mountain bike magazine
COVER
Photo: Christophe Margot | Rider: Darren Berrecloth - fixing his flat tyre on his way to Shipton Camp (altitude 4200 meters) Location: Mont Kenya (Kenya) Urge Kenya 09 | The ultimate Mountain Bike gravity adventure
Issue 02 | March 2011 | Free Download www.freeridermag.in
Photo: Reto Massardi | Rider: Mesum Verma | Location: Khardung-La (Leh) - India
EDITORIAL
It was a proud moment after finishing the first online issue even though we had thought about the printed version. But I’m sure one fine day the printed version of our magazine will be in stores. We got great response worldwide from other mountain bike magazines, mountain biking related industries and even famous mountain bike legend’s for the first issue of Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine. Winters were harsh this time, but people enjoyed biking around. Nepal hosted its first downhill race, some riders went for a short ride session in Sikkim and some went down to Kerala for mountain biking holiday. Explore more trails and enjoy reading our second issue.
Mesum Verma, Editor-in-Chief
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CONTENTS EXCLUSIVE STORY Urge Nepal .........................4 TECH MANUAL Bike Love.........................13 HOT SHOTS Professional photos.........................15 TRICKNOLOGY Progression.........................20 WHATS UP MTB Republic of Sikkim.........................24
Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #2434-A, Sector: 39-C Chandigarh. 160036 INDIA. ........................................................ This magazine is intended for free distribution and is only available through our web portal
www.freeridermag.in
........................................................ Feel free to write or contribute. E-mail us at: freeridermag@gmail.com
Staff: Editor-in-chief: Mesum Verma mesum@freeridermag.in Deputy Editor: Vineet Sharma vineet@freeridermag.in Correspondents and Support: Hansueli Spitznagel Christophe Margot Dan Milner Vinay Menon Tangi Rebours Doris Rocky Khatra
SHOW TIME Photos from India & Nepal.........................29 GOSSIP New Stuff.........................31 Sneek Peek About next issue.........................33 NOTE: We have done our best to make sure that all content in this issue of Freerider mountain bike magazine is accurate, but would emphasise that we at Freerider mountian bike magazine accept no responsibility for any errors in the magazine/content or any errors caused to your computer while reading our magazine.
Exclusive Story
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Seb Boué & Chris Gallo
Freeride legend, Darren Berrecloth, shares his Urge Nepal experience. LAST YEAR I WAS A LAST -MINUTE ENTRY INTO THE URGE KENYA EVENT PROMOTED BY FABIEN BAREL (MONDRAKER) AND FRED GLO FROM THE TRIBE SPORT GROUP. THE GOAL OF URGE KENYA WAS TO HOLD AN UNFORGETTABLE DOWNHILL RACE IN AN AMAZING LOCATION AND USE IT TO RAISE MONEY TO HELP A LOCAL VILLAGE CONSTRUCT A CLEAN WATER SUPPLY. IT WAS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL AND AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. THIS YEAR, THE GROUP DECIDED TO FOCUS ON A NEW AMAZING LOCALE - NEPAL, HOME OF SOME OF THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS ON EARTH - TO HOLD ANOTHER EPIC DOWNHILL EVENT AND HELP RAISE MONEYTO BUILD A SCHOOL TO MAKE EDUCATION EASIER FOR CHILDREN. ALTHOUGH I KNEW IT WOULD BE AN EXTREMELY TOUGH CLlMB UP THE MOUNTAIN, I COULDN’T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT. Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 4 Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 4
olumbia, C h s iti r B d in d uver Islan o c n a V ’s it rful city an e e s d a n c o y w m r h all the ou . In it r e w e v m e o r o o h k f o e m o t ro nb healthy eparture f e Olympics recently ore so tha a d m d a n n h e a it v g e w n e s Ko th rt am er, where his trip sta but it bec d for Hong ails of my travel v t , n u , y s u o ll c o ie a n r b u a o t s t V h u s flig et n’t om Like most a red-eye he exact d t too far fr adise - not that it is t n o e o n v r d a e e h v t y u a ll c o nc rea par Canada, lo ry. I left Va t I generally never a friendly o t o s t e in h t it o d e kt tha transform truck me nyway bac s a it o , S s . e y o g r d y ne as it usuall untries . Olympic e d n A ’ r e v yo co one ten-hour la am in these strange to pick me up. I’m sure I e er n th e be h ld ou w w s ne eo n t som pla country with no clue, bu tmandu and was hoping rd Ka ei w in e e m an so pl e in t th or off rp t ai go some As per usual, I find myself stranded in ill w I d an e fir ck ba ill day this method w rtunately. today is not that day, fo
Laurent Cornec from Tribe Sport Group, the guys responsible for this amazing event, was standing outside the baggage claim at the airport ready to lead me to the car, a.k.a my ride. And this is where I met the first “Sherpa.” Turn’s out he was my driver to some remote town, which I still have no idea the name of? When I got in the car I ask him how long until we got there, I was surprised to hear it would be six hours’ Are you kidding? So six hours later on a bumpy road, that was rather sketchy, we arrived at Pokhara at 6am. At this point, if you didn’t figure it out already, I’ve been awake for over two days, traveling at this point. Now, more than ever, I am extremely eager to get to my hotel and get some rest . I am pretty much beside myself right now due to the lack of sleep.
Pardon me? What did you say? We’re catching another flight in one hour? Tangi our other guide replies, “Yes, my boy.” As I begin to hang my head, I see the rest of the European crew start to trickle into the office. After all the high fives and hellos, we’re on our way to a sketchy little airport where Fabien Barel informs me that we are taking a small plane high up into the Anapurna mountain range, which sits at approximately 9,000 feet of elevation. It’s supposedly one of the deadliest airports in the world. The flight was breathtaking with peaks as high as 26,500 feet on both sides of the little plane. We bermed and rolled through the narrow canyons and at one point it seemed as if we were about to scrape the plane’s belly on a mountain peak but thankfully we just slid over the top a few 100 feet above it. We landed abruptly and immediately slamming on the brakes to stop before the end of the runway.
THE HIMALAYAN HIGH
Here we were, the Himalayan Mountains .. I didn’t have a lot of expectatlons for the mountains here but this was truly an amazlng place. The boys and I built up our bikes, meanwhlle doing interviews about the specifics of the bIkes we had brought for this specific task.
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L Carbon done up with I had my 2010 Specialized EnduroS th an Easton cockpit, an XTR groupo and Mavic rims wi height seatpost and Speclalized Command adjustable complete build for this Shimano XTR clipless pedals. My ds, which I was excited adventure weighed In at 28 poun about.
The bikes were built and we quickly rode tweleve miles up the valley to where we had rooms for the evening. The official day one was at an end for myself -It was three days of travel with barely any sleep. To say I was “tired” was an understatement. The next morning we awoke to blue skies and clean, cold mountain air, qulckly followed by breakfast consostlng of platefuls of bread and rice end plenty of tea, water and of course some Red Bull. The Idea for this day was that we were going on a 3,ooo-foot climb for a warm-up to adjust to the elevation.
off up the valley to quickly set all we d an lag Jet m fro d I was already knackere ing to film slow moving, especially while try ry ve s wa 24 of w cre the t tha realize least. way, which was plentiful to say the the on ck tra gle sin nic sce of ce every pie ote mountain villages that were rem few a gh ou thr up us k too ll The scenic tra lieve it, their homes were built of be can u yo It d. mu d an ne sto made entirely of for some wlth Just a few sticks thrown In fs roo d mu d an lls wa d mu y stl mo structural support. The pedal up wasn’t too bad but you could definitely feel the thin air burning through your lungs at 12,000 feet. We reached the first stop on the mountain a ridge where the singletrack ended at about 13,000 feet. And tomorrow we still had about another 8,000 feet to go ... It was a good two hours until the rest of the crew arrived at the top and I was cold, hungry and ready to get to the hotel so I could sleep. We strapped on the heImet cams and begun an epic down hill through scenic singletrack that rarely needed a pedal stroke to keep your speed up. It all ended too soon as most deadly trails do and we found ourselves faced with a flat 16-mlle ride With a 35 mph headwind. lt was brutal. For me, this was hell. I was destroyed from the Jet lag and that seven- hour ride definitely sucked most of the energy reserves out of me so the next two hours were a grind.
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THE BIG CLIMB After hitting the pillow like a ton of bricks I awoke still exhausted from the non-stop travel and riding . I wolfed down as many carbs as my gut could handle, considering today would be the start of the big climb up the racecourse. We started off with some kick ass singletrack up through the valley, slowly climbing higher and higher, stopping only to gaze at the towering peaks looming overhead. We stopped from time to time to shoot photos of the odd corner here and there. Five out of the planned six hours had passed and once again I began to realize the possibility that the supposedly-six-hour-climb might be more than the guides had billed it as. I quickly learned six hours usually meant eight with our group. I stopped for a snack of Nepalese granola, which consisted of dried fruits, coconuts and nuts and tried to make the best of it. Rene Wildhaber (Trek) sat down next to me and we were both taken aback at the sheer magnitude of the mountains that surrounded us. If you’re unfamiliar with Rene and his riding, he is a bit of an endurance downhilI specialist. He’s from Switzerland and is accustomed to beautiful mountains on a daily basis, but this place was something else. We continued our climb for another two hours before reaching our camp. We were greeted by hot lemon tea from the Sherpas. Our camp consisted of a maze of tents, which had “been set up prior to our arrival and our large bags were laying in a pile that the Sherpas had hauled up for us; man, those guys are tough as nails. The eating tent was full of fresh pasta that everyone immediately scarfed down upon arrival. Your metabolism kicks into overdrive at this elevation and, at times on this trip, I truly felt like I could eat a horse. At 4am I woke up . It’s race day and we had a long day ahead of us’ Before we could turn around and race down the mountain, the plan was to hike to 17,000 feet . However, the Sherpas were informing us that the pass to the ridge summit was full of snow. It was time for Plan B. We choose another ridge that was perched at over 15,000 feet and set out as soon as breakfast was finished. Since I was feeling very weak, I decided to depart ahead of the group by about 30 minutes. Alone in the dark, my headlamp seemed to be my only companion out there in oblivion. I hiked up the dark valley with the outline of the peaks and ridges bathed in moonlight, surrounded by only stars - it seemed surreal. With each step, it was harder and harder; my lungs burned for more oxygen but the top was coming closer by the hour. Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 8
ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE - WELL, ALMOST Four hours later, we reached our summit at over 15,000 feet. The group gathered and high fives were given and received by many smiling faces including our Nepalese Sherpas. It felt like we’d won ... before we even got started; we were at the top, but the actual race was yet to begin. Most of he crew was speaking French, except for only a handful of guys. When the language being spoken around you is predominantly foreign, there can be times when you can feel like the only one there. Although I was missing out on some camaraderie among the crew, it gave me a chance to enter my own head space and do my last-minute mental preparation before the event. Considering it was his adventure and race, Fabien was posted up to drop in first into the ridgeline we chose. There wasn’t really a “trail.” The Frenchman dropped in with a sprint along the top ridge and barreled into the first steep section with a ton of speed. We all watched with excited smiles. Since Fabien was first we waited 15 minutes to drop the next rider, then every three minutes after each rider, 50 the timing could be set for the racecourse. One by one the riders dropped in and took to the course. The queen of 2009 World Cup racing - winning five of six World Cup rounds last season - Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis), the only woman contesting the event, was giving us a run for our money. My downhilI plunge started with a high five to Laurent who was running the timer and I was off. A quick spin and I was barreling down the un-trailed section looking for everyone else’s lines. I had walked up a different way, but soon I remembered -I am a freerider!
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So I just pinned it straight through small bushes, rocks and boulders -Iooking for the fastest line - and hanging on. Yeehah! My Enduro sucked up everything I rode over and before I knew it I was pinning it down the buff singletrack. The trail turned to smooth and fast with banked corners on one side and sheer cliffs on the other. It was very easy to get carried away. Rail one turn perfect and you could have too much speed for the next. It was a balancing act to remain on the mountain at all, without shooting off the ridge due to your own momentum. The short uphill sections bogged me down, but I managed to keep a decent cadence spinning up them and spent most of the steeper seetions just trying to recover; but soon, even that was hard considering I was exhausted when I started the race. The elevation made it impossible to recover lost valuable oxygen. The point where I realized I was having too much fun on the trail was when one of the fast Frenchmen came up behind me and I was like, “Oh, yeah, this is a race. I should pin it.” Laughing, I quickly rode a high line to give him room to pass. As he went by, I‘ll admit I thought, “What, no thank you” Jeepers, I guess some people really want to win . So I tucked in behind him with aggression. For about five minutes, I hung on his wheel. Riding that close, drafting at times on the nats, I was unable to actually see the terrain we were crossing . At an all-out pace, I followed his every line and just reacted to the trail.
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....as it came immediately in front of me. Yeehah! My Enduro sucked up everything I rode over and before I knew it I was pinning it down the buff singletrack. The trail turned to smooth and fast with banked corners on one side and sheer cliffs on the other. It was very easy to get carried away. Rail one turn perfect and you could have too much speed for the next. It was a balancing act to remain on the mountain at all, without shooting off the ridge due to your own momentum. The short uphill sections bogged me down, but I managed to keep a decent cadence spinning up them and spent most of the steeper seetions just trying to recover; but soon, even that was hard considering I was exhausted when I started the race. The elevation made it impossible to recover lost valuable oxygen. The point where I realized I was having too much fun on the trail was when one of the fast Frenchmen came up behind me and I was like, “Oh, yeah, this is a race. I should pin it.” Laughing, I quickly rode a high line to give him room to pass. As he went by, I‘ll admit I thought, “What, no thank you” Jeepers, I guess some people really want to win . So I tucked in behind him with aggression. For about five minutes, I hung on his wheel. Riding that close, drafting at times on the nats, I was unable to actually see the terrain we were crossing . At an all-out pace, I followed his every line and just reacted to the trail as it came immediately in front of me. After about five minutes at this pace, he took a wrong line and of course when your following someone you usually go where they go, so we found ourselves way off line. When I looked to the left to see where the trail was, a stick or piece of bush got jammed into my rotor at high speed. Laughing while I was tomahawking down the hill I thought to myself, “So this is how I get a rest while racing” I quickly got up and looked to see if anyone was around to enjoy seeing such a spectacular display ... and sure enough one of the filmers was 100 feet off to the left wondering if I was hurt, while his eye remained glued to the eyepiece. I rode passed him and he looked surprised, but even more surprised when I found a new line by him that consisted of a sweet drop into a skidder chute that lead onto the flat section of the racecourse . Since my line was way better I ended up passing the dude that passed me earlier and he gave me a look like “What the ... ?” Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 11
Of course, I was giggling ... until the next climb when he caught me and dropped me like a sack of dead cats. Vroom, right by. The next twelve minutes consisted of flat sections with small up hills; they were the hardest since it required a fullon sprint to maintain speed. My muscles screamed for mercy and my lungs burned for oxygen. I kept wishing I was at a lower elevation. The last section was along side the river, then up over the sketchy bridge and of course the wind was blowing the wrong way at 40mph. So it is safe to say the last little bit of racecourse was a ball buster. The rest of the crew was waiting with congratulatory high fives for the final’ three of us to come down. Meanwhile the other riders that had already finished were collapsed on the ground gathering their breath. In conclusion, we had ascended over 18,000 feet and descended over 25,000 feet, logging over 124 miles of riding. This trip was a definite two thumbs up and very highly recommended to anyone that is willing to work a little harder for an unforgettable experience memo ries to last a lifetime, for sure. The riding possibilities in the Himalayas are endless with beautiful singletrack on every ridge and in every valley. It is an allmountain rider’s dream and the scenery is not too shabby, either. For more info on the Urge Nepal event, go to: www.urgenepal.com
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Tech Manual TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINEET SHARMA
Bike Love Before, During and After Your Ride
Bike repair and maintenance is a very important and an ongoing process that involves action before, during and after your ride. This helps to keep your mountain bike in optimal condition. Here are some tips to help you keep your mountain bike in peak condition. Pre-ride inspection and maintenance check is a very good practice. Just like a fighter pilot who inspects his fighter plane before flying. It’s a very simple process and ensures your safety during ride.
Before Ride
Check the quick releases on the wheels and on the brakes to make sure they are in closed position. If the quick release is loose or not installed properly the results can be very fatal. Some important instructions can also be found on your bike or components. Make sure you follow them.
Check the tire pressure and make sure they are inflated properly. The tire pressure should be equal to the recommended pressure level on the tire side-wall. An air pump with a pressure gauge is good to ensure proper air pressure.
Check the brakes carefully before riding. Apply the brakes and move your bike; the wheels should not move at all. Test the front and rear brake individually. The brakes will need adjusting if the wheels move while applying the brakes. Ensure that brake levers are not touching the handlebars. If you are using disc brakes, make sure that disc pads move across equally to clamp the rotor.
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During Ride Whether you ride a top end latest mountain bike or any old school mountain bike, things can go wrong when you ride. To handle that situation you can carry a small basic toolkit along with a puncture repair kit and a mini pump.
While riding check for unusual sounds coming from your bike: usually from cranks, wheels and other parts. Shift to different gears and ensure your bike drivetrain is adjusted properly. Ride your bike over curbs and other objects and see if it’s performing without any issue.
Make sure you have fun while riding and not just getting worried about your bike all the time.
Using the front brake before ride can help you to check the headset. Stand beside your bike holding the headset, apply the front brake and rock the bike back and forth. Make sure you cannot feel any slack or hear any knocking in the headset. If you can, your headset is loose and will need adjusting.
After Ride
Check if there are any cracks or dents on the frame due to previous hard riding session. Riding a weak frame can be very dangerous and if it cracks while you are riding or performing some trick, it may result in serious personal injury or death.
When you come back from a ride you may see your bike with lots of dirt. Dirt acts as a major abrasive against your bike. Dirt starts wearing out bearings and other components on your bike. We advise you to wash your bike (If very dirty). Make sure you don’t spray the water directly on fork and hub seals or bottom bracket. Use a soft brush and soap to scrub down your bike. Don’t forget to lubricate chain, derailleur, and cables after the bike is dried. Wipe off excess grease and lubricant so that it does not attract dirt. Keep your bike clean and healthy Have fun riding your bike! - FR MTB MAG
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Hot Shots
Photo: Hansueli Spitznagel | Rider: Simon Schwander | Location: Bern - Switzerland
Epic shots by professional photographers from around the world
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Photo: Christophe Margot | Rider: Matthieu Dietrich | Location: Les Portes du Soleil (France)
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Photo: Dan Milner| Rider: Tangi | Location: Mustang, Nepal
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Photo: O.Weidemann (Commencal) | Rider: Anne caroline Chausson | Location: Pokhara, Nepal Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 18
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Learn braking and cornering techniques with Mesum
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In our first issue we showed you how to execute a small drop, and how to gain balance on the bike. This time we will teach you how to brake and how you do a speed turn without losing the traction. Braking and speed turns are important when you are riding fast, especially when you race.
IO
N
BRAKING
The truth is, unnecessarily braking will make you lose speed and time if you’re racing. To avoid this you have to be sure about the spots or turns where you want to use the brakes and also maintain the flow at the same time without stopping. Now the question comes: Which brake should one use- Front or rear? The best method to brake is by using both brakes simultaneously. There are many situations while riding that requires independent use of the brakes. The best way to learn how to use each brake (either independently or together) is one at a time. Start with using rear brake on different terrains. Using just one (rear) brake at beginner stage is generally sufficient. Once you gain confidence and your riding speed increases you will need to use both brakes. It may sound strange, but being an experienced mountain biker I use a lot of front brake to control my bike. It has to be combined with body movement to ensure the bike does not slip. Ensure that you have enough power on the front wheel too, for this you need to practice a lot.
!
TEXT BY MESUM VERMA PHOTOGRAPHY BY DORIS
Too much front braking means flying over the handlebars.
Front brake will be doing 65 to 70% of your total braking. Follow these steps while braking: Always remember perfect braking is done gradually. Start tapping the brakes to control the bike and you can brake harder if you wish to slow down or stop. If you are riding downhill as a beginner you may grab your brakes very often and skid a lot. The fear is natural, but practicing regular on trails can help you to learn braking efficiently. Always keep your fingers on the brake levers but not all 4 fingers (refer the image above how braking can be done on different terrain by just 1 or 2 fingers only).
No matter how quickly you are trying to stop, you should always put the brakes on gradually – apply the brake then increase the braking force smoothly by squeezing the brake lever gradually harder as you go. Try stopping with maximum control and minimum skidding and learning the balance between not enough and too much.
Skidding on trails is not a very good practice unless you wish to skid purposely to look cool. Skidding a lot due to excess braking can cause you to lose control and you can fall down. Skidding is also bad for trail as it destroys the natural or man-made trails. Using brakes correctly can enable the rider to stop very quickly with maximum control and little effort. By ‘feathering’ the brake, you smoothly add or remove small amounts of power from the brake, learning how to get the balance between too much power and not enough, whilst applying as much stopping power as possible. Remember: Skidding a wheel is not good especially on a downhill trail. It will not slow you down but can cause you to lose control and its bad for the environment.
To make it more simple – Avoid Skidding!
G N O R W
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i w. At t hile rid in control. o n w e n v o ti you ha t ’s all about y posi lanced and n d a o h b t t d a fully. I ticing again spee e Correc fortable, b r c e a n r r g d co ac m more rs safely an etter by pr stay co e v o l b ld ne u wou rail the cor e them o k y a e m r d o e su have t ring skills an u We ar o y rne time same our basic co perfect. y t taking in till you ge a and ag
The secret is here. Push down on the outside pedal as usual, but at the same time swing your outside knee closer to the bike frame as you’re turning and twist your hips to flow with the swing of your knees. It’s just like using your body to talk to the bike with style. Subtle movements of your knees, hips and shoulders can all play a part in good cornering skill.
You should:
Set your corner speed before you enter the corner. You’ll have more control because you won’t be changing your speed and grip levels while you’re turning. Shift to the gear you want to prefer for pedaling out of the corner. This way you’ll be in the right gear to pedal back up to speed after the corner is done.
Rider Position Bike Position
Notice the bike and rider body position. Also notice the elbows and shoulders position during cornering.
Body should be relaxed all the time. Don’t grab the handlebar too tightly. Keep a strong, but relaxed hold of the handlebar and drop your shoulders. Ride with a good, balanced position over the bike so that both tires are gripping well.
You have to trust yourself and your bike because you may find it awkward if you are a beginner. Your mind may not let you do it properly for the first few runs because of the fe of falling down. However couple of practice runs will make you used to it and remember your bike will follow your eyes...and dont forget that smile on your face while riding.
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BRAKING + CORNERING
mountain bike magazine
REPUBLIC of Sikkim
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINEET SHARMA
Mountain bike
Riding session in Sikkim on Republic Day
Whats up
I again visited my favorite Himalayan wonderland ‘Sikkim’ in January. Sikkim is tucked away in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas’ and is unsurpassed in scenic beauty making it one of the best mountain biking destinations in India. I was enjoying my week in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, which is situated at a height of approximately 5500 feet above sea level. I had planned my visit just to chill out with no intentions to ride bike. Having many wonderful friends there who are also passionate mountain bikers convinced me for a small group ride and even arranged a bike for me in no time. The eight of us; Karchoong, Brinda, Palden, Jigmee, Sonam, Passang, Sonam, Raman and myself decided to ride on 26th January. Being India’s Republic Day it gave us a good excuse to go for a ride. Few of the guys had recently started to take mountain biking seriously and enjoyed every moment they spent riding their bikes in beautfiul Sikkim.
Jigmee at Pangthang
The night before the ride was spent planning the route, drinking beer, having good food and talking about bikes. Later I realized that the bike I got was big for me; but I’m not complaining. I was stoked to ride out with my friends who are really riding and working hard to develop mountain biking scene in Sikkim.
Jigmee (also the owner of the Modern Central Lodge where I was staying) knocks at my room door exactly at 0700 hours as decided and finds me begging for five more minutes. A red rain jacket with an off white colored lower pants and a mineral water bottle which somehow got in the bottle cage perfectly mounted on the bike frame.
There are plenty of perfect trails and awesome places to ride your mountain bike in Sikkim which is a land of dramatic contours, rugged mountains, deep valley and dense forests consort with raging rivers, lakes and waterfalls to create visual feast. But most people have no idea they even exist, until very recently.
Most of the cool places to ride are unmarked and you may never find them without some local knowledge. Brinda -The Dark Horse- Showing his hidden talent
Jigmee, Sonam and I cranked our way to Ramans book shop ‘Ruchi’ which is the best book shop in Gangtok. Raman who got his hands on a new mountain bike just two days before the ride was excited and nervous at the same time. Passang joined us at the book shop and we started following our route where rest of the gang joined us in between and after covering few Km’s we halted for breakfast at Tashi view point and hogged on muesli, tea and boiled eggs. We carried on the gradual climb with a dash of broken sections. As we headed further up riding and pushing, we reached a quiet place called Pangtahng where Palden showed us a place which is perfect for chilled out riding sessions. It was no surprise for me to see all of us monkeying around on our bikes. Wheelies, hops and some short descent sections. I wish I could capture Jigmee’s no-footer descent with his stomach on the saddle. I still haven’t figured out what to name that trick. Karchoong tried experimenting drops on his full suspension rig and Brinda was all charged up riding around doing wheelies and bunny hops. After trying few more short tricky sections we started cranking back to the town. The temperature dropped suddenly, so we stopped for lunch and got some energy to complete the ride back to town. For me it was a proud moment when Karchoong told me “It’s the first time a group ride with so many riders was done” and I was a part of it. There were few more friends who wanted to come but could not make it because they were stuck with some work. This ride resulted in a perfect Republic Day holiday that involved a perfect company, good food and of-course mountain bikes. - FR MTB MAG
Y T I V A
GR
D E T S I
S S A
Nepal...
t s ir F ll nhi Dow Champions hip
New Venue for UCI Downhill World Championship
Nepal hosted First Xtreme MTB Downhill Championship at Shivapuri National Park on 15th January 2011. 30 Riders from Nepal, India, Bhutan and France showed up for this mega event. The downhill race was conducted under the technical supervision of KBS Team on a steep 2.45 Km track and concluded at Taulung VDC, Budhanilkantha. Karma Lodey from Bhutan says “the track was very technical and can be compared with international race standards�. Winner of First KBS Xtreme MTB Downhill Championship 2011 Shajjan Rajbanshi said the tough technical route will help to improve skills of Nepalese riders as the country is gearing up to host the world championships. According to the resources from Nepal, The International cycling Union (UCI) has approved Nepal for hosting a race during the world championship series soon. There is also an opportunity to host one out of nine races in the world championships.
TEXT BY VINEET SHARMA PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINAY MENON
Nepal is all set to become a perfect mountain biking destination in five years time. The country is naturally rich with mountains and there is good scope for mountain biking. Nepal a home to breath-taking mountains can live up to the name by hosting the world championship race, after having successfully organized the Asian Downhill Championship in 2008. The task of hosting the world championship event is daunting for Nepal in the absence of proper infrastructure and they are working hard to make good use of this opportunity. - FR MTB MAG
Ride Kerala
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANGI REBOURS
I am planning to leave Nepal in 2 days for a break and I still don’t know for where. A girl I met from Korea is waiting, but the appeal of my bike looks stronger. So I am confused wondering what to do and where to go? I thought about Mike, a friend of mine who runs a mountain bike trekking company in Kerala (Southern India). A quick phone call: “Hello Mike, what are your plans for the next few days, are you free?”
After a positive answer, I was on my way to India for the first time after spending 8 years in Nepal. There was no issue in the flight to Cochin via Delhi. Jilman was waiting for me at the Cochin airport while everyone looked at me curiously with my big bike bag. I was surprised to see churches everywhere and they are not small ones. It took us 4 hours to reach the Iddukki district. Here the driving is freestyle, something I got used to in Nepal. However the roads were in good condition and our driver was speeding as if he is Michael Schumacher’s cousin. We arrived quite late (almost early morning) at Mike’s hide-out. Mike’s room is definitely a mountain biker’s room where his bed is surrounded by bike parts. I slept peacefully in that room which smells like oil and grease: Perfect surrounding to dream about mountain bikes. The night was short and there was an earthquake. After some investigation we found that it was Jilman snoring.
DAY 2: I geared up and got ready for our first ride with Chippy, a young local boy who trains with Mike. But God decided to drench us with heavy rain, so we opted for extra sleeping which we really needed it for coming days. DAY 3: We packed our bikes and moved to Vandiperiyar where we started our ride in a Tea plantation blessed with beautiful single-tracks packed with wildlife. We saw wild Deer’s crossing the trails and also expected to see wild Elephant’s which made me bit scared. After spending 5 hours of wonderful riding session we reached our luxurious hotel which serves beer! (It’s very difficult to find beer in Kerala). DAY 4: Luchosh helped us to fit our bikes in his tuk-tuk (Yes! It’s possible). After three hours we reached our next spot ‘Muna’ where the riding was done mostly on single-tracks inside the tea plantation.
The locals were totally surprised to see us gunning down the trail as they don’t see tourists and that too on colorful bikes.
Locals who were unaware of mountain biking, they suggested Mike to head towards the road nearby. The locals were still wondering what we are doing on these small paths with our bikes. After riding 4 hours up and down we reached Muna and John’s hotel – a very nice small house close to the river where we had great food which I will never forget. Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 30
DAY 5: Mike promised me a special day today. A long climb followed by a very sweet downhill. I became skeptical about the program. Living in Nepal and used to big downhill, the surroundings seemed miniature. To earn this downhill section we had to negotiate 3 hours of climbing section. I was in a dark mood and didn’t talk but the scenery was superb. We reached a spot called Top station and saw something I never expected and turned out to be one of the best rides in my life. A perfect all natural downhill, a mix of fast single-track, technical rock gardens and few jumps. It took us more than 1 hour to reach the bottom and for the first time during the trip, my bike – A Commencal Meta 6 was in its elememt (less travel made the ride more hazardous). Coming further down into a really beautiful place Mike rescued a Chameleon who wanted to commit suicide by sleeping on the road. To make that day even better, Mike managed to get some beer’s which he kept in the car. DAY 6: We woke up late because of extra beers but still ready to ride and decided to check out a loop inside the tea plantation. We were near a school and I started playing with my bike doing some wheelies and attracted lot of new friends. After a short climb Mike interrupts the peaceful atmosphere by showing me Elephants fresh shit and a broken tea plant. Mike warned that there are some elephants nearby and if they charge, just pedal like hell and get out of the area. Unfortunately or luckily the meeting with the Elephants never happened. Instead Mike got a flat and we returned to Muna. DAY 7: Early morning Mike (Who now knows my riding taste) announced that I will not like the ride today because of long distance pedaling. But I felt optimistic for the 70Km ride as the week was coming to an end. The first hour was delightful, and once we entered the jungle it started raining and things became bit difficult. The atmosphere was hot and humid and I started to suffer. Mike was riding in front as usual with a killer smile ignoring the heavy rain. Out of nowhere we met a tribal man and I realized that we are really in a wild place where modern civilization is far away. I felt lost when I asked Mike how much time left to reach our goal (A car with beers). The answer was quite hard to hear and I was in dark mood again. After few hours we finally arrived to our destination – Exhausted and thirsty. I went to sleep after few minutes while we were driving and all I can recall is having chicken curry somewhere. DAY 8: Finally time to pack our bikes and go back to Cochin where Mike is going to pick up guests for his next trip. I thanked Mike for this excellent mountain biking holiday. It was a perfect opportunity to discover an amazing area and meet nice local people and of course some of the best trails. Now a new story started, but there was no guide, but time to chill out on the beach with a beautiful blonde girl before returning to Nepal.
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SHOW TIME
Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine will select and show one best photograph submitted by the readers from India and Nepal Only. Amateur photographers can E-mail their photographs to us at: readersphoto@gmail.com Show Time section is only for amateur photographers and photos related to any discipline of mountain biking i:e Downhill, freeride, four cross, dirt jumping, trials, cross country etc will be entertained. Some more rules that you should follow: 1. Only the photographer can submit his/her original image. 2. Images may not be submitted by a third party member on behalf of the photographer. 3. Any image which has riding action without a proper riding helmet will not be selected. 4. Each participant can submit upto 3 images for each magazine issue. 5. It is mandatory to show details from the image: Name of the photographer, name of the rider or riders, and location. 6. All digital images must contain original metadate such as date, camera model, lens aperture, exposure, resolution etc. 7. Minimum picture size can be 6 MegaPixel.
Nirjala Tamrakar - one of the best mountain biker from Nepal during Yak Attack hike section (Annapurna Circuit - Nepal). Yak Attack is the highest mountain bike race on Earth! Photo by: Dan Wright Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 29
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Trail Gossip
Shimano Deore M590 Cranks
Recently we got hands on the new Shimano Deore M590 cranks and decided to take a closer look and check how they perform. These new cranks are attractive looking with glossy finish. Shimano claims that the integrated Hollowtech II axle offers increased stiffness at low weight. No, they don’t use the Hollowtech technology in the arms and the cranks felt bit heavier than their previous version. The installation was simple without any hassle and the cranks feel smooth while riding. So let’s see how they perform.
Mongoose Fireball
We checked the Mongoose Fireball dirt jump bike which was launched recently in India. Equipped with Sram X4 drive, MRP Party Crasher Lite bash ring and MRP SB-3 chain tensioner, Tektro mechanical discs, RST Dirt 100mm fork, Kenda K-905 tires and alloy platform pedals It’s definitely a budget dirt jump package good for beginners. The frame feels great while riding but we found the bike bit heavy while riding. But it sure can be pimped with after-market components. The bike scores fair 3 stars in our list. We will be testing the bike and check how the Fireball behaves infront of our test riders.
We were surprised to see this valve on the rear wheel, whereas the font wheel had a schrader valve.
*****
ESSENTIAL THREADS FOR
TRAIL ADDICTS Switchbak Mountain Bike Threads has launched an online range of high-quality casual clothes and accessories for men and women. Designed by mountain bikers for mountain bikers, the Switchbak range consists of a collection of stylish, easy-to-wear coloured T-shirts and hoodies for men, and a selection of fitted-style, contemporary T-shirts and hoodies for women. Each garment carries an original and subtle design inspired by the mountain biking lifestyle, which will strike a chord with trail addicts and singletrack angels everywhere, and with prices starting at £19.95 they won’t blow your budget. Switchbak also offers a range of trendy beanies - perfect for hiding that helmet hair - in a selection of styles and colours. The Switchbak range is available to buy online at www.switchbak.co.uk. We offer fast delivery worldwide and secure purchasing. Switchbak MTB Threads is a new, independent UK clothing company, dedicated to producing quality threads and original designs for mountain bikers through our strong passion for the sport.
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Photo: Mesum Verma | Rider: Thomas Knecht | Location: Padum (Zanskar) India mountain bike magazine
NEXT ISSUE - MAY 2011
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