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Oh!! Extremely sorry.

Thanks for your input. Your cycle looks fabulous.
And the video is quite inspirational. Do we need to modify the tyre? a slick type will be better?

The Montra Blues, being hybrid comes with a more or less MTB inspired frame, with road tyres. So, to put it into perspective:

It comes shod with slicks.

Simple, no? :D

I find the tyre liners are of just no use with the great road conditions of India (specifically Mumbai),they are just good to prevent punctures from small thorns that's it. Though this nail is a big one earlier also had collected a puncture caused by a small nail :Frustrati.

Friends - did a 60Km ride to panshet on my rr 5.0, tough ride for me due to the constant uphill sections. The weather was perfect however coming back i had a real tough time, got to improve my fitness a lot still. The total time taken was 3.5 hours

Unfortunately lost my strava recording of the ride as my phone froze and rebooted while was uploading the ride details

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Gentlemen-

Please help me make a decision on a Cycle purchase.

A bit about me:
- I'm in my late thirties now
- Am around 5'9"
- Lead a very sedentary lifestyle and love to eat
- Have a cervical problem (C5&6 bulge)
- Not permitted to jog or hit the treadmill, due to 3 past sports injuries on my right leg

So, it all adds up, and I'm about to enter the three digit weight category with almost getting into a 40+ waist size!

Recently, a couple of friends of mine who are about 20% heavier than I am, took to cycling regularly, and the results look encouraging.

So, I've decided to get into cycling myself, and before I lose the initiative or motivation, pick up a cycle and start off. I'm looking at a daily cycling run of around 15 km to start things off.

My selection journey so far:
- I started with a budget of 10-12k, purely because I don't know yet, whether or not I shall be able to sustain it. Plus, there was and is, huge resistance from my family, due to safety concerns.
- I rode a few MTB's in that price range (Fusion, Target etc.), but didn't like the MTB's at all. Sure they look cool, but they don't ride easy or smooth.
- Then I tried the road bikes and hybrids, but didn't like the aggressive riding position of the road bikes. I liked the hybrids a lot.
- I also realized that in my budget, I wouldn't find any decent hybrid, so I have upped my budget now to 20k. And, THAT is really the limit for me for now.
- The cycles that I have tried so far:
1. Montra Fixed Fork - Loved the riding position and ease. Cycle feels light. (16.5K INR)
2. Montra Blues 1.1 - Very nice ride quality, position and easy to ride. (17.5K INR)
3. BTWIN Riverside 500 - Good ride quality, easy to move but a tad aggressive seating position. (20K INR)
4. BTWIN Original 5 - Very comfortable riding position, but the Decathlon salesman was giving all sorts of wishy washy excuses not to buy it, and instead get the Riverside. I did feel it was a wee bit heavier than all the other cycles. (16K INR)
5. Firefox Road Runner Pro V - Value for money but kinda average cycle. It's fairly light and easy to get moving. The riding position isn't the best, but not uncomfortable. (15K INR)

So, given the above, which of these do you think I should be getting? I certainly don't want to go a Rupee beyond the Riverside's buying price. And, I want it to buy latest tomorrow!

Thanks All.

P.S. - The above list was driven by the reviews I had read so far on this thread and from hearsay.

Both, Montra and BTwin are decent brands. You wouldn't go wrong with any of them. While buying a bicycle, as many bhpians would have pointed out, the most important thing is the fit. You should feel comfortable with the reach and seating position. Looks like you like Montra more than BTwin when it comes to fit. But when you say comfortable seating, I hope, you don't mean a bit upright and relaxed seating. This might feel good now but once you start riding, a forward leaning riding position would be desirable which may or may not be achievable with bike you buy.

Also, check what groupset the bikes come with. You can see the hierarchy of them on the website choosemybicycle.com. After the fit, buy the one with better component groupset.

Thanks Shipnil.

I had no idea whatsoever, about what a Groupset is! Thanks for pointing this out. Seems like the Montra Blues has a pretty basic one, and the one in the Riverside 500 a wee bit better. The site that you mentioned is down right now, but I'll keep trying.

Regarding what I said about the Riverside seating position being aggressive, what I meant was, I felt there was more of my (not insignificant) upper body weight on my arms. But, that is not to say that the Montra is upright seating. It just distributes my body weight a little bit better.

So now, between the Blues and the 500, I have the former, which offers a 5-10% better position but with inferior groupset, and the latter the reverse but at a 2.5k higher price tag.

Can't I just pick the Blues and think about upgrading the Groupset later?

^ The more I research, the more I lean towards the Montra Blues 1.1. I figured that the Altus Gearset that comes with it, is about the entry level one, but I can always upgrade to Acera or better later and once this wears out.
I hope this is not a waste of hard earned money..... :)

All of these options are decent. Just get a good group and start doing 30-40km everyday. THAT matters.

btwin would be a wee bit more reliable.

Choose the one your heart skips a beat for/paintjob you like.

fixed fork if you will not do off-road/have decent roads around you :)

Just buy the Montra Blues. It sure can last a lot.

Yes, you can upgrade components later.

Update: I bought the Montra Blues. Went to Decathlon in the evening to try the Riverside again, but still felt more comfortable riding the Montra.
Thanks Hitanshu, Fintail, Shipnil for helping me make up my mind.
As Hitanshu said, it's more important to hit the road, and that starts tomorrow.
Wish me all the best gentlemen. :)

After some research on fast road oriented hybrids I decided to take the plunge and directly buy a nice road bike instead. Bit of a punt considering the last time I cycled was more than 20 years ago when I was in my mid teens. Loving it though and glad I went the roadie way.

Here's a pic. It's a Pinarello FP Uno 2013 model. Just got it today.

Congrats! Now...the fun begins- :D

Congrats! clap:

What sort of discounts did you get on her?

Hi Axe nice bike,did you get it from Keny.