Tern’s new RIP is short, steep and imminently chuckable, all wrapped up in an affordable 8-speed packageWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Tern collaborated with Japanese design house KITT on the RIPS designWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Big tear drop shapes in the frame are for pure styling not aero reasonsWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Simplicity is the key with the RIP’s Shimano 8-speed Claris drivetrainWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The short headtube looks even tighter when combined with the big tubesWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The narrow riser bar could be considered a bit hipster, but it works well with the bike’s snappy handlingWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Mushroom grips will appease the old-school BMXer’s out thereWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The massive teardrop downtube of the RIPWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The single ring chainset comes with a chainguide mountedWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Smaller sizes of the RIP come with 650b wheels (carrying fat 30c rubber) above 54cm it switches to a more traditional 700c wheelWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Tern bikes has built its reputation on making niche, clever folding bikes, expanded its range from folders to e-bikes and now, at the Taipei bike show, it’s showing a new range of aggressively styled affordable street machines designed in conjunction with Japanese design house Kitt.
Smaller sizes of the RIP come with 650b wheels (carrying fat 30c rubber). Above 54cm it switches to a more traditional 700c wheelWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The all-new Tern RIP is based around a sharp angled, aero styled butted aluminum frameset with clean graphics and super fat teardrop shaped main tubes with this 8-speed street machine.
Big tear drop shapes in the frame are for pure styling not aero reasonsWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The simple single ring drivetrain comes with a chain guide in place for security and steep sharp angles for traffic busting agility.
Our short test ride around the Taipei shows demo day course certainly left us wanting more as the RIP felt more like a track-derived fixie than your typical flat-bar urban hybrid.
The narrow riser bar could be considered a bit hipster, but it works well with the bike’s snappy handlingWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
The steep angles and narrow riser bar certainly make it a bike that’s imminently chuckable and a blast to ride quickly.
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If Tern can bring this one in at an affordable price then the RIP could well become the ideal short distance commuter cum pub bike.
The single ring chainset comes with a chainguide mountedWarren Rossiter/Immediate media
Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine’s senior technical editor for road and gravel. Having been testing bikes for more than 20 years, Warren has an encyclopedic knowledge of road cycling and has been the mastermind behind our Road Bike of the Year test for more than a decade. He’s also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. Over the years, Warren has written about thousands of bikes and tested more than 2,500 – from budget road bikes to five-figure superbikes. He has covered all the major innovations in cycling this century, and reported from launches, trade shows and industry events in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and Africa. While Warren loves fast road bikes and the latest gravel bikes, he also believes electric bikes are the future of transport. You’ll regularly find him commuting on an ebike and he longs for the day when everyone else follows suit. You will find snaps of Warren’s daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus).