[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Only for you, phamilyman. This is the only pic I have, and there are two of them in it - the white one belongs to my son, the all-black is mine. Ignore the handlebar setup - they were raised for a long-ish ride the next day:

Gorgeous. I like bikes like that - all bike, no fancy decal

Curious - have you worked out multiple fits? Like a regular ride fit/race fit/long ride fit? I got myself properly fit and havent touched it since! I'm very risk averse and loathe to changing anything before long rides esp.

And if you don't mind - why the CAAD10 vs a Carbon? CAAD10 is for folks like us with limited budgets - surely budget wasnt your driving factor, what was it?

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Well opinions differ. As I said, I was quoting the general opinion out here. Two of the biggest and most popular shops (chains) in Chicago recommended the GatorSkin over anything else for puncture resistance. Anyway, since we are discussing rides, what's yours?

That's what I meant - in the developed countries in most metropolitan areas it would be colossal overkill to get SMPs.

KHS220. Here's when I got it - got no ride pics on me at the moment.

[akshaymahajan]

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[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Curious - have you worked out multiple fits? Like a regular ride fit/race fit/long ride fit? I got myself properly fit and havent touched it since! I'm very risk averse and loathe to changing anything before long rides esp.

And if you don't mind - why the CAAD10 vs a Carbon? CAAD10 is for folks like us with limited budgets - surely budget wasnt your driving factor, what was it?

I'm not a competitive biker - I got in because my son was interested and decided to give him company, then I had to buy the same bike just to keep him within sighting distance and now I can't even do that. Got fitting done for my height and pedal sets (am not using cleats), and adjust the bar when required to do longer distances, mostly to save my back. My son rides competitively and he does the same for long rides. If there is a good enough reason for not doing so, I am open to advice.

CAAD10 v/s carbon is a personal preference. It was a decision between an entry level Carbon v/s the best of aluminium, and I preferred the best of one line v/s entry level in another. Its probably not the most logical decision, but it does the job for us.

[vaspro]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Another friend has the Cateye wireless and it keeps missing data.

Which model of Cateye that your friend has?

I picked up Cateye Stealth50 in US last June, along with speed+cadence sensor and heart-rate monitor belt. Total cost $200, it works like a charm for me. Heart rate monitor belt is easy to wear and this computer records GPS, has backlight. Built-in memory to record multiple trips, simple app for downloading multiple trips to PC or upload to Strava directly. Didnt face any problems of missing data etc. For the given features list this is VFM buy.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by vaspro

Which model of Cateye that your friend has?

Model was Strada Slim wireless. Several attempts to fix it failed.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I'm not a competitive biker - I got in because my son was interested and decided to give him company, then I had to buy the same bike just to keep him within sighting distance and now I can't even do that. Got fitting done for my height and pedal sets (am not using cleats), and adjust the bar when required to do longer distances, mostly to save my back. My son rides competitively and he does the same for long rides. If there is a good enough reason for not doing so, I am open to advice.

Since your son is much younger, you should've bought a better bike to give yourself an advantage :-)

Most regular weekend riders like me normally don't adjust our bikes whether its the usual 35-40k or whether its a century. Thats why i was surprised.

Even the ranndonneurs are setup for a relaxed 200k.

Now that your son's context is clear, it makes sense - you'd have a more aggressive setup on regular short ride days to maximize your efficiency, and a more relaxed one for longer rides. If that works for you - no issues. Most people don't have the kind of experience to set things right once, much less, flip things around regularly.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

CAAD10 v/s carbon is a personal preference. It was a decision between an entry level Carbon v/s the best of aluminium, and I preferred the best of one line v/s entry level in another. Its probably not the most logical decision, but it does the job for us.

That makes a lot of sense.

[mail4ajo]

Steeriod, whats the feedback on the Arione saddle? I am planning to get one. Will Antares be better? I am just looking at maximum comfort over long rides.

[vijaytiwari]

Finally heeded Fintail's posts juices and booked a Montra 1.2 Blue 2015 should be getting it in a weeks time, meanwhile want to know the availability of slicks and if some one knows the fitting procedure ,i stay in Nasik.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Most people don't have the kind of experience to set things right once, much less, flip things around regularly.

Just use a marker to colour the notch on your bar inside the stem.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Steeriod, whats the feedback on the Arione saddle? I am planning to get one. Will Antares be better? I am just looking at maximum comfort over long rides.

No idea - I'm no expert on these things. As far as I am concerned all saddles are a pain in the backside.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by vijaytiwari

Finally heeded Fintail's posts juices and booked a Montra 1.2 Blue 2015 should be getting it in a weeks time, meanwhile want to know the availability of slicks and if some one knows the fitting procedure ,i stay in Nasik.

http://freerider.in/drupal/General/Cycling-Gyan#FitQn has some links to videos that can help + general gyan.

btw its recommended figure out the fit BEFORE you buy, not after

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Just use a marker to colour the notch on your bar inside the stem.

Yes, that is a good idea.
I have used the plumbing thread seal tape to mark my saddle height too.

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by vijaytiwari

Finally heeded Fintail's posts juices and booked a Montra 1.2 Blue 2015 should be getting it in a weeks time, meanwhile want to know the availability of slicks and if some one knows the fitting procedure ,i stay in Nasik.

Ask your local Montra dealer!

Slidewell Meilleur Tech Pvt Ltd
Shop No 3 & 4, Space Voyager, Near Nirmaan House,
Patil Lane No - 4, College Road,
Nashik - 422 005
Maharashtra
Tel : 0253 - 6575777
Mobile : 9011020590

Procedure-? It is a D-I-Y. Installed the ones on mine, meself.

Even a roadside guy could do it. A child of three as well. Perfectly simple.

If your's is a Blues- Then, Slicks come by default, saar. Only the Rock series has the hard, knobbly tyres.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Ask your local Montra dealer!



Procedure-? It is a D-I-Y. Installed the ones on mine, meself.

Even a roadside guy could do it. A child of three as well. Perfectly simple.

If your's is a Blues- Then, Slicks come by default, saar. Only the Rock series has the hard, knobbly tyres.

oh damn - i misunderstood Vijay. You're right. No extra fitting required.

[FINTAIL]

For an indigenous bike brand, Montra has been worth it from my side. I bought mine, back in 2012. Initially I felt that it was not worth it- Trust me, the niggles were overwhelming. The original Kenda SmallBlockEight's went bust within 2 months. Brakes went kaput at 3 months. The gears + chains, were misaligned, out of tune, by the bike had done some 2.5k kilometers- by early 2013.

After the first overhaul, it has been smooth sailing. Nearly 9k kilometers on...This thingy keeps on getting better and better. Full credits to the original dealers- Surinder Cycles, Poona, The Everest Cycle Company, Seawoods, New Bombay- and my mech at Giant, Baner, Poona-45.

The official dealer attitude has been excellent, and post the initial niggles, I hear, the second half 2012-early 2013 one's had substantial improvements in quality. FULL MARKS-

Many of you here, will know that I've been looking for an upgrade for a while. What pissed me off was the lack of high quality bike's in a lowish budget. I was looking at the Firefox one- Deplored it. The Orbea Aqua- IIRC, was an excellent one. The Trek 3 series felt excellent. And, so did the Schwinn Fastback 3.

So- It was to be the Schwinn.

BUT- I was convinced about one thing. Although a road bike was going to be an enriching AND NEW experience, it simply wasn't worth the differential, over the total money spent on my 2012 Montra Rock 1 on setting it up, to what it became, from 26 November 2013. I wanted a good, reliable commuter, which could do sustain excellent average speeds. My 2012 Moontra Rock one could sustain ~23-28 KMPH in the hills of Pune. If I did end up buying a roadie, I would get an increased speed- yes. The differential is however miniscule- at max, 5-10 KMPH.

And, that DID NOT FEEL VFM. The accident came, and I quit riding, for a while.

Thus, the new bike plan went down. Or so it seems. I got the news today, that @MontraIndia has launched 3 new roadie's, at a sub 40k price.

The following are the new releases for 2015:

A] MONTRA UNPLUGGED 1.1 2015 :

The Montra Unplugged 1.1 is an entry-level road bike that offers outstanding value for money and superb performance all wrapped up in a smart-looking package. The ride feel is very sprightly with a decent turn of speed and very sure-footed handling that will make anyone buying their first road bike feel right at home.

It still has what look's like an entry level MTB gearing. Shimano Tourney. My 2012 Rock 1 has better Acera's. No freewheel/removeable rims evident. Quite a downer.

The price- 24,000 INR. VFMness. Personified.



2] The MONTRA CELTIC 2.1 2015 :

The Montra Celtic 2.1 is the bike to beat when it comes to affordable aluminum bicycles. Get out and ride the Celtic 2.1 and it will be immediately apparent that this is an impressive race focused bicycle. Its geometry mirrors racing standards in every way, and the impressive components make it a sharp and swift-handling machine.

The price: 33,000 INR. Sweet. Loved this one! Feels like a proper roadie! 8 rear gears...et al.



3] MONTRA CELTIC 2.2 2015 :

The light, sleek, ride-tuned aluminum frame of the Celtic 2.2 Road Bike provides the intuitive responsiveness of Montra’s precision design. This bicycle let’s you enjoy the best components at an affordable price. The short wheelbase and the light frame weight make this a nimble beast with fast and controlled handling.

This one- is even more a proper roadie, than the 2.1. Price- 40,000 INR. Lovely!



These new launches are just.....Lovely! My confidence in this brand is high. Hopefully niggles will not be evident this time around. I'm awaiting initial user reports- particularly about the gremlins encountered.

Come April, and quite possibly...

Links:

1] http://montra.in/bicycles/road/montr...gged-1-1-2015/

2] http://montra.in/bicycles/road/montra-celtic-2-1-2015/

3] http://montra.in/bicycles/road/montra-celtic-2-2-2015/

Thanks!

Anyone out for a new roadie- Do consider these new kids on the block. Be wary of niggles, though.

[kumar2007]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I had gotten the Schwalbe Marathon+ in Nov 2012. Peace of mind ever since.

I'd gotten a deal for SMP (London 28c) for 3300 a pair (no customs!!). Its taken about 3500km of riding in the last two years without a single puncture. I'm not complaining much hence. I'm anyways an out of shape 26-28 kph averaging roadie.

When I get bored I will ultimately upgrade to the GP4000s. They are supposed to be the gold standard for quick puncture proof tyres in the affordable (5k/tyre) range.

I would avoid those tyres. They have lots of side wall issues. Ultremos, Michelins Prorace are good alternatives.