[Raja]

I am out of touch with bicycles, what are the main Indian bike manufactures?
If you can tell me the names, I will look up the rest myself. I can only think of Hero Cycles.
Thanks

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Raja

I am out of touch with bicycles, what are the main Indian bike manufactures?
If you can tell me the names, I will look up the rest myself. I can only think of Hero Cycles.
Thanks

even I am out of touch with bicycles.
Last bike I rode was a Kona Stinky mountain bike that cost a whopping 3.6L

anyways the manufacturers I can think of are Hero and BSA or may be Hercules(I had one 13 years ago)

[suren181]

Maybe this link would be of help to you? Check towards the end for the latest updates.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ycles-etc.html

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Raja

He throws his current kiddies bike everywhere. The chain keeps coming off.
I am leaning towards a BMX bike, as they are designed to be abused (at least the proper ones are).
Not so keen on mountain bikes with 15-50 gears (just adds one more thing that will go wrong and he won't have the faintest idea how to use them).

You're right - go for a proper BMX. I went through 3 so-called 'mountain bike's that simply couldnt take the kind of abuse kids put them through, and for the last one year my son has been on a BMX that has lasted despite having fallen a few hundred times (someone's trying to 'drift' with his cycle, has managed a few spectacular 360 degree scrambles so far).

Go for the BMX, it may be a bit more expensive (if you go for a proper BMX) but it will be worth it. I'm told Firefox is good in India - their bike stations are impressive.

[Raja]

Thanks suren for the link (I wonder why it didn't come up in the search?) Will read through the 19 pages tonight!
Thanks steeroid for the advise, good to know I am on the right track with bmx. Will check out their bikestation within the next few days.
Who esle makes bmx in India?

[Aditya]

Many, many years ago, my brother had an Avon BMX. It was a heavy bicycle, but, believe me, it was tougher than an imported BMX which a close friend had. Don't know if they make them any more.

[deky]

Hi, I think inculcating biking habits in your son is a wonderfull thing. Not only does it saves the environment but also it helps in build stamina in a youngster and also keeps the young ones away from the TV (another vice especially for kids).

I would suggest that you go in for an Indian brand at this time, as it woud work out to be cheaper than the imported ones. And kids at this age tend to get bored of one particular thing and look for another very fast. In my opinion Hero/Avon/Hercules/Atlas, all these Brands are pretty rough and tough and they also make nice trendy eye catching bikes for all ages.

My neighbour just bought a very hip looking Hero cyce for his son, (I think the son is the same age as urs) It costed him around 2600/- (OTR lol) The build seems to be very sturdy with shock absorbres, but it doesnt have gears. And I think at 7 yrs he wont be interested in gears also.

After reading this. i am also tempted to buy myself a bi-cycle.

[great_guns]

I still have my father's BSA Deluxe which my father bought before I was born. After using it for many years, he gave it to me and I used it very religiously myself. I once stripped it down to the final cog and gave it an entire facelift with a new paint, new handle, new mudguards etc. I did that all by myself and it took me a week but boy, was I proud of myself. I love it dearly.

The trivia part here is: how many of you know the full-form of BSA? It actually stands for Birmingham Small Arms (which explains the three rifles stood against each other to form a pyramid in the BSA logo). It is the same English company that made the BSA motorcycles Birmingham Small Arms Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[matrix_ren]

Raja.. to help you jump through the 19 pages.. check out BikesZone - Cycling • Index page . There is one post with a similar query as yours
this is the one : BikesZone - Cycling • View topic - Suggestion plz - to buy bike for 9 year old boy

yes the BMX bikes i have come across are pretty interesting. I have got back on the pedals for almost a year now. so can give some inputs for the same
I am not giving the referall for the other websites that i have put in the post (human power vehicles) since those are mainstream cyclists forum. so less likely to be helpful to u.

[Raja]

@Deky, Thanks for your suggestion, your most important valid point was to buy a reasonable priced cycle. My wife and I had seen a Firefox BMX, mrp is around Rs7500. We both agreed that that is too much for a young 7 yr old who will loose interest when the next new toy comes along.

@Matrix Ren, thanks also for your helpful links.

I am looking through the Hercules and Hero websites. They have some tough looking bikes for max Rs4000. That works out much more value for money. Should my sons interest in cycling continue, I can always buy him a proper full size bike in a few years time and his height will have also grown to take advantage of the full size bikes.

[Nitronium]

How much is it OTR?

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Raja

I am looking through the Hercules and Hero websites. They have some tough looking bikes for max Rs4000. That works out much more value for money. Should my sons interest in cycling continue, I can always buy him a proper full size bike in a few years time and his height will have also grown to take advantage of the full size bikes.

Hercules/Atlas/Hero/BSA are the way to go right now. Please dont buy stuff with shock absorbers and other paraphernalia - I've been down that road and my son swears that the BMX is better without all that stuff. He claims he gets a better 'feel' of the road (pavement in this case, but thats his road) and better 'control' and therefore more fun overall - he even claims better 'handling' but we'll overlook that since he's about 9 years old. The BMX holds itself together much better too - no rattles or loose ends after nearly a year, whereas all the others had stuff dropping off every now and then.

Also go in for a size bigger rather than a size smaller.

[nemo]

I paid 15k for the bike.

[Ketan]

Hi,

Last weekend I went to a nearby bike shop to have a look at a bicycle for my kid. We just wanted to buy something quick and did not want to spend too much of money too.
I had a look at some Hercules bikes and then also had a look at BSA Foldman Series. I really liked the foldman series bikes (I beleive they are out of production now - some of the dealers may still have it).

I'm excited to buy one for my kid first; I may go for Firefox or La-Sovereign basic model. But then also thinking about getting one for me (not so confident about riding it to work on regular basis) but lets see, I liked the foldman series idea where I can simply keep the bike in the car boot (helpful when I go drop or pickup my car from garage) or take it anywhere. if I buy one, I shall also give a thought to a good road bike with alloy frame and ral light that I can put to maximum use. It should be a good idea if I can ride around 25 KMs a day / 3-5 days a week; it will be a good exercise for a person like me who uses my enfield to go for a smoke (thats because EGL is not allowing to smoke within campus now a days).

If anyone one of you have some fair idea about these brands (Firefox, La-Sovereign or some other good brands), please let me know. I've just started looking around so dont have much idea about it or not yet done much research on it.
Thanks.

Edit: Mods, this is a query about non-motorized bike, so if you feel this is not the right forum, please move it to the appropriate one.

[nickoo]

hi ketan, you can look for entry level Trek and Merida too. They are great value for money and anyday better than Firefox or LA bikes