) However, I am hopeful of joining you soon!!!!! Dear All,
At the outset, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for helping me with truckloads of information before I bought my first bike. (though I rode a BSA-SLR for about 5 years when I was in school !!!).
I decided to share my experience of the various steps involved in narrowing down to a suitable bike. I am sure new-comers would find this handy !!!
Firstly, I decided to buy a bike since I strongly felt that it was the only way that each one of us could contribute to the environment and keep ourselves fit plus save on fuel.
Secondly, I dropped by to the CM held in January at the Press Club and rode the Trek and Rockrider. This is where one can get to see the hybrid as well as mountain bikes.
Thirdly, the Budget:
One of the first prerequisites for anyone who has decided to buy a bike is to freeze on the budget and the limit to which it can be extended. Based on this the next step of checking out bikes at various shops can be undertaken. My budget was 12K and I was ok stretching it to 14 or 15K.
The Fourth Step:
Visits to the various shops and my perceptions:
BOTS: It was a surprise visit to the store two days prior to my actual appointment with Rohan Kini. I was amazed at the knowledge the BOTS personnel posses and their passion towards cycling. Anyone who has decided to buy a bike need to speak / visit BOTS before making any final decision. There is a limited space on the balcony where one can ride the bike/s for testing.
Tracks n Trail @ Koramangala: It was a hot noon and a visit there was quite soothing. They have mainly stocked Cannondales and a couple of Schwinns' and the ACT 110. The space for test ride is limited here.
Jayant Cycles @ Jayanagar 4th T block: Reserve your visit to this shop towards the end as you will notice the exorbitant price on bikes and their accessories and also get a taste of the shop owners unfriendly attitude and arrogance!!! He behaves as though people who visit his shop are at his mercy when it comes to checking out bikes. One of the things good about Jayant is that he has a lot of Firefox variants and you can actually ride a bit in the shop. This apart its best not to buy anything from there. My gut feel / 6th sense told me to be wary of him. I followed up this exercise by posting an opinion poll about Jayant and lo !!! you guys told me the exact same thing. There is a little space for test drive around the island of bikes.
Gaurav Cycles @ Jayanagar 4th block opp to Jain Temple: Its a good place to check out bikes. He mostly sells LA Sovereigns, Hero and Hercules. I checked out the Hero all aluminum bike costing about 27K which is supposed to be super light. He has good variants of LA Sovereigns something which the other shops don't have. There is no scope for test rides.
RR Cycle @ Madiwala: I personally found Rakesh to be fairly reliable, customer friendly and a business man who gives sane suggestions about the bikes. One can find all brands of bikes here however, there is no scope for any test ride. However, you can ride on the special stand. He also advises on the ills of investing on too many accessories upfront, but to buy them as per one's need. I found this to be a good practice instead of trying to convince buyers with accessories with the sole intention of making profits.
There are other stores that one can visit but I confined my visit to Blore South.
The BIG DAY: After a month long R & D, I finally decided to buy a hybrid bike and narrowed down to the Schwinn Searcher at RR Madiwala. This is where your gut feel / 6th sense comes into the picture.
Speak to as many people as possible and take as many suggestions as you want but on the D day listen to your heart and go by it!!! I felt that a hybrid would do good keeping in mind my usage patterns like city driving.
About Schwinn Searcher: Very light and quick; 21 gears; Front shocks; I liked the bike as it was very appealing and it fit my budget.
Costing: Bike's Cost: 14.5K(as on 15th February 2010); Helmet:550/-; Front LED lamp: 180/-; Rear LED Lamp: 250/-; Carrier:450/-; (I needed this to put my office bag as I pedal about 20 kms to work (to and fro); BTwin Spiral lock: 299/- )
Alternatives to Schwinn Searcher: Hercules ACT 110 (about 10.8K); Trek:19.5 - 21.5K; LA Sovereign: 10.3 K
As much as I would love to join you guys during the CM or other rides, I am unable to do so due to professional commitments (we work 6 days a week <364.gif>) However, I am hopeful of joining you soon!!!!!
Last but not the least, I would like to personally thank the entire BBC, GGGC, & Bikezone.
My special thanks to all the people whom I called and mailed and some of them would be of course my childhood friend Lavanya (for giving me a patient hearing), Mr.Prabhakar Rao, Prashanth, Chetan Bhat, Ratheesh, Rohan Kini, Dr.Deepak Rao etc.
I am planning to start cycling to work from tomorrow.....wish me luck!!!
--
Regards
Nagendra.V
95355-52269
No worries..*There are more solutions than problems!*..
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Hi Nagendra
Thanks for posting that!
I am also looking to buy a new bike ..That was a really helpful post.
What qualities did u consider in the bike before buiying it?
Do u know of any bike shops around the commericial street / ulsoor lake area?
Thanks!!
On Mar 3, 10:17 pm, Nagendra Viswanath <nagendra.viswan...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hi Priyanka,
>
> The following qualities appealed to me Priya:
>
> a.) Light weight for city usage (Office commuting, general outings in the
> city)
> b.) Good Looks.
> c.) Good Pricing (though it could come down by about 2 K!!!).
> d.) I felt the maintenance would not be a problem.
>
> Shops around commercial street / Ulsoor lake ??? Anyone in the forums, could
> you please throw some light on this point please ??
>
> Please revert for any clarifications Priyanka....
>
> Rgds
> Nag
>
> On Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 9:42 PM, priyanka sharma <simmeringetern...@gmail.com
- Johnny
> --
> 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
--
[johnnyjacob.org] "May you share freely, never taking more than you give "
Hi All,
Well after a month of research, am under little confusion before I buy my bike.
I visited Track&Trail, RR Cycles (Madivala & Yeshwantour) and FF@Matri.
I am closing on Hero Rekra, its 21 gears, Al frame, dual suspension, front disc brakes, looks very attractive deal!
I feel Hero cycles are economical & seems they supply to Adidas brand (Genius ~ 17K)
Wanted to know ur experiences on Hero cycles compared to Hercules ACT series, FF cycles & Schwinn series.
Please advise me on the life & durability of Hero compared to foreign brands..
Thanks a lot, Sanjeev
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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
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to bangalore-bikers+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
Good News!
After lot of inspection & window-shopping, finally I bought my 3rd bicycle in life (first 2 were in college days)
I think this was a good deal from Track & Trail in K’mangala.. incidentally they have some surplus bikes bought for some different purpose that they were planning to send back to the factory. So I managed to get my Hercules ACT 110 at almost 40% discount on MRP. Its 21 gears, Al frame, hybrid and no shocks. Did a test ride and felt its good for citi riding ..
So looking forward to join the group in an eligible way (with my bikeJ
I take this opportunity to thank all of you who advised & suggest me on
various technicalities of cycles & specialties of riding tips in Bangaluru!
Cheers, & ride safe, sanjeev
From: Sanjeev Kumar [mailto:skm.t...@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 6:43 PM
To: 'ggi-...@googlegroups.com'; 'Bangalore Bikers Club'
Subject: RE: {GGI-B'lore} Are you new to bicycling or planning to buy a
bike - Read this
Hi All,
Well after a month of research, am under little confusion before I buy my bike.
I visited Track&Trail, RR Cycles (Madivala & Yeshwantour) and FF@Matri.
I am closing on Hero Rekra, its 21 gears, Al frame, dual suspension, front disc brakes, looks very attractive deal!
I feel Hero cycles are economical & seems they supply to Adidas brand (Genius ~ 17K)
Wanted to know ur experiences on Hero cycles compared to Hercules ACT series, FF cycles & Schwinn series.
Please advise me on the life & durability of Hero compared to foreign brands..
Thanks a lot, Sanjeev
From:
ggi-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ggi-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Nagendra
Viswanath
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 9:35 PM
To: Bangalore Bikers Club; ggi-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {GGI-B'lore} Are you new to bicycling or planning to buy a bike
- Read this
Dear All,
--