Hercules Roadeo A575 (2017): ChooseMyBicycle.com Expert Review

The Hercules Roadeo A575 comes with a 6061 alloy MTB hardtail frame. The positives about this frame is the build quality and welding. The butted frame tubes on the A575 are internally thicker at the ends where stresses are higher and thinner in the center. Butting makes tubes both strong and light. The frame geometry is aggressive and focused on performance.

The A575 comes with a front suspension fork. This threadless fork comes with a 90mm travel. During the test ride the fork was responsive but not very smooth in working. The travel works to about 70mm comfortably on bumps and curbs.

The Roadeo A575 oozes style. The edges of the frame tubes are neatly welded and blends with the design. The internal gear cable routing adds to the aesthetics of this bicycle. The front suspension fork’s design and colour neatly balances with the bicycle’s colour. The bicycle which I test rode came in a matte black colour with orange graphics. The orange lines on the bicycle seem to glow a bit when light reflects of it. The A575 comes in only 1 colour variant and in 1 size. The most expensive bicycle in the Roadeo range surely does do justice to its price tag when it comes to the design and graphics.

The description of the Roadeo A575 on the manufacturer’s page mentions that this bicycle ‘comes decked with the best in category group set’. This recreational MTB’s gearing was just your entry level Shimano TZ-30 as the front derailleur and TY-300 direct mount as the rear derailleur. These derailleurs are entry level and performed decently during the test ride. No real lags in gear transmissions but wasn’t the best for performance and rapid shifts for acceleration or climbs. The Shimano EF51 21 speed shifters were standard gear shifting components which worked well and were easy to engage.

Recreational or performance focused, all MTB’s depend on their braking components for their quick stopping power required on rough surfaces. The Hercules Roadeo A575 comes with dual mechanical disc brakes. During the test ride I put these brakes through severe testing with braking at high speeds on turns and interval braking when going downhill. The balance of the brakes were good and felt safe as well. The Shimano integrated brake levers needed only 3 fingers to use and was in comfortable reach from the handlebar grips.

The XMR MTB handlebars are really oversized with a 620mm width. They are aggressive but still in comfortable reach without needing to lean forward too much. The grips felt hard when going over potholes and curbs.

The Hercules Roadeo A575 (2017) comes with a pair 27.5 inch x 2.125 inch Wanda tires which was well supported by the XMR double walled alloy rims. These tires were heavily treaded and handled the roughest of urban surfaces during the test ride with ease. These wide tires will also keep you on the saddle even on wet conditions.

The soft PU XMR saddle was packed with cushioning. So much so that it felt like a gel seat has been integrated into the saddle foam. Bulky rounded edges of the saddle will make you comfortable but could turn out a bit uncomfortable when going on trails which requires the sit bones to be placed firmly rather than moving around freely on the saddle. The overall ride quality of this bicycle was balanced on rough urban surfaces.