Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

wiggetty151 wrote:Has anyone got anymore info on this bike? Did anyone pick one up?

Im thinking about it as my local still has 6 in stock.

For those who did whats the better colour. I like the blue but color in pictures and real life differ.

Has anyone dismantled any of the components to check if there is sufficient grease in places where it should be and tightness of nuts/bolts etc....

I think the red ones are size 53 and the blue ones 56 so thats a bit of a difference in size and I would be trying to go the size that better fits you rather than the colour on this occasion.

I bought a beanie and a pair of winter gloves. Since then it has warmed up in Brisbane and I haven't actually worn either of them yet.

I bought a CO2 from Aldi as well, and also happen to find a lonely bike computer for $10.

tron07 wrote:I bought a CO2 from Aldi as well, and also happen to find a lonely bike computer for $10.

Cool, I have some lonely bikes in my garage. Might have to get coputers for them too

I have an issue with a chainring which does not go in a straight line. As a result I can't perfectly adjust the front derailleur.



Do you think it can be fixed or I better return the bike back to the store?

KrigerOz, thanks for sharing the video. The yellow tape is a good help.
My first recommendation would be to call the hotline first and see if you can get a solution. Explain the that front - large chainring is bent so chain doesn't track properly.

Hard to know if it is a only the chainring (which can be replaced) or affected by a misshaped crank (which then bends the chainring as it is tightened onto the cranks).

AUbicycles wrote:KrigerOz, thanks for sharing the video. The yellow tape is a good help.
My first recommendation would be to call the hotline first and see if you can get a solution. Explain the that front - large chainring is bent so chain doesn't track properly.

Hard to know if it is a only the chainring (which can be replaced) or affected by a misshaped crank (which then bends the chainring as it is tightened onto the cranks).

So it shouldn't be like that, right?

Should track true mate,

As AUbicycles said, could be either the crank itself or just the ring.
IMO most likely just the ring due to transit damage.

KrigerOZ wrote:

AUbicycles wrote:KrigerOz, thanks for sharing the video. The yellow tape is a good help.
My first recommendation would be to call the hotline first and see if you can get a solution. Explain the that front - large chainring is bent so chain doesn't track properly.

Hard to know if it is a only the chainring (which can be replaced) or affected by a misshaped crank (which then bends the chainring is is tightened onto the cranks).

So it shouldn't be like that, right?

Nope. Not at all.

AUbicycles suggestion above is your best first option.

Ok, thank you for all your suggestions.

Chris, about sizing, in the review you said that you are 185cm but you fitted yourself to the medium. Based on your experience, would you recommend a medium or large for a 184cm person? Thanks

Patt0 - I would suggest at 180+ you need the large
The reviews said the medium is a 53/54 top tube. The large is a 56cm top tube

Edit: Still both sizes available at mount Ommaney Qld this morning.
I think they bamboozled the normal aldi shoppers with these. No idea how good they are for the bucks

Patt0 wrote:Chris, about sizing, in the review you said that you are 185cm but you fitted yourself to the medium. Based on your experience, would you recommend a medium or large for a 184cm person? Thanks

Hi Patto. My brother bought the large size and is very happy with the fit, and he is 181cm. My personal opinion is that the large would suit you much better, however it can depend on what type of rider you are and what type of riding position you prefer.

In general, when you go to a smaller frame the position of the bars will be lower in relation to the height of the saddle. Also the reach to the bars will be shorter, though to some extent this can often be countered with saddle fore-aft adjustment. These factors can make a smaller frame uncomfortable to ride.

One 187cm rider in the review comments section has already stated that even the large was too small for him and that he had to return it. Unless you like an extremely low and crouched riding position then I think you'd prefer the large.

For the record I've only had a very brief look over the one my brother bought (though next time I visit him I'll give it a short test ride), but I did sit on it and it felt very comfortable to me at 182cm tall.

Gonna check out some second hand bikes.

I read your review and I want to ask whether you believe there is anything worth upgrading?

I started into cycling at the beginning of the year and bought a similarly specced bike (Cell Otway 2.0). I've fallen into the trap now and have bought cycling jerseys, shorts, stravaing myself and looking for group rides; a living cyclist stereotype.

My bike is still the same as I bought it though I am seriously considering moving to clipless pedals and changing my tyres. Is it worth the cost?

In hindsight, if I knew I liked cycling this much I should have saved up for a better bike, but in my (and Aldi's) defense a better bike is almost double the cost - Cell had limited stock and not my size, my experience at Reid was terrible and Giant sora is much more expensive.

I don't regret my purchase though - I don't think I could survive previous riding my Aldi Folding Bike any longer - doing the Spring Cycle and Bobbin Head on it was the last straw!

I wouldn't upgrade too much on the Aldi bike. Pedals are a good buy, easily taken to your next bike. Good tyres can make a bike feel better, and considering they wear out anyway it is not overcapitalising. Maybe some new bar tape for better hand comfort - it's only cheap anyway. Possibly a wheel upgrade to a lighter set, but this is typically a fairly big cost, especially in comparison to the rest of the bike. Gears etc aren't really worth the cost

The Cell Otway is a good start and if you are enjoying cycling, you can start upgrading this.

Clipless is one step (need pedals and shoes - but could be able to go for entry level at a cost of ca $100)

The tyres is an easy upgrade a buchosis suggests - good road cycling tyres are upwards of $40 each but will make a difference (depending how much you can perceive it and be aware of the change).

And then the wheelset - you can actually go for a second hand pair of wheels that are lighter and better and this will make the most difference but you still have to be prepared to invest a few hundred dollars. I think you can easily pick up a good second hand set for a good price. Don't forget that you have to ensure compatibility and change-over bits like the cassette.

Christopher

Still quite a few road bikes taking up significant floor space in my local aldis yesterday. Gonna check em out on a daily basis to see if the price drops to clear em out

The distribution of Aldi shops doesn't match the distribution of cyclable areas or the cycle willing population. The shoppers who were keen seemed to have got their bikes.

It is bargain already so if the price drops further - jump in.

AUbicycles wrote:The distribution of Aldi shops doesn't match the distribution of cyclable areas or the cycle willing population. The shoppers who were keen seemed to have got their bikes.

It is bargain already so if the price drops further - jump in.

They all vanished very quickly from Meadowbank, but then there is a pretty good bike path along the Parramatta River and lots of apartment blocks with limited car park spots. Perfect storm.

There is a large at Springfield Queensland store available.

Well after a lot of thought and toing and froing on carbon bikes I decided that if I was move from getting a bit of exercise riding the local bike tracks on my hybrid to being a road bike rider that I was better off dipping my toe in the water by starting off cheap.
If I keep at it and have no second thoughts, after six months or so I will buy a better bike.

So that left me with the Aldi bike to consider (I know there were others as well, but this was the cheapest for a new bike). Read Chris's review and all the comments about 50 times and then thought what the hell, if it doesn't work out for me then I have only wasted $399. Down to the local Aldi and they had 4 bikes left, two medium and two large.
I grabbed medium and took it home to assemble. This was a fairly straight forward process for someone mechanically minded like myself.

Went for my first ride this morning and was very happy. A lot firmer in the ride than my hybrid, but I expected that. My biggest concern, that old mechanics back would not like riding a drop bar bike has not surfaced (yet). For a beginner road rider like myself I think it works quite well. The LBS need not worry because if I commit myself to ride this bike through the end of winter, through spring and into summer, I will go and spend on a more expensive carbon bike for myself.

The comments on weight and slow wheels/tyres make no difference for me because it is significantly lighter than my hybrid.
I will add any other info as I go along on any quality issues etc, but for now, if you want a beginner road bike, in my humble opinion, they hit the spot.

Arbuckle23 wrote: For a beginner road rider like myself I think it works quite well.

Yes. I "stole" one last weekend and rode it about 130 km in total. I thought it rode quite nicely too. Ok I didn't really steal it, it was one that my brother bought two weeks ago and he wanted me to test ride it for him. He actually put it together but had to fly interstate the same day, so it had sat unridden.

It was the large size and I had no problems getting it set up comfortably for me at 181 cm. The ride was very smooth and stable, which was pretty much as expected given the long (103cm) wheel base and the ton of trail in the forks. Also a nice touch was the 175mm cranks on the large frame size, and the full set of mounting points for water bottle cages (2x) and rack attachment points.

Yeah it's definitely no light weight. The large size is about 11kg, but it certainly feels very robust in both the frame and the wheels. To be honest it felt a bit more like a cx bike than a road bike. There is very good ground clearance on the cranks (with the 175mm cranks it completely clears the ground even with the toe clips pointing directly downward). And there's a ton of clearance for larger tyres as well, particularly on the rear.

In my opinion this is a good entry level bike, but it's also a great all rounder. It would fit the bill for casual weekend riding, or for commuting and even a bit of light weight touring (will easily take 28c on the front and 35c on the rear). This bike is obviously not a competitive road bike at elite levels, but would be fine for entry level if you put faster (low rolling resistance) tyres on it.

uart wrote:

Arbuckle23 wrote: For a beginner road rider like myself I think it works quite well.

Yes. I "stole" one last weekend and rode it about 130 km in total. I thought it rode quite nicely too. Ok I didn't really steal it, it was one that my brother bought two weeks ago and he wanted me to test ride it for him. He actually put it together but had to fly interstate the same day, so it had sat unridden.

It was the large size and I had no problems getting it set up comfortably for me at 181 cm. The ride was very smooth and stable, which was pretty much as expected given the long (103cm) wheel base and the ton of trail in the forks. Also a nice touch was the 175mm cranks on the large frame size, and the full set of mounting points for water bottle cages (2x) and rack attachment points.

Yeah it's definitely no light weight. The large size is about 11kg, but it certainly feels very robust in both the frame and the wheels. To be honest it felt a bit more like a cx bike than a road bike. There is very good ground clearance on the cranks (with the 175mm cranks it completely clears the ground even with the toe clips pointing directly downward). And there's a ton of clearance for larger tyres as well, particularly on the rear.

In my opinion this is a good entry level bike, but it's also a great all rounder. It would fit the bill for casual weekend riding, or for commuting and even a bit of light weight touring (will easily take 28c on the front and 35c on the rear). This bike is obviously not a competitive road bike at elite levels, but would be fine for entry level if you put faster (low rolling resistance) tyres on it.

This is the selling point and it isn't big money for those that want to try road riding.

Foo

Delivery of 7 new bikes to Aldi warriewood with a $50 price drop.

Madness for $349 ... So if you have been holding out, check the stores now.