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Thanks much Ebonho for the helpful suggestions :thumbs up I had shortlisted Urban Terrain Berlin 27.5 earlier but then sided with the Leader Scout 26T going by the reviews. I will rejig the pair to UT Berlin 27.5 and Rockrider ST10/20 (want to keep Decathlon in the equation simply because of their customer service).

29" or 700c is always better than 27.5 or 26 inch wheels when the use is predominantly tarmac, as in your case. Bigger wheels roll better. Maintain speed better. 27.5 inch tyres are not easy to get. Its not a common size. Either 26 inches or 29 inches (700c) are easily available. 26 inch is called the Ranger tyre in Indian local lingo. Its mainly old school or cheap entry level MTBs.

I don't usually like or recommend disc brakes on a road bike, but on a wide tyred hybrid, they work fine.

That aside, I like the look of this bike. The frame quality, paint finish and saddle seem to be better than most. And its a 700c in under 7k too.

Check it out.

https://www.flipkart.com/hrx-rogue-d...roductListView

Addn: You get a bottle holder and fenders too. Its load and impact tested for 100 kilos. Comes with a 2 year Warranty (unbelievable at this price). And is basically a 19k cycle, on sale for 7k, with double walled rims. I'm pretty sure no cycle under 20k nowadays, including Decathlon, comes with double walled rims. They are far superior to single wall normal budget cycle rims on these entry level cycles. A big plus especially for bigger, heavier riders.

I like the look of this frame, and the welds, as well as the very professional looking papered chain-stays and frame dropouts. Some negative reviews notwithstanding (more to do with poor assembly than anything), am sure you can consider this one along with the Decathlon and Urban Terrain bikes.

Wow, this is a stunner...what a cool piece!



But sadly, not deliverable in my location :sadface If it was, I am all for it though maintenance/ upkeep of disc brake cycles I am not very knowledgeable about.

PS: Getting a sparingly-used Btwin My Bike (hardly 50kms ridden but from 2021) for 4.5k with all the bells and whistles. Might get it in place of the ST10/20.

My Bike is anyways available brand new for 5000 bucks. Why would you buy a used bike for just 500 less. And that straight fork is horrible to ride on. It seems I've been wasting my time. My message does not seem to be getting through. And we're back to square one, where you started from, when asking us for advice. All the best.

I have no specific recommendation on cycle or the brands as I believe the best advice was given by Doc already in this thread. However, below are few points I would ask you to consider.

1. Is the purchase decision and budget purely based on fitness goal?
If yes, I would ask you to consider brisk walks , cardio , bodyweight S&C and running than cycling. You get a much better and faster cardio fitness & calorie burn from running than cycling in same amount of time. Not to mention runner's high. The equivalent cycling high requires more intensity or longer duration. If answer to this question is no then go to point no.2.

2. Buy a mid variant cycle than entry level , if budget is not a constraint.
I would urge you to consider either buying one a mid spec cycle in your budget or increase budget to accommodate a mid spec cycle than an entry level clunker. I have always been on and off with my cycling in last few years. I do not think I would have stuck with it, if not for the ride quality that I get from my cycle. This is very important if you are just a beginner. You need a cycle whose ride quality you will love. Your mind should always look forward to riding it as long and as hard as possible. Else it will turn into an expensive cloth hanger. Believe me, I have seen so many quit after a few weeks as it becomes boring and sooner or later you will look to sell it .

3. If budget is a constraint then go with the best bike you can afford. This thread has loads of good information on the decision factors to be kept in mind and also suggestions. Ultimately, any bike to get you on road is better than no bike. If you end up buying a wrong cycle it would be a net loss of say 20K in total. Though not ideal , it is also not a life changing sum. Don't sweat it and just try out various cycle and buy the one you like best.

4. Most important, just make sure you buy the right fit for you and your wife. This will help avoid any niggles or injury.

Hope this helped. All the best :)

Thanks much for the detailed reply which will definitely help me in reaching an informed decision, babayaga!

1. Yes. But the activities you mentioned, I need to push myself a lot for these which will inevitably leads to procrastination - thus defeating the entire purpose. I know you might say - why won't it happen with cycling? The reason is we used to cycle a lot in our childhood, and we actually look forward to getting back on the saddle. Plus, we go on city-outings on near daily-basis with the car or on bike. Can just replace the vehicle with our cycles and no worries about procrastination. And yes, once we get into regular frequency, will focus on increasing the intensity.

2. Don't mind increasing the budget a bit if I can grasp the logic behind it. About that comfort factor, I agree. But these modern day cycles like ST10/20 I find a lot comfortable then the Avon/ Hercules rod-brake type cycles that we used to ride in childhood. Regardless, I will definitely keep the comfort factor in mind as well. Thanks for pointing that out.

3 Completely agree! Ultimately, any bike to get you on road is better than no bike. - Quote of the day!

4. Very very handy point I must say. Wife is 5.3 and I am 5.8. Yesterday we were trying out a M sized cycle in Decathlon. Though it was comfortable for me and I presumed it should be for her as well since the size legend indicated suitable for 5.3-5.8", she came back from the ride saying that it wasn't that comfortable and would prefer a size S. Point reinforced.

At 5.3, M would be definitely big. S as she rightly pointed out is correct. When in doubt, go for small than big. I have noticed when companies mention height range for their sizes its safe bet to remain dang in the middle than on either edge.

I have been part of the Tour of Karnataka (TOK) cycling event from a couple of editions now. The TOK team has created an amazing movie of the last edition TOK8. You can watch the entire movie here.
https://youtu.be/NC01vKAlDwA

Good to share that my plan towards cycling by front loading lot of S&C, workout and routine changes before jumping on the bike has helped. However, I do have a niggle on long rides.

After riding about 60 or so km . I start to feeling bit of numbness or pain on my right hand wrist/little finger. A bit of research, points that this might be due to a weak core and my body leaning forward on the handlebar as a cause. Could there be some other issue also? Handle bar length was also citied as a reason but I think this is more in context of road bike vs hybrid which I drive.

Thank you

It could be an issue with saddle height. I faced a similar issue and it got fixed by adjusting the saddle height. If possible, get a bike fit done.

Folks, decathlon is running some September Utsav offers. Online aswell as at store. My friend had purchased riverside 500 bicycle for 27k recently. Same bicycle is available for 20k whit the offer. Interested can checkout.

Yeah, I have been following the offer and an eying the riverside 500. But, I see lot of negative reviews by decathlon users.
I did purchase a ST30 large for my son back in May , which accidentally made me come back to cycling after my highschool days. Now, i have been able to do up to 20km ride a day on it with saddle in the max position and enjoying the pedalling.
Using it for office run once a week which is 10km one way. I have to fight with my son for the cycle and my Son already saying "you keep the ST30 and get me the ST100 "lol:.
So, I am looking to get a bigger cycle for myself and wanting to build stamina for much longer distance and more regular office commute.
I hope RS500 will be a good upgrade for my needs. Any suggestions?
Any specific feedback from your friend on the cycle?
I am planning to visit the store and check the cycle today.
Also, the ST100 is selling 2k lesser than its previous price.

The red ST100 with the nice fork is an all-time old classic. One of the best value no frills quality MTBs out there at a very decent price. And at 17 odd thousand now, its even nicer.

I have a Riverside 500, but 1 gen older than the current one being sold.
Very comfortable ride and the 1-9 gears are more than adequate for leisure rides. I did not find anything wrong with it.