Suggest a decent geared Bicycle

G

gizmoholic

Adept
Hey guys,
I have started cycling a lot these days. Had my Hero Ranger 18 gear cycle restored to a decent condition (not decent enough for long commutes) and have been using it to regularly to run errands nearby and for general use. My office is around 8 kms away and I felt that I can cycle to office if I get myself a decent unit.
I was checking online and most of the bicycles seem to be above 15k. While i do realize that these bicycles would be a joy to ride, I am not willing to spend that high an amount.(Knowing me, I might resort to commuting by train again after 2 weeks :p).
Do you guys have any suggestions for 8k-10k? I am willing to get myself a decent 2nd hand cycle too from a Buy-Sell forum, if there are any specifically for bicycles or something. I checked OLX and Quikr but wasn't happy with the quality-price ratio of some of the Ads. I would prefer a buy-sell forum approach or a new one.

Thanks!
 
I would suggest looking for a used bike on the Cyclop FB group. The group is full of helpful people and you may have to dig through to find a deal, it will be worth your time - https://www.facebook.com/groups/CYCLOPBUYSELL

Personally, I would recommend you buy one of these to start off with,

My Bike 7S - http://www.decathlon.in/cycling/cycles/mountain-bikes/my-bike---7s/p-M8273887

Rockrider 300 - http://www.decathlon.in/cycling/cycles/mountain-bikes/vtt-rockrider-300-men/p-M8284495

If you feel that you enjoy cycling, then look for a replacement and spend more.
 
Thanks Blackend for your reply. I ended up finding a cycling specific forum in parallel which echo your thoughts. I had one more question though. I saw a few other cycles like Firefox Flip flop and the La Sovereign Cheetah (absolute beauty!) which are gearless. Do you guys think a good single speed (gearless) cycle is a good buy for flat roads with moderate slopes (Mumbai - Powai incline is the only one which comes to mind in my list of regular routes). Apart from the looks of the latter, what really attracted me was the low cost of maintenance for low geared cycles and the slimmer tyres which would give me higher speeds with lesser efforts.
 
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gizmoholic said:
Thanks Blackend for your reply. I ended up finding a cycling specific forum in parallel which echo your thoughts. I had one more question though. I saw a few other cycles like Firefox Flip flop and the La Sovereign Cheetah (absolute beauty!) which are gearless. Do you guys think a good single speed (gearless) cycle is a good buy for flat roads with moderate slopes (Mumbai - Powai incline is the only one which comes to mind in my list of regular routes). Apart from the looks of the later, what really attracted me was the low cost of maintenance for low geared cycles and the slimmer tyres which would give me higher speeds with lesser efforts.
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I would suggest sticking to geared cycles. There are no issues with maintenance as far as my experiences go.
 
Well, I have had issues with my Shimano gear system in the Hero Ranger. It keeps falling off and the feel of the gear itself is very unsatisfactory. Not sure whether it's because of the age of the cycle itself or whether Shimano gears are are actually as bad as some reviews online claim them to be..
 
gizmoholic said:
Thanks Blackend for your reply. I ended up finding a cycling specific forum in parallel which echo your thoughts. I had one more question though. I saw a few other cycles like Firefox Flip flop and the La Sovereign Cheetah (absolute beauty!) which are gearless. Do you guys think a good single speed (gearless) cycle is a good buy for flat roads with moderate slopes (Mumbai - Powai incline is the only one which comes to mind in my list of regular routes). Apart from the looks of the latter, what really attracted me was the low cost of maintenance for low geared cycles and the slimmer tyres which would give me higher speeds with lesser efforts.
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Echoing what rdst_1 said above, with cycles there is no real issue of maintenance. Go for a geared bike because pretty soon you'll wish that instead of buying a fixie you should have just bought a geared bike. From some experiences I have read on Cyclop, Firefox bikes are not very well built compared to what Decathlon makes (BTwin). LA Sovereign is another Indian bike company that makes some good bikes at affordable prices, I've never had any experience with their bikes so I can't really comment there.

Slimmer tyres do help when riding on straight roads, such bikes are called hybrids. Their wheels are not as slim as a road bike but are comparatively slimmer than a mountain bike. Hybrids are also lighter in comparison to mountain bikes. Hybrids are not cheap though. A decent hybrid will set you back by 15-20k at least. Montra, an Indian bike maker, makes good hybrids (https://montra.in/bicycles/hybrid/montra-trance-pro-2015/).

Since you're just starting off, I suggest the Rockrider. If a few months down the line you feel like upgrading, you'll find buyers for your Rockrider on Cyclop fairly easily.
 
If you would like to research more, you would find that Shimano make gear systems worth a few lakhs as well. In the end you get what you pay for.
I specifically chose the Schwinn Sporterra over other alternatives because it had better derailleurs.

I haven't faced any issues yet. In fact I haven't had even a single mis-shift from my system. Montra, La-Sovereign etc make good bikes, but you will have to spend around 15-25k at least for a good bike. Also please take a test ride first. The hybrid bikes can be really uncomfortable if you are not accustomed to them.
 
Definitely get a geared bike. Makes your workouts and riding more efficient. I have a MyBike and although I do 20KM jaunts on it, I would really prefer a geared cycle in the long term.
Rockrider entry level bike will cost you around 11K fully loaded.

If open to the idea, then get it from PayTm and then assemble yourself (which is not as hard as it may sound) or get it done from a local cycle shop. Saying because after cashback, the effective price for the entry level VTT 300 Rockrider comes to about 7K.

EDIT: Since you are from Mumbai, visit a Decathlon store if possible. You can ride any bike you want there and then make a decision.
 
eternoMind said:
Definitely get a geared bike. Makes your workouts and riding more efficient. I have a MyBike and although I do 20KM jaunts on it, I would really prefer a geared cycle in the long term.
Rockrider entry level bike will cost you around 11K fully loaded.

If open to the idea, then get it from PayTm and then assemble yourself (which is not as hard as it may sound) or get it done from a local cycle shop. Saying because after cashback, the effective price for the entry level VTT 300 Rockrider comes to about 7K.
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That seems to be a good deal. I assembled my Schwinn myself. Took me just 15 minutes as wheels were the quick-removable kind.
 
rdst_1 said:
That seems to be a good deal. I assembled my Schwinn myself. Took me just 15 minutes as wheels were the quick-removable kind.
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Yeah, all one needs are a couple of Allen keys and a few spanners. A friend's friend did exactly that and is very happy with the purchase. He doesn't buy much online though let alone on Paytm so used up the cash back amount on electricity and phone bills :D.
 
btwin rockrider for 10k. available in decathalon. worthy first bike.I do 8 to 10kms every sunday on it. no problems at all. And maintainence on bikes is pretty easy
 
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