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Old 19th November 2018, 14:33   #4006
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by anandpadhye View Post
BTW, a friend pointed out an interesting fact about Shimano RS11 wheels on the Btwin Ultra. The front wheel is symmetric, the rear wheel is asymmetric. It has a rim that tapers inwards. A friend pointed this out and as per him the reason is - the power is transmitted to the rear wheel only from the right (even when you are cranking with your left pedal) because the chain and gears are connected on the right.

Very interesting! Let me post picture of mine.

The amount of engineering that's gone into such seemingly simple things like a bicycle wheel is mind blowing!

My Scott Hybrid that rides on Syncros wheels, does not have this! The rear wheel is symmetric just like the front.
Kudos to Shimano! And Kudos to BTwin for using it on the Ultra! At INR 85,000 is there another bike that offers all these specs in our market?

Roadies are special, in deed!
Actually this is paradoxically a step back technically as a technique used for mass produced machine laced wheels, to mass produce reliable wheels without the need for the more complex "dishing" of spokes (drive versus non-drive side) that is more a black art and can be hit or miss depending on the skillset and experience of the guy lacing your wheels.

This becomes more of an issue on some frames versus others. The same to an extent is achieved by asymmetric chainstays.

Experts can correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers, Doc
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Old 19th November 2018, 15:30   #4007
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Re: The Bicycles thread

In my younger ages, i had a BSA SLR, BSA Classic and a Hercules MTB. A month back, i had an opportunity to ride a hero basic model MTB. Fortunately, I had a test ride of BTWIN at decathlon yesterday and the bikes there changed my perspective towards bicycle. New hero cycle i ride recently had a long braking distance, but the braking and ride quality on even the basic BTWIN models flattered me.

Now i am in a serious confusion.

1. I am bit confused about two BTWIN models. RockRider ST100 (INR 17,000)and RockRider 520 (INR 25,999). Mostly used for home to office commute, which is around 15Kms daily.

2. Heard about others like Montra and Firefox too. Could i expect the performance of BTWIN from these companies as well? If so, comparable models are appreciated.

Notes:
My budget is less than 20K. If the RR520 is worth, i don't mind extending it to another 6K.
Riding through some of the roads in kerala is bit off roading and hence preferred an MTB.
I am 182cm in height and weighs around 85Kgs now. 6 months ago, it was around 106Kgs.
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Old 19th November 2018, 15:54   #4008
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha View Post

1. I am bit confused about two BTWIN models. RockRider ST100 (INR 17,000)and RockRider 520 (INR 25,999). Mostly used for home to office commute, which is around 15Kms daily.
Check out the Triban 100, its a road bike, but on sale in Decathlons. Do consider a test drive of a road bike before you finalise. You can't go wrong with a Btwin, but I'll let other Gurus out here to recommend other bikes.

Quote:
2. Heard about others like Montra and Firefox too. Could i expect the performance of BTWIN from these companies as well? If so, comparable models are appreciated.
Have heard positive review of Montra in this budget range, however, mixed reviews of Firefox.

Quote:
Notes:
My budget is less than 20K. If the RR520 is worth, i don't mind extending it to another 6K.
When I was purchasing a cycle, I ended up borrowing a friends cycle for a month (He was on a trip) and once I cycled for a month, I a new cycle (La Sovereign Cheetah). Fast forward to 3 years and now I have a Triban 500. A big purchase for me ~ 3.5X the cost of my first cycle. From this, I've learnt that there will be always something better out there, but you have to decide on which price range you stop. IF you can extend it to another 6k, might as well look at 26k bikes no?
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Old 19th November 2018, 16:23   #4009
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
Check out the Triban 100, its a road bike, but on sale in Decathlons.
Thank you for the suggestion. I am seriously concerned about some of the roads i am supposed to travel. Please refer the Image for a sample. Its not my place, but similar roads i have to encounter occasionally. Hence preferred an MTB.

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
but you have to decide on which price range you stop. IF you can extend it to another 6k, might as well look at 26k bikes no?
Actually the maximum was 10K only. After some convincing to Wife, it was upto 20K max. If my heart insists, 26K (with fear of wife)
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Old 19th November 2018, 17:23   #4010
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Re: The Bicycles thread

BTwin is a popular brand of bike, even in France and rest of Europe. Trustworthy and dependable.
Firefox is also a good brand. I used mine for 10 years before selling it off this year because I bought my FatTire Bike - an L A Sovereign from Thailand, bought in my neighbourhood bike store. Montra and Cannondale are also lovely bikes.
Nowadays if you want a good bicycle you’ll have to shell out about 20K to 1 lac, depending on your appetite and size of wallet.
I think it is well worth buying one whose frame etc are of a lighter construction like an Alloy rather than steel. Bikes made from alloys and Carbon Fibre etc are as strong but much easier to handle around and lift and stuff. But they are more expensive overall to acquire.

My LA Sovereign is a great daily use bike. It’s fat tires are fun to ride on and absorb most of the shocks. Contrary to what people think, this one I have, is a perfect road bike for me, with its 21 gears. I absolutely enjoy it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha View Post
In my younger ages, i had a BSA SLR, BSA Classic and a Hercules MTB. A month back, i had an opportunity to ride a hero basic model MTB. Fortunately, I had a test ride of BTWIN at decathlon yesterday and the bikes there changed my perspective towards bicycle. New hero cycle i ride recently had a long braking distance, but the braking and ride quality on even the basic BTWIN models flattered me.

Now i am in a serious confusion.

1. I am bit confused about two BTWIN models. RockRider ST100 (INR 17,000)and RockRider 520 (INR 25,999). Mostly used for home to office commute, which is around 15Kms daily.

2. Heard about others like Montra and Firefox too. Could i expect the performance of BTWIN from these companies as well? If so, comparable models are appreciated.

Notes:
My budget is less than 20K. If the RR520 is worth, i don't mind extending it to another 6K.
Riding through some of the roads in kerala is bit off roading and hence preferred an MTB.
I am 182cm in height and weighs around 85Kgs now. 6 months ago, it was around 106Kgs.

Last edited by shankar.balan : 19th November 2018 at 17:27.
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Old 19th November 2018, 17:48   #4011
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha View Post
Thank you for the suggestion. I am seriously concerned about some of the roads i am supposed to travel. Please refer the Image for a sample. Its not my place, but similar roads i have to encounter occasionally. Hence preferred an MTB.
Hmmm...don't go for a 25mm roadie in this case. You will have to regularly deal with bent rims and punctures. But see if you can get a drop bar bike with 32mm tyres. That will be best of both worlds. Just 3 different hand positions make rides so much comfortable than a straight bar hybrid.

Why don't you check out Montra Unplugged:
https://montra.in/road-bikes/unplugged/


EDIT: My bad, this one comes with 23mm tyres! Need to look for something else.


Welcome to the madness

Last edited by anandpadhye : 19th November 2018 at 17:53.
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Old 19th November 2018, 19:06   #4012
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha View Post
Thank you for the suggestion. I am seriously concerned about some of the roads i am supposed to travel. Please refer the Image for a sample. Its not my place, but similar roads i have to encounter occasionally. Hence preferred an MTB.



Actually the maximum was 10K only. After some convincing to Wife, it was upto 20K max. If my heart insists, 26K (with fear of wife)
The RR 520 is a very well specced bike for it's price. It's got a mostly SRAM groupset and disc brakes. I would prefer it over the ST100 . It weighs 15kg.

For the roads you've shown , a hybrid with 35 or 38 mm tyres and a short suspension travel will do. You will have to slow down at those potholes . You can certainly use an MTB but a hybrid will be a little lighter and agile . The montra blues is a good choice. Btwin also has the riverside model in it's hybrid lineup.

I have a Triban 100 flatbar with 32mm tyres . It weighs 11 kgs. I use it for my 35 km office commute in Bangalore. The roads I do are about 80% good . On the bad and bumpy stretches I just slow down. There's a Triban 100 dropbar with 32 mm tyres but it's got an index shifter which may not be very convenient to use in traffic due to it's positioning.

Last edited by sdp1975 : 19th November 2018 at 19:22.
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Old 19th November 2018, 21:02   #4013
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by anandpadhye View Post
Congrats!
Specs and price please?
Thank you sir! Here are the basic specs that I can think of,
Frame : Double butted alloy
Fork : Carbon
Crank : 50 / 34T
Cassette: 11/32T
Gearing : Shimano Claris
Size : 56
Tyres : 700 x 25c Vera corsa wheels
I guess weight should be just below 10 kg. Price quoted was 45K as it was one of the last pieces that the shop guy wanted to dispose off.

More info here - https://www.choosemybicycle.com/en/b...ortif-2-3-2017

Quote:
Originally Posted by graaja View Post
Congratulations on the new bike. Looks awesome! And the geometry looks quite relaxed and should be great for long rides. Wishing you thousands of miles of joy, health and fitness
Thank you sir. Yes. It's an endurance geometry bike. I didn't want a more aero bike because
1. My primary aim is to go on long rides on the weekends
2. I am a newbie to roadies and I dont want to break my back by buying a race geometry bike.
Btw I follow you on Strava!
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Old 20th November 2018, 00:02   #4014
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by eyesice View Post
After much contemplation and debate between the head and the heart, the heart won, obviously. Presenting the Fuji Sportif 2.3
Nice endurance bike buddy. Congratulations!

Cheers, Doc

Last edited by aah78 : 26th September 2019 at 19:14. Reason: Quote trimmed.
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Old 20th November 2018, 08:57   #4015
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha View Post
My budget is less than 20K. If the RR520 is worth, i don't mind extending
I have a RR 540 and is worth the money spent on it. The only difference is the 540 gets a Shimano 27 speed While 520 gets a SRAM 24 speed.

Try for a 540 else pick the 520. You can have fun off-road too in these.
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Old 20th November 2018, 16:38   #4016
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This could be a silly question for most of you here but since I am new in the geared bikes scenes I am kind of struggling with the shifters in my new Montra Trance D.
Could anyone please explain how to use the shifters effectively. The bike has a Shimano Tourney assembly.
The problem I am facing is many a times the front derailleurs don't work. Also, when shifting from 3 to 4 or from 5 to 4 the rear derailleurs are making a lot of noise.
Also, is it necessary that you slow down before shifting?
Any help is appreciated.
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Old 20th November 2018, 17:48   #4017
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by Pancham View Post
The problem I am facing is many a times the front derailleurs don't work. Also, when shifting from 3 to 4 or from 5 to 4 the rear derailleurs are making a lot of noise.
Also, is it necessary that you slow down before shifting?
Bicycle gears don't shift well under load. So if you are mashing your pedals hard and trying to shift simultaneously, the gears will struggle to shift properly. Try to maintain a smooth cadence while shifting.

If you are approaching a climb, shift down early and don't shift in the middle of the climb.

Last edited by aah78 : 26th September 2019 at 19:15. Reason: Spacing.
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Old 20th November 2018, 17:57   #4018
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by varunanb View Post
I have a RR 540 and is worth the money spent on it. The only difference is the 540 gets a Shimano 27 speed While 520 gets a SRAM 24 speed.
No, there are some other fundamental differences as well.
540 has hydraulic disk brakes compared to mechanical of 520, and has better front fork.

If budget can be extended to 30-35K range then Kona Lana-i and GT Avalanche are two VFM options, rather these are few of the cheapest bikes available with tapered head-tubes in India.

When you are into MTB, fork becomes crucial and itch of upgrade starts as soon as you taste the ride on trails or bad roads. And tapered head-tube opens way for wide range of fork options.
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Old 20th November 2018, 20:07   #4019
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Intervals Workout in an Indoor Trainer

In the past, I have tried to do interval workouts on road, but have always been unsuccessful in getting a good workout. If the plan was to hold a high intensity for 3 minutes, I would usually hit a speed breaker or cross a village or get chased by a dog and the power would drop.

Decided to test the internal trainer for an intervals workout. Following was the plan.

Warm up - 10 minutes
Steady power - 5 minutes
6 x (3 minutes high intensity + 2 minutes easy)
Steady power - 5 minutes
Cool down - 10 minutes

In Zwift, we can create custom workouts. We can drag and drop blocks of various power zones, and then fine tune the duration and target power. I used 90W as target power for warm up and cool down, 135W for steady stage, 190W and 90W for the intervals. Once you create and select the workout, Zwift provides instructions on the screen about what power to maintain. If you go above or below 10% of the target power, it prompts you to increase or decrease power. I was able to feel the heart rate ramp up or ramp down and stay steady in the desired zone. With a couple of structured workouts like this per week, I am sure there will be very good improvement in overall power and fitness which should reflect on on-road performance.

A few screenshots, I took of the ride.

The plan.
The Bicycles thread-workout-plan.jpg

Steady state.
The Bicycles thread-steady.jpg

Intervals.
The Bicycles thread-fast.jpg

Prompt to increase power.
The Bicycles thread-more-power.jpg

Prompt to decrease power.
The Bicycles thread-less-power.jpg

The ride report. A perfect workout!
The Bicycles thread-ride-report.jpg

This being a dumb trainer, the power numbers are definitely not accurate. But the effect of the workout could sure be felt well.

Zwift also has pre-configured workouts available. A few samples below.
The Bicycles thread-plan-1.jpg

The Bicycles thread-plan-2.jpg
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Old 20th November 2018, 21:27   #4020
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Guys, I am looking to get back to cycling after a gap of almost 15-16 years. Visited a couple of stores to check out the market trend, and boy oh boy the entire scene has changed substantially! Most brands I came across were names I have never heard before, so I certainly need your help to choose the right cycle.

Immediate usage - 8 km one way ride to the badminton court. So 16 km a day on very decently laid roads.

Riding plan - As the badminton court won't function on weekends, I plan to ride around 30-40 km on weekends - mostly alone, so speed might not be of much importance.

Based on the limited research I have done over the last one week, I figured out that I might need a hybrid cycle, as that can go fast as well as handle some rough roads. Guided by a colleague of mine, I am made to believe that a suspension is a definite requirement as on rigid bicycles, the ride gets very unpleasant and it even makes one hang the boots up. However my common sense makes be stay skeptical, as I feel the suspension at least on bicycles I have tested seem too rigid to compress, and I feel it might not help much on the road, but might help on rough trail riding.

I was very impressed by Kross bicycles, as there was one model (Globate something IIRC) which had disc brake at the front, front fork suspension, was geared (21 or 7 I don't remember exactly) and had MTB tyres. That one at 10,xxx seemed like extremely good value for money.

Saw Mach City which was decent, but after looking at the Kross bicycle din't seem like good VFM, and since it did not have suspension at all, I wasn't too keen on this one.

I came back home and checked the Internet - Found Firefox (finally a brand I knew already ) and was surprised to see a bicycle with suspension and gears from this brand for just 11.5k (though in a horrible colour)! I always thought it was a very premium brand - https://www.choosemybicycle.com/en/b...patrol-6s-2017

My budget is around 10K, and I am looking for a hybrid bicycle that would be comfortable over bad roads. Is the Kross bicycle the way to go? Except for those slim high-speed tyres, it seems to have everything else - and that front disc brake seems like a bonus.
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