Topeak’s Jango modular bike range is close to becoming available, company reps told BikeRadar at the Core bike show Monday. Aimed at commuting and leisure riders, the bikes feature custom mounts to make it easy to add a range of accessories from lights to a trailer.
Eight years in development, the Jango ‘plug & play’ notion was first shown as a concept bike range at last year’s Taipei Show and then went on to win a gold medal at Eurobike. They are likely to be launched in Germany first but will be coming to the UK soon.
The ‘plug & play’ aspect comes in when you go to buy your bike and choose the combination of accessories you want – you can add more later. The Jango bikes are built to accept a whole range of Topeak accessories including racks, pumps, mudguards, computers, trailers, mini-tool kits, and more, all of which simply clip on to the bike.
A further touch of customisation is added by a personalised name tag that fits to the bike and which cannot be unscrewed. You can check out exactly what accessories are available with your chosen model at the the Jango website.
The Jango range splits into his and hers versions of either 700c or 26-inch wheeled models – plus a men’s full suspension 26-inch bike.
Drivetrains and major components are pretty much identical on all the bikes. The drivetrain is Shimano Alivio on all but the full suspension model, which gets Shimano Deore LX components, but most parts are Jango own brand including the brakes and both front and rear suspension.
Pricing has not been finalised in the UK but it is likely that a standard model with a base level of accessories will cost around £800 and the full suspension bike equipped with a trailer would set you back £1250. There may also be a stripped down version at a stripped down price of about £500.