[AnniHilat0R]

Question for the Triban RC 500 / 520 folks, the stock Triban Protect Light tyres which come with the bikes, are they good ? Read a few reviews online which say that they are super puncture prone.

[itwasntme]

A BMW sales advisor casually mentioned that there is huge demand for BMW bicycles, and he has sold 20+ pieces in the last 2 months alone.

I was astonished as their models are easily 110K+; is he saying the truth or is he simply pulling a fast one?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

A BMW sales advisor casually mentioned that there is huge demand for BMW bicycles, and he has sold 20+ pieces in the last 2 months alone.

I was astonished as their models are easily 110K+; is he saying the truth or is he simply pulling a fast one?

20+ cycles are hardly a big number. Considering there's a severe shortage in the market for all leading brands, I'm sure the ones with remaining stock would have done a killing with their stock.

Given their huge price point, I'm sure BMW sellers/dealers would have also offered meaty discounts. I have seen BMW options being discussed in one of the cycling groups I'm part of - in the same breath as they discussed more well known & much better brands (e.g. Colnago) in that price bracket. Clearly it was a factor of supply & demand. No idea what that individual finally purchased - I was surprised he would even think of BMW into the comparison.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Can someone please school me on the best kickstand and fenders (something that accomodates upto 40 size tyres) please? Decathlon stuff doesn't inspire any confidence.

SKS is a popular brand world over for mudguards and looks like they are available in India now. It of course comes in different sizes for different tyre diameters and widths. In addition to it, make sure your bike has space to accommodate it at the rear, especially if you are planning to go for fatter tyres. There are several flap like mudguards available now but I doubt they give you enough protection. I have never used any mudguards as it brings down the cool quotient of the bike, just like rain visor on cars
I picked whatever kickstand that was available in my LBS that fits at the rear. I used to have a center stand before and it was a pain to rotate the pedals using hand while fixing a fallen chain or to lubricate it.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I was astonished as their models are easily 110K+; is he saying the truth or is he simply pulling a fast one?

Well, if its a bike with a 105 group-set (I'd imagine BMW would at least have the entry pro level group-set on its offerings), then 1.1 lacs is very normal for other "pure bike" brands as well.

Cheers, Doc

[goandude]

Hi guys. I find my OE brakes on my RC 120 are pathetic and therefore dangerous at times. Thinking to change brake pads for better bite. Any suggestions please and where to source them from. Thanks
Pic of my setup.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

20+

Originally Posted by papr23

SKS

Originally Posted by ebonho

Well, c

Originally Posted by AnniHilat0R

If anyone was looking to buy the Triban RC 500 in Large size, there are couple of units showing in stock right now.

Originally Posted by Sebring

I'm using the RC120 for a long time, and its fabulous. But if I had a choice I'd get the RC500. It's just too good. And, yes I dont like Disc brakes too

Originally Posted by vb-san

When I .

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Hey Red Liner, I ride the Triban RC500 and a Hercules ACT110.
I don't want to add to your confusion, but there is RC120 which is very competent too at about 40K (right in the middle of RC100 and RC500) And that one has almost everything the RC500 has, except that the drivertrain are inferior. That could be a very good place to start off and experiment.

Like Ninjatalli has suggested, Decathlon offers test rides within their premises. Could give you an idea of what to expect.

Hokay!


Ordered yesterday and she's here today. My baby blue lynx. The KTM is my Snow leopard

Story of how i got hold of the bike is crazy and best left over a few chilled ones when we all get to meet sometime. Rode the bike back from the store and figured I should have got a bottle holder atleast lol.

I want to add an additional front brake at the top of the bar, i am unable to crouch and ride for more than a few minutes. I will practice slowly. What parts should i get? Will look at youtube as well.

I also need a good kickstand and those mudguards. I plan to install tubeless 34/36/40 whatever as soon as i can find some. What brands should i look at and what are they priced at if at all available? I have zero knowledge on the local market. I see availability is zero at the moment. I will slowly put more questions out over the course of the week as i ride the bike around my block. Today was just about figuring how the gearing worked

Man, i have forgotten how tiring cycling is! Or i am just not yet used to the cardio. Good thing, time to get that heart rate going.

Guess i need a helmet and some other knickknacks over the week. Damn...i started at 35k, logged in here and now.

Absolutely appreciate everyone being so patient with me and answering everything so lucidly. Thank you all for your time.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Ordered yesterday and she's here today. My baby blue lynx. The KTM is my Snow leopard

Nice bike! Congratulations. Use her well.

Golden rule is never replace anything till you have sucked the juice out of it.

And never buy anything till at least 1000 km on the bike, which will help you figure out what you actually need/want versus what your internet research drives you to believe what you need/want.

Of course some basics are a must. Those have been outlined with prices in an earlier post.

But I personally would not be caught dead with a side-stand or mudguards on my bikes. To me, they get lumped into the same category as the ghanti or the memory foam seat covers.

And in the end remember. Every single thing you add to the bike comes with a weight penalty.

Weight which you will be carrying around wherever you go. So resist to urge to "decorate" the bike with a lot of ultimately useless farkles. Nothing screams noob more than a handlebar full of gadgets and mobile holder etc.

Cheers, Doc

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by papr23

SKS is a popular brand world over for mudguards and looks like they are available in India now. It of course comes in different sizes for different tyre diameters and widths. In addition to it, make sure your bike has space to accommodate it at the rear, especially if you are planning to go for fatter tyres. There are several flap like mudguards available now but I doubt they give you enough protection. I have never used any mudguards as it brings down the cool quotient of the bike, just like rain visor on cars
I picked whatever kickstand that was available in my LBS that fits at the rear. I used to have a center stand before and it was a pain to rotate the pedals using hand while fixing a fallen chain or to lubricate it.

These right? https://www.cyclop.in/collections/mu...dth-38mm-front

Originally Posted by ebonho

Nice bike! Congratulations. Use her well.

Golden rule is never replace anything till you have sucked the juice out of it.

And never buy anything till at least 1000 km on the bike, which will help you figure out what you actually need/want versus what your internet research drives you to believe what you need/want.

Of course some basics are a must. Those have been outlined with prices in an earlier post.

But I personally would not be caught dead with a side-stand or mudguards on my bikes.

And in the end remember. Every single thing you add to the bike comes with a weight penalty.

Weight which you will be carrying around wherever you go.

Cheers, Doc

You are right. But man, a kick stand and mudguards i figured were pretty basic lol. Alongwith that brake upgrade before my neck twists 360 degrees the other way. Or you think its safer to just lie the bike down on the ground, and buy water or whatever. I guess even kick stands are not fool proof and can have the bike knocked over. That was my criteria for getting a kick stand.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

You are right. But man, a kick stand and mudguards i figured were pretty basic lol. Alongwith that brake upgrade before my neck twists 360 degrees the other way. Or you think its safer to just lie the bike down on the ground, and buy water or whatever. I guess even kick stands are not fool proof and can have the bike knocked over. That was my criteria for getting a kick stand.

The safest way to park a bike is prop it up (preferably non drive side) against a convenient wall, using two main contact points of the saddle and the handlebar shoulder (being very careful of the levers).

The other way, when you have a pavement, is the non drive side pedal backwards wedged on to the pavement, with the front wheel turned in the direction of the pavement and touching it.

Mudguards, unless full cover (which uglify the bike beyond tolerable limits) do more harm than good, directing and trapping in mud water on expensive bearings and drivetrain components. Tried and tested. Get used to riding in monsoon specific dark jersey and tights, and giving your washing machine a good workout after every ride.

Cheers, Doc

[vb-saan]

Congratulations on the new bike. Nice color!

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Kick stand and mudguards i figured were pretty basic lol. Alongwith that brake upgrade before my neck twists 360 degrees the other way. Or you think its safer to just lie the bike down on the ground, and buy water or whatever. I guess even kick stands are not fool proof and can have the bike knocked over. That was my criteria for getting a kick stand.

Kick stand and the bottle cage I understand, but why you need to add mudguards? It’ll spoil the overall look of the bike IMO.

As doc mentioned above, try to use the bike as stock before doing modifications like brakes upgrade. It could be just that ’getting used to’ period.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The safest way to park a bike is prop it up (preferably non drive side) against a convenient wall, using two main contact points of the saddle and the handlebar shoulder (being very careful of the levers).

The other way, when you have a pavement, is the non drive side pedal backwards wedged on to the pavement, with the front wheel turned in the direction of the pavement and touching it.

Mudguards, unless full cover (which uglify the bike beyond tolerable limits) do more harm than good, directing and trapping in mud water on expensive bearings and drivetrain components. Tried and tested. Get used to riding in monsoon specific dark jersey and tights, and giving your washing machine a good workout after every ride.

Cheers, Doc

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations on the new bike. Nice color!

Kick stand and the bottle cage I understand, but why you need to add mudguards? It’ll spoil the overall look of the bike IMO.

As doc mentioned above, try to use the bike as stock before doing modifications like brakes upgrade. It could be just that ’getting used to’ period.

Good points. This is what i was looking for. Meaningful elucidation of why or why not. I agree now and will not install them.

Will go back a few pages and get the list of immediates out of the way.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

These right? https://www.cyclop.in/collections/mu...dth-38mm-front

Originally Posted by ebonho

Mudguards, unless full cover (which uglify the bike beyond tolerable limits) do more harm than good, directing and trapping in mud water on expensive bearings and drivetrain components. Tried and tested. Get used to riding in monsoon specific dark jersey and tights, and giving your washing machine a good workout after every ride.

Cheers, Doc

You either go for a full mudguard or nothing. Something like this: https://bumsonthesaddle.com/collecti...s-trekking700c
I did my research and zeroed-in on something like that but just didn't feel like buying. As Doc said it uglifies the bike.

Kickstand is a matter of convenience winning over looks for me. It is very useful when taking pics of the bike on tour. I hate to see pics of bike lying down.

I would suggest you to refrain from buying anything except these at the moment: helmet, gloves, padded shorts, puncture kit, hand pump, saddle bag. And maybe a kickass jersey. Stay away from gel seat covers.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Ordered yesterday and she's here today. My baby blue lynx. The KTM is my Snow leopard

Story of how i got hold of the bike is crazy and best left over a few chilled ones when we all get to meet sometime.

Lovely color. Congratulations. And yes, I'll take up that offer


The list of accessories I have (I use the ones below on most rides)
- cycling shorts (D.) - don't go for the cheap ones
- cycling jersey
- cycle helmet (Amazon)
- cycling gloves (Decathalon/D.)
- water bottles (D.)
- cyclocomputer
- puncture resistant tires (replaced default Kenda tires within first week)
- front & rear lights (multiple options available online)
- cycle stand (D.)

Additional / Optional accessories
- puncture kit
- underseat cycle bag (D.) - multiple options available; choose what you like
- mudguards (D.) - the SKS ones are much better to be honest
- extra tubes
- cycling multi-tool
- chain lube
- grease (for joints)
- cycling glasses (least used till date)
- chain cleaning kit (never used it after purchase)
- foot pump & hand pump

Originally Posted by ebonho

.

And never buy anything till at least 1000 km on the bike, which will help you figure out what you actually need/want versus what your internet research drives you to believe what you need/want.

Of course some basics are a must. Those have been outlined with prices in an earlier post.

But I personally would not be caught dead with a side-stand or mudguards on my bikes. To me, they get lumped into the same category as the ghanti or the memory foam seat covers.

And in the end remember. Every single thing you add to the bike comes with a weight penalty.

+1 to this.

Edit: I'll vote YES for the mudguards. Especially if you are someone like me who likes to ride during the rains, or after a fresh shower of rains. They make a huge difference on such rides. But as @Doc said, ride the bike the way you prefer it for a while and then go for the accessories.

To me the kickstand is a very useful utility depending on how you ride. If you are the one who does a non-stop fast paced pt A to pt B rides, then it doesn't make sense. For me, I ride to enjoy the surroundings. Waterfalls, scenic points, with multiple stops - you get the drift. It's a huge convenience - something I'd be happy to take the additional 100 gms weight. It's not as if my hybrid is a lean machine lol.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by papr23

Kickstand is a matter of convenience winning over looks for me. It is very useful when taking pics of the bike on tour. I hate to see pics of bike lying down.

I agree. Touring with panniers like you do, I can understand the utility. Even then, I would trust a wall or fence or rock when available, over the spindly side stand, especially on a fully loaded bike.

The only place I can think of where you might have to lay your bike down is on an open plateau or table-top with no rocks or trees around. Just a big grassy meadow. In my riding experience, that's the only time I have laid my bike down (on the non drive side of course).

I prefer repairing punctures, with the bike upside down. Except in the case of my ACT which does not have a quick release for the rear wheel, so i lay the bike on the side and take out the tube to repair it puncture walla style.

Cheers, Doc