Hercules Roadeo Touro (2017) - Review

The Touro is a new model which has been introduced this year with a steel full suspension frame. This frame is engineered neatly with a lengthy tail to accommodate the rear suspension. Steel frames are strong but they also come with extra weight and the Touro (2017) is heavy. The top and bottom tubes and the adjoining area at the front are all bulky and cylindrical. Every bit of extra weight at the front of the frame is felt by the rider when pedaling. The geometry is perfect with a good combination of comfort and aggressiveness.The Touro comes with a steel threadless front suspension fork, which functioned well during the test ride. The rear suspension on the frame was under the top tube. It worked minimally on bad urban roads but that's exactly what this rear suspension is for. This full suspension bicycle is not to be compared or confused with the performance focused full suspension MTB meant for rough trails. The Touro is purely a recreational bicycle for flat countryside trails and city roads.

The Hercules Roadeo Touro (2017) is a recreational MTB for urban conditions and the gearing also reflects that. The Touro is equipped with a Shimano Tourney MTB derailleurs at both the front and rear. During the test ride I rode the bicycle at almost all gearing combinations and even though the transmission was quick the derailleurs were noisy. The Shimano EF41, 21 speed shifters were easy to operate with a bold gear number console. For quick acceleration and slight climbs on city roads these gears were useful.

If there is one thing which Hercules has done right over the years, is the design of their bicycles. Every year Roadeo surprises us with completely new graphics and colours. With Touro being a new entrant in 217, the graphics on the frame are top notch with a stylish design. The bicycle which I test rode came in a full matte black with orange graphics which is sure to stand out in a crowd. This Touro also comes in an Orange with black graphics colour variant.

The Touro (2017) comes with a unique combination of mechanical disc brakes at the front and V-Brakes at the rear. During the test ride there was an obvious difference felt while braking individually at both the front and back. Interval braking worked well amidst traffic but jamming did not give the same result and that is mainly because of the drastic change in the stopping power. Maybe a rear disc brake as well with a few hundred rupees extra would have made this bicycle even more desirable.The XMR oversized handlebar felt comfortable to hold on to maneuver in traffic. The 6mm handlebar made sure the shoulder posture is wide. The handlebar grips felt hard on the palms and could have had extra padding.

Being a recreational MTB the tire quality is important to ride through rough surfaces. The Hercules Roadeo Touro (2017) comes with a 26 inch x 2.125 inch MTB tires. These tires were the best feature on this bicycle. The heavily treaded tires can roll over the roughest of surfaces in the city without any difficulty. The Soft PU XMR saddle had enough cushioning to support the vibrations of the surface. Not the most ergonomic saddle but solves the purpose of comfort. The overall ride quality was exciting and fun in the city.