Aalaap's big bike search.

[aalaap]

Okay, so this guy never said it was original, but it looked great to me...

• matte black color
• full suspension - front/rear
• dual disc breaks - front/rear
• 21-speed shimano gears with revo grip shift
• 26" alloy wheels with nice, rugged looking tyres
• very light...

All this for Rs. 6,700 negotiable.

Do you think it's worth the price?

[bikeyvenky]

Aalaap,

The price looks reasonable enough if you really like the bike. But I am not really a big fan of full sus bikes as I preceive them to be in-effecient machines wasting away our energy

All the best,
Venky

[balu]

Cheap suspension bikes are rarely nice to ride... they tend to bob way too much to be of any use.
7k sounds too little for a half way decent full-sus bike.

Balu

[aalaap]

That's an interesting thought... I've never thought about it from that angle!

What do you have to say about Lumala in general? I haven't seen many posts about it on this forum. Even Google turns up with barely any relevant results while seraching for it. I'm interested in this piece because it seems like it offers a good set of features (pretty much everything I want - full sus, gears, grip shift, discs, lightweight etc.) at not too bad a price. Also, because I heard from a friend that Lumala is a good brand.

I thought I posted a reply to this yesterday, but I guess it didnt go through.

This is the bike: The Lumala Thunder Bolt 2.



I looked at this picture closely and I can say it's exactly the same bike that I saw in the store, so it actually is an original Lumala...

[Pocha]

Hey Aalap,
Even i have been thinking of checking out Lumala. Are you based out of Bangalore. If yes, can you tell where is the shop where you checking out the bike ?

Ashish

Sorry, dint see your previous post that you from Mumbai .

[abhi]

@balu i was afraid that'd be the case...

so.. you know what I want... what do you suggest I start looking at? Price range, brands, features...
------
@Pocha, no I'm in Mumbai

How did you come to know about Lumala and what have you heard about them?
------
@Pocha haha.. no, actually I just updated my profile with my details... and that too right after you asked me!

[Pocha]

Well sometime back someone with id Nash put up a lumala for sale. I went & testrode. The bike was nice although i had second thoughts on the frame size & the handle balance (apparently he got some firefox suspensions fitted on his original no front suspension bike, which screwed up the balance i believe). I pretty much liked the bike & for 4k, it looked pretty much awesome. Wanted to test rode it to nandi to do some stress-testing, but by the time, the guy has gone underground. So could not do much about it.
I have plans to explore local market now.

Following features were worth a mention :-
1. Very light (IMHO - lighter than thunder & any other foreign entry level bike i have rode)
2. Awesome braking (IMHO - comparable to Trek braking (3700,4300 standard) )
3. Excellent gear functioning - it had some SRAM make (the front highest gear was not engaging but i think it could have been sorted out with some tweaking)
4. Super value for money.

My personal suggestion - ditch the full suspension - go for basic hardtrail (only front suspension). Follow the KISS policy - keep it simple stupid

[sanjeevseth]

I'd seen the Lumala you've shown at Bangalore( Metro Cycles on A.S.Char street) in Dec '08 when he was quoting 12K came till 9K...said a lot of "software engineers" bought it here

I was'nt keen on letting my a** hang in mid-air, so asked to see a diamond frame. The diamond frame Lumala did'nt seem so well put together. Even on the Thunder, the gear cassette wobbling, "alloy pedals" looked like stamped in the garage, the alloy wheels ( black or was it red)flaking paint... put me off.

The other issue was like you said, I just could'nt get any info on the components that went into the Lumala. Read on some business site that they started long ago in Sri Lanka, building bikes from Hero frames. Not even a Sri Lankan( don't they have a bike forum, abhi? ) review on Lumala bikes neither did Lumala respond to a mail I sent for info.
Dropped this bike since there was no peer review and did'nt like what I saw with the diamond.

Since the dealer's already quoting low, could be fire-sale to finish off stock?? No other dealer in B'lore that I went to had Lumala. If it was a hot-seller/VFM, I'd have expected more of them to stock it.

Besides if you're a big guy, keep away from these floating seat posts, any bike...just bad physics.

[aalaap]

@pocha 's post makes me think I should bargain and try to get the bike for as less than 6k as I can get it...

but @sanjeevseth's post makes me think I should probably consider a more reputable brand with lesser features, if i have to stick to 6k...

@sanjeevseth ... what's this diamond frame? is it what the normal triangular frame is called?

Also, what is this floating seat post? I'm average size - around 5'8... here are a couple of pictures of me:





(i'm the guy in shorts in both the pics!)

I don't know much about cycles.. I have specific questions about this Thunder Bolt 2 ... What kind of a frame does this bike have? What is the specific purpose of this bike? All Terrain, Mountain, Downhill, XC, this, that, what?

I don't even know what I'm actually going to do with this bike, but I think there's going to be a good amount of city riding involved (daily) and some weekend off-roading (weekends). I'm also interested in participating in some of these cyling events, but I have no idea where to start

[bikeyvenky]

@sanjeevseth ... what's this diamond frame? is it what the normal triangular frame is called?

Also, what is this floating seat post? I'm average size - around 5'8... here are a couple of pictures of me:


I don't know much about cycles.. I have specific questions about this Thunder Bolt 2 ... What kind of a frame does this bike have? What is the specific purpose of this bike? All Terrain, Mountain, Downhill, XC, this, that, what?

I don't even know what I'm actually going to do with this bike, but I think there's going to be a good amount of city riding involved (daily) and some weekend off-roading (weekends). I'm also interested in participating in some of these cyling events, but I have no idea where to start

Hey Aalaap,

Yes, what Sanjeev referred to as diamond frame is what you are refering to as normal triangular frame. If you observe, there would be two triangular shapes resulting it to be called the diamond frame. It is the traditional frame that is built for efficiency and sturdiness sans any glittering fanfare.

By the floating seat post, he was most likely referring to the full suspension design (your first lumala picture; Tunder bolt?) where the seat appears to be floating with no direct bar support from seat post to the cranck set.

City commuting and a bit of off-roading you say. Why not look at LA Navigator which is ideal for city life and it can take a bit of rough patch as well although not for serious off-roading(which means no roads at all).

All the best,
Venky

[Pocha]

Hey Aalap,
Did you check out the 'Reivew of Lumala Platina' post. Looks like there are quite few pune/mumbai people owning one. You may meet them to have better feedback & on hands experience with lumala bike.
Btw, platina looks a better bet than the thunderbolt you talking about.
As far as better brand is concerned, it is true that the more you pay, the less hassle you face. IMHO - better brands charge you more because of rigorous Q&A their bikes goes through. You might get good components in the cheap brands but then, its quite probable that somethings here & there are messed up.
So its a call you need to take, if you want to buy hassle free cycling life for the extra money you pay for better brands. If you are the risk taker kinds, you may choose otherwise (But please dont curse me at the end of the day, in case you realise you would have better off without it )
All the best.

[aalaap]

I am such a retard.

I went to buy the bike today, but I realised only now that it doesn't have rear suspension. It does have a spring-loaded "seat suspension", if there's even such a thing.

He was willing to let the bike go for Rs. 6,000, but I didn't want to go home and think I should have put some more money in for a real full-sus bike.

FAIL.

So I'm back on the hunt.

I WANT full suspension.
I WANT F/R disc brakes.
I WANT 21 gears with grip shifter.
I WANT thick, knobby tires.
I WANT a light bike.
I would like if the rims and/or the body was alloy and not regular metal.

I understand that my budget will have to go up and I'm okay with that. I WANT a bloody good bike.

I saw two alternatives at the store - listed with the cons...

1) Hercules Ryder ACT 104

Price: 6k
Pros: Cheap, good looking, full sus, knobby tires, 21 gears, grip shift, alloy rims...
Cons: No disc brakes. Third-party disc brakes would cost just Rs. 700, but they are only on the front, not the rear.

2) Hero Octane (around 9k)

Price: 9k
Pros: full sus, 21 gears, grip shift, full alloy incl rims, F/R disc brakes
Cons: relative thinnish tires and i hate the frame design.. the middle part looks kinda gay

Kya karoo???????

[cheewachai]

This has been discussed before. Avoid full suspension bikes at low cost ...

Minimum I would look for in a full suspension set up is adjustability for spring rates and damping. Most bikes have spring rate adjustment in the low-end range but not damping. You would need that to do a proper set up to your weight and to prevent excessive pedal bob.

The lowest decent full suspension rigs I have seen are BTWIN RockRider 6.X Series ... Not been reviewed or tested here yet. I think they start at 30K Onwards

[deepakvrao]

Actually from what I have read you should avoid both discs as well as full suspension in bikes under 1000 USD. Well, even if thats a bit of an overestimate, I would certainly avoid both at under 25K.

decide first what you want to do with the bike.

[aalaap]

Just looked up Ti Cycles... what do you guys think of the Hercules Ryder ACT 106?



I'm really liking the ACT 106 !!! The TI Cycles website says Rs. 10,444 ... any idea what kind of a "real world" price I can expect on this?

Sweet!

EDIT: Just read http://bikeszone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2034&start=0 and learnt that the 106 has rear V-brakes and a thumb shifter. I'd really like rear disc brakes and a grip shift. Interestingly, sanjeevseth seems to have said that the rear fork does have provision for third-party disc brakes - is this true? Because the shopkeeper I went to today (for the Lumala) said that he could fit front discs into any bike I choose, but not the rear discs. And then... is it possible to "upgrade" to a grip shift from the thumb shift.. or am I making a fool outta myself here?

[Pocha]

looks like you are real gung-ho for a full-suspension bike .
All i can say - wish you a happy cycling life

[deepakvrao]

Just one question - why the MUST HAVE for disc brakes?

[cheewachai]

My personal recommendation is not to go for grip shift. I have ridden a bike with gripshifts on a 100km+ ride ... they will be pretty hard on your wrists. My sons bikes has them too (Both have SRAM Shifters) and he cannot shift them easily due to the sheer wrist force needed (he is six+ and keeps asking me to get him the same shifters that i have on my bike)

is it possible to "upgrade" to a grip shift from the thumb shift.. or am I making a fool outta myself here?

:

[deepakvrao]

+1 ^^^

Thumb shifters are way better - again IMO of course.

[cheewachai]

+1 ^^^

Thumb shifters are way better - again IMO of course.

Infact I like the Deore Thumbshifter so much that IMO they feel more ergonomic than the Tiagra/105 style shifters. I may be doing something wrong but downshifting seem to take up a lot of wrist movement. upshifting is better though.

[Quizling]

You heard the bosses. Either increase your budget at least five-fold, or drop rear suspension and disk brakes from your list. Neither is required for the kind of biking you'll be doing. And I can't understand your fascination for grip shifters -- I've found that index shifters work just great.

[aalaap]

[quote=deepakvrao]Just one question - why the MUST HAVE for disc brakes?[/quote]

I like the sound of better braking power and lower maintenance. Besides, they look so snazzy

[quote=Quizling]And I can't understand your fascination for grip shifters -- I've found that index shifters work just great.[/quote]

Lesser effort as you don't need to move your thumb out to shift? Not that I have much experience with grip shifts. Not at all, actually. I have never ridden a grip shift bike.

I used to ride cycles years ago without all these things, so I want to have new things on a cycle I buy in this day and age. To put it succinctly, it's just personal preference. Besides, if I spend more than Rs. 10k on a bike that doesn't have either or both of these, I'm going to keep hitting myself for it. After all, it's not like I'm going to use the bike for a year and then upgrade to a fancier one... not at this price...

[RNair]

I like the sound of better braking power and lower maintenance. Besides, they look so snazzy

You will definitely be listening to a lot more than that and make sure you live close to a bike shop and make them your good friends as you will be in for some real maintenance!


I used to ride cycles years ago without all these things, so I want to have new things on a cycle I buy in this day and age. To put it succinctly, it's just personal preference. Besides, if I spend more than Rs. 10k on a bike that doesn't have either or both of these, I'm going to keep hitting myself for it. After all, it's not like I'm going to use the bike for a year and then upgrade to a fancier one... not at this price...

Looks like you have pretty much made up your mind so why bother asking the forum who seems to be sweating trying to make you understand that a 'fully loaded' bike under 10K is just a very bad idea. I would suggest you go thru this forum to see the number of posts we have of these bikes failing. I really understand you though and even sympathize but the sad truth is that these toys are unfortunately expensive. There are many toys I love but I simply cannot afford but I try to buy the best my money can buy rather than buy a cheaper version that would probably wont work for long.

And ohh by the way this is how a real full suspension bike looks like.... and notice that this is a high end bike but it still does not have disk brakes! I bought the best I could afford at the time and later added disk brakes to it rather than buying a cheaper quality bike with all the toys!



Anyways all the best!

[deepakvrao]

Disc brakes = more weight and more maintenance for the cheapo stuff. You 'need' them only if you are riding in slush with the rims wet all the time.
Rest Rajesh has already told you as have so many here.

You very well might 'keep hitting yourself' if you buy what you want and later have issues down the road.

[aalaap]

@RNair ... Obviously I'll need to discuss and talk a good amount in order to get a better picture, right!

I'm coming to terms with the fact that what I want is either too expensive or not best quality at the price I'm looking for...

I still have to go to the Firefox store and take a look at their offerings as well as some Treks and other stuff.

I have no problem paying copious amounts of money for something that I'm really going to put to good use. I don't mind paying Rs. 50,000 for bike with everything that I need, but I'd hate it if I found out that there was a bike that cost half as much and had almost all the features. Or maybe something for 12,500 with everything, but an Indian make.

I've been out of the cycling scene for almost a decade. I just decided to get back into it and I'm all fascinated by the advancements in the field. Till about a month ago, I did not know that grip shifts and disc brakes existed on cycles, and now that i've found out about them, obviously all I can think is "I WANT!!!!!!!". It's like discovering that there's a new range of mobile phones with WiFi 802.11 "N" (faster than "G")... all the enthu people will start looking at the best price for a WiFi-N phone, without thinking about the fact that 90% of the wireless networks that they will be in range of are G and not capable of N. Phir bhi, if there is an N phone in the market and you buy a G phone, you'll always keep thinking: arrey.. thoda aur paisa dala hota toh WiFI-N phone aata tha... and THAT is what I don't want to do with my cycle.

I liked the Trek 3700 when someone showed it to me the day I decided to buy a cycle (a couple of weeks ago). At around 13k, it doesn't seem like a bad deal at all, considering the brand and popularity. However, if I had bought it and found out that there are 20 other models (in other brands) that have a ton more features at a lesser price, I would have totally WTF'd.

Coming to the part about the bikes failing... I agree, that local maal is likely to fail, but I'm thinking about the fact that I'm not planning to do any serious XC or DH with these bikes, so I'll probably be able to make do with them...

Which is the bike in your picture and how much did it cost you? How much did the additional disc brakes cost and did you put them both in front and rear or just the front?

Thanks for your comprehensive response...

EDIT: Sorry, Trek 3700 is not 13k, it's 17k. There I go again!