[itisravi]

Originally Posted by babayaga

Any pointers for shops in Bangalore and hybrid cycle to buy will be most helpful.

A few shops in BLR in no particular order:
Cyclestation - Chinnapanna Halli
Cycling Botique - Indira Nagar
Wheelsports - Chamarajpet
Procycle - Indira Nagar
Crankmeister Bicycle Works - Cox Town
RR cycles - Madiwala
Life Behind Bars Cycles - Indira Nagar (mostly fixies though)
Bums on the Saddle - Jayanagar

And of course the value for money Decathlon stores and various Track and Trail outlets.

Originally Posted by babayaga

Q1. Which cycle to buy ?

Hybrids are the best choice if you want a single bike for everything but personally I prefer a single speed for commuting.

Originally Posted by babayaga

Q2. How feasible is daily office commute ?

Sweat management is the only major issue as long as you keep to the left of the road. Try it out for a week or two. I put wads of cotton in my ear to muffle the horns. Listening to music on earphones is dangerous.

Originally Posted by babayaga

Q3. Does a official partner store help vs a multi brand store not listed as a partner in terms of servicing ?

Not really. Most of the bike shops listed above will happily offer paid service for any branded bicycle. But it is good to buy and service the bike from the same LBS and build a good rapport with them,

Originally Posted by babayaga

Q4. This is a silly question but how many km's before break even is achieved ?

That depends on your bicycle cost and how much you spend on fuel for commute per month . As I wrote in the BBC thread, I achieved break even within 1 year for my btwin mybike.

[Sebring]

You're in luck as BumsOnSaddle has just cleared all old bikes in a Sale and have new hybrids in (2020). I have very good experience with Specialized and urge you to check out the Sirrus (with me for 12 years, but will be disposed of now for a disc model). They have the most elaborate range for hybrids (Specialized) especially. Look up the website

Originally Posted by babayaga

Any pointers for shops in Bangalore and hybrid cycle to buy will be most helpful

[babayaga]

Originally Posted by itisravi

A few shops in BLR in no particular order:

Thanks for tips itisravi . Weirdly cannot find the thanks button.

I got a few leads from RR cycle Madiwala and cycling botique. Will follow up with the quotes and test ride this week. Procycle and Crankmeister unfortunately are ruled out as they do not have something suitable for me.
Rest of the shops I have to follow up.

Cotton in ears is a good tip to muffle the noise. Listening to music , cannot imagine doing that in Bangalore traffic . Why do you think Single speed is suitable for commute vs hybrid. I might still go for hybrid because if commute does not work out for me , I will use it for weekend rides. Very interested to know your views however.

Originally Posted by Sebring

You're in luck as BumsOnSaddle has just cleared all old bikes in a Sale and have new hybrids in (2020).

Thanks Sebring . I did pop over at BOTS yesterday. The new 2020 Specialized Sirrus is way over budget for me at 44K. The old Specialised Sirrus is available at around 38.5K . One thing I did notice was this comes with a Tourney/Altus combination. I could get the same combination much cheaper at about 32.5K in a Trek FX1. Could you please help share your views on this comparison ?

I liked the BOTS staff as they are pretty helpful and spend a lot of time. When I posed the same question to them the answer was the frame on a Specialized was much better than the FX1 .

Thanks for all the help folks.

Regards,
babayaga

[Sudarshan_SMD]

Originally Posted by babayaga

Q1. Which cycle to buy ?

Considering you would also like to BRM's later. You should consider a road bike with endurance geometry. At least do a test ride, to get the feel for yourself.


Compared to a hybrid bike, you will get multiple hand positions, faster speed, and a lighter bike. Also, these days many road bikes can fit up to 700c32 tires which are ample for riding gravel.

There is a kind of skepticism of road bike being not suitable for 'Indian roads'. Just check/search for what bikes are used in 'cyclocross' or 'gravel' races. You'd get the idea. You can also check normal road bikes being races of spring classics races such as 'Paris-Roubaix'.

[itisravi]

Originally Posted by babayaga

. Why do you think Single speed is suitable for commute vs hybrid. I might still go for hybrid because if commute does not work out for me

I prefer a single speed for commuting because it requires very little maintenance. Gears require frequent tuning. Budget groupsets are clunky and require re-adjustments every now and then, especially the front derailleur. Otherwise the shifts won't be that good. Single speeds just let you focus on the road. Clean and lube the chain once in a while and you'll have a smooth and silent ride. The only disadvantage is it might be initially difficult to pedal on flyovers and gradients on your route. It can also be bad on your knees if the route is a constant uphill one way (which I doubt) and you need to mash on the pedals due to lack of appropriate gearing.

[Sebring]

To be honest, I dont have any experience with Trek but I'd certainly look at Giant - as it's been simply great (both are on par, and very similar). My Scott isn't as good a quality as Specialized, shifts are the best on the Sora, there isn't a spot of rust etc. You just missed upto 70% off on the Specialized range, and that would have brought it close to your budget. Its basically how the combination of frame and drive train comes together in Specialized that makes it so nice (the same combination might not give so much comfort on another brand). I also like Cannondale. Check it out. Many outlets allow test rides. So do ride before you commit to it. Good luck.

Originally Posted by babayaga

The old Specialised Sirrus is available at around 38.5K . One thing I did notice was this comes with a Tourney/Altus combination. I could get the same combination much cheaper at about 32.5K in a Trek FX1. Could you please help share your views on this comparison ?

[babayaga]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan_SMD

Considering you would also like to BRM's later. You should consider a road bike with endurance geometry. At least do a test ride, to get the feel for yourself.

Hi Sudarshan. Thanks will give it a try. However road bikes are out of my budget for now.

Originally Posted by itisravi

I prefer a single speed for commuting because it requires very little maintenance. Gears require frequent tuning. Budget groupsets are clunky and require re-adjustments every now and then, especially the front derailleur. Otherwise the shifts won't be that good. Single speeds just let you focus on the road. Clean and lube the chain once in a while and you'll have a smooth and silent ride. The only disadvantage is it might be initially difficult to pedal on flyovers and gradients on your route. It can also be bad on your knees if the route is a constant uphill one way (which I doubt) and you need to mash on the pedals due to lack of appropriate gearing.

Good points itisravi. Considering I am equally inclined for weekend rides and commute. Single speed might not serve my needs well for now. Thanks for the detailed information though. I hadn't realised the easy of using a fixie for commute.

Originally Posted by Sebring

To be honest, I dont have any experience with Trek but I'd certainly look at Giant - as it's been simply great (both are on par, and very similar). My Scott isn't as good a quality as Specialized, shifts are the best on the Sora, there isn't a spot of rust etc. You just missed upto 70% off on the Specialized range, and that would have brought it close to your budget. Its basically how the combination of frame and drive train comes together in Specialized that makes it so nice (the same combination might not give so much comfort on another brand). I also like Cannondale. Check it out. Many outlets allow test rides. So do ride before you commit to it. Good luck.

I have a couple of Scott , Bianchi and Fuji to try out this week. It will be a good comparison against the Specliazed which I have tried out till now. Considering the prices quoted Cannondale , it is akin to molten gold. Too hot to even touch

Regards,
babayaga

P.S. Mods I am unable to find the thanks button not sure why.

[babayaga]

Update : So I called couple of dealers . Some allowed a test ride some didn't and others did not have the model in my size. So far below is the progress on my hunt.

1. Bianchi C Sport - 36K . Very smooth ride. Only downside is this has a hydraulic suspension without lockout . So not too thrilled about it. Plus side of a hydraulic suspension , it offers a much plusher ride by smoothening the minute discrepancy in roads. This is a 2017 model though. Can this cause an issue? Specially for the tires if it is standing in one position for a long time on the shop floor.

2. Specialised Sirrius - 38.5K So a good bike ride quality slightly below the Bianchi. The difference is very minute 20 VS 19.5 I would say.

3. Merida Crossway 15MD - 35K Braking is a plus as this comes equipped with a mechanical disc. Ride quality is okay however the ride quality is a little off compared to the previous two bikes.

So my benchmark in terms of ride quality is the Bianchi C Sport. Will post an update once I test ride the other bikes.

Regards,
babayaga

[babayaga]

Update:

So finally and sourcing loads of shop below are the final two shortlist and my picks.

1. Bianchi C Sport 36K . The benchmark in terms of ride quality. Any bike of lower ride quality I have discarded.

2. Fuji Absolute 39K - 1K discount is being offered by the LBS followed by some freebies such as bottle holder, bell and reflectors. Freebies are not that substantial to be honest.

3. One more thought which I had was is it possible that I could buy a Montra Hybrid with similar specs as above and have the tyre changed. Would a change in the tyre offer a ride quality similar to #1 ?

Problem is no LBS wants to indulge in a test ride with such experiment. The best I have been told is we can change the tyre to the one you want but no test ride with changed tyre.

Will book the bike somewhere this week. For now the only bike budget bike seems to be a Bianchi C Sport 2017 model.

Please share your views .

Regards,
babayaga

[itisravi]

Since you seem to be very happy with the Bianchi's ride quality, just go with it. Looks like it also has hydraulic disc brakes while the Fuji has mechanical ones.

[Sebring]

Some upcoming models look so drool worthy. Even someone who isn't so much into fitness should be tempted to buy. Yummy WhatsApp forward that made my day!

[babayaga]

Originally Posted by itisravi

Since you seem to be very happy with the Bianchi's ride quality, just go with it. Looks like it also has hydraulic disc brakes while the Fuji has mechanical ones.

Thanks itisravi. Do you forsee any issue with buying a old 2017 bike ?

Originally Posted by Sebring

Some upcoming models look so drool worthy. Even someone who isn't so much into fitness should be tempted to buy. Yummy Whatsapp forward that made my day!

Wow these are stunning

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by Sebring

You're in luck as BumsOnSaddle has just cleared all old bikes in a Sale and have new hybrids in (2020).

Heh, i am looking for a single speed bike for my nephew who although is just 10 yrs old but, he is already 5'2 in height. Checked out Frog graphite and Schnell (cant remember the model) yesterday. Both were 24 Inch frame and size wise looked just fine for him.

Wanted to know if BOS still had old stock left and what good cycle can I help him with. The budget is <10K. The Frog was quoted to us at 9.3 and Schnell at 10.3

Cheers

PS - He is a newbie to cycles and still can't balance. The running will be limited but, I want to buy him something that is light weight and keeps him company till he reaches 5'8 or so.

[Sebring]

BOS has closed the sale unfortunately. Next one will be in 2020. Of the two, I'd choose Schnell, since I have seen many in my apartment building.

Originally Posted by pareshraheja

The Frog was quoted to us at 9.3 and Schnell at 10.3

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by Sebring

BOS has closed the sale unfortunately. Next one will be in 2020. Of the two, I'd choose Schnell, since I have seen many in my apartment building.

Thanks for the quick reply. What I just learnt this morning was, Schnell although sounds German is actually an Indian brand out of Pune.

So, my query was if it is worth checking out Firefox bikes (in comparison to Frog and Schnell) since I really enjoyed owning the Firefox Rapid for last 3 years although my running has been low. Also, any thoughts on the brand called Keysto

The only grouse is Firefox showroom is quite far for me since I live in Malleswaram.

Cheers