How to Buy a Bicycle for Adults [The Deﬁnitive Guide]

By Abhishek Tarfe | www.velocrushindia.com Decide on a Budget

Before going ahead and settling on a bicycle, consider a budget that you are willing to spend on. Once the budget is ﬁxed, other things will fall in place. Also, ensure to keep a 10% ﬂexibility.

www.velocrushindia.com Purpose

The next question you need to ask yourself is, how much will you be cycling on a weekly or monthly basis? What is the purpose of buying a bicycle. Fitness, commute, training? If you have the answer to these question, move on to the next step.

www.velocrushindia.com The Right Type of Bicycle

There are hundreds of bicycle brands available and choosing the right one can be difﬁcult. Once you have decided on you budget and purpose, you can ﬁlter down to the type of bike.

If your budget is below INR 30000 and your goal is to get ﬁt, commute or light touring, then an MTB or a Hybrid is what you should be looking at. Wondering what MTB or Hybrid bikes are? Read on!

Majorly, there are three types of bicycles 1. Roadbike 2. Hybrid 3. Mountain bike

www.velocrushindia.com Roadbike

If you’re looking to race or get into long distance cycling, a road bike is a good idea. These bikes are sleek and fast. If you can handle speed, have good handling skills and have a higher budget, a road bike is good.

Note: A simple Roadbike will cost you at least INR 30000. There are a few brands that will offer you a Roadbike below the above ﬁgure, but we advice to keep away. They won’t last you long and won’t offer you comfort or better durability.

Think of a Tata Nano or a Maruti 800 for that matter. Also, if you’re a newbie and still have a budget, we advise you start from the bottom. Get a Mountain Bike ﬁrst and build your way up.

Trust us, it helps!

www.velocrushindia.com Hybrid Bikes

The bikes are a combo of road bikes and mountain bikes, hence the name Hybrid bikes. Long distance, ﬁtness and touring can all be done on these types of bikes. A basic hybrid bicycle will cost you a minimum 15000 INR.

Here’s a list of some of the entry level bikes you can look at.

If you are looking for high end hybrid bicycles, a budget above INR 40000 will get you better geometry and high quality components.

www.velocrushindia.com Mountain bikes

Now we have the mountain bike category. These bikes are very commonly found on Indian roads. You can use them for ﬁtness, commute and bit of off roading (Hardtail).

Here’s a list of some of the best bicycles under INR 10000. www.velocrushindia.com Time to Research

One you have decided on your budget, purpose and type of bike, you can now go about shortlisting a few bikes.

Now consider looking at the components, wheels and other features.

So what are the common features and how should you go about it?

www.velocrushindia.com RoadBike Groupset

Firstly, you need to look at the components. Shimano and SRAM are renowned in this industry in India. Most of the bikes will come with these components only. Some might even come with a combo of both.

www.velocrushindia.com Mountain Bike Groupset

www.velocrushindia.com Front Suspension

You might ﬁnd bicycles with a decent suspension below INR 15000. It can take the beating from Indian roads but if you are looking for performance, you will have to invest more.

Think about the Maruti 800 or a Tata Nano, they will be enough to get you from Point A to B but what about performance, comfort and other factors?

There are also bicycles available with full-suspension. If you are into downhill mountain biking, only then these bikes are worth it.

www.velocrushindia.com Disc Brakes

Planning to ride longer or just within the city, make one thing clear. You don’t need disc brakes! While many might disagree, for city riding or ﬁtness, bicycles with V-brakes are good enough. However, if you do get a bike with disc brakes and go on longer rides, be ready to slow down and lag behind the pack.

Also, disc brakes will require more attention and regular maintenance. A good marketing gimmick newbies usually fall far. www.velocrushindia.com Frame

Do not underestimate the importance of a bicycle frame. Just like the components and wheels a frame is equally vital. It is the foundation of your bicycle. Ensure to get the right frame as it may feel uncomfortable while cycling.

If you are looking for a bicycle to commute, consider to go for a frame that carries the weight of your feet and bottom, and not your hands.

Even the frame material makes a huge impact on your ride.

www.velocrushindia.com Types of Frames

On the overall, there are three types of frames: 1.Steel frames:- Steel frames have been used for centuries by bicycle manufacturers. This material is durable, affordable but heavy.

2.Aluminium frame: Today, these frames form the major chunk of the bicycle industry. Aluminium frames are a bit more expensive than steel frame, are lighter and do not rust.

3.Carbon Frame: This material is light, stiff and resistant to corrosion. It is also very durable and an expensive material when used on bikes.

www.velocrushindia.com Frame Size

Very often people are excited to buy a bicycle. They go to a shop or see a major discount online and decide to pick it up. At times, they are also carried away by the shop-keepers and regret their choice later.

Before you head out, here is the frame size that you need to consider according to your height. Test Ride

Go online and read a few reviews, try getting reviews from people who already own the bicycle you wish to buy. Go to a store and take a test ride. Apply for our bicycle consulting services. We will gladly help you.

Spend some time and don’t be in a hurry. Take more if you need and once you decide, go ahead and pick the right size according to your height.

Honestly, if there are online discounts, buying is completely your choice.

www.velocrushindia.com These are the steps that we would advise you to take when buying a bicycle for adults.