[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

It is fairly comfortable - the carbon forks along with the 28c tyres are adequately comfortable. But on very bad roads, I miss my ACT110 which feels like an SUV in comparison. But on well paved roads, there is nothing to complain.

.

Interesting. Do you think a comfortable plush mountain kind of bike is better suited to commute in the trashy bangalore conditions? This is my number one priority as then the bike will get use everyday.

Number 2 priority is weekend riding of say 40-50 kms and i think most roads leading out of bangalore are trashy.

I do not want to go endurance biking, or race riding, or group riding for the most part. I want to enjoy cycling every other day and would like my arse to also enjoy it lol.

I know i need longer test rides now. But i think this seems akin to

Road bike: Ninja 300/1000
Mountain: Xpulse/honda CRF
Hybrid: so called adventure bikes. But veer more towards road. Are there extremely comfortable hybrid bikes or is this a fallacy?

After some more deep thinking over exactly the past 3 minutes, i realise that arse and spine comfort tops everything else for me for my first bike. Because if i am not comfortable riding this thing everyday, i will avoid it like plague.

A mountain bike with 29 wheels akd an extra set of road slicks? What do you all think? Is this what people call a Cross bike or a CX bike? Cyclocross?

People must be like... Bicycle thread is topping up on the TeamBHP page rank... What the hell is going on lol

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

After some more deep thinking over exactly the past 3 minutes, i realise that arse and spine comfort tops everything else for me for my first bike. Because if i am not comfortable riding this thing everyday, i will avoid it like plague.

People must be like... Bicycle thread is topping up on the TeamBHP page rank... What the hell is going on lol

Any cyclist will tell you that the biggest enemy of an enjoyable ride is weight.

Second, friction. Both from the wind front on. And from the tyres on the road.

Third, unlike motorcycles, there is no right wrist release for more power.

All the power that drives you forward is what you develop from your own body.

Everything that steals any of that forward momentum is your most deadly hated enemy.

Fat tyres. Too much tread. Underinflated.

Dirty drivetrain.

Sticky bearings.

Stiff bottom bracket.

Spongy pogo stick suspension going up n down instead of front and ahead

Fat sofa type seats that prevent your legs from pedaling freely.

Cheap bindy mechanical bling discs that warp like cheese.

The list is endless

Buy a bike that rewards your effort.

Cycling is never going to be like sitting on a couch watching TV. It's hard work. The more you do it, the better your body gets at it

No one starts off comfortable.

In fact after a break even a seasoned cyclist suffers for a few weeks.

Every time. Like clockwork.

That's as guaranteed as the sun rising in the East.

Cheers, Doc

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Talking about experts, you're the expert on great used bike deals. I need a donor road bike to transplant a used Tiagra groupset gifted by a friend. A project bike. Cheap. Please let me know if something good catches your attention.

Cheers, Doc

Lol - that's @ringoism's area of knowledge. I just keep browsing olx for used bike deals. For example there's this good Merida Hybrid for sale in Pune. If someone can negotiate with him to get the price lower atleast by 20%, it should be a good deal.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Interesting. Do you think a comfortable plush mountain kind of bike is better suited to commute in the trashy bangalore conditions? This is my number one priority as then the bike will get use everyday.

MTBs are the most mis-used cycles in India. We don't use them for the purpose they are called MTBs - for riding in mountains. For riding in the city, a hybrid does the best job. Even the streets with extremely bad roads.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

A mountain bike with 29 wheels akd an extra set of road slicks? What do you all think?
:

My first bike was a Trek 3500 (~ 28k in 2012 ) comes with 26x2.0” MTB tyres which I converted to slicks. I completed BRM200 with that and used the the same to travel from Mumbai to Goa via Konkan cost ( approximately 150-200 km per day ) . It has got front suspensions and disc brakes . I used the same from 2012 -2019 for morning rides and weekend long rides . It was with a close friend currently as I upgraded to a hybrid
A decathlon rock rider is a good one to start with and later you can upgrade . I will say start cycling on a medium investment and see how it goes and upgrade after couple of years

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Interesting. Do you think a comfortable plush mountain kind of bike is better suited to commute in the trashy bangalore conditions? This is my number one priority as then the bike will get use everyday.

Number 2 priority is weekend riding of say 40-50 kms and i think most roads leading out of bangalore are trashy.

I know i need longer test rides now. But i think this seems akin to

Road bike: Ninja 300/1000
Mountain: Xpulse/honda CRF
Hybrid: so called adventure bikes. But veer more towards road. Are there extremely comfortable hybrid bikes or is this a fallacy?

A mountain bike with 29 wheels akd an extra set of road slicks? What do you all think?

People must be like... Bicycle thread is topping up on the TeamBHP page rank... What the hell is going on lol

I bought and used a Mountain bike while I was stuck at my hometown Coimbatore during the previous lock-down. Those things are heavy, and I found myself panting and hauling on rides longer than 25-30 km, and it was not very enjoyable at all.

Your analogy is partly right, I have had a very similar thought in my mind too..

Aggressive road bikes - KTM RC390
Sharp, fast, precise, purpose built and all that, but comfortable? No way!

Endurance road bikes - Honda CBR250R (RC500 fits here)
Lean-forward stance, but manageable and comfortable, adequately fast, but not too sharp when on the track.

Mountain bikes - Splendor.
No offense, it is perfect for short commutes, they are easy and practical in their own right, but slow and not ideal for long rides.

Hybrid bikes - Pulsar150/FZ16
These are the easy commuters that can do both (hence the name) they are practical yet fast, they can take bad roads relatively well and still be good enough for that occasional highway run.

I suffer the most on my RC500 for the last 1.6 km that connects my house with the main road. on broken patches, it literally shakes my bone, so I take bad roads very slowly and cautiously. But then when I hit the main roads, the smoothness and speed makes up for that and then more.

But I never explore new routes when on my Triban, because one bad stretch or an unplanned road repair work can catch me off-guard.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Any cyclist will tell you that the biggest enemy of an enjoyable ride is weight.

Second, friction. Both from the wind front on. And from the tyres on the road.

Third, unlike motorcycles, there is no right wrist release for more power.

All the power that drives you forward is what you develop from your own body.
Cycling is never going to be like sitting on a couch watching TV. It's hard work. The more you do it, the better your body gets at it

No one starts off comfortable.

In fact after a break even a seasoned cyclist suffers for a few weeks.

Every time. Like clockwork.

That's as guaranteed as the sun rising in the East.

Cheers, Doc

Gotta print and make a poster of this post, just too good!

[Red Liner]

Thank you all. I hope nobody feels like i am trolling, but i am doing some crazy reading in the background here to fuel my questions. Been on reddit and quora as well reading questions from others who had similar predicaments.

Now I have a fair bit of background.

I will try to start the test rides and chats with local bike shops.

Here is a revised wish list.

I want a bike that i can ride up from the road to the pavement, off it through the gutter across the road and maybe through a ditch as well. Thats how i ride my KTM and that's precisely what i want this bike to do as well. And it has to be light and agile to take me 30 kms across town on things like the ring road without killing me.

Miror mirror on the wall, show me the bike to conquer all lol

[Big Smoke]

Hello everyone. I am looking forward to buying a new cycle and I need your expert opinions.

My current cycle is a Hero Ranger with Shimano 6 Speed gears. It is 7 years old and worn out. Since the gyms are closed and not likely to open for the next 2 months, I decided to cycle, but only as a leisure activity. I'll go back to the gym once it opens.

My budget is Rs. 22000. I don't want to buy City / Hybrid bikes since they aren't as comfortable as MTBs on broken roads, which I have in my area. Also, I saw that they are more expensive than MTB. My height is 5' 8", and I found 27.5 size bicycle to be a good fit.

Based on my limited knowledge & research, I wanted to buy only Firefox cycles. Firstly, I know they make quality bicycles and have been seeing them since childhood. Secondly, I don't know any other company which is as good as Firefox.
Btwin has been rejected since I found them to be very expensive. And I absolutely want a geared bicycle; no uni-gear cycles for me.

Now the problem starts: I visited U.P Cycle Store in Kolkata (pathetic behaviour of the owner), the only authorised firefox dealer in Kolkata. I found that Firefox has stopped giving Shimano gears in their bicycle since the pandemic struck. They now give gears of some company known as MicroShift, which I've no idea about. That is a deal-breaker for me.
The other alternative the dealership provided me was to take Ninety-One cycles (which was previously known as FROG cycles), which comes equipped with Shimano gears. But here, I don't know anything about Ninety-One cycles! I'm uncomfortable spending 22000 bucks on an unknown + new cycle company.

I asked the dealership owner to provide me with a cycle with MicroShift gears for test ride so that I can at least know what I'm buying. The guy was rude and said that I'll dirty the cycle if I go for a test ride now, since it had rained. Then he explained how he would have to spend 1 hour to clean the cycle after that, and then he would have to sell the same cycle. So not a single cycle available for test ride. And funnily enough, ten second ago he was bragging about how he sold more than 10000 cycles last year. So I told him, on one hand you sell 10000 cycles a year, and here on the other hand, you don't have a single cycle for test ride. And you expect the customer to look at the weather and come to buy a cycle, so that he can get a test ride After this, he said in a loud voice "Yeah yeah alright sir, THANK YOU", almost asking me to leave. Have to say, the guy is very cocky. It was like he was afraid that if I stay around for too long, I'll find something which would be very uncomfortable for him.

Coming back to my dilemma, I have broadly 2 options now-

(1) Buy Firefox cycle with MicroShift gears (which are not as good as Shimano, according to online forums. Also, no info on long term reliability.).

(2) Buy Ninety-One cycle (previously FROG cycles) with Shimano gears.

Please help me with your inputs. I just want a good quality bicycle from a well-known brand, something which will not start giving me problems after 2 years itself.

Thanks!

[Red Liner]

Does anyone here own Montague bikes? Any feedback on the Paratrooper Express?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

Hello everyone. I am looking forward to buying a new cycle and I need your expert opinions.

Thanks!

The BTwin ST 100 at 18k is a no brainer.

The ST 50 too is there at a couple of thousand less.

Both are available online. And you need not suffer obnoxious fools.

27.5" is not a bike size. It's the size of the wheels (650B). They are mid way between the smaller 26" typical Ranger MTB size and the bigger 29" (700c) hoops.

Get your sizing from the sizing chart provided as per your height.

Cheers, Doc

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Cheers, Doc

Doc, I became your fan, btw, for the no nonsense suggestion from beginners to advanced riders to all in between. esp. to the ones in dilemma

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The BTwin ST 100 at 18k is a no brainer.

Cheers, Doc

Thanks for your recommendation. But the biggest thing I'm sceptical about is the MICROSHIFT. Online reviews are saying if Shimano gets 20/20, MicroShift gets 15/20. It also says that MicroShift isn't as reliable. If I were to buy MicroShift itself, why not the Firefox?

Thanks again!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Doc, I became your fan, btw, for the no nonsense suggestion from beginners to advanced riders to all in between. esp. to the ones in dilemma

Thanks bro. I too had come here with my old Hercules MTB Top Gear many years ago with tons of funny questions about the saddle and handle etc. And guys then had been very helpful and accomodating. A new bike is always an exciting journey. Whether it is for you or someone else.

A cycle is known to be the one machine that makes man from an average efficiency animal to one of the most efficient. If not the most.

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

Thanks for your recommendation. But the biggest thing I'm sceptical about is the MICROSHIFT. Online reviews are saying if Shimano gets 20/20, MicroShift gets 15/20. It also says that MicroShift isn't as reliable. If I were to buy MicroShift itself, why not the Firefox?

Thanks again!

Because Firefox are inferior to the bikes I've suggested.

And you seem to have a problem with the guy selling them.

It's just a suggestion. I know friends riding road bikes with Microshift brifters very happily.

Microshift is regarded pretty highly worldwide for copying Shimano and taking the fight to them.

They are not a small company by any means.

BTwin is a French mega giant corporation.

Firefox is essentially a Bangladeshi cycle manufacturer. Premium maybe 15 years ago. Nowhere close now.

Cheers, Doc

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

My budget is Rs. 22000. I don't want to buy City / Hybrid bikes since they aren't as comfortable as MTBs on broken roads, which I have in my area. Also, I saw that they are more expensive than MTB. My height is 5' 8", and I found 27.5 size bicycle to be a good fit.

I heard reviews on Montra,(a brand from TI cycles) much better than Firefox . Montra can be tried out in Track and Trail showrooms

Following are some models within your budget (try to increase to 25k )

1. Montra Backbeat (mountain bike )
2. Montra Downtown (A vfm hybrid bike with steel fork, seems better for rough roads )
3.Btwin Rockrider
4. Polygon Cascade 2 ( https://www.cyclop.in/collections/mt...b-bicycle-2021
5. Giant MTB

I didn't use any of these models but heard/read good reviews on the same

Personally I will go for Polygon, Giant and Btwin in the order

Edit : Doc already commented . Give his advice the extra weight as its from an expert.

[promit]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

Hello everyone. I am looking forward to buying a new cycle and I need your expert opinions.

My budget is Rs. 22000. I don't want to buy City / Hybrid bikes since they aren't as comfortable as MTBs on broken roads, which I have in my area. Also, I saw that they are more expensive than MTB. My height is 5' 8", and I found 27.5 size bicycle to be a good fit.

Thanks!

I recently became friends with the Gurgaon Firefox dealer. I believe Firefox quality is better than Ninety-One. You can skip Ninety-One for the steel frames alone. In that range, both Shimano Tourney and the Microshift equivalent are both entry-level groupsets - they should be very similarly matched in performance. I wouldn't say one is significantly better than the other. (I have ridden a Microshift while helping a friend shortlist)

I would suggest visit Decathlon. They would definitely be happy to let you try out their entry-level Rockrider St100 with Microshift. See if you like the shifts and pick between this and the Firefox.

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Firefox is essentially a Bangladeshi cycle manufacturer. Premium maybe 15 years ago. Nowhere close now.

Cheers, Doc

Originally Posted by greyhound82

Personally I will go for Polygon, Giant and Btwin in the order

Edit : Doc already commented . Give his advice the extra weight as its from an expert.

Originally Posted by promit

I would suggest visit Decathlon. They would definitely be happy to let you try out their entry-level Rockrider St100 with Microshift. See if you like the shifts and pick between this and the Firefox.

I'm extremely thankful to you people. You all just made the comparison so much clear!

Just for the record @Doc, yes I did have problems with that dimwit owner of U.P. Cycle Stores, but I would have still bought the cycle from him if it were good.

Now my top choice is BTwin! That positive review about the MicroShift is all I needed. I'll go and check it out.
Also, please give me some tips I should keep in mind while visiting BTwin, because I am a newbie in this case.

Again, thanks a ton!