poeli

Hi all,

I'm kinda stuck: I'm looking for a folding bike to use as my main bike. I'd commute 3-5 days a week with it to work and take it with me on the train for it (not during rush hour as i leave earlier most of the times). The Tern verge line has really drawn my attention and I've lowered down my choice between two models: the X10 and the P9. Huge price difference. Is this price difference worth it? Let's say I'd ride it for 500kms a month (on average). Bike/public transport are my only means of going somewhere (and public transport is only train, no bus or something).
The only thing putting me of of getting the X10 is the price tag. How long lasting are Tern components? This of course depends on how you handle your bike but I guess I'm not different then other bikers. I don't want to spend money thinking I'm buying a quality bike if it breaks down after 3 years (yearly maintenance not considered as breaking down). In summer i maybe sometimes take my bike with my friends to bike +-30-50kms to camp somewhere but thats it. Mainly city traffic/transport. I'm from Belgium so pretty flat surfaces all the time though (some hills close to work which make me sweat but nothing longer than 1km).
It's a difficult choice for me as I read great things about both bikes.I'm 187cm long and around 75kgs

Hope someone who has one of these bikes can tell me more about it.
Thanks!

tudorowen1

I don't own either bike but perhaps could say a couple of things...Prices for 9 speed chains and cassettes are generally cheaper than 10 speed..I tend to think that 10 and 11 speed bikes really only came about through professional road cycling where an extra gear may help in a climb or sprint..
There is no reason why you could not buy the 9 speed and then after a year or so if you are dissatisfied with the performance simply upgrade to 10 speed..If you were careful with your money you could source 10 speed parts far more cheaply than the difference in price of the 2 bikes..
..The Tern P9 freehub will already take a 10 speed hub..
Personally I would look around and see if you could find a Tern 16 or 18 speed...Should be cheaper than the 10 speed but give you a much bigger gear range if you tour on the bike or carry a lot of shopping etc..

smallwheeler

did you also read about the recall due to catastrophic frame failures?

ThorUSA

on the x 10 every component is a little better than the p 9 ... you get basically the same frame with better stuff on it. I would take the p9 and put big apples on it for smooth ride versus fast ... and that's debatable at best

they had a recall 2 years ago on some models but nothing current

thor

poeli

Yes I did. Doesn't say a thing about the current quality in my opinion. Where I work we had to recall pieces too. Process improvements made us produce better quality. If you knew in what sector I work in it might get scary the next time you go on holiday ;-)
I didn't know the p9 also could later take a 10speed later on. I guess the 3kg weight difference between both comes not from the frame but mainly the use of lighter components?

RickEdmonds

That recall is old news about a relatively few bikes, Tern handled it well, plus Verge frames weren't affected.

I went with a Verge P9L (wider touring rubber, upgraded handlebar post, fenders and a front and rear dynomo-powered lighting. Then upgraded to the sweet hydroformed fork, stem and saddle.

Loving it and awaiting spring here!

Replicon

Hi,

I have the Verge X10 as my everyday commuter here in Stockholm and do 500kms a month also. I've done nearly 5000kms on it now (including all through the winter) and it's held up well. I replaced the OEM brake calipers pretty soon after purchase, to Avid single digit 7 (to match the levels) and these proved much better in terms of stopping power. I also swapped the tyres to Schwalbe Marathon plus since the supplied Durano tyres were not so durable. Components can wear pretty fast, particular in the poor weather and road/path conditions here; brake pads, cables, jockey wheels, chains etc. I wore through the rear rim in 3000kms and downgraded the wheel to a cheaper Dahon one (the kinetix pro x rear wheel is very expensive to replace). Overall, I'm happy with it: it's been reliable and is fun and easy to ride. Good range of gear ratios also.

The kinetix rims will happily accommodate 406-42 Schwalbe Winter plus tyres also, which I ran all through winter.

Hope this helps!

zoom26

I don't seem to see the Verge P9 online, is it the Link P9? I think I saw the prices on them are $900 for the p9 and $1950 for the x10? If that is so and you're leaning towards the x10, I think for a couple more dollars you can get an x30 or an x18.

ThorUSA

you also might look at the Verge P 20 .... price and component wise inbetween the p9 and x10
X 10has far lighter expensive wheels and X components
frame is always the same, fork not

downtube

A newbie states this statement as a fact?!?

Rick I do not think you know the extent of this issue.

Thanks,
Yan

RickEdmonds

First... calling names like "newbie" is very childish and rude. Second, you don't know how much research and or common sense is behind my comment. Third, After reading your entries, it's painfully obvious that you have an axe to grind. Forth, you sell basically cheap knock-off Dahons. Okie Dokie, but that's sort of a tenuous position to throw rocks from in my opinion.

downtube

Rick,

FYI you are defined as a newbie on the site...under your name it says newbie.

The facts of the matter have nothing to do with me. They are facts, and they are disturbing.

Thanks,
Yan

downtube

Rick,

You are correct the Verge frames were not affected in the most recent recall...as you can see in the link Andrew Garner's frame was not affected https://www.flickr.com/photos/107558...7655083352651/

Would you like to see more disturbing photo's and stories???

Thanks,
Yan

ThorUSA

funny I replaced several S11i under warranty , and yes they were infected and recalled. is it 3 years ago ....??
Old news Mr Downtube ..

Amt0571

I also know of a couple of frames here in Spain that were "not affected" and broke exactly the same way as the affected frames. One of them was on a relatively new bike just a few months ago.

I also think its a worrying situation, and I don't think, as someone stated, that Tern handled this well. As most people know, they made the forums private and deleted some threads related to the issue. It really doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

ThorUSA

forum is up, not private, and all old threads still there ...

downtube

There we have it the forum is back so everything is ok. I guess the fact that google no longer index's it; it can not be browsed without registration; it is heavily moderated; and it disappeared for many many months are "ok".

Honestly, I do not think your attitude is good for you. I think being honest is essential for your well being. Therefore you should stop posting this foolishness....if you insist on taking these ridiculous positions.

Thanks,
Yan

ThorUSA

calling kettle black ?
its not moderated, there is nothing missing.... maybe your inflammatory posts are gone ?

smallwheeler

so, are we supposed to believe that you, a person who sells these bike-shaped objects for a living, doesn't know when the recalls occurred and which models were affected? PLUS the fact that other bikes Tern claimed were NOT affected have also snapped in half as recently as last summer?

it's not believable at all that you are unaware of this.

tern verge 11:



tern verge x20:







unbelievable...


this is the definition of private:




the fact that you, a merchant who sells the product in question, keep coming on this board running damage control and shilling for this crap company, (when the devastating facts are there for all to see) should confirm for anyone in doubt that you have no objectivity or credibility concerning these bicycles and the company that makes them.

jur

That is serious... bike breaking in 2 while doing 40km/h...! Imagine driving a car that unexpectedly opens the door and jettisons you on the road at that speed. That car manufacturer would be swiftly crucified. Maybe a lawyer needs to start a class action against Tern. The way they handled this seems very similar to Dahon with their dodgy stem latch; called it a manufacturing problem affecting only a range of products.

Like father, like son. F-all responsibility. Tern deserves to die. Thor if I were you I would stop selling that stuff. Tern started off great with an excellent hinge design, but totally dropped the ball on welding quality.

tds101 

Great, now I'm going to be (justifiably so) terrified of riding my TernJoeP24 & Dahon Speed P8. Crap,...this is horrible. I see more and more people having this occur,..and I should feel safe riding these bikes? I should have kept my Xootr Swift.

jur

AFAIK Dahons were not plagued by frame welding quality.

If yours has that stem latch, keeping a very sharp eye on its correct operation will be fine.

BruceMetras

Yea, the Dahons have never had a severe, main hinge, frame breaking issue through the years as far as I have seen following the Dahon forums since 2005 .... the most I have ever read about concerning the frame, was some random seat tube cracking ... and with the lever of such a long seatpost and unknown usage, not entirely unexpected and something that has been seen on many different brand folders ... for whatever reason, Tern has had some serious problems for sure...

tds101 

Thanks. I'll still worry about my TernJoeP24,...

Joe Remi

Man, I'm amazed that company is still in business. The fool running it doesn't understand how to build bike frames.