So I got my 2010 24" in last night. I opened it up this morning and put it together. The first thing I looked at was the nubs on the frame. They weren’t as pronounced as in the prototype pictures floating around. That’s good to see. Then looking at the frame close up, it looks like it’s welded up very nicely. But here is where I contradict myself a little. The oval tubing (which I like) on both sides of the frame forks, looks like they were welded with a slight cant. What I mean by that is when you look at the tubes from the top, the very north and south of them are pointing at 1 o’clock and 7 o’clock respectively. That’s a little over dramatic but I’m trying to paint a picture. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. The sticker does say made in China. Even still, the frame looks like it will handle any abuse thrown at it. It does sit down on 42mm bearing straight so I won’t complain too much. By the way, no brake mounts. Bummer.
For some reason I thought it was going to come laced with Alex rims. Nope. Weinmann dh-39 in 48 hole almost 39mm wide. So this is where I’m thinking Torker must have a LOT of 48 hole hubs or a very cheap source for them. I’m not a huge fan of the Chinese made Weinmann’s but they do come in 48, 36, 32, and 28 hole. Why not 36h or 32h rims Torker!? Further, Weinmann also makes a DHL-42 rim. 42mm wide in 48,36,32 and 28 hole. Wider is better. WTF Torker, it’s 2010. Get with the times and get some hubs w/less then 48 holes. End of rant.
The cranks are the highlight of this beast. They are nice and just about any ISIS crank will fit if you want to swap out the stock ones. The Twisted Oddesy PC pedals in translucent grey I happen to like, so they’ll stay on till I destroy them.
The seat is well padded but, it looks like a Chiquita Banana. It’s far too curved for me and I will modify it for a custom fit that I like.
The tire is a Kenda Kinetics 24x2.6. A 24x3 would be nice but I guess they are getting harder to come by now. For my intended purposes, the Kenda will work but I foresee myself in the market for one of those Felt tires soon. I’ll get some pics up later for anyone interested.
Overall for the price I paid, I’m pleased but I would still expect QC on the frames to be a little more astringent. My case may be an isolated incident. I hope it’s not a trend.