What to get? How do I know whether what I'm looking at is a BSO? (Bicycle Shaped Object); what should I do about the multiple chainrings? I'm about to get a ridiculously cheap bike (~$200) sometime soon and have limited my options to two bikes.
One is the BTwin Riverside 120, which people here in India who have put up reviews don't seem very happy about..
https://www.decathlon.in/p/8389398/bikes/hybrid-cycle-riverside-120-grey-yellow
Another one is Mach City Munich 21 speed.
https://machcity.com/munich-21-speed/
The reviews I've read about it are great everywhere I've read them on the internet, and the bike store guy also said that it's a great bike (he's trusted). However, since both are different brands, he couldn't draw out a comparison of which one would be better..
Anyone who can help? It'd be primarily ridden on bad Indian roads (image attached for reference, that's not how all parts of the road are, but significant enough to be considered).
Both have 700×35c stock tyres and can accommodate 38c tyres as well.
If I choose to buy a Mach City Munich 21 speed, I'd also like to know if I should simply remove two chainrings of three (if they're detachable, which I am yet to find out) to help &quot;ease&quot; my riding? It'd be mostly ridden on flat terrain with maybe a 50m 5-6% climb, so I'm not sure, but I don't really think I have any practical use of three chainrings.. By ease, I mean I want to eliminate the risk of putting the chains through a lot of stress and risking the chain falling off every now and then while also causing more wear and tear to the parts than is supposed to happen. I happen to be a student who doesn't really want to go to a bike repair shop all the time, so I'd try maintaining it myself, I've obtained resources for the same in a previous question of mine, thanks to the community here.. If the suggestions still remain to keep the triple chainrings, how to I &quot;properly&quot; shift gears? Is there any guide for the same?
Since I'm buying a rather &quot;expensive&quot; bike for the first time, what else should I be getting with the bike? I've currently understood that I should be getting a helmet, a good quality lock, mud-guards that cover the whole wheel (we actually have a monsoon season), a bottle stand, and a bell. I won't be buying lights because I am not thinking about riding in the dark. I want the bike to last as long as it can, so should I also get a chainstay protector? Anything else that I should be getting?
How do I know something is a BSO (Bicycle Shaped Object)? I also want to know whether any of them are a BSO? I don't even clearly understand what BSO means, given the fact that I don't have a &quot;proper&quot; bicycling experience (I've only ever ridden a ~$60-70 ss bike as of yet).. Are BSOs bad to have?
I've read various questions related to BSOs here but none seemed to answer my query.. I may have missed out on a relevant one though, but I tried not to.
That Munich &quot;21-speed&quot; is really a 7-speed. It doesn't have a triple chainring or front derailleur (and doesn't seem to have a planetary-gear rear hub). Not sure why they call it that.
Both bikes seem pretty comparable. Decathlon is well-known in Europe as selling cheap but decent products. I've never heard of Mach City. If a brand's reputation is worth anything, that's something to consider.
One of the hallmarks of terrible BSOs that I've seen in the USA is thin stamped dropouts with tubes that are pinched onto them (see below). Neither the Mach City nor the Decathlon bike seem have this kind of construction. Another hallmark is the one-piece crank.