Roadeo Hank 27.5 (2018) - Review

The Hank series of bicycles was a huge hit last year with its wide range. The Hank 27.5 is built around a full steel frame. This steel frame has chunky tubes with a slanting top tube geometry. This slanting top tube makes the frame geometry comfortable and also gives a larger clearance for the rider, which is useful when riding over rough surfaces. The frame is heavy and that is felt only when accelerating on slight climbs.This is an urban hardtail MTB and comes with a front suspension fork. This suspension fork works with a minimal travel and isn’t the smoothest. But it does the job when riding overs bumps in the city.

As commonly seen in most multi-speed Roadeo's, the Hank 27.5 is also equipped with a 21-Speed Shimano Tourney derailleurs at the front and rear. This is an entry-level MTB gear set and has its limits on performance. But these derailleurs were enough to get you around the city for commuting and also on flatter, slower trails. There was a bit of lag on a brand new bicycle at the rear derailleur but that can be rectified with some basic tuning.

The Hank 27.5 which I test rode came in a bright yellow primary colour with blue and black graphics. The graphics design is a plenty on the frame and they look refreshingly new. The gloss paint job was of decent quality and does make the frame shine a bit. The colour coded, suspension fork, rims and saddle improve the aesthetics of the Hank 218 considerably.

A pair of C-Star mechanical disc brakes handled the Hank 27.5's stopping power. These brakes were perfectly suited for braking on city streets. For a teenager buying this bicycle these disc brakes are surely a positive add-on. These brakes will keep you balanced even on flat trails.This bicycle comes with a 6mm wide handlebar with a very slight raise form the middle. This gives good control on flat trails as well as a comfortable riding posture.

This urban MTB comes with 27.5” x 2.125” Wanda King MTB tires. These tires are treaded heavily and are definitely on par with tires found on performance focused MTB's. These tires will keep you rolling safely on both wet and dry conditions. The XMR PU saddle on this bicycle is wide and also has enough cushioning on the widest parts to keep the rider comfortable. The overall ride quality was comfortable on both flat trails and urban roads.