Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Taro?

30K views 78 replies 23 participants last post by  in-vico 
#1 ·
Anyone one one yet? What's the bike weigh?
On paper this looks like my next ride, just waiting for some feedback.
Thanks.
 
#15 ·
"Easier to turn?" I thought you only stared at it? :p
Kidding aside, that's awfully heavy for an alu framed bike. No advantage over the stock Honzo as a complete bike in terms of weight then. But then again, the specs are lower than the Honzo's. I wonder where most of the weight is coming from? The wheels maybe?
Thanks for sharing :)
 
#22 ·
Very much interested in this. Planning to sell sell my Blue Pig in spring and get this instead. Not sure if should get frameset and build it up, or by whole build and change some parts. Need to work out which would be cheaper. I'd change drivetrain straight away, shimano is crap in 9spd, in 10spd shimano works like Sram. Any idea what's the seattube diameter?
 
#23 ·
I just test rode one yesterday and although I am new to the sport I can say that I had a blast riding this bike. It felt very light while riding it and the gearing was seemingly well thought out. I was pretty impressed with the fork It soaked up bumps without really letting you know that they were there and did not have any symptoms of pogoing or to little rebound. I am putting my deposit down today. Cant wait till next paycheck so I can take it home and hit some trails.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I've got one, I've done a few rides on it so I can talk on it a bit I reckon!

I love it! First I'd say I'm 6'3'' and I got the 18'' model because small bikes are my thing, certainly for the type of fun bike that the Taro is. It's not the best bike for big days but for those rides where you blast out of the saddle for a few minutes then chat with your buddies then blast again it's perfect!

It's really nimble with no problem on the twistiest of trails, I think the 20mm front axle and fat rims help with this as well as the short geo. The head angle seems just right at 68 but I did up the stem 10mm to 70mm to help me fit it. the rest of the kit, the saddle in particular, is great.

On the down side, the wheels are heavy (I'm not usually that bothered but I notice these anchors), I'd love it to have an external BB (cos I'm a snob) and it's not a mile eater in terms of comfort. I'd say it would be an ideal second bike for the days when you 140mm fully carbon wonder bike would just be boring!

[edit] The chain device hasn't missed a beat yet and on the climbing, it's a bit small (for me) so it's not the most comfortable climber, it kind of works out because I need to get out the saddle anyhow with the size and the gearing.. Long granny gear climbs would be best pushed!

Here's a pic!
Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel
 
#31 ·
Yup, it's a bit small and if there was an in between size I would have gone for that but it is a really fun bike in that size and I have other options for big days out so all good for me. To be honest I tried a 20" honzo once which felt great a little big for real 'fun' riding..

The only upgrades I have done so far are tubeless caffelatex front and rear, a 70mm stem and some slightly ritzier pedals.. Would like to put a nicer b&b chain set on there once I get round to it..
 
#32 ·
I just picked one of these up. I've got two 6-7 mile rides in on it. My previous bike was a specialized pitch pro with a 160mm fork and nothing else stock. I've been recovering from an injury (back) for 3 years so take my comments with a grain of salt. I'm rusty.

I quite like the bike. It's my first hardtail but it rides quite a bit like my old pitch. It makes the trails I've ridden in southern california interesting again. I rented a honzo twice before I ended up with this bike. TBH I don't notice much difference between the way the two ride. Component wise the honzo is obviously superior but I'll be rebuilding this bike part by part anyway.

So far I've swapped the seat out for a wtb pure v. I've got a set of xt m775 brakes I'm throwing on it this weekend. Next up will be a set of x9 cranks, an mrp micro chain guide and an 28t bling ring. After that will be a adjustable seat post, then a 140mm fork. I'm actually impressed with the oe fork and drive train. The OE wheels are pretty bad but tolerable until I explode them. I had to upgrade to 823's on my pitch because I kept blowing up wheels. I imagine these won't last long.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top