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Old 1st October 2021, 13:04   #6541
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Re: The Bicycles thread

After a lot of research and visiting about 6 bicycle stores in Hyderabad, I picked up the Polygon Path 3 2021 yesterday from The Bike Affair (TBA) and a Fuji absolute 1.9 for the wife.

Being 6" tall, needed a size XL and there was a short supply for all road-focused hybrid bikes in that size.

The decision came down to the Trek FX 2 and the Polygon Path 3. They were located at different stores but eventually went with the Path 3 as TBA is very close to home and the folk there seemed much more knowledgeable than the store selling the Trek range.

This being my first bicycle with gears, here are my initial impressions after completing approx. 50kms

Likes
+ Lightweight Aluminium Alloy frame and Fork
+ Slick shifting setup of Acera and Altus
+ Hydraulic disk brakes front and back offer great stopping power
+ Geometry was a little off when stock, but TBA swapped the stem with a longer one for extended reach
+ 3x9 gearing allows me to stay comfortable over gentle inclines

Dislikes
- Would have preferred slightly narrower tyres
- Would have liked a few more screw mount points
- The current grips transmit a lot of vibrations from the road
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Old 1st October 2021, 14:10   #6542
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballfry View Post
- The current grips transmit a lot of vibrations from the road
Congrats ballfry!
Are you holding the handle too tightly? And make sure you are not locking your elbows. Keep them relaxed.
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Old 1st October 2021, 17:04   #6543
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by papr23 View Post
Are you holding the handle too tightly? And make sure you are not locking your elbows. Keep them relaxed.
Maybe I am, will be a little more mindful about this tomorrow when I ride in the morning.

Thank you!
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Old 1st October 2021, 18:59   #6544
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by ballfry View Post
Maybe I am, will be a little more mindful about this tomorrow when I ride in the morning.

Thank you!
Foam grips are best to reduce road buzz.
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Old 1st October 2021, 23:03   #6545
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballfry View Post
After a lot of research and visiting about 6 bicycle stores in Hyderabad, I picked up the Polygon Path 3 2021 yesterday from The Bike Affair (TBA) and a Fuji absolute 1.9 for the wife.
Congratulations buddy, but where are the pics. Please take some nice pics & share them here. Happy riding to you and your better half
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Old 2nd October 2021, 09:55   #6546
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballfry View Post
The current grips transmit a lot of vibrations from the road
Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
Foam grips are best to reduce road buzz.
+100 on the foam grips - the one I have on my current bike is pretty awesome - really helps to reduce the road buzz.

The Bicycles thread-img_1759.jpg
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Old 2nd October 2021, 10:01   #6547
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
+100 on the foam grips - the one I have on my current bike is pretty awesome - really helps to reduce the road buzz.

Attachment 2214100
These are not foam grips VB. What I have on my barends, that's the material of foam grips. Yours are anatomic grips.
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Old 2nd October 2021, 10:10   #6548
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
These are not foam grips VB. What I have on my barends, that's the material of foam grips. Yours are anatomic grips.
True, thanks for the correction. What I meant was that white foam insert thing in the grip makes it really comfortable
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Old 2nd October 2021, 14:48   #6549
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballfry View Post
After a lot of research and visiting about 6 bicycle stores in Hyderabad, I picked up the Polygon Path 3 2021 yesterday from The Bike Affair (TBA) and a Fuji absolute 1.9 for the wife.

- Would have preferred slightly narrower tyres
First of all congrats on your 2 new rides.

Do you have any plans of going in for slimmer tyres ?
I believe currently it is 700x40 right ?

Reason I was asking was because I have a Polygon Path-2 same tyre specifications.
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Old 2nd October 2021, 16:53   #6550
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by Fillmore View Post
First of all congrats on your 2 new rides.

Do you have any plans of going in for slimmer tyres ?
I believe currently it is 700x40 right ?
Thank you!

Yes, would like to go for narrower tyres, would need recommendations on what to get and what to look for in slimmer tyres.

Most of the slimmer tyres that I am looking at are usually road slicks. Don’t know how well these perform on urban roads often with a little standing water(right after rains)
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Old 2nd October 2021, 23:43   #6551
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
Bend in degrees is difficult to measure precisely without a goniometer. But 23-27 degrees is the usual target range.

Pain at the front of the knee just undeneath the kneecap could be dye to actually the opposite of wgat you describe - i.e. either a too low saddle or one that is too far forward.

It also comes about due to mashing heavy tall gears, which is what I think you've been doing in your enthusiasm to get higher and go longer. Too quickly.

Cheers, Doc
It's still a mystery then... but at any rate I put the seat a little lower and more forward again, closer to what it had been in the days before the injury, and first day out in a couple weeks managed to climb my usual couple hundred meters, though by a steeper route. Sensed I was at my limit at that and felt a little something in that knee on the way back down, but didn't push hard and made full use of the new and significantly lower gearing, and seems I'm back on track.

******

The Bicycles thread-img_20210929_15060801_1.jpeg

In other news: Slim pickings in the junkyards lately, but managed this one from my scrap guys - too small for my own children now, and at first glance just one more cheap, disposable kids' bike - but it does at least have alloy rims and a 6-speed genuine Shimano setup; While on the other hand the odd cantilever-style threadless brake pads/ arms and my inability to find a shred of info about this model online started making me quite curious...

I thought it was a pretty good looker besides...

Offered ₹500, turned out okay for ₹700 I guess...

Buddy at the local Suncross showroom hadn't ever seen one like it, and thought "Element" was probably another unique brand entirely. That lead turned out to be a dead-end, though the name does turn up elsewhere in the world where something very close to this bike is sold.

So after some digging it turns out it is either a shamelessly overt knockoff or an early import or licensed / joint-venture type thing between Suncross (probably the early days of its inception), and Maxcom, a major European bicycle maker based in Bulgaria... they apparently do 400,000 units yearly, so while not huge by Indian standards, that's still over 1000 units/day...

Only other cycle I've seen this style of brakes on is my very old imported Riverside, so... ???

In most markets these seem to have been sold under the Sprint brand, and interestingly the "SP" is still there in the graphics on the Indian version.

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Front frame is a bit different here (mine could be an older version?) while rear swingarm appears to be just short of identical...

Heavy little steel thing, but saw these for prices approaching €200 on some EU sites, so apparently not quite total junk...

Currently refurb'ing... Mainly tyres and seat and some paint touch-up here and there. Fun, quick side project and can make a nice, unique little ride for some enthusiastic youngster.

-Eric

Last edited by ringoism : 3rd October 2021 at 00:04.
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Old 3rd October 2021, 08:40   #6552
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ringoism View Post
Hi Eric,

Is that your bicycle in the photo? (Sorry, just read further)

Compared to the handlebars and the general setup, the saddle looks very low. With a pedal in the lowest position, does your knee straighten? If you place your heel on the pedal, your knee should be fully extended.

The other thing is that while riding, when you start to coast, you should be able to take your hands off the handlebars without shifting your weight too far back. With this you should be in a reasonably balanced position on the bike, for even long rides.

Last edited by prabuddhadg : 3rd October 2021 at 08:47.
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Old 3rd October 2021, 11:26   #6553
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Re: The Bicycles thread

So after riding a hybrid and a road bike for 7 years, decided to try the clipless pedals. Went with MTB style pedal and shoes.

Today was my first day, with them installed on the hybrid. I had mentally prepared for the falls and I did fall twice, but mental preparation cannot reduce physical pain . Instead of shorts, I went with pants and thicker jersey. Since there is no open ground nearby to practice, had to ride in the apartment complex itself. I had practiced clipping/unclipping a day earlier on the stationary bike hence riding was easy and I made couple of rounds, and was constantly trying clipping. unclipping.

#First fall
I was trying to simulate sudden stop, unclipping left foot. Tried two/three times while pulling rear wheel brake. It was going good. Then decided to use both brakes. At the slow speed, the front wheel locked. I had unclipped left foot even during this instance but the balance shifted to right, hence I fell down. The fall did not go as I thought it would. Instead of hitting my elbow or arm, it was the right knee that hit ground and then right palm. I think the shoe automatically unclips during the fall, may be due to some twisting motion. The pant did not help much other than protecting from bruises but the bone took a hit. Still I continued ride and practice.

#Second fall
After few rounds, I thought I'd slowly ride outside on public road. I was raiding taking pre-caution. i.e. low speed, looking out for obstacles or sudden appearances, unclipping left foot at every intersection etc. It was going okay. After crossing one such intersection, for some reason, the left foot wasn't clipping in. I thought of stopping and looking under the shoe if the cleat is misaligned. I stopped at the left side and without thinking straight, decided to lift left shoe to check under it, while the right was still clipped in. Such a dumb action. Again the balance shifted to right, knee hit first and right palm next.

Knee had bruises under the pant and there is discomfort during walking due to knee bone hitting hard ground twice.

Since there is no soft ground to practice, I think I'll have to get knee pads and gloves. Clipless users, please advise any additional tips.
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Old 3rd October 2021, 18:10   #6554
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Re: The Bicycles thread

I purchased this hercules FX100 cycle last October.
Today I saw rust near pedal and rear tyre hub.
Anything to be worried about?

The Bicycles thread-img20211003174032_copy_1024x1365.jpg

The Bicycles thread-img20211003173916_copy_1024x1365_copy_1024x1365.jpg
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Old 3rd October 2021, 19:13   #6555
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Hi All,

I would like to get some suggestions from members on which bicycle to buy. I have been riding on borrowed bikes for sometime now (wife's hybrid and neighbour's MTB). However, both these bikes have some shortcomings which I can't seem to overcome. MTB is too heavy to ride and I am often left behind on the group rides. Hybrid is better speed wise but a size small and many fellow riders have advised not to ride it long term to avoid knee injuries.

My target is to do a long distance ride end of 2022 (at least 500 km in rural Maharashtra) and would like to buy a bicycle for this. I am open for used pieces but since wife is gifting its her firm demand that I do not go for used bikes at all.

I am 5'7" and have average build (69kgs). I generally ride on saturday or sunday and currently manage 30km round trip on the MTB. Still building my strength and endurance, but would keep up the tempo so as to have an ability to do 80-100 km trip in a day before starting to plan the bike road trip.

Please give me some recommendations on which bicyles will suit best for my case. I have a budget of 25k in mind but can stretch a bit if required. I have looked at hybrids and road bikes in decathlon but totally confused on which one to go for.


Cheers,
Maddy.
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