Rock & Rolla
Bike review
Enter the Road Warrior
No trail is tough enough for Tern's new 24" folding bike which is built like a tank!
TERN'S new folding bike: The 24" Eclipse S18 is the newest model to enter the company's line-up.
It debuted at Eurobike 2013 together with it's cousin, the Eclipse P18, which was introduced to novice bikers to
complement the higher-end Eclipse X20.
This year, two models were dropped from the Eclipse family.
They were the Eclipse P9 and the P24h.
Both were replaced by the Eclipse P18 and S18.
With an estimated retail price tag of RM7,200, the Eclipse S18 is meant for a lot of heavy abuse on the road.
At a glance, it overshadows all the other models in the Eclipse range.
For starters, the front fork was actually built larger than most of its peers.
Why? It is so that it could accommodate the wide 24 x 21.5 Schwalbe Big Ben tires.
The bike is also fitted with a set of oversized SKS fenders and you won't find these babies on other bikes of its class.
Speaking on who it's meant for, Tern's Joshua Hon said people who knew what they want would go straight for the S18.
"We worked on the rims, the fork to build a sturdy bike that could survive a Zombie-Apocalypse," he added.
Built like a tank, the bike will virtually roll over anything that comes along it's path.
A self-sufficient bike, the S18 comes straight out of the box with a few surprises.
Most impressive, is the award-winning Joule III dynamo hub.
On this bike it's used to power up the 150-lumen Valo II headlight.
Now, if you seriously want to travel in any condition, the Valo II would shine even on the darkest path.
Without batteries, the Joule III produces enough clean energy to power up the Valo II headlight and the best part is this:
When you stop, a pair of dimmer LED lights would remain lit till the dynamo takes over.