help to prevent unnecessary wastage of pedaling energy on longer rides.

Others -
The side stand is adjustable and although not a cardinal feature, but can be helpful while parking bikes on uneven surfaces.

Also mudguards are fibre bodies and really a show-piece than anything else – they won’t serve the purpose on wet trails. I will prefer my mud-guards tucked in the cup board than to have them on the bike because they really serve no purpose. If you want to use the bike for daily commute, you would want to think of a nice metal mudguard and compromise with few extra lbs added to your bike.

The lock provided is no good and can be easily shredded. Get your bike a nice and strong lock as you don’t want to ride your luck and tempt the stealers!

Overall ride -
I have done around 35 Kms of riding in 2 days on this bike and immediately developed a liking for the bike. Owing to its alloy frame it is really light, which helps on steep gradients. Secondly the gear system attached is decent enough, especially for the price it comes (Rs 6600). The over all aesthetics and feel of the bike is nice and comfy. It doesn’t seem tire you out even on gradients (please note I am yet to do steep gradients – Weekend ride to Malshej ghat would be a real tester)

All in all – the early reviews of this bike has been good and definitely gets a thumbs up. First impressions have been good and it definitely helps!