Sunday 7 June 2009

Got myself a new ride

I had been thinking of buying a bicycle for quite some time (read 2 months). After ages of procrastination, I decided to move my ass and buy one. My budget was around Rs 7000. Of course rather than researching too much I just went by word of mouth and decided on the Hero Octane.

So yesterday, as suggested by a friend, I went to Raja Cycle Mart (opposite town hall) to make the purchase. I didn't want to scout at all, I just wanted to make the purchase and start cycling. Unfortunately that didn't happen. When I went to the shop, the young blighter attending to me was least interested in making a sale. I had to go to him, ask questions, and dig out information. He wasn't rude or anything, just plain uninterested. Also, they didn't have the Hero Octane or any cycling helmets and I was asked to come back next week.

Dissappointed I returned home, but I wasn't going to stop trying. I scouted for other shops in Bangalore. In the meantime I also found from the web that the Octane may not be a good choice for a road-bike because of its rear-suspension -- it causes the cycle to bob up and down, and few found that irritating. A better alternative was the BSA Hercules Ryders ACT 105.

I found a BSA shop right next doors -- BSA Track and Trail on Koramangala 80ft road. I went there, but they didn't have the ACT 105. They had the 106, 108, Bianchi Cannondale (fancy bikes), but not the one which I was looking for.

Not to be let down, I called up a friend who had recently purchased a bike. She recommended a BSA shop on Commercial Street, near Safina Plaze. It was called BSA Go. So I drove down there, and found the shop to be pretty decent. They had the bike which I wanted, they had helmets, locks, etc. I promised the shop owner that I will come tomorrow and take the bike away. And that's what I did.


Figure 1, BSA Hercules Ryders ACT 105

Damages:

Bicycle: Rs 7600
Helmet: Rs 400
Chain lock: Rs 200
Total: Rs 8200

I took the bike home back in an auto (the auto fellow charged my Rs 20 extra, understandably). The cycle was met with a lot of approval by the kids in my galli. I test drove it to a friend's place, around 3 KM away. And because of my striking blue helmet, I was being noticed by one and all.

The main goal of this purchase is cross-training on Sundays -- running is still the first priority. But, I do plan to commute few days to office as well.

For a greener tomorrow, ONWARD!

11 comments:

Rake said...

Be careful though..cyclists are not treated well on the road.

Rake said...

ohh also just checked out Octane..looks like a girly bike :D

pratyush said...

Thats a real beauty dude.. Go green !!

Rohit said...

@Rake: Yes, I will take care. I mostly plan to use it for cross-training.

@Pratyush: Thanks boss.

Vikas Gupta said...

It's so beautiful!

BTW,I have an ordinary cycle (the most popular model in India). What is the difference between driving that cycle and this one?!

Rohit said...

@Vikas: I couldn't get which cycle you have. But I can talk about mine:

1. 3-7 gears. Helpful on inclines.
2. Quick release seat -- you can adjust the seat without the need of any tools.
3. It has a rust free frame.

I haven't driven a single speed cycle in a long time, so I can't really say what the exact difference is. But I do believe that having gears help.

Perakath said...

Vikas: Gears on bicycles are an oft-misunderstood concept. This might help. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

Diablo said...

i bought ACT 105 for 7500 in Yeshwathpur. its cool but the saddle is not very comfortable for long long ride (i did 90km in 8 hrs). its still too good for the price. Where ever i go people curiously ask the price of the bike. :-)

Rohit said...

@Diablo: I agree. The stock saddle is quite uncomfortable. I have replaced mine with a slimmer saddle which I bought from Decathlon. It's much comfortable on long rides.

blogzworld said...

Great!
Also check out this nice Bike shop in BTM layout(near State Bank of Mysore). Its called fitness thru travel, i think.
They have all the high end bikes you want and they are knowledgeable too!

एक तितर-बितर जीवन said...

ACT 105 is a good bike with height adjustable handle bars, the only prob tho' is the gear shifting mechanism by rotating the hand grip. Rest all okay with the bike. Good for on and off road both. Specially the wide seat with groove in the middle is safe for men on long rides.

I got a K-9 and replaced its thin seat with Act 105/106 seat which is wider and comfy.

I replaced the handlebar with bajaj pulsar and grips with Suzuki Access Scooter.

Its a breeze to ride it now.

The pic is on facebook fbid=177478408929617