[sharma_sanjeevi]

Hello,

Do you guys remember the Good-Old BSA SLR ?
It was a cycle for which i longed upon when i was a kid.
I am an 80-90s Kid, so at that point in time, BSA SLR was THE most popular bike.

But, somehow i could not lay my hand on to that bike. That time it came with a Steering Lock and that for me was its USP apart from the looks and smoothness.
I used to ride the SLR which was owned by my school friend.

Was searching for any old SLR which may be for sale. Then came across BSA SLR Photon EX Model. And, enquired about it.

Didn't knew that there is a dealer in Mumbai as well. I reached to a cycle dealer in Hyderabad through Amazon.

I ordered the cycle in September-2020 & got it delivered packed at my home on 10-10-2020. I was on cloud-nine to have received the cycle which i loved so much.

Made a Video on that, so that you guys can also enjoy and cherish the memories which may be associated with this particular cycle.

These cycles are still produced and surprisingly they sell in good numbers.
BSA as a brand has been acquired by TI-Cycles of India.

Enjoy the Video, below is the Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRVfYpBx6wU&t=29s

Hope, posting link here does not violate forum rules. If so, request moderators to take necessary steps.

Thanks and regards,
Sanjeev

[Lambydude]

To compare my performance, I was looking for the information on realistic average speed while riding an MTB on Indian roads?

I ride a 26 inch MTB with knobby tyres on city roads. The information I get from the internet forums are all from outside India. I believe that in India, cyclists tend to lose their momentum due to frequent interruptions while riding in the city and hence avg speed tend to be on the lower side.

Can the members share their average speed while riding an MTB using non slick tyres? I currently achieve 24-25 kmph in my daily ride of 25 kms. Terrain is flat with very little gain/ loss of elevation.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

Do you guys remember the Good-Old BSA SLR ?
It was a cycle for which i longed upon when i was a kid.
I am an 80-90s Kid, so at that point in time, BSA SLR was THE most popular bike.

But, somehow i could not lay my hand on to that bike. That time it came with a Steering Lock and that for me was its USP apart from the looks and smoothness.
I used to ride the SLR which was owned by my school friend.

💕💞

But the proper BSA SLR was indeed launched by TI cycles, and its handlebars were straight at the centre, flared much higher than the Photon's and as they flared up and then down, it came closer towards the rider. It gave the cycle a very unique look. And then, I used to tweak position of brake levers too. The riding stances were infinite if you played around with the brake levers, handle bar and seat too.

I once took the handle bar out, and put it in the other way around. This lowered the riding position. And took out the mudguards, with disastrous results to clothing.

The chain cover was a proper chain cover, providing full and complete protection to the chains, but were a pain if the chain came off. And I did not use the steering lock. One could still roll the cycle, and mischief mongers were plenty in school. I got a proper lock fitted.

I serviced it on my own. Only when thecrims bent badly thanks to a pot hole through which a bigger roadster had just sailed through did I have to give it to a shop. The tear on the tyre was terrible, he cut an old tyre to support the hole. That tyre was replaced with a Hartex Tiger one, which was just launched then. It was real hard, and worse, it did not have what white band on the side walls, taking away the looks.

That disastrous race with the roadster made aware of importance of bigger tyre circumference, and chainring sizes.


Edit:- the handle bar looks more like the original in your video, but not the pics. The mudguards, carrier and kickstand were attached to the hub. So one nut held the wheel and then, in the rear, you inserted the carriers legs, the mudguard stays, put in the kickstand and then added one more nut.

[sharma_sanjeevi]

@BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Yes, the Handle was Bird Type which was tilted towards the rider in original SLR.
On the Front Mudguard, there used to be a Silver Insert if i remember correctly.

And, you are correct the Chain Cover was a Full Chain Cover opposed to what is available today. Which i also mentioned in my review.

Good to know about the Steering Lock mischief mongers. Those were the days in school.

Do you still have the picture of your cycle. If yes, please post.
That would be a treat to see.

regards,
Sanjeev

[ottocycle]

My kid will be turning 5 soon. And I am thinking of giving him a cycle (he used to ride tricycle only till now). I am confused between their 4-6 year range vs 6-8 years range.
https://www.decathlon.in/p/8389392/b...s-darkhero-500 and https://www.decathlon.in/p/8535149/b...s-original-100.

He is little on taller size and I think he will outgrow the height range specified in 4-6 age bike in may be next 6-7 months. Is there an option of increasing the height of seats and handlebar on these bikes so they can be used for longer time? Or I should go ahead with 6-8 years range.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

On the Front Mudguard, there used to be a Silver Insert if i remember correctly.


Do you still have the picture of your cycle. If yes, please post.
That would be a treat to see.

Yes, there was a chromium plated thingie at the tip of the front mudguard. And there was a crumple on the mudguards themselves, along the centre and the 3 rifle BSA logo riveted in front of the stem.
Have never figured what SLR is, though. "Self loading rifle" is puzzling in cycling terms.
.

Originally Posted by ottocycle

My kid will be turning 5 soon. And I am thinking of giving him a cycle (he used to ride tricycle only till now). I am confused between their 4-6 year range vs 6-8 years range.

You need to measure his height first. If he already uses a cycle, a taller cycle would not create problems. Recommended height for their 24" wheel size cycle is 4 feet. Please search track n'trail web site for cycles with height adjustable seats and other models. All Decathlon cycles too are height adjustable, AFAICT. And in case of doubt, go to the store and try it on. Else go for the larger size.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Have never figured what SLR is, though. "Self loading rifle" is puzzling in cycling terms.

Its an acronym for Sports Light Roadster.

Cheers, Doc

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Yes, there was a chromium plated thingie at the tip of the front mudguard. And there was a crumple on the mudguards themselves, along the centre and the 3 rifle BSA logo riveted in front of the stem.

Yes, you are correct. There was a crease running through Front & Rear Mudguard.

And, the BSA Logo remains the same as available on current Photon.
Still the traits of old SLR remain, the Photon is awesomely smooth to pedal

[superguy282]

Update

So I visited Cykler and at ~11:30 and left the cycle there. At around 3:30 I got a call that the job was done. The showroom is small but the repair area is relatively large.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Tell Santosh that Doc referred you. He's a good friend and a tech mentor and guru.
Cheers, Doc

Sadly Santosh wasn't present, however I still mentioned that I got a recommendation at TBHP from you. However, They did not know what I was talking about and it was awkward . I Thanked them and left.

The repairs done were good and no other spokes were broken whilst replacement. The truing has been done correctly as the bicycle does not wobble or drift. I paid ₹250 in total. Overall it was a good experience.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by superguy282

The repairs done were good and no other spokes were broken whilst replacement. The truing has been done correctly as the bicycle does not wobble or drift. I paid ₹250 in total. Overall it was a good experience.

Did 250 include gear setting?

[superguy282]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Did 250 include gear setting?

No, the gear problem got solved by the solution you advised. It was ₹50 for the spoke and ₹200 for the wheel alignment.

[Cool_leo_guy]

Recently I restored my Avon 707 SLR to its former glory.
It was bought for me by my father way back in 1986. I used it regularly till mid 1990. Then I got a Hero Puch bike/moped (you decide).
Trashed that in two years, Papa refused to foot the repair bill. Ergo, got back to old Avon. She was in pristine condition, rode it again upto 1995, then I got a Bajaj Chetak (still have it, by the way).
I gave the bicycle to my younger brother, who didn't care much about upkeep. It changed hands a couple more times, and went through a period of disuse followed by partial restoration and used again until my cousin stopped using it 3 years ago.
Many parts were replaced during its long life, including seats, both rims, countless tires, brake cables, grips and brake levers, pedals and brake pads. At one time it was running with discarded clutch cables from my uncle's 82 model Bullet, serving as brake cables.
The frame, fork, crankset, freewheel, brake callipers, handle and mudguards were original however. Lost the chain cover and carrier somewhere along the way
Just 3 months ago I restored it on a whim as I thought I needed another cycle.
I picked it up from the yard outside where it was lying as scrap and dismantled it myself, cleaned all the grime and sanded off the rust. One of my second cousins who owns a Maruti service centre, got it painted for me.
All the balls of hubs, bottom bracket and fork were changed. New pedals, seat, tires, tubes, grips, brake levers, cables and pads were installed along with a new chain.Surprisingly, the freewheel just needed a bit of oiling.
New reflectors completed the look. Took me 4 days and cost me 1600 rupees, which does not include cost of painting which was done for free, from leftover colour at MSS.
I rode it for a few days and again life got in the way and Scarlett (that's her name) was being neglected.
One of my friends, who is struggling financially was lamenting about the lack of any means of transportation, so after some thought I gave it to him. He is ecstatic and is now riding it regularly and
maintains it with love and care.
Seeing the look of joy on his face fills me with a total "Paisa Wasool" kind of feeling.

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Originally Posted by Cool_leo_guy

Recently I restored my Avon 707 SLR to its former glory.feeling.

What a treat to eyes, thanks a lot for posting.
You see this is the Handle design which me and "backseatdriver" mentioning in previous post.

Nice restoration!!

regards,
Sanjeev

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Hello friends,

Another Video, which i have made on my Godown Find - NOS (New Old Stock).
BSA Mach City is the successor to the very popular BSA Mach Series of Cycles.

The Video Captures the BSA Mach City. Which, i purchased last week as a godown find from a Bicycle Dealer who had this bike in stock in their godown. and they forgot for good 3 years that the bike is lying up there.

Post Covid-19 Lock-down, once the cycling craze captured the general public. The demand for cycles soared and stocks which were piled up with dealers swiftly cleared.
One fine day this dealer found 3 of such bikes (1-BSA & 2-AVON SLR) lying in the godown, he brought it to the showroom and displayed for sale.

I went to purchase medicines and adjacent to this Medical Store, is the cycle showroom, saw the cycle there and enquired.
Picked this bike immediately. Since, these bikes are rarely seen nowadays.

You Guys enjoy the Video detailed review & trivia around the cycle which i have put forward as per my knowledge.
Link to Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxN5oeZ7V4o&t=10s

Shortly will be posting my Video review of Firefox Roadrunner Pro-D. Which, i purchased in the month of October-2020.

regards,
Sanjeev

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by greyhound82

What about building after buying frame and components? Is this a good idea and would it be reliable like a factory fitted one?

Posting this for general info.

After I posted a response to this, I noticed that there is a dealer in Kochi who customises cycles. Apparently they have a bunch of few models, and the description suggests that customisation is an option. This was not there on their website earlier, when I made the response to this query. I dont have any experience with them. The brand's FB pages mention the customer.isation hash tag.

What really caught my attention was a fixie with a 700 23C tyres and a bull horn handlebar supplied with a straight / MTB handlebar kit.

Components seem to be enthu grade, a notch above the entry level ones, but again I'm not sure.

Digging more, I realised that the brand is run by a school mate, who had a roadster (the one with steel rods from handlebars to the brakes) and it was always maintained and shining like new. Have not contacted him yet.

Those interested can search for szel sports / cycles.