Hasa R4

Great bike. Very light – I have just received the bike and am very happy with it. If you don't know how to assemble this bike , then let a expert put it together. It took me about to hours to put together. I must say I have never ridden a bike that is as light as this one. It is the Haza R4 . Being use to a road bike that weights 15 plus kilos this bike feel great .

Hasa R4 – I too own a R4.. Have had for a year and a bit, over 12000km at least.. Very reliable, frame, forks, wheels all holding up.. I ride 3-5 times a week, and overall feel very satisfied with this bike. The bike cost me AUS $399.. Wow, rides well, just under 10kg, gearing works ok, can be a bit sloppy , and needs to be cleaned and maintained.. It hasn't ever let me down, although the servicing on two occasions has been disappointing, with cable ends not being correctly tied off.. Only a small thing really, but something that Cycle Deals should be aware of..

It's the best value bike for the money!! Would totally recommend this bike to anyone with under $750 to spend on a bike.

Very happy with the bike – Reason for Choosing: After riding a 16kg target hybrid which is like pushing a trailer up a hill on the flat. I convinced myself to get a bike under 10kg. I was tossing up between the Reid Osprey and the Hasa R3 /R4 however in the end I chose the Hasa R4 due to my size being perfect for a 52cm frame Value for Money: I looked at most stores in my area and the cheapest road bike I found was $800 and up. Online pricing had similar competitive bikes such as the Reid and Momentum bikes.

Size availability: I did a lot of research on sizing and the below 2 sites helped me make my decision on sizing.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

http://www.wikihow.com/Size-a-Road-Bike

Ordering: I ordered this bike online and had it delivered to my address in far north QLD. I was a bit worried that it would arrive all banged up, but it arrived in perfect condition.

Building: The site claims its 95% pre built??? Let me say that a target bike is easier to build than this bike. However its not so hard that you need a “bike mechanic”. I would say it took me approx. 2 hours to build, which includes "how to" you tube videos (as instructions provided are useless) .

assembly involved...

* Put the pedals, seat, handlebars, wheels in place.

* Running cables from handle bars to gears & cutting cables to length (Make sure you have sharp cable cutters)

* adjusting and tuning the gearing (a little trial and error with the 2 screws.)

Extras: Bike came with a few unexpected extras, wheel reflectors, front and back reflectors, and a bell. I have read that its daggy to add reflectors to your wheels, but as a safety measure, they work. I have recent experiences of bikes at intersections at dusk/ night and the ones with reflectors were easy to spot whilst the ones without were accidents waiting to happen.

STI vs Cheap gearing: I had an Triax road bike which is similar to Reid Condor/ Momentum R120, The gearing in the middle was dangerous. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a first road bike to consider upgrade to STI which is available in most brands as the second cheapest option, not to mention much more enjoyable to ride. The Shimano 2300 that came with the Hasa R4 seems to have a great range with smooth gear changes, for me (a commuter and casual rider) It is more than sufficient.

Toe Clip pedals: This is the first time I have used toe clips and they are fantastic. For those like me who are too scared to use clip ins, this is a great happy medium.

Seat: The Seat looks really light and professional, however its so hard that even with padded pants my bottom hurts after a ride. I think I need to invest in a gel cover for the seat.

Riding: I have only ridden it for just over 100km, so I will have to update the review once I have done more kms to report on durability, however overall its a very enjoyable ride, in the short time I have ridden I have broken most of my personal bests on strava and the frame seems very solid and feels rigid. Good Price, Looks Good, Rides Well Seat is very hard