India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine
Volume 5 Issue 9
KARENG / 2016 / 68421
October 2017
Rs. 100/-
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lusive M e Exc
ar tner aP di
Hero MTB Himalaya - Curtain Raiser Accessorise for Tri Tested - Dolan L’Etape 105 Master Customisor - Shailesh Krishna
Official a n
Inside
Cycling Federation of India
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InThisIssue CFINews Pedaling to the top
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IndustryNews TI & Schwinn Kartik Kansara at TOA Randonneurs in Tandem
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ProCycling Hero MTB Himalaya 2017 What Is Enduro? Down Hill World Cup round up Cycling in the Satpuras
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CityTalk Gwalior Cycling Rangers
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Feature Tested - Dolan L’Etape 105 Pic feature - Hyderabad Wallride Park How to go Tubeless
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PlanetSaddle Master Customiser - Shailesh Krishna
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TriathlonCorner Accessorise for Tri
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ToyCentral Castelli Tri Suit
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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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Editor’sNote
The CRANK with ProCycle Team Dear Readers Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor Onkar Singh, Secretary General CFI and ACC
Monsoon is ending and roadies must be changing their wet slicks, shredders scraping the muck off the bottom brackets and the city slickers doing away with their mudguards and getting their bike ready for beautiful cool riding months coming up This issue is once again filled to capacity with variety. Two CRANK partner events
Edit Desk
have culminated in the hills of Satpura and the Aravali. We bring you a report on the
Dr. Meera Velankar
former. We eagerly await our signature partner event the Hero MTB Himalaya to kick
Karthik.G
off. Check out a brief curtain raiser. We take you to Hyderabad to give you a glimpse
Trackside Editor - Triathlon - Deepak Raj Creative and Design N. Chandru Contact editdeskcrank@procycle.in
of the wall ride park a pump track designed to attract many and bring you up to steam with Shailesh Krishna from Pune who does some cutting edge customisation for your ride In this issue we test ride a DOLAN the choice steed for the Indian team and a preferred track horse around the world. Many practice on the road on a track steed
subscribecrank@procycle.in
and DOLAN can be customised if you dont have neighborhood velodrome. Also for
advertisecrank@procycle.in
the Tri aficionados, there are some basic tips from the Master, Deepak Raj…phew we
Operations Rahul kavaseri Expert Test Team Karthik.G Kiran Kumar AM All Rights Reserved By ProCycle and Sports India Pvt. Ltd. Corporate Office and Showroom 226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar, Bangalore – 560071 Tel: 080 41161902, +91 95380 66695 Website www.procycle.in Follow us on Facebook: @CrankwithProCycle https://www.facebook.com/CrankwithProCycle/ Photo Credits Catherine on the single track, Hero MTB Himalaya Back cover: Bangalore bicycle Championship Printed By Print 2 Last Solutions
are packed ! And before i forget, we’ve already got a peek into some 018”s and we will start revealing them to you next issue onwards … Till then ….#GETOUTANDRIDE Ciao Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher
CFINews
Pedaling to the top
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t gives us immense pleasure to announced that for the first time ever the Indian Junior Cycling Team secured 8th place in the Team sprint event and qualified for the next round beating USA during UCI World Track Cycling Championships held at Montichiari, Italy held from from 23rd to 27th Aug. 2017 In first round Aleena did a super start and clocked 19.9 sec, third fastest start at world championships. Our girls were riding with the
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German team in the first round but were much quicker than them. The performance of Indian team was much appreciated. Mr. Brian Cookson came to the team pit and appreciated the girls The team was felicitated at IG Sports Complex, New Delhi on arrival by Sh. Harbhajan Singh, Director, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. CSR partner of the CFI Mission Excellence.
IndustryNews
TI Announce Partnership with Schwinn
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riedrichshafen, Germany, August 30, 2018: TI Cycles of India, one of the leading bicycle manufacturers in India, a part of the USD 4.7 Billion Murugappa Group announced that it has signed up Pacific Cycles USA, a part of Dorel Industries, Inc., to acquire the Brand Licensing rights for the brand Schwinn for India for a period of 33 years. TI Cycles will launch a complete portfolio of Kids bicycles for 4 to 11 Year olds in early 2018 The entire lineup of Schwinn Kid’s bikes
will be unveiled during the TI Cycle Annual Dealer Meeting in February 2018. More than 300 dealers across India will attend the meeting to get a look at the 2018 product lineup. In 2007, TI Cycles had signed an agreement with Dorel to bring premium cycling brands Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose to Indian consumers, opening up the performance cycling category for the first time in the country. “TI Cycles has been at the forefront of bringing the best in international cycling to
KK gets the gold at TOA2 CRANK would like to congratulate our supported rider Kartik Kansara for his performance at the Cyclone Tour of Aravalli 2017. He managed to come out of the three day stage race on top, securing the win in the Competitive Sections (CS) with a total time of 02:15:45.
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the Indian market,” says Arun Alagappan, president of TI Cycles of India. “Our goal has always been to offer the finest products and experience to Indian consumers.” “This is the first brand licensing agreement for the Schwinn brand in India,” says Jeff Weiss, Senior Vice President of International Sales, Dorel Sports. “We’re looking forward to bringing the Schwinn name to kids bikes in the Indian market and helping to meet the growing bike needs of Indian consumers.
Super Randonneurs Tandem
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RANK’s Meera Velankar along with her teammate Mohammad Rafi, set out to accomplish a unique goal, to earn the badge of Super Randonnuers on a Tandem bike, the first ever by any Indian team, mixed doubles or
otherwise
For the newbies Super Randonneuring is about finishing a 200km, 300km, 400km and a 600km brevet all in the same season. To do this on a tandem bike is a super accomplishment in its own way. Rides are more challenging than normal due to logistics of transporting the long and heavy bike, riding in sync, balancing and distributing weight on bike, changing positions during brevet, riding on gears that are suitable to both, manouvering this bike on small roads all these add that degree of complexity far higher than a normal bike Both these cyclists have already earned their SR titles individually and multiple times. But for both Meera and Mohammad it was the uniqueness of the challenge that drew them to it. This was India’s first tandem SR. Both the riders and CRANK thank Venkatesh Shivarama the distributor of Polygon bikes in India for supporting and encouraging the event as always
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ProCycling
13th Hero MTB Himalaya 2017 Pedaling in the clouds 8
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“We are thrilled to be going into the 13th edition of the race this September. It’s been a long journey and it’s heartening to see how the number of riders from across the world is increasing. This year will be our highest ever international participation. For me personally it is also a great feeling to see some of our Indian riders compete head to head with the professionals. Mountain Biking is still in its incipient stages in India and we are thrilled to see so many young riders go all out. Hero cycles has been instrumental in nurturing this talent and creating a culture and a platform for Indian talent. We will be once again taking the scenic route to Dharamshala and finishing the 8 stage race there” Said Mohit Sood - President of HASTPA
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t will be the 13th time when the city of Shimla will gear up for yet another season of Asia’s oldest cross-country marathon challenge the 13th Hero MTB Himalaya 2017. More than 70 riders have confirmed their participation for Asia’s biggest MTB extravaganza. The race is all set to commence from the capital city on the 28th of September 2017. The route for this season majorly remains the same from the last year, starting from Erstwhile British capital of Shimla to Little Lhasa, Dharamshala. However a lot of new off-road sections will be added to give riders an unforgettable experience. The riders will be covering a Total distance of around 650kms across 8 stages with an elevation gain of a whopping 16500m. This will be one of the toughest editions of the race and will be most fiercely competitive with a strong line up of riders from across the world. The route is often considered as one of the most challenging for an MTB stage race in the world. Like always the riders will comprise of professional riders from across the world and some of the finest talent in India. Hero action team - India’s first fully professional MTB team will also be participating in huge numbers and will aim to bring the title of “Best Indian Rider” home. The armed forces will be represented once again with teams from various departments of the defence forces.
Highlights from 13th Hero MTB Himalaya 1) Riding for a cause 2 teams (Orphans Africa based in Tanzania and Josep Carreras Foundation based in Spain) have confirmed their intentions to ride for different causes and raise awareness. Orphans Africa is working to provide quality education and basic necessities in the region to help become self-sufficient. The team has provided dormitory facility to more than 120 kids with one especially for girls as they are more fragile in the region. Rafael Menini from Orphans Africa will be riding this season of Hero MTB Himalaya. Josep Carreras Foundation represented by a contingent of 7 riders this year will be riding to promote an initiative to fight against Leukaemia through participation in various MTB events across the globe. Jorge Padrones will be participating in the race for 3rd time and leading the team at the race.
2) Highest Ever female participation Getting female participation in a demanding sport like Mountain biking has been difficult, but the event has consistently promoted the sport and will be witnessing its first ever double digit female participation! These women are from various backgrounds, professional full time riders, bike coaches and working professionals. It would be interesting to see how the domestic talent performs against the international riders.
3) Participation of more than 50 international riders The race will also be clocking the highest participation of International riders from countries like Belgium, Spain, France and Australia. A mix of both professional and amateur riders from across the globe makes it an interesting event to participate for all riders.
4) International Crew The team working behind the scenes will see some International faces this year as well. Photographers and Physiotherapy teams will be flying from South Africa, United Kingdom, Italy and Nepal giving the international edge to the race at grassroots. The event receives participation from an average of 4 countries for its Volunteer program.
5) Prologue For the first time the race will feature a Prologue ride where the riders participate in a ceremonial flag off on the evening of 28th September and ride across the Heritage walk in Shimla.
6) Participation of Armed Forces We will have an international crew supporting the race this season. Until last year, it was mostly with the technical support. This year Physiotherapy and Photography teams will be flying to India taking things up a notch.
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What Is Enduro?
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he Enduro World Series (EWS) is one of the newer forms of mountain bike racing, the series having been founded only in 2012. Perhaps the biggest reason for the meteoric rise of the sport is how relatable the riding in these races are. Enduro draws a perfect balance between the endurance it takes to ride/race cross country and the technical ability it takes to ride Down Hill. It is to most mountain bikers what their normal everyday ride looks like. Which is again, why so many riders are drawn to the sport. The format of competition of the sport is very unique. Whilst, the EWS requires racers to climb to top before they can begin their decent, the climb to the top is not timed. Climbs are usually followed by a brief pause before they begin their decent, which are timed. The timed descents are called ‘stages’ and the climbs are called ‘transfers’. Why? Might you ask, why climb when they are not timed? The climbs exist to test the endurance of the riders. This is, some may argue the truest test of Mountain Biking. With riders needing to have both endurance and technical ability for the
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descents, which for the most part are almost as technical as those one might find on the World Cup Down Hill circuit. Another aspect that adds to the flavor that makes this sport so unique and fun to spectate is, once the day of racing begins, racers are not allowed to get outside aid in case of a mechanical failure, which means that all riders have to be completely self-sufficient in the case of a mechanical mishap, which could be anything form a flat tire to a snapped chain to a broken derailleur hanger. With the races having multiple stages and transfers, oftentimes, a mechanical doesn’t spell the end of a rider’s race. So to summarize it all; an EWS race consists of multiple stages, which are usually downhill, which are interjected with ‘transfers’ between the stages which are usually climbs. The stages are timed, and the transfers are not, they are still compulsory for the riders to do. The riders also have to be fully self-sufficient once the day of racing begins. And the winner is the rider with the least overall time.
Down Hill World Cup round up by Karthik G
H
OLY CRAP. DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED AT VAL DI SOLE? Downhill racing is normally gripping, but the last race of this World Cup season was truly something else. With only 20 points separating the top three men’s riders and all three of them qualifying in the top 5 meant a proper edge-of-my-seat-whilst-pulling-my-hairout-bitting-my-nails-and-yelling-like-amad-man-while-people-stare-at-me-atstarbuck’s session. And boy did the race pan out exactly like I hoped. The track at Val Di Sole is probably one of my favorites on the world cup circuit, as unforgiving as ever (Minnar broke his frame in two in a crash during practice), it promised to take no prisoners. The track isn’t as technical as some of the other tracks, but what it lacks in technicality it makes up in sheer speed. The race stared getting truly interesting for me when Laurie Greenland dropped in. My god was that run a treat to watch, it was probably the fastest looking race run I’ve probably ever seen. He rode like there was no tomorrow, flirting with that fine line between being in control and flying off through the tape.
inals got underway with an onslaught from F the French and the British boys bringing in the initial heat. France’s Florent Payet took the hot seat early on and held on for quite a while, before Britain’s Adam Brayton took the seat from him. Following which, Laurie Greenland, also a Brit grabbed the hot seat with a beautiful run. France reclaimed the hot seat with a scathing run from Amaury Pierron. What surprised me after Pierron’s run was, after his run, most of 2017’s big guns failed to better his time. Viergier, followed by Brosnan and then Loic Bruni, could do nothing to attempt to match his speed. And then it got truly intense. With only the two big guns left to drop in, the top two qualifiers, and the two riders whose race performance would dictate who sat on the top of the overall rankings, Gwin and Minnar. Minnar, having qualified second dropped in before Gwin. Minnar was quite fast out of the gate, posting in the green on the first three time splits, but aah, fate had
a different plan, he had a mechanical on the first part of his run, with an initial busted tire that lead to his carbon wheel breaking, spelling the end of his run, at that point, the only thing that could make him win was Gwin having an even worse run, which to be quite honest, was highly unlikely. Aaaand then Gwin dropped in. Man I hate seeing him ride (not really, Gwin is the man), the ease with which he pins those flats and hits those turns makes me want to cry and give up ever trying to ride. He almost looks like he isn’t even trying. From the way he started, gaining a bit in every split, it was a certainty, barring a mechanical, that he would clinch both the gold and the overall. After the show the boys put up for us at Val Di Sole I cannot wait for what is to come at World Champs at Cairns!
MADE FOR CITIES
After that debacle that was Mont-Sainte-Anne, Greg Minnar slid a little down on points on the overall standings, with Gwin pinning hard for the overall title. Gwin qualified first, with Minnar coming a close second, promising a spectacle of a battle for the overall.
Made for speed Making your journeys across town quicker
Indiranagar #226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage Bangalore 560 071 Tel: +91 80 2520 2004
Koramangala 12, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, 1st Block Near HSR 5th Sector Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 Mob: +91 9880216064 www.procycle.in www.facebook.com/procycleindia
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Made for trains Made for commuters and metros all over the world
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The first Brompton was designed and built in London 40 years ago, and it is still the city that inspires us most. Every Bike is still hand brazed and assembled at our factory in the capital.
Made for socialising Made for meet ups with friends and quick cafe stops
MADE IN LONDON
Cycling in the Satpuras
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our days, four hundred kilometers through some beautiful vistas and ancient cities, all on a bike? Sounds like a dream. That’s precisely what the founders of the Tour de Satpura thought when setting this event up. The event took place between the 19th and the 22nd of August. The event was organized by Madhya Pradesh tourism, making it one of the first events of its kind organized by a government department, who were also the title sponsors for the guided, fully supported tour.
rider’s luggage was transported between the places they were staying by the organizers. The stay was taken care of by Madhya Pradesh tourism.
The event attracted around 40 riders for its maiden voyage, a mix from all over the country and even some from way across the pond (quite a few ponds actually), some experienced riders and some just wading their was into the beautiful world of cycling. The event itself was a blend of a competition and a leisurely cycling tour. It was the first of its kind in the state (hopefully with many more to come), with the sport itself being in its infancy in the state, not many people were accustomed to seeing people zipping through their towns on some seriously nice looking bikes, which did attract some really curious (and slightly amused) locals who were ever-present to great the riders.
Cycle Safari was the principal organizer of the event; it was managed by The Working Elements (WE). CAC Allrounder were the Adventure partners. Ambulance and medical support was provided by Wockhardt Hospitals. Whole Foods and Fast&Up were the nutrition partners. Avon cycles, T10 sportswear, Sell Ads were associate sponsors.
Through many of the town they passed, local government officials showed up to show their support, some even joining the peloton for a short ride! This also helped with the publicity of the event amongst the local media.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism went out of its way to ensure the event was an experience that extended beyond just the riding. The evenings were chalk full of activities and live music performances by local bands. Also organized were interactive sessions with Dr. Amit Samarth (the first Indian to finish the Race Across America [RAAM] in his first attempt) and Nikita Lalwani (the first Indian to be given the title of ‘bicycle mayor’ by Dutch organization CycleSpace). The entire tour was supported i.e.; the riders didn’t have to worry about carrying anything on themselves during the ride except the essentials. There were cars following with spares for the bikes should any rider need them along with snacks and water. The
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CityTalk
Gwalior Cycling Rangers
G
walior Cycling Rangers (GCR) is the first of this kind of group in the historical city of Gwalior. Formed on 12th March 2016 by a bunch of cyclists from the city to spread the health and environmental benefits of cycling, the group got an unexpectedly positive response from the people of the city and now this family has more than 200 members from different backgrounds; doctors, defense personal, lawyers, business men, housewife’s and students who all share the same passion, cycling. Mr Sarvjeet Singh Gyani, the man behind the initiative got inspired from his son Tejanveer Singh, a dedicated cyclist who had the habit of doing his daily work on cycle. Mr Gyani just floated the idea of cycling among friends which was taken with lot of enthusiasm. Group members to take this initiative ahead were Dr Aman Shastri, Gautam Kothari, Rohit Kapoor, Gaurav Jain, Dr Satish Singh Rajput, Dr Nikhil Purohit, Cyril Savio, Chinmay Dewan, Subodh Tandon and Dr Amit Kalra. Members took to cycling as way of exercise, doing short distance rides and over a period of time it acted as stress buster. Slowly few members became passionate for long distance rides going to places which were never explored in and around Gwalior. A group of few riders started doing 100 to 200 kms rides often. One of our star rider Gaurav Jain did ride of
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approx. 600 kms from London to Paris. GCR has riders of all age group from 16 to 62 years. Dr Satyendra Sharma and Nirmal Jain are the senior most and dedicated cyclist. For few group members it came as a boon. Members with history of diabetes, hypertension, hyperacidity were off medicine with all parameters came within normal range. Few left smoking and took to healthy life. The group members regularly rides on Tuesday,Thursday Saturday and Sundays ,while the weekdays are for city rides ,on weekends long rides are planned. Since the day of coming into existence, the group is also involved in social causes be it “clean the city” drive, independence day ride and many other such events. We have been in to cycling for more than a year with a few likeminded adventurous souls. GCR has introduced me to wonderful set of people from different walks of life whose one of the passion apart from their profession is ... CYCLING.
Ironman Deepak Raj
Feature
Tested - Dolan E’tape
T
erry Dolan, the founder of Dolan bikes definitely has pedigree. He started the brand a couple of decades ago, and quickly gained traction amongst amateur racers, particularly amongst track racers with models like their DF4 and the Seta. He is also notable for having made some of Chris Boardman’s early race bikes. It is also the bike the Indian track riders use, with the likes of Deborah Herold piloting it to multiple track victories. Dolan has extended their range beyond the track, offering a wide range of road bikes, the L’Etape being the most affordable of their carbon road offerings. When the bike first showed up at the CRANK offices, we were a bit surprised at how nice the bike looked. To be quite honest, we expected the Dolan to have cut quite a few corners to be able to offer a full carbon bike with a full 105 groupset no less, at this price. The major draw to this bike is the how inexpensive it is relative to other carbon bikes with similar specs. Now, what is important to keep in mind with any bikes is that the spec is not the be all and end all. The groupset means nothing is the frame is bad. Which was a major concern when the bike rolled in. Often times a good aluminum bike is better than a cheap carbon bike. When we get a bike in for test, we like putting it together ourselves, because that gives us a good feel for the bike before we get to riding it. The first thing we noticed was how heavy the Miche wheels were. The wheelset weighed in at 3.33 kilos for the set, with the front wheel coming in at 1.4 kilos and the back at 1.93 kilos (with the cassette), which, even for an entry level carbon bike, is insanely heavy. Which, for us was the biggest turn off for the bike. The complete test bike weighed in at 8.9 kilos for the 49cm bike that was provided. As for the groupset, 105 is probably one of our favorite road groupsets on the market. Its price to performance ratio is off the charts. The way it shifts is right up there with the best. That being said, there is absolutely nothing we can fault on the L’Etape on the
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groupset front. Dolan went all the way and speced 105 throughout, including the brakes, which is one place most brands skimp on their entry level offerings. The bike is named after the iconic L’Etape du Tour, which in an annual cyclosportive that allows riders to ride a stage of the Tour de France on closed roads. The name is a little misleading, because the geometry of the bike as well as the ride it provides isn’t what we have come to expect from a modern ‘endurance’ bike. Which is not to say the bike is uncomfortable. But the name is a little misleading as the way the bike rides as well as the geometry numbers, tell me only one thing, that this bike wants to be ridden in the red as hard as possible. The ride on the bike is relatively pleasant, with the bike absorbing a lot of chatter from the road, which is to be expected of a carbon bike. The bike also handles really well, making those downhills on the toptube a lot of fun. The bike is quite stiff; you definitely feel your input translating to forward momentum, but not stiff to the point where the ride itself is unpleasant. Even the wheels, although very heavy are quite stiff and owing to their steel build, will definitely take a proper beating. the wheels are definitely my biggest gripe on this bike. They ride well and will stand up to years of abuse, but, a wheelset that weighs this much is simply unacceptable on any bike, carbon or otherwise, at this price point. If you have a good set of race wheels, and want a bombproof set of training wheels the Miche’s are good, but if are picking up this bike as your primary race bike and the races you wish to enter are hilly, you better have a lot of juice in those legs! Who is this bike for? we hear ye ask. This bike, with a good set of wheels would make a good race bike for any amateur, the bike would also fair well on longer rides, perhaps even a few brevets. I have spoken a great deal about the wheels already, but I will reiterate; weight weenies beware.
PicFeature
Hyderabad Wallride Park
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Step1: Gather all that you need. Your wheels, tires, rim tape (if you need it), valves and tubeless sealant.
How to go tubeless
Step 3: Step 2:
Now that the valve is in, mount your tire.
Put in your valve.
Step 4: After the tire is on, the tire needs a blast of air, its better if its through a compressor, but a floor pump might work too. The burst is needed to seat the bead of the tire on the rim.
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Step 5:
Step 6:
With a specific tool, or with a pair of plyers, carefully take out the valve core from both valves.
Now that the valve core is out, pour in your sealant. After putting the sealant in, give the tire a couple of rotations to spread the sealant, all that is left to do after, is to pump up your tires and hit the trails!
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ProCycle Indiranagar ProCycle Koramangala / HSR 226, 1st Main Road 2nd Stage, Domlur Koramanagala - HSR connecting road Opp. 2nd Stage, Indiranagar Bengaluru Karnataka#226, 560071I Main Rd, Domlur Agora Lake, Jakkasandra, Koramangala Bangalore - 560071.Bengaluru Tel: +91 80 2520 2004 Tel: 080 25352004 / 9880216064 Karnataka 560034 Tel: 080-25501967 / 9513222268
ProCycle Indiranagar
ProCycle Whitefield 273, Whitefield Main Road Whitefield Bengaluru Karnataka 560066 Tel: 080 28451955 / 9980999258
torquewrench@procycle.in
PlanetSaddle
Master Customiser: Shailesh Krishna In continuing our series on customisation, CRANK met up with master customisor Shailesh Krishna from Pune to know more about his passion. A brief excerpt from his interview - A brief about your history - what made you start this venture, what are your future plans
knowledge database for the company to utilize on any new product underway, along with the the bike I was assigned to design.
I am an ever discontent tinkerer who spares nothing, right from my childhood. I chose to study Automobile Engineering for Bachelors and a Masters in Transportation Design. With time, I became aware of our over dependence on IC engines as a species and the toll it takes on our environment and hence pursued clean modes of transportation as a Design Learner in 2011. Being a cyclist since childhood, I strongly believed in its efficiency as a mode of city commute and that is when my mind was made up! I have been designing bicycles ever since.
I returned to Pune after the completion of the project in 2014 and started the Ridea Cycling Club to promote cycling here. It was not very long before an internal reference got me pulled back to TI Cycles, this time into Business Development for their super premium brand, Track & Trail, in the Western Zone of the country. Herein for an year, I brought the dealers, up to speed with greater product knowledge to improve their sales capability and service quality to compete against upcoming rival premium brands like Trek, Fuji, Scott, Giant etc.
I undertook designing certain accessories that would make life easier on a bicycle for my portfolio, which got me into TI cycles of India, Chennai, to work on a carbon fiber flagship road bike. With 9 months of effort and around 2000 kms of cycling as a part of my research, I compiled a comprehensive Geometry and Bike Fit
All this time spent, in a sea of expensive clones and cheap rip-offs from the world and here, made me grow weary of their lack of soul without a rider. Inspired by International custom builders, I had thus made my mind to design and build bespoke bikes full of character, in India.
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At present, my future plans are in the direction of morphing our urban transportation picture into one that reflects of a more frugal and less ignorant society. Bicycles and other clean modes of transportation might play a major role!
steering. This adds up to a ride experience that asks for very small amount of pedal effort to get to speed, but handles so relaxed that you won’t want to cut sharp corners, like a Cadillac, and that brings a utopian smile to your face.
What’s your opinion / vision about custom bike design/ manufacture; why should people pick up customized bikes
Innovation was not limited to just the geometry, but also in the aesthetics. I designed the entire graphics to reflect on the client’s prideworthy profession. The inspiration came from Jules Verne’s novel from 1870, ‘20000 Leagues Under the Sea’. The name ‘Nautilus’ was taken from the fictional submarine in the book, and its literary description helped decide the color and material palette for the bike, hence all the blue, gold, chrome steel, copper and leather! Frame lugs, Handle bar and the stem were engraved with ornate writings and doodles.
If 200 years of the development of bicycles were a garden of flowers, custom bicycles are its orchids. They are rare, beautiful in form & function and make you wonder & awe! They are symbols of people with good taste and fine choices. Similarly, they need to be cared for and protected well to keep them as magnificent as they come. There are responsibilities attached to them, not every gardener can tend to. So people should ask themselves, “Am I an Orchid person?” before they go out and get one! Any specific bike you have customized which is the best from your stable till now; Pl share tech specs and other details The bike which is closest to my heart by far is the ‘Nautilus’. One of the reasons being it was my first build and it earned accolades from bicycle enthusiasts, the bicycle industry and the Design fraternity across the nation! This bike was custom built for a pal, who is a Submariner in the Indian Navy. The bikes geometry and the frame sizing were designed after calculation according to his body dimensions, so that it fits him perfectly. The road behavior was customized for high power transfer efficiency, but a lazy cruiser
700x23c Whitewall tires added a vintage touch, handcut and sewn leather grips provided comfort, a copper tube cable guide takes you back before the industrial revolution are just few of the unique features. It ran a T50 single road crank coupled to a 7 speed cassette at the back. A Sturmey Archer rear derailleur was controlled from a top tube mounted friction shifter . Gleaming dual pivot caliper brakes did the stopping! This bike was attracted crowds in a popular bicycle store in Bandra, Mumbai and CFOSE 2016 at Bengaluru and still pleases the owner everyday.
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TriathlonCorner
Accessorise for Tri
By our Trackside Editor - Deepak Raj
I
f you have always been a runner and are now planning to take up Triathlon, you may find it a bit overwhelming that it involves a lot more equipment and accessories. Running may have been easy with just a running shoe. So let me help you highlight 5 key equipment related decisions that will help to make your transition to Triathlon easier. • Road Bike – Most people end up buying a MTB or a hybrid bike while they try to transition to take up Cycling or Triathlon and within a month or two, they realise that MTB or Hybrid bike is not suitable for longer rides, slower than road bikes and get frustrated. So let us avoid getting in to that scenario and let us take time to look for a road bike within your budget and procure one. This would be your most expensive equipment towards your triathlon training and the bike lasts a number of years. If budget were an issue, used road bike or any brand would do with basic aluminium and start of the range group sets and accessories. No need to get fancy if you feel it is getting out of budget. Better to plan your budget to buy a road bike that is less expensive and have some money left over to buy an indoor bike trainer, which is my next item. • Indoor Bike Trainer – While this is not an absolute must, this would be your best investment in to triathlon training. The indoor bike trainer can help you train indoors in a safe environment especially over weekdays or late evenings where you may not find time and routes to train effectively and safely. It also ensures that your 90 min bike training session does not end up becoming 120 minutes as you need to get ready, take your bike out, ride out from your home or drive down to the route, which you want to train. It is also an excellent training tool to train intervals, high intensity rides, simulate hill training and get comfortable with aero position in a safe manner. While you ride indoors, it makes you work more consistently as there is no cruising, no slowdowns, no speed
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CRANK with ProCycle OCTOBER 15TH, 2017
bumps, no potholes, no traffic signals and no annoying traffic going too close to your comfort when you ride out. • Swim Accessories – While you will buy your swim goggles and swim wear, also take time to look to buying some swim accessories such as fins and a pull buoy. Fins (wearing them on your feet) will help you to get a bit more control on your form in the early stages of your swim training. Pull Buoy (placing them between your legs while swimming) helps you to lift your feet and avoid your feet sinking which is one of the most common issues. It also isolates your movement to focus on your arm movements, etc. Swimming can be technically daunting on all the areas you need to focus and these accessories helps you to get a bit more comfortable in the water. You can use them as much as needed while you get comfortable in the initial weeks and months. Check this video link - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1PAhYYtrXxQ for more details on the various swim accessories and how they could be useful while you start your swim training. • GPS enabled watch – If you already own a GPS enabled watch from your run training, then you are well set. If not, buy a GPS enabled watch that will help you track your runs, cycling and swimming sessions. Once again, buy a watch based on your budget and do not worry about all the various new age metrics which will become relevant at some stage but not at this stage of your triathlon journey. Paying attention to too much metrics at an early stage of your triathlon or running journey is going to be counter-productive. So any watch that can measure distance, duration
and speed/pace is good enough. The rest of them can come at a later point and one of the ways I plan is to reward myself with new upgrades or accessories after some key milestone like first triathlon, PB at your next race or stepping up to a new category, etc. Triathlon is an expensive sport, so pace yourself in your spending too • Cycling Shoes – While this may feel very uncomfortable and daunting for first couple of days, this would be one of the best decisions you take. Once you get comfortable with cycling shoes, you will never ride again with running shoes. While we know it takes time to get used to it and you may have an occasional fall trying to unclip in first couple of rides, the effort and duration to get used is the same whether you do it at the start of your triathlon journey or months in to it. You may as well get the benefit of riding in good form, good technique, better efficiency and speed and avoid the issues of knee pain and lower back pain which can come while you try cycling with normal sneaker/running shoes. Deepak is a Triathlon Coach and an 18 Time IronMan Triathlon Finisher and can be reached out at Deepak@yoska.in. Check out www.yoska.in for more details about him and the triathlon training programs.
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