Pimp My Bike

We have all seen that cycle on the streets of Dhaka - rigged with wedding day LEDS and motorcycle side-view mirrors - cruising the roads in all its rainbow glory. The awesome people who own these can be seen all over Dhaka, mostly in Mohammadpur, in a gear too low, pedaling away furiously while even rickshaws – even the ones without motors – overtake them. But cycle overhauling does not necessarily have to be about pink lights and horns which play Hindi music tones. And for those new to cycling, here's a general idea of how to go about it.

Brakes:
Frequently overlooked, brakes mean everything between stopping in time and your face plastered on the rear windshield of a Toyota Corolla. At the very least, depending on the cost of your cycle, chances are the stock brake pads are not of the best quality. Get them changed. Decent ones like those from Gub cost around 500 per pair and they can make all the difference.
Secondly, if the fork of your cycle supports it, you can opt for a complete overhaul from traditional rim brakes to disc brakes. The latter gives you better stopping power. But when it comes to disc brakes, try going for the moderately good ones rather than cheap ones, even if they are more expensive.

Forks:
On the roads of Dhaka, especially in parts of Mirpur, you never know when the next bump will hit you right up your posterior. Forks can help dissipate that shock and the better the fork, the smoother the ride. Forks can be costly, but one which has a travel distance of at least 120mm, like the RockShox XC 28 (costing around 9000 taka), really makes a difference. Go for ones with a turnkey lockout so that on smooth roads where the coil will absorb your pedaling force and slow you down, you can lock the fork.

Tires and tubes:
While fat, knobby tires are better for uneven roads, the added friction can slow you down. On the other hand, slicks will make you go faster. Take into consideration your frequent routes and upgrade. Stock tires, like those of most local brands, are heavy and weigh down the cycle. Sleeks like the Freedom Cruz costs around 2500 taka and are definitely worth the money.
Good tubes on the other hand, can reduce the chances of a leak while you are whizzing over glass shards from yesterday's hartal.

Bottom Bracket:
Bottom Brackets or BB's have to be the most overlooked part of the bike – most people don't know what they are until it breaks down. The BB is a cylindrical part to which the pedals are connected and it is crucial to the smooth rotation of the crank. Now, a lot of people, me included, have found themselves in a position in the middle of the road, and the pedals wouldn't turn anymore – the bottom bracket finally dropped dead. Most stock bottom brackets are cheap and don't last very long, but a decent one like the VP will set you back around 500 taka and make your rides a whole lot smoother.

Groupset:
The groupset is a fancy term for a lot of cycle parts taken together – including the shifters, brake levers, derailleurs (deras), and cogs. Now, you can upgrade each of these individually, as most people do. For example, if you have a few thousands to spare, ditch the Tourney and Revo shifters and go for a Shimano EF-51.
Whichever part you are upgrading, find out first if that part of the group set will work with the other components. On the Shimano line up, components from Altus, Acera and Alivio series are decent while on the upper end you have Deore, SLX and XT. 

And a word from the experienced...

Kafil Wara Rafid, Winner of the BDCylist Qualifying Race (Under 16)
“Upgrading totally depends on the rider and his riding style. If he just commutes with his bike, a low-end Tourney will work too. But if he wants to ride off road where quick shifting is needed, he can upgrade the deras to Alivio or something better. But a properly tuned Tourney will work better than an un-tuned Deore. So keep your deras tuned to get quick shifting. There are two popular brands of drivetrain in the market. SRam and Shimano. Most the bikes in Bangladesh have Shimano components - some new bikes are getting SRam. Of the two, I prefer Sram if it's for a mountain bike, and Shimano for road bikes. SRam looks cooler than Shimano, but SRam components can be rarely found in Bangladesh."