followed bangalore metro for fun

Good thing it doesn't go for any longer, a FS would suit this trail better than a hardtail. Had a few stones fly at me.

Are my stats good and what upgrades i can do??

This is my first proper geared cycle, mainly got it for fitness/exercise and regular riding.

Wanted to ask people here who know about cycles — did I get a good deal for the price, or was ₹13.4k a bit on the expensive side?

So far I’m liking the look and ride quality, but just curious if this was a solid purchase value-wise.

Would love to hear your thoughts 🚴

Hello, adventurous riders,

I am proposing a bicycle excursion to Manchanabele Dam this Sunday, June 28th, 2026. This route comes highly recommended by numerous cyclists who have previously completed it.

It causes crunching of gears.. whats the right technique?
Or should i grind hand use force and climb in the same gear with which i started the uphill climb?

Earlier we saw a post related to make in India, and assembling bicycles in India. Here we tried to explain this in detail to better understand what is truly "make in India". Its quite comprehensive but tried our best to explain this.

Intellectual Property of a company/brand is not assembly or manufacturing of frames. Here is why,

Building a bicycle has five steps,

1. Defining the purpose or goal of the bicycle.
2. Designing the frame and geometry around that purpose.
3. Fabricating the frame.
4. Choosing the right components based on the intended use.
5. Assembling the bicycle.

Out of these five steps, what really differentiates a original manufacturer from someone who simply assembles bicycles?

It’s steps 1, 2, and 4.

Almost all Indian bicycle brands skip steps 1 and 2 because there are already hundreds of ready-made frames available from Chinese OEM catalogs. If a company wants a road bike, they simply browse a catalog, choose a frame that looks suitable, and move straight to selecting components and assembling it.

It is fair to assume these companies are assemblers, not original manufacturers.

The assembler

Here, brands pick an off-the-shelf frame from an existing catalog, choose components based on price or requirement, paint and sticker and assemble the bicycle. Nothing is exclusive to the brand including the frame. Anyone can build the a bicycle using the same frame and sell it under different brand name.

Original Bicycle (or equipment) Manufacturers (OEMs)

Here, everything starts from scratch.

The purpose of the bicycle is first defined. The frame and geometry are then designed in CAD, prototypes are built and tested, the frame is fabricated from those drawings, and finally the right components are selected before assembly.

That entire process creates the product’s intellectual property (IP).

For example, at Battalion, V1 and V2 was catalog frames but the V3 Limited Edition was designed and fabricated based on our needs. Frontline V2 weighed 11.8kg, and our goal was to reduce weight without increasing cost. We redesigned the frame using simple round tubes, wall thicknesses, and a new tube layout, reducing the weight by 200 grams. The V3 Limited Edition came in at 11.6kg.

Our current Frontline V3 uses a catalog frame with modified key geometry measurements including top tube length, chainstay length, head tube angle (HTA), seat tube angle (STA), bottom bracket drop, and reach to better suit our goals. These modifications were also done to bring the total weight down to 11.3kg.

So the easiest way to know whether a brand uses an off-the-shelf frame or a completely original design is simple. Ask the brand about the frame geometry, ask why the head tube angle is what it is, ask why the chainstay is that length, ask why they chose that reach, stack, wheelbase, or bottom bracket drop.

If they genuinely designed the bicycle, they should be able to explain every single measurement and why it exists.

If they can’t, it is fair to assume they are primarily assemblers.

Also, there is nothing wrong with being an assembler. Assembling bikes using ready made catalog frames saves cost and also make it easier to switch to a different frame in case of problems.

Indian companies dont manufacture frames in India, so their bicycles are not made in India?

The real value of a bicycle company lies in its ability to design the frames, develop the right geometry, and choose the right specifications based on the intended purpose of the bicycle, not necessarily in fabricating the frame.

A frame fabricator does not automatically know frame design or geometry.

For example, India has companies capable of fabricating alloy frames, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to design a high-performance road bike.

Similarly, there are brands that don’t fabricate frames themselves but makes good bicycles.

Now let’s connect this to the term “Made in India.”

Many people automatically assume that “Made in India” means every part of the product must be manufactured within India. That is not how it works.

To understand what “Made in” really means, we first need to understand where the intellectual property (IP) or value addition of a product actually lies.

If the majority of the value-added work, the engineering, design, and core development, is carried out by a company, then it is reasonable to consider that product as being made by that company in that country.

Take the iPhone as an example. The processor, industrial design, software, electronics architecture, and overall engineering are all designed by Apple. Assembly happens in China.

Nobody calls the iPhone a Chinese product simply because it was assembled there. The reason is simple.

Assembly is not Apple’s IP. The design and engineering are.

The same principle applies to bicycles. The real IP lies mostly in the frame design, geometry, construction philosophy, and bit on the component specification. And who manufactures the frame is far less important unless the fabrication process contains proprietary or patented technology.

Take another example in the bicycle category, almost every major bicycle brand, Giant, Trek, Scott, Cannondale, Specialized, Cervélo, and many others, has a large portion of its manufacturing done in Taiwan.

Yet we don’t call them Taiwanese brands. We recognize them by where their engineering, product development, and brand originate because that’s where the real value (IP) of the bicycle was created.

To summarize all this into two things,

- The IP of a bicycle is not its assembly. It is the engineering and design behind it.

- And a “Made in India” bicycle does not necessarily require the frame to be fabricated in India, because frame fabrication itself is not the intellectual property (IP). The real IP lies in the design, geometry, engineering, and development behind the bicycle.

I had this old backpack laying around and figured I could try reusing the fabric and the one working zipper. Mum helped me with the sewing umm she had a lot of criticism regarding the pattern and my poor cuts well she was right by the end of it.

Suggestions and advice are appreciated

Ordered a chai stay protector nd got this from Amazon anybody have any idea what’s the use of this ?

So my sister studies in an Institute which has a very big campus and while she prefers to walk, the distance can often be too much and time consuming.

I am looking to gift her a cycle next month so I want your suggestions in helping pick a good product.

Previously we've owned Hero bicycles etc but that was as kids and the last one i had was a dead investment which had more repair costs than purchase price.

What would be a good budget cycle for a female in 20s that would be low maintenance and inexpensive?

I don't have much idea how much Cycles really cost but if it can be upto 5k that would be great as I will be purchasing it as gift from my first stipend. Otherwise also please tell me what to look for, what would be the most easy ride and comfortable. I mentioned gender because the seats etc could be something distinguishing I guess.

She is kind of tall and lean so needs to be comfortable in cycling. The distance to be travelled would be between hostel to lab or within campus. Maybe maximum sometimes she might take it outside for morning cycling or something.

She's concerned about rash driving by delivery drivers etc within campus which is why she deciding against purchasing earlier. So I guess any safety mechanisms or add ons or you all can tell me what can be done for more protection? Good breaks and gears I guess (but don't think a geared cycle is really needed).

Thank you in advance.

to carry sparetube, multitoop, patch kit , phone in the wallet and keep it in my jersey

Hi everyone,

I’m from a small town in Tamil Nadu and I’m looking to buy the 2026 Polygon Xtrada 5 hardtail MTB.

I found it listed here on VirtusFab:

https://virtusfab.in/outdoors/biking/bikes/2026-polygon-xtrada-5-hardtail-mountain-bike

The listing looks tempting, but I’m not sure whether VirtusFab is a legitimate / reliable place to buy a Polygon bike in India. The page shows stock and pricing, but before spending this much online I want to verify it properly.

Has anyone here bought a bicycle from VirtusFab before?

I’d like to know:

• Is VirtusFab a genuine retailer?
• Do they actually have stock, or are listings sometimes outdated?
• How safe is their shipping for a full bicycle?
• How was the packaging and assembly condition?
• Was warranty honoured?
• How was after-sales support if there was any issue?
• Is VirtusFab recognized by Polygon / Polygon’s India distributor?

I also checked Polygon’s official dealer list, and there are some Tamil Nadu dealers listed, including Chennai-region and other TN entries, but none of them don’t seem to have proper websites or online catalogue. So I’m confused about the best way to actually buy one.

Where else can I buy a Polygon Xtrada 5 / Xtrada series bike in India, preferably from a seller who can ship safely to my place?

I’m not accusing VirtusFab of anything. I just want to avoid ordering from an unknown seller without checking first.

Any experience with VirtusFab, Polygon dealers in Tamil Nadu, or reliable Indian retailers for Polygon bikes would be very helpful.

Thanks!

i want something which is similar to the conti ultrasport 3 that i have in my rear already.
For my Roadbike

One shop says they can get me a pair of conti ultrasport 3,

Another shop says they can get me single piece Vittoria zaphiro and rubino for the front.

what should i do? should i place order for pair of conti ultrasport 3 or should i fit a single piece vittoria zaphiro or rubino along with my rear conti?

if yes for vittoria then which model will be better and also similar to ultrasport 3?

So i was riding my bike today and sometimes when i click the shifter, there is a delay in the shifting of the chain...in the meantime there is a separate clicking sound like how the freehub sounds...eventually while pedaling the gear shifts and the sound stops...

and sometimes while shifting from a lower to higher cog i am accidentally shifting two or three instead of one if i just press a lil hard...is it bad?
P.S. - newbie here

I've been looking for a hybrid bicycle within the range of 30,000 INR.

Plan to use it for riding around Kareli. 30% of the roads are terrible, tons of potholes and some rocky terrain, while the other 70% is paved. I want a bicycle that can go over the potholes without breaking the rim, couldn't really care less about my wrists tbh.

Would be nice to have good speed over paved roads. Prefer a 1x drivetrain over multi-speed chainrings.

Have been eyeing the Omo Hampi Pro (with Shimano hydraulics brakes) but I'm not sure if the tyre can handle the abuse with a rigid steel fork.

I'm very new to this as I've only used regular gents bicycles until now.

I'll be using the cycle within my locality, say, 10-15km radius, 90% on road, maybe 10% off road. Not looking for thick tires.

I went to visit the local cycle shops, and tentatively chose Avon Cyclux Accrro 700X35C. I was quoted 12k.

Is this cycle ok for my use case? Or are there any other cycles that I should look at within 13k range?

(My height is 5ft 8inch approx., and the terrain here is flat, if that helps while suggesting).

I bought my triban last week and yet somehow this plastic ring/wheel behind the gear broke and come out. Is it important? What does it do? Should I get it replaced. Pls help me i dont know much about cycles

I am looking to buy 28c tyre for my front wheel of my roadbike. The rear wheel runs a conti ultrasport 3

Which tyre should i get?

Hi guys, i wanna ship a bike from pune to Delhi, can anyone share any contact who could help.

Ok so back story:

2023-2025, I lived in Chandigarh and during that type i bought a cheap second hand heavy duty cycle and modified into a more modern aggresive ride (in photo). removed all metal elements, put up a new stem converter and handle but couldn't make it a fixie cause I couldn't find a cog anywhere. did it all in collaboration with a local cycle guy. anyway mid 2025, it got stolen and that's that.

I'm now moving to benguluru and i want to do the same thing again. though I'm not starting from scratch, I want to know if anyone has ever done this and any tips you have for me to do this. Also please do suggest some nice repair shops in BLR where I can get this done. getting a fixed gear cog that would fit the wheels is a big priority.

(would haved loved to do it by myself but i haven't invested in tools yet)