Gear Review

Rocky Mountain Metropolis Hybrid Bike

Item #RMB0029 | 0 in Stock
4 Star Rating

first ride impression out of box

By sth3756539 March 11, 2010

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bicycle was delivered via contract carrier to an apartment in a large cardboard box fully assembled except front wheel was removed.no scratches or dents but their wasnt a front wheel quick-release with my shipment. i had to go buy one.i am 6'3" tall and got the 22" frame and find the fit to be excellent.i was coming from a 60cm single speed , touring frame bike with riser bars.the metropolis on first ride is very nimble and has a twitchier steering sensation than i was used to.the oversize tubing looks like the bike was made to be a 29er mountain bike perhaps. the metropolis comes with an oversized handlebar and ergonomic grips.the shimano shifter needed some tweaking as a few of the shifts were off but that has corrected itself somewhat with cable adjustment at the shifter.i havent put the gear spacing on the alfine to practical test yet. the first gear seems easy enough for many hills though the 1st to 2nd jump seems large. on flats and downhills one should be able to open the bike up (move swiftly) pretty well.i have read that a twist shifter for the shimano nexus 8 will work with this hub. i may look into that.for a hybrid/city bike i do wish the kenda tires had a reflective strip, though the bike does come with a reflector set for front and seatpost.the metropolis comes with large bmx style platform pedals and a comforatble saddle.i found the mechanical disk braking to be a tad slower than some caliper brakes i have used.the front end is light and responsive...easy to pop up on curbs or other obstacles.the metropolis has fittings for for front and rear racks.seems to be a good city bike. a twist shifter would have been preferable and reflective tires.

~50 mile review

after about 50 miles i am pleased wiht teh components for the most part.
brakes do a good job and after adjusting the seat angle the ride is more comfortable.
the afline trigger shifter leaves a little bit to be desired on rapid up shifts and down shifts and my 4th gear will skip on occcasion...and sometimes under heavy load.
this may be still du to cable stretching which i will get the bike tuned after about another 100 miles or so.
i have added a rear rack and found that some racks may interfere with the disk brake operation ( see photos) by pressing the caliper housing against the disk. i got around this by bending my rack support inward a little. wiht the 4 mounting points that the rack i have has i dont it doesnt seem to have reduced it functinal carrying weight.
a fun bike to ride and for the most part teh alfine works operates quietly and smoothly.

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Tech Specs:

Frame Material, Main Triangle:
Triple Butted 6066 Alloy, Custom Hydro-FORMed 
Headset:
1.125 
Rear Axle:
135x10mm 
Fork:
Aluminum, Rack Mounts 
Wheelset:
[F] Wheeltech super sealed W/alloy QR, [R] Shimano Alfine Internal hub 
Front Derailleur:
N/A 
Rear Derailleur:
N/A – Alfine 8spd internal gearing 
Shifters:
Shimano Alfine Rapid Fire 8spd 
Crankset:
RPM City Single 
Teeth:
42T 
Crank Arm Length:
175mm 
Bottom Bracket:
Cartridge TH 7420 
Brake Levers:
Shimano M421 
Brakes:
Shimano BRM416 mechanical disc 
Rotors:
160mm/160mm Center lock 
Headset:
FSA threadless W/15mm alloy top cover 
Handlebar:
Alloy 
Handlebar Width:
600mm 
Handlebar Rise:
25mm rise 
Grips:
Rocky Mountain Ergo 
Stem:
Alloy threadless. 
Stem Length:
90mm 
Stem Angle:
7 deg 
Chain:
Shimano HG50 
Cassette:
Shimano 18T 
Range:
8spd. Internal 
Tire Front:
Kenda Kwick Trax 
Tire Front Size:
700X32C 
Tire Rear:
Kenda Kwick Trax 
Tire Rear Size:
700X32C 
Tubes:
Schrader 
Seatpost:
Alloy 27.2mm 
Seatpost Diameter:
27.2mm 
Saddle:
Freedom 
Pedals:
VP 559 Big Flats 
Seat Collar:
Quick Release 
Weight:
[18”] 28.01lbs (12705.2g) 
Recommended Use:
Sweeping the Street 
Manufacturer Warranty:
Lifetime of Owner - Limited 

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