My previous post was about my return to bicycling. The bicycle I purchased online was a "budget one" from amazon.in, and my review was linked in the earlier post.
Though the bicycle I bought is perfect for me, admittedly, I now have some reservations regarding the purchase. I think it was not a great idea to buy a bicycle online for a few reasons that may be applicable to my case.
- When you buy a bicycle (or any vehicle) online without trying it first like I did, one never knows the ride quality. In my case, as you can see from my review on the online shopping site, I had ordered a different one, and then because of delays shifted to the one I purchased.
- I would have preferred to visit a store like Decathlon, which interestingly opened up a physical store later closer to where I stay. They not only seem to have budget bikes, but also allow prospective customers to take trial rides. Of course, most of their budget bikes seem to be of their own brands (BTWin, Rockrider), though I am not sure.
- Whereas the disadvantage of shopping from a local store would seem to be that they do not have much of a variety (read "high end ones"), Decathlon seems to do a good job in terms of variety.
- Returning a bicycle bought online would be a pain because only when it is assembled, would you be able to try it. And then, when you decided to return it, we would have to disassemble it again so that one could fit it in the box.
- Decathlon also claims to offer servicing for the bicycle purchased.
Coming back to my current bicycle, I have been riding it even through the Mumbai rains. Now, most modern bicycles don't need an anti-rust coating for the monsoon, and yet I find that certain nuts and bolts are showing signs of rusting. This could be attributed to the Mumbai "sea side" nature notorious for causing rust due to the "salty air". I did apply a WD-40 spray onto the bicycle regularly, but this doesn't seem to work that well on certain parts.
Nevertheless, I ride regularly, and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. The part 2 of this reprise will contain more experiences of my cycling.
