Who don't /didn't like a bike?? At least in their child hood days. I was one of them who
yearned for bike day and night. It's a sad irony that I got my first bike years later
around 14 years old
That was my first bike the Hercules Rockshox with front suspension IIRC it cost around
2400 INR in 96. The reason i hought the bike is i never liked the hero cycles. The
hero cycles till to this date i like is the hero ranger and ranger LE. All other hero
cycles i hate to the core. I always liked the hercules design, style and quality compared
to other brands available at that time.
Rockshox was the star model at that time from Hercules and I ended up buying the same.
I finished my 10 th standard and was waiting for the results so I had ample time for riding the bike.
The initial months especially as it was vacation was really busy with the bike.
I just love to ride the bike. I didn't had any specific route or plans but just rides. I
like to ride through small roads rather than busy highways or main roads.
Morning itself I used to ride, the only time those days I came home was for breakfast, lunch and when the sun goes down.
This helped me a lot to explore all the shortcuts to town, small roads which I didn't knew
of its existence before.
Again the cycle was my sole commuter for years, going to college, tuitions. Whenever I felt
boredom I just took my bike and go for a ride and everything is so blissful again. I don't
know how many kilometers I have ridden that bike.
I feel very sorry that I don't have a picture of that bike. It has served me faithfully for
years and years and even my 2 brothers rode it extensively .
The bike met with an accident and the frame got bend, though the mechanic straightened the bike it lost its straight line balance and used to drag a little to the left side
Later the bike was given to a boy near my house.
All those years the bike had never given me any trouble except for punctured tyres,worn
out brake pads. Through all those years changed the sprocket once.
One constant nagging problem with the bike was with the shox. When the bike goes over some
pot hole the front suspension used to hit on the mudguard. Over the time the attachment
which held the mudguard in place gave off.as I was riding I literally had a fall when the
mudguard Went flying with front tyre.
Initially I used to take it to mechanic nearby. Later on I started buying tools and repair
on my own. I spend hours cleaning the chain, lubing. I miss those days when life was a lot
simple.
I could vouch for one thing, people who lament about the quality of our local bike. I think
Hercules is not so bad They weigh more when compared to the modern expensive bikes.
Gear shifters of bikes of those days were horrible, most of the people who had geared bike
within a few months changed back to single sprocket. That's the only reason I bought a
gearless bike.
Though I left home for studies the rider part of me was alive. I didn't ride a
single bike for years together. The last time I rode a bicycle was some 10 years back.


I love two wheelers, whether its powered or pedaled and that's the only reason I am part of
xBhp. I have gone through each and every single thread in the bicycle section.
Though I was planning to buy a bike soon, going through the threads increased the urge for one
My plan was to get a full suspension bike, the plan which was thwarted by MONK. The Firefox
Colorado was the planned one.
Though he told me not to buy a MTB, my heart said the other way, but its not without a reason as i like to go for some off roading session.
I was desperately waiting to read the article in xBhp about cycling as per MONK s advice,
to make matters worst I couldn't grab a copy from the usual store. So at last
I bought the bike without reading it( I got the magazine later)



I reached the shop in city by morning and there were brands like Bianchi, Scott, Trek, Firefox
When I tried lifting the bikes itself I felt the difference in weight between all these. So Firefox and Hercules Monterro were out.
Test rode a Bianchi red in colour, a city bike.As with all the city bikes it was easy to
ride as its light weight with no heavy suspension or other weight increasing factors.
The handle too comes in the comfort zone. I had no plan to buy a road bike but just test
rode it. The bike was quick but I could feel all the imperfections of the road through the
thin tyres. I didn't worry about it as I had no intention to buy a city or road bike.


Next in line was the Trek.Trek only the base model was available there and I didn't
have the budget to by a top end model. One feature I did want on the bike was the disk
brake. (I have read the advantages and disadvantages of disc brakes and I know its not so
a required feature in bikes for normal use but I like the looks of it and its advantages
especially on motorcycles that is the reason I even converted my RX to disc brake.disc
brakes freaks me out especially on the spoked wheels )




So the choices were narrowed down to Scott Aspect 670 MTB and Scott hybrid. Test rode both,
the hybrid had thin large diameter tyres with thin treads so naturally the pedaling was a
breeze. But my heart longed for MTB and another deterring factor of the hybrid was it cost
it cost around 30500 INR.
So the best choice was the Scott Aspect 670 which comes within my budget. Test rode it,
ride was comfortable while pedaling is a bit on the hard side due to the thick heavy
treaded tyres. Considering my usage and budget I zeroed in the aspect 670
Features include
21 speed shimano gear
Front and rear disc brake.
Adjustable front suspension
Over all I like the bike. Even the paint scheme look better than other brands and has Matt finish.
Accessories I got with the bike include the side stand, bell and lock.
The only accessory I bought ifrom there was a probike water bottle.
I did want a speedometer, but was not available at that time. Later bought a bTwin
speedometer from another shop. . Cost 1000 INR.
I will write more about the ownership experience in the coming posts.



A few pictures of my new ride