Bike reviews

Iron Horse Transit 3.0 Adult Flat-Bar Commuter Bike

Great Bang for the Buck!

I bought the 54cm Iron Horse Transit 3.0 just several days ago for commute, around town errands, and fitness purposes to ride along the lake shore here in Chicago. I was really unsure about sizing and was debating the 52cm or 54cm, but from reading all the entries about Iron Horse road bikes, I decided on the 54 and it fits me great. I'm about 5'9.5" with a 30 inch pant inseam. Amazon free shipping was great and the bike arrived in 2 days, however the box it came in was a little beat up. Putting the bike together took me about 1.5 hours, but most of that time was taken trying to figure out how to assemble the front brake. I haven't taken the bike out for a spin yet, but from visual inspection the rear wheel is out of tru, the brakes need more adjustment and the front derailleur could use a little adjustment. Also as mentioned above, the bike comes with Crank Brothers Smarty Clipless pedals and not the Wellgo pedals. I just emailed Amazon regarding this and hopefully they can get me some new pedals. I don't have riding shoes. This bike is a great bang for the buck. I was shopping other flat bar commute road bikes like the Trek FX 5.5 or 5.6, Fuji Absolute 1.0 or 2.0, Cannondale Road Warrior 2, and Giant FCR all ranging from 750 to 900 dollars. At a little over 300 bucks for the Iron Horse, it can't be beat. Now I have almost enough money left over to pick up the 54 cm Iron Horse Victory 3.0! Also, the frame color (matte tan) and branding is very non-descrip, so hopefully this bike won't be a target to thieves like other more well known brands. I like the matte finish, but would have preferred a matte black or matte white, which would look very sharp! Hope this was helpful to people debating this bike. I will update with more information after several rides.

good, but not a commuter bike; description has wrong pedals

This bike is very light, and looks nice so far, though I haven't ridden it much yet. One of the main reasons I haven't is that it comes with clipless pedals (that you need bike shoes for). The description, as of this review, still incorrectly states "Pedals: Wellgo alloy with toe clip and strap". Amazon didn't reply to an email inquiry about this (waited 3 days), so I called them. The customer service representative couldn't help me (he could offer me 20% off new pedals - are you kidding?), but his supervisor was able to take care of it. I bought new pedals at my local bike store, and Amazon refunded me for the purchase. It's bizarre that they haven't changed the product description, because it would save money and hassle for everyone involved. It's easy to assemble, even for a novice like me. You just need metric allen wrenches and an adjustable wrench (for the pedals). My inseam is 32.5", and the 54cm bike is a bit too small. I wish I'd gone for the 56cm, but it is still rideable. The box it came in was a bit banged up, but the bike was fine as it's pretty well packaged to handle minor bumps and scrapes. As noted in another review, the brakes are weak. The brake pads are very hard compared to others I've used, so this is probably the reason. Easily fixed, but I won't get a refund for that purchase. Update: after a few days of commuting, I have to say: this is not a commuter bike. It certainly works for commuting, but so does a full-suspension mountain bike. The Transit 3.0 just isn't a commuter bike; it's a road bike. It's light, and fast, and has narrow, high-pressure tires. One thing I noticed that is bad is that the handlebar tube (the horizontal part) is variable width, and very fat in the middle. This makes it impossible to install a standard headlight, which is a major problem. But apart from the headlight issue, this bike is exactly what I thought it would be.

very good value

Very good bike for the money, even though the price just went up from $399. Light weight, good components. It is easy to assemble and requires just a little adjustment - there are great videos on youtube explaining all this. I am almost 6 feet with 34 inseam and the 56 cm version fits me OK, but I wish I had a way to test the 58 cm. If you are taller than 6 feet I think you need at least the 58 cm frame. I still need to work on the brakes, maybe I need to get new pads for them, they dont have enough braking power. All over - very nice bike, I am very happy with it.

Great Commuter!

Have been riding this bike for about 2 months now - for the price, it's a great, speedy, sturdy, light bike for tackling the streets. Very good components (esp the rear derailleur, seat, wheels/tires) for the price. Comes mostly assembled (need to install pedals, stem, handlebar, front brake cable), very clean (but a bit bland) color scheme & profile. Compared to other flat bar road bikes in the same price range, this bike is one of the best - very satisfied with my purchase!

Fantastic bargain

Can't beat the combination of components and frame for the price. Super light and responsive bike for around 400 bucks. Comes pretty well assembled--if you have any doubts about assembly call a bike shop, but most people should have no trouble putting it together. All in all a fantastic bike at an unbeatable price.

Keyword : road+bike