[manish_symc]

Friends, I am looking for a bicycle upgrade. Please help me in choosing the correct bicycle.

My details
- Age – 42, Height – 5’8”, Weight – 73Kg

Current bicycle-
- Montra Madrock, 26”. I do 50Kms every weekend (Saturday or Sunday) on this.

Requirement –
- Can easily do 100Kms.
- Can use this for office commute. Office is 7Kms away. Will have laptop bag.
- Budget – 30K INR.

Looking for suggestions like –
- Size M or L
- Brand
- Bike type (Hybrid or Road)
- Flat bar or curved bar
- Please suggest model too if possible
- Recommended cycle stores in Pune

Thanks

[amvj]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

..
Requirement –
- Can easily do 100Kms.

- Budget – 30K INR.

Looking for suggestions like –
- Size M or L
- Brand
- Bike type (Hybrid or Road)
- Flat bar or curved bar
- Please suggest model too if possible
- Recommended cycle stores in Pune

Thanks

I strongly recommend you to go for Btwin Triban RC100 road bike. It is one cracking little bike. Make sure to upgrade brake pads and seat. You are all set.

I have two bikes: Btwin Triban RC100 (MRP: Rs: 24K) and Firefox Volante (MRP: Rs 31K). I find the RC100 is much more comfortable than the Volante.



Before the Corona virus, I used to commute to office with the Volante. Later this year I bought the RC100.

Regarding the size, each company follows their own size and numbering. So it is better to go to the shop and check it out. It took me a week to get used to the road bike handlebar since I have never ridden a road bike before.

If you can stretch your budget by 10K, then I suggest Triban RC120.

I have never done 100KM so cannot comment on that part. However, I see many people done such distance in a MTB.

---------------
Photo taken today morning. Solo ride. Now I find the road bike is more comfortable than the Hybrids. Each has its own pros and cons, but you cannot go wrong with either of these.

[Dharmen]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

Friends, I am looking for a bicycle upgrade. Please help me in choosing the correct bicycle.

Hi given the requirements mentioned, I may recommend Trek FX1, an entry level Hybrid Bike MRP around 30K. Its an amazing machine for the price. If you are using for commute primarily and carry laptop bag, you should get flat handle. I have been personally riding Schwinn Sporterra (hybrid) and Trek Domane (Road) and have done Mumbai Pune, Mumbai Igatpuri on hybrid with ease. Currently Schwinn does not seem to be available. Trek FX1 is a good alternative. These are little premium bike compared to VFM bikes of Montra and Btwin, however extremely reliable and better engineering and materials used. Thanks.

[manish_symc]

Originally Posted by amvj

I strongly recommend you to go for Btwin Triban RC100 road bike. It is one cracking little bike. Make sure to upgrade brake pads and seat. You are all set.

Regarding the size, each company follows their own size and numbering. So it is better to go to the shop and check it out. It took me a week to get used to the road bike handlebar since I have never ridden a road bike before.

Thanks for the reply. I have Decathlon next to my society and I have seen the RC100. I never tried bicycle with curved bar but since you have both so can you please tell which one will be more comfortable for office commute?

Can I go with large size in case I finalize RC100?

[amvj]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

...I never tried bicycle with curved bar but since you have both so can you please tell which one will be more comfortable for office commute?

Can I go with large size in case I finalize RC100?

Initially I felt very weird with those drop bar handlebars, but as I said, I am able to get used to within a week. You can use it for office commute, not an issue.

Regarding the size, please go to the shop and try it. Make sure you are comfortable with it. Here is one GCN video for choosing bike with correct size:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyIOPDfX494&t=80s

[Dharmen]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

Thanks for the reply. I have Decathlon next to my society and I have seen the RC100. I never tried bicycle with curved bar but since you have both so can you please tell which one will be more comfortable for office commute?

Can I go with large size in case I finalize RC100?

Hi Manish, I use both Hybrid (flat bar) and Roadie (curved handle bar). If you want to carry a laptop bag on your shoulders, flat bar is preferred anytime. Curved bar wont be convenient. You may like to invest in a carrier for better convenience even on a hybrid flat bar.

[TorqMaster]

I stopped bicycles in 2002. Just bought a new bicycle now, Hercules FX100 non geared to start cycling for health benefits.

I already switched out the seat to a wider one but it isn’t comfortable as much as I want it to be. I came across some cycling underpants online.

Can anybody recommend these on how to buy etc please?

[1985Darkkid85]

Originally Posted by amvj

I strongly recommend you to go for Btwin Triban RC100 road bike. It is one cracking little bike. Make sure to upgrade brake pads and seat. You are all set.

I have two bikes: Btwin Triban RC100 (MRP: Rs: 24K)

Do you know if the Triban RC100 is in stock now?
I have tried both online and offline methods and met with failures with both platforms.

The Decathlon website also gives you an option to "notify" your email address, but I heard nothing back

[amvj]

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Do you know if the Triban RC100 is in stock now?
I have tried both online and offline methods and met with failures with both platforms.

The Decathlon website also gives you an option to "notify" your email address, but I heard nothing back

Bicycles are in short supply. Because of COVID, many people around the world are now into bicycles. Also, most of the companies are not much bothered to serve developing nations like India, where we hardly buy mid / high end bicycles. We don’t how long it will last. Many mentioned that by April it will be resolved but that is not the case. Regarding Decathlon bikes, try to check their website everyday. Sign up for notification.

I know it’s frustrating. Another option is to check other local brands. I believe Giant brand bikes are available. Check your local shops.

[varunanb]

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

I stopped bicycles in 2002. Just bought a new bicycle now, Hercules FX100 non geared to start cycling for health benefits.

I already switched out the seat to a wider one but it isn’t comfortable as much as I want it to be. I came across some cycling underpants online.

Can anybody recommend these on how to buy etc please?

Get the padded shorts from decathlon to start with. They are pretty decent and lasted for few thousand kms.

Also, wider seats doesn’t translate to being comfortable. Switch back to the original seat, use the padded shorts and try riding for few weeks. Then decide on replacement seats and other upgrades.

[ms001]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

Friends, I am looking for a bicycle upgrade.

Thanks

Here is a fun but informative video that might help you decide between a Flat-bar and a Curved-bar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6-yz1qJrUc

I would recommend you choose between either of the below based on your preference.

Decathlon Triban RC 100 https://www.decathlon.in/p/8544692/c...-100-road-bike

Triban RC 100 FB https://www.decathlon.in/p/8515669/c...-bar-road-bike

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ms001

Here is a fun but informative video that might help you decide between a Flat-bar and a Curved-bar.

Ideally you need to have one of both. A flat bar hybrid with wider tyres is great in the rains. Its also a switch-off-brain-and-ride Bullet type bike when you just want to relax and loiter around or shoot the breeze and don't want to go fast. Though they can be ridden pretty fast as well, they are not ideal for that function, and road bikes rule there. I have one of both and I still want something that's a road bike but not as high maintenance like my CAAD, which I can rough use and bikepack with at greater speed than my heavier ACT. Ideally a Triban RC100 with a double crank and front derailleur and shifter would do that job really well, and also double up as a road bike to mount on my trainer with the new lockdowns, and the coming rains.

Cheers, Doc

[TorqMaster]

Dear all,

Can you kindly recommend some safety lights online links for bicycles ? Amazon has many, all of those seem like cheap Chinese ones. Looking for
1. Rear safety strobe which is bright and hard to miss
2. Some safety jacket that I could possibly wear to increase my visibility to road users
3. Helmet and other guards
4. Any other useful accessories for a first timer like me

[goandude]

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

Dear all,

Can you kindly recommend some safety lights online links for bicycles ? Amazon has many, all of those seem like cheap Chinese ones. Looking for
1. Rear safety strobe which is bright and hard to miss
2. Some safety jacket that I could possibly wear to increase my visibility to road users
3. Helmet and other guards
4. Any other useful accessories for a first timer like me

1. https://www.amazon.in/NiteRider-Cher.../dp/B01167ZD48 I am using this and it is very good. It came as a set with MAKO headlight.
2. https://www.amazon.in/Safety-Securit...g%2C350&sr=1-4 Again very light and no additioonal heat load.
3. helmets are avaialable at Decathlon and amazon
4. Puncture repair kit, small hand pump and a small case to carry this either attached to seat post or on the front of the top tube. Both from Decathlon.

Hope this helps.

[TrackDay]

Who knew there would be problems with too many cycles. Check this article out about bicycle graveyards:

Handlebars tight in snaking rows of colour, thousands of abandoned bicycles line an open field outside the city of Shenyang, relics of a shared bike mania that has overwhelmed China's cities.

The turquoise, blue and yellow bicycles, arranged in long lines, some piled on top of each other, bear the logos of the companies that dominate China's bike-sharing sector — Hellobike, Didi and Meituan.

Low cost-shared bikes, which users can unlock using apps and park virtually anywhere, burst onto Chinese streets in the middle of the last decade with investors rushing to fund bike startups like the now-defunct Ofo and Mobike.

But the two-wheelers soon took over pavements and spilled over into bike lanes and streets, parked haphazardly by users who sometimes simply tossed the bikes into shrubbery, creating a headache for urban authorities and pedestrians.

Many bikes suffered damage or were stolen, while some were even repurposed into makeshift barricades when Covid-19 broke out last year.

The problem is a familiar one to cities around the world battling to round up stray bikes, from metro stations in Washington DC to the bottom of Melbourne's river.

Aerial photographs from the suburbs of Shenyang, Liaoning province, show a bicycle graveyard, one of many which began appearing as early as 2018 as tech start-up darling Ofo imploded, defaulting on debts as its users claimed back rental deposits.

Mountains of damaged bikes belonging to other companies have also been discarded rather than repaired, in contrast to the "green" image usually associated with urban cycling.

Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/aerial-pho...212312636.html