Quality of the Components
The Vilano Men’s Hybrid Bike 700c Retro City Commuter bike components can be broken down into various areas that determine the quality. Each of these components can in isolation drop the overall rating for a bike review, simply because the weakest part may be the area which causes the bike overall to be lower quality, i.e. a low quality seat isn’t really an area for concern as opposed to low quality brakes or gears which make a bike unsafe or hard to use.
NOTE: In addition to the standard expected components for a bike, this package also includes chain guard, mud guards, kickstand and a carrier.
Frame: Simple steel frame with no suspension.
Seat: Comfortable seat mounted on mini-shock absorption mount.
Pedals: Very basic pedals.
Brakes: Standard linear pull brakes (clincher style). Nice and simple, just be careful if you’re riding downhill to keep your speed under control as you won’t be able to stop in a hurry with this brake configuration as opposed to other bikes with disc brakes.
Gears: 7 Speed twist grip shifters. It certainly keeps the aesthetics of the bike looking good and makes for smooth gear changes.
Wheel set: 29 Inch wheels – standard 700c size. The rims, tyres and tubes are a little bit on the lower quality side for the components.
Weight: Shipping weight is 35 pounds or 15.88 kilograms
Quality of the Components 5/10
East & Costs for Maintenance
If you use the bike a lot, you’re bound to need to do maintenance at some point. That might be as simple as fixing a flat tyres, adjusting the gears or changing brake pads.
The Vilano Men’s Hybrid Bike 700c Retro City Commuter bike gets an OK mark for ease and cost of maintenance. This is due to the fact that you’ll be able to do a lot of the work yourself. The main concern is that if you get a puncture, you’d need to carry a wrench with you to remove the wheel as there are no quick release levers. All of the components are pretty standard but the model of shifter and derailleur are not something I’ve heard of before so could be an issue if they needed repairs.
If any of the work is outside of your comfort zone, any bike shop will be able to do the maintenance for you due to the generally common nature of the components and access to parts. Ease & Costs for Maintenance 7/10
Comfort
The bike gets a good rating for comfort. The suspension and size of the seat mean it should be a comfortable ride. The fenders will protect you in wet conditions too so an extra mark for this too, plus the carrier means you can carry some extra luggage on the bike for your trip.
Comfort 8/10
Look
The Vilano Men’s Hybrid Bike 700c Retro City Commuter bike is an OK looking bike. I’m not a fan of the handle bars stem and the wheels are a bit boring. It’s quite retro and looks like something your grandparents would have ridden but maybe that’s the kind of bike you’d like to own. Look is certainly dependent on the person and what they’re looking for!!