Back on the saddle with a Bianchi Camaleonte I?

[RV]

Hi all,

I've been "lurking" on the forum for a few days reading up. Thanks for
providing the initial knowledge and vital fillip needed to go do some
test rides. I plan to ride purely for pleasure/fitness and nearly
always on roads. I feel too much like a poseur buying a road bike
right off the bat and decided to go with the "safe" hybrid option for
now.

Tested the Schwinn SportErra (sic?), Cannondale Quick5 and the Bianchi
Camaleonte I (aka BCI) at Track and Trail Koramangala yesterday. Swung
by BOTS today morning hoping to test ride a Trek 7.1 FX. There was
none available to ride and ended up testing a Kona Dew instead. More
importantly, I got to make the acquaintance of Rohan and Sid - the
praise for the BOTS crew as a great/friendly/helpful bunch is well
deserved.

At this stage, the BCI is the top choice by the proverbial mile - I
just really like how light, maneuverable and efficient it feels. As a
purely academic second choice, it is a toss-up between the Kona Dew
and the Quick5.

The prices:
Track and Trail quoted the Rs. 26,000 (MRP)
RR Cycles, Ulsoor quoted c.Rs. 24,500

I think I piqued Rohan's interest by raving about the BCI so much so
that he promised me to source one in the appropriate size. My
preference would be to go with them, hoping that they can also come up
with a good deal.

In the meantime, since this has been a bit of a whirlwind romance, I
thought that I would pause to poll you all:
- Are there any other bikes I should be testing, given my stated use?
Assume budget is 26K
- Impressions (first hand/hearsay) on the Bianchi Camaleonte I? I've
read a couple of reviews so far and would love to hear more

Thanks a bunch and look forward to riding soon. I hope to post soon
asking about community members/riders in Frazer Town/Richards Town
vicinities.

RV

[deepakvrao]

If BOTS has impressed you so much, you should give them your business
even if they dont really give you the best 'deal'.

Worth paying more for great service. Just my thoughts.

[Shankar]

+1 Rohan was so helpful in helping me in my random research before i *finally* bought my mtb..

Regards,
Shankar
Sent from my Nokia N85

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[Manav Bhatia]

Hi RV,

And i did the same circuit today! ;-) Went to BOTS in the afternoon
and stopped by T&T later. I tried Trek 7100 and Kona Dew and liked
both of them. Rohan, true to his reputation was extremely helpful and
patient in answering my newbie questions and explaining me the nuances
of each bike.

Given that i will be riding around 50kms every day (Sarjapur Road to
Manyata Tech Park, near Hebbal flyover) on the tarmac road i would
rather that i dont expend any unnecessary energy on the suspensions
available in the Trek 7100. I would thus prefer Trek 7.1 over Trek
7100. I tried 7100 and it was a beauty; couldnt try out the 7.1 as it
wasnt available.

Next i tried Kona Dew, and that too was piece of art - very smooth,
knife through butter kinds. In fact, i found it a shade better than
Trek 7100. I couldnt make up my mind on the Kona as i hadnt heard
about it; came back home, googled and found a lot of literature and
competitive analysis (most of which seems to place Kona Dew a tad
above Trek 7100).

Next, i went to Track and Trail and spoke to Rakesh. He was also very
helpful and patient in answering my queries. God Bless both of them!

I took both Cannondale Quick5 and the Bianchi Camaleonte I for a spin.
I drove almost a mile from their store and back via the NGV complex
and found Bianchi's response better than the Cannondale's. It felt
much lighter and better ergonomically designed giving a better
response against the aerodynamic drags. I dont know if its only the
narrower tires that did this or if it was something else too. Anyways,
given my requirements i found Bianchi better than the Canondale.

This leaves me with Trek 7.1, Kona Dew and Bianchi. I think i found
Kona smoother than the Bianchi but that could also be because i did
not take it out for a long ride. I only did a few loops at the BOTS
roof which really isnt good enough to arrive at any reasonable
decision. I called up Rohan and told him that i need to take Kona for
a longer ride. He doesnt have a demo piece available currently and i
can only do it once he gets an additional piece.

Cheers, Manav

[RV]

Thanks for the note! Both BOTS and Track & Trail were helpful - Rohan
more so.

While I am pre-disposed to opting for the place with good service, I
don't believe that price and service necessarily have to be cross-
subsidizing factors.

Having said that, I'll be following up with Rohan actively. In the
meantime, please do chip in on the questions. Thanks in advance!

[Manav]

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