[amol4184]

I see quite a few folks from USA on tbhp. Can someone lead me to online cycling stores for bikes and accessories? Also welcome if you could give me pointers on buying used bikes.

Getting a new bike is turning out to be exceedingly difficult even now. Almost every bike that I am (was) looking at in my size is OOS online and not available at any store nearby either. So I am scraping Craigslist and OfferUp. The used bikes are costing and arm and leg compared to just 2 years ago but can't help it in this market. Thanks in advance!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by amol4184

I see quite a few folks from USA on tbhp. Can someone lead me to online cycling stores for bikes and accessories? Also welcome if you could give me pointers on buying used bikes.

For used bikes, Facebook Marketplace is your best bet. Also, sign up on bikeforums.net. There's a very useful thread in there on ebay/craigslist finds.

As for online stores, check out REI. They have pretty generous return policies. You may find everything you need on Amazon but that is usually my last resort.

But I have found that building a rapport with your local bike shop is quite valuable. They are usually able to order parts for you quickly and can sometimes give you a good discount too on big ticket items where the margins are huge.

[silverado]

Happy to share that i completed my first ever Pune-Pandharpur Wari ride on 18th June. There were a total of 1200 riders and it was also covered in news.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/92400812.cms

I managed to complete the 210 kms ride in 10.3 hours on my 4 year old Montra Rock 1.0.

Kudos to IAS team for managing this mega event with great precision and with heart.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by silverado

Happy to share that i completed my first ever Pune-Pandharpur Wari ride on 18th June. There were a total of 1200 riders and it was also covered in news.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/92400812.cms

I managed to complete the 210 kms ride in 10.3 hours on my 4 year old Montra Rock 1.0.

Kudos to IAS team for managing this mega event with great precision and with heart.

Many congratulations silverado We must have crossed our ways as I too participated in this Pune-Pandharpur-Pune devotional ride. I started from Bhakti-Shakti at 04:10am & reached Pandharpur at 04:30pm, covering a distance of 234 km on my Scott Addict 30. Next day I started at 04:13am and reached my home in Pune at 07:15pm, covering 232 km. So in 2 consecutive days I covered a distance of 466 km.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Many congratulations silverado We must have crossed our ways as I too participated in this Pune-Pandharpur-Pune devotional ride. I started from Bhakti-Shakti at 04:10am & reached Pandharpur at 04:30pm, covering a distance of 234 km on my Scott Addict 30. Next day I started at 04:13am and reached my home in Pune at 07:15pm, covering 232 km. So in 2 consecutive days I covered a distance of 466 km.

Originally Posted by silverado

Happy to share that i completed my first ever Pune-Pandharpur Wari ride on 18th June. There were a total of 1200 riders and it was also covered in news.

I managed to complete the 210 kms ride in 10.3 hours on my 4 year old Montra Rock 1.0.

Congratulations to both of you! You guys are beasts. I have done a few long distance rides but never a back to back 200k. How were your legs on the second day? Do share more please.

Originally Posted by amol4184

I see quite a few folks from USA on tbhp. Can someone lead me to online cycling stores for bikes and accessories? Also welcome if you could give me pointers on buying used bikes.

Second reply to this as now I am looking for another bike as well. I have decided to buy a proper road bike and convert my Specialized Diverge into more of a rando bike. The Diverge will get a new set of drivetrain that allows 1:1 gearing, a dynamo hub, fenders and possibly a Brooks saddle. It already has 35mm wide tires but I may consider 650B wheels way down the line that will allow wider tires, which will surely be from the Rene Herse stable.

As for the road bike, I have very specific needs. It should have rim brakes and something better than Shimano 105. The road bike will not see rain or snow, so I do not need disc brakes, which IMO dont look as nice as rim brakes. There arent many bikes with rim brakes now, and only one with Shimano Ultegra straight from the factory. And that is the Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8:
Canyon CF SL 8
Currently it is unavailable but will be back in stock by July 11th.

The other bike I considered was the Giant TCR Advanced Pro
Giant TCR Advanced Pro
But the Canyon wins over it in terms of value for money with its carbon frame., even though the Giant has a power meter and carbon wheels.

Other option could be to go for Cannondale CAAD 13 105 but ask the store to upgrade to Ultegra groupset
Cannondale CAAD 13 105
But not a big fan of that option because it will come to nearly the same price as the Canyon.

So, as of now, I am sitting tight, waiting for the Canyon to be back in stock. But I am happy to consider alternatives if you all can suggest one.

Cheers,
Amitoj

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Congratulations to both of you! You guys are beasts. I have done a few long distance rides but never a back to back 200k. How were your legs on the second day? Do share more please.

Thank you amitoj for your wishes. Even for me this was the first time I crossed the 200K mark in a single day & then doing this on 2 consecutive days was a little too much. I made this daring only because of the new bike and the comfort it offered over long distances. Absolutely no fatigue (good hydration and nutrition support was another reason besides the bike). My legs never complained. Proof of the pudding, today (within a week after this ultra ride I did a half marathon today breaking my previous best).

However my left hand is not that happy. It still has numbness in it but that can be attributed to the maddening traffic I encountered while entering Pune city through Hadapsar & the frequent gear changes on the bigger sprocket. Now I have brought new set of compression gloves. Hope that would ease the pressure on my hands.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by amitoj

How were your legs on the second day? Do share more please.

Legs are absolutely fine, it was my first 200 and i only did it one way.
I had a choice of 3 bikes for this ride, i did it on my Montra.

1) Friends Trek Domane AL 5 ( Road bike )
2) Another friends Trek DS3 ( Hybrid )
3) My own Montra Rock 1.0 ( Converted to hybrid with 1.75 tyres )

Since the bikes were going to be transported via truck on return, i was hesitant to use someone else's bike for this trip.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by amitoj

So, as of now, I am sitting tight, waiting for the Canyon to be back in stock. But I am happy to consider alternatives if you all can suggest one.

Both options look good, the Canyon has the price advantage but the Giant looks to be of great value for what it offers. Rim brakes are such a rarity on road bikes now

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Rim brakes are such a rarity on road bikes now

As in the majority is more of v-brakes and an increasing/growing share of disc brakes?

Never really thought it was a rarity - my road bike has rim brakes while my hybrid has v-brakes. Wife's hybrid has the disc brakes though so we seem to have all in the house.

Edit: I guess you and @amitoj are talking of new options rarely coming with rim brakes - that probably is true I guess.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

As in the majority is more of v-brakes and an increasing/growing share of disc brakes?

I guess you and @amitoj are talking of new options rarely coming with rim brakes - that probably is true I guess.

Yes – talking of the new options. I think the big boys like Trek, Specialized, Cervélo, Scott have completely moved away from rim brakes in their high-end options. Trek now have only the low spec Domane AL with rim brakes, and Specialized also follow similar route with the Allez.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Rim brakes are such a rarity on road bikes now

True. I think disc brakes look ugly on road bikes. They cause extra stress on the wheels and the fork needs to be stiff in order to withstand the greater force that needs to be applied, since they are closer to the center of the wheel. According to this article, rim brakes are not always inferior to disc brakes:
Disc vs Rim Brakes

On another note, I am annoyed that my Apple watch woke me up twice last night because of this:

Cyclists generally have a lower heart rate due to being more fit. I need to figure out how to turn this alert off.

[Amit Maratha]

Originally Posted by bblost

My first was a Tubo.

Then got myself a BSA SLR.
Had gears installed on the bike with a seven sprocket in the rear and a double in the front.
The front gear changer once made contact with the chain and got busted. Did not replace it as I used to use the larger wheel anyways.

The max speed done was when I took the cycle on top of Anna flyover and peddaled down like crazy. I have no idea what speed she did, but as I have mentioned in my introduction post on team-bhp, I was not expected to survive teenage.

I used to cycle from my home in Adyar to New College in under 20 mins.
Fastest ever was one early morning when I reached Marina from Adyar in under 13 mins.

Would regularly cycle about 20 kms in an hour. From Adyar till the Prathana Drive In on ECR.

Finally the bike broke. The front T joint gave way and I had it welded. Then the bottom joint gave way. I gave up the cycle.

It is great to meet a cyclist on the motor world. I seriously started cycling when I turned 50. I have at present three cycles A trek Doman, Scott MTB and a self-built steel frame bike. There is a saying amongst cyclists of my group if you own a single bike, you are like an Arab who has one wife.
Sharing few pictures with you

[itisravi]

Shimano introduces the 105 Di2 variant:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h80bufKMkWU

• This is a 12 speed groupset
• No rim brake variant - only for disk brakes :-(
• Around 1900 USD for the full groupset

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by amitoj

For used bikes, Facebook Marketplace is your best bet. Also, sign up on bikeforums.net. There's a very useful thread in there on ebay/craigslist finds.

Originally Posted by amol4184

I see quite a few folks from USA on tbhp. Can someone lead me to online cycling stores for bikes and accessories? Also welcome if you could give me pointers on buying used bikes.

Quoting my own post. Since I have stopped using FB with great effort, I avoided the Marketplace lure and looked on OfferUp and Craigslist. The oldschool CL came through and found me what I think was a reasonably good deal.
2016 Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 in excellent condition except the monstrosity that the stem is. Attaching picture of the thing. Weighs about 8.5kg and needs new pedals and of course the stem. My first ever roadie and that too in CF. I am elated! My favorite colors too. Thinking of adding inconspicuous tail lights and a better headlight. That pump will probably be deleted too.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by amol4184

2016 Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 in excellent condition except the monstrosity that the stem is.

Congratulations! The bike looks beautiful. Wish you many happy kms on it.