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You are one lucky son of a gun clap:

So how does the Trek DS2 feel in comparison ?
i.e. handling , shifting , ride comfort etc..

I think the specs are global, except for some different colors for non-US markets. With the 2022 models they moved Dual Sport 2/FX2 to Shimano Altus 2x9, and Dual Sport 3/FX3 to Shimano Deore 1x10 drivetrain.

We were almost closing down on the Dual Sport 2 for my wife, and finally ended up with the FX2, effectively same bike except for the front suspension and fatter tyres on the Dual Sport :)

A welcome addition to the forum has been the bicycle sub forum. It is an inspirational read motivating a lot of us to take up cycling. However, a few doubts remain especially for the non-technical followers/new inductees. I start to lose track when too many ratios/jargon starts getting bandied about. Speaking for myself, I am contemplating a return to cycling. The first question that arises is what bike?
Requirements
1. Given my lifestyle, I can see myself cycling only on weekends or late nights/early mornings.
2. I do not mind cycling 50km per ride and I do not see myself going off road. So it will probably be on City roads/ring roads.(Mumbai/Delhi) {I do not rule out the BRM bug biting me at some point).
3. I am 6'2" and think that a L frame will suit me.
4. Budget cap of approx 40-45000. Would love to have cheaper options lol:
5. Would like the service interval to be approx once a year at least till the time I learn to do things on my own.

My Biases (would be grateful to be educated otherwise):-
- Road bikes call for an aggresive riding posture and are inherently uncomfortable both on the back and on the bum due to the narrow seat. The tires are too fragile for our road conditions.
- MTBs are an overkill besides asking for an inadvertent amount of effort.
- I would personally like 29 incher wheels.
- Would like a light bike.

Questions
- Geared cycles (too much maintenance?). Are they required for a guy like me?
- Are decathlon bikes good? Or should I stick to trek/Scott/giant/merida etc?
- What about e bikes? Any good bikes around in India?
- Lastly... What bike?

Apprehension
-I do not want to splurge and then lose the hunger.
-On the other hand, I do not want to buy something now and have the upgrade bug bite me early.

Left Field Choice
I do need the exercise and therefore am contemplating either the bike or a water rower at home. (Keeping Delhi's air quality index in mind, seems attractive)

Given the above, is there something like a perfect bike for me? Would be grateful for any pointers.

These are standard requirements of 99% of born again cyclists returning to cycling after a life hiatus, except the few brave dreamers who believe tarmac is the annoying black stuff that needs to be endured before getting into Amazon rain forests or the Sahara or the rocky outcrops of Lahaul Spiti or the effort weekdays of a bit of Paris Dakkar.

So maybe this post could be the perfect segue into a What Bike thread.

This thread has tons of pretty detailed discussions on What Bike but I'll give you the basic pointers.

Buy a bike after riding it first to see if you like it and buy it from a shop ... or online after the same, with a shop support ecosystem attached.

Buy the lightest bike you can afford and one that looks like the cycle frames you remember as a kid - I e. A diamond, made up of two triangles.

Don't buy a bike with any suspension till you reach a budget of at least a lac or thereabouts.

Big wheels roll better over obstacles and are eventually once up to speed going to hold speed better. But getting them up to speed quickly takes more effort.

Smaller wheels accelerate quicker, climb sharper, and are stronger, but they do not hold speed as well as the bigger wheels. But getting tyres for them is the easiest across the world.

Flat bar or drop bar. I say go with a drop bar. It has all the holds of a flat bar, and many more a flat bar can never give you. Aggressive or relaxed depends on how you set it up, and it's a fact that the more you ride what was once aggressive becomes more comfortable.

Buy tyres that resemble a smooth sports bike tyre than a motocross tyre. And try to go with something between 28 and 35 mm for a big wheel and around 1.75-1.95 inches for a small wheel.

Don't bother about why tyre sizes and units are so different and confusing. Cyclists tend to get brain dead pedaling all day and this is the way manufacturers keep them mentally stimulated and alert (if not a tad manic).

Lastly always buy a bike just a bit more expensive than you "think" you can afford or want to spend. As you become a cyclist you will often wonder what the hell you were thinking of in the first place.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Doc

That was the basic idea why I posed these questions.i did attempt to go through this elaborate thread but found it a bit too technical.

Is this even possible? Except for the confines of the decathlon shops, is there a concept of a test ride on say an upslope?

Thank you. Points noted. Now I have to jump on to a cycle with a drop handle and 29"tyres (my bias from above relevantlol:). I agree with the Motocross tires bit. But the last time I entered a cycle shop, they only had MTB tires on 29" size.Let me go shop hopping again.

On the issue of gears, yes you should have gears, even in a bone flat city like Chennai or Mumbai, because they allow you to train your body to ride at a constant cadence, most efficiently.

You can of course get away with a single speed as well. Tons of guys riding single speed fixies in Poona. So definitely doable in Mumbai (as long as you are staying inside Mumbai and not venturing out to the hills). But you will strain at times, spin out at other times, and a metronomic cadence is something you will not be able to achieve or sustain.

A 7 speed bike with a single chain wheel and no derailleur or shifter for the front, and a 7 speed low cost freewheel and rear derailleur and shifter is in my opinion quite okay for Mumbai provided you do not eventually get better and start venturing further, which in the case of Mumbai usually means more rolling and eventually hills. And steep climbs up the ghats.

But really there is not much in the form of saving to be made between a basic 1x7 versus a more traditional 3x7, so personally I'd simply buy the latter, and be future/upgrade-proof, UNLESS you were looking at something (like the Triban RC100 for instance) that does not come in the configuration.

Cheers, Doc

P.S. 29-er is the tyre size used only in the case of MTBs. For road bikes and hybrids, the same is called 700c.

They both are 622 by the ETRTO classification though, and interchangeable.

Quick question to all the bicycle experts here.

Background: I have a Rockrider ST530 - full suspension bicycle that I use mainly to ride on trails in the Goan parts of the Western Ghats. The cycle is less than 7 months old. I live on the coast. The cycle is kept covered in the garage and is not exposed directly to the rain.

I was in Bangalore for a couple of months and returned to find that the front fork stanchions have developed rust. The rust seems quite gritty and not like surface rust. Now the question is, will Decathlon's warranty cover this part (fork stanchion)? My Interceptor 650 also occupies the same garage space and is covered with a bike cover, and doesn't seem to show such rust.

Cheers,

Jay

Of course, everything is much better.

I am still new to geared cycles and find myself spinning out on downhills. But otherwise, the shifts are smoother and I didn't face the chain rubbing issue that I felt on the decathlon bike.

No wonder I never found a 29er in any of the hybrids that I was looking for. All this while, I was under the impression that as 27.5" corresponds to 700mm the, 700 was equivalent to that. On a related note, what is the difference between 700x35 and 700x40?

5 mm.

Cheers, Doc

5mm as doc says, but I think it also allows you to get away with a lower tyre pressure = more comfort for a beginner cyclist.

Yup. Volume of air in the tyre goes up exponentially with increase in width.

But equally, so does drag.

5 mm might sound like nothing. But in terms of the actual deformed under rider weight with correct air pressure contact patch, it's a huge percentage increase. Because of the 35 mm, a significant proportion is the curved shoulder which never contacts the road. Same with 40. But the proportion of contact patch actually increases with the lower pressure.

That's where the grip and comfort comes from.

And that's also what takes its toll in terms of power expended to overcome resistance.

No free lunches in cycling, as in life. :)

Cheers, Doc

Yup yup, we have to trade something in order to get something else.

I guess if an entry level cyclist is doing 20k on a Sunday on rough shodden roads in India, comfort will probably trump speed/time-distance metrics until they get further embedded into the cycling diaspora.

That's me :uncontrol

That's the perfect requirementrl:. What's your ride? Does it meet your requirements or would you recommend looking elsewhere?

I will tell you how I went about my search for my first bike:

1. I decided that I will only buy from Decathlon because if something is wrong in the bike - I get lifetime warranty on most important parts - and there is also a 90 day return window. Decathlon is also superb in honouring returns. Other dealers, I don't care for.

2. My intention of cycling as of today is for the following:
- Cardio endurance activity once a week along side my weeklong calisthenics program.
- Explore shallow trails along my regular cycling route
- Generally have fun with my friends cycling and exploring new places
- No cardio goals/cadence goals/power meter/BRM etc at the moment. These things could change but are not my priorities in the near future. I enjoy my calisthenics, and the bicycle is a healthy replacement of my weekend motorcycle rides.
- Put bike in car, drive up to Ooty/Coonoor. Then use bike to explore locally. This is very different from friends here who will ride all the way up to Ooty/Mahabaleshwar etc. That's not me, and is not a part of my calisthenics goals.
- Comfort was important along with a low weight = light road bike + fat tyres.

3. Keeping the above in mind, I have found that Gravel Bikes are best suited for my present day requirements. https://www.cyclingnews.com/features...s-gravel-bike/

4. Unfortunately, Decathlon does not sell gravel ready road bikes.

5. I looked up "gravel" bikes that other brands sell, and options were eye waveringly expensive. Yes, some models from Marin seemed affordable until...

6. I went back to Decathlon and found that the RC500 and RC520 models are "Gravel Ready". What does this mean? It means that because they are sold with disc brakes, you have wider clearance to mount wider tyres. I also found out that Decathlon sells the exact same RC500 and RC520 Triban models with wider gravel tyres on the same frame etc.

7. So I realised, that it makes sense to buy the RC500 and just fit the widest tyres possible for the first year of comfort cycling. And then go down tyre width as my body and bum start adjusting to cycling and our roads.

8. When I compared the Triban series of road bikes with what you get in the market of gravel bikes, I did not feel right about throwing so much more money for another brand as an entry level, newbie, I just want to enjoy once a week - cyclist. Plus, with the Decathlon guarantees in point 1, I felt more comfortable.

9. This review and ranking of gravel bikes sealed the deal for me: https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-gr...9iRq8jrbP-snq0

Sadly the Riverside touring gravel models will apparently not come to India in the near future. Doesn't matter, as I get more embedded in the cycling ecosystem and learn more, things will change.

The most important thing for you is to first ensure you get the frame size right. Measure your height, and see where you slot in. After that, start evaluating models.

I like the Triban RC500/520 for the value they offer (nothing even remotely comes close) + the opportunity to put in upto 40 size tyres and go gravel exploration in utmost comfort. My friends ride hybrid bikes with flat bars and front suspension and have become jealous of the speeds the RC500 can do on the highway.

Please note: All above research is based on MY requirements, and my requirements ONLY. Everyone is different. That's why I listed what I would do up there in Sr.2. I do not intend to commute with a cycle in Bangalore, and hence do not need comfort to trump everything else.

I needed a bike that brought in a balance of everything:
1. Light weight = Speed on the road
2. Wider tyres = Comfort on the trail
3. Mid level Sora group set = Good enough for me for another 5-6 years as my first ever geared bike in my life
4. Decathlon brand support = Peace of mind
5. Not very heavy on the pocket (compared to imported brands sold worldwide for which you can find competing reviews like above) = I can use it once or twice a week and feel happy.

It felt closest to my KTM 390 Adventure and the benefits that bike brings to my riding style.

I am a noob - and this is a noob's response to a noob.