Crank with ProCycle July 2016 by CrankMag

India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine

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Volume 4 Issue 6 July 15th 2016

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Leh’d in 1986 Udupi Cyclathon Tested: Cyclux GTX

Official a n

INSIDE

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Pune: Showroom 1 & 2, Sangam Projects, Nr. Sangam Bridge, Opp. Air India O�ce, Next to RTO, Shivajinagar, Pune - 411 001, Maharashtra, India. Tel: +91-020-67208720 | Email: pune@starkennbikes.com

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Mumbai: Mohini Tower, Ground Floor, Plot 7611, 5th Road, Nr. Khar (W) Railway Station, Khar West, O� S.V Road, Bandra, Mumbai - 400 052, Maharashtra, India. Tel: 022 2600 9600| Email: mumbai@starkennbikes.com

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Pune:: Showroom 1 & 2, Sangam Projects, Nr. Sangam Bridge, Opp. Air India O�ce, next to RTO, Shivajinagar, Pune 411 001, Maharashtra, India. Tel: +91-020-6720-8720 | Email: pune@starkennbikes.com Kolkata: No.14, Commerce House, 2A,O� Bentinck Street, Kolkata - 700 013, West Bengal, India.|Tel: 070440 30370 | Email: kolkata@starkennbikes.com

Flagship Stores:

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

Bengaluru : 961, HAL II Stage. 100 ft road, 12th Main Road, Opp. Lakme Salon, Indiranagar, Bengaluru 560 008, Karnataka, India. Tel: +91-8494-920-000 | Email:bengaluru@starkennbikes.com

Kolkata: No.14, Commerce House, 2A,O Bentinck Street, Kolkata - 700 013, West Bengal, India.|Tel: 070440 30370 | Email: kolkata@starkennbikes.com

IN THIS ISSUE

Crank News Route

The Long road

04 Industry news......................................... 06 Race Report.............................................12 CFI News...............................................

10 Lehâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d in 1986...........................................14 Conquer Jalori with YHAI..........................

CycTech

22 Tested: Avon Cyclux GTX....................... 24 Boys toys............................................... 26

Shop Talk...............................................

Coffee with Crank Profiled: Marion Villette............................. Club Connect: LPC Rides to River Sutlej........................

Tune your bike! Tweak your heart ! Maintain your cycle, so that your cycle maintains you!

Trained Technicians. State-of-the-art Equipment. Genuine Parts.

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Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note The CRANK with ProCycle Team Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor

Mr. Onkar Singh Bureau Head Joseph Anish

India North Bureau Ashish Sood

Marketing and Distribution Joseph Anish

anish@procycle.in, +91 97415 77884 Test Riders

Ajay Kamble Ritwik D Burman, Joseph Anish Issue contributors

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#226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560071

Hello Readers, This is an exciting edition for us here at Crank. We launch our new segment called the Club Connect, a section dedicated to all you club riders. Just send in your ride pictures and have the whole cycling community see what you are up to. Keeping in mind our motto of Get Out and Ride, we present you our cover story from back in 1986 when seven brave men rode from Mumbai to Leh on steel bicyles. This was a time when civilians were not permitted on the Manali-Leh highway. The story of Mahandra Kumar is one of grit and determination and one strongly recommends that you do not let the monsoons stop you from picking up your bicycle and riding. The monsoons make for excellent developments in the scenery around you. The dark clouds looming above let you embrace what you are about to face. Riding in the rain has its own enigma attached to it. Nothing cools you down better than a shower while on your bicycle. A tip though is to stay sharp and visible while riding on slippery roads. The trail riders must be having a lot of fun. Muck and slush is what they live for. No matter where you ride, just give your bicycle a gentle wash after riding in the rains just as a gesture of saying thank you.

Tel: +91 98802 16064 Koramangala/HSR Layout New #12, Old #75, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, Koramangala 1st Block, Near HSR 5th Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 Website

www.procycle.in For queries regarding subscription write to subscribecrank@procycle.in To share a stroy, write to feedback@procycle.in Cover

Postcards from Leh, 1986 by Mahandra Kumar Back Cover

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Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher

Earlier events at the IG Velodrome

CFI News

National Cycling Coaching Course

ycling Federation of India successfully conducted a three day cycling Coaching Course at their World Cycling Centre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Satellite India, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi from 12th to 14th May 2016. The course was aimed at coaches from across the country from various participating levels. A total of 35 coaches participated in the course. This course was conducted for selection of the Coaches for UCI level 1 coaching course to be held at New Delhi from 19th to 26th June 2016, which will be completely funded by the International Cycling Union (UCI). The course was planned and conducted by Sh. R K Sharma, Chief Coach, Sh. Amar Singh, Arjuna Awardee, Mr. VN Singh, International Commissaire. Sh. G S Bawa was specially invited to deliver a lecture on sports psychology. Following the training provided at this course, the following coaches have been selected for the UCI level 1 Coaching Course.

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No. NAME STATE/UNIT 1 Chareen C SSCB 2 Maxwell Trevor Telangana 3 Abhijit Sett West Bengal 4 Saurabh Sharma H.P 5 Chandran Chettiar Kerala 6 O. Bikram Manipur 7 Manjit Singh Punjab 8 Anoop S Nair Kerala 9 Gulam Kawa SAI 10 Deepali M. Patil (Nikam) Maharashtra

Apart from the above Indian coaches, 15 foreign coaches from Asian subcontinent will also take part in the said Coaching course. The very inception of the World Cycling Centre-Satellite India was for programs like the National Cycling Course. The centers prominence and deliverability will only keep reaching out to new height, promises the Cycling Federation of India. Crank wishes all the selected coaches a very good luck and is sure that the training they receive will equip them to train many more young athletes to come.

WCC-SAtellite Centre IG Velodrome National Cycling Coaching Seminar

CFI News

Taiwan Cup Track International Classic I & II

Podium Accolades

ndian Cyclists continue their winning streak in International Track Championship. A five member Indian track Cycling team took part in Taiwan Cup Track International Classic I & II held at Hsin Chu City, Taiwan from 2nd to 4th June 2016. The team members competed Elite Women and Junior Boys categories. The event was organized under the UCI guidelines and the facilities provided to the participating teams were all as per the established guidelines of UCI. The event saw classic track racing events like Sprint, Keirin, Time Trial, Team Sprint, Team pursuit, Scratch and Omnium. Performance of Indian Cycling Team during the event is given below:Junior Boys Team Won Gold Medal in Team Sprint event comprising of following members: 1. 2. 3.

Mr. Emerson Mr. Sahil Kumar Mr. Sinuraj P

: : :

Andaman & Nicobar Haryana Kerala

Further, Sinuraj placed 12th and Emerson placed 14th in the Keirin event. Ms. Deborah won 02 Silver Medals in time trial and sprint event and placed fifth in the Keirin event with Kezia VARGHEESE following her in fourth place in the Sprint event and eighth in the Keirin. Deborah and Keziaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s combined efforts at the Team Sprint event fetched India a fourth place.

Junior Boys Team bagged the Gold

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Industry News

Scott launches new bike fit tech in India Crank Bengaluru Bureau

COTT India have been steadily expanding their presence in the country through their line-up of bicycles, accessories ever since their entry into India 5 years back. They boast of a robust network of bicycle dealers across the country ensuring good reach to riders all over the country. In this continuous effort, they have also opened the first SCOTT Technology Center in Bangalore which opened its doors just a few months back. SCOTT, as a brand has been known for their Innovation, Technology and Design that they bring into each of their products. While the SCOTT Technology Center, will house a wide range of bikes, accessories and state-of the-art workshop for bike repair under one roof, it also is home to the latest Bike Fitting Machine which has just been setup.The SCOTT Bike Fitting System by Radlabor is developed to define the Perfect Bike Geometry plus all Adjustments needed for an Optimized & Utmost Efficient

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Position on the Bike. The Bike Fitting machine by Radlabor is essentially a laser beam which measures the ridersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; limb lengths and then compares it with the bike frame dimensions to recommend the best fit for a given rider. This way an optimum fit/position for a rider can be arrived at within a very short time. The system is a Professional Measurement Concept that provides Ergonomic Consultation and Bike Fitting for the Cyclists. It enables a noncontact body scan and high-precision bike measurement by means of laser Technology. Once the measurement data is assimilated, the system is capable of providing the settings & Geometric Data in less than Three minutes. With the launch of this new bike fit system, SCOTT aims at making performance bicycle selection and purchase a lot simpler for their growing consumer base.

BANGALORE’S FAVOURITE BICYCLE SUPERSTORE INDIRANAGAR | KORAMANGALA/HSR Discover a world of premium bikes from global brands, genuine spares, impeccable service and expert advice at ProCycle, Bangalore’s bike superstore. Great rental plans too. WIDEST RANGE OF BICYCLES, ACCESSORIES & SPARES AVAILABLE UNDER ONE ROOF

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Industry News

Giant Starkenn Bikes

DISPLAYS AT PUNE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS EXPO Crank India West Bureau

oday Cycling in just not limited to recreational purposes in India, with a growing number of young athletes taking cycling as a competitive sport the demand for high end sports cycles is becoming a trend. Keeping this in mind Starkenn Sports Pvt. Ltd. displayed some of their world’s best cycle from Giant, Starkenn and Liv across the On, Off and X Road categories, along with gear from Shimano, Mavic, Topeak, VP etc. in the Pune International Sports Expo held from 5th May to 8th May 2016. Displayed at stall B2, B7 and OA4, these high end bicycle and gears proved to be a show stopper across varied age groups.

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Starkenn Sports Pvt. Ltd. plays not only a major role in bringing premium bicycling culture but also evolving it by providing consumers with a firsthand experience of riding a bike which is technologically superior and ergonomically customized for Indian roads. They are made to satisfy the riders’ need for adventure, outdoor fitness, sporting activity and group indulgence activities. The bikes offer the highest levels of safety, performance, comfort and convenience for the users. They deliver a complete range of International and ultrahigh quality bicycles coupled with the widest range of accessories offered in India and South Asian region.

Speaking on the occasion a passionate Mr. Pravin V Patil Managing Director & CEO of Giant Starkenn bikes said that “We were overwhelmed to see the kind of response we got in the Pune International Sports Expo. This is a sign that times are changing and India is moving towards a healthier and cleaner future by taking up cycling.” “Apart from using these kind of platform to promote cycling, we regularly facilitate rides originating from the Giant Starkenn Cycling World & Giant Starkenn Dealers almost 4 times a week including weekends in various parts of India,” he further added.

Naveen introduces bike categories to the runners

Cycling for Runners

ith a steady gain in the turnout of runners at the 9th TCS 10k Bengaluru run, Giant-Starkenn believes that it is exciting to see more folks in Bangalore take to endurance sports, Giant Starkenn takes it as their responsibility to educate, today’s fitness enthusiast on the methods through which they can positively achieve their endurance/fitness goals. A step in that direction was organizing a talk by Naveen John, India’s first UCI Pro Continental Cyclist on the benefits of cycling as cross training for runners. Here are a few of the pointers that he shared with the participants.

Naveen John

Running and Cycling share a lot in common. Runners, make for pretty good cyclists, as they already have well developed cardiovascular systems that are the foundation of any endurance activity. Runners who come into cycling do so with a few advantages: Cycling comes easily to them because of a more full-body workout they get from running, they bring with them the strong spine and hip stabilizers that running needs; and if they’ve been measured in their running, they come in with good tendon and ligament strength -- all of these makes for a smooth transition in to cycling. However, there are a few pointers that runners transitioning or adding cycling into their fitness routine should take note of. Running and Cycling differ in the bio-mechanics, and hence different muscular firing patterns. One of the primary sources of injury in running occurs when the braking forces load the eccentrically contracted quadriceps during heel strike. On the contrary, cycling is relatively low/no impact, and is easier on your joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Besides these physiological benefits, introducing cycling to your running regime has the “soft benefits” of being a form of active recovery on run recovery days, keeping motivation for your running strong, and in the case of nursing a running injury, it can provides a great mode of rehab.

If you are an avid runner looking to complement your fitness routine with cycling, or are just starting out on the fitness journey, the best place would be to talk to friends of yours who cycle. The next step would be to visit a good bicycle store, which has a variety of bicycles. A good place to start online is the Starkenn website (www. starkennbikes.com) as, along with its Giant Starkenn Cycling Worlds located in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata, also list their dealer outlets, which represent the best in the business pan India. If you are the type that’s slow to move and need the motivation of a goal to chase, then sign-up for a bicycling event that’s a couple months out, and work towards getting ready for it. These tips are just a glimpse of how well cycling can be balanced out by runners and being at the forefront of this would be Naveen John with his racing experience and Giant Starkenn with their expertise in the right equipment.

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The descend from Jalori Top

The Long Road

Conquer Jalori with YHAI Crank India North Bureau

River crossing

alori Pass is one of the coveted cycling tracks to adventure enthusiasts. It is even popular among automotive enthusiasts. It is famous for its view of the Himalayas from an altitude of 10,800 ft. and the challenging steep off road climb that leads to the peak.

Jalori Pass is situated in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh at about 40kms from Jibhi. It is one of the few mountain passes that remain open throughout the year and is therefore on every adventurers map. It closes down only depending on the snowfall from mid December to March. Even motorists need to be skilled and prepared for tackling the climb up to Jalori. But the view is unbelievably breathtaking. Especially for someone who is new to experiencing the Himalayas. Cycling will be one of the perfect modes to the top ensuring that you can soak in the vista around Jalori at a justified pace, but cycling to the top is not a feat that can be achieved easily if you are a beginner rider. There are many organized tours that a beginner might want to take advantage of to gain this experience, but one of the most experience driven and economical option will be the YHAI National Himalayan Mountain Biking Jalori Pass 2016. YHAI (Youth Hostels Association of India) is a not for profit ISO certified NGO registered under societies act. An affiliate member of Hostelling International head quartered in UK. The YHAI has been organizing economical adventure programs from last 46 years for the youth of the country. National Himalayan Mountain Biking Expedition Jalori Pass is one of the flagship programs of YHAI. The participation fee is just Rs. 4000/-

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Exploring the Kullu valley

The Hosteliers

for a 7N/8D expedition which includes, mountain bike and safety equipments, accommodation, all meals, insurance, guidance and forest entry permits. This edition of the expedition saw over 20 eager members participating. and enduring out the granite and mud covered route to the top. The eight day expedition starts at Aut, which is located about 28kms from Kullu. Since the riders were from different parts of India and were of different fitness levels, a full day was allotted for acclimatization and orientation towards riding in the Himalayan regions. The first day started off with a 22 kms ride to the Youth Hostel at Banjar which brought the riders to an altitude of 4000ft. The following day a 10kms ride to Jibhi brought the riders up to an altitude of 6000ft. An altitude gain of 2000 ft in 10kms can be a

steep at most points, challenging many of the new riders. Third day of riding had the riders camping at Sojha for a nature trail at the top of Jalori Pass the following day at al altitude of 10,500ft and a fast downhill ride back to the camp at Jibhi. The experience was guided by experts and with adequate technical and medical support that gave the riders the ability to enjoy the ride and concentrate on the experience without worrying about being too new to the sport or activity of cycling. The riders experienced one of the tough mountain passes of the Himalayas, the Jalori Pass under the guidance of the YHAI and the members of the YHAI will only have more such experiences to look forward to. Memberships to the YHAI can be gotten at http://www.yhaindia.org/

Camp and equipment

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Udupi Cylathon

Race Report

Udupi Cyclathon Crank Bengaluru Bureau

dupi, the coastal city in Karnataka is famous for its vegetarian cuisine, beaches and the prestigious Manipal University. The highways leading into and out of the city has been serving as a good training ground for many of the road cyclists and cycle tourists and it was about time that the city hosted its own cycling race. Udupi events in association with Manipal University and Manipal Institute of Technology organized the National Level Udupi Cyclathon 2016. Udupi Events was established in January 2016 with a mission to foster and promote sports, fitness, and health and create awareness amongst the youth generation in various aspects across Karnataka. Udupi Cyclathon was a step towards this very mission and was supported by BMW, as Executive Sponsor, Adani Power Limited, State Bank of India, Merida Bikes India, Raymond Shop, Shri Krishna Cooperative Society, Building Needs, Abharan Jewellers, Ujwal Developers, Hotel Kidiyoor, Shree Logistics, Punjab National Bank, Shree Matha Enterprises, Prasad Netralaya. The event had Radio Partner as Big 92.7 FM, Photography Partner as Flashbulbz and Photography club of Manipal , MTTN and U Channel as official Media Partners.

BMW Pace Cars

Further, the event was supported by District Administration and Department of Police. Cycling clubs of place around the event - Udupi Cycling Club, Mangalore Cycling Club ( MACC) and Mangalore bi Cycle Club (MbC) actively participated in the event. The Student Volunteer from VSO (Volunteer Service Organization) played an important role in smooth conduction of the event.

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Fast corners

Women Riders

Prize Distribution

Stunt Riding

The Technical support for the event was from Polygon Cycles - Wheel sports Bangalore. The event was entirely coordinated by Prof Nithesh Nayak and Prof. Balakrishna Maddodi. The race was organized Manipal with the theme of â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAVE WATER, SAVE EARTH, and PEDAL FOR HEALTHâ&#x20AC;?. The event aimed to make people appreciate the importance of reducing pollution levels by making our cities cleaner, healthier and greener places to live. Road traffic, being a major source of pollution, cycling surely helps in reduction of health threatening pollutants in the air. Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University known for its hospitality and provided free AC room accommodation and buffet food (Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) to the participants of the Cyclathon. The participants were also reimbursed travel allowance of Sleeper Class Train fare or Equivalent by Udupi events. Feedback from many participants indicate that it was one of the best organized cycling events of the country in recent times with such rider centric initiatives in the event. The natural undulating topography of the coastal region offered many climbs and

fast descents assorted with fast curvy roads to the riders. The circuit had 2 km steep down and 4 km Uphill and several curvy roads and a good stretch of 6 kms of National Highway 66. The circuit was covered as numerous laps depending on the category of each rider. Pro Race, Open category; Men (50Kms) Women( 25kms) and Open Category Amateur race (25kms) both categories for riders over 16 years of age. Troupers Race (10kms) for riders aged above 45 years and Passion Race (10kms) open for all age groups. The race saw a total participation of close to 350 riders across all categories. Making the Udupi Cyclathon a national event was the highlight which brought many riders from across India into this region and its terrain which is still nascent to cyclists. The winners were felicitated at KMC Greens with Sri Abhaychandra Jain, Minister of Sports, Govt. of Karnataka as the Chief Guest and Sri Vinay Kumar Sorake, Minister of Urban Development, Govt. of Karnataka & MLA Kaup, Sri Pramod Madhwaraj, Parliamentary Secretary & Minster of Revenue, Govt. of Karnataka and MLA Udupi, Dr. Suma Nair, Director (student Affairs), Manipal University, Sri Kishore Alva,

Executive Director, UPCL Adani Powers limited as the guests of honour to the ceremony which included cultural activities like dance performances and bicycle stunt riding.

Categorical Results Pro Race - Open category I Prize - 50000 - Mr. Nagappa Muradi, Bijapur II Prize -35000 - Mr. Basappa Therdul, Bijapur III Prize - 25000 - Mr. Sandesh Uppar, Bijapur Pro Race - Female - Open Category I Prize - 25000 - Ms. Leena Robra, Germany II Prize -15000 - Ms. Seema, Wheelsports, Blore III Prize - 10000 - Ms. Renuka, Wheel Sports, Bangalore Amateur Race - Open category I Prize - 20000 - Mr. Machindra II Prize -15000 - Mr. Sohail III Prize - 10000 - Mr. Ram Jadhav Fun Ride - 10 Km I Prize - Onel Saldanha - Bicycle Sponsored By Bike Farm II Prize - Smit B Javaya III Prize - Ankit Shetty Veteran Race - 10 KM I Prize - Pa Mohammed And Jai Mohan Korah II Prize - Jagannath Rai

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Flag off on Aug14, 1986

Far From Home

Leh’d in 1986 Crank India West Bureau. Images by Mahandra Kumar

here was a time when the currently crowded and over exploited regions of Leh and Ladakh were prohibited for civilians. And that is a time when Madandra Kumar and seven of his friends decided to ride their bicycles from Mumbai to Leh over a period of 1 month in the year 1986. Mahandra who is currently 60 years old and recently retired from his services as a Central Government Service personal for the last 37 years and settled in Mumbai with his wife, Anuradha Mahandra describes himself and his habit of cycling, “I am a hardcore traveller and want to see the world at a relaxed pace. To explore this beautiful world walking is the best thing but is exceptionally slow. Next best thing is a bicycle. A cycle takes you to

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places where no other vehicle can reach. On a cycle you get the complete satisfaction of arriving because your mind has chosen the path and steered you over it; your eyes have seen it; your muscles have felt it; your breathing, circulatory and digestive systems have all done their natural functions better than ever, and every part of your being knows you have travelled and arrived.”

he had used, we craved for more details and this is what he had to say like it all happened last week to him.

Originally from Delhi, Mahandra found the freedom of exploring the city on his bicycle as one of the most exciting experiences in life. This experience of liberty later inspired many cycling adventures, a ground-breaking one at that is the expedition to Leh in 1986.

The cycling adventure to Leh from Mumbai was undertaken in the year 1986. We were a group of trekkers, members of Youth Hostels Association of India who regularly trekked in the Himalayas. The team was lead by me and other members were Mr. Vijay Choudhary, Makhan Singh, Girish Bapat, Parag, Vinay Kerketta and two more. We started our expedition on 15th August 1986 and were flagged off from Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai by the then State Sports Minister.

When we first heard about his ride to Leh and noticed the humble steel frame bicycles

During those days civilians were not allowed on Manali - Leh route. It was the time when

Leh was not on the radar of tourism, Ladakh was known as a place somewhere deep in Himalayas. The cycles were rudimentary means of transport & were very basic. Bicycles were BSA Mach 1 sports with 1x6 gears ratio. We had to carry everything along with us including spares, food warm clothing, documentation, maps, there was no room for we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need this or that, we were prepared to face anything and that only added up to more weight to be carried on our cycles. We had used school bags as panniers. There were villages beyond Zojila Pass where people were seeing cycles for the first time. We crossed three high altitude Himalayan Passes ZojiLa In Paris, 1989-1990

(12000 + ft), Namikala (13500 + ft) & Fatula (14500+ ft). We stayed in hotels, PWD huts and sometimes local hospitality enroute. Beyond Srinagar the only food available was Cabbage, Rice and Channa Dal. However Indian Army posts provided us lot of hospitality in that area. Our route was Mumbai - Surat - Baroda - Ahmedabad Udaipur - jaipur - Delhi - Ambala - Jalandhar - Jammu - Srinagar - Kargil - Leh. The accessories and tyre tubes that we found as we crossed Srinagar were of very inferior quality and led to frequent stops for repairs. In a particular instance, my brake cables failed during my descend from

Patnitop and I had to deliberately crash the bicycle and fall off of it to stop the bicycle. Else this story would have been narrated very differently. High ascents and fast descents in Himalayas, acclimatization to the high altitude, lack of tarmac road from Sonamarg to Drass, scarcity of primary accommodations and health care. In case of accident or serious health scare the life of participant was at stake. After braving the elements with only the desire to assimilate a new experience into our lives, on 14th September 1986 we arrived at Leh at around 4 pm. The sun has already gone behind mountains and there hardly any people in the village. Nobody to share our

Presidential Palace, Warsaw, Poland

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Matsumoto Castle, Japan

Turku, Finland At Berlin Wall, 1989

joy but for an old US tourist couple who were surprised to see cyclists in Leh. Except for the commuting cycling that we were up to, we did not prepare ourselves in any other manner. For me, this expedition to Leh was in preparation of my Around the World cycling expedition. This challenging expedition gave me confidence to embark on bigger expeditions. It showed the limits of human endurance, mental strength and adaptability to surroundings. It developed the capacity to accept any challenge and the attitude that nothing is impossible. What we get from these adventures is sheer joy. My Around the World Cycling Adventure was taken up between 19891990 wherein I visited 34 countries on cycle, distance covered was about 34,000 kms approx. Since then I have been taking country specific cycling trips like new Zealand, Northern Europe and Baltic region and recently last year I covered Japan. My next targets are Canada and the South American continent.

At Riga, Latvia

Over the course of time, Mahandra has realized the need for good equipment and has gone from starting his riding on a BSA SLR switching to a BSA Mach 1 and in year 2011 purchasing a Hercules ACT 110 and since 2013 he has upgraded to Specialized Hybrid Sirrus and also owns a Brompton folding bicycle. Keeping his spirit of adventure alive and plotting the course for his next one, Mahandra leaves us with “ Your bike is discovery; your bike is freedom. It doesn’t matter where you are, when you’re on the saddle, you’re taken away.” Crank salutes this free spirit and wishes him more wonder and fulfilment in the days and bicycle rides to come. Mahandra Kumar

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New Zealand

Profiled

Marion Vilette aniSh

icycle riding is big in Europe and even bigger in France. With a whole new season of Le Tour fast approaching, Crank decided to take a peek at what is cooking in France and bring you Marion Villette, a 27 year old high school English teacher whose connections with cycling is rather unique. Marion has been riding seriously since the past year, but has always had a bicycle around her. She rode around as a child and progressed to riding around her village in her late teens. She narrates the resurrection of her habit, “My partner is a cycling addict and so when he went out to see friends, they would just go somewhere to cycle. It looked like a lot of fun, and so I bought a second-hand bike and started riding with the guys!” Realizing that her partner is not the only one who is addicted to cycling, Marion accepts, “I now spend most of my free time cycling but I also like watching series and movies, and spending time with my friends and family. I have come to own several bikes, a Cannondale Supersix Evo equipped in Shimano 105, my first real road bike, but these days I’m lucky enough to ride a HiMod Supersix Evo equipped with amazing Sramred gear and Zipp wheels. I also have a Dolan Seta fixed gear bike, a Merida mountain bike and a custom steel frame that I started on.” France is a beautiful country to cycle in. No wonder it is called the Tour De France. “In France, it seems like everyone owns a bike. But not everyone uses one regularly, but everyone has a bike in their garage. Parents ride with their children for family time, teenagers cycle to see their friends, some adults cycle to run errands and other people ride their bikes to exercise or to compete and seeing people on bikes is just very usual here in France. I started riding “for real” this summer and I have to admit that spending my afternoons watching Le Tour helped me realize that I really wanted to cycle. Le Tour De France is so exhilarating, even when you’re just in front of your TV. I loved watching it and so I started spending my mornings riding and my afternoons watching the race.” Marion loves to ride in the Lot region in the South West of France for the long empty roads where once can choose to have a

CRANK with ProCycle JULY 15TH, 2016

Riding in the Lot region

mostly flat ride or to cycle over some hills or even to do some serious uphill training. She never give up the opportunity to discover new routes and landscapes and has recently climbed Mt. Ventoux making it her current favourite route. Exploring new landscapes

Speaking a little bit more about her riding habits, “I ride all kind of distances, sometimes I cycle for just 25km when I don’t have time for more, but if I’m in a group, I regularly cycle up to 80km or more. On my own, on a normal ride, I’d say I ride about 40-50km, but I like changing distance, speed and types of rides quite often.” Her philosophy towards cycling remains simple, “It’s fun, it’s fast, it doesn’t cost you money after you’ve bought it, and it makes you feel free.” She goes on to recommend it to more people, “Try it, you’ll love it. Cycling is good for your body and mind; it makes you healthy both physically and mentally... When you feel stressed out, depressed or angry, nothing beats cycling as a way to chill out.” Marion’s riding habits and her determination to keep riding for something as simple as fun goes to show that bicycling is not a hobby or an exercise but an attitude, one that almost guarantees happiness, every time. Ladies, it is time to start setting your Le Tour goals. #getoutandride. You can follow Marion on instagram @marion.vlt

CRANK with ProCycle JULY 15TH, 2016

Club Connect

LPC rides to river Sutlej Riding the countryside

few months back we introduced you to the Ludhiana Pedallers Club. We now bring you glimpses of their ride last month to the banks of river Sutlej. The Sutlej holds a special place in the hearts of the residents of Punjab. With summer, the river recedes and lets open vast sandy banks that are perfect for some picnic games. The riders of LPC got together on 29th May at 5am to ride to the banks of Sutlej near Ladowal. Riding through fields and on sand was the norm of the day, even hiking with the bike across narrow bridges was part of the ride. It all become worth it when the riders unleashed a session of beach volleyball and other games on the cool and soft sands of the river bed. A little hiking

The LPCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ride motto is to simply promote riding. And making the designation attractive is just a mere incentive to the rider. Many of the LPC rides are to culturally rich heritage destinations and brings a new perspective in the riders one Sunday at a time.

If you are part of a cycling club and want to have your rides featured here, write to feedback@procycle.in

CRANK with ProCycle JULY 15TH, 2016

Games on the sandy shores

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Portland Reflector

Shop Talk

Erik Roby

Portland Reflector Used on a jacket

isibility is the most important is what we believe here at Crank and we cannot stress that enough. Whether you are a bicycle commuter or just one of us nut jobs who get out and ride even before the sun is up, you need to stick out like a sore thumb to other riders and motorists. But what about when you are not riding? Do you have to call that kind of attention to yourself when you are just strolling about? That is the very thought that led Erik Roby to create the Portland Reflector, a large enough reflector for you to be seen, but completely detachable and collapsible when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Proud owner of a 2013 Kona Rove, Erik has been riding a bicycle in the city of Portland almost his entire life. Cycling is supposed to be cool, but cycling gear sometimes compromises on the cool for the sake of purpose. Erik changed that idea with the Portland Reflector. No batteries, a large reflective surface area and it can be attached or detached from your regular clothing or luggage accessories. The entire unit has two pieces, one with the reflector comprised of a vinyl reflective material and the inner flexible brace that is made from a urethane rubber, both pieces having magnets integrated into their ends to ensure a hold when installed. Erikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design is simple and ingenious for providing so much visibility in a manner that can be compacted. The product isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available yet, but you can go on ahead to kickstarter and help Erik fund large scale production.

CRANK with ProCycle JULY 15TH, 2016

The inner brace with the magnets

Tested

Avon Cyclux GTX aniSh

0/,80 0 1 Rs

von Cycles, one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of cycles in India launched their new series called Cyclux at the March CFOSE Bicycle Expo in Ludhiana. The Cyclux range adds a modern touch to their existing range of mass appealing cycles. Avon even changed their logo to a more contemporary representation of the letter ‘A’ that has been carrying the mantle of the brand name. Over the last two months, we have noticed the growing number of Cyclux models hitting the streets mostly ridden by teenagers and by people who just get around their neighbourhood. Most of these were first bicycles in kids and second first bicycles in adults. We decided to test one out to find out what Cyclux’s deal was. Understanding that Cyclux isn’t a race or performance unit, we shelved our usual testing parameters. The Cyclux range is more of a utilitarian bicycle range and that is exactly what we set out to test on the Avon Cyclux GTX, the highest variant in this range. Upon opening up the packaging of the bicycle, we decided that we would not judge the bike for what it is not but rather look at it for what it is. And so, even before looking at the specs or parts, we went by colour. I loved the green, most others did too. Some were just dumbfounded. Moving on, I have to accept that however basic the frame may seem, it has a very fluidic design to it. Most other full suspension bicycles in this price range (well there aren’t many that can match the GTX’s parts specs) and made of just too many tubes that it becomes hard to identify which piece belongs to which part of the frame classification. The GTX’s frame silhouette is striking with flowing lines and the curved down and top tube design allows

CRANK with ProCycle JULY 15TH, 2016

Fludic Frame Design

Rear Mechanical Suspension

Streamlined Saddle

Shimano Tourney FD

7 Speed Altu RD

for longer front suspension. A lot of close attention has been given into achieving the frame design. Especially since it is a full suspension bicycle towards the swingarm assembly. Which gives rise to the age old debate which we won’t indulge much in this review, ‘Why do city bicycles need rear suspension? Beginner to Moderate trails can be handled by Hardtails, why then should there be rear suspension on a city bicycle?’ The answer, is well, nobody needs the Batmobile, but it is always good to have one. Yes the inertia from riding on flats that makes you feel like you are sitting on a bouncy exercise ball is annoying, but all you need to do is stiffen the suspension up. The modernity of the Cyclux range shows in the drivetrain components. A seven speed Shimano Altus RD with a Shimano freewheel and a standard triple crank controlled by a Shimano Tourney FD does make for the shifting a lot better and is something you will not find at this price range. The other parts on this bicycle are pretty standard, the shifters are the new design Shimano rapid fires, again surprising at this price. The saddle seems comfortable once the rear suspension is stiffened out. The handle

Lightweight Alloy Pedals

Rear V Brake System

too provides a good enough riding stance. Something that really caught my eye was how good and lightweight a pedal the GTX had. The GTX comes with a quick release on the seat tube for quick adjustments when you share the bicycle. Braking duties are taken care of by linear pull V-brakes at the rear and mechanical disc brakes on a 160mm rotor in the front wheel. The front suspension quality however could have been slightly better. The wheels are 26” and has a great set of MTB tires on that can help with varied terrains. Although slightly crude looking, the chain stay has a welded dropout for kick stands which the bicycle comes fitted with. Since we would not attempt our performance bicycle tests on the GTX for it would be unfair, we did however put it through two simple tasks, the rear suspension bobbing was a concern, how much of one though? We hung a thin plastic carry bag with half a kilo of weight in it from the seat rails and rode it around the city to see how far until the up and down motion would snap the cover. Surprisingly, almost 8kms later, the cover remained intact. We just had to stop riding and head back to base to gorge down the half a kilo of apples we bought for this test. The second test

160mm Front mechanical Disc

was, it looks like an Enduro bicycle, can it do anything Enduroesque? Well, it is a simple bicycle, we didn’t want to give it a complex test. We tried to do bunny hops on the bicycle to see just how easy its fit felt on the rider. We found out that the bicycle is heavy and bunny hopping it required a lot more effort from the legs, but we did manage to accomplish a few hops after all. Looking at the overall experience of riding this bicycle in both city traffic on tarmac and some bit of flat dirt back roads, the wrong question to ask would be, “Can it do, anything fancy?” But that is just it. It is not meant for bunny hops or the trails. It is meant for the simple joy of cycling. It is what can be called as the best bang for the bucks you are shelling whether it is for an eager kid or an adult who just wants to enjoy a comfortable cycle ride without breaking the bank. The bicycle is simply great for its price and that is what the new Avon Cyclux GTX will be, a great first bicycle to many new riders to come, young and old alike mostly for the teenaged young. Crank gives the Avon Cyclux GTX an AHT (Average Head Turning) Factor of 7.9 out of 10.

Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Toys

Giant MTB Platform Pedals Rs. 1980/These pedals are for those on the lookout for grippy foot stance but not ready to upgrade to cleats yet. While commuters might not see the need of this at all, the grip offered by a good platform pedal always comes in handy on the bumpy roads and more so while out about thrashing trails. This pair of pedals from Giant has 10 needles on each side, all of which are adjustable and replaceable. The axle is made of Chromoly steel and has a sealed bearing construction that hold the pedal together. Get ready for some more scars on your shin.

Starkenn Flip Mudguard Rs. 1750/The rains have begun and no matter how much you deny it, you might just want a fender for your bicycle. The primary reason for not having fenders on your bike is the diminishing cool factor. The second would be the installation process. The Starkenn flip solves this problem by using a tool free installation system similar to that of the cycle computer stem mount and secured with an added brace for you to easily attach and detach it from the bicycle. The Flip comes in a pair and has a slightly more permanently fixed front fender. But who ever cared for front fenders, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what down tubes are for.

GET OUT & RIDE!

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