Mallik Kovuri's Blog

Republic Day 50 km Race

2011-01-30T19:45:00.010+05:30

More of pictures I captured on the Republic Day are HERE.

My last few months of cycling have been with mixed experience. I could not bicycle a lot; caught up with throat infection that I was bent upon curing without medicines and spent two weeks in the process; went through cycling over a wintery night in a very chilly weather with a very chilling experience; a confusion prevailed if I was going to participate in the Republic Day ride at all due to a visiting customer in my office and I was going to be working on that day, a repeat throat infection just the beginning of the week and so on. All in all, I wasn't prepared either mentally or physically.

But eventually, I was able to go the event, thanks to a supportive decision by our customer that they strictly did not want the India team to be working on a holiday of national importance. So here I am at the Novotel Hotel at 6:15 am, very pleased to be able to make it. Considering that I needed to fly the same day to Pune and also needed to be quite attentive the next two days for managing the customer visit at Pune (finished successfully for Hyderabad the previous day), I decided I will not do the 100 km ride. But this year the organizers announced that in addition to the 100, 50, and 10 km rides, there was a 50 km race as well! How cool! I have never been a person who would do anything fast, nor ever wanted to. When I cycle, my focus had always been doing longer rides rather than faster ones. So when the announcement came in, I never for a moment considered myself for the race.

And then it occurred to me, what the heck! If I turn out to be the last person in the race, so be it. Most likely I wouldn't, despite my age. Most others should be at least a decade younger to me. I decided just before the start of rides, that I would participate in the 50 km race and try and see that I do not come last. And if possible, I will try to be in the first 10-15 guys.

We were asked to go behind the hotel through Hitex over to the Hitech City main road and take a u-turn and reach hotel and onto the main road, instead of directly taking the main road from hotel. The organizers added this to make the 100 km complete for those who were in that ride (it was not a race for them, by the way). So this added another 3-4 km distance allowing me to ponder over my decision. Clocking of the race was to begin from the start of Nehru Outer Ring Road. All the riders whether they were into the 100 km free ride, 50 km free ride, or the 50 km race were to pass through same route. So it was not possible to figure out who was in the race and who wasn't.

So here I am finally signing up for race. My start time was noted by organizers and confirming the bar code badge. As I went through my race, I was making up my strategy to make the best of what I have. In addition to the hydration bag that carried 2.5 liters of water for me, I was also carrying a small water bottle in which I had a concoction of honey and lemon juice mixed with water - my emergency first aid if I were to lose my glucose significantly. I decided I would gulp small quantities of this drink every once in a while to keep my energy levels at optimum level throughout the ride. I was also carrying the peanut jaggery like I would in all my cycle rides. The jaggery helps improve glucose level instantaneously, and the peanut will provide lots of energy for a sustained period (that is after the long period of digesting the nut) due to its high fat. I decided I would eat the peanut jaggery at the half distance point, so I will have maximum energy when I needed most. I further decided I will do a sustained ride and not push myself for most of the ride. I will push hard only towards the end of the ride. This will ensure that I don't give up the ride completely if I were to drain away all my energy during the ride, and retain the best for the last.

I made friends with a few on the way, but made sure that I kept my target in picture to move on with ride and not slow down for long. This time, I decided I will not try to enjoy the beauty along the ride, but rather focus on speed whatever I could, without pushing myself too hard. I used up all the strategies I knew to keep the pace up and ensured none overtook me during the ride for long.

There were a total of 70 people who participated in the race. However this did not include the thorough-bred professionals who preferred the 100 km ride even though it was not a race. So here I am absolutely, absolutely puzzled, pleasantly shocked when the time keeper announced I was the 'FOURTH' in the ride! I guess I am not old yet! How sweet!!!

Fall from my cycle - freak yet bizarre

2011-01-10T01:10:00.001+05:30

It sounds so silly, and somewhat concerning too!

Dec 20, 2010:

To make up for some slackness in riding last two months, I was on a spree. Just two days by then! I did couple of fifty kilometer rides the previous week, gave rest for two days and went on a ride that morning at 5 to International Airport from my home in Kondapur - round trip of 64 kms. I nearly completed my ride and was approaching the Gachibowli junction. I looked behind to check for vehicles so I can cross to the right lane. I vaguely recollect the handle wobble. That is I recollect. When I 'woke up', I realized I was on the ground. The tar was warm and welcoming. Felt like going to sleep then and there. But I quickly realized I must be on the middle lane of express way and run the the risk of a speeding vehicle. I calculated later from GPS reading that I must have been unconscious for 3 to 4 minutes. When I 'woke up', I wanted to get up but did not have the energy and 'alertness' to get up. I wasn't fully awake, and it was kind of fuzzy (not literally by sight but by alertness). I was trying to say myself, everything will be alright, and if I did not get up, I will risk from oncoming traffic. Still it took a while, being able to decide and actually the strength to get up. In the mean time, three passersby came in and helped me get up. One of them asked me, if I was alright. When I confirmed, he said he felt I was unconscious. I again replied him I was okay. Pulled my cycle to railing and stood. There was water (probably from hydration bag; I still don't understand how) on the road, and I gulped some from the bag. I looked at the watch and saw that it was 8:10 am while it should have been about 8:05 am since I last saw the watch at 8 am, about a km away. Anyway, I came home, and did not have much trouble riding to home which was 3 kms despite the uphill. I did not feel the need to call my wife to get the car. Surprising that I was not weak or even in deep shock of my fall. Just amazed!

I had bruises on my both knees, left thigh (has some swelling too with thigh muscle forcibly hit by the handle bar), knuckles of both hands, right elbow, swelling on my right forehead (where helmet touches from side), and small marks by helmet protrusions inside. I had painful buttocks and somewhat painful hands in biceps area. Could barely walk. Thanks to demands from work, I could not take leave, but took the liberty to work from home though.

Here is some background. I did not have dinner previous night (which is not unusual). Had milk in the morning. Reasonable quantity of water. Did not push myself too hard. In fact it was one of those easier rides (I am trying to move away from grinding in high gear to high cadence in low gears since the previous ride). Slept for only three and half hours previous night but had long sleep the previous night.

Questions and concerns were:

1. Why did I fall in the first place? There was nothing on the road which should have made me fall. There are a few times that I wobble when I am looking back and riding, but usually manage to notice and correct instantly. Was it lack of sleep and so lack of focus or lack of enough food/energy reserves? It was damn cold today, more so near airport. Having said that I am used to sub-zero winters of Chicago (7 years back). By the way, when I picked up the cycle, the front wheel was stuck with brake pad on one side, which I could quickly correct (and I used this brake all my ride that day).

2. Why did I get bruises all over? It completely amused me. What position/s would have given me bruises on both knuckles, both knees, right elbow, left thigh (I suspect this was by the handle - road bike). And pain in buttocks. The temple injury must have been due to helmet (do not have inner soft paddings). It is possible, like my father guesses, since I never applied brakes, I might have been dragged by the inertia for some distance on the ground.

3. Was my unconsciousness (confirmed by the GPS reading I checked after returning home, and injury on right temple, anything I should be really worried of? I hate doctors and diagnostics.

On a side note, I was deeply disappointed that I would not be able to ride for next few days.

I had been riding for just one year, and did a few century rides during the year, and several around 70-80 kms. I ride to work every day, which is 7 kms one way, with a good uphill road. This particular ride today, wasn't exhausting at all. But yes, it was unusually cold this time in Hyderabad with temperatures dropping to 9 degrees Celsius. Near the airport it was even more chilling. Should have been at least three degrees lower.

In retrospect, I had realized the symptoms that I had that day was identical to the hypoglycemia attacks I used to have several years ago when I was diabetic. I would have bare idea of what is happening (about 10 to 15 seconds notice) and 'just enough conscious to know' that I need to ask for help, but would not have control on my body to call for help (to my wife sleeping next to me). I would get them both when I would strenuous work out on cross trainer, as well as in the middle of my sleep. I was not able to find the cause. The physician concluded all diabetics have this condition. Since return to India seven years ago, I gave up allopathy medicines (and later ayurvedic) and never had those bouts again (barring one instance). The only difference was this time, I was not sweating when I fell down.

And this time, curiously, I only recollect the sudden handle wobble for a second or two. That's it! I don't even remember falling down. The next thing I knew after the wobble was I am on the ground, and slow recovery of conscious. I must have been in that position for three minutes.

Dec 24, 2010:

Finally, it is busted! Why I fell. And it sounds silly, yet matches so well, with happened that day!

I saw the doctor (my elder brother - who also specializes in vertigo). He asked me about my normal blood glucose levels, and then here was his conclusion (I forgot the technical term he gave).

When we move in a singular direction for very long time, without moving head and sight, mind gets used to that position. When there is a sudden change in orientation and a direction difference so much so that we are actually seeing in reverse direction, there is a momentary disruption of oxygen to head (through neck area), and so a potential loss of consciousness. This often happens to drivers in cars. He handed over a sheet of neck exercise routine for better fitness in that area. In my case, this is exactly what happened like he said. I was riding on the express way that day (which is rarely my preferred route) and in pitch darkness (thanks to severe winter this year and my early morning ride). During the onward journey other than the cycle light there was nothing to see. It was unusually cold at about 7 degrees C. I would usually turn my head every now and then, wanting to see what's around me, as I pass through and enjoy the route. Here on that day, there was nothing to watch on onward ride and very little during return. So surprisingly that day, just after riding about 40 - 45 kms my neck started aching for being put in constant position. I was wanting to drop my head loose and relax while I ride. But these days' traffic situation and uncertainty of ever changing road conditions would not allow me to take that risk. With the road bike, the neck is in a more taut position, if we do not consciously notice and shake head. I do change my hand positions often (hardly did that day). Then there was this downhill and I knew there was fencing by the road and clean road ahead. So I just dropped my head in a relaxed posture and rode for some distance. When I wanted to cross over two lanes to the right, I just lifted my head and turned back. That is all I remember! The next thing I knew was flat on the road, and waking up after a gap of 3 minutes (per the GPS Application) wanting to get up. Couldn't operate my limbs myself, until someone helped. Once I was up, I was near normal. A gulp of water, and some bleeding injuries, I was on my way, uphill to my home, not needing my wife to pull her car out for me.

Lessons learned:
1. Drink water every few minutes whether thirsty or not (have been doing this after some bad experiences during summer)
2. Eat after every few hours of ride, whether hungry or not (used to do this after reaching destination - halfway, but recently got into bad habit of nonstop riding for 4-5 hours)
3. Take a break after a couple of hours of ride (doesn't kill any statistics; really I am not racing or for it)
4. Keep moving head every now and then (will need to do consciously if the route did not provide an opportunity, naturally)

I am running through some bad times; at profession, monetarily (somewhat!), and health-wise; and stressed. Racing behind time all the time. My bruises still trouble me somewhat. Being winter they wouldn't heal soon. And here I am stubborn, wanting to avoid antibiotic.

Current status:
Most bruises don't trouble me much. The knee does, and back of palm. Blood clot on thigh is Nearly gone. Rest healed well. Not too bad, understanding that at about 25 kmph I did not brake and fell. Must have been dragged for a distance. There are some minor damages to cycle (scratches). Having coughed up over 80k of money on that, yes I am unhappy on that too!

On a Wintery Night

2010-12-17T04:45:00.003+05:30

Don't read further if you are weak hearted . . . . .

Probably I should say, 'On a wintery morning'. It felt like night, so I put it that way.

After quite a long time, I set out today, to do some early morning ride, to be precise, at 4:45 am. And after an initial tussle with the security, as to why he was sleeping instead of patroling, that too with the lights off, I moved on to the main road. It was like any of my other morning rides. Riding some 4 kms and on to the Express Way of Outer Ring Road, I realized it was quite chilly. I couldn't believe it was so cold right here in India, in Hyderabad, so bone-chilling cold, me having survived seven Chicago winters. There was not a bitch on the road, leave around human population. Too early for most morning walkers. Other than an occasional vehicle that would pass by, trying to reach the airport in a high speed mood, the road was totally deserted. Surviving the cold, I pedalled and pedalled. The idea was to do a 25-30 km ride at minimum. As always (or mostly), I decided I will pedal until it was a little less than half time of my confortable return time. For this day I set that at 7:30 am when my son leaves to school. I eventually completed 50 kms in this ride.

It was quite dark and if I did not have my cycle light on, it would be barely possible to pedal, although I knew it is unlikely there are pot holes on the express highway. After riding through some 15 kms, at Police Academy, I took a diversion to Chilkur road. the diversion takes down to the road from express way. It was so dark, so dark that I actually had to slow down to near stop, since I wasn't sure where I was riding, although it was a well known diversion to me. And here comes the main story . . .

The Chilkur road was pitch dark, much darker than I explained in previous sections. God forbid, if I my light stopped working, leave alone riding the bicycle, it would be difficult to even walk! I wouldn't feel comforable not knowing if I am stepping on to an odd snake crossing the road. There were plenty of bushes on either side of road to support this possibility. To admit, I felt a little eerie to ride on that road, all alone with not a soul around; unable to see anything other than the very small road section that my cycle light lighted. I have no idea of the road taking a curve until I actually reached it.

And . . . . I saw someone from a distance crossing the road from other side of divider on to my side. I could only see a somewhat darkish frame. As I approached the person crossing, I felt it could be someone in a burkhah since face was not visible (there was a small amount of my cycle light reaching that area). And I wondered why would a muslim lady walk on the road at this hour, when it was so 'pitch' dark (I shiver even now, as I write). As I further bridged our distance, the person appeared even darker, now completely black, and I am still not able to see the face. I asked myself, what am I doing here, at about 5:30 am, so chilly, so dark, with no soul around, and no signs of sun coming up (Sun is also lazy during winter to show up early). It is unlikely that a burkhah clad muslim woman would be walking on the road in this hour. Should I return back? No. Not me. I don't like calling myself a scary cat! Surely ghosts never existed. Although I did have some experience from my childhood, I never wanted to admit myself that ghosts existed. And if they did, they wouldn't be visible.

So I continued my ride, to face it as it may. Let that be a burkhah clad woman. Or, a ghost! It showed up even darker as I approached, and by this time, it had crossed over the median completley and came on to my side. And still face is not visible nor clothes in any color. Now there is barely any gap between us. Let's face it. And that's when I realized . . . . . it was my shadow!

Evidently, there was a vehicle (in my climax, I could hardly notice if it was a four or two wheeler) behind me following from a distance. As it got closer and trying to overtake me, it my shadow move from right to left and darker (since the light from behind became brighter).

New Personal Record - Nonstop Ride of 64 kms

2010-09-25T13:59:00.009+05:30

Yesterday I have set a new personal record by bicycling 64.42 kms nonstop! I did not get down from bike and rest for a minute!

Having not bicycled to office the entire week this week, thanks to the lock breaking and the newly ordered lock not arriving yet, I got restless. Driving the Skoda all the week started bothering me that while I talk about going green and reducing pollution, here I am driving to work every day by car. And yes, there was this 'itch' too to ride and a fear that if I give too long a gap, I might just get used to the comfort of a car. I decided the previous evening that since lot of mail was getting piled up, I would work from home the next day, the Friday. Working from home often is more productive than at office.

So here I am on the Friday morning, taking out my bike at 6 am. Because I was going to work from home anyway, even if I am not able to reach back home well in time, heaven is not going to fall. Usually I keep a target to leave at about 4:30 am, and manage to actually leave by 5:30 (one hour slippage - Indian Standard Time!). But today, it got further delayed leaving at 6 am. I said to myself, as hopped onto my bike, "I will do a shorter ride today, perhaps only a four hour ride". It didn't give me a good feeling to know that I will do a ride shorter than my usual. So I was asking myself, "am I progressing or regressing?". And pat comes the idea, why don't I do a shorter but nonstop ride? And if I do a nonstop, probably I will still be able to do a long ride since I waste no time.

I move on to the Rajiv Gandhi Outer Ring Road. After going 3 kms plus, I realize I did not start the GPS based sports software micoach from Adidas correctly. I start that and bicycled off. When I completed 10 kms, I felt I probably needed a rest. But did not rest . . . laughed at myself wanting to stop so early on my ride. It was a beautiful morning. Although sun had come out, it was still not sunny yet. I knew if I had to have a good ride, I needed to finish before it gets very late. I wanted to make sure that I am back home before 10 am latest, so I can get on to my laptop on time and start office work.

Riding solo is lot of fun. It's like meditation. Just all by myself. I put some music. And into my own thoughts, or enjoying the music, or analyzing all that comes on my way, such as when I wondered how does water flow from within a rock when it is all rock-solid. How did the water seep in, store, and leak through cracks. As I analyze the deep crevices and look around the entire rock structure, I noticed that it is not all rock, there are pockets of mud/soil. It is interesting that from some small crevices there are tiny plants growing up! These mud pockets are the culprits which store water during rain and allow the water to seep in and leak out from crevices. Enlightened :).

Not many early walkers that I usually get to see during my weekend rides. The experience of riding on a working day seem to be different from the weekends. There aren't any encouraging my cycle ride. I rode and rode and rode. As I was to get on the flyover, I was wondering if I can easily make it to climb and ride over the flyover without stopping or slowing down too much. So I picked up on pedaling. To my pleasant surprise, I did not have to go down even one gear. Yes, by the time I got to the top of the flyover, it did exhaust me. As I passed and peek over the highway beneath, it was so tempting to stop and take a snap. I resisted the temptation not to break my vow to ride nonstop and moved on.

I suspected the security who check vehicles going to airport will certainly stop me and may not allow me to ride further. I did not think the road was meant for trespassers not going to airport. And I cursed myself for making some last minute changes to my packing and not carrying an identity. To my pleasant surprise, no one stopped me at security. I just biked off. After hitting the airport roundabout for air traffic services, I pause right on my bike, take a couple of pictures, and pulled up my snack from the hydration bag - a peanut jaggery pack. Not stopping or taking rest to eat them, I continue riding as I eat the snack. Contrary to my fear, it wasn't difficult to pull out the laddus and eat as I ride. As I exit the airport road getting on to the Bangalore Highway, in the last moment I saw there was a barricade to the exit and a bypass was provided to get to the highway. Lucky that I still had one full second, to steer myself out right and continue the ride. Did not fall :).

The ride on the return was uneventful. The objective was to reach home before the sun gets on top. Towards the last leg of 10 kms or so, my legs were paining, although not really exhausted. Kondapur, where I stay is higher in elevation. So unfortunately every time on my return when I should already be tired, I would actually have a more difficult ride. Gulping in two liters of water from my hydration bag (don't have to get down the bike to drink water) all the way helps me keep hydrated. So here I am at my home, well in advance, actually one full hour before my targeted time. I reached the place at 8:50 am, clocking 2 hrs and 52 minutes of ride, a distance of 64.42 kms, averaging 22 kmph, and burning 1500 plus calories. And not exhausted at all, albeit the legs did pain somewhat.

The silver lining was, someone riding on a scooter stopped next to me, as I got down few yards from my home to avoid the traffic from opposite. As he introduced himself, it was a very pleasant surprise that he was Venky, my pen friend on biking, who had been in the US and just returned India two weeks back!

Nonstop ride for 64 kms! Feels good. My next goal is to have a long ride and then have one more the very next day. Not sure how it will be. Usually every long ride does bring in some sweet body pains, to be able to do one more the very next day!!

My Dream Come True Possession - Bianchi 105 Mix

2010-08-23T22:37:00.020+05:30

Oh! I am so happy! My dream possession, Bianchi arrived. Finally!

But. I couldn't take it for a spin until it was a few days (till the weekend). Right when I saw a Bianchi (the older 2009 model) at BSA GO, a year ago I was in love with it. Didn't know much about bikes then. But found it prohibitively expensive at about Rs. 57,000. I decided for Aeron Sport which was around Rs.30k. Then my both kids wanted an upgrade to their bikes. And few more domestic expenses. So I did more research and settled for Hero Thunder Racer at Rs.6k. While I was certainly enjoying cycling, including to work on work days and long ones during weekends, I continued my research for the upgrade. Nine long months to be precise. Yes, believe me. These were nine LONG months!

After a lot of research and riding several road bikes, and particularly after riding the Bianchi Volpe, I decided I was not going to settle for anything less than STI levers for gear shifting (don't have to lift my hand while in drops to change gears). And there wasn't anything in the market that offered STI levers. When the 2010 models of Bianchi came in, it was ONE clear choice for me. No more need to consider the 2009 Trek 1.5 or the Orbea, or the Giant or whatever. The Bianchi 2010 models offered the best of both - beauty and the beast! The components were good (based on my limited knowledge of 9 LONG months of research and reading hundreds of articles). I knew it wasn't going to be anything less than the Tiagra. Was it worth the extra Rs.29k for the 105 Mix from a Tiagra at an MRP of Rs.78k? Well I realized there were nearly every component upgraded; some I understood, some I didn't. I finally said, 'okay. I don't know when I will do an upgrade again. Let it be!'.

So after it finally arrived, I decided to wait till the weekend. I knew I would only thrill, if my first hop on to bike was a LONG one, to compensate for my LONG wait! No, a short spin wouldn't do. So I wait. And on the Sunday (July 18, 2010), I get ready early and go out in the dark.

Oops! I realize in the dark after a short ride, my handle is err, misbehaving. The stem was loose. Some more distance, my goggles slipped down . . . and few more small irritants. Got down and fixed all of them. Continued on my first long ride for 80 kms to & fro (Trip details here). My onward ride averaged 23 kmph being cautious and return ride averaged 26 kmph (realized later I forgot to correct the wheel size in cyclocomputer, so the numbers are slightly on the higher size). Here are my thoughts on the bike:

Beauty: Yep! The bike is a beauty! Absolutely stunning! I just love it for appearances alone.
Size: The 53 cm size is probably slightly bigger for me. My height is 5'4". At the saddle's minimum height, the height is just right for me. No flex. I would think a right size would be one which allows flexibility to go up or down at least to some degree. That having said, I have zero issues as far as the fit is concerned based on how I feel on it. No issues at all.
Ground Clearance: The bike has lower ground clearance than the Hero Thunder Racer (HTR). In other words, for an inch or so higher saddle position when on pedals than the HTR, the toes actually meet ground just as the HTR did, when not on pedals. So I liked it. If this was not the case, it would have been a disaster for me (scared to think!), since the saddle wouldn't go down any further. Will a lower ground clearance improve stability just as it does for a car? Nah! That's an exaggeration.
Handle Distance: The overall length of the cycle is WAY (several inches) shorter than the HTR. The handle is closer to saddle. I liked it. Gives a very comfortable position during the ride. I don't have to stretch my back for reach.
Control: The cycle over-steers in a big way when compared to the HTR. For a small effort from my hands, it turns lot more than I was used to. Yes, in a big way and scary. So much so that it took me nearly 50 kms of ride to get used to it. I suspect it is because of the shorter wheel base (distance between two wheels). But once I got used to it, it was not a problem. So much for the manufacturer's claim that the longer bike length helps in complete control better during turns.
Saddle: The saddle is so so so comfortable. I did not have to change my position on the seat almost in the entire ride. Definitely one of the best things I like about this bike.
Comfort: Bianchi is definitely lot more comfortable than my HTR. After riding the same 80 kms distance that I often do with the other bike, I found myself not exhausted at the end of the ride; almost 20%-30% less exhausted. But legs did ache in a different way that I never had on HTR. I notice this even on shorter rides. I get far less exhausted on the Bianchi. But I quite don't understand one aspect though. I used to have a whole body strain on the HTR but somehow it's only legs on this bike.
Weight: The bike is very light at about 9 kgs. I can very comfortably lift and walk anytime I needed (yesterday there was a huge traffic jam when coming from work; and I happily lifted my bike and just crossed over and cutting over the traffic, smiling myself at the poor guys in cars). The reduced weight induced me into getting rid of my seat post carrier of my other bike (just after my first ride), and learned to survive with a backpack instead!
Shock Absorbing: With all due regards to its Kevlar technology and the carbon fiber material to its forks (and probably seat post), I have to admit that I did not find the Bianchi anymore shock absorbing than the HTR, probably due to significantly thinner tires. That having said, the ride quality was pretty good. While I can feel every bit of the road, it was dampened enough to not bother me during ride. Overall, I am pretty happy with shock absorbing. It never gave me a feeling that I should have gone for a cyclocross bike with a slightly wider tires or the Volpe which was definitely more comfortable ride.
Speed: Thanks to the 23mm thinner tires and light weight, combined with good components, I could see a significant difference in my speed. Usually my average speed is about 16 kmph. On the Bianchi it is around 22 kmph.
Brakes: These are fantastic! Their stopping power is pretty amazing. It improved my confidence in a big way of riding at a high speed when going downhill and still feel confident that I can stop at the speed braker along the way in a short distance. Also the brakes are very light to operate.
Gears: After fiddling around and fine tuning a few times, both the front and rear gears shift well. There is very little sound when down shifting. I test rode the Tiagra model, and did not like the large sound it made when shifting. One pleasant surprise that I noticed was depending on how much I pushed the brake lever, it actually shifts up to three gears at a time. Three discrete steps were available. Since this is a ten speed on rear, it helps sometimes not having to move one at a time only. The gearing ratio is excellent for achieving high speed. I noticed that even when going downhill at about 45 -50 kmph I could still spindle the pedals and go further up on speed; thanks to large gearing ratio. However when going uphill, the gearing ratio is not small enough to make uphill riding easy unlike the Bianchi Volpe. Not having a third gear in the front adds to the misery. That having said, I always have a tendency to remain in higher gear ratio at the cost of slower pedaling.
Levers: They are very easy to operate. The STI levers are extremely comfortable when compared to the other type (not sure what they are called), since I don't have to re-position my hands for up-shifting or down shifting. Thank God, I am not exposed to double tap levers yet, lest I would have missed them!
Drops: The drops position and the handlebar are VERY comfortable. I can use the brakes very effectively while I am on the hood. And I am also comfortable going to drops anytime. There is lot of space on the handlebar for other positions of holding.
Tires: It is amazing to notice that while I had to re-fill air on my HTR at least weekly, it is more than a month now, and I did not have to refill on the Bianchi. The locking mechanism on the valve is probably helping it retain the air pressure, despite being higher at 120 psi. Ironically, not knowing the locking system, I struggled a lot trying all combinations in the pump, to figure out how to fill air!!
Overall Ride Feel on the Bianchi: There are two things I like best about the Bianchi 105. The bike often makes me compare it to the BMW car. Firstly, the ride is extremely smooth. Quality of wheels, hubs, cranks etc., are of excellent quality giving it a very smooth ride. The manufacturing tolerances are very tight and the gaps between moving parts are very slim, giving the bike a very robust 'single piece' feel just as the BMW did. Secondly, the BMW always encouraged me to push the accelerator further. There was something springy about that pedal that it constantly encouraged to push further and take-off from current speed. The Bianchi 105 is something very similar. There is something about it that it encourages to push the pedal harder and make me feel the moving parts. There is this unexplainable beautiful feel when it pedals. They are NOT light. They are smooth albeit grinding. Love it!

All in all, the bike is pretty good. I have not yet found any limitations, other than it is probably very delicate. I dropped it once and had a minor scratch on a lever and dislocated itself. As long as I am 'on' it, I feel a little bumpy road is not something you enjoy, but certainly not something you will be scared of riding over.

I ride it to work every day and enjoy the commute!

More bike pictures are here.

Thanks for a patient reading. Comments welcome!

How to select a road bike

2010-05-04T05:57:00.000+05:30

Here are a few considerations you may want to ponder when you decide to buy a road bike. Some of these may apply to other types of bikes (mountain, cross, hybrid etc.) as well, but mostly not. For those who want to understand what road bikes are, these are those bikes which you want to ride primarily on tarmac roads, at high speeds, less keen on a very cushioned ride, and probably keener on long rides. For some, these are also those bikes which look fashionable and stylish. But that having said, this is purely a personal preference.

I would like to present a few considerations and simple explanation of the factor along with comparison of most often found variety in each. I have tried to consolidate all the learning that I gathered after reading innumerable articles and blogs and messages in forums over the Internet, for the benefit of reader as well as to help crystallize my own thoughts. I have made every attempt to keep the description of each item to bare its bare minimum, but still considering that there are so many factors, the ride does become somewhat longish.

1. FRAME

Frame determines weight, speed, comfort, stiffness, strength, and longevity of the bike among other factors. Frame is nearly everything when it comes to choosing a bike. Frame decides how the bike rides. All others can be upgraded, but not frame. Frameset (frame + fork + handlebar) is what the manufacturer builds, not components. Rest is all bought out components from independent manufacturers. The heart and soul of a bicycle is its frame. Bike manufacturers differentiate themselves only by the frames they make. Bicycle manufacturers have a good Research and Development investment in their companies not for without reason. You may buy components that you do not like after you purchase and use the bike, and upgrade/change them, but not the frame. Pro-bikers internationally often suggest a beginner to buy a bike that their buck can best afford in the frame and put the rest in the components. Never sacrifice a frameset for a better component group set (gears, brakes and levers, wheels etc.)

It is sad to observe that other than beauty, most buyers seem to pay less attention to this most important factor in a bicycle. The perceivably subtle differences in a frame are not so subtle when it comes to ride quality. Ride quality is un-ignorable when you ride different bicycles for reasonable riding distances. It will be more so over the longevity of the bike, but something that is difficult to appreciate initially. For example, the light and easy ride of a Trek 1.2 is VERY different when compared to a Bianchi Nirone 7 Alu. It 'is' noticeable. Being such an important topic that is less discussed in great detail in any single forum or message or articles I have come across, I have attempted to provide focus to this factor that it deserves in my write-up.

I will describe the frame in several sections below under the headings of:

1. Frame Design

2. Diamond Frame

3. Top Tube – angle and slope

4. Compact Frames

5. Tube designs

6. Frame Materials

7. Fork

1.1 Frame Design

Frame design is something that is often ignored by novice as well as unfortunately by several experienced bikers. Either due to a lack of understanding or due to an apparent feeling that he/she cannot do much with regard to a frame design, many tend to ignore this. Fact however remains that Frame Design is of paramount importance. By itself, frame design is very very complex. However some key points which can be easily understood and evaluated by a novice are discussed below.

Frames of road bikes are typically of diamond shape in road bikes. For other bikes, due to ability to use or existence of front and rear shock absorbers, frames are not necessarily of diamond shape. A diamond frame consists of two consecutive triangles. The front triangle is made of Top Tube, Head Tube, Down Tube, and Seat Tube (seat tube is different from seat post, which sits on the top of seat tube) in clockwise direction. The second triangle consists of Seat Tube and a pair of chain stays (one each side of wheel) and a pair of seat stays (one on each side of wheel) in clockwise direction. I will describe important factors in the frame in following sections.

1.2 Diamond Frame

Diamond design helps distribution of road shock (due to movement of wheels over uneven roads which include unevenness in road gravel and small potholes). Shock from wheels is transmitted through fork in case of front wheels and through seat stays and chain stays in case of rear wheels. The fork and stays eventually transmit the shock to handlebar and the saddle (seat). As you can appreciate, the diamond design plays a major role here by distributing the shock to all over the frame. Therefore I feel the point where seat stays connect with the seat tube is important. I think this should ideally be where the top tube meets the seat tube such that the shock can be effectively transmitted. This is how traditional designs were. A triangle represents a minimalist shape for distributing the load equally over the three vertices or conversely from the vertices to the lines. The two triangles making up the diamond is therefore very effective in evenly distributing the shock if properly designed and made (quality of welding makes a difference and still better a monocoque).

Movement from front wheel shock gets into head tube, from there splitting to top and down tubes and also the handlebars, similarly on rear from chain and seat stays, and then equalizing the front and rear in the seat tube, and transmitting to seat tube to saddle, from different directions. It is an excellent design for distribution of shock. Conversely, this is true for distributing the load of the biker as well, to the wheels. The diamond design also helps in aerodynamics through its long lateral shape and the directions of its tubes, with its slim design. A flat or steep diamond shape in frame will defeat the effects of a good diamond design.

1.3 Top Tube

Angle - The angle which the top tube makes to the seat tube is of utmost importance. This angle determines comfort and speed. Traditionally angles set by European manufacturers (where bicycles emerged) were from 71 to 73 degrees. At this angle, the biker will be able to ride long distances comfortably, and gets a fairly good speed. Bicycles were originally used as a mode of transport and slowly transformed into a sport from fun riding to racing. Racing itself comprises of long rides or short high paced rides. As Americans ventured into this sport and started making a mark in this field, the American manufacturers stepped in and helped spread the sport in US. For the Americans at this time, bicycling was essentially a sport for racing. In order to make bicycles race faster, they brought in some changes. Principle among them was increasing the top tube angle. Most American manufacturers set their bicycle top tube angle between 73 to 75 degrees. The additional two degree angle makes biker sit in an aggressive position. The biker now sits somewhat forward, the handlebar a bit closer, and 'most importantly' knee is forward and well positioned to press hard on the pedals. Ideally, biker position should be so, that his/her weight is equally distributed between saddle, handlebar, and pedals. This position gives a fairly good posture to balance comfort and speed. The American design positions the rider to put relatively more weight on pedals, allowing biker to supplement his leg power with weight and attain greater speed. For short rides, this is very effective, and makes a significant difference in ride feel. Very efficient! However, on the con side, comfort is sacrificed for speed, and thus not good for long rides. This is akin to riding in standing posture on pedals. Obviously standing provides lot more power to pedals but you cannot ride in this position for long. In fact, there are several bikers today even in the US who prefer the traditional European design of not so steep angle. A difference of just 1 or 2 degrees makes a noticeable impact on riding comfort. By the way, the range 71 to 73 or the 73 to 75 degrees is due to variations in overall bike size. Angle changes slightly with overall size within the same design.

Top Tube Slope – Some manufacturers have found it advantageous to have the top tube sloped downwards when meeting the seat tube. This allows relatively easy (best) fit of a bike to the biker and provides some advantages in aerodynamics. However, some of the advantages of a perfect diamond design are lost in this, since transfer of shock/vibration is impacted. The invention of the sloped top tube resulted in invention of compact frame, which is the next topic discussed below. But before that, be aware that even in a sloped top tube, the angle for the sake of understanding the frame, is computed with what the 'virtual' top tube is making with the seat tube.

1.4 Compact Frame

The invention of sloped top tube allowed manufacturers like Giant to invent compact frames. Compact frames are, as the name indicates, small frames. Slope in top tube allows the seat tube to start lower from top and results in smaller frame. Smaller frames offer two primary advantages. Firstly, smaller frame means less material, so less weight. Therefore bicycle can move faster for the same energy. Secondly, this offers cost benefit to manufacturer again for two reasons. First, less material means lower cost. Second and more important, compact frames allow smaller range of bike sizes. Bike size is given by the distance between centers of bottom bracket (that holds the crank) to top of seat tube. Because of slope in top tube, it is not necessary for manufacturers to stock too many sizes. Custom fit for biker can be conveniently done to a greater range with the handlebar and seat adjustments. Typically traditional sizes start from 49 cm to over 65 or so with one incremental size for every 2 cm. Compact frames allowed manufacturers to stock only 4 sizes namely, small, medium, large, and extra large.

So coming back, compact frames help in attaining higher speeds and lower costs of production. But there are some limitations to this. They do not offer the riding comfort of a pro traditional design frame. Next, the center of gravity for the frame is lower. So there is a tendency for the bike to fall easily when compared to traditional frames. I have noticed this myself in a big way, in an exaggerated design of this, when I rode an expensive bicycle with small wheels and small frame, although the overall bike was adult size. Although the bicycle rides pretty fast, as good as a regular one, there is this undoubted wobble in the bike. It rides fine, but the 'sense' of insecurity is high, at least until one gets used to it. Compact frames are good for racing at high speeds for shorter distances, but a no-no for comfortable long rides.

Readers may please note when I am referring to riding comfort and speed, I am gauging them 'relatively'. For some this may mean subtle, for some it may become significant.

1.5 Tube Designs

Circular Tubes - Tube design by itself, varies a lot. Typical ones are straight tubes of a small diameter, which are TIG welded (an advanced form of welding that assures a safe and strong, good weld with minimal distortions in weld). Then you will find some tubes which are not completely circular. Instead these are either oblong, square in cross-section, or some which are nearly flat. Theory is, these designs help aerodynamics of bike progressively by their designs. From an engineering point of view, circular tubes are cheaper to manufacture, so you will find most low end bikes with circular tubes. Be aware though that in practice there are several factors that determine cost, and this happens to be just one. For example as a marketing gimmick one manufacturer may offer a non-circular tube at low price by sacrificing quality of material used not noticed by the buyer. Suffice it to say, some non-circular designs are better than circular ones from a performance point.

Broad Tubes – For the frame to be strong, manufacturers typically manufacture tubes with smaller dia and thicker gauge. But from a performance point of view, some tubes like the Down Tube will be better off with a fatter tube with thinner gauge. The bigger size is offset with thinner gauge to reduce weight. They help in better transmission of vibration and importantly, flex less when compared to narrower tubes. Consequently, the frame becomes stiff and helps in achieving higher speeds easily. It is more expensive to manufacture broader tubes.

Hydro-formed and/or Butted Tubes – In order to reduce the weight and improve aerodynamics, some better quality tubes are butted (as double butted or triple butted). When double butted, manufacturer makes the tube with thicker gauge at ends to enable stronger TIG welding while saves material for lesser weight for rest of the tube. Hydro forming technology is used to alter shape of tube from circular to rectangular for example to improve strength of the tubes. A tube which is circular will flex more and more prone to strain when compared to a rectangular cross section tube. Obviously, design is complex and cost of manufacture is high. Most high end bikes use hydro formed tubes for their construction. Prefer these, when you have a choice.

Integrated Head Tube – Some frames come with an integrated head tube. Presumably these are more efficient and stronger.

Monocoque Frames – These are frames that are made as a single unit, all integrated and no welding at all. They help to reduce weight, but more importantly result in a frame that is less prone to stress, will be strong and reliable. Usually monocoque frames being expensive, are found only in high end frames.

1.6 Frame Materials

Materials used to make frame of a bicycle vary. Vary a lot more than one would expect! Some of these are explained below with relative merits and demerits. But before that there is one factor that needs an explanation. Road bikes do not have shock absorbers. Despite the diamond frame design, there is still some shock that is transferred to the hands through handlebar and rest of the body through the frame (via seat post). Frankly I have not seen this is an issue or even noticeable in my current road bike, Hero Thunder Racer. But I have come to understand some of it. Road bikes tend to have narrow tires (21 to 25 mm mostly) and a very high air pressure (100 to 140 PSI depending on tire) when compared to mountain bikes (may have very wide tires and air pressure only up to a maximum of 65 PSI). In very cheap road bikes the tire is wider at 28 mm and air pressures are relatively low (I pump it to 75 PSI a little beyond the prescribed). In such cases tire itself acts as a cushion, and whatever small shock is left, a part of it is again absorbed by the tape that the handlebar is wound with (or the foam covering it comes with factory fitted). This is not true when it comes to pro road bikes due to high air pressure and narrow tires. Thus shock absorbing does become a significant factor.

Also be aware that frames are not as strong as they are presumed to be. Some frames, irrespective of price, all they need could be one significant fall to break or get damaged. So you need to select your bike frame carefully considering all factors.

Steel - Traditionally, they used steel to manufacture bicycles. Steel is cheap, easy to transform and sturdy as well. Steel works excellent shock absorber by transmitting vibration throughout the frame and dampen it. This property itself will however vary by type of steel used and gauge for the tubes. Steel is long lasting and therefore you can count on using your bike for generations. Also, accidents affect little on steel frames when compared to most other materials, and could be repairable if damaged. It is possible to achieve good strength even with narrow tubes, and hence can be made very aerodynamic. Nevertheless since steel will flex, it will not be as stiff as some other materials and may not give performance in speed on a relative scale. Steel tends to be heavy and can rust if not painted well and taken good care. Weight is an important factor for two reasons. One, you need to pull a larger weight when pedaling and two; it is heavier to carry when not pedaling. Carrying isn't as infrequent as a beginner might expect, in reality. You may want to put your cycle once in a while in the car/other automobile, carry upstairs, lift it when crossing over the median on the road, and so on. It is more pain than one would expect. However, be aware there are excellent steel bicycles out there which are light as well. High end steel bikes are made with very thin gauge and narrow steel tubes which make them light as well as aerodynamic. Steel can be drawn thin and its strength or other properties varied significantly by the composition of the alloy. One such road bike is made by Bianchi as model Pinella. This is a very lovely bike! While pro high end (not the super super high end though) bikes weight about 8 kgs, this one weighs only 7.5 kgs. What could you expect more! This bike unfortunately is not available in India. If you can manage to get it, consider this option seriously. My personal choice would be steel, unless I ride and don't like it, if it has a low weight such as this one.

Aluminum – Aluminum is the most preferred material for frame. Aluminum allows bike to be manufactured with a very low weight and very stiff. Stiffness of the frame contributes to efficiency in speed. Frames which are stiff transmit power very well to wheels. Stiffness is to be experienced to believe. Pro bikers give a lot of significance to stiffness when selecting a bike. From a manufacturing stand point, Aluminum frames are difficult to manufacture than steel and so cost high. From a riding comfort point of view however, Aluminum is the least preferred. Their shock absorbing is so bad that are often supplemented with other means to at least partially dampen shock. Be aware though that Aluminum is actually the main ingredient used. The material itself comes as an alloy and compositions vary. For example, within Trek brand while Aluminum white is used for model 1.2, they use Aluminum black for model 1.5. Orbea uses 7000 series Aluminum; Cannondale uses 6000 series and so on. Thus all Aluminum frames are not absolutely alike in their behavior. Low end Aluminum is, as a matter of fact heavier than good steel frames. Also Aluminum frame are brittle (being an alloy). So depending on amount of an impact, in an accident they may even result in breaking or cracking of the frame. Unlike steel, it may not be possible to repair these with a good quality weld. Aluminum frames tend to be cheaper on a relative scale when compared to other exotic materials and so most low and medium end road bikes are made in Aluminum. This has to be buyer's choice in most cases. Aluminum bikes are available both in painted and unpainted versions. Personally, I like the unpainted version; there is no risk of scratching of paint or chipping, and raw Aluminum has its own gloss (finishing protective coat is applied).

Carbon Fiber –Readers may please understand in the first place that Carbon is not a metal. Carbon fiber is a material that is made by having carbon particles in resin. This is a synthetic material. It offers umpteen opportunities for manufacturer to create this material in a wide variety of molecular structure and so at several price brackets. Typically any carbon fiber bike is lot more expensive than most Aluminum bikes, but not necessarily so in all cases. A good Aluminum bike will cost more than a cheap carbon fiber, and is better. In cheaper carbon fiber frame, you will find less carbon and more resin. Carbon is very light and has excellent vibration dampening properties. Resin is not. A good molecular structure is a must for a good carbon fiber bike. So do not be tempted to buy a cheap carbon fiber bike. A good carbon fiber bike will offer advantages of less weight and good shock absorbing. As such, these are the most preferred bikes by all pro bikers. Although prices are coming down due to increasing popularity globally, still these are expensive enough to fit the bill of only high end category. Not withstanding its merits, and despite its high cost, carbon fiber bikes are very delicate and can break or get damaged very easily. Depending on the quality of carbon fiber used, one simple accident can be enough to break (externally or internally in material), although this is a factor that is also exaggerated. The delicateness like other factors will vary and not same for all carbon fiber frames. It is not necessary that high end carbon fiber ones are more strong. It could be actually the other way around (resin is hard), when cheaper carbon fibers are stronger (but then these do not provide the advantages of a carbon fiber bike!). Excellent carbon fiber bikes can weigh as low as 1 – 2 kgs, while most may be 7 - 9 kgs.

Titanium – Titanium gives the advantages of both Aluminum and steel. These are extremely light, can be manufactured with very thin gauge and still be extremely strong – virtually indestructible! However, the material itself is exotic and can be found only in super super high end bikes. It is also considered a status symbol to own a Titanium bike. Unlike steel, this does not rust so does not need, and also difficult to paint. So you will find Titanium bikes only in raw unpainted form, but will have a good appearance in its raw form. Titanium bike frames appear in two different materials one being softer and the other very stiff despite being very comfortable. The latter is livelier while retaining the comfort. Also Titanium material itself can consist of high end NASA grade or the lower Russian/Czech one. Quality of build makes a big difference as well, since Titanium frames are complex to manufacture.

Magnesium – Magnesium is another material that is used to make frames which carry less weight and have excellent shock absorbing features. These are far and few and very expensive similar to the Titanium.

Bamboo - Bamboo is another material that is used to make frames by some manufacturers. These offer the advantages of being less weight, par-excellence shock absorbing, and strong. It has to be cheap as well but only by definition (although every bamboo stick that you come across need not be a good candidate for frames). However there are manufacturing complexities (frame needs to be a mix of bamboo and another material to enable build of chain and seat stays for example). From aesthetic point of view, opinions are mixed. Some like while others don't. There are some manufacturers who make bikes made of bamboo, but these are by no means too cheap. As a matter of fact, they fall under the category of exclusive bikes and are expensive.

1.7 FORK

As explained earlier, road bikes need alternatives to the shock absorbers of mountain bikes. In addition to providing a diamond frame, good bikes offer forks (forks connect the front wheel to frame through head tube) that are made of carbon fiber. If the bike frame is made of steel they do not need carbon fiber fork. Others will benefit from one. Some manufacturers also offer the seat post (this is the tube that connects seat tube to saddle) in carbon fiber. There should be a significant benefit of having the fork and seat post in carbon fiber.

Some forks are straight in shape from head tube to wheel hub, while others are curved. Curved ones are better in providing a vibration free ride, and may become important design if the material used is steel. It will be good to have a shock absorbing fork for bikes with very narrow or high air pressure tires. For forks made of carbon fiber, this may not be important.

2. IMPORTANCE OF MAIN BIKE COMPONENTS

Some components of the bike are used constantly throughout the ride while some are used sparingly. The more frequently used components are first discussed below and the least used later. For example, without realizing you actually use and depend a lot on the hubs of the wheel all the time, while you change gears only every once in a while (when not changing, you are still riding!). So if you have to make a choice, one needs to give priority to a hub and only further to gear shifter (gear itself is another matter).

2.1 Wheels

Wheels are one of the often ignored components of a road bike. Wheels in terms of weight are second only to frame. There are several materials available that are used for these. However, it is interesting to note that the differences in weight in reality are not high, not as a relative percentage but when compared to the total weight of the cycle. More than weight, buyer needs to pay attention to the material used, and the overall construction quality of wheel. Wheels are the ones that keep rotating all the time and take the load of the biker both by weight as well as biker's power in pedaling. A dynamic mass carries more weight and so is all the more important to have good wheels. Design of spokes also may matter. Apart from the traditional ones there are some spokes which have three or so flat plates. However these are not very popular. The layout of spokes also varies from wheel to wheel. While the varieties and their relative merits are not discussed here, suffice it to mention that a good proven brand (Mavic for example) is essential. Experienced bikers buy a bike for its frame and other components giving consideration to price and the 'first' thing they do is to change wheels (some cases hubs additionally) and saddle. They know what an impact it makes on the ride.

2.2 Hubs

Hubs are the ones that are in motion all the time, even when you are not pedaling but are riding nevertheless. High quality hub helps minimize friction losses and provide a 'noticeably' smooth ride. I feel it is very important to have excellent quality hubs.

2.3 Tires

Typically tires of road bikes are in the range of 21 – 28 mm. Most good ones are either 23 or 25 mm. It is pertinent here to note that a difference of 2 mm (between 23 and 25 for example) will make a significant difference in effort and speed. This is one good reason why many bikers prefer a road bike as against a mountain bike. There are some bikers who use a mountain or hybrid bike and just change their tires to narrow ones when riding on tarmac roads for city rides and notice a great improvement in speed. Narrower tires, due to their need to carry the entire weight on less surface area that is in contact with ground, will need higher air pressure. While it improves speed, it is now more prone to shock. A trade-off is imminent. There are several brands of tires and some may be more puncture resistant. Trek sports a 25 mm for its road bikes available in India while Bianchi offers a 23 mm on Nirone 7 Alu and so on.

3. OTHER COMPONENTS

Saddle - There are several varieties of saddles and some run very expensive. A saddle by Selle Itallia sells at USD 250 but is simply fantastic. Brooks is another high end brand for saddles. Importance of saddles in a bike can never be over-emphasized. You will see a hell lot of difference when you change the saddle not only by comfort but also by speed. Contrary to common belief soft saddles are not good. They are not necessarily comfortable for long rides. Human body has its cushioning parts (what not with all its muscle and tissue) which do well to provide a firm support. I have personally noticed it 'big time' when I changed the factory fitted saddle with another harder one from the local market. Narrow and firm saddles with no cushioning material (no gel ones please) are good. It is believed that the split saddle with a gap in center actually provide more comfort by allowing the body to sit on the sit bones and avoid privates being affected. A firm saddle helps shift the power from legs to pedal completely with no apparent losses when leg is brushing against saddle edge. Saddle should be so, that when you are pushing your leg down, your thigh is barely, if at all brushes with the saddle side edge. This helps in transfer of complete power, therefore efficient for reaching higher speeds, and helps you ride long distances without skin irritation. Ergonomically designed saddles make a lot of difference in distributing the body weight on parts of the saddle optimally. Any amount invested in a good saddle is never an over investment!

Handlebar Drops – Without going into too many details of handlebars, I want to emphasize that I like drop bars even for urban riding (assuming though that there is a fair mix of occasional long rides). Drop bars offer you multiple positions for placing your hands. All drop bars offer you the following positions:

1. Hands on handlebar top near center – a very restful position for a stretch of long straight ride not very convenient to apply brakes immediately if needed in emergency, not very convenient when turning as well.

2. Hands over the handlebar closer to brake levers – allows biker to alter his back position, very restful, shifts weight of body to front, gives some stretch to neck when head is lifted up, average amount of effectiveness in applying brakes, can change gears easily.

3. Hands 'in' the drops holding the brake levers – very aerodynamic, improves speed and pedal power, can apply brakes very easily and change gears conveniently. Have to lift up head significantly to watch front. Can't hold in this position for too long in city rides or long rides all through.

In addition to these some bikes have the drops curved in such a manner that it has some more space and curvature to allow you rest on to the edges of the drop bar. So there is one more position now available for the rider that would be fairly comfortable. It is also within a reasonable reach of brake levers.

Front Chain Cogs – the front gears come in either two or three chain rings. Most pro road bikes provide only two chain rings. Limiting to two encourages use of larger ring mostly and shift to smaller only when needed for steep uphill rides. It is simple and limits uncertainties of the biker to change gears too often. You focus more on pedaling and biking. Three chain rings help in having smoother rides and assist in maintaining cadence (pedaling rotations per minute).

Number of teeth on the rings and their relative sizes determine gear ratios. I feel gear ratios are of personal taste and one needs to find what works best for him/her. Higher number of teeth on the sprockets means greater gear ratio, and therefore better speed for same cadence. But notice though that in the process, biker may have reduced cadence if the ratio is too high and may eventually result in lower speed in reality. That is why this is more of finding out what suits best for the individual.

Some bikes provide a chain cover so trouser doesn't get stuck between chain ring and chain. I feel this is very useful, since it is not convenient to use trouser clips all the time when we wear trousers, or can it be assured that we will wear cycling shorts all the time we cycle. Again, it is a matter of personal preference.

Gears – Gears come in a few brands (Shimano, SRAM, Compagnalo etc.) and models within them to suit each

pocket. Shimano is the most popular brand among low and medium end bikes. In high end bikes you will find all brands including the Shimano. Shimano models in the order of increasing quality and price are:

1. Sora

2. Tiagra

3. 105

4. Ultegra

5. Dura Ace

Other than Sora, there are still cheaper models but not used in good road bikes. With each higher model you select, you get a smoother and surer shift of gear. For example, at the lower end one may notice that when shifter downshifts, the gear may not actually shift or there is a delay in shifting or there may be jumping of gears (happens more during release) or there is a big noise/sound (which is different from a nice clang or chuck or click!). This is in addition to longevity and trouble free performance. It is very important to have a nice set of gears and derailleur (these physically shift the chain to another gear). In an ideal world, the biker is expected to change gears often enough to ensure a constant cadence in the range of 70 to 90 (or 100 to 140 in case of pro bikers). This ensures not only a very efficient ride with respect to speed and effort, but also to provide correct exercise to thigh muscles of legs and knee movement. It assures that thigh muscles do not become hard. Thigh and calf muscles that become hard, may develop a stronger power to push uphill but lose the flex to be able to ride for long. It is VERY important to have a nice set of gears.

Having said that, there is a tendency among bikers to over-emphasize on gears and shifter quality. As mentioned earlier, one cannot change the frame, the basic skeleton and support structure of a bicycle, while components such as gears can always be upgraded when you have the money. Components should not decide the primary cost of the bicycle. It should be the frame and several 'other' components. Be aware that some component models may not be upgradeable (heard that Sora cannot be). So you may want to invest to a certain bare minimum to ensure your upgradeability is not limited.

It is very convenient to have gear shifter and brake levers integrated into one pair of levers. Some models have a release lever separate from the brake lever, while in others it is integrated.

Brakes – Pro bikes usually have either a v-brake (called power brakes in India) or dual pivot brakes. There are several other models including hydraulic drum based but these are unique models and are not necessarily better. It is more often to see v-brakes in India. These are efficient but not as powerful and strong as the dual pivot ones. V-brakes have a tendency of the holding nut losing threads and losing grip suddenly without notice. The brake then becomes useless suddenly during the ride and also not repairable. Dual pivot on the other hand are very efficient, strong, and dependable. Due to its fixed size and limited flexibility to be fixed on broader frames on the fly, these are not used in mountain bikes. Some bikes may sport disc brakes. These are very complex to maintain and constantly need a difficult to make fine-tuning. Although they are more effective than other forms of brakes, they are often discouraged for the troubles associated with it, and may not warrant for speeds attained on bicycles (as against a high speed motorcycle for example). For road bikes, dual pivots are the most preferred. Brakes are made by reputed component manufacturers, while some bike manufacturers use their home brand or cheap ones.

Accessories – Note that some bikes do not come with pedals. It is not that the manufacturer is trying to save on this component, but that he is aware there is a wide variety in the market and wants the biker to have the choice (clipless that need a shoe with clip that locks into the pedal during ride so during the pull half cycle of pedaling the movement is not wasted, nylon versus steel pedals and so on). The bike price is hopefully reduced to that extent. Some bikes do not have provision to fit a bottle carriage (not the carriage itself, but a provision of threaded holes). This is very important for most of us. Some bikes do not provide for a carrier to be fixed. For me, this is fine. I can manage with a seat post carriage, but for some others who intend to do long rides or want to use bicycle as primary mode of transport for everything, this may be important. Some bikes come with a guard for the rear derailleur, which I think is important. In an accidental fall, it will save the expensive derailleur. Front chain ring cover is important if you wish to ride with trousers on once in a while.

4. BIKE FIT

Remember that all bikes allow for several adjustments to be made to custom fit the biker. These include the handlebar to be lifted up, angle for the handlebar so drops can suit the biker, seat height adjustment, seat forward-backward movement so the knee to pedal is vertically perfectly aligned (when pedal is at its most forward position – 3 'o' clock), saddle fitment as perfectly parallel to ground, and such. All these offer significant flexibility for custom fit. It is amazing how immensely the small fine tuning impact bike ride, from comfort to speed. From complex software to simple thumb rules there is a wide range of help available. Use what works for you, but make sure that you do invest a LOT in fitting the bike right for you. It may take 'several' iterations before it is perfected. But none-the-less a bike fit may never be adequate if the size is not right for the biker. Each biker varies not only by his/her height and weight but also by length of hands (for same height), length of legs, neck length, flexibility and such, all of which affect what the person feels 'just right'. So it is VERY important that biker test rides the bicycle before buying one. There is no shortcut to this, if you are serious about a good fit and desire to use the bike for extended periods of ride.

5. BEAUTY OF BIKE

It is a reality and nothing to be ashamed of that you need to buy a bike that you like, just by its appearance 'in-addition' to whatever it provides as features. It is the same as buying a dress. You don't buy one, just by its functionality. You carefully evaluate several colors and designs before you buy one. A thing of beauty is joy for ever. If you like your bike, it is more likely that you want to take it out more often.

6. EVALUATION OF CURRENT ROADBIKES IN INDIA

I have tried to evaluate road bikes currently available in India. Here is my analysis; purely personal opinions. All the bikes mentioned below are aluminum frames.

Giant TCR 3 – A fantastic bike beyond doubt. Giant is perhaps the largest manufacturer of bicycles. Giant is an American manufacturer. Having lived in the US for over seven years, I know from personal experience that American products are robust and quality conscious, for the most part. They do not sacrifice on component quality even in a small way, but rather thrive on heavy marketing and high volumes of sale. Recently Giant was chosen as the best road bike in the under $1,000 price bracket by a seemingly reputed bike review organization after short listing 50 road bikes. The model selected was Giant TCR3 Advanced 2010 from what I recollect. The ones available in India are not the Advanced version. Not sure what this means though. Price in India of TCR3 is Rs.49,305 (same as Trek 1.5). It comes with Tiagra component group set. However I am not 'in' for this model for the simple reason that it features the compact frame, which I am not in favor of, for reasons already mentioned under the compact frames section above. It has an aggressive design that supports speed but not long comfortable rides. If you prefer speed over comfort, this model may be considered.

Bianchi Nirone 7 Alu – This is an Italian company and has been in existence for more than a century. They know their job inside-out and have seen the industry for a very long period. Bianchi bikes are very fashionable and are considered iconic. Their very special Celeste blue color is a sure head turner and easily separates itself as a Bianchi even if the bike has just flashed past you. Being an European bike, the frame is not an aggressive one and designed for a balance between comfort and speed for long rides. The saddle is pretty good, and considered to be absolutely uncompromising in toughness. So helps in efficient transfer of power from legs to pedal. I took a test ride of Nirone 7 Alu and got convinced that these are very robust, rock solid bikes and ride pretty well. Given that the tires are 23 mm, the bike should ride pretty fast as well despite a traditional frame design. However my experience is limited by the fact that, it was the first road bike I ever rode, and the very first day after over 25 years since I ever cycled; can't carry too much weight to my opinion. In terms of reviews, Bianchi receives very good reviews, but have rarely been considered 'the-best' based on what I read. Despite being over priced at about Rs.55k for what they offer in India, I was tempted to consider this one, only until I came to know that the Sora component group (basic) it comes with cannot be upgraded. Further, this version has seat post carbon but not fork. Also at this price the model has only one white color and does not offer its typical Celeste blue. Considering all of these factors, I prefer to drop this bike at this time. The next version Nirone 7 Alu Carbon does have better components but priced at Rs. 84k.

Trek 1.5 – Trek is an American brand and is counted among the best brands. Several pro-races are won on bikes of this brand. Although it does not have a compact frame, I think this has a steeper seat tube angle and is better suited for higher speeds as against comfortable long rides. The 1.2 version is a low end model with Sora components and uses Aluminum White material for frame, while the 1.5 version uses the Aluminum Black material. The component group set is Tiagra. I test rode the 1.2 version of the bike for some short distances and found it to have a very easy to ride feel, gets good speed, feels light. However the frame itself has thin tubes and overall structure does not seem to offer any of better tube designs mentioned in my tube design section above. Even the 1.5 does not offer hydro formed tubes, does not offer large down-tube with thin gauge or non-circular better tube design. I feel this model is considered by Trek as a low end model and as such, does not offer much in this bike segment, other than the Tiagra group set. The saddle, although of a good brand Bontrager, this is the basic version of the range. Fork is not carbon fiber. Tires are 25 mm and fork is a straight fork. The drops design in handlebar is so that it likely will offer three positions instead of four. Read somewhere that the 2010 version added better components for same price but at the cost of degraded other parts (frame, hub or whatever). That statement troubles me. Trek 1.5 is available at Rs.49,305 in India. For the price at which this is being sold, it can however be seriously considered as an option.

Orbea Aqua TTG – This is again a very old bicycle manufacturer in Spain, where cycling is part of their every day life. It is often quoted, who could know better about bicycles than the Spanish. They sponsor a ride similar to Tour de France and are very popular. International review of the starting version available in India,
Aqua TTG is that it is an 'excellent' beginner road bike. Their high end versions are considered among the best in the world and some pro-racers seem to use them themselves. Being an European bicycle, they have traditional frame design and suited for all round performance as against the American brands built for speed. Their starting version itself poses itself with some excellent component group set. They offer Tiagra on the gears and shifters, have carbon fiber seat post and carbon bronze fork. The fork is monocoque. Tubing is double butted. Tires are Vittoria 23 mm. Saddle is Selle Italia X2 Pro, a very reputed high end brand. Their bikes are very stylish in addition to being functionally right. Their paint finish is unparalleled to any bike based on what I read. It is hand painted. Orbea is so particular about their finish that unlike the other manufacturers when the actual manufacture is done in Asia (China, Korea etc.), they prefer to get the components manufactured in Asia but the final finishing happens at their Spanish factory, although this does attract more customs duty. They mention that they first produce and perfect within their factory before they offshore their production (excluding final finish). Also, they claim that no two bicycles will have exactly same final appearance due to the variations they make in their paint designs (not sure about the one available in India). Orbea bikes unlike the other brands mentioned above, sport stripe designs on their frame. Orbea also claims that it gives the same paint finish quality for its entry level model as it does for its highest level bike. They offer a life time warranty on the frame which is the most expensive part of the bike. Overall, their starting model itself starts at a high end, and so does the price at Rs.60k. This bike for sure, draws my attention wanting me to take a test ride, although I am concerned that there are not too many reviews on the model that is available in India (other than the one mentioned already).

Cannondale CAAD 8 – It is in the air that this model may become available in India shortly. Although specifications are not available and these seem to vary drastically internationally, I have made an attempt to take a high level view of what I understood. Cannondale is an American company which used to be a component manufacturer and moved into bicycle production. Their components were regarded good and therefore could establish itself in the market. Cannondale is the company that introduced Aluminum as a frame material that became so popular today. They are very innovative in nature. Cannondale initially were into mountain bike manufacture and after a good success in that arena, have now moved into road bike manufacture. Being an American company, its products are very robust as well as quality conscious. However like other American companies, it appears this bike also focuses on speed first. The saddle is beautifully contoured to provide a comfortable seating position as well as to pedal through easily. Component group set is from Tiagra. Brakes are home made, and its wheels are reviewed as cheap Shimano wheels. So are the Shimano hubs and Shimano spokes. Tires are Schwalbe 23 mm. From my knowledge, it is not too good. Saddle is home made as well, although the design is convincingly good. Frame is an aggressive design. However Cannondale says that the geometry has been chosen to provide a balance between comfort and speed. It has seat stays in hour glass design to support some shock absorption. Down tube is bigger and helps the bike in being very stiff and unyielding. Frame supports achieving good speeds and predictive handling. Reviewers comment they had no issues cornering road at speeds as high as 70 kmph downhill. Most of the experienced buyers however replaced wheels and some components soon after buying as they found them as scrap material. However post replacement; they are all praise for this bike. The frame itself appears to be pretty good. Colors and painting are very attractive. The company uses its double pass welding to ensure smooth finish and hand crafted like appearance. Cannondale also comments they made changes to geometry in its 2010 version to improve performance. It couldn't go wrong at all buying a Cannondale. However given the fact that full specifications are not available at this time, unless seen from a dependable source, it will be difficult to comment beyond this review. Specifications that are currently available vary a great deal from market to market. For sure, this is a bike worth testing on the road and is unlikely to be over priced given its prices and quality in the mountain and hybrid range in India. My personal belief would be given the way its mountain bikes behave, it is more likely that this bike will be very robust, will provide trouble free performance, but unlikely to offer a sophisticated ride expected of a road bike. But I could be wrong. Actually prefer to be!!

7. CONCLUSION

Orbea is very tempting, but Trek is an established better brand. Need to ride both, to be able to decide. There is a difference of a good Rs. 10K as well! Cannondale, if it comes through will be a good bike to compare against the Orbea. Only a test ride can tell the preference for me!!!

My Maiden Non-Stop Century on Bicycle

2010-03-20T16:47:00.008+05:30

The plan was, me and my son, Sreemukh would wake up early and go for a ride. We love going together, all by ourselves, before it dawns. Thanks to a late night visitor who insisted on coming at that odd time and converse past eleven with my son (a customer for his gaming console that he decided to sell), Sreemukh wouldn't wake up early the next morning. So I decided to go alone as I do mostly. There has been this 'itch' for a while that I do a non-stop 100 kms on the bike. I knew it could be difficult but not impossible. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this that day, as I was not mentally prepared for it. So here I am, out on the road to make at least a 50+ that day.

Left at 6:15 and the early morning weather was fantastic. It's heaven to venture out early. Thanks to summer, it isn't too chilly. I hop on, and ride away in my usual route of Outer Ring Road (ORR), and go past the AP Police Academy. Had to struggle a bit to figure out how I take a right on to the Gandipet road from ORR. Our R&B department works fantastic. They have completed a bridge at AP Police Academy, but did not care to provide an exit to take right. I go past the place where I needed a right, but wouldn't find any scope as far as I could see. After some distance, I noticed there was an unofficial U turn to take left that eventually could lead to the road for Gandipet. I took that and was racing on the beautiful Tarmac trying to imagine how many deer could be there in that deer park (or did just say vanya mriga?) to my right. I get on to the road that goes towards Chilukuru Balaji temple, and was confident I can easily make 50 km for this ride (round trip).

It was then, I decided I will ride whatever I felt comfortable, not pushing myself to the edge. I calculated if I rode for 3 hours roughly one-way, I could surely complete a century even if I had significantly slowed down on my return. But then riding near about 12 noon on my return could hazardous, 'given' that Sun and I don't go together! Ever! (All one has to do was leave me under the Sun for few minutes in summer, and I would get giddiness for sure).

I have started enjoying more as I moved on to the outskirts of the urban, and get to see farm fields, stray dogs, a hut or a house here and there where the home-ministers were lazily brushing their teeth and getting ready for the day when the entire family will get to be together. It was a Sunday. As I went past Moinabad, I knew I could go for 'some more' distance comfortably and be sure of my return as well. I figured out all my options, what I would do if I was unable to ride further for my return or had a flat or a 'technical snag' with my bike (call my wife – she wouldn't like it driving to an unknown terrain, get my father to get a taxi, or me requesting an inter-town auto, or use one of those RTC buses to get me to Hyderabad . . . .). Then I saw the milestone that indicated Chevella was 17 kms away. I decided I will reach Chevella, have a breakfast and return, even if I wouldn't complete century. It didn't matter. Doing a century wasn't too important a goal for that day; just wanted to have one long ride. I decided I will not look at my cyclocomputer and tempt myself to push further to reach 50.

So here I am, reaching Chevella eventually, not tired at all, but yes was looking forward to a sumptuous breakfast. I was slowly getting concerned that I couldn't see any restaurant. After riding a couple of kilometers I think, I got to see a reasonable restaurant. Chevella is a bigger town that I imagined, as I saw nearly the entire city visible from a distance. Tied up my bike to a pole that I could find conveniently and got in to the restaurant. For sure I was an alien to the crowd, what with my fancy looking bicycle, helmet, biking gloves, ear phones, goggles and all. Although tempted to have a decent breakfast, I felt I would be better off with a lighter one to keep me active. I had a plate of idly and tea, and back to work! Albeit light, the breakfast made me good. It was then that I looked up my cyclocomputer and realized I had already covered 47 kms and would just have to manage a few more kilometers as I approach my home to make my dream of nonstop 100 km ride true. Picked up couple of biscuit packets, just in case I needed for my return and started riding back.

There were all several curious on-lookers and some would dare and ask where I came from and where I was going. There was this young adolescent motor cyclist and his pillion rider, who with their curiosity came in my way suddenly slowing down and almost made me fall down. They rode with me for some time, made me stop and asked several questions on the bike components. I decided I will get rid of them and rather take a souvenir with a farmer who I left behind me in the field on my way. The conversation with the farmer was very pleasing. He was surprised that while he couldn't (wouldn't?) go to the nearby village from his village by bicycle, that I would ride all the way from Hyderabad and back. He said he watched me during my onward journey as well. Farmers in this country are among the most hard working from what I know. For a country that thrives on agriculture and had been among the most civilized since several centuries, isn't this the most disappointing? (Read my other blog on status of agriculture in India here). On a Sunday, here is this guy tilling the field, even as early as my onward journey. I am sure he would work till the dusk. And his companions are the bullocks who work equally hard, for him! Will there be a day when farmers have equal comforts as most other people do in this country?

Rest of my ride till I reached the ORR, was uneventful, although very enjoyable. The sun was going up, but I wasn't going down!! Now here I am on to the ORR, did not feel the need to stop before that road to get a cup of tea by the road side cafe. Usually the ride on the ORR isn't too bad, except for one killer uphill flyover. But this time, the Sun was blasting at 11:15 AM and wind blew so hard that I would have to 'pedal' even down-hill and barely reach 20 kmph speed while it usually is 35+.

There was some computational error, or more likely the cyclocomputer did not work (it occasionally happens) for part of my return ride, that I realized I had to make another 20 kms to hit the century. This last 20 was a real struggle and I did have to push myself for finding odd routes to complete the balance distance, and push myself under the hot Sun. My speed came to down a bare 10 kmph. Eventually I completed it, and felt very complacent when I reached home, after riding for a near nonstop five and a half hours. The only stop was for breakfast for 15 minutes and minute here and there for picking up biscuits or water bottle. Sure, I could improve my average speeds. But I am never concerned of my speed. My goals are more on distances rather than speed.

Now I know, I can make an inter-city ride by bicycle, all by myself riding at least a hundred kilometers a day! Some day!! Not too bad ain't it?

Maiden Century Ride on bicycle

2010-02-15T20:23:00.001+05:30

Three months into bicycling since last November, I have made my first century ride on the bicycle. Last Saturday, the 13th of February, along with a few riders from Hyderabad Bicycle Club, my sixteen year old son, Sreemukh and I rode to Bhongir. We covered a distance of 108 kms. Being my first maiden century, it definitely feels great. And what a wonderful ride it was. Apart from the fact of covering a long distance, the other experience during the ride made it very special. I am sure my son and I will remember this ride for our lives.

We started off at 4:50 AM in the morning and reached up the venue some 5 kms away. After a short wait, a group of us riders, eight to be precise, started off at 5:35 AM. And what a beginning! It felt wonderful seeing off the city so early in the morning, as Sun was waiting to shine the urban. As I started relishing the beauty of an early ride, off on the highway with literally no traffic, here comes the big disaster! Just over 20 kms probably from the city. Not too close to destination to dare a walk, and not near enough to retreat to city either!

We just did a 28 km ride the previous day, to give a stretch for my son, before we take on this long ride that both of us loved to do. Heeding to frequent suggestions, I had been experimenting to change to lower gears (easy to pedal) as necessary to ensure that cadence (pedaling) is at least between 60 to 80 rotations per minute. This, in reality, was putting more strain on my thigh muscles than I would with a higher gear. Although I did not see a significant difference in speed between the two approaches, I did realize that this approach of lower gears actually is strengthening my thigh and calf muscles due to the imposed higher cadence. So although my legs were aching (28 km distance shouldn't have been a long one for me otherwise), I continued to experiment this during my Bhongir (Bhuvanagiri Fort) ride.

I was climbing on a steep uphill and was fiddling with the gears changing to lower that wouldn't engage accurately, thanks to the low cost components on the bike. And oops! The chain got stuck between the wheel casket and the largest chain sprocket. Since I was pedaling hard due to the uphill task, the chain got stuck real hard. The organizer, Krishna and I were happily conversing on common topics and were already lagging behind the entire group, including my son, who was actually among the slowest. Krishna and I tried our level best with the limited tool kit I had to pull out the chain. Nopes, no luck! Krishna contacts other senior friends in the group and took over-the-phone suggestions, but realized it would be hard to pull off. Walking up to a nearby village and roadside bicycle repairer wouldn't help since they wouldn't have the particular needed to dismantle the sprockets. I called up my son, and asked him to return, for the next course of action had to be planned. Probably call my wife to come in car and pick us up. Knew that two cycles would never fit in 'her' car (an Opel Corsa 1.6L). As my son started retracting, I wouldn't give up, and made some more attempts to use a small hex tool as a lever with the sprocket edge as fulcrum. Inch by inch, the chain came out eventually. Ooph! Finally! More than the elation that I was able to salvage the situation, I was happy that I did not ruin the interests of my son, and Krishna who was the organizer. Good friend as he was, he had actually intimated others earlier to carry on with the trip since there was no hope of this bike getting alright. Thank you, Krishna for your moral and physical support - all I could say to myself.

So we proceeded. Is there something as going back, if there was one failure? Nope. I didn't think so. And, reached Bhongir. The ride was good, except that at times I felt the group could have ridden a little slower so we could enjoy the environ as we rode rather than target to reach destination. As we reached Bhongir, I realized it was a bandh and all shops were closed. A pre-arranged restaurant allows us to get in through a back door and have an eagerly waited breakfast. We proceeded to Bhongir Fort base area and saw off the rest of the group to climb up.

I had earlier decided I would not do the climb to fort top. One, I preferred to do that along with my rest of the family and two, I did not want to strain myself too much with the 500 ft climb and make the return ride a tired one waiting to make it to the destination. So here are the guys at the base.

I then took off to scan the town Bhongir. Thanks to the bandh, all the shops were closed. I had a challenge to provide a second round breakfast to my son, who for sure was hungry after such a long ride of over 50 kms nonstop. I took a few pictures during my 'walk' within the town.

The experiences we had in the town was amazing and unforgettable. With the helmets, gloves and my road bike, we were like aliens to this remote town. We had enough followers of children all our walk. Not just that, there were groups of adults too, who would throng to us and ask a billion questions. Here was one group, as I was taking pictures of a small temple. One guy ventured into getting onto my bike!

As we parked our cycles and were having breakfast, I had to have a watchful eye on the bikes, although they were chained to a pole, given the overly curious onlookers. There was a police group who wanted to know details of our visit of why we were here, and how many of us were here in the group, what is this about cycling rides and such. Did not look like they were questioning our visit, but just curious of our ride. There was a local political leadership group who were amazed at our attire and asked us several questions. The leader of them wanted to know all the details, 'in detail' as he called it:

Where we were coming from?
Why were we riding such a long distance?
Wanted to know details of various components of my cycle such as the cyclo computer, and the front light
How fast would the cycle go?
What was the purpose of the gears?
What was the maximum speed I achieved and how much it could go?
How easy was it to control the cycle when I rode it at my maximum of 47 km/h? He was amazed that when RTC buses had been set a maximum of 40 km/h, how I could control the cycle at such high speeds.

There was then another group who called themselves from Press, requested from behind us to stop as we were riding by on the main road and asked similar questions. There were umpteen number of other people who asked similar questions, all our way through to Hyderabad the entire route. There were several motorcyclists and other commuters who would slow down, ask similar questions. Boy! We are in India. We have so much interest in what is going around us and why. Thank you India and comfort of having a village every couple of kilometers of ride. I know I could survive in this country anytime. I am sure, need be some of these will offer some hospitality. As I rode by, slow and steady, gulping 2 liters of water each, along with my son, having a good heart-to-heart talk with him, I started wondering, if his objective was to understand India in its breadth and depth, why did the Mahatma Gandhi travel by third class passenger train and not ride by bicycle by country's breadth and depth!

Watch more pictures at here.

What to eat before a long cycle ride?

2009-12-24T12:55:00.003+05:30

I heard this some time back from journalist photographers soon after I returned to India and pondered taking photo-journalism as a career. When I thought over the science behind it, it made sense.

If you are going to go out for a long time, eat peanut jaggery cakes (chikki). The jaggery converts into blood glucose pretty quick (not instantaneous such as honey though), so will provide energy for immediate need. The peanut provides fat that converts to blood glucose taking significantly longer time (for digestion) and offers significantly high quantity of calories. So this provides a sustained energy (though will not start immediately). Makes sense to me.

Having said that:

1. Fruits take about 1to 1.5 hours for digestion (and thus conversion to blood glucose).

2. Processed foods take anything from 4 hours to 6 hours to process

3. Digestive system needs greater amounts of oxygen for digestion. If one notices, breathing becomes faster soon after a meal and is least when on empty stomach such as in early morning. That is why soon after a heavy lunch, the oxygen supplied to brain is less and we feel sleepy. If this higher quantity of oxygen is denied to digestive system, it can lead to (a) longer period for digestion, (b) indigestion, and (c) acidity if continued for prolonged periods.

4. When we are exercising, muscles need more energy to perform. This is provided by mitocondria in cells by burning blood glucose and converting to energy. To enable burning, mitocondria needs oxygen. Thus when we exercise, we typically tend to breathe more heavily so there is more oxygen intake.

5. So It is imperative that body is provided some period of rest soon after a meal to allow for more oxygen intake. For if you are immediately on exercise after food, you are not providing enough oxygen for digestive system (remember digestive system drives everything in the body in long run).

Energy bars are easily converted to blood glucose due to high amount of polished and easily digestible food, lacking fiber and other natural nutrients. So these provide energy in shorter durations. However since these do not provide nutrients in a well balanced natural form, these are not recommended for prolonged use; can lead to diabetes during forties or sooner. There is enough evidenced research all over the world asking people to minimize/avoid processed and junk food. PLEASE don't do this regularly.

To conclude: like Rajesh recommends, have good food during previous day and well balanced breakfast consisting all of carbohydrates, proteins, fats (in that order of proportion) and vitamins.....WELL BEFORE you go on a ride. The food should have been nearly digested before you go out. If you do not have so much time, have some quick digesting energy providers, namely fruits. You may carry and have chikki on and off during rides.

Hydration: yes, if you are thirsty, you are already late, damaged enough. Need to replenish with simple water just too often (amount varies based on perspiration nature, climate and such).

Never knew that so many things can wrong

2009-11-03T07:25:00.000+05:30

Never knew that so many things can wrong in a simple mechanical equipment like bicycle!

I always felt that cycle was a

very simplistic equipment, and hence very dependable. Not to be so :(

Since buying the Hero Thunder Racer just one month back and using it in past two weeks (first two being sick, I couldn't ride), I am facing any number of problems; continuing with me having to walk from office at 10:15 PM last night.

First it was the brakes that wouldn't work too well. I tried adjusting the tension. Didn't help much; noticed that the problem was brake pads not properly aligned, and so contact point was too small. Got the vendor fix the rim by adjusting the spokes tension. It ain't too bad now, except that I have to use ONLY the drop bar position levers to stop. The other set of levers for use in upright position on bars only slow down, never stop the bicycle.

Then the first gear on rear dérailleur would make noise since the plastic disc next to it was not in perfect horizontal plane and so chain rubs against the disc. Got the vendor fix it for me. The mechanic reportedly fixed a disc or something in between to increase the distance between plastic disc and gear.

Next I was not able to get the chain on to third gear on front dérailleur. The dealer tried to fix it, but the display (shifter) would fall back to position 2 automatically when it was in third gear (big one). So if I had to shift to second from third, I would have to shift to first on shifter. And if I had to shift to first gear, I will have to carefully manage to go to second and immediately go back to first! The mechanic with a sorrow look asks if I couldn't manage, and was display really a problem. When I insist this is really troublesome, he keeps the vehicle for one more (in all three days) and fixes it; only to notice while I ride, that whenever I try to take even a smal turn, due to change in tension in cable, the shifter and thence the gear goes to second gear from third! Vexed and assuming the guy didn't know his job too well, I read up on Internet about front gear and fixed it myself spending more than couple of hours. Only to notice the next day, the problem ain't solved fully well. The gears shift much better then they did when the mechanic fixed it. But the third would go back to second any time. I then take the bike to a different mechanic far away from my location mentioning the problem of display. He tries for half an hour and fixed it so, that I could use either of first and second, or second and third gears only; not all three. He complains the gear shifter and the gear changer were defective! I convinced myself (a perfectionist that I am), into focusing first on riding and worry about using all features at some other time. I opted for the bike fixed to run on second and third gears only, knowing too well, I needed the first gear at two places to my work where the road is too steep to ride on second or third gears :(.

And bingo, yesterday night - tired and suffering from head ache and returning at 10 PM after a very long and stressful day, as I was pushing myself hard on steep road near my office, the whole drive mechanism to rear wheel started slipping. Got down walked over the steep and tried to pedal later, only to realize later the chain was stuck between gear five and frame. Luckily I was carrying a screw driver and an adjustable spanner. When pushing the chain with the screw driver did not help, I ended up loosening the wheel nut significantly and pulled out the chain and put back on a gear. I try to ride the bicycle now, only to realize there was no 'hold' between the gears and the wheel. No matter what I do, pedaling does not rotate the wheel!! My knowledge yet had not extended or expanded into fixing this on the road on the fly, when it was nearly pitch dark. And here I go, walking up to home, while the commuters on the road are bewildered to watch me walking with a cycle, sporty attired with a fancy looking helmet, gloves, backpack and what not.

I mean how many things can break in this bicycle while I am holding on my tenacity to stick to biking for commute? Should I have struck to my original decision to buy the expensive Bianchi? Not sure. I can't believe, just because it happens to be manufactured by an Indian manufacturer, despite being the largest cycle manufacturer in the WORLD, the product could be so defective.

Thanks for your patient read.

Mallik

First Commute to Work

2009-10-27T11:01:00.000+05:30

Oh my God! I finally made it to work today, my first commute ride. Never imagined it could be so difficult. So many turns, so many inclines on the roads that I never knew existed happily driving in a smooth petrol Skoda RS, so much of bullying traffic, so much of heat in winter at 9:45 AM, so many different (new) routes en route I never knew were possible, so many points when my brakes were not very effective and I was scared of hitting the vehicle in front, so many places where a disciplined and traffic obedient person like me could flout traffic rules (for at some places it is better for a cyclist to go against the traffic, so many places it is easier to just lift up the bike to cross over road instead of taking a long 'U' turn).

Whatever! I am completely exhausted with this just 6 km ride, although I could manage 30 km ride couple of times earlier before stepping on to commute. As I stepped into the rest room I was 'shocked' to find my oft shaved head and face drenched in sweat when I looked into the mirror. Knowingly I had to done some wrong things:

1. Take a complete south Indian rice based full meal before stepping out on my bike (breakfast is my only full meal for the day - can't skip it or advance the time anymore).
2. Start off when Sun is fully up at 9:45 AM (can't complete breakfast before that). I realize biking is not the same thing between riding on a beautiful express way versus office roads, and neither does 9:45 AM offer a good weather when compared to the 5 AM rides that I did earlier.
3. Carried my nice little shoulder laptop bag that I love so much to carry my laptop. It keeps popping to wrong side and never stays on my back. As I try to reposition it, I would almost lose my balance on bike. I realized my backpack would have been more tidier option to carry laptop.
4. The bag of bananas that I carried for my dinner at work (I have it around 5:30 PM so can't go home to eat!) was placed in the bottle holder and they were happily crushed thrown from one side to the other.

Several times I felt I am not going to ride from tomorrow, until I build up my stamina, going over inclined roads. And now back at office, with air conditioning making its impact half an hour after I reached, I am in two minds . . . . should I or should I not (ride to work tomorrow) ?

Mallik Kovuri

My first two days experience on Hero Thunder Racer bicycle

2009-10-25T17:33:00.000+05:30

Two weeks after I bought the Hero Thunder Racer, here I am finally, when I was able to try out the new bike first time. I thought I will share my experience, as well as solicit discussion on a few aspects I noticed. Please bear with the long note.

As a preamble, I have to mention that I intended to get a 'good' road bike, but due to some sudden developments decided not to spend a lot of money now. I intend to use this bike for probably 6 months to 12 months and upgrade (that is if I really stick to this sport!). So I don't intend to upgrade a lot, unless it makes a lot of sense to do so, even if I use this bike for a short period.

I had not fully recovered from my illness during last two weeks, but couldn't resist the temptation to join the ride from Hyderabad Bicycle Club yesterday morning at 5:30 AM. It has been inviting me to take out as I watched it all the fortnight. After reaching the point (me and my son), I realized the route included significant off-road ride, and the convener mentioned my road bike wouldn't be suitable for some portions of ride and I would have to lift the cycle and walk during those stretches. So much to practicality of buying a road bike! In any case I was not ready for a 70 km ride yet.

So we rode off to the new express way road to airport. Overall I think we rode for about 28 - 30 kms. The ride overall was pretty good. I liked it. Nevertheless have to mention a few observations:

1. I rented a Merida 510 MTB earlier and rode on same road. So did make comparison as I rode through. Merida was a 'lot more' smoother in its mechanical movements - be it pedaling, wheel movement, gears, or brakes. There is a definite difference between a 30k cycle and a 6k cycle.

2. The ride had significant lengths of inclined roads, some steep enough to bother me. Surprisingly this was a lot easier to go uphill the inclined road than the Merida. Despite being thinner profile tires, I thought the Merida with its quality gears, and other mechanical movements, would be easier than the Hero. But pleasantly surprised that despite the larger wheels, the thin profile tires and high pressure air in the tubes seemed to have made a bigger difference :D.

3. The saddle was hopeless hopeless hopeless. My touch areas have become quickly VERY sore. I was literally [b]'scared to death'[/b] to sit on my bike today when I decided I should have at least a short ride. There was a recommendation yesterday to upgrade the saddle to a Merida one (thin profile used in road bikes). I am not sure, if it is really worth or necessary to upgrade immediately. Is it a matter of getting used to bicycling (for over 25 years, I have never touched one), or is it worth upgrading even if I may upgrade the whole bike in less than a year?

4. I had purchased biking shorts yesterday and used it today under my long pants (still embarrassed to go out without trousers!). I have to admit, it did feel better today. (I know the purpose is different for the padding).

5. It was easier to ride the Thunder Racer, but not sure if it was faster compared to Merida. I do have to admit though, at times I had to slow down for my son to catch up.

6. Overall did not get as exhausted as with the Merida, albeit the ride was not half as smooth as the Merida MTB

7. One of the most irritating experience has been the chain slipping all the times. I must have put it back at least over half a dozen times. I was not willing to agree that cheaper bikes can have these problems; can't be so bad. Couldn't quite conclude what was causing it.

* It happened when I was changing gears - either of rear or front

* It happened irrespective of what gear I was - front gear 2 or 3 (I did not use first gear) and different rear gears

* It happened when I was going downhill - even if at constant speed and not changing gears

* It happened when I was riding on flat road - even when I was not pedaling and not changing gears

* It happened when I just got on to the bike and pushed down the pedal

* One mechanic concluded I must have been in wrong combination of front gear 1 (smaller sprocket wheel) and also similarly in rear a smaller sprocket one - meaning cross chain movement and chain not being taut

* Any ideas or suggestions how I can fix this or the ride to avoid this? I can't be fixing chain when I am riding to work :(

8. After I returned home tired, I developed some body pains and some high temperature :(.

9. Today, when I rode up in a different terrain closer to home so I could accompany my other son, I realized it was full of beaten up road, muddy road, sandy, unfinished tar road and what not. Had to admit my bike was not fit for the road. Started wondering if it reality is that one should have a road bike as well as an MTB for different rides (for life is a mix of paths not one!)? I don't agree hybrid is option. I think that will be a 'neither of' option.

Here are some shots of my new bike. [b]How do I get rid of the stickers? I hate them, and scratching is not helping[/b].

And here are some sample pictures:

Comments and advise solicited to the new biker ::welcome

Mallik

AGRICULTURE IN INDIA

2009-09-05T07:03:00.000+05:30

AGRICULTURE IN INDIA

1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to present the agriculture situation in India, its current problems and issues, solutions being provided, the outlook for future with potential implementation of potential alternative solutions.

2 DATA SOURCES

For the purpose of this project, data has been collected from several websites on the Internet (Wikipedia, IndiaStat, World Bank etc.)

3 INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is considered is to be the most advanced form of production. This is the only industry where the investment is nearly zero. Given a land which is freely available in the world, using the seeds from previous crop, it is possible to produce large quantities of produce with the help of rain that pours freely in nature. There is no other large industry that provides such unique feature of zero investment. It is also the most ancient form of industry invented thousands of years ago. Probably recognizing this, Government of India has done most distinguishing feature of zero income tax on agricultural income in India.

India happens to have the world's oldest civilization and the most advanced country from times immemorial. So it is possible that agriculture was actually invented in India. It is estimated that agriculture in India dates back to ten thousand years.

However due to prolonged use and application of methods which are not necessarily the best for our country, India also faces several problems in agriculture, which this document will address.

4 SOME STATISITCS

India is the second largest farm producer in the world. We are the second largest producer in several key food produce such as Wheat and Rice, and the largest in several other produce including milk, tea, and coconut. We have 45,708,000 hectares of irrigated land as against 165,508,000 hectares of area operated in India.

5 CURRENT PROBLEMS

Despite being a large country, we have not used the land effectively. As noted above we are using only 27% of land operated for irrigation purposes. Agriculture constitutes only 21% of GDP in India. Some of the issues and challenges are:

1. Slow down in agricultural growth even by the green revolution states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh due to:

Government is spending more money on subsidies instead of investing in research and development which will give prolonged benefits.
Government is over regulating agriculture trade in India resulting in increased costs, price risks, uncertainty etc.
Government interventions in labor, land and credit markets is restricting increased land usage

2. Weak framework for sustainable water management and irrigation – many states lack equitable allocation of available water, and government not completing irrigation projects started and not focusing on repair and maintenance of existing ones.

3. Inadequate access to land and finance – stringent government's land restrictions are discouraging rural investments (ban on holding large lands, conversion of land for agricultural use etc.). Also rural poor have little access for credit in agriculture when compared to the urban rich for commercial industries.

4. Weak natural resources management – forests, rivers and lakes, and available land are not effectively managed by government

5. Inefficient use of public funds

6 SOLUTIONS CURRENTLY

Currently government provides solutions such as

Computerization of land records to provide detailed analysis and expose weaknesses in infrastructure
New projects such as Jalayagna by Andhra Pradesh state government
External bodies such as World Bank providing help

7 ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS NEEDED

Many small countries like Israel are very advanced when compared to practices followed in India. There is a need for multi-pronged approached for problems in Indian agriculture. Some are illustrated below.

Government – fund research and development, reduce subsidies, increase computerization and enhance analysis, reduce bureaucracy, ensure funds allocated reach the last farmer for whom they are meant etc.
Enhance productivity by adopting advanced agricultural methods adopted by countries such as Israel, and USA
Bring large areas of land into cultivation
Introduce a network of rivers to distribute their waters to all areas of India and improve water resources utilization
Banks to encourage agriculture and provide credits to small farmers
Strengthen accountability of government agencies when spending public funds

8 OUTLOOK

Outlook for India is not very bright at this time, as the focus of government seems to be on more industrialization, exports, and liberalization. Government is not providing enough focus to agriculture sector except in some states like Andhra Pradesh. But with right changes in government, India is capable of bringing green revolution again. With its vast land, and a high population (agriculture is a labor intensive industry), India is definitely capable of being at the top and performing way above compared to what it is doing now.

Mallik Kovuri's Blog

2008-08-06T07:26:00.000+05:30

Just wanted to explore the fun of blogging. Photography is a serious hobby for me; would like to see how this hobby can be enjoyed better through blogging. Would also like to gain advise on handling my life better. Let's see what else can I do.