[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by graaja

Regarding durability, not sure how many kilometers these tires will last. I have ridden these tires for about 750km and have got only one puncture so far, that too on a very rough road with lot of thorny bushes on the side. Regarding grip, I have ridden these on some very rough village roads filled with potholes (some of them may even be considered as off road) and have never faced any lack of grip (the ride is on the rougher side though). You feel the lack of grip only when you are riding in some serious lose gravel. So, if you are looking at office commute, then I would highly recommend these tires.

Thanks. But the only concern is the access road for my society. It's a makeshift gravel+stony road still awaiting the final layer of tar. No thorns as such but a very rough off-road kind of a track. But the price tag is decent, I'm almost tempted to order it right now.

Just a noobie Q - the rockrider 5.0 (my bike) has 26X2 sized tires. The above one is 26X1.5 - problem? Google (search) tells me I can go that slick(er), but would be glad to hear the feedback on this forum.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Just a noobie Q - the rockrider 5.0 (my bike) has 26X2 sized tires. The above one is 26X1.5 - problem? Google (search) tells me I can go that slick(er), but would be glad to hear the feedback on this forum.

Ideally stick to 26x2
Also if you find such a road with gravel, it would be better to take the shoulder assuming it is a smoother walkway and free of plants and construction debris. If the distance is not too much, say 30 feet you could just push it

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Thanks. But the only concern is the access road for my society. It's a makeshift gravel+stony road still awaiting the final layer of tar. No thorns as such but a very rough off-road kind of a track. But the price tag is decent, I'm almost tempted to order it right now.

Just a noobie Q - the rockrider 5.0 (my bike) has 26X2 sized tires. The above one is 26X1.5 - problem? Google (search) tells me I can go that slick(er), but would be glad to hear the feedback on this forum.

Regarding the gravel+stony access road, it should not be a problem. Even the road to my house is a makeshift road which is about 150 meters with a very rough surface and I have not faced any problems. Some of the village roads that I have traveled have been totally broken. I just take it slow on these stretches and avoid sharp objects. So, just take it slow on these rough stretches (just like you would take your sedan on rough roads) and you should be fine.

OT, if you go long distances, I would suggest you to go for a saddle bag, puncture kit and a pump. These will come very handy if you get a flat in the middle of nowhere.

Regarding the size of the tire, the smaller the tire, the faster it is. But you need to check if the wheel can take the size. Usually, the wheels can take tires a couple of sizes small. I remember my Trek came with a 26x2 knobby tires and my slick tires were smaller than the stock tires. What I don't remember is if I have 26x1.75 or 26x1.5 slicks on my bike. As I am out of town, I will check my bike tomorrow when I am back home, and let you know the exact details.

I would say, go for it. You will love the speed. After I changed the tires on my bike, the only regret I have is why I did not do this earlier

[graaja]

Originally Posted by graaja

Regarding the size of the tire, the smaller the tire, the faster it is. But you need to check if the wheel can take the size. Usually, the wheels can take tires a couple of sizes small. I remember my Trek came with a 26x2 knobby tires and my slick tires were smaller than the stock tires. What I don't remember is if I have 26x1.75 or 26x1.5 slicks on my bike. As I am out of town, I will check my bike tomorrow when I am back home, and let you know the exact details.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Just a noobie Q - the rockrider 5.0 (my bike) has 26X2 sized tires. The above one is 26X1.5 - problem? Google (search) tells me I can go that slick(er), but would be glad to hear the feedback on this forum.

Just confirmed the slicks on my bike are 26x1.5. If I remember correctly, the original tires were 26x2.2

[t18]

BTWIN MYBIKE

I had my first cycle when I was in my 9th standard and rode it till I graduated. It was an Atlas MTB. It took me alot of places. Then after I got a job the cycle took a backseat and my Yamaha Enticer took over. And before I knew my brother gave it off to someone and I didn't see it after that.

One of my friend still rides a cycle and I just took it for a spin. And I can still feel the feeling I got after riding a bicyle after maybe 5 to 7 years back. It was so MAGICAL. No ignition, no changing gears, no throttle ONLY PEDAL and the bike surges forward.

Two years back I bumped into this thread on Team-BHP. And since then this Bicycle bug has caught me. I kept reading each and every page. And by doing so I came across the many online cycle shops and forums like bikeszone. All these forums and the thread over here made me seriously think of getting on with cycling.

After going through many threads I decided of having a HYBRID. No suspension, no gears only simplicity. I zeroed on SCHWINN MADISON. It looks so good WOW. And since then I keep drooling over the pictures of it. But then it was costing upwards of 20K. I even made up my mind to spend that much on a bicycle. My Atlas MTB cost 1200 bucks then . But spending so much on the cycle kept me putting off from starting cycling. With so many ifs and buts. What if I stop riding it after few days as I am a lazy bugger. I couldn't see so much cash rotting in a corner of my house. No way.

And atlast I came across this much affordable low risk bike The BTWIN MYBIKE. Even if I stop cycling not much to loose.
As there are no shops selling imported bikes nearby I relied on Online shops. And there comes SnapDeal. After reading so many negative reviews on "The Online Shopping" thread over here I was very sceptical.
But I went ahead and ordered on March 12th. And since then everyday I checked and there was not much movement of my shipment ala the way Flipkart gives a visual of the movement of our order.
And on March 19th I get a call from Bluedart. Here is the biggest courier package ever coming to my house.

And here is a photo with me to give an idea of how big that box was.


Some damage to the box.



Stickers.




Some pigeon poop.



And the first glimpse of my Bicycle.



Contents of the small box.



Contents in the BIG BOX.




And no box.


Tyre size.


Handle bar.




Front fork.


Front wheel.



Pedal. Now I started assembling the bike with no manual and not even watching any youtube videos. Here is where I get stuck. I take one of the pedals and start threading. One try, two tries, third try and no luck it just won't fit in. Then I take the other pedal and try, voila its in. Okay now I check the pedal for any marking and here its is .


The other pedal I try and this one wont go in. Now im worried what if they provided with the wrong one and how much time they will take to send the replacement. And by fluke I try to thread it the other way and what it goes in. Oh! How could I make it out without a manual.



Fitting the handle bar.



Seat.


To be continued...

[t18]

And here is the bicycle fully assembled.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by t18

And here is the bicycle fully assembled.

Looks great. Wishing you miles and miles of healthy biking. Hope you have started enjoying the rides on the new bike.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by graaja

Just confirmed the slicks on my bike are 26x1.5. If I remember correctly, the original tires were 26x2.2

So BumsontheSaddle is out of stock for these tires. Tried Decathalon today, and got the response that they don't stock such tires, and even if they did, these won't fit on the Rockrider 5.0 !!!

Anybody have suggestions for shops in Pune/Mumbai where I can source these tires? Or any other online website that sell these (or similar slick tires)?


On an another note, it's been approximately 4+ months since I re-kicked my cycling habits. Started out with my Hercules gearless MTB and later on shifted to the Rockrider 5.0. Finally crossed the 1000 km mark over the weekend Ransacked the Decathalon store for all accessories (as a mini-treat for myself), and now the only pending thing are the slick tires.

Have set some personal goals for the upcoming summer - basically to increase the monthly run rate (>400 kms/month) and go for longer (>50kms) rides. Would love to have bhpians for company for such long(er) rides.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

So BumsontheSaddle is out of stock for these tires. Tried Decathalon today, and got the response that they don't stock such tires, and even if they did, these won't fit on the Rockrider 5.0 !!!

Anybody have suggestions for shops in Pune/Mumbai where I can source these tires? Or any other online website that sell these (or similar slick tires)?

On an another note, it's been approximately 4+ months since I re-kicked my cycling habits. Started out with my Hercules gearless MTB and later on shifted to the Rockrider 5.0. Finally crossed the 1000 km mark over the weekend Ransacked the Decathalon store for all accessories (as a mini-treat for myself), and now the only pending thing are the slick tires.

Have set some personal goals for the upcoming summer - basically to increase the monthly run rate (>400 kms/month) and go for longer (>50kms) rides. Would love to have bhpians for company for such long(er) rides.

Did you talk to BOTS? Any idea if they can source the tires? I too need another pair of tires for a friend of mine.

Great to hear that you have crossed the 1000km mark. You must definitely be feeling a lot fitter than before! Good luck with your 400k/month and long distance riding goals.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by graaja

Did you talk to BOTS? Any idea if they can source the tires? I too need another pair of tires for a friend of mine.

I did - they have put me on the "waiting list" and will update me once they get stock.

Great to hear that you have crossed the 1000km mark. You must definitely be feeling a lot fitter than before! Good luck with your 400k/month and long distance riding goals.

Thanks

But since a few days I have been thinking on another tangent angle - I would appreciate frank opinions on this.

I am seriously thinking of upgrading my bike - basically selling off my rockrider and getting a hybrid. I'm fine with the potential $$ loss on the current cycle.

And here's where I need help I am planning to hit a few shops in Pune to start looking at hybrid cycles. But I'd love suggestions on bikes ranging between 20k - 25k.


P.s. One of @phamilyman's point on this thread keeps haunting me again and again - one needs to buy a cycle that is a few levels above what he can afford (or something like that). Good point IMO.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

upgrading my bike -
...to start looking at hybrid cycles. But I'd love suggestions on bikes ranging between 20k - 25k.

Why do you want to upgrade? I doubt if 20-25k would give you a remarkably better upgrade from your present bike. Head north of 40k, and you get a faster hybrid - a Bianchi Camaleonte for example, or a Giant Roam (Giant have their India office in Pune).

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

But I'd love suggestions on bikes ranging between 20k - 25k.

Bikeszone forum is full of suggestions on this. For 25 to 27k, you can buy a Schwinn Sporterra 2013 model or a Fuji Absolute 2013. Both are good bikes with good components that fit in your budget.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I am seriously thinking of upgrading my bike - basically selling off my rockrider and getting a hybrid. I'm fine with the potential $$ loss on the current cycle.

And here's where I need help I am planning to hit a few shops in Pune to start looking at hybrid cycles. But I'd love suggestions on bikes ranging between 20k - 25k.

Let me add some more to the confusion

AFAIK, hybrid bikes are good for regular commutes over moderate distances, say 15km to 20km. As you are planning to do some serious biking on long distances of 50k+ (believe me, once you do a 50k, you will start planning for a 100k), my suggestion would be to go for a road bike. Trek 1.1 at 43K is a good one to start with. You can get firefox road bikes for 20K, but I do not trust the quality of these bikes. Maybe other members can suggest some other alternates.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

P.s. One of @phamilyman's point on this thread keeps haunting me again and again - one needs to buy a cycle that is a few levels above what he can afford (or something like that). Good point IMO.

That is absolutely true in my experience. Four years back, when I bought my mountain bike, I had a budget for a Trek 3700 at 17K, but I ended up buying a 4300D at 29K.

As SS Traveler has suggested, you need to up the budget to 40K to get some decent bikes. It would be better to save some more dough and go for a better bike a few months later than buying a bike at a lower budget. Just my 2 cents!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Why do you want to upgrade? I doubt if 20-25k would give you a remarkably better upgrade from your present bike. Head north of 40k, and you get a faster hybrid - a Bianchi Camaleonte for example, or a Giant Roam (Giant have their India office in Pune).

A few reasons - might not make a lot of sense (for upgrading). But then like for cars, upgrading never actually does right?
- My core reasons is in shifting to a hybrid. I am planning to do a lot of long road/highway rides in the coming summer.
- I have a second MTB (basic Hercules) for doing offroading. Not the ideal bike, but I don't see me doing a lot of offroading in coming summer.
- I currently am able to do 20km rides without any issues - that's my usual ride. As quoted earlier, and on a realistic note I plan to double it, with hopefully a few >60/>100 kms rides once in a month maybe. But these would be few.

Now I am not really keen on getting features like disc brakes or front suspensions. They might be useful on longer rides, but I don't consider them a necessity (yet).

So (keeping the moolah factor "issues" aside) if I compare a sub-25k bike (like Cannondale Quick 5 or Schwinn Sporterra) with a Giant Roam, do I really need that level of bikes? What do I gain?

Originally Posted by shipnil

Bikeszone forum is full of suggestions on this. For 25 to 27k, you can buy a Schwinn Sporterra 2013 model or a Fuji Absolute 2013. Both are good bikes with good components that fit in your budget.

Thanks - will be hitting that forum in detail.

Originally Posted by graaja

Let me add some more to the confusion

AFAIK, hybrid bikes are good for regular commutes over moderate distances, say 15km to 20km. As you are planning to do some serious biking on long distances of 50k+ (believe me, once you do a 50k, you will start planning for a 100k), my suggestion would be to go for a road bike. Trek 1.1 at 43K is a good one to start with. You can get firefox road bikes for 20K, but I do not trust the quality of these bikes. Maybe other members can suggest some other alternates.

Lol. Thanks for the trust, but I believe 100km rides would be rare in my case. A medium figure would be 40 km. I don't trust Firefox either - I'd be better off with upgrading to slick tires on my Rockrider in that case. I was looking at Trek/Schwinn/Cannondale primarily - I really don't have much info on Fuji or Giant bikes to be honest.

Road bikes? Noooh please. One level of confusion is enough. Maybe by rainy season I'd come back with a similar query asking suggestions for road bikes

As SS Traveler has suggested, you need to up the budget to 40K to get some decent bikes. It would be better to save some more dough and go for a better bike a few months later than buying a bike at a lower budget. Just my 2 cents!

A bit noob-ish & stupid, but I have to ask this question again. How much do I benefit from a hybrid at 40+k than a hybrid at 25+k, considering my target cycling range?

Trust me, I'm fighting hard hiding this upgrade from the "boss". Shifting to 40+ levels would be hara-kiri. Lol


P.s. I really appreciate the inputs I'm getting from you guys. Thanks!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

A few reasons - might not make a lot of sense (for upgrading). But then like for cars, upgrading never actually does right?
- My core reasons is in shifting to a hybrid. I am planning to do a lot of long road/highway rides in the coming summer.
- I have a second MTB (basic Hercules) for doing offroading. Not the ideal bike, but I don't see me doing a lot of offroading in coming summer.
- I currently am able to do 20km rides without any issues - that's my usual ride. As quoted earlier, and on a realistic note I plan to double it, with hopefully a few >60/>100 kms rides once in a month maybe. But these would be few.

Now I am not really keen on getting features like disc brakes or front suspensions. They might be useful on longer rides, but I don't consider them a necessity (yet).

So (keeping the moolah factor "issues" aside) if I compare a sub-25k bike (like Cannondale Quick 5 or Schwinn Sporterra) with a Giant Roam, do I really need that level of bikes? What do I gain?

...

A bit noob-ish & stupid, but I have to ask this question again. How much do I benefit from a hybrid at 40+k than a hybrid at 25+k, considering my target cycling range?

Trust me, I'm fighting hard hiding this upgrade from the "boss". Shifting to 40+ levels would be hara-kiri. Lol

Leaving aside the quality of components (gears, deraileurs, brakes etc), the main difference between a road bike and a mountain bike are the tires and the front shock absorbers. The frame of both MTB and hybrid are very similar with similar riding position and a flat handle bar. So, if you are only going to do moderate 40k'ish distances, then just changing the tires to slicks will make your Rock Rider 5.0 as good as a hybrid. So, if I were in your position, I would upgrade to a 20k-25K hybrid only if I am looking better components. You could use the dough saved to buy a good road bike later

On your question about the difference between a 25k to 40k hybrid, a 40k hybrid with better components will be much easy and comfortable to ride than a hybrid at 25k due to various factors like lower weight, better deraileurs mean smoother gear shifts, better brakes and so on.