Roadbiking in India – Introduction!
Roadbiking / Cycling dates back to 1938 with Cycling Federation of India as the governing body taking care of this sport. India also prides being a part of 1948 Olympics in London in this category.
With the COVID pandemic, Cycling is again picking pace among enthusiasts and health-conscious citizens alike across the globe.
Cycling is not just a sport but also a medium to explore your city while being on a cycle.
Type of Bikes
Bikes explored in India include:
- Road bike
- MTB
- Hybrid
| Riding Surfaces | Bike Types |
| Paved roads and bike paths | Road bikes, hybrid bikes and electric bikes |
| Pavement (from pristine to potholed) and natural surfaces | Hybrid bikes and electric bikes |
| All-road riding | Gravel and touring bikes |
| Dirt roads and trails | Mountain bikes and electric bikes |
Roadbikes are typically used for city or normal roads and not preferred for off-roads due to their thin tyre design.
MTB is Mountain Terrain Bikes predominantly used for Off-roading and riding in unpaved roads in the mountains.
Hybrid Bikes are popular as they are a mix of features from Roadbike and MTB’s and are value for money.
Selecting the correct Roadbike
The first parameter to consider is to select a bike based on where you would be using it the most.
The next parameter, which is very vital that you don’t end up having injuries is a buying a bike which is ideal for your height.
Finally, ensure that you check the performance of the roadbike that you are looking to purchase and explore multiple models.
There are many brands in bikes in the market ranging as below basis prices:
I personally ride Trek Bikes Domane AL, and boy it is very convenient and comfortable even when you do a 100 kms round trip. I felt it very comfortable though a bit high on price.
Benefits of Cycling
Some of the benefits of cycling are staying fit and a lot more in the times of enhancing immunity, the list is long and not limited to the below:
- Enhancing cardiovascular fitness
- increased muscle strength and flexibility
- improved joint mobility
- decreased stress levels
- improving posture and coordination
- strengthened bones
- decreased body fat levels
- prevention or management of disease
My Roadbike experiences
My cycling journey started with a basic Atlas cycle a couple of years back and I ended up commuting to work on a few instances.
This coupled with regular running and trekking made me start a serious thought of cycling in a proper manner and riding a bicycle ideal for my height.
This made me start exploring for bicycles and zeroed in on road bikes after a lot of research.
Coming to roadbikes, my hunt next during the relaxation of lockdown was on which road bike and almost all places had them sold out.
A friend recommended me to check out Yellow Jersey in Hyderabad and I bumped into a Black carbon frame masterpiece.
My son and I finally decided to buy Domane AL of Trek bikes and bought it home.
Three months and close to 900 KM’s lafter, I am very happy with the purchase.
Kharitabad Flyover, Hyderabad
Should Trekking be of interest to you, please read my blogpost on Everest Base Camp
Add-ons
For those who are serious about road biking, I will recommend the following add-ons to make your ride experience better:
- Hand held air pump
- Multiple water bottle holders
- Poncho (rainy seasons)
- Bike multitool kit
- Vanity bag to carry your basics like energy bar and the above items
- Good variant Helmet
- Cycling Shorts with extra cushion
- Punctute kit ( DIY Puncture)
Let me know in comments if I missed on any essential must carryon.
Latest Addition to Roadbike
Last few days saw me purchase a Indoor Trainer with the traffic coming in full swing onto the streets. Also with working picking up.
Headed over to Decathlon and purchased their Indoor Trainer and a Basic Sensor for calculating Speed and Cadence of the efforts at home.
A first hand experience from my side, it would be a tad costly depending on which bike and make do you purchase but I personally felt it to be a worthy investment to stay fit and inculcate a healthy lifestyle.
Have similar stories? Do share your experiences in the comments section!!
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23 responses to “Roadbiking – Important Tips to buy a roadbike and start!”
what a detailed post. I did not know that there were so many specifications that goes into choosing a cycle… amazing it is!!
Wow, what a detailed post! Thanks for this article, I will come back to it, for bike gifting options for my husband. 🙂 #MyFriendAlexa #TinaReads
Great tips! Cycling is certainly the popular health fad these days, but i’ve always been wary of investing in an expensive bike and then not using it !! Perhaps like you, I can start with a basic bike first and then switch to a fancier one, once i’m sure of the time commitment required for cycling.
Totally agree Nupur, a starting Roadbike depending on the brand would vary in cost, there are a few online vendors who are selling a Roadbike at a premium than the official website by atleast 5k-10k, so be wary and do a thorough research before purchasing one…
I wish my husband would have read your post before investing into one.
This is such an informative post. i find roadbiking to be so interesting, but not something i have been able to do myself yet. this is a lot of good tips to get started.
Whoa! That is a whole lot of stuff that I didn’t know about roadbiking. I didn’t know that there were so many different types!
Thanks for this super useful article I am a cycle enthusiast and was thinking of buying one but was not able to make my mind. your article was really helpful.
Bicycling is indeed a very good exercise especially for overweight and diabetic people like me. Before the pandemic I tried to commute to my office by back. My office is just 15 minutes travel by bike. But unfortunately I had to give it up because of the rash driving of the motorists and fear of accidents. I have never tried biking on mountain roads. I would definitely like to try it sometime.
Yes that is main challenge, insensible driving by motorists. I used to commute to office on my old Atlas cycle and waiting for lockdown to ease and offices to start next year so I can cycle atleast a couple of times in a week…
Hoping governments are more strategic about promoting public transport / cycling with enhancing infra..
Wow..I really appreciate this post. I never knew the types of cycles. Despite I used a cycle only to commute to my school and then graduation college. I was unaware that we can have accessories as well with road bike. My father all his work life used a cycle to commute to office.It was both exercise and comfort for him to continue it for years.
probably cycling was one of the secrets of our parents and generations before, we are now used to the comforts of an AC vehicle and hardly focusing on exercising. Cycling is something I really liked, at times, get a bit distracted but keep coming back to having a routine.. Addictive if i could say.. Glad my post could be of help 🙂
I love cycling and before he lockdown, I would often hire a bike and roam around the city for my chores, also I intended to buy one but then this madness started, this is a very useful post, pinning it to refer later also.
Glad you do Vartika, we are waiting for the cycling tracks that is going to be piloted in Hyderabad… Hopefully, Roadbiking would be adapted by many…
Here in USA biking is a passion for so many people. recently we also had started it as a part of family fitness activity. thanks for sharing useful tips. will help a lot to all who are new to this.
I have always loved cycling, though now I love in a city which is not very cycling friendly. We are planning to buy bikes for my kids though, I think this is page I should book mark!
Non availability of Cycling tracks in cities is a major disadvantage. Hope government enhances infrastructure for such activities
Wow, so much information about road bikes! I’m going to share this with my brother who’s a cycling lover!
Awesome post. It has everything I need to tell my brother. Thanks for writing.
I don’t remember the last time I sat on an actual bike! It’s mostly gym bikes these days – and not even those lately. I got to cycling late and never did like the idea much. I think I was always scared of falling or hurting myself. But it sounds like an amazing experience to explore your city on the back of a cycle 🙂
Wow, never knew there were sizes in bicycles too! This is an eye opening post for me, there’s so much into bicycles. At first I thought, you’re just a cycling enthusiast. But your an encyclopaedia of bicycles!
This was such a comprehensive post on roadbiking, especially for a beginner like me. I have saved it and will be utilizing the information soon as I had been contemplating on buying once since forever.
Thanks for liking the details and am sure would definitely help you as you select a roadbike..