[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Hey Doc, ever heard of a Stärkenn?

Scrap guy found this in the village and brought it for me today:

Attachment 2072719

Very light aluminum frame / V-brakes, Shimano thumb-shifters, quick-release wheels in a 24" wheel size. Front shocks / handle are steel, rest all aluminum. All but front rim (run flat on rough ground, apparently) in great condition, seems hardly used/worn, the one Kenda with it in good shape too.

I think I've got everything I need to put it together, excepting tubes and handgrips, so should be a pretty quick/easy build.

Model is a Neo 4400V, but couldn't find anything about it online (I seem to be collecting rare bikes now - speaking of which, this Sangpu I bought, too, only found on a Kyrgyz website...):

Attachment 2072727


Anyway, guess the Stārkenn will be my son's next cycle, as he's about ready to move up from his current 20", which has lots of gears and discs and looks cool, but is extremely heavy.

This one ought to go a lot better in the woods...

-Eric

Starkenn was the Indian company that initially was the dealer for Giant out of Poona till they went bust and Giant went out on their own.

Their bikes were usually 10-15k cheaper than the equivalent Giant, usually MTBs and Hybrids.

Cheers, Doc

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by greyhound82

The problem is most of the available cycles from Decathlon are either entry range or high end road bikes . Am looking for one in the mid range budget ,

Will visit decathlon Indore and check if there is a hybrid available

Frankly, not familiar with brands you mention. Even decathlon has supply issues. I suggest installing the app (because it is faster) and checking availability twice a day. My choice was available 3 - 4 days before 17th, and went out of stock. Then came back on 17th, but sold out overnight. And again came back again on 20th. That is the Riverside 100. The RIVERSIDE 500 was in stock 2 or three days later and went out of stock real soon. So take a test ride, confirm your size and buy online.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by greyhound82

Am looking for one in the mid range budget , like a Trek fx3 or Fx2 .Was using a trek 3700 for over 6 years . Need to start cycling again due to health issues . Weight is at 80kg and alarmingly increasing

I'm in the camp of plonking money on models/brands like those than a Decathlon. Nothing against the latter but in my own view, the investment pays out in the longer run.

P.s. FX series are an excellent choice. Another option (low probability of scoring) is to keep looking at used deals online. Before I got my current bike, I had advertised / looked around. Found a Specialized Sirrus (~1.5 years old) hybrid being sold for 28k (and negotiable). Unfortunately for me, the guy was based out of Bangalore. I finally found a used Merida in Bombay for less than 50% of the original price.

Edit: with regards to your original query of going the build route, the sum of the parts/components would probably add up to a higher amount than the price of the bike. Also you'll need a really competent mech to help you do the build, which won't be easy or cheap.

[ringoism]

I seem to be on a buying spree these days, collecting projects for the long winter ahead. As of today another addition:



Hero Thunder MTB.

Had seen this several days ago and wasn't overly impressed/ interested, but got thinking an old-school MTB/ hybrid-type thing would be cool to own/refurb.

So rigid steel fork, and the rest all aluminum.

Needs only front brakes, front tyre, and the usual full CLA.

Crankset looks to be a nice one, derailleur is crap but will do for now - a very curvy/sexy old-style polished aluminum handle... and good ol' twister-shifters, all hung on a 19.5" frame.

But here's the real shocker: It weighs a pretty respectable 12.5kg's, making it my lightest bike yet... Quite an inspiring find at only ₹4,000.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Did the same route twice this week.
Tuesday on Hybrid, 49:48 (Avg speed 29kmph)
Today on Roadie, 45:55 (Avg speed 31.5kmph)
A new personal best

Ultra 700 AL is really fast
Cheers!

Same route on Hybrid today, 47:54, avg speed 30.2kmph.
First time crossed avg 30kmph on hybrid.
BTW, a new personal best: 217W

[ringoism]

I seem to be on a buying spree lately, in seeking good winter cycle projects. Latest as of today:



Saw this a few days back for sale
at a local cycle shop and wasn't overly impressed / drawn at the time... But got to thinking an old-school MTB /hybrid would make a nice addition for more road-oriented use, and as a companion to the aluminum high-polish Firefox I built for my wife.

So this is a Hero Thunder MTB. Rigid steel fork and all else aluminum. 19.5" frame, V-brakes, looks to have nice cranks with a bigger chainwheel than usual and the curvy, sexy, old-school polished handle is hung with the ubiquitous twister-shifters. Derailleur is extremely humble but will do for now. Hook-type, so no bothering with those stupidly fragile and expensive hangers. Has one fresh Kenda of aggressive tread out back, needs nothing but front rubber & brakes, other than that only a a cable or two and full CLA.

But here's the clincher: Was shocked when I got home to hang it on the scale and find that this old, unimposing 21-gear Hero weighs only 12.5kgs!... making it my lightest bike yet, fully 2kg lighter than the Merida Matts 20 or (recently upgraded) alloy Firefox, which each come in at around 14.5.

I figure with some bit thinner gravel/hybrid rubber this thing should really fly on-road. At least compared to anything else I've got!

Quite a satisfying find at ₹4,000, and REALLY looking forward to fixing this one up!

-Eric

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Well ... the Lords say so. Now, if only the Gods @ road design wing condescend....
https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-n...PQwKTp6xL.html

[ringoism]

Re: those "Alpine gear" freewheels that Doc mentioned several posts back:



Threw a spare one on my kid's little 20" Avon Rowdy (last week's rebuild of a ₹600 scrap bike), and it seriously worked wonders... He's not quite 7 years, and can handle just about any incline around here, even with the single front chainwheel.



In other news, was wondering if anyone else has experience with this brand:



Very prominent and narrow centerline blocks for easy rolling, and nice, sharp shoulder blocks with big voids on the edges. And Nylon belts (Gonna insist on those henceforth, after blowing out three older cotton-corded desi tyres last week, two being Ralsons with like-new tread). Compound is hard but I'm told by the local seller (who only had this single piece) that they don't crack in winter.

Unmarked as to where they're made, but they seem to have an Indian vibe to them, they cost hardly more than some of the useless ones, and if anyone knows where I can order online would like to order some in other sizes.




Found another apparently rare ACT HERCULES this morning, scrap guys had sold to a neighbor in pristine condition, appearing hardly used but with gear problems @ only ₹2,000...

He got it fixed and wants ₹8k now... probably too much for me though it's clean - steel cranks and only single disc vs. my 108Max, same adjustable stem and seems to be aluminum-framed. It's the full-suspension ACT 107MAX, which again I can't find info on, similar to the 106 MAX below, but with a vertically-mounted rear shocker:



On a final note, my 108 was STOLEN from outside my shop just after dark last night, as I was working /chatting with a friend inside. Searched around for what would have been easily identifiable tyre tracks but couldn't find much.
Someone said he may have seen it with some kids a half km away, nearby hotel said to come check their CCTV in the morning. I did lose a little sleep over it, but had sent pics to local WhatsApp groups, and by 8:00am it was (thank God) discovered here:



Seems the thieves were foiled by a high terrace wall and three rows of barbed wire trying to find an off-road shortcut home, and being more or less trapped, decided to just drop it.

Not a valuable bike, but I like unique stuff and would have really hated to lose it. It has done so much to inspire me lately.

Grateful for small blessings.

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

It's the full-suspension ACT 107MAX, which again I can't find info on, similar to the 106 MAX below, but with a vertically-mounted rear shocker:

-Eric

https://youtu.be/oFiy2mQ9niY

It's nowhere close to as nice and pro a linkage and frame as the 108 which you have.

Suggest you pay more attention to it. The rat look has obviously not fooled those who know bikes.

Also, it might be a good idea to add 2-3 links to the chain on your son's bike if he's going to be using the granny gear a lot.

Right now the cage is pulled all the way forward and the pivot is under max tension. Could easily snap off. Typically in this lowest gear position around 45 degrees is ok.

Cheers, Doc

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

https://Youtu.be/oFiy2mQ9niY

Suggest you pay more attention to it. The rat look has obviously not fooled those who know bikes.

Also, it might be a good idea to add 2-3 links to the chain on your son's bike if he's going to be using the granny gear a lot.

Right now the cage is pulled all the way forward and the pivot is under max tension. Could easily snap off. Typically in this lowest gear position around 45 degrees is ok.

Cheers, Doc

You're right about the chain length, it's pretty marginal, will take care of it.

The 108 was stolen by a kid actually... eyewitnesses at the shops up the road had said so, and a hotel CCTV confirmed, though not clear enough to ID. I was wrong about the barbed wire etc foiling the attempt... that CCTV footage was recorded nearly a kilometer away, enroute to the next village north, well beyond where it was found next morning. Very possibly he got wind of the photos circulating on social media, or got otherwise scolded/ scared, and brought it back in my direction and dumped it in a discreet spot within a couple hundred meters of where he'd taken it from. Seems that kids around here have stolen bikes quite often, sadly...


Had another fun couple hours with it in the forest Sunday, but one question:

If I was going to upgrade the front forks on this, what would be my options, without spending a ton of money, and bearing in mind the smaller old-style spindle / stem? I could probably re-bush these ones to deal with the fore/aft play, but they'd still be non-adjustable and the springs strike me as being far too soft for anything serious, much softer than the rear one.

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

If I was going to upgrade the front forks on this, what would be my options, without spending a ton of money, and bearing in mind the smaller old-style spindle / stem? I could probably re-bush these ones to deal with the fore/aft play, but they'd still be non-adjustable and the springs strike me as being far too soft for anything serious, much softer than the rear one.

-Eric

You could buy the cheaper Zoom units or the more expensive but much better working Suntour ones.

These are available online or at cycle shops (on order). Usually 5-8k for simple V brake 26 inch non adjustable non lockout foks.

Online you could check with Suncross bikes, by calling them up for availability, shipping and prices ...

https://www.suncrossbikes.com/access...ndex.php?id=15

The cheaper option with 2 years no questions asked warranty and hassle free return would be Decathlon own brand UFit forks from their Rockriders ... you could get a brand new unit in less than 4k. These are Taiwan made.

https://www.decathlon.in/p/8536976/r...ke-qr-9mm-ufit

There would be many other cheaper forks in the local market, maybe in 1500-2000 bucks. But it's a lottery with them unless you have inside knowledge which ones to look for. Mainly Ludhiana market.

Last option of course is salvage forks and canibalizing more than one pair to make a single working unit. But the difficulty there is that the only time shops scrap forks is when they get bent in a hit. Either the steerer tube or the stanchions will be beyond repair.

Cheers, Doc

[Mi10]

2400 kms in last 4 months and finally did my 20 min FTP test . Easily the toughest thing I have ever done in cycling ! However was really happy with my overall effort.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Mi10

2400 kms in last 4 months and finally did my 20 min FTP test . Easily the toughest thing I have ever done in cycling ! However was really happy with my overall effort.

Biggest challenge in life is to discover one's limitations; greatest satisfaction is derived from surpassing them.

Keep it up!!!

[Prodigy07]

Hi All,

I'm planning to get a new bicycle for my 9 yrs old son.

Please suggest options in the price range 6-8K.

I'm thinking of getting them online rather than visiting a store.

Also, how good are Rockrider bicycles from Decathlon?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Heght please? You intend /the rockrider for your son?