FHM Guinea Pigs: Extreme Bike Test
Mud, hills and more mud… we find out which two-wheeled ride is the king of India’s diverse terrains.
Type: The city – The urban fixie wins
Good for: Looks stylish yet is macho enough for the uber cool man. Fantastic riding comfort and low on maintenance.
Bad for: Off-trails.
The bike: This one is a classic bike for today’s urban man. Made with aluminium crafting – the bike stands top guard for its strength, rigidity and torsional resistance. The frame geometry seems perfect for the Indian man’s body frame. Though equipped with hydraulics, you will face a hard time on off-trail tracks.
The ride: The gears are a little edgy, hydraulics could have been smoother, though chain transitions are smooth, the bike seems relatively maintenance free. It is a light bike, which means moving up and down the office stairs with it shouldn’t drain you of all your energy. Thanks to the brilliant frame of the bike, your formals/office wear wouldn’t give a weathered-out look. The upright riding position of this bike makes city riding easy and comfortable with increased visibility.
How much? With its stunning looks, this bike is the perfect fit for first timers who do not want to shell out a bomb on the likes of Cannondale or Schwinn.
Fork out for: For metro cities, we suggest you buy portable front lights, side indicators, a bottle holder (heat may suck up all your stamina in peak summer season), bell (the probability of someone jumping in front of your cycle on the road is higher than the PM getting a third term), gloves and helmet.
Nishant Nayyar rode: Montra Blues for ₹17,490, www.montra.in
Type: The track – The speedy racer wins
Good for: Rush-hour public transport, speed enthusiasts.
Bad for: Any type of bumpy routes or muddy (non) roads.
The bike: The most important characteristics in a racing bicycle are its weight and stiffness that determine the efficiency at which the power from a rider’s pedal strokes can be transferred to the drive-train and subsequently to its wheels. The sole purpose of this cycle in particular is to provide more speed without keeping the rider’s comfort level in mind. Therefore, the drop handlebars are positioned lower than the saddle to give a more aerodynamic posture to the rider and that is also why the front and back wheels are close together for quick handling.
The ride: On good roads the ride is pretty smooth and enjoyable, however on bumpy and weathered roads like that of smaller towns, the ride can be troublesome. This cycle is built for the athletic kinds, so fat behinds will have a tough time bending, balancing and riding on it. You might even have a tough time riding this bike with your 3-piece on. So if you are riding to work, make sure you are wearing easy formals. The bike seems to perform up to the mark while riding uphill and downhill too. Frankly, this bike is not for beginners or amateurs, it’s for speed enthusiasts who understand the dynamics of track and trail cycling.
Fork out for: You would need to shell out some extra dough for proper gearing. We suggest you get BTWN or Schwinn shoes, cycling gloves, helmet and front lights from Roadster. When out for a casual ride equip yourself with dry fit shorts and jerseys, water bottles and a handy toolkit.
Ryan rode: Bianchi Tiagra Niron – 7, front and back aluminium hubs for ₹79,750
Type: Open road – The folding bike wins
Good for: Rush-hour public transport, people who want to cycle only one way.
Bad for: Hatchbacks, tight corners.
The bike: Unlike the good ol’ land of the king, India doesn’t allow bicycles on trains and metros unless they are dismembered and put in a gunnysack. Which means cycling to the metro station, folding your bike, carrying it on your shoulder and hopping into the metro is as doable as this article winning the Pulitzer. But even then a folding bike has its own advantages – you can carry it to your house if you live in an apartment or up to the office where it can sit quietly in a corner while you set about doing corporate slavery.
The ride: The foldy is a perfect bike for those who either have a driver bringing their car to work, left it at work last night or don’t have a parking spot – it’s the perfect thing for people who want to date people other than just cyclists. Most of the bad PR about foldy bikes comes from them having small wheels and thus, requiring a lot more effort. In a fit of inspired innovation, the fellows at Firefox decided to overcome that by fitting the cycle with full-sized tyres, so if the smaller folding cycles could be lifted clean off your shin and only tore the back of your thigh, this time your two-wheeled steed will be smashing into your shins every time. The upside of this Firefox cycle is that it’s as fast around corners as the regular un-bendy cycles and it weighs 6 kgs less than the regular 18kg cycles. The downside is that you think for the money they are charging they’d at least have given you a belt to tie it when it’s folded.
How much? For something that isn’t going to collapse on itself mid-ride, you need to spend at least ₹13,000 for a bike with six gears, which works for everyday commuting.
Kabeer Sharma rode: Firefox Compact Alloy Folding Bike, ₹12,740, firefoxbikes.com
Type: Hybrid – It’s a cakewalk
Good for: Those lazy bums looking for effortless driving.
Bad for: Bumpy roads and tight corners.
The bike: To switch from manual to automatic is a cakewalk, but vice versa is a pain. So if you have been commuting in your personal vehicle, make sure that you buy a bicycle that’s easy to ride and not one that you see one of those racers riding in the Olympics. You are not switching to a cycle to prove a point, but because you are health conscious or you want a bit of adventure injected into your daily routine. Go for a bike that has swift gears, broad seats and is easy to maintain because from what we know, it’s damn costly to maintain an expensive bike.
The ride: We tried riding this bicycle on one of the bumpy stretches of a Gurgaon road. This bike is absolutely easy to ride, the gears are effortless to switch and it’s light so there is nothing that you don’t like about it. However, in case you plan to ride it like a drunk you will find it tough manoeuvring at turns because it doesn’t come easy and you need to understand that bicycles don’t have the shockers of an SUV, so little bumps are expected.
How much? Good things come with a price and you should be ready to shell out for those swift gears, easy rides and the brand name that it comes with.
Fork out for: You must add on a pair of indicators, a water bottle holder and a wheel lock to the cycle. Though there are a lot of accessories that you can add, we would say get the modifications and accessories attached after you have ridden it for sometime or else we don’t see a point in spending a bomb on accessories.
Kumar Saurav rode: Hercules Torrent ₹12,850
Essential Bike Buyer’s Guide
Cycle guru, Joel Natale, on how to choose the perfect peddler.
01 Be realistic: “You need to decide what kind of riding you are going to be doing. Are you riding to work? Going off-road? Doing triathlon training? You’re not going to be able to do everything – every bike’s a compromise.”
02 Spend smart: “Pretty much the more you spend, the better the bike you’re going to get. Although there are some brands that charge a slight premium, if you spend more, you’ll be getting better components and lighter weight.”
03 Consider secondhand: “You can pick up really good second-hand deals – particularly fixies, where the components on them are a small proportion of the whole bike, so if you need to replace them, it isn’t very expensive. Whereas if you’re riding a 20-speed road bike and you have to replace all the cogs, chains, shifters, cables; that’s a lot more expensive.”
04 Don’t be scared of salespeople: “Most modern bike shops are filled with people who love riding bikes, and they’re not actually that commercially focused. You need to know what you want out of the bike, so that you don’t get unduly swayed, but generally they’re going to help you get the best bike for you.”
05 Feel the love: “You have to love your bike – for me that’s the most important thing. You need to like the way it looks, you need to like the way it rides, and you need to like the way it makes you feel.”
Planning a ride? Equip yourself with these
- Helmet: always get bright coloured helmets
- Headlight: These should be white with a steady or flashing beam
- Shoes: You need a nice pair that gives you a good grip on the pedal
- Lock chain: for those who ride to buy their groceries
- Taillight: to give you and your bike visibility from the rear
- Gloves: For better grip and handling
- Toolkit: Should have screwdrivers, tyre levers and cable cutters
Did you know?
- Cycling increases calorie consumption and raises the metabolic rate, which can help lose weight.
- Cycling can strengthen your immune system and can protect you against certain kinds of cancers.
- A study reported a 50% reduction in fatal and non-fatal heart disease in civil servants who cycled over 20 miles/week.
- Cycling helps insomniacs to reduce the time taken to fall asleep by half. Really! A Stanford University study proves it.
From the January 2013 issue of FHM India.
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