[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by fastraj

@ Fintail...The deals that you got on the bianchi and schwinn are awesome, especially the bianchi...woww.
Leave the Scott's...not a great deal. Leaving the Audacio because you have to import it , the battle is between bianchi and schwinn. Reviews for bianchi are good but with one major problem is it cannot handle even a bit of rough road, gets really unsettled. Component wise it's schwinns claris vs bianchis 2300. But bianchi has a carbon fork. Personally I would chose the schwinn because having owned a schwinn they are really well made and very light. But the bianchi deal is crazy.

Thanks! It took a *bit* of haggling to get there!

I'm likely to opt for the Bianchi- solely for brand value, exclusivity, and umm....The Carbon Fibre components!

P.S: The Bianchi is likely to be a 2013.

[fastraj]

Good choice Fintail. I hope the 2013 has the same frame as the 2014 because the bianchi frame is very good. You could then upgrade the components later like upgrade to shimano ultegra or better. Gatorskins will definitely help with the ride and durability. Congrats in advance.

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by fastraj

Good choice Fintail. I hope the 2013 has the same frame as the 2014 because the bianchi frame is very good. You could then upgrade the components later like upgrade to shimano ultegra or better. Gatorskins will definitely help with the ride and durability. Congrats in advance.

Bianchi did feel better than the Schwinn. The front end was a bit lighter- Coz of the Carbon Fibre components.

Brand value is superior. Yes.

It is either 2013 or 14. I need to verify that personally.

[tifosikrishna]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Has anyone upgraded their wheels?

I am planning to get rid of my MTB as we do not have any offroad events. Looking to invest the cash on some decent upgrade wheels and others stuff for the road bike. Any suggestions?

Ajo, why do you need events.. 4 to 5 guys can plan & hit the trail. I have done Tiruporur with a small group like that & had a great time.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

Ajo, why do you need events.. 4 to 5 guys can plan & hit the trail. I have done Tiruporur with a small group like that & had a great time.

I think we have to make the MTB group bit more active in Chennai. I can carry the bikes. Let's plan. Do let me know when hit the trail. Love to join.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Ok- The Audacio for 55k. Took some patience for this deal.

Then the Bianchi C2C for err....40k. Schwinn Fastback 3 for 41k.

And the Scott Speedster 60 for 40k.

And I'll add GatorSkins over all this. So another 2-3k. And a little more upgrades. Saddle- etc. Another 2-3k.

So- Ideal price seems to be 40 + 5k (approx) - 45k. Or 60k- If the Audacio comes in.

None of them. All are Claris. Buying Claris just because its a deal on a Bianchi is a bad idea. Just as bad as buying a Mercedes bicycle for 3L (or so i last saw in 2010!) - pointless.

Please get atleast Sora in your rough budget. What about BTwins?

or delay buying the bike till you have saved up /feel comfortable spending enough.

[fastraj]

I personally think that if you have a fixed budget then going for the best frame available in that budget is important. The components can be upgraded later. Not even sora, he could upgrade beyond ultegra.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

And I'll add GatorSkins over all this. So another 2-3k. And a little more upgrades. Saddle- etc. Another 2-3k.

For 3K, why not consider the Conti GP or GP 4000S? They should be way better than the Gatorskins unless you are riding bad roads all the time.

[FINTAIL]

Indeed yes.

The Bianchi was chosen for the best overall characteristics- And NOT the shifters.

The components will be upgraded in 2017.

Hitanshu-

Need inputs on the Audacio 200. I can source this.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/revie...-200-road-bike

[FINTAIL]

The Firefox Mistral was disastrous to ride.

I'm still preferring the Bianchi C2C Via Nirone 7.

[FINTAIL]

A friend bought the Giant SCR I spoke about.

Indeed- great to see it go to a good home.

I continue to be obsessed about the Bianchi Via Nirone.

Not in a hurry- many more test drives (or is it rides? ) to be taken.

Let's see.....

[download2live]

Originally Posted by download2live

Wanted to keep my investments little as I am not sure how long I will ride it.

After putting close to 250 kms on the old second hand one, including a few runs to office, I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to 21 speed cycle.

Got an old school all steel "Jamis Coda Sports". I was also looking at Trek FX 7.1 but this one was something I could related to much more. Maybe familiar shape to what I was riding in my school days.

Somehow people have all good stuff to say about Jamis Coda Sports on internet forums. I am a novice. All I can say is that it goes really fast down the slope.

Seat took some time to get used to. But a much faster cycle than the previous one.

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by download2live

Seat took some time to get used to. But a much faster cycle than the previous one.

This one is a bit 'different'. A bit 'exotic'- if you get the drift!

What sort of discount you got on this one- Considering you don't see these bikes often?

Last- but not the least: Save up for a roadbike.

[download2live]

I did not get the drift.
But that said no discount on this one. This and a black one were the only ones available @550 AUD. Mudguards, Rack and Panniers are extra.

At this moment I really do not see myself on a roadbike. I do not like that crouching posture. I cycle wearing a cheap loose t shirt and a bermuda (though I do use inserts). Spandex/Lycra/(Whatever skin tight) shorts and me don't mix.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by download2live

Got an old school all steel "Jamis Coda Sports". I was also looking at Trek FX 7.1 but this one was something I could related to much more. Maybe familiar shape to what I was riding in my school days.

Somehow people have all good stuff to say about Jamis Coda Sports on internet forums. I am a novice. All I can say is that it goes really fast down the slope.


Seat took some time to get used to. But a much faster cycle than the previous one.

That's a really really nice commuter bike. That's actually a nice steel hybrid that works for a lot of folks who do long distance riding - it clicks on several levels. It's light-weight, durable, quick, 32c tires that can take a mix of concrete and somewhat level of trails, and decent components.

Have fun riding on it!

And just a suggestion - if you currently are only doing short rides, you could lose the pannier bag for now. I doubt you need that all the time.

Edit: Roadbikes need not be the end target. A lot of cyclists I know own a mix of road, MTB and commuter bikes, and they like all the options as much as the other one.