Roadeo Maddox (2018) - Review

The Roadeo Maddox is built on a strong steel frame. The tubes on this frame are bulky and this does add to the weight of the cycle. Steel as a material by itself is heavy and this frame's weight is a slight downfall, especially when trying to accelerate. The slanting top tube makes the stand over height clearance better for riders, which means safer and comfortable rides when rolling over rough patches.This is a hardtail urban MTB and the front suspension fork are sure to catch your attention at first glance. The threadless steel suspension fork is designed to look like a downhill MTB suspension but the travel on it isn’t so. The travel of this suspension during the test ride worked around 5mm which was just about enough for potholes and speed breakers on urban roads.

This urban MTB comes with a Shimano Tourney 21-Speed drivetrain. Tourney's are the most basic gears but they are also the most commonly found derailleurs on all Roadeo's. This bicycle is meant for short commutes and these gears are more than sufficient for it. The trigger shifters were easy to use and in a comfortable reach from the handlebar grips.

The Maddox which I test rode came in a full black frame with green and white graphics. The gloss paint job was neatly done and the welding on the tube edges was smooth. The suspension fork was designed like downhill suspension forks which was exciting to see and gave a new look to this Roadeo bicycle.

The Maddox is equipped with disc brakes in the front disc brakes and V-brakes at the back. This combination is given mainly for cost reduction but looking at the MRP of this bicycle, dual disc brakes would have made more sense. The disc brakes at the front were reacting faster and the V-brakes at the rear were enough to get the bicycle to a halt in a safe manner on both smooth and rough roads.The Zoom Alloy 6mm handlebar on this bicycle was both comfortable and wide enough to give the rider an open chested riding posture.

The Wanda 26” x 2.1” MTB tires on the Maddox were impressive during the test ride. The treads on the tires were big and spaced out evenly to get great traction on muddy surfaces in the city and even on fast corners. The soft PU XMR saddle wasn’t the most ergonomic but it was cushioned enough to keep the rider comfortable.