Thursday, March 1, 2007

On High Octane


After toying with the idea of purchasing a bicycle for sometime, I started looking around for a good mountain terrain bike (MTB). The many visits to local cycle shops were disappointing. Most cycles in this segment were ill designed. The graphics were horrible. The web search for MTB manufacturers in India lead me to Hero cycles, who have brought 4 MTB models (Thunder, Octane 26T, Octane DTB1 and Octane DTB 2) in the market. All 4 are Aluminium frame bikes, which means they are light weight and the price range is 5500/- to 8000/-.
The Thunder is good bike for the price of 6000/- but I settled for Octane DTB 1 (5500/-) which looked appealing as it came without any frills (carrier, mudguards etc.).
DTB 1 also sports central suspension and is equipped with 21 gears (Shimano) . The graphics were poor (I have partly redone the graphics).
So here I am pedaling away in the Mountains (around Ponda-Goa) .I am back on the little saddle after a break of almost 8 years.
It’s been three months now and I am still hooked on. I go cycling thrice a week and cover on an average 15 Kms every trip. It’s a real joy to be out there on the simplest vehicle ever designed.
Recently I had a look at Fire Fox MTBs in Panaji (Goa) . The bikes look damned good and I am tempted to switch to one of fire Fox , however the prices are holding me back ( minimum price is15000/-)