Team-BHP - The Bicycles thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4807031)

...Fat tires are good to look, but are a pain to ride :D

PS: Also depends on your fitness level. If you have an athletic fitness, then an MTB may work for you. But if your fitness is at average level, then MTB will be a wrong choice for hilly rides.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shankar.balan (Post 4817042)

I use a Fat Tyre Bike. 21 Gears. Daily rides. Approx 8-10km every morning in and around HSR Layout Bangalore. Uphill and downhill.
I do not find it difficult at all.

See the PS in my post. Depends on a person's fitness level. Means you are a very fit person :)

There is also the "Can I do it" and "Do I want to do it". For many the answer may be "yes" to the former, but "no" to the latter.

My cycling activity is going on, re-started my activity in September 2019 and did some 1731 KMs in rest of 4 months in 2019. Did another 3440 KMs in 2020, so far. This will be an approximate 100 KM weekly distance. I also completed one of my dream ride - Bangalore to Palakkad (Kerala) self supported bicycle ride in February 2020.

Luckily I was able to keep riding on my Indoor trainer during the lock-down period too. I still haven't ventured riding outside from Mid March 2020, untill now.

I lost some weight due to this cycling activity, without doing any diet control or fasting. I was 76KG same time last year and currently hovering around 66KG (height 165cm). Hoping to keep this going as much as possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4817064)

I’m not super fit and all. I just have a good deal of stamina. And I love the freedom of cycling.

I've been lurking on this thread, as I was interested in getting a cycle.

I was wondering why none of the cycles are having alloy 'shaped' wheels, instead of spokes. Indeed, found that there were 2 desi offerings.

Unfortunately my local bikeshops in Bangalore, JP Nagar Phase 7 (CycleWorld and Track&Trail) do not stock them. They do indeed have official retailers in Bangalore, but too far away from my place, for me to seriously consider them.

Just posting this to hopefully widen the choices that ppl consider.

1.> BikeArk Cruz
https://bikeark.com/product/cruz/

2.> Peak P300
http://www.peakbikes.in/bikes/mounta...-21-speed.html
This is an Atlas sub-brand, so not sure if it will be around now that parent company is reported to be closing down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gryph0n (Post 4819325)

I

1.> BikeArk Cruz
https://bikeark.com/product/cruz/

2.> Peak P300
http://www.peakbikes.in/bikes/mounta...-21-speed.html
This is an Atlas sub-brand, so not sure if it will be around now that parent company is reported to be closing down.

I would urge you to look at Fittrip , another desi brand . I use a fittrip Viper and its absolutely value for money . Had an issue with the front suspension and it was promptly replaced so I can vouch for the after sales service also . And for the components this brand offers , the price is pretty good .

I paid 16500 INR for a 29 inch fittrip snyper .

https://fittripbikes.in/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gryph0n (Post 4819325)

I was wondering why none of the cycles are having alloy 'shaped' wheels, instead of spokes. Indeed, found that there were 2 desi offerings

Apart from aesthetic appeal, they don't offer any practical benefit for the average rider, especially the ones found on such leisure bikes. High end tri-spoke wheels and full-disc wheels (from HED, Zipp etc) are mostly used on time trial bikes by pro athletes. They cost upwards of 1000 USD. It would be better to buy a bike with regular spoke wheels - they are so much cheaper and easier to run, repair and maintain if you are going to be putting serious miles on the bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itisravi (Post 4819384)

they are so much cheaper and easier to run, repair and maintain if you are going to be putting serious miles on the bike.

I'm on the line-of-thought that spokes would break/bend off much more easily compared to these kind of alloy wheels.

On the other hand, every mechanic would know how to handle a spoke problem, while very few mechanics would know how to work with these alloy wheels.

My guess is that spokes on bicycle wheels owe more to inertia than any really strong technical reasons. Just like the QWERTY layout on computer keyboards; compared to Dvorak or Colemak layouts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_keyboard_layout

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colemak

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gryph0n (Post 4819950)

My guess is that spokes on bicycle wheels owe more to inertia than any really strong technical reasons.

Eh, NO!

There is a very good solid technical reason for using spokes on bicycle wheels. For most application it is just the best technical, versatile solution!!

Spokes make wheels quite cheap, lightweight and incredibly strong! It also makes them more durable. And when they do break easier to fix.

Yes, there are certain application where single piece cast wheels might make sense. But in many cases we entering the realm of professional cyclist, be it road racing and or off roading. One piece might gave you an edge, because they're more rigid, handle higher speeds and higher amounts of horsepower and torque with relative ease. But then again, are you that guy with the bulging biceps that cracks out these huge amounts of horsepower and rides at “tour de France” speeds hour after hour?

You need to be pretty much at the top of the game to be able to notice and exploit that difference. Analogy with digital cameras. Lots of discussion on the internet what the best camera/lens is, but the truth is, there are not that many people out there for whom the camera/lens is the limiting factor. That does not stop millions of people buying high end Nikon and Canon kit.

Same with bicycles. If you enjoy a certain piece of kit, by all means, why not. Whether it is going to give you any real advantage is debatable. Although I can guarantee, those folks that have invested in high end kit, be it a camera or a bicycle will never ever admit that they are the limiting factor, rather than the kit.

The spoked wheel is an absolute marvel of engineering. I believe the design is well over a hundred years old. In 99% of the cases it is still, technically, the best solution. For bicycles that is.

Jeroen