Review Hero Hawk Nu Age 10 Speed Bicycle

I am penning down my review for this bike, after using it for more than 20 months, so i can assure you a review which is not biased by theories and stories, but my actual ride exprience.
When in 2010, i decided to start biking, i was not very keen on spending a fortune on bike, as i was skeptical whether will i be using it a lot, or will it be rotting in my apartments basement.

So, i decided to go in for Hero Hawk NU Age 10speed bike with having no knowledge at all about a geared road bike, or you can say a roadie.
The bike is good enough for a beginner, who has just started to take cycling as a sport, or a commuter who wants a bike to commute to office daily, you get a decent amount of performance from this bike.
The bike is a steel bike, unlike the imported brands which are made of aluminium or carbon, this bike is a bit on heavier side.
Comes with a a carrier, mudgard, and arm rests, this bike can disguise itself as a touring bike.
Don't mistake yourself by considering this mammoth to be any fragile, it can take in bad roads, as in potholed once but definitely, not for off trail rides.
My bike, had its own share of beating, and abuse, gave me few punctures now and then, but no major issues apart from that.
Not exactly for very long distance riding, or hill climbing, simply due to its weight constraint but can be used on regular basis, for city rides.

It uses an entry level shimano gear combination, having tourney at front derailleur and sis at rear, gives a combination of 10 speed.
But frankly speaking, the comfortable gear range reaches only till 2-3, after this combination, the chain starts making considerable amount of noise, so i have always avoided the higher range i.e. 2-4, and 2-5.
But anyways for city commuting you barely need even these many gears.
Apart from the issue mentioned above, till now i have faced not even a single issue, with the gearing, it works like a charm.
The bike is very responsive, and catches good speed, within few seconds. Thanks to gearing system given in the bike.

I have used this bike for few long distance rides, if you are based in Bangalore, and are a cycling enthusiast then you must be definitely  aware of the Nandi Hill ride.
I have done it twice on it, once a 170KM route, and the other time 148KM route.
I must admit, the climb has been killing on it, reaching the base and coming back was not much of an issue though.
Apart from these i have done many sub 50KM rides, which i don't even feel are worth mentioning here.

On the maintainence front, i have got both my tyres and tubes changed recently, but that is the only major expense my bike has asked me for in all this time.
Apart from that nothing major. Though minor tweaks is needed every now and then, such as break pad changing, tighting the brake clamp, etc.etc.

I have covered almost 5000KM on this bike, and i can say this is the bike you can trust even for long distance cycling.
However it stands no comparison to the imported branded bikes, one for a very good reason, that they cost atleast 3 times more than this, and that difference is manifested in the ride quality, and comfort, as they weigh almost half of what this weighs.

Lastly people have a misconception, that the riding posture of a road bike isn't comfortable, and one cannot ride the bike for a long distance without developing discomfort.
BULLSHIT !!!. A road bike is the most comfortable bike i feel, as it gives multiple postures for riding it.
It's just a matter of time, for you to get comfortable with.