Hero Octane Springbok - Review

The Hero Octane Springbok is built on a full alloy frame. The frame geometry was standard as in most hardtail MTB's with a slanting top tube, which made for more standover clearance and a comfortable posture. The frame is built in a way to make sure alloy is used more in high impact joints like the top and bottom tube intersection and lesser in few others like the chain and seat stays. This made sure the frame is as light as it can get while retaining its tensile strength.The Spingbok has a stock coil spring suspension with a claimed travel of 1mm and during the test ride the suspension travel seemed to work easily up to 8mm which is good for a flat trail and urban MTB.

The Hero Octane Springbok comes equipped with Shimano Tourney TZ/TY front and rear derailleurs. These derailleurs are a recent version of Tourney and shifted smoothly during the test ride. These gears are ideal for quick shifts on flat trail and in busy urban roads. The 21-Speed Shimano EZ-5 easy fire trigger shifters were standard and easy to use.

This hardtail MTB that I test rode came in a full Sky Blue frame with Black graphics. This shade of blue looked refreshing and the black added a good contrast. The matte finish paint job along with the colour saddle and fork enhanced the aesthetic appeal of this bicycle.

The ‘Yining’ branded Mechanical Disc Brakes handled the stopping power on the Hero Octane Springbok. These brakes felt balanced and safe to use during the test ride on rough urban roads, especially during fast turns.The 66mm stock handlebar was fully flat, making it a typical MTB type bar. This made sure the rider had a slightly aggressive posture and thus helps the rider in keeping full control of the bicycle on fast paced flat trails.

The Hero Octane Springbok rolled on a pair of DSI Small block 27.5” x 2.1” MTB tires. These MTB tires were heavily treaded and provided a lot of traction on both rough urban roads and flat trails. The stock Sport PU Saddle was ergonomically designed with a good design and grippy leather.