The human-powered vehicles thread. (Bicycles, etc.)

[V-16]

At the risk of sounding stupid, what is the use of gears in a bike and how does one use the gears, like in a car or mobike?? and what the hell are 12 and 21 gears. The last i had a bike it had 4 gears which i never used!! Now im getting a bike for me too so I shoud know these things before i enter a bike shop and appear dumb to the vendor!!

[RX135]

Originally Posted by V-16

At the risk of sounding stupid, what is the use of gears in a bike and how does one use the gears, like in a car or mobike??

They serve the same purpose as gears anywhere else. Adding/reducing torque at the wheels as and when required. They are operated by rotating the handle grip (part of it) or by sliding a switch mounted near the handle grip (similar to that of ting-ting bell). There is no clutch.

Disclaimer: I have personally checked them out but never used geared cycles. So, take this with pinch of salt

[four_tire]

Hi iam 32 yrs now and last year around june i brought a HeroJET standard cycle.. so now i own a OHC vtec, Suzuki fiero and HeroJET.. Iam happy about the choice of a standard bike. if added red and orange wheel reflectors and front stabilizer rods..

you get 42 inches and 44 inches. depending on your height and comfort you could go for anyof these. However there are other imported standard cycles lighter and with aliminium spokes and rims. You will definitely enjoy the ride on the cycle.. some tips regarding the new cycle'

- Only the cycle being ridden frequently can have right airpressure . If you put away the cycle for more than 3 days without using it deflates.

- Cycle needs to be refitted again after sold to you be the showroom guys. refit it with the local cycle shop.. in a week or 2. and using it and again get it refitted after 3 months .. this will make the cycle real smooth and effortless for riding.. and in a year you could do twice refitting...

- long seats dont require additional maintainence as there fit and forget.. however with the spring loaded seats you need to ensure the nuts and bolts are not loose and hence tighten it

- do get the front stabilizers the "J" rods fitted.. its useful and will save your cycle cone and avoid breaking of the handle rod, forks when u crash into a pot hole or under weight

- Most of the sellers give the lock, bell seat cover and stand and carriage at no additional cost.

So happy riding ..

[msdivy]

I used to ride Hero Ranger LE to school. During that time there used to be many cycle renting shops in Bangalore and they have virtually disappeared now ! Cycle is definetely a better option if the distance is less than 4KM

IMHO, geared cycles are an over-kill, unless you are doing some serious racing or covering large distance. Gearing would help sightly help in climping up-hill. If I am opting for geared cycle, I would go for 2 or 3 gears - normal & up-hill. But 12/15/21? Where is the time to cycle through all those gears

This review might help in your query:
User Reviews and comparison blog on Hero Cycles - Sporting Gear by shubhomoy_simsr on MouthShut.com

[satish_appasani]

Wow...all of a sudden tbhpians are getting interested in bicycles.

I have BSA Mach1 with 18 gears. I use only gears between 10-15. It is city bike with turned down handle. It is light weight and moves quite fast with it's skinny tires. Earlier, after finishing cycling every morning, i used to carry it by stares to my apartment in 3rd floor.

If possible, get a cycle computer too. It shows speed, distance, calories, time etc. Quite useful. One of my friends in US gifted me one. They are not expensive. Also try to buy a bicycle helmet, a pair of nice gloves (gym gloves are also fine), your own airpump and oiling can.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by V-16

At the risk of sounding stupid, what is the use of gears in a bike and how does one use the gears, like in a car or mobike?? and what the hell are 12 and 21 gears. The last i had a bike it had 4 gears which i never used!! Now im getting a bike for me too so I shoud know these things before i enter a bike shop and appear dumb to the vendor!!

First of all decide on what type of bicycle you want

Lastly what do you want to go in for. An On-Road or Off-ROad bicycle. The on-road one will definitly have more speed though you wont be able to carry stuff with you easily and going off road wont be that easy. The off road version will be more comfortable as it will be with shock absorbers and youll be able to handle rough patches a lot easier.

secondly depending on your budget and needs chose the number of gears that you need. a 21 speed bike will use a combination of 7 gears on the rear wheel and 3 gears on the pedal to give you 21 different gear options. Similarly an 18 speed bike will have 6 and 3 gears to give 18 gear options

Probably the most important think about the bicycle is its frame. it is essential that the frame is comfortable and of the correct size, Light weight and sturdiness are really important too. i think hero has a range of aluminium bikes which IMO is the one to go for as the other bikes here are just too heavy..

you engage the gears in a cycle by simply selecting them with the help of the gear levers. there will be two seperate levers for the gears on the front sprocket and the rear wheel. you simply select the gear while pedalling and the bike goes into gear. dont play around with the gears when your not pedalling as this tends to really screw up the gears. there are two types of gear levers. ones the grip shifter nd the other is the thumb shifter. A grip shifter is similar to the the gear shifter in a rikshaw nd the thumb control uses your thumbs to control the gears. theres no "better" shifter and it all depends on what you are comfortable with.

Another component that is of importance are the brakes. Most cycles come with brakes where two rubber pads are used to stop the rim by gripping it. some of the high end bikes have disc brakes which are a lot more efficient and dont depend on the condition of the rim. I have experienced that if the rim is even slighlt misaligned the brakes dont work uniformly and this can lead to a lot of trouble.

If you have a slightly bigger budget you can also consider getting a bicycle from Firefox or an imported one . The imported bikes are a LOT better than the Indian ones though I hear the Indian ones have really improved off late. Theres a place in Kalbadevi called Metro Cycles. I think they carry some imported bikes.

btw heres the hero site - Hero Cycles Ltd.

nd heres the firefox site - Firefox Bikes - join the trail! » Bikes

[RX135]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I have BSA Mach1 with 18 gears. I use only gears between 10-15.

BSA Mach-1 was the ultimate cycle to have when I was a kid. Unfortunately, I didn't find one when I looked around this weekend. Are they still doing well?

I am not sure about which way to go. Those "thin" tyre ones like Mach1, Or "thick" tyre ones like Hero Ranger. I am more inclined towards Mach1, but the shocks are available only on Hero ranger type of cycles.

[Adi_k]

Wow, I am not alone.

I was thinking of getting a bicycle as I am shifting to a place which is around 4kms from office. Think would be easy to ride a bicycle to office than car or mo-bike.

Would highly appreciate feedback about bicycles like Mach1

[V-16]

Thanks kHANAK ILL PM U WHEN I GET TO DECIDING AND I WAS LOOKING FOR THE FIREFOX.

[madan80]

@ RX- I picked up my first geared cycle about 2 years ago, and have really enjoyed riding around. I find that if you are on a plain, then stick to not more than the 6 speed, as more than that is a bit of an overkill. Ideally, if you are picking up a cycle after a long time, go for an MTB type cycle. its heavier, and sturdier. Also, for the pune roads, it might help. If you are looking at a price range of about 8K, there is a rathr nifty BSA bike with front and rear shocks for about 5K. My cycle does not have any shocks, and sometimes i wish it did have. atleast in the front. Importantly, when you are picking up your cycle, ride it, and make sure you are comfortable, and that your knees do not hit the handle bar, and your feet touch the ground. Pick up a air pump also for about INR300/- will save you a lot of time. (from expericnce, i hav not been able to use my cycle only because of this). BSA also has a "foldman" that folds up into a 1Ft square bag, however, you cant think of travelling long distances on that, it costs around 7K.

[satish_appasani]

I bought mine 3 years ago. Now even BSA don't list geared Mach 1 on their site.TI corporate. (I believe i have a classic now )

I think Firefox is the way to go for you: Firefox Bikes - join the trail! » Roadpro 2200. Check the address of thir pune dealer at Firefox Bikes - join the trail! » Bike Station.

[satish_appasani]

Originally Posted by madan80

I find that if you are on a plain, then stick to not more than the 6 speed, as more than that is a bit of an overkill.

If you are riding to loose calories, higher gears are ideal. lower gears are more for stress free riding and the bikes moves slower.

[evo8]

I just go a bicycle 4 months back, Hercules turbo drive 6SP .. with suspensions fitted on the frame. pretty cool bike paid around 3500 /- in Bangalore.

I just love to take her for a ride ,i fact i use it regularly to commute to office, which is 10kms from home. I also use it for weekend house related chores.

A bit of an advice , if u plan to buy it and ride it home from the shop, carry an energy drink with u unless you have a good stamina.

[vivekiny2k]

and if it's for occasional outings, i suggest an external bike hanger on the car. i am sure you would be able to get an imported one if not made in india. I don't see why they can't be custom designed either.

roof rack will be for hardocore use of the bike.

[RX135]

I don't know, but I may be able to fit in my car's boot. Petra has huge boot space and even more so, if I fold rear seats completely.

But, as of now, I am not planning to do any such antics.