[Aditya]

Originally Posted by prabhul

Hi,
What do you think about UT bikes. Had a look at them yesterday and they look to be great value buy. Had a short test ride too and looked promising.

Seen these at a store. The guy there told me UT is a branch of Hero. I've never seen anyone riding a UT though.

Saw few Merida bikes, looked very stylish but comes with a cost.

It's a good brand.

Is the fact that "more you spend the better bike you get" is true? Or some are expensive just for their brand value?

It's a bit of both. In general, more expensive bikes are lighter, better built and use better quality components. They are also likely to last longer, provided they don't meet with an accident.

Of course, you have to draw a line considering your needs and budget. But, always buy something that you feel will be safe enough to pass on to someone when you want to upgrade. Buy quality.

[prabhul]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Of course, you have to draw a line considering your needs and budget. But, always buy something that you feel will be safe enough to pass on to someone when you want to upgrade. Buy quality.

After a lot of thought and speaking to few experts in cycling have zeroed in on Schwinn Super Sport 2D - 2016 and Fuji Absolute 1.9 Disc

Anybody here owns these, feedback will be useful in selecting one.

[minzanurag]

I have a Jamis Nova Sport 2015 model cyclocross bike here in the UK. I will be relocating to Pune soon and currently, I am in a dilemma whether to sell the bike or carry it back.

The reasons

1. Luggage - £150. This is fixed Air India charges.

2. Import duty - A colleague of mine took his bike back and was not charged any duties on the same. May be a one-off case but still. Will it attract 30% duty on the depreciated value?.

3. Availability of spares - Checked Amazon.in and couldnt find any Jamis related spares or stock tyres (Vittoria 32c) for my bike. Is it ok to use tyres from other manufacturers without any issues?. If I choose to import, is it a viable option?

4. Are multi brand shops in Pune good enough to service the bikes. I normally do the basic servicing myself but for any other issues, any good shops?.

I really like the bike and throughly enjoyed riding it over long distances in the summers here. Even though I don't know how much will I cycle back in India (purely recreational), just want to understand which makes better sense. Difficult decision difficult time.

Cheers,
A

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by prabhul

After a lot of thought and speaking to few experts in cycling have zeroed in on Schwinn Super Sport 2D - 2016 and Fuji Absolute 1.9 Disc

Anybody here owns these, feedback will be useful in selecting one.

While I do not own any of these bikes, I have a Fuji road bike - Altamira 3.0, and I have inspected other Fuji road bikes, I would definitely vouch for Fuji quality.

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by minzanurag

I have a Jamis Nova Sport 2015 model cyclocross bike here in the UK. I will be relocating to Pune soon and currently, I am in a dilemma whether to sell the bike or carry it back. ....

Bicycles in India cost a substantial amount more than in Europe or even the US, mainly due to import duties. If you were to import your Jamis Nova Sport into India, its import duty would probably in the range of Rs 13-15k.

About bringing the bike with you, I know of friends who have brought old or even brand new bikes with them as luggage into India and not been asked to pay duty. Most spares are quite readily available in India. Of course, if you are looking for Campagnolo derailleurs etc, you may need to wait, but if it is Shimano, or even SRAM to some extent, you can buy off the shelf. Tires and tubes, you can use any make without any issue. I have bought tires from local shops as well as imported through Evans or Wiggle. For service, I am not sure about Pune, but going by the level of reliability of Bombay shops, you will probably find one or two in Pune who are reliable. I do most of my servicing myself. I enjoy it, plus the distance is a hassle. Bicycling in Pune is more popular than it is in Bombay, and I am sure you will be able to seek out like minded folks to keep your nice hobby alive.


In fact, you might even consider investing in a carbon bike with high end components and save the customs duty.

[minzanurag]

Originally Posted by prabuddhadg

Bicycles in India cost a substantial amount more than in Europe or even the US,....

... I know of friends who have brought old or even brand new bikes with them as luggage into India and not been asked to pay duty. ....

Most spares are quite readily available in India. ...

Bicycling in Pune is more popular than it is in Bombay, and I am sure you will be able to seek out like minded folks to keep your nice hobby alive.


In fact, you might even consider investing in a carbon bike with high end components and save the customs duty.

Thanks for a quick reply and suggestions. In fact, the factors highlighted above, it should be a no brainer to carry my bike back to India. I will explore options of riding (group/solo) afterwards.

[Eddy]

A cousin is looking to buy his 11 year old son a bicycle. What are the things to look out for, features etc ? Suggestions ?

It will be nice if it is cycle that can be used by both father and son !

Budget - 10k

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by Eddy

A cousin is looking to buy his 11 year old son a bicycle. What are the things to look out for, features etc ? Suggestions ?

It will be nice if it is cycle that can be used by both father and son !

Budget - 10k

Bicycle frames come in different sizes. A short person requires a smaller frame. In fact, high end bicycles are manufactured in even as little as 1 cm increments of frame sizes.

If the 11 year old and his father (I assume their heights differ by at least a foot) were to ride the same bicycle, either both or at least one of them would b riding an unsuitably set up bike.

I suppose they are looking to do short joyrides. Any steel or aluminium alloy frame would do. Alloy would be lighter but harsher in feel. Single speed would be just fine. No suspension, either front or rear.

The 11 year old would require shorter reach (gap between saddle and handlebars) and a lower saddle. While the reach is not easy to keep switching, saddle height can be quickly adjusted if the seat post comes with a quick release lever.

Finally I would say getting a single bicycle for both would be a major compromise and one of the two may end up not finding cycling at all interesting.

[Eddy]

Hmmmm... Thanks. Assume that if it were only for the kid then, which brands do you recommend ?

I have heard only of firefox, but not sure how much it costs

[amitoj]

Does anyone have access to Expresso bikes in their gym? http://expresso.com/Home
The YMCA gym that I go to has a few of them and I love getting a good workout on them. They have 4 levels of courses : Basic, Moderate, Challenging and Extreme.
Apart from that, I am told that you can have an online race with others as well. And there are some games based workouts as well.
What I love about this bike is that I can create my own rider ID and then track my progress, calories burnt, miles logged etc. Here is a snapshot from my last workout:


And you can compare how well you did with the riders from your gym or globally:


It is of course not the same as actually riding a bike. For example, there is no coasting on the downhills. You have to keep pushing but the effort will be lesser, of course. Also, you can adjust the seat height and fore-aft positioning of the seat and that's about it. But it does serve as a nice alternative when the weather doesn't allow you to ride your bike outside.

[yogi1771]

^^For that matter you can get an indoor trainer for the cycle.

[BB311]

Fellow Bhp-ians,

I loved cycling in my school days, and still remember myself riding my Hero Hawk for countless hours every evening in Chandigarh. I used to ride on the lake road from my House in sector 8. I remember, my daily rider always used to cross 20kms at that time and how much i loved that and how fit I was back then.

Fast forward to 2016 (12 Years), I am fat (112 Kg) and stand tall at 6'2". Every time I see people cycling early morning in Noida my urge to cycle comes back. I am sure I will resume cycling in the next months, and I have a Decathlon Showroom right next to my flat here in Indirapuram (NCR). However, I am very hesitant to go their with all my flab around and make fun of myself. I wonder if their are cycles that will fit me and not get crushed under my mammoth weight. Is their any online option available to buy a bike ? Which are the good companies nowadays, whose bikes will not get crushed under me ?

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by BB311

Fellow Bhp-ians,

I loved cycling in my school days, and still remember myself riding my Hero Hawk for countless hours every evening in Chandigarh. I used to ride on the lake road from my House in sector 8. I remember, my daily rider always used to cross 20kms at that time and how much i loved that and how fit I was back then.

Fast forward to 2016 (12 Years), I am fat (112 Kg) and stand tall at 6'2". Every time I see people cycling early morning in Noida my urge to cycle comes back. I am sure I will resume cycling in the next months, and I have a Decathlon Showroom right next to my flat here in Indirapuram (NCR). However, I am very hesitant to go their with all my flab around and make fun of myself. I wonder if their are cycles that will fit me and not get crushed under my mammoth weight. Is their any online option available to buy a bike ? Which are the good companies nowadays, whose bikes will not get crushed under me ?

Dear Sir - I am part of the gang of cyclists in Indirapuram and we do 25-30 km rides on weekdays and more on weekends. Look up ICC on FB or PM me.
I started out in a similar condition as you, and am now considerably lighter.
The staff at the Decathlon outlet here are truly helpful and supportive. Speak with Sandeep/Rehaan/Nishant, and they will guide you well. Or, I can come along and help you kick start this habit.
All the best.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by yogi1771

^^For that matter you can get an indoor trainer for the cycle.

Yeah but it won't have the benefit of comparing your performance with others, like this one.

Anyway, yesterday I did a 24 mile ride with a group of cyclists here. Last year when I did this, i was laid out with lower back pain for a few days That was in the fall season. Since then i have been spending time in the gym to strengthen my core, lower back, upper back as well as legs. I am hoping that all that time and effort has paid off and that yesterday's ride has not done the same amount of damage as last year. Will be watching my back for the next 48 hours.

[yogi1771]

^^You get software for the PC which connects to the Ant+ sensors on the bike like speed cadence power. The most popular one is Zwift.