Every now and then someone comes along who wants to buy a bicycle. And they ask me, “which cycle should I buy”. Before I can suggest anything I actually need to know so many details! This blog is my quick scribble Bicycle Buying guide on all the aspects you should consider before deciding on the cycle to buy. This has been written keeping Indian ecosystem in mind. Some of these will apply to international folk as well, but there could be a few differences (I will add a note on it when possible).

1) Cycle Wheel Type – Mountain bike, hybrid or road bike?

Terrain – this will decide wheel width & gear requirements. For off-roading go for mountain bikes. For tarmac roads hybrids are good. Road bike tyres are for speed, and they would need very good smooth roads.

For sandy terrain, extreme wilderness a fat bike and other special options can be explored…

I have a hybrid bike and I find it good for India. Some people say that Indian potholed roads qualify as “off-roading” but honestly I have been fine with Hybrids. so, I don’t see a reason to go for mountain bikes in usual Indian road cycling.

Why go for thinner tyres? because the speed is higher when tyres are thinner. That’s why if you are a speed enthusiast consider a road bike. Thinner the tyres more bumpier it will be roads aren’t smooth. So, it is basically a balance between speed and comfort.

2) Luggage Carrying Capacity of Your Bike

Will you carry your luggage on the cycle? How much luggage – heavy, medium, light? Light luggage on bike travels is often referred to as “bike packing”. Heavier luggage with longer trips are called “bike touring” but these are just jargon.

You need to see how much luggage you plan to carry and have relevant bike additions. A rear rack for keeping bags, tent and hanging panniers is common. If you want to add a set of front panniers, you will need those racks. I once got a front rack in Germany, I found it really useful!

Important: Not all cycles have the ability to put a back rack, front rack, front pannier cage. So, you should think through before and check for all these. Many cycles might not have ability to add a back rack and a heavy duty stand – you would need both for cycle touring. Modifications are always available in the market, and you probably need to adjust on a few things because you can’t get everything as per your tastes on the bike (though you can opt for complete custom build cycle too). It is better you think through these things before your purchase.

Water : in case you plan to cycle desserts or areas where you need to carry lotsa water… Add additional holders. Or get a water bag that will fit into one of your bags. Either case, you need a plan for this.

Handle bar bag : usually there is a handlebar bag to carry essentials and quick access stuff like your wallet, travel documents, mobile, a snack etc…you can take this bag with you when you visit supermarkets or take a toilet break. I have used a usual small duffel bag and hooked it to my handlebar. It worked more or less.

Especially in India you can think of doing jugaad. Because the exact accessories tend to be expensive and available only in specific shops. A lot of your usual day to day stuff can often be used in stead. For example, I have often used my laptop bag on my back rack for bike packing. I don’t need a specific “bike packing back rack bag” to do this.

3) Which Cycle Brands to Choose? Cost?

Usually I would suggest international brands like Giant or Trek. A budget of around 30,000 INR is a good budget to start with I feel. I have a Trinx bike, which I love and lasted me so well! I got it at a steal of 18,000 INR in 2014. Though the brand got taken over by Giant now so not sure how available it is and the costs.

For lower budget you can try Montra, an Indian brand. I haven’t used them but I know of a few other cyclists which have used for long distance touring and they seemed happy with it.

4) What Gear Ratio to Opt for?

The highest Gear Ratio you can get! 😀 If you have more gear capability than you need, no harm done. If you have less gear capability than you need – your knees will tell you!! I assume you know that the Gear system in the cycle is to help you climb inclines. Typically, Indians seem to think gears help go faster – that’s not why we generally use it.

You need to figure how steep roads you plan to ride? Do you want to ride the cycle in mountains? Even if not mountains, any long distance cycling will require a few slopes here and there. And specifically offbeat roads are often made with steep elevation grades. Popular highways are usually milder elevation grades but unused village roads and such are often unnecessarily steep – maybe because of low budget to tunnel through any rocks or maybe cause the competency is lower. And can become quite daunting with your full touring setup! Remember, you are not only cycling the hill, you are hauling 10kg of luggage on it too!

Usually 7 x 3 is common in the Indian market. I got 8 x 3 ratio which is better. Another gear option you might see is 9×2 which is made for racing and speed, for touring or commute better you go for 7×3 or 8×3.

In case, your commute route is totally flat or has very low inclines then you can opt for a single-speed i.e. no gears at all. This reduces cost of the cycle plus it is so much easier to maintain! I know friends who ride single speeds on hilly terrain also – firstly, I admire their fitness to be able to do this (I can’t!) but secondly, I am not sure this is the best for the knee health. Everyone should know how much to push themselves about.

5) option to rent or buy second hand in international countries (also India)

Read my detailed blog post: https://maproute.in/buy-or-rent-a-cycle-long-distance-touring/

6) weight – aluminium or steel or other

Typically aluminium is good. You need to consider the weight because on long distance rides you can *will have to!!* carry it on steps, across ditches, lift into vehicles and so on. Don’t take this lightly. 😉

Steel bikes are sturdier. I also find them “nice”. There something nice about them. But that’s about it. I would opt for a lighter bike cause … * Thinking about all those occasions I had to haul my bike on steep hills, up a sandy dike, up some stairs..*

7) Ensure you get the RIGHT FIT bike!!

Especially if you plan loooong distances like over 1000km, you really should ensure proper fit.

Typical size measure depends on your height and length of your legs. This is very important because you need to be able to pump as much as power from your legs into that peddal for foward motion! A lot of people use wrong-fit bikes and main problem is that they simply won’t be able to pump directly into the peddals. Their legs get bent at the knees or something making it an inefficient process.

Just note the frame sizes could be in international standards, you need to adjust for whatever you get in Indian market.

However, there are little little things like for my bike, the handle bar has been a bit lower for me. But I have made do. Because unless I go for custom build I can’t really get everything right. So, given the budget I got my bike for I am really happy for it. When I buy my next bike, I might fuss a bit more on the fit. I don’t know when this will be though.

I also haven’t ridden * all that much * to be honest. Just a few 100s kms here and 100s of kms there. So it’s ok 🙂 but for much rougher rides and longer rides these things could matter more..

Also, I would say pay attention to how your body is responding to the cycling. Maybe something is putting stress on some muscle .. if you be notice it, you can fix it. But if you are just not aware and end up with a injury then that is a bigger problem.

8) Alternate Options like eBikes & Foldies

eBikes

eBikes are getting sleeker and quite popular actually around me. I already met two people who own eBikes and they are really happy with it. I tried both out and they are not bad at all. eBikes don’t mean you don’t get any fitness points. You can cycle and be assisted by the electric system so it is just easier for you to ride faster, longer. And in case you get fatigued or sick on the road, you can move to full-assist and the cycle will be like a moped of sorts! So, I do see a lot of benefits of eBikes. Though I can’t say that I will opt for one next time I go bike – buying 🙂

Budget: you can look at 15-25K for good ones I think.

Foldies

Another very interesting option is a folding bike. Decathlon has a good one that it displays quite tempting in the store. I have an older model of this foldie and I find it useful. It is good for 10-25km distance I feel. More than that would prefer my larger bike. But foldie provides a lot of options for us. For example, drive down to a cycleable spot. And then cycle around. Of ten in India we have traffic and road situations which can be quite daunting to cycle down on frequently. So, foldies can be useful in this situation.

They are also good for short commutes or mixing commutes with public transports like metro trains or buses. A foldie is easier to carry in these transports.

But foldies especially international ones like the Brompton are also used for long distance cycle touring by people. Maybe it is a slightly niche club of sorts. But you can easily pull up some Brompton touring videos on YT and it’s enjoyable to see how they manage.

Budget: Decathlon foldie – 18,000 INR ; Brompton & similar – 1,00000 INR and more

Don’t write off these two alternative styles of cycles either – eBikes or Foldies. And yes, there are eFoldies also in the market. 🙂

Wonderful diverse market of Cycles!

Keep your questions coming, it will help me build a more comprehensive repository!