Re: [BBC] Advice : Buying GT Aggressor 1.0 2012

[Hari Krishna]

What exactly do you want to do with your new MTB?

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 18, 2012, at 4:07 PM, dalvir suri <dalv...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi guys,

Planning to buy an MTB. Looking for an entry level one. My budget is around 25k with accessories ( helmet, pump,  etc etc )

Have checked few models Trekk 3500, 3700D (out of budget), KHS 150 alite, Scott Aspect 60 and GT Aggressor 1.0.

Overall while comparing the bikes I think GT gives me more value for money in terms of components and the overall bike .The service stn is very close to my office. Plus hes giving me a 5% discount (well most of the guys are)

Here are the specs :

http://www.gtbicycles.com/2013/bikes/mountain/trail/aggressor-1-0#product-attribute-specs-table

Wanted to know if any1 has any prior good/bad experience with GT or TracknTrail which would help me decide or confuse more ;)

Do share your suggestions guys.

Thanks,

Dalvir

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
 
are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details
 
 

[pradeep naidu]

He will ride hari....

On 18 Sep 2012 16:17, "Hari Krishna" <mig29fulcr...@gmail.com> wrote:

What exactly do you want to do with your new MTB?

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 18, 2012, at 4:07 PM, dalvir suri <dalv...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi guys,

> Planning to buy...

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
 

are you a part of the bic...

[dalvir suri]

haha gr8 ans..

Well ofcourse ride ;)

But I am over deciding whether I need an MTB or a Hybrid or a Road bike.

I`ll mostly be doing some trips hopefully with you guys :)

and some offroading with the group again and a small bunch of other friends at CTC and here in bangalore.

Needed advice regarding the bike and the dealer :)

@Hari... If you have any other bike in ur mind in that budget then please let me know :)

--

Dalvir

[Hari Krishna]

Can you tell me how a RR 5.0 doesnt meet your requirements?

Sent from my iPhone

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Suri,

If budget is not a concern, what makes you to think of a 'Road bike'

What distance you are looking at 6 months down the line?

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: dalvir suri <dalv...@gmail.com>

Sender: bangalor...@googlegroups.com

Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:57:57 +0530

To: pradeep naidu<pradee...@gmail.com>

Cc: Hari Krishna<mig29fulcr...@gmail.com>; bangalor...@googlegroups.com<bangalor...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [BBC] Advice : Buying GT Aggressor 1.0 2012

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Hari,

What is this you want everyone in this world riding a Rock rider!!!???

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: Hari Krishna <mig29fulcr...@gmail.com>

Sender: bangalor...@googlegroups.com

Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:10:07 +0530

To: dalvir suri<dalv...@gmail.com>

Cc: pradeep naidu<pradee...@gmail.com>; bangalor...@googlegroups.com<bangalor...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [BBC] Advice : Buying GT Aggressor 1.0 2012

[dalvir suri]

@Hari 
I rode the RR 5.0 this Sunday..

Didnt feel comfortable riding it... As for requirements I really dont have much as you see.. 

Even a hercules or a firefox will fullfill my requirements...

But I wanna go for an international bike with good components and good warranty... 

Also if u compare the components on the GT, Trek, Scott as compared to RR I think the others win the race...

The RR 5.0 maybe is a good bike, but i am ready to invest around 25K

N surprisingly u didnt mention the 5.3 :)

But then again I rode that too, didnt like the feel of the bike...

I liked the Trek 3700D and the KHS... I rode them for around 2kms to really get a hang of them..

But KHS is having issues with the parts and some friends suggested not to go for the entry level with KHS

As for Trek 3700D, it feels amazing... but its really out of my budget..

25K is the most i can stretch....

--

Dalvir

[dalvir suri]

@Anil,sorry didnt reply back

Well budget as i said max 25K

The reason to go for an MTB is getting into offroading and exploring the trails across bangalore and maybe places nearby...

Thats y i dont wanna go for a hybrid or a road bike..

As far as the distance is concerned, my office is abt 3-4 kms away from home.. N i am looking fwd to cycling there atleast 3rice a week n then head off somewhere during the weekends...

--

Dalvir

[Hari Krishna]

Anil: If someone doesnt know why he's buying a bike, why do you suggest him a roadbike with carbon forks or hardtail MTBs with disc brakes? What if he discovers later that his interests lie in burning a boring road between bangalore and mysore on a daily basis, after buying an MTB?

Let him buy a 5.0 and discover what sort of a biker he is.

Sent from my iPhone

[raghu srikanth]

Yes Hari, and RR5.0 is not that costly or bad bike and considering
reviews it has decent enough resale value......

[Hari Krishna]

Hey why do you NEED to spend 25k? If you find the need for a bike with a certain set of components, there's nothing wrong in it. Its sort of atrocious to just squander money because you want a bike with international standards. 

Why would you need disc brakes? Have you any idea why disc brakes are used? Will you do MTBing in the true sense? Wouldn't a hybrid be better?

Sent from my iPhone

[Hari Krishna]

Also, what are international standards? Why'd you require international standard bikes to ride the 3-4 km to office once in two days? Unless you clearly define the way you'd ride, its meaningless to spend 25k on some bike. Instead of spending money on bike components you don't need, you can rather spend it somewhere else, like a better helmet or a better lighting system or multitool.

Sent from my iPhone

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Hari,

This is what he is asking for....

"Wanted to know if any1 has any prior good/bad experience with GT or TracknTrail which would help me decide or confuse more ;)"

I feel it helps if I can answer this question of his, otherwise feel it is not my business to suggest (if Mr. A can afford Mercedes who am I to suggest him Maruti alto is best.....why are you wasting money....).

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: Hari Krishna <mig29fulcr...@gmail.com>

Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:06:40 +0530

To: dalvir suri<dalv...@gmail.com>

Cc: anilk...@gmail.com<anilk...@gmail.com>; bangalor...@googlegroups.com<bangalor...@googlegroups.com>; Pradeep Naidu<pradee...@gmail.com>

[dalvir suri]

@HAri,

Man I am getting a thorough counselling here ;) 

Appreciate it man...

But actually all I needed was whether the specs are good :)

Hope you can help me with that..

Thanks for the pain bro ;)

--

Dalvir

[dalvir suri]

@anil

thanks for clearing that out..

@Hari 

Yes I know when discs are required and when they are not :)

Guess too much trouble for you.

But i`ll surely think about what you said..

Maybe a 5.0 RR will suit me currently as u suggested :)

And I should really think about not wasting the money as you said .........

Point taken and will be thought upon surely :)

I aint gonna buy a bike tomm....

Neways does anyone genuinely have any idea about the dealer ??? and the bike :)

--

Dalvir

[Hari Krishna]

The GT is an awesome bike. But make sure you need it before you buy it. It makes no sense to have expensive disc brakes if you don't do proper MTBing in slush. They require maintenance which is beyond your home capabilities. V brakes are very simple to maintain.

Sent from my iPhone

[Hari Krishna]

Anil,

Its natural for people to want to buy expensive bikes for a good biking experience. Its our duty to advise them. I bought a hero octane because i had nobody to advise me. I dont want people to buy something out of the blue, unadvised, while there are 3000 people on this group who claim to be experts on bikes.

Sent from my iPhone

[dalvir suri]

Thanks Hari 

On Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 6:57 PM, Hari Krishna <mig29fulcr...@gmail.com> wrote:

Anil,

Its natural for people to want to buy expensive bikes for a good biking experience. Its our duty to advise them. I bought a hero octane because i had nobody to advise me. Tags

--

Dalvir

[Rohan Kini]

Its not really meaningless to spend "25k on some bike"

Loads of folks who were totally uncertain about their future with their prospective cycles took a leap of faith and got onto good bikes - and its been mostly rewarding. Dr Deepak went on to conquer quite a few mountains in France, apart from Nandi almost every weekend. Ravi Ranjan went on to kick off TFN. Sriram has joined Scott bikes full time. All these guys 'needed' simpler biker. And I dont think the simple bike would have fueled their dreams.

International standards - well its amazing how much of confidence a better designed product can be. Simple things like sensible geometries and comfortable saddles, pedals and grips. When you dont have much confidence in yourself to decide on a product the standards/brands do help a lot. 

Worst case sell - you dont tend to use the good bike you picked up - there is a good second hand market and folks seem to be getting some crazy prices for their second hand steeds.

Best case - you can join the hoards and help the newbies who are going to pour in.

My point - Dalvir, go for the best bike you can afford. The one that you fly with :) 

Be clear on what kind of riding you and your bike will do. You cannot have it all. You are fixed on a budget, thats good.

http://blog.bumsonthesaddle.com/2011/8/23/how-to-choose-a-good-bicycle

~ROhan

[Hari Krishna]

Rohan, I'll reply soon :-) too long to type on phone :-P

Sent from my iPhone

[dalvir suri]

@Rohan

Thanks man...

Guys,

I really didnt want to start this war of words over here..

Just wanted some experience suggestions..

Both Rohan and Hari have stated some interesting points..

But the sad part is my initial question still remains unanswered 

I have been doing some research myself on the different bikes, components, manufacturers myself.

That left apart I have received lot of insight on things to consider before buying a bike.. :)

Neways, 

I`ll decide within a week or so and probably get a bike i feel comfortable riding and within my budget :P

--

Dalvir

[Hari Krishna]

Dude

Its not a war of words. Its just a friendly chat. Rohan has always been extremely awesome whenever I needed his help. I'd strongly suggest you to speak to him about buying the bike. Even if you don't buy from him finally, he'll tell you what to look for and BOTS is probably the only shop which fits the bike to you. When I bought my roadbike I did a lot of study about bike fit, thanks to Rohan.

Sent from my iPhone

[Rohan Kini]

A quick stab at your initial question - and I might be completely off here am talking just from experience working with tons of bikes and seeing a whole lot of them (not the GT agressor 1.0 though :D )

We have a couple of good brands in the country that make some phenomenal high end bikes - GT for example. The Athertons currently race on a GT.

But low end bikes tend to have some compromises - you just got to be able to figure out what the compromise is and understand if you like it or not.

The first victim of a bike that looks to have good components and a better price to boot is the frame. Straight heavy tubing! After that would be wheels and then the suspensions. Derailleurs come last as thats what most bikers seem to look at while comparing bikes anyways :)

You have a decent budget - ride the GT, ride the other bikes. See if you can understand the differences. Spend only on essential accessories and invest on the bike!

Cya next BBCh ;)

~ROhan