DesiCycle Review | Triad X4 | Waltx Trak 4, A hybrid cycle below 20000 Rs

I have been away from my 2 bikes for 6 months now because I am living with my parents in another city. 

These 6 months without cycling have been difficult because my daily life revolves around cycling, 

• It is my workout,
• It is my commute 
• It helps me with my grocery shopping 
• It is my touring partner

So you can imagine, how difficult it was for me. 

I was avoiding buying a cycle because I felt the lockdown will be over soon, things will get to normal and I'll be back in Delhi. Riding my cycles again. 

Sadly as you know, none of it happened. 

I ended up buy a cycle, even breaking one of my golden rules of never buying a cycle online, because there is not a single cycle shop that sells cycles that would suit me or my riding. 

I was looking at the WaltX Trak 4, sold on Flipkart it fit my requirements perfectly but wasn't available for shipping in my location. 

And then I stumbled upon Triad X4 a cycle which looks the same as WaltX Trak 4 and has the same specifications and after contemplating for a few hours I bought it! 

Triad X4 as seen on Amazon 

The seller claims that the cycles are "Fully Fitted", which isn't the case with the cycle that I got, the box says 99% assembled, you have to attach the handlebar and the pedals, you get the tools to do this in the box and a pretty easy to follow assembly instruction. 

This wasn't a problem for my experience with cycles but could be a problem if you're not used to using basic tools 

The unboxed cycle with unattached handlebar and pedals 

It comes however with a lot of padding, and a gunny bag wrap which could be repurposed as a blanket, so if you're the eco-warrior who is concerned with wastage, you can repurpose it, I am certainly going to do so. 

At this point, I have only done an unboxing and I am waiting for my helmet to arrive to start doing long rides and some aggressive riding. 

You can watch the complete unboxing in the following video

Frame and Suspension

The frame geometry is quite comfortable, from the few short rides that I have done, it's a good frame with a comfortable riding stance, and is perfect for commuting, the frame is very similar to my Scott Subcross 40, but with some awkward angles. But you cannot ask for more at this price, my Scott costs twice the price. The welds on the frame look well done and shouldn't be an issue. It is however only covered with a 2-year warranty unlike a lifetime warranty provided by other manufacturers. It's only sold in a single 18-inch size which as per the manufacturer is suitable for people within the height of  5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 1 inch, I  stand at 6 feet, and it felt like a fit to me. 

It has a slot for the bottle cage and also has holes for mounting a carrier/pannier rack if you want to use it for carrying some luggage or if you want to tour on it. 

The Orange and Matt Black colour looks really cool and was getting a lot of glimpses on the road, a few people even asked me questions about where did I get the cycle from. 

The suspension is probably the best part of the cycle, I am surprised that even at this price they are able to use a Zoom suspension with lockout which a lot of international brands don't use at twice the price, my Scott Subcross 40 also doesn't have it. Quality-wise it works well on usual Indian roads with some potholes and is able to save you from the shock. The suspension is 63 mm, which is good enough for city riding and some minor offroading but won't be good on completely damaged roads. You can lock it when riding on smooth roads to gains some more speed, and open it if you're on damaged roads to get some comfort. 

Wheels and Tyres

The wheels are the cheapest hybrid wheels available, they are claimed to be double-walled and have 36 spokes, they have shining alloy strip on the sides which looks to be there for v-brakes, which Triad uses in it's cheaper Triad X3 model also sold on Amazon.  and also on a lot other cheaper cycles sold on amazon and Flipkart. 

These are 700c wheels ( 28 inches if you're more comfortable with that number ) and are a standard size on hybrid cycles. 

The tyres are from a budget brand like Wanda and have a maximum rating of 50PSI pressure, so I'd suggest you fill it using a pump that has a pressure gauge. The grip till now is okay, there is some skidding when you brake hard, but nothing scary. 

Handlebars, Shifters, Brake Levers

The handlebar is pretty wide and very comfortable, it is the same width as my Scott SubCross 40, a 620 mm, so adapting to it was very easy for me. 

 

Shifters, the quality of the shifters is plasticky but is quite ergonomic, I had no issues with reaching out for shifting when quickly shifting gears in traffic. The numbers on the rear shifter though are quite close and it can be difficult to figure out what gear you are on. 

Brake Levers, They are usual budget levers build with plastic and have a lot of travel, you cannot do better than this at this price. 

Groupset (gears, hub, and derailleur )

The groupset is as basic as you can get, with cheapest Shimano Tourney you can find, the shifting though is nice, it takes a little bit of tuning after a few rides to get them to work perfectly, but you can do that easily by watching a youtube video on how to tune your gears (I'll make one soon :) )

At this price point you won't find a cycle that comes with a cassette, it has a freewheel which ranges from 14 to 28 teeth. Not a good enough range because I am used to something as wide as 11teeth  and 32 teeth.  You won't win any races with this narrow range of gears, but it is still good enough for commuting and casual riding, which is what this bike is targetted for. 

The front crankset is a usual fare at this budget and I have no complaints with it, it has a 28teeth to 48teeth ratio, which is fine. it comes with a plastic scratch protector which is good! 

The hubs both in front and are 36 hole hubs made of steel, the front hub has a quick release, meaning that you can remove the wheels easily for repair or cleaning. The rear hub though has a non-quick release axle, so you'd need a dedicated tool to remove it. 

Brakes

Both front and rear have disc brakes, but they are of the cheapest quality mechanical discs and required me to spend some time adjusting them because there was a lot of noise coming from them. You might want to take it to a mechanic and get it adjusted. The braking isn't great either, or maybe I am just used to the amazing feedback provided by hydraulic brakes. If there is something that I'd add as a con, it would be the breaks. The rotors are 160mm in diameter, and they do make a lot of noise when braking, which is annoying. 

Saddle/Seat 

The seat is very comfortable for me, but for a beginner, it might not be, I am used to some harsher seats from my 7 years of riding and my bum is now immune. 

The seat comes with a quick-release mechanism so you can adjust it for your height correctly. The seat post is pretty light and didn't feel of very good quality.  Again, no complaints for this price. 

Final Verdict: Good for beginners, or a second bike for experienced riders. 

The ride quality is decent, it won't blow your mind or make you abuse. It is average. The low range on the rear gears keeps you stuck on empty roads at a pace slower than you can achieve if you're an experienced rider but is good enough for a beginner. 

Braking on it isn't fun, the brakes make a lot of noise which is annoying, the suspension is good and would work well on the roads. 

If you are someone who wants to start cycling it is a bike that won't give cycles a bad name but would leave you asking for more. 

I also like the frame a lot, as it is upgradable and has good geometry, you can possibly use it for a bike building project. 

I'll update this review with a video and some more details as I get more riding on it! 

In the meantime, you can buy it here on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/32AqTkl  

Do get some accessories like

- A helmet for safe riding.  ( I bought this: 

- A lock to save your bike from theft 

- A set of mudguard if you have dirty roads 

- A bell 

The bike comes with a stand installed, so you don't need to buy that!

Do leave a comment with what other things you want me to test with the bike, or if you have suggestions for a review and I'd be happy to do it! 

Happy Riding! 

Ashish