Sting Ray
Simple and solid,
Nimble and neat.
Picked up a chrome sidewinder,
to unleash the retro rider.
The onlookers' jaws will drop,
but the pedaling can't stop!
Beckon the 'weapon',
and reckon it's heaven!
Code name - Sting Ray
It sure makes you sway!
After holding on to the dream of getting a fixie (fixed gear bicycle) for more than two years, I finally got one yesterday after trading out my mtb.
The Bike Affair folks were kind enough to give me a demo bike and ride for a week to make an informed decision. Sure enough, the experience only added weight to my choice. I revered the fixie in the very first Astr demo ride way back in 2015.
The experience back then was so good and fun, that I immediately connected to it. I started out with good caution after double checking both the brakes.
On encountering the first uphill, I thought I might need to grind a bit. But surprisingly, it tackles the up-hills very well! On the downhills, I just lifted off my legs and put them back on the ever-rotating pedals after some hit-and-miss efforts. Even with the lousy way of riding it, it impressed me very much. Even with a very limited experience of 3 rides on it, I unconsciously felt alerted when I stopped pedaling on my hybrid on a subsequent ride. I tried to send off my hybrid to my brother to make room for the fixie, but that didn't work out as expected. So I kept the plan on hold.
Coming back to 2018, I had a minor wheel truing issue on my mtb front wheel and I took it to The Bike Affair (TBA) store to get it sorted out. I was already contemplating on selling off the mtb as it was a bit short for me, and I was anyway not riding it much. That is when I proposed to trade in the mtb for getting the fixie. I took a demo Astr sidewinder to head to work from the store, after Raam, one of the store guys, advised me to ride with caution.
I kept telling myself to focus and not stop pedaling, but a couple of mind deviations made me stop pedaling momentarily and the bike would throw me off the saddle. One more stupid deviation on an empty stretch of road "Did I forget my helmet at the store" got my left hand involuntarily to my head to search for it (somehow too much hair didn't let my mind figure out that I was already wearing my helmet) and got my both legs to stop pedaling for a moment. That was enough for the bike to scold me by throwing me forward. The right hand wasn't prepared to handle the unexpected weight and imbalance. In the next few seconds, I was down on the tarmac. Realizing how stupid I might have looked to the car driver behind, I quickly picked up my bike and pedaled off.
I had to concentrate harder and ride slower to reach my office.
One thing that didn't feel secure was the braking part. I still felt
insecure about stopping suddenly and tried to slow down way before the
anticipated stops.
The subsequent days were much better and I slowly came out of my inhibitions and started riding comfortably even on the slight down-hill sections.
I was slowly avoiding the usage of brakes and stopping with controlled pedaling for almost 70% of stops.
After 5 days of riding, I was confident that I can use this for my commutes without any worries as I was able to handle uphill, downhill, flat, traffic, slight off-road without any issues.
Looks wise, my other bikes won't even stand a chance!
The demo bike would turn heads and attract stares everywhere.
A two-wheeler guy inquired about the price and praised its looks in one of the commutes.
Over the weekend, I told my choice of frame colour and bullhorn handle bar to the TBA folks. Within two days, they assembled the bike the way I wanted it. I actually got tempted to take out the demo bike for a 70-80 km long ride instead of my roadbike for Sunday long ride, but left the idea as I started very late and I had to catch up with other riders.
I dropped the demobike at the store yesterday morning and picked up my new bike. I was given the bike after assembling, adjusting and test riding.
I was very much surprised with the change in handling and braking. It feels much more secure and comfortable than the demobike. I didn't expect this, as I already tried another demobike long ago with a bullhorn handlebar in one of the Astr demo rides. Probably because I was not completely used to a fixie by then.
I am quite happy with the decision and looking forward to more fixie rides and memories. I might most likely come back with another review post. Until then, enjoy the pictures :)
Nimble and neat.
Picked up a chrome sidewinder,
to unleash the retro rider.
The onlookers' jaws will drop,
but the pedaling can't stop!
Beckon the 'weapon',
and reckon it's heaven!
Code name - Sting Ray
It sure makes you sway!
After holding on to the dream of getting a fixie (fixed gear bicycle) for more than two years, I finally got one yesterday after trading out my mtb.
The Bike Affair folks were kind enough to give me a demo bike and ride for a week to make an informed decision. Sure enough, the experience only added weight to my choice. I revered the fixie in the very first Astr demo ride way back in 2015.
The experience back then was so good and fun, that I immediately connected to it. I started out with good caution after double checking both the brakes.
On encountering the first uphill, I thought I might need to grind a bit. But surprisingly, it tackles the up-hills very well! On the downhills, I just lifted off my legs and put them back on the ever-rotating pedals after some hit-and-miss efforts. Even with the lousy way of riding it, it impressed me very much. Even with a very limited experience of 3 rides on it, I unconsciously felt alerted when I stopped pedaling on my hybrid on a subsequent ride. I tried to send off my hybrid to my brother to make room for the fixie, but that didn't work out as expected. So I kept the plan on hold.
Coming back to 2018, I had a minor wheel truing issue on my mtb front wheel and I took it to The Bike Affair (TBA) store to get it sorted out. I was already contemplating on selling off the mtb as it was a bit short for me, and I was anyway not riding it much. That is when I proposed to trade in the mtb for getting the fixie. I took a demo Astr sidewinder to head to work from the store, after Raam, one of the store guys, advised me to ride with caution.
 |
| Astr Sidewinder - demo bike side view |
I kept telling myself to focus and not stop pedaling, but a couple of mind deviations made me stop pedaling momentarily and the bike would throw me off the saddle. One more stupid deviation on an empty stretch of road "Did I forget my helmet at the store" got my left hand involuntarily to my head to search for it (somehow too much hair didn't let my mind figure out that I was already wearing my helmet) and got my both legs to stop pedaling for a moment. That was enough for the bike to scold me by throwing me forward. The right hand wasn't prepared to handle the unexpected weight and imbalance. In the next few seconds, I was down on the tarmac. Realizing how stupid I might have looked to the car driver behind, I quickly picked up my bike and pedaled off.
I had to concentrate harder and ride slower to reach my office.
 |
| Astr Sidewinder - demo bike front view |
The subsequent days were much better and I slowly came out of my inhibitions and started riding comfortably even on the slight down-hill sections.
I was slowly avoiding the usage of brakes and stopping with controlled pedaling for almost 70% of stops.
After 5 days of riding, I was confident that I can use this for my commutes without any worries as I was able to handle uphill, downhill, flat, traffic, slight off-road without any issues.
Looks wise, my other bikes won't even stand a chance!
The demo bike would turn heads and attract stares everywhere.
A two-wheeler guy inquired about the price and praised its looks in one of the commutes.
Over the weekend, I told my choice of frame colour and bullhorn handle bar to the TBA folks. Within two days, they assembled the bike the way I wanted it. I actually got tempted to take out the demo bike for a 70-80 km long ride instead of my roadbike for Sunday long ride, but left the idea as I started very late and I had to catch up with other riders.
 |
| Astr sidewinder (my Sting Ray) - Getting ready |
I was very much surprised with the change in handling and braking. It feels much more secure and comfortable than the demobike. I didn't expect this, as I already tried another demobike long ago with a bullhorn handlebar in one of the Astr demo rides. Probably because I was not completely used to a fixie by then.
I am quite happy with the decision and looking forward to more fixie rides and memories. I might most likely come back with another review post. Until then, enjoy the pictures :)
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