It has been close to four months since I got my new Rockrider 5.3. Overall, I am happy with the bike.
The bike is smooth, disc brakes are helping me a lot on the muddy roads I have in my locality. I loved the shifters. They are very smooth and precise. Saddle is pretty comfortable. Frame is good. Front fork is awesome – 100mm with lockout. Handle bar grip could have been a little better.
The main problem thing which I experienced was – lower handle bar. Also, the distance between the seat-post and the stem is little more that a Trek or a Merida. This puts good amount of pressure on my forearms and my back bends considerably. I had backache problems for first few weeks. My brother, who also has a Rockrider 5.3, has backache issue. We spoke to the people at Decathlon about the low handle bar. It was not of any help. Recently on a bngbirds birding day, I met one other person with similar problem. Even Rockrider 5.2 has the same issue.
Disc brakes are not as great as I had thought of them to be. V-Brakes are much better than mechanical disc brakes (not hydraulic brakes). But the major advantage is, you can do without perfect truing of wheels and also not worry about muddy roads. In case of v-brakes, the mud gets between the brake shoe and the rim and wears it off.
The cycle does not come with front and rear reflectors. Decathlon should consider including these considering the safety of the rider. Even the wheels have only one reflector. The attached bell is not that great. Re-aligning the wheels to the disc brake pads is important. Sometimes the discs can brush the pads.
Decathlon mirrors are not good. Don’t go for them. Decathlon fenders are nice, much better than the Bontrager ones we had.
Rockrider Kenda tyres could have had a different tread design. Bontrager tyres on the Trek give you a very smooth feeling as compared to the Kenda tyres of RR.
Pedals are little flaky and the reflectors fell off within few days.
RR 5.3 is a very good value for the money if you are buying it directly from Decathlon for 20k. If you are planning to buy it from a retailer for 23k, I suggest you to go for a Merida or Trek.
You can view the photographs of Rockrider 5.3 here on Flickr – [flickr-photoset:id=72157620534154603,size=s]
Hey….any updates on how the RR has fared so far. I am planning for a 5.2 and wanted to know about the quality of the product and your riding experience on Indian roads.
Thanks,
Nikhil
Hi Sharada Prasad,
Have read several posts on your blog with interest. Esp. the ones related to cycling. (Landed here from Google when searched for Rockrider reviews). I see you have a Merida, Trek 4300 and a Rockrider 5.3.
I wanted your frank opinions on the Rockriders. I am personally looking at buying a Rockrider 5.2 for myself. Aim is to commute around 32 km/day in Bangalore, 5 days a week. Budget was between 15-20k. Also took a look at the Merida Sub 20 MD (@ 20,700). But I personally prefer the 5.2 (because of the components and attention to detail). It is terrific value too.
Almost made up my mind on the 5.2, when some people confused me. They say the RRs are poor quality and fail. Suggest to go for a Trek or Merida instead.
What do you say? What’s your feedback about the RRs. How do they compare with your Merida and Trek?
Lookin’ forward to your response and recommendation.
I can understand how people give you reviews about Trek and Merida as compared to RR. We have a Merida SUB20, Trek 4300 too. But I and my youngest brother use RR5.3 and we have been very very happy with the bike. Initially we had problems getting used to the new posture (riding style is considerably different than riding Merida or Trek). Now we don’t have any such issue. I love the value I got for the money I put in. We are highly satisfied.
Nikhil, I am not a material specialist to comment on the quality of the components with scientific evidence. The bike has fared very very well. I am happy.
Thanks Sharada,
You gave me a lot of peace of mind with this. Now 5.2 or 5.3 will be decided once I get my Decathlon membership. Of course I have a couple of friends who have membership and can help me buy, but I guess it would be better to get it in my name for warranty and support. What do you say for that!
Also which bike did you take for the TFN (assuming you went).
I know people associate the brand value (and hence price premium) with Trek, Cannondale and Merida to some extent. But are they THAT MUCH superior?
I don’t think warranty should be an issue.
I did a TFN of my own with my brothers and close friends. Same route, but different dates. I and my brother did it on our RR 5.3.
I don’t think other bikes are as superior as the price we pay for them.