Bike Shopping - The process

(updates in this post - scroll down)

14th Jan 08 - Step into a dream
Its been months since I cherished this dream of me getting a bike and resetting my activity the old way. Unfortunately I could not. Now having read my blog article and also a lot of talk about things a couple of my friends sure got hooked onto the idea of getting a cycle.

Rahulya was the latest entrant and he needed my help/advise to get one for himself. Boy did it feel good advising him on the bike he would need and explaining some jargon. What Rahul said he wanted was a bike that both he and Samruddhi could use. So he needed a 'Y' frame or a frame with the lower top tube.

I got a call from Rahulya in the morning where he said he was looking at the Hero Thunder MTB and a Hero Octane26T. He loved the Octane for it was a full Suspension bike and moreover a Y frame. We decided that we would revisit the shop in the evening for I wanted to take a look at the bikes myself.

So in the evening Rahulya and me drove down PhadkeHoudh and visited this cycle Shop -Sardarji Cycles. The minute I stepped in the smell of rubber and fresh metal filled in from all angles. I was surrounded by cycles as I stepped into the shop. Immediately a salesman came upto us and started showing us around. The first cycle I saw was the infamous Hero Thunder MTB. This was one of the most talked about bikes on the bikeszone forums and also various blogs. It was all aluminum -silver. It was partly packed with cardboard wrapped around its frame.

Soon Rahulya showed me the Octane he was so interested in. My first impression of the Octane was - it was tall , wide and seemed to be heavy. When I took some closer inspection of the bike it turned out to be light but wobbly. I liked the looks but the rear suspension part did not appeal to me much. The disks of the disk-brakes were bent and looked to flimsy. But still it seemed to be a decent bike.

Then I walked around the shop and asked the salesman about the Hero DTB1/DTB2 Hercules Omega/Ryders etc. The shopkeeper went on to explain that the DTBs were on the heavier side and showed us an assembled DTB2, it looked OK but again the rear suspension made it look kinda gross. The Ryders(he just had one-ACT 101) seemed pretty small but was heavy and costed roughly 5.5K, the other Ryders like the AV 101 that I was interested in costs a whooping 15.5K and was not a quick moving item, so they did not stock the same- but could get it on ordering the same. He also said that the Omega was out of production and was no longer available as no one bought the same.

Soon he pointed us to some brand that exports bicycles abroad (I forgot the name), these bikes looked pretty similar to the DTB series. There were a couple more(hardtails) of these, but they were on the heavier side.

We again came back to the Octane and Thunder. Here the shopkeeper explained that the Thunder came in 2 variants geared for 7K and non-geared for 5K. It seems that all on the bike was aluminium, everything could be easily adjusted etc. The Octane too was all alloy except for the pedals and a couple of screws and costs 9.5K.

I was very impressed with the Thunder, also its head tube went low so I guess it could fit both sexes :-). Rahulya was still stuck to the Octane but later found the Thunder more appealing. So bid our farewells with the shopkeeper and returned to Rahulya's house.

Back home we researched on some sites for reviews of the Octane and Thunder. I also asked Rahulya to consider Firefox bikes in case he was willing to go close to the 10K mark.

Well so for now, it seems when I pay a visit to Firefox (hopefully this week sometime) would ask them about unisex and bikes in the range of near 10K. But whilst I was at that shop at Phadke Houdh - boy was I tempted to buy one of those Thunder's and ride off with a flash 32 on between my cheeks!

Update: (22nd Jan 08)- Check out these international bikes.
Eventually on friday (19th Jan) I payed a visit to the firefox showroom at NIBM road. That day I left early from office and the bike simply ventured its way to NIBM :-).

I did try to search this place earlier, but could not locate it then. Today I easily found it. It was not such big shop after all, pretty modest. But the bikes kept there were mindblowing. Again the sweet smell of rubber and metal filled my nostrils as I walked in to ask about a Mr. Raja/Alpesh (the owner of Firefox-Pune). Unfortunately neither were at the shop. So I enquired about the trek 3700 I had finalized on and they did not have that either. So I looked around at the extremely well build cycles that were displayed around the shop. The walls and floor were lined with international bikes.

The only treks he had were the 4500 and the 6000. Both were 20K + - a big nono for me. So I enquired about the Merida brand (I got to know from Mr. Ashwat (Atlas- Delhi) that Merida brads were available at the firefox showroom in Pune). Merida brands were readily available and I checked out one. The build was excellent the weight was very less and the cost was very high 25K+!!! It was a Merida Sub-40D I guess. It had front disks and back "V" brakes. They were excellent. The front suspension too seems cool. I sat on it, and bot did it feel like a proper fit. HE did say it was an 18" frame - now I have doubts, I am 6" and I always thought a 19.5" frame is what I need. Weird.. :P

Either ways I loved the bike and the feel of it! It was a wonder full experience. The attendant there did say that a new shipments of trek cycles would be coming in -in a few days. He took my no. so that they could call me once they received the shipment!

Content I rode back home. As I returned I realised in the fit of exitedness I forgot asking about the firefox bikes for Rahulya and also forgot getting a proper price list for the Trek bikes. In Pune it seems since you have to pay some 3% octroi the bikes here cost more than they do in Bangalore. I always thought these things were cheaper in Pune...

So back home I shared the moment with Nilesh, Rahulya and many of my friends.. some got exited others simply laughed hearing the costs. Too much though later I dunno if I can still buy the bike since I am not yet convinced my folks back home would take the decision in a positive way :-(. I am simply hoping for the best... :-)

Update: (31st Jan 08) - Its a thumbs down
I got call on 24th Jan from the firefox station saying that they had got their shipments of the Trek bikes. The 3700 (19.5 ") was there as well. Unfortunately I could not go then, due to work issues.

I got a message yesterday from Mr. Raja saying that the bike was in stock. Unfortunately it seems very unlikely now for me to purchase a bicycle :-(. My requirement does not seem to be going anywhere. So I had to apologize to Mr. Raja saying I could not consider a cycle now.

More so, as I thought, if I am not in the right mood- it definitely does not make sense in getting one. So I hope that things change soon and I can really get one.


For now its a thumbs down for me :-(. Very sad, but true.
So I defy my own law and follow the herd.

Update: (March 6th 2008) -Passing dreams
So as I followed the herd and was trying to get back to the shape of things, I happened to pass by a shop near my office (This was the 2nd official Firefox outlet in Pune). I had noticed this shop on a couple of occations, but never ventured inside. A couple of days back though could'nt withstand the itch as a black 3700 was being displayed outside the store, so I stepped in and enquired for the rates. 15K spelt too much for the bike as I knew it should cost roughly 13.5K. So stepped off dreamland back to boreland.

Update: (July 27th 2008) - A Ray of hope
Now at last my dream seems to be taking some shape, lots of discussions and thoughts later very soon I might finally be geting my self something moterless on two wheels ... Yuppiee!!!!


Update: (March 4th '09) - The hope seems to get brighter
Visited Surendar Cycles today and took a look at the newer Treks. A batch of three 3700's were being dispatched. The recent increase in steel prices and the very recent recession seem to have hoisted the price bar higher even for the entry levels. The shopowner and his son shared the prices with me and also shed some info about the models. Am I going to get it .... would I really take a plunge at this stage... :).. I dunno. The new trek colors do look meaty!!!!