[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Why not just find a Hero Hawk or BSA Mach frame and transplant a cheap generic gear set on to it?

Both frames are proper classic road bike geometry and steel tubing.

I'd take their weight claims with a fistful of salt...

On the latter point will see if I can find one (Omo Hampi) somewhere and actually weigh it... They seem to be claiming it's an enthusiast-run company with real engineers among them...

I've actually got a pair of those Rockrider 300's - I like them but they're highly... rudimentary - and as a cheap barebones commuter I'm not sure Decathlon was really trying for bare-minimum weight.. Anyway, let's see!

The Hawk, etc, indeed sound cool, I'd had that idea for awhile actually after having seen a couple great builds on YouTube... but here in the hills we don't find many of those old-school Indian cycles around, only the scrap collectors use them (for carrying scrap!), and don't typically sell them...

So here's my latest project:

Friend had given it to me after the 2020 lockdown, his son's buddy had abandoned it at their place years ago and he was cleaning up and wanted it gone. I was kinda disappointed when I saw it and was just about to strip and scrap it myself - till I discovered what (under a thick coat of brush-painted black) it actually was.

You asked some time back, Doc, whether I didn't ever find scrapped road bikes up here... Well no... but how about a vintage 700C hybrid???






Yep, Decathlon Riverside... I guess from the 80's maybe???

Started out life as a low-tube ladies' cycle (which even ladies don't want to ride anymore..).

I'd thought earlier to make this into an e-cycle, but didn't have space in the frame for the motor kit a friend has been developing...

In one of those YouTube vids, the guy had done (eh) "gender reassignment" surgery on that old Indian bike... One of the advantages of steel, no doubt. And I figured if he could do it I probably could too. So an hours' worth of work on that yesterday, and a couple more today getting most of that awful black paint off...

Frame with fork, front derailleur, and a very heavy old "unitized" BB cartridge is 5kg's... Gonna try and keep it light... so let's see where we end up.

-Eric

And P.S. - yes, there are welds.under that M-Seal, in case anyone was gonna ask :-) .

[Kpzonwheels]

Hi I am contemplating on fitting a front derailleur on my 3 year old 7 speed hero octane zephyr hybrid bike. Is it possible to do that?. What are the things I need to procure in order to do so. Please help me with your valuable thoughts. Attaching a picture of the bike also

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Kpzonwheels

Hi I am contemplating on fitting a front derailleur on my 3 year old 7 speed hero octane zephyr hybrid bike. Is it possible to do that?. What are the things I need to procure in order to do so. Please help me with your valuable thoughts. Attaching a picture of the bike also

You need to first check if your frame can take a 3 ring crank.

If it can, then the crank, derailleur, shifter (or integrated shifter brake), shifter cable outer and inner is wgat you will need.

You will in all probability also need a new longer chain.

Also you would need to check if your frame has welded lugs to hold tge cable outers in place.

Cheers, Doc

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Next update - I haven't been able to get longish test rides but got to try out the ST100 in red at the Brigade Road and liked it. Seems like this can be a better upgrade from my riverside 50 and will keep me happier longer than the ST30 would. What do the experts say?

Haven't been able to get hold of the RC 100 Drop bar yet to try it at all.

Finally pulled the trigger and bought the ST 100 in red from Decathalon Kormangala an hour back.

Still figuring out how the gears work since this is my first geared cycle.

For some reason, I miss my single speed but maybe its just me getting used to an MTB + Gears over an el-cheapo beater cycle.

[alphadog]

So, after my recent accident on my Carbon Merckx roadie, partly contributed to by the narrow wheels on bad roads and drainage grills, I came to the conclusion that an MTB is the way forward on our bad inner roads, more so during monsoons.
With the current goings-on, the choice available was limited. I did a brief check on decathlon, and other aggregator websites and then came across a company called outdoors91. They seem to have a good selection of MTBs and they have tied up with KTM for high end bikes. Read through reviews online and then narrowed down to one with good specs. I know its sacrilege to buy a cycle online, but I took a chance and must I say, I am happy with the choice so far after my first medium distance ride today.

Presenting the Invictus 29er.



Alu frame,
Suntour 100mm shocks with lockout,
Tourney-Acera combination,
3x8 gearing and mechanical discs.
Quick releases front and back and also a quick release type adjustable seat post. It has hidden cables.
The bike weighs in at 15 kg. I paid 36K online. The service was good, took a week to get delivered and then a mechanic promptly landed up the day after delivery to assemble the bike and get everything set up and working.
So far so good. The bike feels planted, the geometry seems ok for now for me and it feels fine.

Cheerio!

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by alphadog

So, after my recent accident on my Carbon Merckx roadie, partly contributed to by the narrow wheels on bad roads and drainage grills, I came to the conclusion that an MTB is the way forward on our bad inner roads, more so during monsoons.
...Cheerio!

I ride road bikes only. I just can not get myself to feel comfortable on straight bars. But I too agree about slim tires being a little risky on slippery roads. In fact, I have had a few crashes in the past on road bikes.

The best solution I have gravitated towards over the years is a mish-mash bike of sorts. The frame is a Hero Thunder MTB (aluminium alloy). The wheels are 26 inch Decathlon Rockrider, with 1.5 inch tires with decent road rolling tread. I have drop handlebars with Sora 2X9 speed brifters and Altus rd and some old no name FD and Shimano cantilever brakes.

I have Zefal full coverage mudguards and I ride this bike in the monsoon. I took it out just this morning here in the Mumbai Western suburbs for a 30 km loop.

It handles the rough with aplomb. The fork being rigid, it feels pretty much like a heavy road bike.

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Finally pulled the trigger and bought the ST 100 in red from Decathalon Kormangala an hour back.

Still figuring out how the gears work since this is my first geared cycle.

For some reason, I miss my single speed but maybe its just me getting used to an MTB + Gears over an el-cheapo beater cycle.

One way to get to figure out suitable gear ratios that work for your terrain and speed is to use different ratios on the same section of road and see which ratio allows you to pedal at around 80 rpm. If you have been riding longer, you may find yourself comfortable on a higher cadence, say 100.

The key is to keep experimenting with different ratios and at the same time, not allowing yourself to get too comfortable at a low speed.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by prabuddhadg

I ride road bikes only. I just can not get myself to feel comfortable on straight bars. But I too agree about slim tires being a little risky on slippery roads. In fact, I have had a few crashes in the past on road bikes.

The best solution I have gravitated towards over the years is a mish-mash bike of sorts. The frame is a Hero Thunder MTB (aluminium alloy). The wheels are 26 inch Decathlon Rockrider, with 1.5 inch tires with decent road rolling tread. I have drop handlebars with Sora 2X9 speed brifters and Altus rd and some old no name FD and Shimano cantilever brakes.

I have Zefal full coverage mudguards and I ride this bike in the monsoon. I took it out just this morning here in the Mumbai Western suburbs for a 30 km loop.

It handles the rough with aplomb. The fork being rigid, it feels pretty much like a heavy road bike.

I was toying with the idea of doing something similar on my ACT 110, coz I have a donor Tiagra 9 speed drivetrain lying spare with me, but was hoping to get a lighter more road geometry frame for the project ... which I'm hoping u can keep under 11 kilos, as my rough use rain and mud bike, that's faster and lighter than my ACT 110 which currently is doing duty fir the same. A donor RC100 would do very nicely ...

Also, I was no convinced that the sloping top tube geometry of the ACT 110 was conducive to a drop bar conversion. But if it works on a Hero Thunder (which has a similar frame shape - at least the top tube slope) then I guess it should work on a ACT 110 as well.

[alphadog]

Originally Posted by prabuddhadg

I ride road bikes only. I just can not get myself to feel comfortable on straight bars. But I too agree about slim tires being a little risky on slippery roads. In fact, I have had a few crashes in the past on road bikes.

Yeah I agree with you there. I have always been a roadie rider and never even glanced at an MTB. I prefer the crouched position and the drop bars any day over the straight bars and fat tyres. In fact, I ordered a pair of continental gatorskins in size 32 mm, from abroad, to install on my road bike, to find a compromise, for monsoon rides. However, it got stuck at Indian customs with this new rule regarding import of tyres.
The order was cancelled and I got my refund from the international website.

The next best thing was to go for an MTB and thats precisely what I did. Now that I have a roadie and an MTB, I am glad I can take them out as suits my mood for the day.

I am still gonna get some 28c rubber for my roadie, I will get a friend to bring it down in person when coming back from the UK/ Europe.

Cheerio!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by prabuddhadg

I ride road bikes only. I just can not get myself to feel comfortable on straight bars.

I guess you mean you ride/prefer only drop bars.

The best solution I have gravitated towards over the years is a mish-mash bike of sorts. The frame is a Hero Thunder MTB (aluminium alloy). The wheels are 26 inch Decathlon Rockrider, with 1.5 inch tires with decent road rolling tread. I have drop handlebars with Sora 2X9 speed brifters and Altus rd and some old no name FD and Shimano cantilever brakes.

That's a pretty popular concept overseas. I remember seeing quite a few gravel (/endurance frame) road bikes that generally come with 32+ tires (or equivalent MTB tires). In the past I did a trail route based race/ride on a Specialized MTB and all these buggers were on such gravel road bikes.

Originally Posted by alphadog

However, it got stuck at Indian customs with this new rule regarding import of tyres.
The order was cancelled and I got my refund from the international website.

What's this new rule? Please do share/expand on this.

[matizcrazy]

I am keen to start bicycling after a gap of 30 years. The array of bicycles available is bewildering and confusing.
How does one choose a correct size of the bicycle ? Once I am clear on that I could test ride a few and identify the best one.
I want to keep the budget to about 10k because the fever may not last long.
Hoping to hear from the pros.

[alphadog]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

What's this new rule? Please do share/expand on this.

Well, to put it briefly, there has been recently imposed restriction on importing tyres into the country. This was done to protect the local tyre manufacturers and against dumping of cheap Chinese tyres. However, as with most rules in our country, the intention is good but execution of the rule and nuances have not been thought through. As a result of which there has been a shortage of imported tyres for premium cars and big motorbikes, of late. I did not know that this restriction applied to bicycle tyres too. Only recently, I guess there has been a respite and allowance provided only to certain licensed importers to bring tyres in.

My cycle tyre was brought in by DHL express into the country, who then email me saying that the tyre being a 'restricted item', is not being released out by Bengaluru airport customs and whether I had a clearing agent of my own whose services I could use. I could not bothered going through the hoops for the sake of bicycle tyres and hence wrote back to the courier company asking them to return to sender. The seller website advised me that due to this new tyre import rule being in force, they will cancel the order and refund the amount paid, which I happily accepted.

That is the long and short of what happened.

Cheerio!

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

What's this new rule? Please do share/expand on this.

I guess it is the same rule that caused a shortage of imported car tyres as well. Something like all tyres sold here should have an ISI mark.

Originally Posted by matizcrazy

I am keen to start bicycling after a gap of 30 years. The array of bicycles available is bewildering and confusing.
How does one choose a correct size of the bicycle ? Once I am clear on that I could test ride a few and identify the best one.
I want to keep the budget to about 10k because the fever may not last long.
Hoping to hear from the pros.

Not a pro but as someone who recently went through this exercise, I can give some pointers. A ballpark size can be arrived at by looking at the manufacturer size chart for the rider height. However, based on various parameters like your leg and torso length, a size up or down might be the right match for you. So, it is always better to try the bike before the purchase. That is easier said than done considering the availability of cycles currently. Every dealer expects you to pre-book without even looking at the bike.

Check out the new Decathlon ST 30, which is right on your budget. Trying out different sizes at decathlon also is relatively easier compared to other brands.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by alphadog

In fact, I ordered a pair of continental gatorskins in size 32 mm, from abroad, to install on my road bike, to find a compromise, for monsoon rides. However, it got stuck at Indian customs with this new rule regarding import of tyres.
The order was cancelled and I got my refund from the international website.

I am still gonna get some 28c rubber for my roadie, I will get a friend to bring it down in person when coming back from the UK/ Europe.

Cheerio!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

What's this new rule? Please do share/expand on this.

Originally Posted by alphadog

Well, to put it briefly, there has been recently imposed restriction on importing tyres into the country. This was done to protect the local tyre manufacturers and against dumping of cheap Chinese tyres. However, as with most rules in our country, the intention is good but execution of the rule and nuances have not been thought through. As a result of which there has been a shortage of imported tyres for premium cars and big motorbikes, of late. I did not know that this restriction applied to bicycle tyres too. Only recently, I guess there has been a respite and allowance provided only to certain licensed importers to bring tyres in.

My cycle tyre was brought in by DHL express into the country, who then email me saying that the tyre being a 'restricted item', is not being released out by Bengaluru airport customs and whether I had a clearing agent of my own whose services I could use. I could not bothered going through the hoops for the sake of bicycle tyres and hence wrote back to the courier company asking them to return to sender. The seller website advised me that due to this new tyre import rule being in force, they will cancel the order and refund the amount paid, which I happily accepted.

That is the long and short of what happened.

Cheerio!

Fret not boys, two decent Indian tyres available for road bikes now. As a long term user of Indian rubber (not in any kinky sense) I can vouch for the fact that though these might be a tad heavy and not roll as fast, they would be perfect as training tyres on our "roads" with really tough builds and hard rubber compound that even without reinforcement is harder wearing and more resistant to cuts and punctures.

@ringoism Eric this might interest you as well buddy for your lightweight mountain goat!

Ralson 25c (rated to 116 psi)





GRL 25c (just launched - no idea about the psi rating yet)



Cheers, Doc

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I was toying with the idea of doing something similar on my ACT 110................ But if it works on a Hero Thunder (which has a similar frame shape - at least the top tube slope) then I guess it should work on a ACT 110 as well.

This Hero Thunder has seen more iterations than makes sense. I have tried 700c wheels with 23mm tires and calliper brakes and full road bike set up. I have tried fixed gear setup. I have ridden it with bull horn bars and track drop bars. And finally, now I have decided that it makes most sense to use it with 26 inch wheels, 1.5 inch / 37mm tires, cantilever brakes and a 2X9 standard chainring setup.

The wheels though, the Decathlon Rockrider wheels are terribly heavy- just the front wheel with 26X1.5 Serfas Drifter tire and tube weighs a full 2 kgs. Considering lighter wheels. As things stand now, with the mudguards, the toolbag, the pump and the mudguard, the bicycle weighs in at over 14 kgs. As a result, I struggle to average 27-28 kmph over my 30 km loop.

But I have to admit, it handles very neutrally. Very predictably. Not twitchy, not sluggish. So, it is a conversion worth considering.