Review: Octronz city bicycle with child seat

Not a sponsored review

Here's the full review of the Octronz city bicycle with child seat that I had recently purchased to bring my 4-yr old kid to school.

I had purchase the bicycle from EvoSportz who seems to be the distributor of this brand in Singapore. The bicycle is also listed on Decathlon and the product photos feature EvoSportz logo.

The bicycle comes with either 24-inch or 26-inch wheels, and either single speed or gear. On the website, MA refers to matte surface, and GL refers to glossy. There are several colour options: black, dark blue, turquoise.

Price

Shown below are the prices listed on their website at time of review, and there happens to be a sale (Hari Raya sale). Prices on Shopee SG will be higher, but you may use Shopee vouchers additional discounts.

• 24-inch single speed: SGD 170
• 24-inch 6-gear: SGD 260 (Shopee SGD 345)
• 26-inch 6-gear: SGD 270 (Shopee SGD 355)
• 24-inch 6-gear with child seat: SGD 330 (Shopee SGD 425)
• 26-inch 6-gear with child seat: SGD 340 (Shopee SGD 435)

Unless Shopee gives out terrific discount vouchers, you may want to buy from EvoSportz's website instead which can save you around SGD 80 or more.

EvoSportz provides 6 months of warranty.

The company also provides one free basic bike service that includes checking and tuning of brakes, gears, pedals, tyres, chain, headset and saddle. The free bike service requires bringing the bicycle to the Yishun shop so it's probably to get your servicing at your local bicycle shop instead.

Which model should you get?

I'm not an expert on bicycle so what I'm sharing is just based on personal experience and observation, not research.

There are generally two types of bicycles commonly seen in Singapore: the mountain bikes and these city bikes. Main difference for me is the handling. I used to have a mountain bike fitted with a child seat and I feel it's easier to handle than the Octronz city bicycle, more so when there's a kid onboard and the bicycle is heavier. Mountain bikes feel more nimble. It's like driving a small car which is nimble and easier to control vs a big van.

Mountain bikes seem to be cheaper too. You may want to compare prices for a mountain bike fitted with a child seat vs the Octronz city bicycle with the child seat.

And if you do want a mountain bike instead, I recommend fitting the child seat behind rather than in front so that it's more spacious and comfortable for cycling. And there's more space for your kid behind too.

The main downside to mountain bikes is the middle frame is high so it's not as easy to bring your leg over. The Octronz city bicycle has a much lower frame so you can step over easily.

Which wheel size to get

There are 24-inch and 26-inch wheel size options.

24-inch will be more nimble, easier to control. 26-inch is more stable, wheels are bigger and won't be affected as much by holes, big cracks, or drain grilles.

26-inch feels more like cruising.

My height is 1.78m and 26-inch is comfortable for me.

Should you get single speed or the 6-speed gear?

Definitely get the 6-speed gear which is makes it easier to climb slopes, and on even ground allows you to go faster.

Single speed is fine if you know your route is going to be mostly even. But even so having gears makes cycling much less tiring.

Design

Design of the bicycle looks alright. It's a classic look. It's not flashy and doesn't call for attention.

The colour I have here is dark blue and glossy and on hindsight I would choose turquoise. Dust looks quite obvious against a dark colour body.

The bicycle comes with a basket and child seat already fitted.

My kid is 4-years old, maybe 12-15kg, and the seat is spacious enough for her. I suppose the child seat should still be big enough when she's 6-years old. I'll update this review in the future.

You can tell my kid's pretty happy when riding the bicycle, to school or to supermarket or to buy food.

Cycling is good exercise and not too strenuous. Cycling this bicycle can definitely be considered a workout especially if you have to cycle up slopes, even on roads with a slight incline, and that's where you can feel your muscles working.

The front basket is fixed to an attachment to the handlebars in front. The basket is made of plastic and is quite thick and so should be durable. The basket is big enough to hold my kid's small bag, and other miscellaneous small items. I intent to keep a spare plastic bag and spare diaper on the bicycle just in case.

Oh, there's no water bottle holder on the bicycle. No bells and no lights. You'll have to buy all those separately.

I'm not sure if this is considered a good wheel or not.

Oh, remember to buy a bicycle pump if you don't already have one.

Height of the seat can be adjusted with the handle bar below. Seat has some spring to it, and is big enough to be comfortable.

If you're using to mountain bike handlebars where you press down, it will take time to get used to these handlebars. This bicycle requires you to sit with your back straighter, so you will not be leaning forward and pressing on the handlebars. And these U-shape handlebars are certainly not as nimble as straight handlebars.

I went with 26-inch wheels so the turning radius is bigger than 24-inch wheels. E.g. Imagine turning a bicycle vs car vs bus. Not really an issue unless you have to maneuverer in tight spaces, 90 degree foot paths (rare).

The brake handle is stiff.

The bicycle can wobble more with the additional weight of a kid behind. That will take some time to get use to. But it's not really an issue.

The handle is plastic and has enough grip. The gear shifter has 6-speed and you have to twist it forward or back to adjust the gear. There will be an audible click when turning the gear speed, and you'll hear the gear change.

6-speed is sufficient for roads in Singapore. Gear 1 for climbing steep slope is very challenging. Gear 6 for cruising is good enough.

I've not heard of this brand before.

There's one red reflector behind the child seat, another one behind the back wheel.

Height of the the feet pad for the child seat can be adjusted to how tall your kid is. There are four options for height adjustment. You just pull out the feet pad, and move it up or down, and install it again.

The feet pad also comes with a strap to secure your kid's feet, but I've bent the strap into the interior of the bike and I feel the strap is not necessary and if I don't use them they will get in the way.

There's some cushion for the child seat and I feel it's enough though I wish the cushion could be thicker. One huge downside here is the cushion does not seem removable because the cushion cannot be removed from the buckle (held in hand in the photo) unless you make the hole the buckle goes through much bigger. So cleaning the cushion probably requires wet wipes.

The cushion is attached to the hard seat with velcro and won't shift around as the bicycle is moving.

The u-shaped stand is quite stable. You can lock and unlock the stand with a latch (with your feet) to prevent the stand from accidentally moving up.

Deploying the stand with your kid on the bicycle seat is difficult due to the extra weight, so it will take some training. But this is definitely more stable than those sidekick metal rod stand.

The plastic foot pedal feels plasticky but works.

With this bicycle, sometimes when I press down the pedal forcefully, it feels like there's a slipe and there isn't any torque applied. Happens like once or twice a day. I'm not sure what's causing that.

Conclusion

The Octronz city bicycle is a decent bicycle. Quality is good enough for the price. Don't expect a premium experience with this bicycle because it is not a premium or luxury bicycle. It's a utility bicycle.

Overall riding experience is alright. Main challenge is when cycling up slight incline, and there's this weird torque loss issue once or twice a day.

Where to buy

You can find this bicycle from EvoSportz online store (non affiliate link) and Shopee SG (affiliate link).