Frog M4 Carbine 700C: ChooseMyBicycle.com Expert Review

The Frog M4 Carbine 700C is built on a lightweight Alloy frame. This frame has thin tubes with neatly welded edges. The conventional geometry was comfortable to ride with a slanting top tube. The frame was responsive and definitely helped ride fast and contributed to easy climbing on flyovers and other road inclines. The rigid fork is bladed which made it light at the front.

The Carbine which I test rode came in a full Black frame with Yellow and Blue as the secondary colours for the text and graphics. The matte finish paint job along with the contrasting Black/Yellow colours made the bicycle stand out on the road. The adjustable quill stem, front/rear quick release on wheels and colour coded saddle immensely enhanced the aesthetics of this bicycle.

The Frog Carbine is equipped with Shimano’s Altus at the front and Shimano Acera at the rear as derailleurs. This is a mid-level hybrid bicycle groupset from Shimano and they shifted smoothly during the test ride with no lags. The Shimano EF500 21-Speed derailleurs were smooth to operate.

This hybrid bicycle’s stopping power is handled by a pair of Zoom Mechanical Disc brakes at the front and rear. These brakes were powerful, safe and balanced on both dry and wet roads. Both interval braking and jamming of brakes felt in control when used during the test ride.

The alloy handlebar on this bicycle was both comfortable and wide enough to give the rider an open chested riding posture.

The Carbine rolls on a pair of 700x35c Kenda slick tires. These tires were fast rolling on urban roads and the tread pattern was enough to get good traction on tar surfaces. The stock Frog Saddle was wide and had a lot of cushioning to make the rider comfortable and soreness free on bumpy rides.