Review of the KHS MTBs, especially KHS Alite 300

[Chidambaran Subramanian]

I've been planning to get an MTB , was munching on the prospect of going for the Alite 300 which is I think the lower end of the pricing range.  Mostly for upright riding with some bad roads and occassional MTB'ing.  I've heard fabulous reviews of the Alite 1000, but don't recall any review of the 500 or the 300.

Thanks in advance and regards
Chiddu

[Aravind M S]

I own KHS Alite 500. I bought it 4 months back. Its is really nice.

Regards,
Aravind.

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[RT]

We have two 300's - one is my Dad's and the other my girlfriend's. One
is a 2010 model, the other 2011. Both great. Best value for money in
the price range except possibly for the Giant Revel. Love the frame
geometry. Like the 2010 little more - better paint scheme and big
knobbies for trails as opposed to the more hybrid 2011 tyres. Great
handling on the trails. Very light and nimble. Also quite puncture
resistant.

[Girish]

Hi Chiddu - did you get a chance to go and check out the Alite 300 /
500 in person? Here is my slightly longish review of the Alite 300
and I hope it helps.

Frame:
The Alites 150, 300, 500 and 1000 all use the same 6061 Alloy frame -
the 6061 Aluminium alloy material is a very popular AL frame material
across bicycle manufacturers.

As a user, I found the frame geometry to be more comfortable than the
Rockrider 5.2 and very similar to the Giant Yukon and Trek 3700 - of
these I found the KHS to be the most comfortable in terms of overall
riding stance (longer top tube, more upright seat tube and head tube
angles) - Note: YMMV.

Gear Components and Brakes:
The main difference between the Alite 300 and Alite 500 (other than
the price, and availability right now) is in the gearing and brakes.

Gearing: The 500 comes with a full Shimano Alivio 9 gear set (FD, RD
and shifters) while the 300 comes with a Shimano Altus + Acera mix
(Altus shifters and FD, Acera RD). With a 9speed v/s 8speed, you get
3 additional combo's to mash through!

Brakes: The 300 has a linear pull Tektro brake, while the 500 comes
with mechanical disk brakes. Better stopping power, I guess :)

Tires and Suspension:
My 2011 300 came with Kenda small block 26x1.95 tires - Rahul has said
that the 2010 model came with different tires, which I also saw in the
store, and was tempted to change to a Continental touring semi slick.
When I was in the store (Wheelsports), I think I saw the same Kenda
small block tires on the Alite 1000 as well. (Same same as on the
Cannondale Trail 6 ?). The reason I like the small blocks better is
that it seems to offer lesser road resistance than the more knobby
tires I have seen on other bicycles and emits a very satisfying hum on
a road surface. The Spinner front suspensions are quite useful for our
fair city, with potholes in expected and unexpected locations, and for
the occasional bit of (forced) sidewalk riding.

Ownership and rides:
All in all, I ended up owning a KHS 300 mainly because the 500 was not
available at the time I wanted to buy, but I am a happy customer -
added bonus the colours match my sons Hercules cycle :) . Its been
over a month of owning the 300, and I have done some office commuting
and some longer rides on it. I have yet to do any offroading. In
addition, at 18K the 300 is a superb VFM package considering the
component set (gearing, suspension, frame) it offers compared with
similar bikes (Trek 3700/4300, Giant Revel 2/1, Merida Matts 20).


Thanks,
Girish

On Jul 29, 8:41 am, Chidambaran Subramanian <chi...@gmail.com> wrote:

[RT]

The stopping power of the V-brakes is more than enough for anything
most of us would encounter and they are absolutely hassle free. More
than enough even on most XC trails. When adjusted decently they make
you stop on a dime. Mechanical discs are more painful to maintain as
they need to be adjusted every so often. Unless you're going
downhilling you really will not need discs and there are people
(maniacs indeed :)) who do even that with V brakes.

Indeed the Kenda Small Block 8s are the ones that come stock on better
spec-ed bikes. I have them on my Alite 1000. Personally though, for
offroading, so far I've preferred the Kenda Klaws on the 2010 300.
Since thats no more an option its really no choice but this is my
opinion. It is true however that the Small Blocks are far more tarmac
friendly than the knobblies. So far I've also preferred the RST Gila
to the Spinner fork but I haven't bashed the Spinner offroad yet.

I personally don't think you're going to gain a whole lot between an 8-
speed and a 9-speed gearing system. You get pretty much the same range
I think but with closer gearing. Again, the difference might be
perceptible on offroad climbs but not really on road. The Alivio vs.
the Acera might make it worth looking at the 500 but IMHO its not a
huge difference (I have Acera on my Trek 7100) at all. Well-tuned
Acera will perform great.

However, having said all that, the BEST deal at 18.5K (on sale) is the
Merida Matts 40V. If Wheelsports still has stock of the clearance
pieces, I would advise you to grab it.

[Shaleen Tongia]

Can you please share the current pricing for alite 300 and 500. 

[Mayank Rungta]

+1 for Merida Matts 40V but I think it is run out of stock. I liked the older models of 40V better. There is also a last piece of Merida 510A lying there for 22K - awesome bike of its time.

On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 12:35 PM, RT <rahul....@gmail.com> wrote: