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The CRANK with ProCycle Team Publisher and Managing Editor Vikram Limsay Editor Rahul K Thomas Technical Editor Nilesh Dhumal Credits Zero Level Magazine, Anita Bora, Kathrin Heim, Sven Schirmer, Umang Shreshta, Sajal Rajbhandary, Sushant Diyali, Ganapathy Subramaniam, Ignatius Chen, Ajay Kamble and Saurabh Panchmatia Registered to Procycle and Sports India Private Limited. Corporate Office: Indiranagar, 889, First Floor, 7th Main, 4th Cross, HAL II stage, Bangalore 560008. Tel: +91 80 41161902 or +91 99450 11116 Showroom: Indiranagar, 37, 11th Cross, 1st Stage, Bangalore- 560038 Tel: +91 80 25202004Â +91 98802 16064 Website www.procycle.in. For queries regarding advertising and subscription, mail us at subscribecrank@procycle.in
Cover Photograph: Limited Edition P K Ripper fixie Rear cover photograph: The ProCycle car heading out at sunset
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THE PROCYCLE STORE
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IN THIS ISSUE 1. Downhill in Nepal 2. Gear Review: Raceface Turbine Crank 3. Claim your space! 4. Close to home: Chikmagalur, Karnataka 5. Bike Bling! P K Ripper photo special 6. Bikers’ Lair: Kala Ghoda Cafe, Mumbai 7. Profiled by ProCycle: Aditya Yadav 8. The road less taken: Across the Americas (Part III) 9. Boys and their Toys
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HEYA!
Hello readers! It’s been quite a month. Thank you for all the fabulous responses to our last issue - the Women’s Special. The cycling community is indeed proud of the ladies who are pioneering bike riding in India. This month, we’ve got an action-packed issue for you. We take you to the slopes outside Kathmandu, Nepal for some serious downhill skill. With the Raceface Turbine crank review, we show you the kind of quality kit you need for that kind of riding. Getting closer to home, we assess what’s been happening with one of the most talked-about projects in recent bicycle-related news - the Jayanagar bike lanes in Bangalore. We then kick off a new series where we will feature bicycle routes in and around cities across the country. For pure visual gratification, this month we bring you a photo special of the jaw-droppingly gorgeous, limited-edition fixie - the P K Ripper. Finally, we round off our three-part special of Across the Americas with Sven and Kathrin reaching the end of their trans-continental bike ride in a fittingly historic place - Macchu Picchu. Have fun reading. And then get out and ride!
Editor
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INDIA’S GAUTAM TAODE TEARING IT UP
DOWNHILL IN NEPAL April 30th, 2013: Colourful figures dotted the hillside of Hattiban, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It was the third annual Nepal National Downhill Championships organised by Epic Events Nepal. Race day saw a late start with proceedings kicking off at a leisurely 1 p.m (you read that right).
IMAGE BY SAJAL RAJBHANDARY
Its summer in Hattiban and despite being at 1800m, it was a warm 30 degrees. The course was a worldstandard 2.4 kms. Riders who showed up a few days beforehand had to try various lines as the actual race line wasn’t revealed until race day.
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While the organisers prayed for rain, it wasn’t to be. The weather flattered to deceive with a light drizzle on one of the practice days but nothing more. This left the track fairly dry and dusty (as you can see from the images).
THE LONG WALK UP
Riders got a lift halfway up the hill in a jeep and then hiked up the rest of the way - a good way to warm up before the event. The track itself comprised a lot of hardpack with a soft upper layer of soil - nice conditions for drifting but considering the speed of the track, the practice days came in handy.
IMAGE BY SUSHANT DIYALI
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PROCYCLE RIDER IGNATIUS CHEN TAKES A CORNER
Riders kicked off their runs unaided by a gate. The top section of the track was the quickest with the fast riders hitting speeds of above 45km/h. With several berms thrown in, this was a fun, flowy track. Riders also had a fair bit of pedalling to do in various sections - a challenge when saddled with a downhill bike. IMAGE BY SUSHANT DIYALI
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UMANG SHRESTHA JUMPS TO FLAT
As the track wasn’t very technical, organisers added several jumps including a decently-sized gap jump, a road-gap jump and a triple (three jumps in a row) which had several riders in trouble. IMAGE BY SUSHANT DIYALI
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As the track wasn’t very technical, organisers added a few things to keep it interesting. The course contained as many as 11 jumps including a decently-sized gap jump, a road-gap jump and a triple (three jumps in a row) which had several riders in trouble.
becoming a mountain biking destination of international repute and the local scene is sizzling. With a local bike park and riders of the international calibre of Shajjan Rajbanshi, downhilling is certainly on the rise.
The top two were in a league of their own with reigning Nepalese Downhill King and professional rider Shajjan Rajbanshi losing out to Onbrej Barta of Czech Republic (3:17.06 to 3:14.41). The rest of the riders fought it out closely with riders 3 to 9 all placing within a 4 second span (3:30 to 3:34).
RESULTS (OPEN CATEGORY) - TOP TEN
The event attracted international riders such as Onbrej Barta from the Czech Republic (who won the overall event), Sonam Tsering (Bhutan) not to mention our own Indian riders Gautam Taode and ProCycle rider Ignatius Chen. The top five Nepalese riders qualified for the 2013 Asian Downhill Championship to be held in China. Organisers said the main motive of the event was to develop extreme sports in the region. Nepal is fast
1 Onbrej Barta
3:14.41
6 Gautam Taode
3:33.16
2 Shajjan Rajbanshi
3:17.06
7 Umang Shrestha
3:34.32
3 Shyam Limbu
3:30.59
8 Rakesh Magar
3:34.39
4 Shakar Yakthumba
3:30.73
9 Chris Keeling
3:34.59
5 Parmeshwor Pokharel
3:32.48
10 Mangal Lama
3:40.58
We’d like to thank our friends at Zero Level Magazine, Kathmandu for their contribution in the form of images and information. Special thanks to Umang Shreshtha, Sajal Rajbhandary and Sushant Diyali. Check out their page on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/zerolevelmag
A LONG, DUSTY TRAIL
IMAGE BY SUSHANT DIYALI
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GEAR REVIEW
RACEFACE TURBINE CRANK If you’ve been waiting to bling out your mountain bike, there’s no better way to do it than with a Raceface Turbine crankset.
Downhill crashes, street riding, flatland jumps - it’s seen ‘em all and has never even creaked in protest. The bottom bracket is still super smooth and hasn’t yet required a Born in the murderous conditions of service after thousands of Vancouver’s infamous North Shore, kilometers. Titanium coated races machined from 7050 aluminium and bearings factory-filled with Phil alloy with a CrMo (steel) spindle, Wood waterproof grease make it this crankset is designed to be immensely resistant to corrosion. It used and abused for the ages. And, also comes in various colours, all of if you can believe it, its light enough which are guaranteed to pimp your for XC too! ride like nothing else. The Turbine’s design is brilliant installation takes less than 15 minutes and removal is even easier and requires just an 8mm hex wrench thanks to the crank bolt puller cap.
We could go on and on, but the bottom line is you need to ride it to believe it.
Retailing at 18,290 rupees for just the arms and bottom bracket it ain’t cheap but considering it’ll be the Team ProCycle has been using one last crankset you buy in your life on our pet trail bike and so far it has (unless you ride like Dan Atherton) it been nothing short of amazing. is worth every last paisa.
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CLAIM YOUR SPACE! CAR PARKING SIGN
CARS IN THE BICYCLE LANE
CYCLISTS IN THE MOTORISED VEHICLE LANE
BICYCLE LANE SIGN
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A SIGN THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WARNING TO MOTORISTS THAT A BIKE LANE IS UP AHEAD
When the media reported (with much fanfare) last year that bicycle lanes in Bangalore’s Jayanagar area were no longer rumour, but actually being inaugurated, the cycling community burst into spontaneous applause.
THE BIKE LANE THAT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE
When asked about the confusingly contradictory signage he acknowledged that there is an issue with it. From all accounts, one department of government is in charge of identifying the bicycling lanes and putting up signage for that, while another is responsible for parking control and signage. The latter is taking longer to implement but is NOT BICYCLE in process.
42 kms of dedicated cycling lanes sounded just too good to be true. Six months after “THESE ARE its inauguration, when we decided LANES. THEY to investigate, we found out it was.
ARE BICYCLEFRIENDLY STREETS”
Take a look at the picture on the opposite page. We doubt there’s a single rider out there who believed that cars and other motorised vehicles would not be parked in the bicycle lanes. But, to have it sanctioned by official signage seems bizarre to say the least. So, we have a car parking sign perched right next to the demarcated bicycle lane. In fact, there’s a car parked right over the bicycle lane sign on the ground. As we wandered around, things got even murkier. There seemed to be multiple types of bicycle-related signage - with people, without people, in a red triangle and so on. Every single one of these signs seemed to have motorised transport parked right under it. Shailender Singh, Special Officer, DULT (Directorate of Urban Land Transport) shed light on the subject when contacted by us. He said,“These are not bicycle lanes and were never meant to be. The roads are simply not wide enough to have exclusive lanes for bicycles. We proposed broadly 3 measures aimed at creating bicycle friendly streets. 1. Identification of bicycle-friendly streets 2. Implementation of traffic calming measure - creation of table-top intersections, signage, encouraging reduced speed of motorised vehicles, etc. 3. Provision of bicycle parking The first two were completed while the third is in process. Bicycle parking areas are being identified and developed.”
Gubbi Labs is a ‘private research collective’ with several cycling enthusiasts. It was their report that laid the basis for the action taken by the BBMP (Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palik) and DULT. We read the report and it clarified that each of the different bicycle signs has a different purpose and that they don’t all simply indicate a cycling lane. We do wonder how anyone is supposed to infer this without being told. Murali H R of the Ride a Cycle Foundation (the lead campaigners for bicycle-related change in Bangalore) said that while they were happy that such measures have been implemented, the need of the hour is education of the public on every aspect of the bicyclefriendly streets and their usage. This education needs to happen through workshops, awareness drives, media and all other possible communication channels.
THIS MEANS ‘COMPULSORY CYCLES’ ONLY AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE 100M BEFORE EVERY INTERSECTION A CROSSING MEANT FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS ONLY
Indeed, given the confusing nature of the setup, we think more information would come in rather useful for all concerned. While it is tragic that such promise seems to have missed the mark, Shailender Singh did make a telling point when he said that it was up to cyclists to go out and claim their space. We at CRANK with ProCycle couldn’t agree more on that score. Sadly, nobody hands things out on a platter. The government can try to provide facilities to people, but until we, the public, step up, understand our rights, fight for them and claim them for ourselves, any effort on their part is futile.
ONE DEPT. IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BICYCLE LANE IDENTIFICATION WHILE ANOTHER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT
Basically, as we understand it, the ‘bike lane’ is a sort of a polite request to motorised vehicles to give space to cyclists. We shall leave it to your life experiences to decide whether such polite requests usually work.
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So, go ahead, get out, ride and claim your space!
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CLOSE TO HOME
CHIKMAGLUR, KARNATAKA Anita Bora kicks off a new series where we will be featuring favoured cycling routes across the country. We ask riders what their favourite routes are, why they like it, the challenges they present, pit stops along the way and every other bit of information you want (and need) before you hit it yourself. Rider Ganapathy Subramaniam aka Gana From Bangalore Profile It professional, community-racing regular and super randonneur Favourite cycling route Bangalore to Chikmagalur One route that I cherish is the road to Chikmagalur. My first attempt was solo my companions-to-be dropped out at the last minute. Total ride distance one way was 254 kms. I repeated the ride the following weekend with a friend just as crazy as me. From Bangalore, one has to take Tumkur Road and then turn left at Nelamangala towards Hassan/Mangalore. At Hassan take a right towards Belur and Chikmagalur. Since both Major Srinivas (my companion for that ride) and I love night rideswe started from Bangalore at roughly about 9.30 pm and reached Chikmagalur by 7 am the next morning.
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Highlights This was a night ride so we enjoyed the calm and the never-ending tarmac. Loaded trucks and buses laden with travelers stopped occasionally at dhabas while we had all the time in the world to stop whenever we felt like. As this route mostly comprises highway, the roads are very good with only two stretches where one needs to ride carefully - from Bellur cross for around 10 kms and then from Belur to Chikmagalur for another 25 kms. The early morning sun turned out to be our hello tune and the fine mist that hovered just above the green fields was our early morning wake-up call. Soft rock in the background kept the mind at ease. Any special eateries/resting places/not to be missed food The Cafe Coffee Day at Bellur cross (not to be confused with Belur cross) and a small mess halfway between Hassan and Belur - a really beautiful stretch
 
 Special memories The monsoon greenery and certain parts en route resemble landscape in regions like France. Company or solo? I prefer group rides and it is better to have company as the gossip and chit chat kills any boring stretches that one might encounter. Images courtesy Ganapathy Subramaniam
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BIKE BLING!
DC SE PK RIPPER
A LIMITED EDITION COLLABORATION BETWEEN DC SHOES AND SE BIKES CELEBRATING THE ICONIC P K RIPPER BMX OF THE SEVENTIES IMAGES BY RAHUL K THOMAS 15
CHROMOLY STEEL FORK
CELEBRATING SE’S BMX HERITAGE
VELOCITY CHUKKER DEEP DISH WHEELS
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OURY MOUNTAIN GEL GRIPS FLIP-FLOP HUB WITH TRADITIONAL DROPOUTS
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WHITE CRANK AND POWDER COATED CHAIN WITH LOOPTAIL REAR ENDS
XPEDO BEAR TRAP PEDALS WITH A CHROMOLY STEEL AXLE
BOTTLE OPENER UNDER THE SADDLE
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BIKERS’ LAIR
KALA GHODA CAFE, MUMBAI Nestled in the heart of Mumbai’s historic art district is a lovely, intimate little cafe called the Kala Ghoda Cafe. Conceived as an alternative to the big coffee chains taking over the urban landscape, it also functions as an art gallery. What makes it of particular interest to us is that they are truly bicycle friendly. Not only do they have two bicycle locking devices outside the cafe, every Sunday they also offer a free cuppa to any patron who rides up on a cycle. Image courtesy Saurabh Panchmatia
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PROCYCLE PROFILED
ADITYA YADAV Aditya caught the cycling bug just a couple of years ago when he and a few crazy friends decided to ride to Savandurga at night, riding offroad while they were at it. Since then he has been through seven cycles and many thousand kilometers. If he isn’t doing Nandi repeats on his road bike, he is busy trail riding through quarries. A leisure rider for a while, he has now started to participate in community races with his team - the Jakkur Flyers. Aditya says that his employers (Cypress Semiconductors) has been a huge source of encouragement, even going so far as to sponsor him on his 2012 TfN adventure.
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THE ROAD LESS TAKEN
ACROSS THE AMERICAS (PART 3)
BY SVEN SCHIRMER AND KATHRIN HEIM 21
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
A few years ago, Sven Schirmer decided he wanted to see the world and absorb cultures. On his first trip, he rode from Canada down to South America. Somewhere along the way he met Kathrin Heim - a fellow biker on the road. As they travelled, they met people, basked in different climates, took in breathtaking sights and fell in love. Here we bring you the third and concluding part of their trip across the Americas.
KATHRIN ENJOYING THE ALTITUDE
We are sitting in Mendoza, Argentina. Again. Howling at the moon. Our plans to cycle north towards Peru were suddenly interrupted by an armed robbery while we were cycling out of Mendoza. Two thugs jumped out of the bushes and stole Sven's backpack with all his documents, camera, laptop computer and harmonica. However, after a week of rest we ride on. Luckily, Sven can get a new passport and credit card in Salta, Northern Argentina. Argentina’s roads are endless, straight and lonely. Small, dusty towns once or twice a day. Argentinians take their Siesta serious – the few villages we cross seem abandoned between lunchtime and late afternoon. After a week, we reach Cafayate, a lovely town surrounded by vineyards. Suddenly, there is life again and our spirits rise. In our hostel, we meet some other travellers and locals, play music together and taste the local wine. We enjoy cycling through
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QUEBRADA DE LAS CONCHAS, ARGENTINA - A 70KM LONG CANYON
the breathtaking Quebrada de las Conchas, a 70km long canyon with rock formations in all colours. After weeks out in the wild, we look forward to Salta, a colonial town with some interesting museums and colourful churches. Sven's new passport has arrived, but we are still waiting for his new credit card. Besides, the highest road of South America is just around the corner, and Sven is itching to ride his bike up the dirt road to this almost 5000m high Andes pass. Kathrin, not so keen on the big hills, decides to accompany him with a rental car, driving ahead with the luggage, cooking coffee beside the SVEN BURNING UP THE MILES WITHOUT THE PANNIERS
road and enjoying a good book while waiting for Sven to arrive. Turns out, Sven is much faster without the panniers and Kathrin won´t get far in her book. But the short round trip turns into a great adventure for both of us. Besides fantastic high Andean landscapes, there are bumpy, sandy washboard roads, thin air, llamas and vizcachas (some sort of rabbit with a curly tail) to observe. After three days of very intense cycling, some pushing through sand and out of breath but proud, Sven arrives on the Abra Acay, the highest mountain pass of the Americas, at 4950m. What a feat! It is already late in the day, so we load the bike in the car and drive down on the other side. The road gets very adventurous, rivers without bridges to ford and a very narrow, steep, curvy road. But the view over the snow capped peaks and later a magnificent full moon rising make up for the unnerving 4-hour drive to Cachi. We celebrate with a big pizza and beer. Back in Salta, the credit card has arrived and we head north, towards the Quebrada de Humahuaca – gorgeous landscapes, traditional highland settlements and Inca ruins. We cycle and hike through this broad valley, marvelling at the colours of the rocks. Peoples faces and attitudes seem much more indigenous here than in other parts of Argentina. The road rises steadily from 1100m in Salta to 3400m at the Bolivian border. Due to the high altitude, the cold, thin air and a general cycling fatigue, we decide to finally end our journey in Peru. To speed up and escape the cold, we travel through most of Bolivia by train and bus. We visit the Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt lake of the world and the colourful Andean lagoons of South-western Bolivia by Jeep, then continue our journey to the colonial cities of Potosi and La Paz. In the meantime, we are desperate for some oxygen-rich, warm air and tropical scenery after all those weeks in the desolate Altiplano. Nothing easier than that in Bolivia: The famous death road leads from the La Cumbre Pass near La Paz, at 4600m, to the Yungas (the upper Amazon forest), at 1200m, in just 61 km. It´s a famous downhill mountain-bike track, done by lots of tourists on rented fullies as a day trip from La Paz. We skip the organized fun and do it on our own, with our trusted gear. What a ride! The sudden change of the landscape from Andes to Jungle within a few hours is
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SALAR DE UYUNI, BOLIVIA - THE LARGEST SALT FLAT IN THE WORLD
fantastic. Green everywhere, waterfalls gushing over the steep cliffs and the first rain in weeks. In Coroico, the scenic village at the bottom of the ride, we enjoy the warm flower-scented air and tropical vibes (and the inevitable mosquitoes that go with this).
THE JOURNEY ENDS AT MAHCHU PICCHU
Cusco, the magnificent former Inca capital, marks the last stretch of our journey. From here, we cycle down the Sacred Valley of the Incas, visit their ancient ruins and enjoy colourful traditional markets. Besides taking a train or hiking the famous Inca trail to Machu Picchu, there is a backdoor route. From Ollantaytambo, we tackle the scenic 4300 meter pass of Abra Malaga. Countless switchbacks bring us up to the icy and rainy top. Finally, we are more than grateful to find a shaggy truck stop with an open fireplace to rest our heads. The last stretch is unpaved, and adventurous again. In the end we have to leave the bikes and hike along the railway tracks, getting our first glimpse at the famous ruins on the ridge above us. The next morning we arrive at sunrise at Machu Picchu. What a feeling to reach the dream destination of this journey after so many months! You can follow Sven and Kathrin’s bicycle travels at www.mastersong.de
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BOYS’ TOYS
GEAR THAT TURNS MEN INTO BABBLING BOYS
PROFILE DESIGN BAR WRAP! THIS ONE’S A MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY ROADIE. PROFILE DESIGN’S GORGEOUS BAR WRAP IS SYNTHETIC WITH BITS OF REAL CORK IN IT MAKING IT AS COMFORTABLE AS NATURAL CORK WHILE BEING WEATHER RESISTANT AND MORE DURABLE. IT COMES WITH END PLUGS AND IS AVAILABLE IN SEVERAL COLOURS, ALL OF WHICH ARE GUARANTEED TO CLASS UP YOUR RIDE. FOR MORE DETAILS DROP US A LINE AT CRANK@PROCYCLE.IN
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TOPEAK POCKETSHOCK DXG EVERY MOUNTAIN BIKER NEEDS THIS ONE IN HIS KIT. THE TOPEAK DXG IS THE BEST SHOCK PUMP OUT THERE. THE ‘PRESSURERITE’ VALVE PREVENTS LOSS OF AIR DURING REMOVAL, ENSURING YOU HAVE THE EXACT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE REQUIRED IN YOUR FORK OR SHOCK. A CARBON-FACED DIAL COMPLETES THE PACKAGE.
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GET OUT AND RIDE!
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