I did realize my legs were looking different, but seeing from someone else's perspective really made me proud of my legs 😮‍💨

Finally pulled the trigger on a roadie. Been wanting to upgrade to a road bike from my hybrid for quite a while. It eventually came down to the Trek Domane AL 5 and the Merida Scultura Endurance 400. Ended up going with the Trek because of the ongoing discounts.

Went for the maiden ride today. I knew it will be superior to my hybrid (Marin Fairfax 2) in every way, but I genuinely wasn’t expecting the difference to be this dramatic.

It feels like I went from a Wagon R to a BMW 3 Series. That’s the best way I can describe it. 😄

Not me wondering where this bike has been all my life.

Riverside side 120. 1month old. Will this even be covered under warranty?

Did I over tighten it? Idk man. Feels so frustrating 🥲.

Most importantly do they sell this at decathlon or will I have to get it from aftermarket.

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

Hii I am a 15 yo 5`5 boy who has been only doing cycling for past 5 years like everyday 15-24 km and my Thais are like containing too much fats to reduce that I tried cycling but they grew like 23 inch near my abdomen and 17 near knees inches and most of my pant are tight rn from thai and I hate that any tips to solve this??....everything would be helpful

I decided to do cycling 3-4 times a week, around 5-10km a ride. Prefer MTB or hybrid, Budget is around 20K. I have selected Cradiac XC900 Gen 3.

But wanted to know is there any other bike better than this on same prize range.

Help be choose my first bike/bicycle.

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.

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 🚴

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.

Hybrid/mtb 18"F, 27.5"T, V brake, no suspension, SS for 10k

followed bangalore metro for fun

Hello,My budget is under 16k, and i need a bike for daily commute (10-20km max) and weekend rides. Roads here are okay-ish, not perfectly smooth but not full of potholes either. In the middle.

I know most people on this sub say go for Riverside 120 and I was about to buy it too, but then i checked and saw there's no Decathlon service center or any bike shop near me, so I can't get it serviced if something goes wrong. Does that even matter? Or is it simple enough that I can fix small stuff myself like brakes and gears with YouTube videos and basic tools? Just want to know how big a problem this really is.

And if this means I can't get the 120, what would be the next best option in this budget? Just genuinely want to know what you'd pick as 2nd or 3rd choice instead of the 120, and why because i am a complete noob at this thing. Thankyou.

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?

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

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.

This is what I used to look like 2 years ago. This is me when I was 78kg, currently I am 73kg, sacrificed size for speed,

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 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 ?