Retrospec Mantra-7 Urban Commuter Bike

This bikes has made me HATE cycling... I am an avaid rider, around 100 miles a week, half of it commuting everyday.I was in the market for a new commuter, I found one of these in a local bike shop and really liked but they didn’t have my size. I found it on amazon and I ordered it (not expecting much, I knew what I was buying) it shipped fast and was as described.Since December 2017 I’ve put around 1000 miles on this bike.I’ve had to replace:1.the derailleur for a broken mount,2.the rear wheel/ hub for flat spotted bearings (it almost seized while riding)3. The headset4. The fork due to damage from the headset5. A bent chainring6. 9 tubes front and rear because metal burrs from the spoke drilling’s were never cleaned out.I paid $250 or so w/ shipping, I’ve spent $300 in repairsI’ve reached out to Westridge, the distributor several times on several platforms with no response...It is cheaper to ride this pos and keep fixing it than park in downtown denver daily or id get rid of it...I’ll let you know what I choose to replace it... I would t trust this bike for a bar crawl...

I just got it, so I will know more in a few months but so far it is perfect. I thought as I am getting out of the box I would need to take it to be set up because it was not that expensive compared to all the other bikes. So I started putting it together thinking, something has to be off a little or missing. Nope, everything was well set up and well packed. The 61cm size bike needs someone who is at least 6'1" (my height). The manual says the bike is actually too big for me but once set up I found it just right, the seat is up 4 inches in the stem, which seems like the way it should be. I just have to stretch more than you would normally anticipate to get my leg over. The shifter is different than I am used to but I'm sure it is fine. Get a pump that will fill presto tires (I found one that does both types that work well). I am even thinking why did I have the other 3 gears on my others bike, the ones at the back are really all I need. I am not riding up mountain passes or anything. Would I buy it again? Yes.

I don't comment on most of the purchases I make. But when I'm very satisfied, I like to share my experience.I was looking for a bike to cruise around with the family, since my road bike isn't conducive to sidewalks and rocks and such. I was looking for a hybrid or mountain bike without the suspension or 30 speeds or a fixed gear. Hoping for an aluminum frame, I wasn't opposed to steel as I'm not looking to compete or break the land speed record.I wasn't expecting much for $300, but wasn't about to spend $500 for suspension or $800 for better components or a name-brand. Despite the price, this is a pretty quality bike. The frame is nicely welded with a nice paint job. The only version available was charcoal gray in the 7-speed, which I probably would have chosen anyway, despite the copper color looking great in the photos.The deep V aluminum rims are rigid and were round and true, which is surprising at the price point. Usually, with inexpensive bikes, I spend a few hours adjusting the bearings and truing wheels. Not this time!!! The wheel bearings and bottom bracket bearings were set perfectly... smooth with no play. The rear derailleur required no tweaking at all. The headset was a bit tight and required a 30 second adjustment to release a little preload with no play.The seat is comfortable. The brakes stop nicely, once adjusted. I relocated the front break cable to go between the bars and other cables, so it wasn't being pushed on by the derailleur and rear brake cables. This took 2 minutes but was worth it, since it relieved some pressure on the front brake cable which otherwise was pushed at an odd angle.Other than that, the most time consuming things were removing the silly "Made In China", "warning" and "front-fork direction" decals. Why they make these so difficult to remove, I'll never know.I'm 5'9" and ride 54 cm for most road bikes, but prefer a 53 when I can find them. Luckily a 53cm was available in 7-speed and in charcoal gray. The bike fits perfectly for me. I dialed the seat and handle bars in within 20 minutes, tossed a water bottle cage on, and took it out for a 15 mile ride. It rode beautifully... smooth, comfortable and effortless as a $1000 bike.A lighter-weight aluminum frame is the only thing that would make this a better bike for me.

I have made it a habit to commute around town for events, errands, gym and work for around the past 5 years. I have used mountain bikes, fixe and now the Retro Spec Mantra 7 speed. I find this bike defiantly fits the bill when it comes to decent speed, riding ability (especially in an urban environment) durability and handling. It has speeds which is nice, it has a very small gear ratio for climbing as well as a few larger ones if you find yourself peddling with the wind on the flat.The tires are a good fit also. The 32 size tires allow you to make tighter turns, which is helpful in a wet, urban environment. It will also make you ride a little smoother and help to absorb some of those bumps that naturally come with city riding. But you can also get some speed. They are city tires so you are not going to have that drag as if you were trying to hustle with mountain bike tires on.This bike is defiantly durable. I have crashed it, got is soaked multiple times in the rain and exposed to the elements and it keeps on going. I have been riding it hard for the past 18 months hard, and (knock on wood) have not had to take it in to get serviced or replace any part yet. I assume I will eventually have to because it is a machine and machines break.Its just an overall good bicycle for the price. What most people do not realize is that bicycles in general, at least for a half decent one that you like to ride, are expensive. Good Bicycles are not cheap. What you do not want to do is spend a fortune on a commuting bike only to have it stolen a week later parked outside your work. Thus, its a good bike for a good price. Its also not super flashy, which might be good for decreasing the chances of it getting stolen, but who knows.

La bicicleta en general se ve que es duradera, no es super ligera pero tiene excelente aceleración, muy buena para andar en la ciudad. Mi recomendación para que sea excelente seria cambiar los frenos, los pedales, el asiento y posiblemente los hand grip. Ademas es muy importante darle un mantenimiento y ajustes iniciales para que se hagan bien los cambios.Otro excelente cambio que le agregue fue el rack para transportar cosas, la adaptacion es sencilla, solo se necesitaran unos P-clamp o unos cinchos para la parte superior. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DWKUAZK

Llevo apenas una semana con la bicicleta. Ha funcionado a la perfección, muy fácil de armar, viene bien empacada, se mueve suavemente, los cambios de velocidad fácil de realizar.El precio justifica la calidad del material y el acabado y las piezas de la bicicleta.Realiza tu compra , no te arrepentirás

Esta es una muy buena opción económica y funcional, no es nada ostentosa ni lo último en tecnología. El único punto que le mejoraría es la guarda para la cadena ya que la veo muy frágil y no es sencilla de instalar aparte de que si no sabes armarla, el tornillo trasero de la guarda entra en contacto con la cadena al usar los cambios inferiores. Lo demás, manubrios, asiento, llanta delantera y pedales esta sencillo de armar. Viene con herramienta para armarla (3 llaves Allen y una llave múltiple para las tuercas). A pesar de que es de acero, es liviana como una de aluminio, ya que el cuadro es de una construcción delgada. El cuadro, los frenos, los cambios y la llanta trasera, ya vienen armados. Las llantas tienen válvula francesa (Presta).

It is just a great bike for the price. Don't expect a Colnago quality frame or Campagnolo components on it, but as an urban commuter or for city riding the bike is excellent. It looks good; it is relatively light and gets the job done! I would recommend it.

Estoy muy contento con el producto, llego muy bien embalado y el ensamble fue muy sencillo, llevo ya casi mas de un año usandola para los traslados de la casa al trabajo y realmente estoy satisfecho.