[amvj]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

....

My typical ride distance would be <= 40km at max.

How different does a BTWIN Triban feel in comparison to BTWIN Riverside 500


Riverside500



I see the product is not available / discontinued. Riverside 500 Weight is 13KG which is approximately 2KG heavier than RC100. It has front suspension. I don't prefer suspension on cheap bikes as they are not good, you don't need it for general road cycling.

Also I find the tyre is 700 x 35 which same as my Firefox Volante but slightly wider than RC100 which is 32.

I have not tried Riverside 500 so I don't know.

1. Ride comfort (especially the vibration on your arms when riding though usual tarmac roads that are not upto the mark with uneven patches ? )

RC100 has 32 size tyre which is wide for a road bike. Riverside 500 has 35 size tyre. There is a slight difference in size. On my Firefox Volante (700x35 tyre) I put 70 PSI and on the RC100 it is 100 PSI. Volante offers slightly cushy ride compared to RC100. However, the difference is not day and night.

2. Effort on the pedal (eg: does 70% of the effort on the Triban give the same level of acceleration as when on a Riverside)

Road bikes are generally faster than Hybrid and are much faster than MTBs for the same effort.
This goes the other way if we ride on potholed, very rough terrain. I ride my hybrid with a couple of other MTB riders. They usually don't slow down on potholes, but I have to.

3. I don't prefer the drop handle, can I switch it with a straight handle like a Hybrid ?

You can go for flat bar Triban 100

[amvj]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Congratulations, but is that a side stand on your roadie!

I am getting old. Now practicality matters more than aesthetics. It's certainly debatable if the bike in question is a Pinarello F12 dogma, but not a very basic Decathlon bike.

I never faced any rattling noise with my Firefox cycle' stand. I am expecting the same with this.

Originally Posted by amvj

2. Effort on the pedal (eg: does 70% of the effort on the Triban give the same level of acceleration as when on a Riverside)

Road bikes are generally faster than Hybrid and are much faster than MTBs for the same effort.
This goes the other way if we ride on potholed, very rough terrain. I ride my hybrid with a couple of other MTB riders. They usually don't slow down on potholes, but I have to.

A good GCN video on this topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvO74sZxVs4

[Shome]

Guys, any feedback on outdoors91 as a brand? I'm looking to get into cycling and looking for a hybrid. Is this a brand I can consider as a beginner?

https://www.outdoors91.com/hybrid-bikes

[silverado]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

I currently own an MTB,
But once I am back permanently in BLR plan to get a Hybrid or a Road bike.

I am going to use the bike just for some morning / evening rides within the city less crowded roads. I dont see myself doing any long marathon kind of rides. My typical ride distance would be <= 40km at max.

From what you have described above, i dont think you need a upgrade. Your MTB should suffice for most of the riding. If you do need a slightly faster bike you can simply switch to thinner tyres on your MTB and it will make a difference in average speeds.

For less than 40 kms distance, even a single speed bike with MTB tyres will do the job in city like Bangalore ( Assume not much elevation ).

[tortoiseNhare]

Here is a delightful account of the restoration of a bicycle used by the father of the nation:
https://amp.scroll.in/article/987211...rom%20%251%24s

[ringoism]

Having finished a bunch of more "commercial" work, finally got time for some maintenance/ upgrades for my own old crusty Hercules ACT108Max...



Most of it sourced from the second-hand / scrap bin, as usual (exception being the color-matched desi freewheel, just to assess the quality of a ₹280 new unit - and currently dubious there).

As a centerpiece (so to speak) is the sealed-insert bearing hub shown above, originally from a Raleigh MTB, conveniently color-coded to the original coppertone ACT cranks/forks. Have these hubs both front and rear now, with quick-releases, a very stout vintage steel one at the rear to help maximize rigidity of the swingarm.

I really cannot grasp why more companies aren't using these, as they can be found even on midrange Raleighs and are effective at keeping grime/water out and dramatically reducing the need for typically messy routine axle/hub maintenance that even some pretty expensive bikes of other brands require. New bearings here should run smoothly a long time without attention.


Next:





Always liked the tough, very "engineered" look of SRAM stuff... And supposedly some of it really is harder to break than the normal midrange from, eh, that other (world monopoly) brand.

Managed to snag this X4 derailleur with its matching shifter... A quite different feel from the usual: in particular, very "solid" in their precision - and to me, these offer overall a more exclusive / quirky vibe, besides. Both up & downshifting is done with the thumb, which seems alright to me.

I've always broken the rules by (quite successfully) mixing up groupsets and brands, but on these the cable pull ratio is completely different from the usual standard, so neither gearing component can be mix&matched with other makes.



Left hand gets an X5 because... it was there. Love this solid aluminum lever - and fortunately this one DOES work with the Shim'o front derailleur.


Re: Stoppage:

In the course of experimenting, have had three different rear calipers on this: Hayes MX-5, Tektro (both good and solid); and now this:



An unusual "floating" design here, which has the advantage of self-aligning the pads to disc once the basic centerline is set. In theory should be very quick to seat new pads, and very forgiving re: bracket alignment and rotors out-of-true, where neither would adversely affect drag or consistent pad contact/force. Other ingenious feature on these is that the pad clearance is adjusted from a small hex-screw running through the actuator lever/shaft, and accessible from the LEFT side of the bike - so no more reaching through the spokes to tighten the pads! Branded "FLAME" which I have no idea about (there must be a hundred companies out there making calipers), and rather chunky/heavy, but suffice it to say this is a very tough & smartly engineered piece.


Lastly, something for the quite lightweight Hero Thunder MTB:



Found these SunRace twister-shifters on what I guess was an ancient (probably personally imported) unisex Decathlon Riverside.

I don't like rotory shifters (operationally) so much for the front derailleur, but out back I feel they work plenty well enough, and these are the only ones I've ever seen that have an integrated adjustmént for the firmness of the clicks - really interesting. Maybe not quite as easy to rotate as some others, but good enough, and having a diameter more similar to the grip (vs. Revoshift, etc) makes it more comfortable for the hands, in my view.

So I've got this on the right and the ubiquitous integrated Shimano on the left - If any objections on that point, well, sue me...

As of this morning, the Hero also gained a proper (pre-owned! sealed cartridge bottom bracket, modern/upscale seat post, and a decent Syncros 3.0 saddle... It's got a bigger than usual 3rd crank-ring up front for speed, and the 7-speed "supergear" (a.k.a. Megarange) 1st out back for when I need to climb anything steep, so should prove to be something of a light, minimalist do-everything machine. Still want some hybrid /gravel-style tyres for it, but Decathlon doesn't seem to be taking online orders for them right now...

Good fun here...

-Eric.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Having finished a bunch of more "commercial" work, finally got time for some maintenance/ upgrades for my own old crusty Hercules ACT108Max...

Most of it sourced from the second-hand / scrap bin, as usual (exception being the color-matched desi freewheel, just to assess the quality of a ₹280 new unit - and currently dubious there).

As a centerpiece (so to speak) is the sealed-insert bearing hub shown above, originally from a Raleigh MTB, conveniently color-coded to the original coppertone ACT cranks/forks. Have these hubs both front and rear now, with quick-releases, a very stout vintage steel one at the rear to help maximize rigidity of the swingarm.

-Eric.

Nice stuff Eric! Love your detailed jugaad posts. Wish I could hit you up for some nice scrap upgrades for my ACT too! Lol

Incidentally, that stainless steel quick release is not really a vintage one.

It's what's used on fluid trainers like Kurt Kinetic.

Btwin sells a similar one too quite cheap.

Cheers, Doc

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

Here is a delightful account of the restoration of a bicycle used by the father of the nation:
https://amp.scroll.in/article/987211...rom%20%251%24s

Delightful indeed... now THAT's a bike project to take us way beyond our own temporary whims and pleasures...

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Incidentally, that stainless steel quick release is not really a vintage one.

It's what's used on fluid trainers like Kurt Kinetic.

Sovos... Now that's Old-School...



full pic here:




Vintage, baby...

(Gotcha this time, Doc!!!)

I wouldn't have known if I wasn't fairly "vintage" myself!

There were a pair of these on that old Riverside... and Decathlon started selling bikes several decades ago, iirc (Edit:1976 to be precise).

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

]

Sovos... Now that's Old-School...

Vintage, baby...

(Gotcha this time, Doc!!!)

-Eric

Yup. You got this one! Lol

These are the ones I was referring to ...

Kurt Kinetic 600 bucks





Decathlon BTwin 500 bucks



Cheers, Doc

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

These are the ones I was referring to ...

Decathlon BTwin 500 bucksAttachment 2130668

Pretty identical to/ copied from earlier patterns, looks like. Probably were dozens of makers back then. Whatever, they're strong and seem to still have their place in the world.

As for my Riverside, it seems itay be a proper ladies' model after all - quite a few have been for sale on Brit/French websites, like this one:



Kind of the original hybrid, I guess. Mine is (was) yellow with blue lettering/logos, which would have been quite striking if someone hadn't eh, brush-painted black over it (Aaargh!!!).

Doubt I can get the black off without removing some original.paint, too...

700C wheels and V-brakes of a type older than what I'm seeing on most of these online, so it must be a pretty early one.

I was about to strip and scrap it, but thinking now I'll do an e-conversion on it. That might help alleviate the stigma of a greybeard being seen astride a ladies' cycle, you think?

Know of any good kits?

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Pretty identical to/ copied from earlier patterns, looks like. Probably were dozens of makers back then. Whatever, they're strong and seem to still have their place in the world.

Know of any good kits?

-Eric

Earlier you said the steel skewer would help maintain the rigidity of the swingarm.

Is this a concern only because your bike has a rear suspension with a pivoting swingarm or would this hold true for ordinary fully rigid frames as well (for the chain stays)?

I know manufacturers insist on changing over to these skewers when the bike is put on to a trainer because one, the ends are solid steel cones that fit into the similarly shaped cups on the trainer, and two, since the rear wheel is off the ground, the weight of you on the bike through the rear is going directly through the hub and the skewer which hold the wheel on the trainer frame, so the thinner alloy ones that come OE with the bike would be too weak.

When then did they move away from these solid steel skewers to the alloy ones with the plastic cone at one end? Only weight? It would be a ridiculously small amount of so.

Would you then suggest heavier guys like me (85 kilos) to use these on the road as well?

Any downsides (besides the weight)?

Steel skewer Vs alloy frame and dropouts?

Sorry absolutely no clue about the ebike kits. Lol

Cheers, Doc

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by Shome

Guys, any feedback on outdoors91 as a brand?

I have quite a good experience with them. After I purchased my bicycle, they did follow up with me twice about the experience. And they do make good quality bicycles. (There will be better ones out there, but still for beginners; their bikes are good)

I have been riding my Snow Leopard 29T since September and it's a wonderful bicycle. No complaints so far. I enjoy riding the bicycle.

P.S: They earlier used to brand their cycles as "Frog" (mine is still one of those) but I think they must have ran into copyright issues with Frog cycles from UK. After which they seem to have rebranded themselves as Outdoors 91.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Earlier you said the steel skewer would help maintain the rigidity of the swingarm.

Is this a concern only because your bike has a rear suspension with a pivoting swingarm or would this hold true for ordinary fully rigid frames as well (for the chain stays)?

Honestly I didn't work it out with advanced engineering software or anything, it was kinda seat-of-the-pants...

I probably wouldn't bother with them on anything but this, yes, on account of the swingarm. I'd expect normal triangulated frames to be plenty strong in whatever ways they need to be.

Apparently alloy dropouts can get tapered / loose/ otherwise damaged over time with heavy use and/or a lot of wheel-changes, and the bigger surface area on these nuts combined with the bigger skewer diameter and lack of anything plastic in-between should allow me to cinch it down extra-tight, and over a larger gripping area, which just seems to make good sense all-round. Almost certainly more rigid, important since aluminum fatigues over time and this is a rare frame I don't want cracking through excessive flex (and I do get it airborne sometimes!).


On that note, moving to a less-fatiguing material:



What on earth is a Hero Bronco???

Picked this up same day as the ACT, only for the very nice light alloy handle and stem it had on it at the time.... though it also had decent alloy cranks and even a (broken) alloy center-stand...

Odd if they were original, as this is no lightweight. Real steel here...

Had a Raid-De-Himalaya sticker on it... for wishful thinking.

26" wheels.

I figured I'll hang front shocks and a pair of discs and a broad fat-handle on it as a nice, oddball retro-mod project...

-Eric

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Vintage, baby...

(Gotcha this time, Doc!!!)

I wouldn't have known if I wasn't fairly "vintage" myself!

Nice to see you fiddling with these bikes. You know that anything vintage when it comes cars and bikes has my interest.

Not so sure why these are considered vintage? The ones fitted on my four year old Koga bicycle look very similar. Lots of bicycles still have these fitted. Some look a little bit modern than this, but the principle on how they work remain the same doesn’t it?



Enjoy you cycling!

Jeroen