Prior to 2009, the widely agreed upon best beginner mountain bike at the time was DK’s Signal model. DK has since renamed the bike Opsis, and they’ve made so many improvements to it that it really accounts for the different name (as well as the increase in cost from around $300 for Signal to around $375 for the Opsis). Since the Opsis is the descendant of the Signal that I rode, my perception of the Opsis is clearly in comparison to its predecessor that I rode for two years before changing it.

The Signal already had a lot of thought for beginning riders with the features it already had: CRMO main frame, CRMO tapered leg fork, gyro front and rear brakes, two sets of pegs, and even an unsealed Taska freecoaster. (Despite all the bad things people say about Taska, I actually thought it ran fine, until the 12-tooth threaded gear finally broke after a year.)

If Signal was a good deal, then Opsis is great. There is no complete flat bike in the sub-$400 range that comes close to the feature set on offer here. DK switched from Signal to Opsis in 2009 and improved its features year after year until reaching the 2012 model, which boasts a parts list that is downright shocking when I look at all the things that have been improved over my old car:

Updated frame with integrated headset and sealed center bottom bracket

160mm Three-Piece CRMO Cranks

Plastic pedals instead of metal

1.85″ tires instead of the fat ones that were over 2″ wide

plastic swivel seat

Nice skinny pegs

14t rear sprocket instead of 12t

sealed front hub

Full bike weight of only around 28lbs

Definitely a nice set of upgrades for just an $80 price increase. And again, Signal was already the widely agreed-upon best deal for a beginner’s flatland bike, as it already was.

But a review wouldn’t be complete without pointing out a few flaws, so I won’t exclude that part. The only thing I’m glad I got on my Signal that doesn’t come on the Opsis is a pair of chrome wheels. The Alienation chrome PBR rims I got have been replaced with colored (presumably cheaper) ones. This doesn’t mean much to users without brakes; but considering the Opsis is an entry level bike that comes with brakes, I see this as the only downgrade from before.

Also: If I were to buy an Opsis, I’d swap the brake pads for better ones (ideally a clear Odyssey set). The stock brakes are fine, but the brake pads that come with them are terrible.

But that’s all there is to the frown here. If you don’t have more than $650 to spend on a top-tier complete, and if you want a new bike instead of buying a used one, then Opsis stands out.