I was researching for a bicycle for myself based on the following requirements:
1. Robust and sturdy build of the bike
2. City and rural use (all-terrain)
3. Cycling after two decades, (nothing fancy, middle-aged man)
4. Manufactured in India
After evaluating all options in the market, I settled on Omo after knowing it was started by two IIT engineers, who themselves were passionate about cycling.
Pre-purchase experience:
I surfed their company website, and used their WhatsApp chat option to interact with the sales team (Arjun?). The part that stood out to me was that this was a product that was big on customisation. I was able to literally select every fitting (well, almost!) as per my requirements. The gent, who interacted online with me recommended that Zozila Ace (with 7 gears) would tick my above requirements. I asked if this bike can last me for at least a decade, to which he recommended that I choose the 7/21 gear option, which I did. We had a review of the customisation and build that I requested and this was reconfirmed. After paying the amount, I was told the bike would be dispatched (after a test trial of 1 km) and assembled 90% before shipping, and it would arrive at my doorstep in 7-10 days, with all tracking information provided.
Bike delivery and assembly:
I had requested to defer the delivery due to personal travel. They accommodated my request and despatched the bike accordingly.
In a week, I received a large brown cardboard box with the bike, almost assembled.
With the bike was a compostable orange sack, containing a wrench and couple of Allen keys to assemble the bike - pedals, handle, seat, rear mudflap, bell and the front wheel. The videos for installation, shared previously, for me, were quick-paced and lacked detail. As a result, I had to watch each one a couple of times, before fully assembling the cycle. Not around 15 minutes, but it took me a couple of hours to put it all together. They do recommend taking the assembled cycle to a professional cycle shop nearby for fine-tuning the gear system and the brakes before riding, which I did.
Another pain point I experienced while assembling: to ask doubts, I messaged via WhatsApp on the same number (as sales/website), only for them to share another person's name and number who could guide and answer installation-related questions. This knowledge would have been useful PRIOR to assembling the bike, therefore a note or sharing such information at the time of dispatching the bike would be most useful.
Post-assembly experience: This is where I will mark the least (on a scale of 1 - 5, a 1, at best) - the most basic thing, as with all transport vehicles, this bike lacks an instruction manual! In all honesty, I have no idea how the gear mechanism works when riding, correct way to switching gears, how to troubleshoot small issues, what should be the optimum air pressure in the tyres, what frequency do the brakes need service/inspection, Care for the chain, brake pad, washing etc. are completely missing. God is in the details. I really wish the founders would study this review and come up with a solution in the future. After investing time (and sizeable money) in fully customising most parts of my bicycle, I expect, at a minimum, that a document is supplied on how to care for and maintain your bicycle for years to come. Also, since we are at it, a functionally designed and pleasing-to-the-eye external packaging box (made of recycled components) would do well to enhance the purchase experience. (A very useful tip: Apple iPhone experience - its not just a great device to use, the fun element and user immersion starts from choosing the device and unpacking the box after the purchase - great care and attention to detail is gone into every aspect of the customer journey) Omo would do well to take a leaf from their playbook to improve the experience of their customers.
Overall: Will recommend to my friends, also a lot of passers-by do ask about the bike (mine is blue frame and yellow tires). Thank you.
It is now over 4 weeks and I am happy with the bicycle riding experience. Overall rating: 4.5/5
