To be precise its not that reliable... Had a friend who had a nasty crash on a folding bike, the nut snapped resulting in front loosing control on downhill...

I have an alternative which can help you in storing the bike...

Select the bike which has quick release options for wheels. There is a small link which needs to be opened and released and the wheel comes off...By this way you can easily park the cycle in ur room or in balcony...
Regarding carrying the cycle for outings. Do the same technique as the quick release option is present for front and back wheels too...

Buddy i also take my cycle 3 floors up and park it in my balcony cz i dont wanna risk a costly cycle by keeping it down....
There are small parking hooks also avaliable in the market where you can easily lift and hook it up on your room wall.... comes in two piece set...

The two thingy stuff is quite confusing and chances of snapping are more, foldables are only meant for recreational purposes where tar is your usage area or else buy a high end foldable bike which can be trusted... Something like KTM (yes KTM does manufacture cycles too, they are costlier than the KTM 200 sold here in India)....

Please give a serious thought regarding this, also a hard tail setup bike would suit your needs...

very well thanks for the heads up. appreciate it.
It does look scary if the bike folds up while riding

Will surely check other options with quick releases. Will head to the showroom and checkout the options they have and also the hard tail like you suggested.

Thanks again.

my list so far!


Hercules ACT 110 (11.5k)

BTwin Rockrider 5.0 (13k)
BTwin Rockrider 5.1 (suspension) (15k)

Firefox Target (14k)
Firefox Cyclone (10k)

Schwinn Sporterra 2012
schwinn frontier sport (19k)
SCHWINN 2012 SEARCHER(20k)
SCHWINN 2012 MESA (17k)

Giant Revel 4 (19.5k)

GT Aggressor 2.0 (19.5k)
GT Aggressor 1.0 (16.5k)

totally confused!

I am in a similar position as you. So thanks for compiling that list

I have been reading up a lot of ownership reviews online. The Hercules and Firefox cycles don't have a very good name in hardcore cyclists circles. The btwin's are considered good value for money. The others that you have listed are a class apart. Even then these are categorized as good 'entry' level bikes!

When you do decide, please share it here as well

sure.. you saw the budget? they have increased the taxes from 10% to 30%
So I am planing to finalise one tomorrow, my adivce buy it ASAP.

In the list mentioned above....

This one tops the list - BTwin Rockrider 5.1 (suspension) (15k)

Anytime anyday... Better than the Firefox i own...

I would love to bro. But I have to save up first So in the time that I am saving up I am looking out for a good second hand bike. If not then I will have to go ahead and buy a new bike.

I rather spend extra and make an informed proper decision. Oh and btw I am planning to buy this bike for touring long distances. So advice with that in mind would be rather helpful.

Thanks

Ohh for touring, then i suggest go for a bike which has thin tires... City bike, Schwinn Sporterra is the perfect... I have myself used this bike for good run and dam its smooth and easy to cycle...

See this is how it works - Fat tires the ones on MTB's are pure fun to ride if off roading is on your menu... But incase you plan to burn up some tarmac then they are at their worst, the reason being the contact patch being more... You can use them on road, no doubt, but expect utilization of more energy for moving forward... to sum it all - 75%-Offroad and 25%tarmac

City bikes or hybrid bikes the sporterra mentioned are pure tarmac bikes. They have thin tires where the contact patch is less, so you need not pedal more to go in front. Also their weight is less since they do not have front or rear shock absorbers... So moving ahead is easy. But yes, you cannot use them on offroading surfaces as it is nearly impossible to balance those thin tires which are somewhere close to slicks and absence of shock absorbers... a little bit of rough patch is ok.... to sum it all 90%tarmac and 10% offroad..

Also before selecting the cycle keep the above mentioned suggestions handy. And please do not go for rear shock absorbers, they are nothing but increase in weight. Also I really dont think you would be requiring them as there is no downhill surface atleast where the speeds are around 50-60kmph downhill muddy... they just contribute in adding extra weight which ensures strain on your legs when cycling uphill... also if you go to see when you are coming down on a slope which is rocky you actually dont sit, you are standing and these shocks do not work, if you are considering then i would suggest look at KTM cycles which have gas filled shocks of the brand FOX.

I hope this helps in selecting a good bike... To my advice since its going to be tarmac, a Sporterra from the brand Schwinn will be of good use.

You have also mentioned GT, this is also one of the best brand available but their high end cycles are good... expect road bikes from this brand.

Hey thanks bro. Like I said I have been reading up about cycles off late on various forums. The thing is when I say touring I mean touring like on a motorcycle. Go anywhere types. I am talking doing spiti, leh, the plains and any other opportunity that I get to ride. Thus the problem. I know a roaddie will not manage spiti, but what about a Hybrid? And how good are the bikes which are a shade under 20k?

I got myself a GT Transeo 4.0 for about 20k...
Had actually gone to get myself a Firefox but then chose this one..

Nope. The Giant Revel series is definitely better. Having said that, I would tell the OP to look at the Rockrider 5.2 or even the 5.3 which, at the moment given the increased cost of everything, is the best choice around at 24k.

Long distance riding? Then serious look at a few things - you'll need to add racks and panniers, drop bars offer much more comfort and different wrist positions giving relief on long rides, stuff like that. For distance riding, up your budget to at least 30 - 35k. Not to say you can't do it on less but you'll enjoy it a lot more with a better ride.

Good advice. However, MTBs can be used with slick tyres thereby providing ease on road and fun offroad, when required KTM cycles? Hmm... At those prices I would much rather pick up a Trek, Giant, Specialized or even Kona full sus.

If headed to Leh, a mountain bike would be your best bet. And no, do NOT pick up a hybrid for this. You are unlucky in that the govt has seriously hiked the duties on cycles. Up until 3 months ago, you would have got an excellent mountain bike (like the KHS Alite 500) for about 23. Now the same bike would probably set you back 30k. At the moment, the RR 5.3 at 24k is good VFM but I would seriously suggest you up your budget and buy a better bike if you intend to subject it to proper abuse like in Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti. You don't want to be standing in the pouring rain on a mud-caked mountainside wishing you had spent a few grand more for quality kit

Hey Ray!!

You have been posting on most of the cycling threads on xbhp today. Most of the queries and topics were a year old

But yeah I picked a second hand Trek 4300. Better to buy a good second hand than a rubbish new cycle.

Anyways thanks for the advice.

avinash please bless us with some pics of your new bike
Actually i was also thinking to buy a new bicycle and fixed on target 21spd Disc
BTW yours is 4300 or 4300D?

excellent choice! have you done any touring then?

Ohh couple of pics from my side.

But that was way too back...