PRODUCT REVIEW

TOWN TRAVELLER

The S-300 from German manufacturer Fahrrad-Manufaktur, imported by London’s Bikefi x, is at £595 a mid-price machine which has almost everything you could ask for in a reliable town bike. Hub gears? Tick. Hub dynamo? Tick. Full chaincase? Tick. Ergonomic grips? Tick. Rack and mudguards? Tick! We tested one to see whether the ride matches the specifi cation.

BACKGROUND Fahrrad-Manufaktur are a well established German manufacturer with close links to the VSF, an idealistic grouping of independent German cycle dealers. They specialise in practical and durable town and touring bikes, rather than racers or MTBs. They’ve been imported for several years now by Bikefi x in London. The S-300 is a mid-range town bike, retailing at £595 (unless Bikefi x have a special offer on) fully equipped. There’s a choice of 8-speed Nexus hub gears (as tested) or SRAM Dual-Drive transmission for the same price. There are three frame sizes, all with the low stepthrough open design, and we had a medium (50 cm) model to review. Colours are black or red. It may also be worth checking out the rather similar S-200 Comfort model, also £595, but with wider tyres, twin-leg stand and suspension seatpost, again open-frame only. There’s also the T100 model for £520, without the Chainglider chaincase but available in both diamond and open confi gurations. Bikefi x also bring in a number of very nice touring bikes, with the top model the T900 Rohloff at £1695. I was keen to review the S-300 as it’s the lowest-priced bike I’ve seen yet with such an attractive combination of features for everyday riding – get on and go in all weathers with minimum maintenance. So how did it ride?

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VELOVISION ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2008

FIRST IMPRESSIONS This is the fi rst open-frame bike we’ve reviewed in some time, and it’s quite a handsome one. The aluminium frame has a massive single downtube, gently curved, and triple stays for the rear triangle. The centre set curve into the brace between front beam and rear end. It’s all welded together neatly, though perhaps not to the level of smooth fi nish we saw on the much more pricey Koga-Miyata Vector,

FIRST IMPRESSIONS This is the fi rst open-frame bike we’ve reviewed in some time, and it’s quite a handsome one. The aluminium frame has a massive single downtube, gently curved, and triple stays for the rear triangle. The centre set curve into the brace between front beam and rear end. It’s all welded together neatly, though perhaps not to the level of smooth fi nish we saw on the much more pricey Koga-Miyata Vector,

reviewed a few issues ago. The black paintjob is a good choice for a utility bike – unobtrusive, but well fi nished. Neat touches on the frame include the swooshy curved metal head badge, neat screw-on cable guides underneath the down tube, and a

A frosty morning shows the S-300 to good advantage. It's an all-weather, low-maintenance design for city and leisure riding. FAHRRAD-MANUFAKTUR S-300

ISSUE 32 DECEMBER 2008 VELOVISION

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