What is the difference between a geared and a non-geared cycle?

Cycles/Bikes with gears have multiple speed ratios. This allows the cyclist to shift from one gear combination to another, depending on the terrain he/she is riding. Derailleurs play huge role in this type of bikes, which let cyclists shift between different cogs, allowing them to maintain cadence consistently through all terrains. This makes geared cycles more comfortable for long distance cycling.

A gearless cycle is also known as a single speed cycle, which has a single gear ratio. The speed of these kind of bikes depend on how fast or slow you pedal.

What is the correct tire pressure for my bike?

Proper tire pressure lets your cycle/bike roll quickly, ride smoothly, and fend off flats. Narrow tires need more air pressure than wider ones:

Road tires typically require 80 to 130 psi (pounds per square inch); Mountain tires require 30 to 50 psi; and hybrid tires require 50 to 70 psi. To find your ideal pressure, start in the middle of these ranges, then factor in your body weight. The more you weigh, the higher your pressure needs to be. For example, if a 165-pound rider uses 100 psi on his road bike, a 200-pound rider should run closer to 120 psi, and a 130-pound rider could get away with 80 psi.

Never go above or below the manufacturer’s recommended pressures which is mentioned on the side wall of the tyre.

How often should I service my bike?

Normally a cycle/bike should be serviced at least once in a year, but the kind and level of servicing will depend on how much you ride your bike.

What do I do if the dealer does not have the bike I am looking for?

You can send us an email, or write to us on our social pages (Facebook, Google and Instagram) about your requirement and we will help you with procuring your bike through our dealer network.

If the bike is out of stock, we will notify you with the dates when the bike will be available.

Mountain Terrain Bike (MTB) versus Hybrid— Which one to opt?

Before you buy a cycle/bike, it is imperative that you understand the major differences between the various kinds of bikes. This way you can buy a bike that perfectly fits your needs and you can enjoy a fantastic biking experience.

— Hybrid Bikes

The word hybrid says it all— these are a coming together of the features of a road bike as well as a mountain bike. It supports a very relaxed frame build, which means you have to sit up straight, and you get a heads-up view, which is important if you are riding the bike in traffic. These city-centric features are mixed seamlessly with a comfortable saddle and little bit wider tires than road bikes that are the hallmarks of mountain bikes.

These bikes are also fitted with a more responsive braking mechanism. As they cater to the needs of commuters, recreational riders and non-serious off-road riders, these bikes are designed to offer more comfort. If you are someone who wants a bike that satisfies a variety of riding requirements and is easy to control in different environments, a hybrid bike should be the perfect pick.

— Mountain Bikes

 These bikes are designed to offer an extremely satisfying, comfortable and safe mountain biking experience. Avid mountain bikers ride on rugged terrain and specialist mountain bikers love taking their bike over rocks, logs and many other tough obstacles. In order to help bikers tackle such tough terrain better, these bikes support sharper frames that give bikers a commanding view of the terrain, to help them tackle it better.

Mountain bikes suffer trail abuse, which necessitates a sturdier build and innovative safety features, that includes a suspension shock placed above the front tire, or both the front and rear tires. This helps the sturdy frame to steer through the various bumps and other challenges faced by riders on the mountain trails. Other features include larger, heavily knobbed tires and strong brakes (typically hydraulic disc brakes) that can withstand the challenging pressures of mountain bikes.

How to Compare Bicycles?

Don’t know how to compare bicycles/bikes? At Chase, we feel a great pleasure in bringing cyclists to their perfect machine. Here are some of the factors which you need to look while comparing your bikes:

Ride quality

Cycles have long had the ill repute for being uncomfortable. Allow us to change that around for you.

So, What makes for a comfortable ride?

1. Bike geometry:

How would your bike feel? Test riding your new bike is an obvious way to find out, but learning about the bike’s configuration is a close enough alternative. Further, shortlisting bikes based on this learning prior to the test ride will save you quite some time and effort.

There’s a whole lot of metrics at play when it comes to understanding the bike geometry. For instance, the stack and reach of a bicycle helps to determine the ride position. A greater reach would mean you are more stretched out and in a more aggressive position, thereby improving the aerodynamics and hence, the speed. Similarly, for a specific reach, a higher stack would mean you’ll be in a more upright position, offering a better handle on control and comfort.

The important thing to understand is, none of these measures work in isolation in contributing to the overall feel of the bike. Fork rake offset, trail and headtube angles are all measures to help you to understand the handling of the bike. Hence, comparing a single measure by itself across brands will offer a rather vague idea of the feel.

2. Weight:

Weigh your options, literally! A lightweight bike is easier to handle, offers maximum speed, and climbs better.

It is true that bicycles have greatly advanced over the years. But it is still a fairly limited machine, in the sense that every component that goes into the mix ought to be carefully thought of. Every additional feature is going to cost you in terms of your bike weight. This would in turn offer higher resistance, calling for more power to pedal through.

The choice of the bike frame and the features contribute to the cycle weight. For instance, carbon frames are most popular on high-end bikes for they are lighter than their cheaper alternative, steel. Similarly, a single-speed bike would save some weight with regards to the derailleur, cogs and other components compared to a geared cycle.

3. Suspension:

Bicycle frames and tires are designed to absorb some amount of shock. A rough terrain would however call for additional systems in place.

Depending on the trail, bikes may have no suspension (rigid), only front suspension (hardtail) or a full suspension.

4. The build of the Bike

(a) Frame Material :

What should you look for in a frame? Lightness, durability, and shock absorption are all desirable qualities. Bike frames are mostly made from steel, aluminum, carbon.

Steel frames are the least expensive, strong and easy to mend, but heavy and prone to rust, making them common on low-end bikes.

Aluminum is a popular choice as it offers maximum value for the price. They are a lot lighter than steel, resistant to corrosion and yet affordable.

Carbon frames makes the top of the list, being lighter than all other options. Carbon fibers are moulded together using resin to make these frames, allowing for great creativity in design and excellent shock absorption. But carbon can be brittle, making them susceptible to cracks and fractures, that would ruin the frame.

(b) Bike Components :

The mechanical parts of a cycle involved in braking, shifting, and running the drivetrain are collectively called a groupset.

The top brands—Shimano, Skilfull, MicroShift, SRAM and Campagnolo offer groupsets in hierarchies depending on the gear range they offer, the weight of the components, the material used, etc. A bike fitted with a higher level groupset would ensure superior riding. However, most cyclists would agree that unless you make a major upgrade in the hierarchy, you stand to gain very little in comparison to the price you would pay.

Lastly, get your machine from a trusted brand, because a bicycle purchase calls for a long-term engagement with the cycle manufacturer. Brands like Chase take special care to cater to the needs of their customers.