I wrote a while back about the Tern Link P24h, a 20-inch wheel folding bike with luggage-carrying capabilities that I had on long-term loan from the company.
This year Tern are launching the successor to that now-discontinued bike in the form of the Verge S27h.
At a glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the same bike. But as is usually the case with Tern, the thoughtful improvements are only apparent upon closer inspection.
The geometry is similar, yes, but the wheelbase is now a few cm longer, which should improve the feel and stability of the bike over long distances. There’s also more tyre clearance. Finally — the coup de grace — the Verge S27h has an eccentric bottom bracket and sliding dropout arrangement, making it Rohloff-compatible. (Take that, Brompton!)
The rear rack has had the most obvious makeover, now seriously burly and with dual rails for pannier mounting. The front generator hub, the Biologic Joule 3, has an efficiency on a par with the equivalent Schmidt, and the integrated front light has had its lux value quadrupled.
The Link P24h’s saddle was a sore point, so that’s been replaced, and the flimsy pedals are now much more robust-feeling, having a quick-release mechanism to remove them completely, rather than folding as they previously did.
Cable disc brakes and a 27-speed drivetrain finish off the upgrades — altogether making the Verge S27h a significantly higher-spec bike than its predecessor. And the price-tag, unfortunately for those on a budget, has had an upgrade to match.
The 24-inch wheel Eclipse S18 has had similar improvements, though I didn’t get a chance to give it as thorough a once-over as the Link P24h’s replacement.
And it was also nice to catch up with the familiar and friendly staff of Tern HQ, who I’d last met in Taiwan a touch under 2 years ago. I’ll hopefully be taking the bike for a longer test-ride very soon. Watch this space.
* * *
Later, over at the Van Nicholas stand, I came across the Pioneer, a touring bike with a price tag of 5,800 Euros.
I kid you not.
The main contributing factor, I believe, was the titanium frame, seatpost, stem and handlebars — though the belt-drive, Rohloff Speedhub, 570-Euro panniers and 400-Euro set of fricken’ titanium pedals probably had something to do with it too.
The mind boggles. Seriously. Whatever happened to grabbing whatever’s lying around and buggering off on an adventure?!?
Tomorrow: everything else I saw at Eurobike relating to touring and adventure, and an enormous collection of the industry’s latest obsession: fatbikes. Just for fun.
Something to add?