Bikes + Gears: Tern Verge D9 (Review)

Looks good, rides even better

Happy new year guys! We welcome 2019 with our first bike review of the year, and seventh since we started this blog last year.

The Tern Verge D9 is the entry-level bike of the Verge family with 451 wheelset.

What you need to know about the Verge D9:

• Verge quality, style, and performance at an entry-level price point
• Folds in under 10 seconds-fits under a desk
• Rides with comfort and stability thanks to unique technology and T-Tuned geometry
• 451 wheels deliver a full-sized ride with little impact on the folded size
• Shimano Acera drivetrain, with 11–36T for all-purpose versatility
• Tern Porter™ saddle for easy shoulder-mounted bike carrying
• Optional fenders for rainy days

Back in 2017, when the 451 Verge family was launched, Tern Founder and Team Captain Josh Hon had this to say about the bike, “(i)t’s one thing to design a compact bike. It’s a whole other order of complexity to design a compact bike that rides as well as a standard full-size bike. Thanks to three years of product development, and some significant technological developments in the bike industry, our new 451 Verge bikes deliver a better ride than any other small-wheeled bike on the market.”

Tern’s new Verge bikes begin with larger 451 mm wheels. For bike nerds out there, this results to a 10% higher gearing than 406 mm wheels, which I honestly don’t comprehend. 🙂

But in real-life terms, having ridden the usual 20″ size wheels (or 406 mm wheels), I did feel a bit larger riding the Verge D9 compared to say, my Link D8. It folds the same in terms of compactness but the feel of the ride is much pronounced as you pedal.

And it is not limited to one component that gives you a smoother, more stable ride in the Verge D9. It is the overall and complementing performance of the different parts and technologies introduced by Tern in the Verge 451 bikes — we’ll talk about that later.

“Since they’re larger, 451 tires carry more momentum and deliver more comfort than 406, yet they’re small enough for convenient portability, punchy acceleration, and nimble handling.” However, looking for 451 wheels could be a challenge at times especially in our local market.

Another technology that is signature to the 451 Verge family is “the new generation of hyper-wide cassettes from SRAM and Shimano. With the current generation of 1X, it’s possible to achieve higher and lower gearing with a single chainring than ever before.”

The “ 1X arrangement has been popular on downhill mountain bikes for years, where large gear ranges aren’t needed and chain security (that is, no dropped chains) is very important.”

“A 1X has always been an ideal configuration for small wheeled bikes, because it reduces maintenance, weight, and complexity, but now it’s better than it’s ever been.”

The Verge D9 uses a Shimano Shadow Derailleur, in this case the Acera. “Originally developed for mountain bikes-for extra durability and to avoid catching on trail debris-the Shadow derailleur is streamlined and incredibly resilient, which comes in handy when you need to transport your folded bike. Whether your bike is bagged on the subway or riding in the trunk of your car, everything is neatly tucked away.”

The Verge D9 has the following features: OCL™ Frame Joint; N-fold™, double truss™, Quadric™ Dropouts, Physis™ 3D Handlepost, Syntace VRO Stem, Porter™ Saddle, Velo Ergonomic LockOn Grips, Magnetix™ 2.0 and Luggage Socket™.

And the final advancement that differentiates the Verge family from the rest of Tern folding bikes and the larger folding bike market is the new T-Tuned geometry.

“Based on experiments that began during the development of Tern’s long-haul Verge Tour, the new Verge design boast a longer wheelbase, tweaks to fork rake and head tube angle, and a slacker seat-tube for a sportier riding position. The result is a small-wheeled bike that is remarkably fast and stable.”

So what’s my take on the Verge D9? As a commuter bike, this yet again ticks all the boxes for me. It folds small; is surprisingly light (at 12.2 kgs); uses the best technologies out there which helps anyone to have an enjoyable riding experience; and allows you to carry stuff given its luggage sockets and eyelets for racks.

If you are a serious commuter or plan to become one, just make sure you have spare inner tubes and wheels so you might not have difficulty finding one if ever you need to replace it.

The price point as I have said is entry-level within the Verge family but the D9 certainly brings all the good things the 451 family offers. Seeing the bigger picture, an investment to a bike like Verge D9 is worthwhile given our ever worsening traffic problems. The bike will pay up for itself in no time and you have a sleek bike that folds by then. So, that’s win-win scenario if you ask me.

#MNLRides #TernBicycles #TernVerge #ActiveTransport #CyclingIsTransport #UrbanMobility #BetterByBicycle #MNLMoves

Sources:

https://www.ternbicycles.com/ph/bikes/tech/233376 https://bikerumor.com/2017/02/13/tern-451-verge-folds-fast-stable-new-commuter-bike-family/ https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/buyers-guide-to-mountain-bike-groupsets-42578/

Originally published at https://mnlmove.wordpress.com on January 5, 2019.