[BBC] Bianchi Camaleonte 1

[s1d]

Hey all!

After a good ten long years, I'm back on a bicycle.
Bought a bike yesterday - the Bianchi Camaleonte 1 from Track and
Trail, apart from a bunch of accessories.
Managed to ride it all the way from the shop in Koramangala to my home
near BEL circle, with a loaded backpack, inspite of my terrible
fitness levels.
Pretty tiring initially, but it was one helluva experience and
hopefully the first of many more to come!
My first experience - very light, agile and smooth bike and inspite of
the slim tires easily manages to go over the potholes, loose gravel,
mud, water and other stuff you find on the roads. Will write a more
detailed review later.
Haven't taken any pics yet...you can see the specs and how it looks
like here -
http://www.trackandtrail.in/hybrid-bikes-Bianchi-Camaleonte-I-1.asp

[sriram.bmsce]

Its a great bike indeed,even i plan to pick this one up...great looker this..!

 

Sriram

 

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[Siddharth Misra]

Hi Sriram,

It certainly is!
I had my eyes on a Quick 5 but Rakesh (Track and Trail) told me to
wait for the Camaleonte shipment, and I'm glad I had the patience to
wait for 2 days :)

[BPM]

Congrats !!! Enjoy the ride !!!

BTW, How much did you pay for it?

- BPM

On Jun 8, 12:10 am, Siddharth Misra <gr8siddha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Sriram,
>
> It certainly is!
> I had my eyes on a Quick 5 but Rakesh (Track and Trail) told me to
> wait for the Camaleonte shipment, and I'm glad I had the patience to
> wait for 2 days :)
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 7, 2010 at 11:32 PM, sriram.bmsce <sriram.bm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Its a great bike indeed,even i plan to pick this one up...great looker
> > this..!
>
> > Sriram
>

[Rajesh]

Congrats on your new bike !!!
Enjoy the ride !!

[108]

Hey congrats on your new bike.I live close to BEL circle too.Where do
you usually ride?

[s1d]

Hi BPM,

I paid Rs 26k for the bike.
Accessories were about 4.5k extra.

[Chidambaran Subramanian]

Single fork bike , you should be able to zoom on this one. I think you'll fast track into the 50-100km distance soon.

[Chidambaram Annamalai]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a hybrid bike myself (road bikes are too expensive!) and considering that you might have done quite a bit of research yourself to buy a bike, I have a few questions:

1. Does the largest crank to smallest gear in the cassette ratio matter a lot? Most hybrids have the largest crank with 48T. Should I be concerned about the smallest cog being 11T, 12T or 14T (in different models)? Will this make a difference in the max speed?

2. Could you make your choice for Bianchi Camaleonte 1 clearer (as opposed to, say, Cannondale Quick 5, Schwinn Sporterra Comp and other bikes in the same price range)?

3. What tires would best suit Indian roads (kind, sizing, etc.)? I'm mostly looking to drive long the highways (like everyone else..)

Thanks,
Chillu

[anil kadsur]

Siddarth,

That is great.....congratulations on ur new acquisition....i also
consider myself fit.....just curious wt do u mean terribly
fit.....!!!???

anil s kadsur

[s1d]

Hi Chidambaram,

I'd like to begin my comments with a disclaimer that I'm very much a
newbie, and most of my information is based on research from various
online forums rather than actual experience with bikes. With that
cleared, here goes the rest :

1- I never went into details on the cogs. Whatever material I dug up
with while searching for a road biased hybrid, I never found anyone
laying stress on details of cogs. What I learnt was to go for a better
quality system, with the order of preference on Shimano's lower end
systems as follows : Alivio > Acera > Altus , with Alivio being best
(Mine has Alivio).

2- The Schwinn Sporterra Comp seemed to be great VFM looking at the
component list, but I learnt that came at the cost of a lower quality
frame. Ultimately its the frame which makes the difference when you go
for longer rides.
As for the Quick 5, I had almost made up my mind for it when I was
told to wait for the Bianchi shipment which was due to arrive in a
couple of days. I ultimately chose the Camaleonte 1 over it for the
following reasons :
a - Aggressive geometry
b- Handlebar with protrusions at the edges, giving you more grip
positions. This helps a lot on longer rides. The Quick 5 has a simple
straight handlebar giving just one grip option.
c- Slimmer tyres - Camaleonte 1 has 700x28 (with option for 35)
while Quick 5 has 700x35. Wider tyres (35) are supposed to help when
encountering some gravel and minor offroading, but slimmer tyres (28)
make you go further with lesser effort on tarmac. I intend to mostly
ride on city roads with occasional trips on highways, so slimmer ones
made more sense for me.
d- Call me vain, but I also find the Camaleonte much better than
the Quick 5 when it comes to looks :)

3- Again, I'm not the expert, but since you wish to ride on tarmac,
tyres you can find on road focused hybrids like 700x28 or 700x35 would
be better. Having ridden my bike on the various 'textures' you might
find on Bangalore roads, I never found the slimmer 28s giving any kind
of slippery feel so far, even on wet roads. Just make sure you don't
go for smooth tyres.

You might also want to check out Kona Dew (available with BOTS). I
heard good reviews about it. In my case, availability was an issue and
I was way too impatient to wait for more time.

And last but not the least, I being a geek kind have a habit of doing
an overkill on research on most things I buy. And looking at the kind
of questions you have posed, I see someone similar in you (apologies
if that offends you in any way!). Beyond a certain limit, it doesn't
really help much. As usual, there's an XKCD for this case as well -
http://xkcd.com/309/ .

Hope that satisfied some of your doubts and helps you make the switch
to a saddle sooner!

- Sid

On Jun 11, 9:06 am, Chidambaram Annamalai <quantumeli...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am looking to buy a hybrid bike myself (road bikes are too expensive!) and
> considering that you might have done quite a bit of research yourself to buy
> a bike, I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Does the largest crank to smallest gear in the cassette ratio matter a
> lot? Most hybrids have the largest crank with 48T. Should I be concerned
> about the smallest cog being 11T, 12T or 14T (in different models)? Will
> this make a difference in the max speed?
>
> 2. Could you make your choice for Bianchi Camaleonte 1 clearer (as opposed
> to, say, Cannondale Quick 5, Schwinn Sporterra Comp and other bikes in the
> same price range)?
>
> 3. What tires would best suit Indian roads (kind, sizing, etc.)? I'm mostly
> looking to drive long the highways (like everyone else..)
>
> Thanks,
> Chillu
>

[Chidambaram Annamalai]

I have been able to dig up some material in favor of the top speed argument (smaller cogs, larger cranks = more speed), which makes sense mechanically but if you want a quantitative answer as to exactly how fast it's here. Because the cog sizes feature in the denominator reducing the number of teeth by one on the cog matters more than increasing the number of teeth on the crank.

But both bikes I'm looking at (Q5 and BCI) have the same cranks and cassette so nothing to see here. The components, I have no clue and I completely fail to understand how and why functionally similar components vary *so* much in price. So I have partially given up on taking the (comically named) Shimano components into account, and instead trusting the bike manufacturers to do the right thing. :D

The Sporterra series have a much larger smallest cog with 14T which will drastically reduce (see calculator) the top speeds you can achieve for a given cadence. Which, along with the poor components, might account for its low price.

You are right in that the BCI features a geometry that is more in line with road bikes than the Q5.

Slimmer tires are also a really nice feature to have around. I don't think I'll be hitting dirt/gravel too often to demand wider tires and bear the burden on the longer rides for the few off road ones (if any). My recent (rented bike) ride to Nandi on the (appropriately named) Giant Boulder was not easy as it had a (in my limited and mostly useless opinion) thorougly unnecessary front suspension, fat tires and bad gear ratios. Actually the fault was mine to drive up a giant boulder up the Nandi but no one would rent a road bike! :D

Good to know that the grips are slightly better too. Overall, for the 2K difference in price I think the BCI may well be worth it. I will take both bikes out for a spin and see which is best (by my own convoluted standards).

What accessories did you manage to get and what do you suggest getting? I feel a helmet and bottleholder are the most important. What else might one want? Or maybe I should do a few rides and find out for myself :D

The Kona Dew is pretty much ditto but with Altus components (again, whatever that means) and fatter (700x37) tyres.

Great to know fellow geeks! I'm surprised I didn't see that one (I follow xkcd and abstrusegoose somewhat regularly).

I will make the switch definitely within this month. My grand plan is to travel from Bangalore to Goa (and back of course!) along NH-17 that runs along the west coast, travelling through places like Mangalore, Gokarna, etc.

Cheers,
Chillu

[Sudhir P]

Ok.... summary response to some questions raised acc to my experience with Shimano Tourney vs Alivio, gear ratios, and tyre widths

Higher gear ratios= higher MAX speed....

But higher max speed no != (not equal to) higher av speed in most cases

In more elaborate terms... at a given rpm of the pedaling (cadence) if u have a higher gear ratio (with similar crank lengths), u will reach a higher speed.... But other factors decide how easy it is to maintain that rpm, like bike weight, rider weight, rider strength, terrain, slope etc. So if u wanna attain the same speed as the giher gear ratio, but with a lower gear ratio, u need to pedal at a higher rpm. But there are bodily limits to cadence, and there is an optimal range for everyone.

If u have a really high gear ratio (front teeth / rear teeth), u'll be able to pedal usefully even on downhills, where u will normally be cruising along otherwise.

The difference i felt between Tourney(on my Merida Crossway) and Alivio (on my Trek 4300) was the ease, and quickness of shifting, especially when u cant afford to slow down too much ur pedalling while shifting (like when u r in middle of traffic, or u r on someone's tail in a race)

A lesser tyre width defintely allows u to maintain a higher pace with similar effort (as can be seen on a heart rate monitor).... And this is paticularly felt on long 100 - 200 km rides.... The comparisons i make are on 700 x 23 tyres and 700 x 35 tyres on my Merida Crossway.... But riding on the thinner tyres with a higher tyre pressure feels more bumpy, but is something you can get very easily used to.

-sud

--
================================
Sudhir.P
Blog : http://roastedneutrons.blogspot.com
Photoblog : http://roastedphotons.blogspot.com
Comic strip: http://ktpdq.blogspot.com

I do not suffer from insanity......
I enjoy it!
================================

[s1d]

Hi Anil,

I suppose the usage should've made the meaning clear :)
I had an accident some time back which gave me a torn meniscus and a
partially torn ACL, so couldn't indulge in much of physical activity.
And with my love for good food, this made for a bad combination.
So terrible fitness here means exactly that, terrible.

-Sid

On Jun 11, 9:38 am, anil kadsur <anilkad...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Siddarth,
>
> That is great.....congratulations on ur new acquisition....i also
> consider myself fit.....just curious wt do u mean terribly
> fit.....!!!???
>
> anil s kadsur
>

> On 6/10/10, Chidambaram Annamalai <quantumeli...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I am looking to buy a hybrid bike myself (road bikes are too expensive!) and
> > considering that you might have done quite a bit of research yourself to buy
> > a bike, I have a few questions:
>
> > 1. Does the largest crank to smallest gear in the cassette ratio matter a
> > lot? Most hybrids have the largest crank with 48T. Should I be concerned
> > about the smallest cog being 11T, 12T or 14T (in different models)? Will
> > this make a difference in the max speed?
>
> > 2. Could you make your choice for Bianchi Camaleonte 1 clearer (as opposed
> > to, say, Cannondale Quick 5, Schwinn Sporterra Comp and other bikes in the
> > same price range)?
>
> > 3. What tires would best suit Indian roads (kind, sizing, etc.)? I'm mostly
> > looking to drive long the highways (like everyone else..)
>
> > Thanks,
> > Chillu
>

> > On Thu, May 27, 2010 at 1:32 PM, s1d <gr8siddha...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Hey all!
>
> >> After a good ten long years, I'm back on a bicycle.
> >> Bought a bike yesterday - the Bianchi Camaleonte 1 from Track and
> >> Trail, apart from a bunch of accessories.
> >> Managed to ride it all the way from the shop in Koramangala to my home
> >> near BEL circle, with a loaded backpack, inspite of my terrible
> >> fitness levels.
> >> Pretty tiring initially, but it was one helluva experience and
> >> hopefully the first of many more to come!
> >> My first experience - very light, agile and smooth bike and inspite of
> >> the slim tires easily manages to go over the potholes, loose gravel,
> >> mud, water and other stuff you find on the roads. Will write a more
> >> detailed review later.
> >> Haven't taken any pics yet...you can see the specs and how it looks
> >> like here -
> >>http://www.trackandtrail.in/hybrid-bikes-Bianchi-Camaleonte-I-1.asp
>
> >> --
> >> biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> >> are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?

> >> Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comfor more details

[Shashi]

Hi,

I just couldn't help but post a message since I own a Quick 5. I
have had it for over 5 months now and have been riding regularly for
the past 3 months. Have put on around 1400 Km on it. Have gone thru
one set of break pads but haven't had any other issue so far - no
flats too Thank God! I think the little wider tires do help as even on
the highways we may get small stretches of bad roads.

Sid, I agree that the handlebar protrusions may be slightly
helpful on longer rides but haven't seen them yet so can't be sure.
Look wise I don't see much difference between the two - maybe the
bright paint makes it look good :-). Need to ride the Camaleonte one
of these days to feel the difference.

Regards,
Shashi

[Chidambaram Annamalai]

On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 1:31 PM, Shashi <shashidhar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,

   I just couldn't help but post a message since I own a Quick 5. I
have had it for over 5 months now and have been riding regularly for
the past 3 months. Have put on around 1400 Km on it. Have gone thru
one set of break pads but haven't had any other issue so far - no
flats too Thank God! I think the little wider tires do help as even on
the highways we may get small stretches of bad roads.

Great that you stepped in to provide info on the Q5! Could you share details on the price (24K in a shop here..) and any accessories you got with the bike?

   Sid, I agree that the handlebar protrusions may be slightly
helpful on longer rides but haven't seen them yet so can't be sure.
Look wise I don't see much difference between the two - maybe the
bright paint makes it look good :-). Need to ride the Camaleonte one
of these days to feel the difference.

I will be taking a test ride on the BC-I today in a trackandtrail store in Chennai. Unfortunately, they don't have Q5s right now. So I won't be able to tell. BC-Is seem to be more common, in which case I think you should, if you can, try to take one out for a spin and let us know :)

Cheers,
Chillu

[Shashidhar Gurumurthy]

I think I paid around the same. Did not get any accessories with it. Bought the following - stand 250, bottle cage - 250, front and back light set (Cat Eye) - I think it was 1800 & lock - 300. 

Let me see if I can go the Koramangala track & trail shop on the ride back home and check out the BC-1. 

[s1d]

Hi Chidambaram,

I suppose Sudhir's reply took care of most of your technical
questions.
Thanks a lot Sudhir for the info!

The accessories which I got myself are as follows :

Helmet
Foot pump
Bottle cage and bottle
Front (Head mounted LED) and rear lights
Gloves

They cost me about 4.5k in all.

Picking up soon : side stand, long cable/chain lock (Weren't available
when I bought the bike), bell, cyclocomputer, pollution mask.

I would say helmet and foot pump are a must to start with.
Helmet ofcourse for safety reasons, both for protecting your head when
you fall and apart from that a bright colored helmet also gives you
greater visibility on roads. Most punctures are caused because of
improper air pressure, so its best to check it once or twice a week
depending on how much you ride.
The rest you can get as and when you think necessary.

On Jun 11, 11:11 am, Chidambaram Annamalai <quantumeli...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> I have been able to dig up some material in favor of the top speed argument
> (smaller cogs, larger cranks = more speed), which makes sense mechanically
> but if you want a quantitative answer as to exactly how fast it's

> here.<http://www.machars.net/bikecalc.htm>Because the cog sizes

> feature in the denominator reducing the number of
> teeth by one on the cog matters more than increasing the number of teeth on
> the crank.
>
> But both bikes I'm looking at (Q5 and BCI) have the same cranks and cassette
> so nothing to see here. The components, I have no clue and I completely fail
> to understand how and why functionally similar components vary *so* much in
> price. So I have partially given up on taking the (comically named) Shimano

> components into account, and instead trusting the bike manufacturers to do *the
> right thing.* :D

> NH-17<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Highway_17_%28India%29>that

> runs along the west coast, travelling through places like Mangalore,
> Gokarna, etc.
>
> Cheers,
> Chillu
>

> > > > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformore details