[VPJ74]

After riding fancy MTB's and Road bikes, I am looking for a good light, single gear or Fixie cycle with V-brakes for Road/Street riding in Mumbai.

I feel that the fancy derailleurs, disc brakes add unnecessary weight and complexity to a city bike. Speed and performance are not needed but slim, minimalistic and light weight are.

I cannot find a good single gear bike in India? Any suggestions on where to source one from?

[condor]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

After riding fancy MTB's and Road bikes, I am looking for a good light, single gear or Fixie cycle with V-brakes for Road/Street riding in Mumbai.

If you still have your bike, why not get the derailleur removed and make it a single-gear cycle ? Will save you money and -assuming you are comfortable with an existing bike, you will continue on a bike you are comfortable with.

I can see your point. What ever little riding I have done, I have hardly changed gears.

[denzdm]

I just bought a single speed cycle two weeks back for a simple reason - to be able to enjoy a good ride as I picked up cycling after almost 2 decades. I got a good deal for Kross Bolt and am very happy with the overall experience of the machine. Bought the cycle from rydercycles (multiple outlets across Mumbai). Although you can visit their website, its best to shortlist the models and then take a test drive from the shop outlet.

[VPJ74]

Originally Posted by condor

If you still have your bike, why not get the derailleur removed and make it a single-gear cycle ?

The Cannondale Trail SL4 served me well for about 15 years. Build like a rock, sturdy yet lightweight but alas after over a decade, it got stolen during a period of neglect.

I feel these current MTB’s and Hybrids with multiple Shimano gears - front n back, disc brakes and what not are just dead weights for a cycling experience in a metro. I want to reconnect with that pure experience of a simple, v-brake, single speed bike for carefree riding.

[itisravi]

Check out Scolarian bikes - Made in India fixies.

[ninjatalli]

Why not go with the local options. They are cheap, extremely durable & easy to maintain; and satisfy your requirements of single speed. Remove the unnecessary parts like that chain guard cover or mudguards if needed. You might get one for under 3k if you go the preowned way via OLX.

https://avoncycles.com/products/roadsters.html

[mura]

https://www.scolarian.com/

If you are looking at a Premium option, they are very good.

[pugram]

I think for City ride MachCity Munich model is good. Its lightweight and has nylon tyres. I had one and was very comfortable to ride in city. The Cannondale C4 that I had used to be jittery on rough city roads and could enjoy it only on rare smooth roads.

Checkout at

https://machcity.com/munich-single-speed-new/

You can also try out at Decathalon store for their range of single speed bikes.

[Indraneel Bhat]

@VPJ74 - Try the BTWIN and the Rockrider (both single speed) from Decathalon. Both are VFM models.
I have a friend who regularly does 70+ kms on the BTWIN single speed, and he is all praise for it.

[Chillout]

Check out Tirad X2 or X2 cross, both look similar to BTWIN, but priced a lot less. Comfortable riding position. Light weight 13.5 kgs for X2 and 14.5 kgs for X2 cross. I am waiting for my delivery and should receive it tomorrow. This is 7 speed though.

[alphamike_1612]

+1 for the Decathlon Rock Rider ST10 (previously the MyBike). Was extremely overweight (nearly 120Kgs) when I bought it and it held my weight just fine (despite weight limit being advertised as 100Kg). Put on a comfort seat and I was all set for riding around. Have ridden 25+ KMs and there's nothing that I miss/want more from it.

Also another solid option is the Indian made cycles as @nitanjalli suggested. The only reason I didn't get them was there was no weight rating. The probability of theft of such cycles is also very low and they are abuse friendly as we all have seen growing up.

[amol4184]

Some dealers in India source Fuji bikes. If you can find one Fuji Declaration is a great, premium fixie bike with steel tubing.

[RT13]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

After riding fancy MTB's and Road bikes, I am looking for a good light, single gear or Fixie cycle with V-brakes for Road/Street riding in Mumbai.

I feel that the fancy derailleurs, disc brakes add unnecessary weight and complexity to a city bike. Speed and performance are not needed but slim, minimalistic and light weight are.

I cannot find a good single gear bike in India? Any suggestions on where to source one from?

The best ones are unfortunately not commonly sold here. Any more anyway. I actually have one of the last great ones which used to be available - a Bianchi San Jose cromoly steel single speed / fixed gear with hand built wheels (Iro Mark V hubs laced to Velocity deep section rims) and a bling White Industries freewheel. Picked it up from a fellow cyclist just before the pandemic, never used it. Been wondering whether to flog it but it’s just so pretty

Check with Happy Earth. They can probably hook you up with a nice Surly frame and a sweet Velocity wheelset which would probably be your best bet by far, given the current market. They also used to import Fyxation frames (brilliant frames) but I don’t know if they still do it these days. They might also have a Velo Orange frame lying around although I’m not sure they imported the single speeds. Ping them and ask. Arvind is very responsive and will let you know what options there are.

[VPJ74]

Great choices! I’m glad to see that some decent VFM options are now available locally.

The kind of bike that I really liked was the Scolarian. Looks like a classic, custom made , minimalist but made with top components. The 45K is steep though especially given that in Mumbai it is neither safe nor healthy to ride long distances. I will check out Triber, Rockrider and Machcity.

I wish the Hercules and Avon cycles came with better frame or geometry.

Any group interest to build a simple DIY cycle together :-)

[Oldschool guy]

Despite their superficial similarities, fixed gear and single speed are two very different concepts with vastly different world experiences. A fixed gear bike is one that does not have a free wheel and thus cannot be coast on, so you end up pedalling continuously, while a single gear bike gives you the comfort of not pedaling, and allows you to move with the momentum you had built while riding. It will haul you if you do not pedal on a fixed gear bike, and if you pedal the opposite way, it will give you functionality as a brake since you are moving in the opposite direction of your drive train moment, resulting in halt.

The majority of fixed gear riders in Western countries do not use brakes and instead rely solely on their pedals, moving in the opposite direction when needed to halt. However, it's extremely stupid to have it in India, so please don't follow that trend. I ride fixed-gear, but in an emergency situation, which there are plenty of, I still use two brakes.

Because your legs feel connected to the cycle, you increase or decrease speed with the moment your legs break; it's a completely different experience, but not everyone enjoys it.Many of my friends were unable to ride my fixed-gear bike, so please test drive it before purchasing.

India has very few good cycle mechanics, so in that sense, a fixed-gear or single-speed bike makes sense since you can do basic maintenance yourself with basic tools at home.

Avoid V-brakes if you want a low-cost bike because the Chinese ones on the market are of poor quality and end up rubbing brake pads on your rims after a few bites; if you must have V-brakes, make sure they are Shimano or Tekro; otherwise, simple caliper brakes will suffice.

Options available for you

Single Speed
Decatholon Rockrider ST20
Pros: This is a Decathlon product that is reasonably priced and has good service support all across India.
Cons: The crank does not appear to be made of metal, which is unusual, and the brakes appear to be cheap V-brakes.

Hero Sprint 27 T
Pros: Excellent bike for the price.
Cons: It comes in one frame size that is too large, so shorter riders can't ride. Before purchasing, make sure the bike fits you perfectly; otherwise, it's a waste to buy an oversize frame bike, and your entire experience will be bad. It's not listed on Hero site they might have stopped manufacturing you might get with dealers or online.


Fixed-Speed

Scholorian bikes
Pros: They are well made with Cromoly, and I believe they also offer customised options. If you require a single speed, you can request that a freewheel be installed.
Cons: I have not ridden it, so I cannot tell.

Bike Ark Orb
Pros: Excellent bike for the price.
Cons: I have not ridden it, so I cannot tell, but the Z-Star v-brake on it doesn't sound promising.

Surly Steamroller
Pros: Good chrome frame.
Cons: Because there are so few dealers, make sure the frame size is correct for your fit.

Other options:
If you go on an overseas trip, you will see a lot of good brands at a reasonable cost.

If you are restoring bikes, you could find a few of the old bike restorers in Mumbai. There is Ustad Khan, and I am pretty sure every city might have such a person who has a collection of old racing beauties.