I went to the CFOSE 5th edition today, being held at the White Orchid Convention Centre, near Manyata Tech Park, in Bangalore --
http://tradeshows.tradeindia.com/cfoseindia-aug2016/
http://www.cfoseindia.com/
There did_not seem to be many visitors. Regarding the various booths --
* Track-n-Trail -- I would have liked to see more variety of cycles on display at the booth, since I think they import the widest range of brands/models. Plus they have their own brand, Montra. I was there with some friends, whose interest was in hybrids, so those were the ones we were looking for specifically. TnT had the Montra Trance & Montra Blues hybrid models on display, alongwith some Cannondale ones. There seemed to be a fair range of MTBs, though I did_not look at those.
* Hero -- They had some UrbanTrail HT MTBs on display. More of interest to me were their new Milano SS/Fixies. They had couple of those on display. They had also hooked up couple of MTBs to trainers & a video game. Folks could pedal the real bikes, & the video game screen showed how they were doing against the other rider. That was a nice attraction.
* Firefox -- They had the Rapide on display, which is a really nice hybrid, IMO. They also had some other Firefox bikes. I spent some time looking at the Trek MTBs, & the Trek FX 7.2 hybrid.
* Merida -- they had a few MTBs & road bikes on display. There was a (IIRC) Speeder 100 hybrid on display., which seemed to be a nice performance-focussed hybrid.
* Schnell -- I don't think I had heard of this brand. They said they are an Indian brand, based out of Pune, and manufacturing abroad. Looked at couple of their hybrids; those seemed to be nice options. Website -- http://schnellbikes.com/
* Komorebi -- Again, had not heard of them. They said they to are an Indian brand, from Bangalore. They had some hybrid & road bikes on display, which had been manufactured abroad. Nice option again. They said they were looking to start manufacturing in India & hoped to launch those soon, starting with road bikes, then MTBs, & finally hybrids. Website -- http://komorebibikes.com/index.php
Other than those, there were booths from Atlas, Avon, Phoenix, Java, Voltas etc. Some of them again, I had not heard of before. They had electric & folding bikes on display, among others.
There were also some booths from apparel manufacturers & bike accessory manufacturers. When I was leaving the expo, couple of folks approached me outside the convention centre. They said they were from BigBen, and said they manufacture bike saddles and pedals. They too a closer look at the Brooks saddle on my bike. I mentioned to them that it would be nice if they could make a Brooks-like saddle for the Indian market. Something that would be sold for much less than the price of the Brooks saddle. Now waiting to see if they pursue that. Website -- http://www.indiamart.com/big-benexports/ (See the leather saddles section.)
Overall, a nice but low key expo. I'd say, before the general public get's excited about cycling, we probably need the cycling businesses to show more energy. Then again, there was one chap riding around a penny-farthing bike (Firefox branded, I think). Not sure if he was a visitor or from the company... but I guess the expo wasn't so dull after all. :) Oh, and there were some food stalls next to the expo booth area. Pav Bhaji, chaats, rolls and tea. Something to keep the stomach happy. :)
-{db}.
2013-12-05
bicycling (etc.) in the SanFrancisco BayArea -- part2 ...
Continuing from my earlier blog post (Bicycling (etc.) in the SanFrancisco BayArea -- part1 ... ) --
Having acquired 2 nice bicycles (on Sat), I was eager to get some cycling done the next day (Sun). To add to those 2 cycles, I had also borrowed a cycle from my cousin, earlier in the week -- it was a MTB, from Specialized.
I had 3 colleagues from work with me on the trip, one of whom was interested in doing cycling. So on Sunday afternoon, we all headed towards Half Moon Bay, with 2 cycles -- the Cannondale (which I planned to ride), and the Specialized (which seemed appropriate for my colleague, who was not a regular cyclist).
From the 101FW, after we got on to 92, and crossed the 280FW, we saw some bike route signs, and a bit later, there we saw an open area where some cars were parked. This was near the Crystal Springs Reservoir. The two of us who planned to bike, stopped off there, while the other two proceeded to Half Moon Bay.
It was close to 1500hrs, when my colleague (D :)) and I started riding north, following one of the bike route signs, but a bit further, we reached a dead end. There was a gated off area, so probably there was a bike route further down, but it was closed now. So we turned around and got back to where we had parked. I was wondering which direction to head to, from there, when couple of bikers rode by; I flagged them down, and asked them for bike routes. They suggested going towards Kings Mountain Road, which they said was provided a good climb, and asked us to follow them for a bit, to get an idea of which way it was. So we tagged along, and finally they gave us more directions as to which way it we needed to ride.
It was Canada Road that we were riding on at that time.
It was Canada Road that we were riding on at that time.
Since my colleague D was not a regular rider, he was quite slow, and I was stopping from time to time, to let him catch up. The cyclists from whom we had taken direction, had gone ahead. Meanwhile, at one point, I noticed that one of the brake pads of my front brake, was touching the rim. I tried to figure out what it was, but couldn't. It was causing some drag, which was annoying, but I could continue riding.
Riding on Canada Road was very nice. Not much traffic, and there were quite a few cyclists riding in the opposite direction, who I figured were returning from their rides. There were vehicles parked at couple of spots along the side of the road where there was good amount space for parking. So overall, this road seemed very suitable for cycling (hence the lot of cyclists there :)).
Around 1630hrs, we reached Woodside. At Robert's Market, we picked up some water.
The ride upto this point (ignoring the initial bit where we went north for a bit), was this route (with elevation profile).
As D and I took a break, I saw another cyclist. I went over and talked to him -- he said he and his friend had cycled till here, via El Camino, from somewhere around Mountain View, IIRC; quite a distance. I asked him if he was familiar with routes in this area, and he said he wasn't
Back where D was sitting around, I saw a beautiful Rivendale bike; looked like a nice tourer-commuter. Took some pics of the bike (which I don't have handy at the moment; will post later), and when the owner (a musician from the Santa Cruz area) returned, had a chat with him about his bike as well as bike routes in the area.
Based on all the discussions, I figured I would stick to the plan of going to Kings Mountain Road. I took stock of the route ahead, from Google maps. Based on that, I told D to ride back the way we came, while I would proceed to Kings Mountain Road. The supposed climb there would be tough for my colleague, and with just ~90mins of daytime remaining, I figured it was not safe to be going further at the slow pace D was making. So around 1700hrs, we left from Woodside -- D riding back the way we came, while I went towards Kings Mountain Road, on HW84.
Within ~15mins, I was at Kings Mountain Road, and soon the climb started. It was a tough climb, and I realised that asking D to turn back earlier had been the right decision. I laboured up the road, having a take regular breaks. One nice thing was that one one break (fairly close to the top of the climb), I figured out why one of the front the brake pads was touching the rim; it was a straightforward tweak, and got that sorted out.
I reached the intersection of HW35 at 1800hrs, when light was starting to drop. (Part of the reason was also the fairly dense vegetation there, blocking direct sunlight). This section of the ride, was this route (with elevation profile).
At this point, I was debating which way to head from here -- whether to go back the way I had come, or take HW35, towards HW92. I met another biker there; had a chat with him, and he warned me of the fast traffic on HW35 (which I was aware of already). Also on my mind was the recent unfortunate cycling accident on HW35, in which Joy Covey (first CFO of Amazon) had died.
I finally decided to ride on HW35. As I rode along, I did_not see much traffic. The road was nice, with lot of trees around, so it was a real nice road for cycling. It would have been better had it been a bit earlier in the day. With more light, I would have gotten a better view of the vegetation around. The route was enjoyable regardless. It was all downhill, and so was
quite relaxed. I made sure I was braking a lot, to make sure I did_not pick up much speed. This section of the ride was this route (with elevation profile).
About two-thirds of the way along that route, as the wooded area cleared up, the view on either side was quite something -- on the right, below, was the Crystal Springs reservoir, while on the left, was the Pacific ocean at a distance, with some hills, clouds and the setting sun in the distance providing a beautiful mix.
At the end of that route, around 1900hrs, I touched HW92. It was starting to get dark, and the traffic on HW92 was quite a bit, so I did_not feel safe trying to ride on the shoulder; not even knowing if there was enough of a shoulder all along. So I synced up with the two colleagues heading back from Half Moon Bay, to pick me up. We then covered the short distance to get to Chen-Valia meeting point, where we had parked the other car, where D was waiting for us. From there, we headed back to out hotel in Santa Clara, bring to end a nice day of riding.
So got to ride for ~4hrs on some very nice and scenic routes. Would have liked to ride couple of more hours, but given that I was quite new to cycling in these parts, and planning the route was taking up some time, it was still a very fruitful day.
Will cover the next weekend's rides, in my next blog post. Till then, happy and safe cycling!
Riding on Canada Road was very nice. Not much traffic, and there were quite a few cyclists riding in the opposite direction, who I figured were returning from their rides. There were vehicles parked at couple of spots along the side of the road where there was good amount space for parking. So overall, this road seemed very suitable for cycling (hence the lot of cyclists there :)).
Around 1630hrs, we reached Woodside. At Robert's Market, we picked up some water.
The ride upto this point (ignoring the initial bit where we went north for a bit), was this route (with elevation profile).
As D and I took a break, I saw another cyclist. I went over and talked to him -- he said he and his friend had cycled till here, via El Camino, from somewhere around Mountain View, IIRC; quite a distance. I asked him if he was familiar with routes in this area, and he said he wasn't
Back where D was sitting around, I saw a beautiful Rivendale bike; looked like a nice tourer-commuter. Took some pics of the bike (which I don't have handy at the moment; will post later), and when the owner (a musician from the Santa Cruz area) returned, had a chat with him about his bike as well as bike routes in the area.
Based on all the discussions, I figured I would stick to the plan of going to Kings Mountain Road. I took stock of the route ahead, from Google maps. Based on that, I told D to ride back the way we came, while I would proceed to Kings Mountain Road. The supposed climb there would be tough for my colleague, and with just ~90mins of daytime remaining, I figured it was not safe to be going further at the slow pace D was making. So around 1700hrs, we left from Woodside -- D riding back the way we came, while I went towards Kings Mountain Road, on HW84.
Within ~15mins, I was at Kings Mountain Road, and soon the climb started. It was a tough climb, and I realised that asking D to turn back earlier had been the right decision. I laboured up the road, having a take regular breaks. One nice thing was that one one break (fairly close to the top of the climb), I figured out why one of the front the brake pads was touching the rim; it was a straightforward tweak, and got that sorted out.
I reached the intersection of HW35 at 1800hrs, when light was starting to drop. (Part of the reason was also the fairly dense vegetation there, blocking direct sunlight). This section of the ride, was this route (with elevation profile).
At this point, I was debating which way to head from here -- whether to go back the way I had come, or take HW35, towards HW92. I met another biker there; had a chat with him, and he warned me of the fast traffic on HW35 (which I was aware of already). Also on my mind was the recent unfortunate cycling accident on HW35, in which Joy Covey (first CFO of Amazon) had died.
I finally decided to ride on HW35. As I rode along, I did_not see much traffic. The road was nice, with lot of trees around, so it was a real nice road for cycling. It would have been better had it been a bit earlier in the day. With more light, I would have gotten a better view of the vegetation around. The route was enjoyable regardless. It was all downhill, and so was
quite relaxed. I made sure I was braking a lot, to make sure I did_not pick up much speed. This section of the ride was this route (with elevation profile).
About two-thirds of the way along that route, as the wooded area cleared up, the view on either side was quite something -- on the right, below, was the Crystal Springs reservoir, while on the left, was the Pacific ocean at a distance, with some hills, clouds and the setting sun in the distance providing a beautiful mix.
At the end of that route, around 1900hrs, I touched HW92. It was starting to get dark, and the traffic on HW92 was quite a bit, so I did_not feel safe trying to ride on the shoulder; not even knowing if there was enough of a shoulder all along. So I synced up with the two colleagues heading back from Half Moon Bay, to pick me up. We then covered the short distance to get to Chen-Valia meeting point, where we had parked the other car, where D was waiting for us. From there, we headed back to out hotel in Santa Clara, bring to end a nice day of riding.
So got to ride for ~4hrs on some very nice and scenic routes. Would have liked to ride couple of more hours, but given that I was quite new to cycling in these parts, and planning the route was taking up some time, it was still a very fruitful day.
Will cover the next weekend's rides, in my next blog post. Till then, happy and safe cycling!
2013-11-23
bicycling (etc.) in the SanFrancisco BayArea -- part1 ...
On a recent trip to the SanFrancisco BayArea, I dabbled with cycling. When I went there, I wasn't sure how much I would dabble; as it turned out, I dabbled a bit, to the extent that I surprised myself.
I was getting 5 weekends there, and initial plan was that I would be visiting friends outside California on 3 of those weekends. So I would get just 2 weekends in the SF-BayArea, so I was really not sure how much time I could give to cycling.
But due to various reasons (or maybe subconsciously, I was leaning towards cycling), 2 of the trips ourside California could not happen; and the one that happened was the last weekend. So I had 4 straight weekends in the SF-BayArea. And boy, did I capitalise on that! ;P
I landed there on a Friday (how convenient! ;)), so the very first weekend (on Sunday), I went to SFO with a friend. As we walked around there, sightseeing, I kept ducking in and out of bike stores, to see what was available on rent. While there were nice options -- ~$30 per day, to $16 per day, if renting for a week or so -- the bikes were not quite the type / level that I wanted. I am a fairly serious biker, afterall. So, what was I looking for. Well, nothing too fancy / exotic. A steel frame bike, with or without drop bars. Or if not that, then a Aluminium frame bike, with a steel fork.
Towards the end of the day, as we were returning to where we had parked (near the cafe which my friend's mom runs -- 901 Columbus Cafe, at the corner of Columbus and Lombard), I saw this bike store -- just 1/2 a block from the cafe -- Columbus Cyclery, at 801 Columbus. I ducked in and got talking to one of the chaps there (John) -- told him what I was looking for, and he showed me couple of bikes. One was a Specialized bike -- Aluminium frame, with steel fork, I believe. I really liked it, but it was bit small for me. John btw, seemed really nice and straightforward, so I felt good chatting with him about my biking etc. in India. I suppose based on that, he could tell that I was a regular cyclist, and was quite clear on what I wanted. So at one point, he suggested I take a look at the bike he rode. We went out, and he showed me his orange frame Cannondale CAD M300 bike. A used one, fairly old. But very well maintained. (I later checked on the net -- these are from the mid to late 1990s, from what I could tell, maybe some are from early 2000s too. It was considered an MTB, back then. I would call it a hybrid now, just that it had 26" wheels.) It was an Aluminium frame with a steel fork. I took a test ride, and it felt quite good. He pointed out that it was Made in USA. :) He said he would sell it for $400, and would also replace the seat, and one of the derailleurs, and the brakes. The stem was an old style one, and he said he might also be able to put in a different one (still old style, but one that would extend out a bit further), to see if I felt more comfortable on that. Btw, I felt a big difference between John and the chaps at the other bike stores. John seemed genuinely excited about cycling. So it was a pleasure interacting with him.
I told him that I would decide during the week and get back to him, and told him not to sell the bike to anyone else, till he heard from me. He was fine. He said he would also buy the bike back for $200 in a few weeks, if I wanted to sell it back to him, when I was returning to India. :)
During the week, I spent some time looking for used bike sale ads on Craigslist, and saw some ads for Surlys etc. I contacted one of the sellers towards the end of the week, and said I would schedule to meet him on the weekend. He was near SFO, so I figured I would checkout his bike, and if that did_not workout, I could just swing by John's shop and pick up his bike.
Come weekend (Sat), I headed to SFO, but not before I checked out a used bike store in Mountain View; they also make their own bikes. They had some really old bikes -- Motobecane etc., from the 80s maybe, if not earlier, but not what I was looking for.
So I continued to SFO. Once I was there, the meeting with the guy selling the Surly did_not happen. Btw, he told me he was someone who picked up bikes etc. in auctions, and then sell them off, so he had some other bikes too; and was also flexible on the price. He said he could show me one other Surly bike too. So I was really hoping to meet him, but for whatever reason, he could_not come, and that fizzled out.
Meanwhile I had swung by Columbus Cyclery, and met John. I told him I would confirm within ~30mins if the other meeting was happening, and if not, I would buy his bike. Once the other meeting was cancelled, I let John know, and we met at the store a bit later. He had already replaced the derailleurs and brakes. He got the other stem, and put a new seat, and I took a test ride, and all looked good. About then, I saw another guy (found out later his name was Ron) standing out side the bike store with a road bike, that looked nice. While John and I were finalising on John's bike, Ron was there, and I got talking to him about his bike -- a Trek 1200 Aluminium frame with steel frok. Ron had put various components on it, and built it himself. And I'm not sure if I am remembering this right, but I think the gears were Shimano Tiagra on the front, and Shimano 105 on the back. I recall thinking those were some really good components. The Trek 1200 again, John pointed out, was Made in USA. :)
While chatting with Ron, he said he would sell the bike for $150. I immediately got interested. I told John to take a look at the bike, and tell me what he thought. He looked it over and said it was a real good deal for $150. He said the front wheel was not that good, but he added that it was a good deal even without a front wheel! :)
After I came back from a final test ride on John's bike, Ron said that one of the other chaps at the bike store had just told him he would buy the bike for $175. I was wondering if these guys were running a scam on my, and I voiced that to John and Ron. I decided to take a test ride on the Trek -- did that, and it too felt pretty good. It was a bit small for me, but it was such a nice bike, and a good deal, that I decided it was too good to let go.
In the end, I went with my gut -- the guys seemed straightforward, and I decided to buy the 2nd bike too. :) I told Ron that I would buy him beer, and that he should sell me the bike for $150. Ron agreed, and that was that -- I picked 2 Aluminium frame + steel fork bikes, both Made in USA, for $550. Both the bikes have such classic looks / lines, that it felt real nice having them. :)
I bought Ron and John couple of beers at my friend's mom cafe :), where we sat and chatted for a bit. I got John and Ron's email ids too, and then after they helped me load the cycles in my car trunk, we said goodbye, and parted ways.
So, I was now the proud owner of 2 nice bikes. And it was now upto me to put those bikes to good use. Well, I was fairly certain that it was mostly the Cannondale that I would ride. The Trek -- well, one of my friends could ride it.
In the next part, I'll write about my cycle rides, and other cycling related stuff that I did in the SF-BayArea. Meanwhile, here is a pic of me with the two bikes, from a later ride --
Till the next time... happy & safe cycling!
I was getting 5 weekends there, and initial plan was that I would be visiting friends outside California on 3 of those weekends. So I would get just 2 weekends in the SF-BayArea, so I was really not sure how much time I could give to cycling.
But due to various reasons (or maybe subconsciously, I was leaning towards cycling), 2 of the trips ourside California could not happen; and the one that happened was the last weekend. So I had 4 straight weekends in the SF-BayArea. And boy, did I capitalise on that! ;P
I landed there on a Friday (how convenient! ;)), so the very first weekend (on Sunday), I went to SFO with a friend. As we walked around there, sightseeing, I kept ducking in and out of bike stores, to see what was available on rent. While there were nice options -- ~$30 per day, to $16 per day, if renting for a week or so -- the bikes were not quite the type / level that I wanted. I am a fairly serious biker, afterall. So, what was I looking for. Well, nothing too fancy / exotic. A steel frame bike, with or without drop bars. Or if not that, then a Aluminium frame bike, with a steel fork.
Towards the end of the day, as we were returning to where we had parked (near the cafe which my friend's mom runs -- 901 Columbus Cafe, at the corner of Columbus and Lombard), I saw this bike store -- just 1/2 a block from the cafe -- Columbus Cyclery, at 801 Columbus. I ducked in and got talking to one of the chaps there (John) -- told him what I was looking for, and he showed me couple of bikes. One was a Specialized bike -- Aluminium frame, with steel fork, I believe. I really liked it, but it was bit small for me. John btw, seemed really nice and straightforward, so I felt good chatting with him about my biking etc. in India. I suppose based on that, he could tell that I was a regular cyclist, and was quite clear on what I wanted. So at one point, he suggested I take a look at the bike he rode. We went out, and he showed me his orange frame Cannondale CAD M300 bike. A used one, fairly old. But very well maintained. (I later checked on the net -- these are from the mid to late 1990s, from what I could tell, maybe some are from early 2000s too. It was considered an MTB, back then. I would call it a hybrid now, just that it had 26" wheels.) It was an Aluminium frame with a steel fork. I took a test ride, and it felt quite good. He pointed out that it was Made in USA. :) He said he would sell it for $400, and would also replace the seat, and one of the derailleurs, and the brakes. The stem was an old style one, and he said he might also be able to put in a different one (still old style, but one that would extend out a bit further), to see if I felt more comfortable on that. Btw, I felt a big difference between John and the chaps at the other bike stores. John seemed genuinely excited about cycling. So it was a pleasure interacting with him.
I told him that I would decide during the week and get back to him, and told him not to sell the bike to anyone else, till he heard from me. He was fine. He said he would also buy the bike back for $200 in a few weeks, if I wanted to sell it back to him, when I was returning to India. :)
During the week, I spent some time looking for used bike sale ads on Craigslist, and saw some ads for Surlys etc. I contacted one of the sellers towards the end of the week, and said I would schedule to meet him on the weekend. He was near SFO, so I figured I would checkout his bike, and if that did_not workout, I could just swing by John's shop and pick up his bike.
Come weekend (Sat), I headed to SFO, but not before I checked out a used bike store in Mountain View; they also make their own bikes. They had some really old bikes -- Motobecane etc., from the 80s maybe, if not earlier, but not what I was looking for.
So I continued to SFO. Once I was there, the meeting with the guy selling the Surly did_not happen. Btw, he told me he was someone who picked up bikes etc. in auctions, and then sell them off, so he had some other bikes too; and was also flexible on the price. He said he could show me one other Surly bike too. So I was really hoping to meet him, but for whatever reason, he could_not come, and that fizzled out.
Meanwhile I had swung by Columbus Cyclery, and met John. I told him I would confirm within ~30mins if the other meeting was happening, and if not, I would buy his bike. Once the other meeting was cancelled, I let John know, and we met at the store a bit later. He had already replaced the derailleurs and brakes. He got the other stem, and put a new seat, and I took a test ride, and all looked good. About then, I saw another guy (found out later his name was Ron) standing out side the bike store with a road bike, that looked nice. While John and I were finalising on John's bike, Ron was there, and I got talking to him about his bike -- a Trek 1200 Aluminium frame with steel frok. Ron had put various components on it, and built it himself. And I'm not sure if I am remembering this right, but I think the gears were Shimano Tiagra on the front, and Shimano 105 on the back. I recall thinking those were some really good components. The Trek 1200 again, John pointed out, was Made in USA. :)
While chatting with Ron, he said he would sell the bike for $150. I immediately got interested. I told John to take a look at the bike, and tell me what he thought. He looked it over and said it was a real good deal for $150. He said the front wheel was not that good, but he added that it was a good deal even without a front wheel! :)
After I came back from a final test ride on John's bike, Ron said that one of the other chaps at the bike store had just told him he would buy the bike for $175. I was wondering if these guys were running a scam on my, and I voiced that to John and Ron. I decided to take a test ride on the Trek -- did that, and it too felt pretty good. It was a bit small for me, but it was such a nice bike, and a good deal, that I decided it was too good to let go.
In the end, I went with my gut -- the guys seemed straightforward, and I decided to buy the 2nd bike too. :) I told Ron that I would buy him beer, and that he should sell me the bike for $150. Ron agreed, and that was that -- I picked 2 Aluminium frame + steel fork bikes, both Made in USA, for $550. Both the bikes have such classic looks / lines, that it felt real nice having them. :)
I bought Ron and John couple of beers at my friend's mom cafe :), where we sat and chatted for a bit. I got John and Ron's email ids too, and then after they helped me load the cycles in my car trunk, we said goodbye, and parted ways.
So, I was now the proud owner of 2 nice bikes. And it was now upto me to put those bikes to good use. Well, I was fairly certain that it was mostly the Cannondale that I would ride. The Trek -- well, one of my friends could ride it.
In the next part, I'll write about my cycle rides, and other cycling related stuff that I did in the SF-BayArea. Meanwhile, here is a pic of me with the two bikes, from a later ride --
Till the next time... happy & safe cycling!
2013-08-04
nice ride today on the outskirts of BLR (Varthur-Gunjur-Sarjapur-Chandapura) ...
I had a nice ride today; the route was Kadubeesanahalli-Varthur-Gunjur-Nerige-Kamanhalli-Sarjapur-Chandapura-SilkBoard (leaving out the start end sections which were within the city). The google maps link --
https://www.google.co.in/maps/ms?msid=200753379097903741302.0004e3109d3d8f1f7a6c6&msa=0&ll=12.816823,77.717543&spn=0.044608,0.034847
It was quite sunny in the morning; this weather started yesterday. Before that, for quite a few days, it was cloudy, most of the day. Had some chores to take care of, so by the time I was ready for the ride (which also included doing stretches etc.), it was 1545hrs. Just ~10mins before that, I checked outside and it was still sunny, so put the dark visor on the frame; but just as I was stepping out, I saw it was very cloudy! Changed the visor to the non tinted one, and left. I was taking my Surly LHT today.
Once outside, I realised the sun was playing it's usual hide-n-seek that it does around my apartment complex -- while the side that is seen from my house might be sunny, once I get out and move towards the other side, it's cloudy; and vice versa. Same was the case today. Outside, and on the outer ring road (ORR) side, it was quite sunny. Anyway, not so bad that I needed the dark visor; continued with the non-tinted one.
Once on the ORR, I started at a mild pace, to give myself time to warm up, and also get a sense for the traffic. (I try to do this always.) Moreso the latter, because I feel the traffic has a mind of it's own; some days are just manic. Better to get a feel for the prevailing conditions, rather than go with set ideas.
It was a bit manic today at that time, so tried to be a bit more more watchful; yet, I did see myself getting caught up in the manic-ness, at times.
Got to Kadubesanahalli, and took the road towards Varthur. I find this a good way to get towards Varthur. Ofcourse, if the idea is to then ride towards Gunjur, then that means not getting to ride the beautiful Varthur lake stretch -- which is a shame -- but it also means avoiding the traffic on the Marathahalli / Varthur road stretch.
Also, the Kadubesanahalli-Varthur stretch is quite scenic overall, going through some village areas, and green sections. On the down side, the road is quite bad in a stretch or two. The 1.75" tyres I am currently using, feel ok on those stretches; I would be a bit worried on 1.5" tyres. Had been on this road just a few days back, but still saw myself getting taken in by the scenic-ness. Maybe I was not quite present, the last time. Was pleasantly surprised!
Got to Varthur, and as I turned right (bit of a right-V turn) towards Gunjur, I also made a mental note that there was a road that continued on the other side from where I came; something to check on google maps and perhaps explore on a subsequent ride. (After I got home and was online, I did check that route; does seem like something to explore. It hits the same road (except, further north) that I eventually took today, to get to Sarjapur.)
So, I was now on the Varthur-Gunjur road -- it is a fairly green stretch, but I suppose I've been on that stretch so many times now, that familiarity has perhaps started breeding some contempt. Also, since it's a state highway (SH35), there is a bit of traffic on that route, so that probably dulls the beauty a bit. And it has fairly straight stretches, so that too plays a part.
Got to Gunjur, and took the left towards Nerige. Discovered this stretch a few weeks back, and liked it a lot. Has really nice green stretches, with some village areas. Fairly straight stretches, but the greenery / countryside really makes up for it. One thing -- I did have a government public transport bus go past me at a very high speed; bit unnerving, as the road is a bit narrow. But all in all, a very nice section.
Just before the road reaches Kamanahalli (where it hits the Hoskote-Sarjapur road), it becomes a gravel road. Maybe a km or so. Again, the 1.75" tyres felt ok. With 1.5" tyres, I might consider getting of the bike a walking some sections.
Once I reached the intersection at Kamanahalli, I checked the time. It was ~1650hrs. So I decided to take the right and go towards Sarjapur. If I had an extra hour, I would have continued towards Chikka Tirupati, and then taken the next right towards Sarjapur. But I didn't have the time, and I anyway had done that stretch last week.
So, I started towards Sarjapur. The road is a bit narrow, and has some traffic -- it is the Hoskote-Sarjapur road. So when regular buses and heavy trucks come, things do get a bit squeezed. But I just hold my place on the road, with some margin on the left, and give my usual hand signals to indicate I need some space on the right as well. For the most part, the buses / trucks were slowing down, and also moving away from me, giving me the space; was nice. Ofcourse, one still needs to be prepared for the odd one, who insists on squeezing you to the left, if not off the road (it didn't come to the latter today).
One nice thing that happened was that after some initial buses/trucks, I did not see any heavy vehicles on this road. Plus, the road had some nice rolls, as well as turns, and the scenery/greenery around was quite good too; some tree lined sections too. For the speed junkies (not me!), there was also a nice down stretch -- except, there were some turns on that stretch, so one needs to make sure one is able to control the speed to take the turns. But all in all, this turned out to be a really nice section; one of the most beautiful ones I've done so far, around Sarjapur. The dark clouds in some distance were adding to the beauty.
Got to Sarjapur road; was not sure where exactly I would hit it. Turns out it was just past the circle where one roads goes off towards Attibele. So as I turned right towards Dommasandra, I went past that circle (Attibele road was to the left).
Before I left from home, I had noted on google maps that there was a road that forked off the Sarjapur road, before Dommasandra (coming from Sarjapur side), that went and hit the Dommasandra-Chandapura road. I had planned on trying that road today, for getting to Chandapura, instead of going all the way to Dommasandra, and then heading to Chandapura. (Btw, I had done the Dommasandra-Chandapura road a long time back.)
Once I got to the fork (checked the google maps on my phone, plus asked one of the local folks), I saw that it seemed like a dirt road, but I decided to try the new road as planned. (There was a bakery at that junction; has a quick Slice there.)
As I got on the new road - Kada Agrahara road -- I saw couple of city-type folks on scooters, and could tell that there was some 'development' down the road. The road also felt surfaced, though covered with some dry dirt. A bit down the road, I came a apartment block, beyond which, I would see the road becoming quite narrow, and heading into a village type area.
Continued on; the road was surfaced for an initial part, and then it became a dirt road. But as I rode on the road, looking at the sides, it seemed like there was some road widening / surfacing that was in the works. Though the road seemed like a dirt road, it did seem to have a level surface.
Again, there was nice greenery on both sides, and this was turning out to be another good section; fairly smooth village roads through nice green sections. A really nice variety of sections so far on the ride today!
Another pleasant suprise was waiting for me a bit down the road. I came to this village, and saw a big white bird, that I have never seen before. (Once I'm done typing up this blog, I'll come back and post links to the pics.) One of the villagers said the bird was called 'Kodi'. (A quick search on google is_not giving any matches; so the name 'Kodi' is some local term, I guess. Maybe someone can id it from the pics.) Took some pics, chatted briefly with couple of the villagers, and took off. It was getting a bit dark, due to the dark clouds above. I wanted to get to regular roads before it got dark (or started raining heavily).
I little bit further, I saw the road getting narrow, and it was also was no longer levelled as it had been so far. Checked with one of the villagers if this was still the road towards the Dommasandra-Chandapura road, and he confirmed that it was; the main road was just a km away, he said.
I continued and came to a section which was well surrounded by trees; it was a markedly different from the greenery that I had been riding through till then. Just as I was coming out of that section, I heard what sounded like some announcement on a loudspeaker. Heard it again a bit later, and as I rode on, it got clearer; sounded like something sports related. A bit further, I saw a ground and some kids in school uniforms, and a little further, I could see vehicles parked near the gate. As I approached the gate, I saw the school's name -- "Head Start Academy". Seemed like a school where kids from upper middle class homes go.
Just a bit beyond that school, I reached the main road, and turned left towards Chandapura. The dark clouds were looming, so I was wondering if I might get caught in a heavy shower.
I rode towards Chandapura -- while I had been on this road a long time back, I could_not really recall much of it. This section again was really nice -- some nice turning sections, and nice greenery around. There was a lake too along one stretch, and all in all, today's ride was turning out to be a really good one. Nice variety of roads -- rolling, turning, dirt roads, with good greenery, farmlands and tree lined sections.
Just before getting to Hosur road, there is an underpass, with a railway line above. I recalled this from the last time I was on this road. Went through that, and soon after, I reached the Chandapura junction on Hosur road.
Got on the Hosur road, turning right to head back towards Bangalore. Again, had been on this road a few days back, when I had gone to Sarjapur and then to Attibele. I usually stick to the service road, and that is what I did today too. I do like some of the stretches on this road, and there are some ups and downs. But other than that, it's just covering the kms, getting back to Bangalore. Took a break near at a bakery at tghe Bommasandra junction, as it had started raining slightly; was not sure if it would get heavy. The rain did_not pick up. After couple of flavoured milk drinks, and some cycling chit chat with curious folks around, I got back on the road. It was coming to 1900hrs, and I dropped the tentative plan of heading towards Jigani (from Bommasandra). Checked with a friend who stays around Arakere, if he was home; I would head that way then, from Singasandra / Manipal County side. But while I was looking forward to riding in those parts, it was getting dark. My friend anyway was not home, so I just continued towards SilkBoard. Got there about 1930hrs. And with that, the core ride was done. rest was just riding in the city, getting back home.
Did about 75kms; the Kadubeeshanahalli to Chandapura section, was around 30kms.
https://www.google.co.in/maps/ms?msid=200753379097903741302.0004e3109d3d8f1f7a6c6&msa=0&ll=12.816823,77.717543&spn=0.044608,0.034847
It was quite sunny in the morning; this weather started yesterday. Before that, for quite a few days, it was cloudy, most of the day. Had some chores to take care of, so by the time I was ready for the ride (which also included doing stretches etc.), it was 1545hrs. Just ~10mins before that, I checked outside and it was still sunny, so put the dark visor on the frame; but just as I was stepping out, I saw it was very cloudy! Changed the visor to the non tinted one, and left. I was taking my Surly LHT today.
Once outside, I realised the sun was playing it's usual hide-n-seek that it does around my apartment complex -- while the side that is seen from my house might be sunny, once I get out and move towards the other side, it's cloudy; and vice versa. Same was the case today. Outside, and on the outer ring road (ORR) side, it was quite sunny. Anyway, not so bad that I needed the dark visor; continued with the non-tinted one.
Once on the ORR, I started at a mild pace, to give myself time to warm up, and also get a sense for the traffic. (I try to do this always.) Moreso the latter, because I feel the traffic has a mind of it's own; some days are just manic. Better to get a feel for the prevailing conditions, rather than go with set ideas.
It was a bit manic today at that time, so tried to be a bit more more watchful; yet, I did see myself getting caught up in the manic-ness, at times.
Got to Kadubesanahalli, and took the road towards Varthur. I find this a good way to get towards Varthur. Ofcourse, if the idea is to then ride towards Gunjur, then that means not getting to ride the beautiful Varthur lake stretch -- which is a shame -- but it also means avoiding the traffic on the Marathahalli / Varthur road stretch.
Also, the Kadubesanahalli-Varthur stretch is quite scenic overall, going through some village areas, and green sections. On the down side, the road is quite bad in a stretch or two. The 1.75" tyres I am currently using, feel ok on those stretches; I would be a bit worried on 1.5" tyres. Had been on this road just a few days back, but still saw myself getting taken in by the scenic-ness. Maybe I was not quite present, the last time. Was pleasantly surprised!
Got to Varthur, and as I turned right (bit of a right-V turn) towards Gunjur, I also made a mental note that there was a road that continued on the other side from where I came; something to check on google maps and perhaps explore on a subsequent ride. (After I got home and was online, I did check that route; does seem like something to explore. It hits the same road (except, further north) that I eventually took today, to get to Sarjapur.)
So, I was now on the Varthur-Gunjur road -- it is a fairly green stretch, but I suppose I've been on that stretch so many times now, that familiarity has perhaps started breeding some contempt. Also, since it's a state highway (SH35), there is a bit of traffic on that route, so that probably dulls the beauty a bit. And it has fairly straight stretches, so that too plays a part.
Got to Gunjur, and took the left towards Nerige. Discovered this stretch a few weeks back, and liked it a lot. Has really nice green stretches, with some village areas. Fairly straight stretches, but the greenery / countryside really makes up for it. One thing -- I did have a government public transport bus go past me at a very high speed; bit unnerving, as the road is a bit narrow. But all in all, a very nice section.
Just before the road reaches Kamanahalli (where it hits the Hoskote-Sarjapur road), it becomes a gravel road. Maybe a km or so. Again, the 1.75" tyres felt ok. With 1.5" tyres, I might consider getting of the bike a walking some sections.
Once I reached the intersection at Kamanahalli, I checked the time. It was ~1650hrs. So I decided to take the right and go towards Sarjapur. If I had an extra hour, I would have continued towards Chikka Tirupati, and then taken the next right towards Sarjapur. But I didn't have the time, and I anyway had done that stretch last week.
So, I started towards Sarjapur. The road is a bit narrow, and has some traffic -- it is the Hoskote-Sarjapur road. So when regular buses and heavy trucks come, things do get a bit squeezed. But I just hold my place on the road, with some margin on the left, and give my usual hand signals to indicate I need some space on the right as well. For the most part, the buses / trucks were slowing down, and also moving away from me, giving me the space; was nice. Ofcourse, one still needs to be prepared for the odd one, who insists on squeezing you to the left, if not off the road (it didn't come to the latter today).
One nice thing that happened was that after some initial buses/trucks, I did not see any heavy vehicles on this road. Plus, the road had some nice rolls, as well as turns, and the scenery/greenery around was quite good too; some tree lined sections too. For the speed junkies (not me!), there was also a nice down stretch -- except, there were some turns on that stretch, so one needs to make sure one is able to control the speed to take the turns. But all in all, this turned out to be a really nice section; one of the most beautiful ones I've done so far, around Sarjapur. The dark clouds in some distance were adding to the beauty.
Got to Sarjapur road; was not sure where exactly I would hit it. Turns out it was just past the circle where one roads goes off towards Attibele. So as I turned right towards Dommasandra, I went past that circle (Attibele road was to the left).
Before I left from home, I had noted on google maps that there was a road that forked off the Sarjapur road, before Dommasandra (coming from Sarjapur side), that went and hit the Dommasandra-Chandapura road. I had planned on trying that road today, for getting to Chandapura, instead of going all the way to Dommasandra, and then heading to Chandapura. (Btw, I had done the Dommasandra-Chandapura road a long time back.)
Once I got to the fork (checked the google maps on my phone, plus asked one of the local folks), I saw that it seemed like a dirt road, but I decided to try the new road as planned. (There was a bakery at that junction; has a quick Slice there.)
As I got on the new road - Kada Agrahara road -- I saw couple of city-type folks on scooters, and could tell that there was some 'development' down the road. The road also felt surfaced, though covered with some dry dirt. A bit down the road, I came a apartment block, beyond which, I would see the road becoming quite narrow, and heading into a village type area.
Continued on; the road was surfaced for an initial part, and then it became a dirt road. But as I rode on the road, looking at the sides, it seemed like there was some road widening / surfacing that was in the works. Though the road seemed like a dirt road, it did seem to have a level surface.
Again, there was nice greenery on both sides, and this was turning out to be another good section; fairly smooth village roads through nice green sections. A really nice variety of sections so far on the ride today!
Another pleasant suprise was waiting for me a bit down the road. I came to this village, and saw a big white bird, that I have never seen before. (Once I'm done typing up this blog, I'll come back and post links to the pics.) One of the villagers said the bird was called 'Kodi'. (A quick search on google is_not giving any matches; so the name 'Kodi' is some local term, I guess. Maybe someone can id it from the pics.) Took some pics, chatted briefly with couple of the villagers, and took off. It was getting a bit dark, due to the dark clouds above. I wanted to get to regular roads before it got dark (or started raining heavily).
I little bit further, I saw the road getting narrow, and it was also was no longer levelled as it had been so far. Checked with one of the villagers if this was still the road towards the Dommasandra-Chandapura road, and he confirmed that it was; the main road was just a km away, he said.
I continued and came to a section which was well surrounded by trees; it was a markedly different from the greenery that I had been riding through till then. Just as I was coming out of that section, I heard what sounded like some announcement on a loudspeaker. Heard it again a bit later, and as I rode on, it got clearer; sounded like something sports related. A bit further, I saw a ground and some kids in school uniforms, and a little further, I could see vehicles parked near the gate. As I approached the gate, I saw the school's name -- "Head Start Academy". Seemed like a school where kids from upper middle class homes go.
Just a bit beyond that school, I reached the main road, and turned left towards Chandapura. The dark clouds were looming, so I was wondering if I might get caught in a heavy shower.
I rode towards Chandapura -- while I had been on this road a long time back, I could_not really recall much of it. This section again was really nice -- some nice turning sections, and nice greenery around. There was a lake too along one stretch, and all in all, today's ride was turning out to be a really good one. Nice variety of roads -- rolling, turning, dirt roads, with good greenery, farmlands and tree lined sections.
Just before getting to Hosur road, there is an underpass, with a railway line above. I recalled this from the last time I was on this road. Went through that, and soon after, I reached the Chandapura junction on Hosur road.
Got on the Hosur road, turning right to head back towards Bangalore. Again, had been on this road a few days back, when I had gone to Sarjapur and then to Attibele. I usually stick to the service road, and that is what I did today too. I do like some of the stretches on this road, and there are some ups and downs. But other than that, it's just covering the kms, getting back to Bangalore. Took a break near at a bakery at tghe Bommasandra junction, as it had started raining slightly; was not sure if it would get heavy. The rain did_not pick up. After couple of flavoured milk drinks, and some cycling chit chat with curious folks around, I got back on the road. It was coming to 1900hrs, and I dropped the tentative plan of heading towards Jigani (from Bommasandra). Checked with a friend who stays around Arakere, if he was home; I would head that way then, from Singasandra / Manipal County side. But while I was looking forward to riding in those parts, it was getting dark. My friend anyway was not home, so I just continued towards SilkBoard. Got there about 1930hrs. And with that, the core ride was done. rest was just riding in the city, getting back home.
Did about 75kms; the Kadubeeshanahalli to Chandapura section, was around 30kms.
2013-08-03
Montra (TI Cycles, India) has come out with a bunch of MTBs ...
Montra (TI Cycles, India), has come out with a bunch of MTBs recently -- there is the sub Rs20K Rock series (Rock, Rock1 & Rock1Plus), plus the 3series (3.2D) and 4series (4.2HD).
Currently, just the Rock1 seems to be listed on their website, though few days back, the 3.2D and 4.2HD were also listed. I suppose it's still early days, and they are yet to sort out their website.
All these models were released in the last few months. I've seen all of them at RR Cycles, Madivala (Bangalore) store. A friend of mine picked up the Rock1Plus few weeks back, on my recommendation. :) The 3series and 4series bike look quite good too -- their pricing is yet to be sorted out, from what I was told.
While I've not done a head to head comparison between these bikes, and the ones from foreign brands, from a quick look at some specs (like derailleurs), the bikes seem to be significantly cheaper that similar bikes from foreign brands -- which should not be surprising, since these India made bikes would be exempt from some of the duties (which were increased couple of years back) on imported bikes. (Ofcourse, other than the frame building, and assembly, most of the other components would still be imported, and would entail the duty on parts.)
So, after enduring a lot of heartache for the past ~2yrs due to the increased duties on imported bikes, urban Indian bikers -- atleast the entry to mid level ones -- can now take some heart I suppose, in the fact that they again have some good MTBs to consider, in the sub Rs20K and sub Rs35K range. (The latter, based on my anticipated pricing of the 3.2D and 4.2HD bikes.)
And also curious to see what non MTB models Montra comes out with in the (near) future. Maybe a steel bike too, who knows? :)
-{db}.
Currently, just the Rock1 seems to be listed on their website, though few days back, the 3.2D and 4.2HD were also listed. I suppose it's still early days, and they are yet to sort out their website.
All these models were released in the last few months. I've seen all of them at RR Cycles, Madivala (Bangalore) store. A friend of mine picked up the Rock1Plus few weeks back, on my recommendation. :) The 3series and 4series bike look quite good too -- their pricing is yet to be sorted out, from what I was told.
While I've not done a head to head comparison between these bikes, and the ones from foreign brands, from a quick look at some specs (like derailleurs), the bikes seem to be significantly cheaper that similar bikes from foreign brands -- which should not be surprising, since these India made bikes would be exempt from some of the duties (which were increased couple of years back) on imported bikes. (Ofcourse, other than the frame building, and assembly, most of the other components would still be imported, and would entail the duty on parts.)
So, after enduring a lot of heartache for the past ~2yrs due to the increased duties on imported bikes, urban Indian bikers -- atleast the entry to mid level ones -- can now take some heart I suppose, in the fact that they again have some good MTBs to consider, in the sub Rs20K and sub Rs35K range. (The latter, based on my anticipated pricing of the 3.2D and 4.2HD bikes.)
And also curious to see what non MTB models Montra comes out with in the (near) future. Maybe a steel bike too, who knows? :)
-{db}.
2011-04-27
Bangalore Brevet 2011 ride routes ...
Came across this link which gives the maps for all the Bangalore Brevet 2011 rides -- nice collection! :)
(The 600kms ride happened a couple of weeks back.)
(The 600kms ride happened a couple of weeks back.)
2011-04-25
[CAM ride (Charming Kodagu - 2011-04-09_10)]: good terrain, scenic routes ...
Did my second Cycling And More (CAM) ride on the weekend of 09/10 April. It was a ride in 'Charming Kodagu (Coorg)'. It was a nice mix of terrain -- good climbs, and better still, good down slopes too. :) But most of all, superb views.
Talking of views, here are the pics I took (from my year 2004 Canon Power Shot S30 -- cutting edge! ;P) -- set1 and set2.
As for the trip --
We started off on Friday (08 April) night -- the usual CAM mode -- I had dropped my bicycle off at RR Cycles Madiwala the previous day itself, from where the CAM canters had picked it up before they came to the start point. The canters (carrying our all important bicycles), and the bus (carrying the incidental riders) left from Shantinagar (Hockey Stadium / Divvyashree Chambers / Nanjappa Circle -- Bangalore, in case you are wondering! ;P) around 2200hrs.
We picked up some folks along the way, and then off we went.
Couple of stops along the way (including a CCD style 'Cafe Coorg'), and we were at the Mayura Hotel in Bagamandala by early morning. Didn't get much sleep in the bus, but then hey, where's the challenge in riding after a good night's sleep? ;P
Got fresh at the hotel, and assembled outside by about 0630hrs. The canters hadn't arrived. So we waited. (As Nathan Muir said in Spy Game -- "Then came the waiting. It's the worst part; it gives you time to think "What if?". ;))
The wait gave me chance to do my 'complete warm up routine' (tm), which I'm told is quite amusing to watch; apparently everyone was looking at me while I went about it with singleminded focus. ;P Oh, well! If there is one thing that I have learnt with time (infact, I think I might have learnt just one thing with time! ;P), it's that everyone's body get's old; even mine! ;P And one's got to listen to 'time'; afterall, it is the best teacher. (Unfortunately, this teacher also eventually kills each one of it's students, but I digress.)
The canters arrived as I was close to completing my 'complete warmup routine' (tm). I completed my routine while the cycles were getting unloaded. Took some time to arrange the various things -- electral, snacks, etc. in the backpack (strapped to the carrier), and I was ready to go. Ofcourse, breakfast was ready by then, so I had that first - idli, vada and hot milk (well, milk for me; others had tea / coffee).
All the 'expert' riders (of which spectrum, I lie at the lower end, if at all), had already taken off by then, for the first part of the ride which was 'for expert riders only'. With my breakfast done, I too took off - bringing up the experts' rear.
The first day route, as per the CAM hardsell, was --
"Start from Bagamandala, an 8 km climb to Talakaveri for the experts. Get back to Bagamandala and ride towards Madikeri. A beautiful rolling terrain and a good climb to reach the top of Madikeri. Post lunch, start the 35 km ride to Somwarpet. Initial 20 kms of complete downhill takes the rider to Hattihole. After some rolling terrain, the last 8 kms is a beautiful climb with coffee estates around."
If you feel that sort of route descriptions are for sissies, I suspect this is what you are looking for - day1 route technical details.
So, the expert riders -- me bringing up the rear -- were off doing the 8km climb to Talakaveri. I was keen to see how I handled it -- I was told it was considerably easier than the Nandi climb (which it was). And my legs were fresh. (Except for the lack of sleep in the overnight bus ride, I did not have any reason to be tired.)
So, I started the ride, and soon came to the first steep section. I got off the saddle, something that I had practiced on the ascents on my rides within Bangalore, including the Nandi climbs (2, so far). It felt nice to do the climbs at a better pace than I otherwise would manage, sitting in the saddle. But stamina and leg strength is still something I need to build up a lot; after a few steep sections within the first couple of kilometers, I had to take break.
Same story more or less, as the kilometers progressed, with the breaks becoming a bit more frequent, ofcourse.
I passed 2 or 3 more riders, who too were taking breaks, or riding slowly, as the ascent got to them. But as the effort started taking it's toll, the view was also getting better. Due to the wait for the canters, we had started well after sunrise; though there was fog initially, as the sunlight grew, the fog started receding. But not before giving some really good views from various sections of the climb. The initial couple of pics in the collection that I have posted, are from that time. I decided to take those pics then, rather than on the descend, as there was a good chance the sunlight would be quite sharp by the time we started descending, and the fog would be all but gone. (And that was indeed the case when I got to this section on the descend.)
Infact, the sunlight was quite sharp by the time I got close to the top; I started feeling the pinch. Some of the riders had already passed me on their descend. But there still were a bunch of riders at the top when I got there, about an hour or so after I started. As they were getting ready to start the descend, the 2 or 3 riders I had passed, too got to the top. We took some time to rest and rehydrate (sipping our electrals and the mildly cold fruit juices that were available at the shop there).
That aside, we took a few pics at the top, including that of the Talakaveri temple. I didn't go inside the temple, but was told that in there is the spot (a sort of a pond), which is considered the origin of river Cauvery (hence the name 'Talakaveri'). From those pics you can see that the sunlight was quite bright by then, and the fog had cleared.
I rested / hung around till all the other riders had started their descent, and then I followed suit. I went down at a slow pace, making sure I took time to enjoy the route that I had laboured so much to cover on the way up. Plus I took a few breaks, for taking pics from the various points from where, the view was simply superb. At one place, there was a shop (a concrete ground floor structure), whose shopkeeper got out a ladder and got me to climb up, so I could get a much better view. I did -- have some pics from there -- but the climb up and down the ladder was a bit unnerving. Oh well, I came down in one piece. :)
At another vista point, there were a bunch of guys travelling in a Maruti van, who were taking pics. As I pulled up to take pics, they got quite excited at the sight of me on a 'geared' bike, wearning a helmet, goggles, and what not. They asked to take some pics with me and my bike, which I was fine with. After the short photo shoot with them, plus my shots of the scenery, I was off again.
At one point, I saw the canter, as it was going up to check on the riders -- it had already picked one up -- he had gotten a flat on the way down. I confirmed to the canter driver that I was the last person descending, and the canter turned around right after that.
I must have gotten down in about 30mins, and as I passed the Mayura Hotel where we had freshened up, Vikrant from CAM checked on me to make sure I had had breakfast; as the expert riders were to do breakfast after the Bangamandala-Talakaveri section.
Since I had already had breakfast, I simply continued towards Madikeri. The sun was beginning to get strong (must have been 1000hrs or so), and the stretch to Madikeri was ~33kms, with quite a bit of climbs (especially the last few kms).
I passed couple of riders, and then there were two others (Vishwa and Alphonso) -- the 3 of kept passing each other from time to time, as each one of us took break at different times. At one point on this stretch I believe was a cluster of shops where I picked up some small bananas. I had 2 or 3 bananas, while chatting with one chap there who was curious to know where we were coming from etc., and then took off again.
Did some more riding in the sun, and then took a nice break in Charambane, ~12kms from Bagamandala. There was a shop there with a nice shade and bench, and cold mineral water. They also had jaggery, of which I picked up couple of small blocks. Having rested, ans hydrated (and jaggeried), I took off again.
From then on, the scenery picked up -- we went through some nice green patches, which are captured in the pics. Was a nice stretch, after which the Madikeri climb started. The ride got steeper, and the sun too was close to max, as it was around noon. I passed a few more riders who were taking a break or were done riding and waiting for the canter to pick them up. As I was taking a break with one group, the canter pulled up and asked about lunch. While the others decided to do lunch, I skipped, as my plan was to do lunch once I reached Madikeri (after the climb was over).
I continued the ride and went past couple of vista points, from which I took some pics. Also passed couple of other riders. Finally, around 1315hrs, I got to Madikeri and the place where the first canter was parked, serving lunch. There were a bunch of riders there, some having lunch, others already having finished, and resting.
I freshened up, and had lunch -- veg pulao and curd rice -- it was a nice meal. Other riders were starting to leave by then. It was getting cloudy, and folks were wondering if it would rain. People had mixed feelings about rains; while it would make things cooler, the ride could get a bit tricky too.
I left around 1430hrs, just as it was starting to drizzle. I ended up taking another ~15min break, as I found a shop that had nice cold Sprite and mineral water. I hydrated, filled up my bottles with cold water and then took off. The rain had picked up a bit, but it was still fairly mild. After a ~2km ride from the point where we had lunch, we got to the turn from where the down slope to Hattihole started. There were couple of riders around me, and we started gliding down. Along the way, the vegetation was quite thick, and at some points, there were nice green fields, some of which I captured in my pics.
I finally got to Hattihole, and then went on to Madapur, which is where I believe we crossed the bridge on a small river (might have been Harangi, not sure). Have some pics of that place. It was around 1630hrs by then, and I needed to make good time from then on, to make sure the 2nd canter did not sweep me up. So decided 'no more pics', and then I started the final stretch to Somwarpet.
The sun was quite low by then, and the temperature was getting lower, but the last 10kms or so to Somwarpet was a bit of a climb, so it was still a bit tough. I took another nice break in a village where one of the shops had good cold mineral water; some other riders too were taking a break there. Snacked on a snickers bar, and took off again.
The last 2 or 3kms to Somwarpet were tough, not so much because of the climb, as because of it being the wee end of a ~90km ride. Me and Alphonso rode that stretch kinda/sorta together, and we finally reached Somwarpet. I asked for directions to the lodge, and realised that it was another insanely steep road. No way I was going to be able to cycle up that at this point. I just walked, pushing the bike along side, and so did Alphonso. Saw a few shops before we got to the lodge; had a nice ice cream bar there, and then finally walked the last couple of hundred meters to the lodge. It was around 1800hrs.
Parked the bike, picked my bag from the bus which was parked at the nearby bus stand, and got into the lodge room (which I shared with Vaibhav & Harsha). Rested for a bit, and then took a shower and stepped out around 1930hrs. Dinner was scheduled for 2030hrs, at the lodge itself, so had about an hour to walk around; did just that, looking at the shops around there. The evening breeze was nice and cool, so it was quite refreshing. Checked which place served ice creams, so that we could go there after dinner, and then headed to the lodge for dinner. Had a simple south indian dinner at the lodge, and then Vikrant, Manohar and I stepped out for ice cream. Vishwa met us there later. Had a couple of ice creams, chatted for some time, and then by 2130hrs, I was back in my lodge room. Vaibhav and Harsha were just going to bed as I got there. I was thinking of watching the ongoing IPL match (Kochi Tuskers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore) for some time, but realised I was too tired, so ended up going to bed right away.
Next morning, woke up at 0530hrs -- had had a good sleep, and was feeling quite rested, though my legs were still a bit sore. I did my stretching / warmup (ofcourse! ;)), got fresh, packed and left the room a little before 0700hrs. Vaibhav & Harsha had left a bit before.
Went down, picked up my bike, put my bag in the bus (still parked at the bus stand), took some pics there, and then came back to the lodge, where everyone was getting ready to start riding. Took a few pics of the hub-a-dub.
I got ready -- filled water in my bottles, mixed electral, put my backpack on the carrier, and I was ready to go. Couple of pics with Manohar, and then I took off.
The route for the second day was --
"A downhill ride to start the day. Needless to say that the route passes through some of the nice forest and coffee estate areas. Rider would also cross some hamlets on the way, Sanivarasanthe, Shukruvarasanthe, etc.. before reaching Sakleshpur."
Again, if you find yourself spacing off as you read that description, then chances are you are wired for this description. Well, knock yourself out!
As soon as I got out of the immediate Somwarpet town area, I found the scenery was very good. Nice greenery on both sides of the road, as the road wound and sloped down gently. There was a climb from time to time, but it was primarily a descent. I passed a few riders, but then as I stopped from time to time to take some pics, they passed me again. :)
A bunch of stops and a bunch of pics later, I reached Sanivarasanthe (~20ms from Somwarpet) where the first canter was parked, serving breakfast. Had breakfast -- yummy idly-chutney-sambar, and kesari bhaat. And then took off again.
The descent ended at Sanivarasanthe, and from then on, till Sakleshpur, it was a rolling terrain. As I left Sanivarasanthe, for Kodlipet, the scenery continued to be good; nice greenery all along the road. So while there were a few more climbs now, the scenery made it all worth it.
We went through some stretches where there were nice green plains, plus also a small river with a bridge over it. Have covered those in my pics. Spent some time at those spots, taking pics, but moreso, taking in the beautiful and soothing sights.
As we got close the Sakleshpur, it was getting hot. While it was cloudy earlier in the day, the cloud cover had pretty much receded now, and we were feeling teh heat now. There was a bit of a climb too in the terrain, so it was a bit tough. I was tracking the distance on my cycle computer, and at one stage (a few kms before the expected end distance), I reached a spot where a bunch riders had parked and were sitting around, resting. That turned out to be the end point of the ride; we were stopping a few kms short of Sakleshpur, as the final stretch was the Mangalore highway, where traffic would be heavy.
So -- the ride had ended. Had done about 60kms on that day. Parked my bike where the others had, and then freshened up at the restaurant there. And then had a sprite and an ice cream bar. Then went to the bus, changed into a fresh set of clothes and got comfy. :) Stepped out again, and had a few more ice cream bars. By that time, all the riders had arrived (and most were have ice creams).
The bicycles were loaded in the canters, and we were ready to leave. Everyone got into the bus. Vikrant / Manohar took count of the folks, and then we did a short ride to a restaurant, where we were scheduled to have lunch. Had a nice thali -- complete with rasam. The curd was superb; had a extra helping. Vikrant and I each downed a cold badam milk (energy drink!) too.
Had a nice pan, Manohar took couple of group pics, and then we took off for Bangalore. It was about 1400hrs then.
On the bus, had a nice chat with Swathi, who was a hardware engineer. Tried to get some insights from her into what hardware design involves. But I think it will be a while before I design my first chip -- don't hold your breath! ;) Also chatted with Manohar about various things. We were sitting in the last row, and at one point, the bus went over a bump, and we were thrown up quite a bit. I had my head quite hard on the overhead luggage shelf; got a bad bump on the had, but fortunately, nothing more serious.
There was a light drizzle from time to time, which kept the air fairly cool. So the over bus ride was quite comfortable.
At around 1600hrs, we took another halt at one a nice hotel/restaurant on the Mangalore highway -- Manohar, Vikrant and I had milkshakes. :) Spent some time there, took a few pics using Manohar's camera, and finally resumed the ride.
By about 1900hrs, we were at the outskirts of Bangalore. Traffic became quite heavy and from then it, was stop and go, till we finally reached the Hockey Stadium around 2030hrs. A few folks had gotten at various points along the way, but the majority got off at the last point (Hockey stadium).
Some folks were riding back home from there, but not me. I was done riding for the day. As planned, I sent off my bike to RR Cycles Madiwala, from where I would collect it the next day.
Folks started dispersing, and finally the cab that I had booked arrived, and I took off for home. Got home a little before 2200hrs, and that brought my second CAM trip, to an end.
Talking of views, here are the pics I took (from my year 2004 Canon Power Shot S30 -- cutting edge! ;P) -- set1 and set2.
As for the trip --
We started off on Friday (08 April) night -- the usual CAM mode -- I had dropped my bicycle off at RR Cycles Madiwala the previous day itself, from where the CAM canters had picked it up before they came to the start point. The canters (carrying our all important bicycles), and the bus (carrying the incidental riders) left from Shantinagar (Hockey Stadium / Divvyashree Chambers / Nanjappa Circle -- Bangalore, in case you are wondering! ;P) around 2200hrs.
We picked up some folks along the way, and then off we went.
Couple of stops along the way (including a CCD style 'Cafe Coorg'), and we were at the Mayura Hotel in Bagamandala by early morning. Didn't get much sleep in the bus, but then hey, where's the challenge in riding after a good night's sleep? ;P
Got fresh at the hotel, and assembled outside by about 0630hrs. The canters hadn't arrived. So we waited. (As Nathan Muir said in Spy Game -- "Then came the waiting. It's the worst part; it gives you time to think "What if?". ;))
The wait gave me chance to do my 'complete warm up routine' (tm), which I'm told is quite amusing to watch; apparently everyone was looking at me while I went about it with singleminded focus. ;P Oh, well! If there is one thing that I have learnt with time (infact, I think I might have learnt just one thing with time! ;P), it's that everyone's body get's old; even mine! ;P And one's got to listen to 'time'; afterall, it is the best teacher. (Unfortunately, this teacher also eventually kills each one of it's students, but I digress.)
The canters arrived as I was close to completing my 'complete warmup routine' (tm). I completed my routine while the cycles were getting unloaded. Took some time to arrange the various things -- electral, snacks, etc. in the backpack (strapped to the carrier), and I was ready to go. Ofcourse, breakfast was ready by then, so I had that first - idli, vada and hot milk (well, milk for me; others had tea / coffee).
All the 'expert' riders (of which spectrum, I lie at the lower end, if at all), had already taken off by then, for the first part of the ride which was 'for expert riders only'. With my breakfast done, I too took off - bringing up the experts' rear.
The first day route, as per the CAM hardsell, was --
"Start from Bagamandala, an 8 km climb to Talakaveri for the experts. Get back to Bagamandala and ride towards Madikeri. A beautiful rolling terrain and a good climb to reach the top of Madikeri. Post lunch, start the 35 km ride to Somwarpet. Initial 20 kms of complete downhill takes the rider to Hattihole. After some rolling terrain, the last 8 kms is a beautiful climb with coffee estates around."
If you feel that sort of route descriptions are for sissies, I suspect this is what you are looking for - day1 route technical details.
So, the expert riders -- me bringing up the rear -- were off doing the 8km climb to Talakaveri. I was keen to see how I handled it -- I was told it was considerably easier than the Nandi climb (which it was). And my legs were fresh. (Except for the lack of sleep in the overnight bus ride, I did not have any reason to be tired.)
So, I started the ride, and soon came to the first steep section. I got off the saddle, something that I had practiced on the ascents on my rides within Bangalore, including the Nandi climbs (2, so far). It felt nice to do the climbs at a better pace than I otherwise would manage, sitting in the saddle. But stamina and leg strength is still something I need to build up a lot; after a few steep sections within the first couple of kilometers, I had to take break.
Same story more or less, as the kilometers progressed, with the breaks becoming a bit more frequent, ofcourse.
I passed 2 or 3 more riders, who too were taking breaks, or riding slowly, as the ascent got to them. But as the effort started taking it's toll, the view was also getting better. Due to the wait for the canters, we had started well after sunrise; though there was fog initially, as the sunlight grew, the fog started receding. But not before giving some really good views from various sections of the climb. The initial couple of pics in the collection that I have posted, are from that time. I decided to take those pics then, rather than on the descend, as there was a good chance the sunlight would be quite sharp by the time we started descending, and the fog would be all but gone. (And that was indeed the case when I got to this section on the descend.)
Infact, the sunlight was quite sharp by the time I got close to the top; I started feeling the pinch. Some of the riders had already passed me on their descend. But there still were a bunch of riders at the top when I got there, about an hour or so after I started. As they were getting ready to start the descend, the 2 or 3 riders I had passed, too got to the top. We took some time to rest and rehydrate (sipping our electrals and the mildly cold fruit juices that were available at the shop there).
That aside, we took a few pics at the top, including that of the Talakaveri temple. I didn't go inside the temple, but was told that in there is the spot (a sort of a pond), which is considered the origin of river Cauvery (hence the name 'Talakaveri'). From those pics you can see that the sunlight was quite bright by then, and the fog had cleared.
I rested / hung around till all the other riders had started their descent, and then I followed suit. I went down at a slow pace, making sure I took time to enjoy the route that I had laboured so much to cover on the way up. Plus I took a few breaks, for taking pics from the various points from where, the view was simply superb. At one place, there was a shop (a concrete ground floor structure), whose shopkeeper got out a ladder and got me to climb up, so I could get a much better view. I did -- have some pics from there -- but the climb up and down the ladder was a bit unnerving. Oh well, I came down in one piece. :)
At another vista point, there were a bunch of guys travelling in a Maruti van, who were taking pics. As I pulled up to take pics, they got quite excited at the sight of me on a 'geared' bike, wearning a helmet, goggles, and what not. They asked to take some pics with me and my bike, which I was fine with. After the short photo shoot with them, plus my shots of the scenery, I was off again.
At one point, I saw the canter, as it was going up to check on the riders -- it had already picked one up -- he had gotten a flat on the way down. I confirmed to the canter driver that I was the last person descending, and the canter turned around right after that.
I must have gotten down in about 30mins, and as I passed the Mayura Hotel where we had freshened up, Vikrant from CAM checked on me to make sure I had had breakfast; as the expert riders were to do breakfast after the Bangamandala-Talakaveri section.
Since I had already had breakfast, I simply continued towards Madikeri. The sun was beginning to get strong (must have been 1000hrs or so), and the stretch to Madikeri was ~33kms, with quite a bit of climbs (especially the last few kms).
I passed couple of riders, and then there were two others (Vishwa and Alphonso) -- the 3 of kept passing each other from time to time, as each one of us took break at different times. At one point on this stretch I believe was a cluster of shops where I picked up some small bananas. I had 2 or 3 bananas, while chatting with one chap there who was curious to know where we were coming from etc., and then took off again.
Did some more riding in the sun, and then took a nice break in Charambane, ~12kms from Bagamandala. There was a shop there with a nice shade and bench, and cold mineral water. They also had jaggery, of which I picked up couple of small blocks. Having rested, ans hydrated (and jaggeried), I took off again.
From then on, the scenery picked up -- we went through some nice green patches, which are captured in the pics. Was a nice stretch, after which the Madikeri climb started. The ride got steeper, and the sun too was close to max, as it was around noon. I passed a few more riders who were taking a break or were done riding and waiting for the canter to pick them up. As I was taking a break with one group, the canter pulled up and asked about lunch. While the others decided to do lunch, I skipped, as my plan was to do lunch once I reached Madikeri (after the climb was over).
I continued the ride and went past couple of vista points, from which I took some pics. Also passed couple of other riders. Finally, around 1315hrs, I got to Madikeri and the place where the first canter was parked, serving lunch. There were a bunch of riders there, some having lunch, others already having finished, and resting.
I freshened up, and had lunch -- veg pulao and curd rice -- it was a nice meal. Other riders were starting to leave by then. It was getting cloudy, and folks were wondering if it would rain. People had mixed feelings about rains; while it would make things cooler, the ride could get a bit tricky too.
I left around 1430hrs, just as it was starting to drizzle. I ended up taking another ~15min break, as I found a shop that had nice cold Sprite and mineral water. I hydrated, filled up my bottles with cold water and then took off. The rain had picked up a bit, but it was still fairly mild. After a ~2km ride from the point where we had lunch, we got to the turn from where the down slope to Hattihole started. There were couple of riders around me, and we started gliding down. Along the way, the vegetation was quite thick, and at some points, there were nice green fields, some of which I captured in my pics.
I finally got to Hattihole, and then went on to Madapur, which is where I believe we crossed the bridge on a small river (might have been Harangi, not sure). Have some pics of that place. It was around 1630hrs by then, and I needed to make good time from then on, to make sure the 2nd canter did not sweep me up. So decided 'no more pics', and then I started the final stretch to Somwarpet.
The sun was quite low by then, and the temperature was getting lower, but the last 10kms or so to Somwarpet was a bit of a climb, so it was still a bit tough. I took another nice break in a village where one of the shops had good cold mineral water; some other riders too were taking a break there. Snacked on a snickers bar, and took off again.
The last 2 or 3kms to Somwarpet were tough, not so much because of the climb, as because of it being the wee end of a ~90km ride. Me and Alphonso rode that stretch kinda/sorta together, and we finally reached Somwarpet. I asked for directions to the lodge, and realised that it was another insanely steep road. No way I was going to be able to cycle up that at this point. I just walked, pushing the bike along side, and so did Alphonso. Saw a few shops before we got to the lodge; had a nice ice cream bar there, and then finally walked the last couple of hundred meters to the lodge. It was around 1800hrs.
Parked the bike, picked my bag from the bus which was parked at the nearby bus stand, and got into the lodge room (which I shared with Vaibhav & Harsha). Rested for a bit, and then took a shower and stepped out around 1930hrs. Dinner was scheduled for 2030hrs, at the lodge itself, so had about an hour to walk around; did just that, looking at the shops around there. The evening breeze was nice and cool, so it was quite refreshing. Checked which place served ice creams, so that we could go there after dinner, and then headed to the lodge for dinner. Had a simple south indian dinner at the lodge, and then Vikrant, Manohar and I stepped out for ice cream. Vishwa met us there later. Had a couple of ice creams, chatted for some time, and then by 2130hrs, I was back in my lodge room. Vaibhav and Harsha were just going to bed as I got there. I was thinking of watching the ongoing IPL match (Kochi Tuskers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore) for some time, but realised I was too tired, so ended up going to bed right away.
Next morning, woke up at 0530hrs -- had had a good sleep, and was feeling quite rested, though my legs were still a bit sore. I did my stretching / warmup (ofcourse! ;)), got fresh, packed and left the room a little before 0700hrs. Vaibhav & Harsha had left a bit before.
Went down, picked up my bike, put my bag in the bus (still parked at the bus stand), took some pics there, and then came back to the lodge, where everyone was getting ready to start riding. Took a few pics of the hub-a-dub.
I got ready -- filled water in my bottles, mixed electral, put my backpack on the carrier, and I was ready to go. Couple of pics with Manohar, and then I took off.
The route for the second day was --
"A downhill ride to start the day. Needless to say that the route passes through some of the nice forest and coffee estate areas. Rider would also cross some hamlets on the way, Sanivarasanthe, Shukruvarasanthe, etc.. before reaching Sakleshpur."
Again, if you find yourself spacing off as you read that description, then chances are you are wired for this description. Well, knock yourself out!
As soon as I got out of the immediate Somwarpet town area, I found the scenery was very good. Nice greenery on both sides of the road, as the road wound and sloped down gently. There was a climb from time to time, but it was primarily a descent. I passed a few riders, but then as I stopped from time to time to take some pics, they passed me again. :)
A bunch of stops and a bunch of pics later, I reached Sanivarasanthe (~20ms from Somwarpet) where the first canter was parked, serving breakfast. Had breakfast -- yummy idly-chutney-sambar, and kesari bhaat. And then took off again.
The descent ended at Sanivarasanthe, and from then on, till Sakleshpur, it was a rolling terrain. As I left Sanivarasanthe, for Kodlipet, the scenery continued to be good; nice greenery all along the road. So while there were a few more climbs now, the scenery made it all worth it.
We went through some stretches where there were nice green plains, plus also a small river with a bridge over it. Have covered those in my pics. Spent some time at those spots, taking pics, but moreso, taking in the beautiful and soothing sights.
As we got close the Sakleshpur, it was getting hot. While it was cloudy earlier in the day, the cloud cover had pretty much receded now, and we were feeling teh heat now. There was a bit of a climb too in the terrain, so it was a bit tough. I was tracking the distance on my cycle computer, and at one stage (a few kms before the expected end distance), I reached a spot where a bunch riders had parked and were sitting around, resting. That turned out to be the end point of the ride; we were stopping a few kms short of Sakleshpur, as the final stretch was the Mangalore highway, where traffic would be heavy.
So -- the ride had ended. Had done about 60kms on that day. Parked my bike where the others had, and then freshened up at the restaurant there. And then had a sprite and an ice cream bar. Then went to the bus, changed into a fresh set of clothes and got comfy. :) Stepped out again, and had a few more ice cream bars. By that time, all the riders had arrived (and most were have ice creams).
The bicycles were loaded in the canters, and we were ready to leave. Everyone got into the bus. Vikrant / Manohar took count of the folks, and then we did a short ride to a restaurant, where we were scheduled to have lunch. Had a nice thali -- complete with rasam. The curd was superb; had a extra helping. Vikrant and I each downed a cold badam milk (energy drink!) too.
Had a nice pan, Manohar took couple of group pics, and then we took off for Bangalore. It was about 1400hrs then.
On the bus, had a nice chat with Swathi, who was a hardware engineer. Tried to get some insights from her into what hardware design involves. But I think it will be a while before I design my first chip -- don't hold your breath! ;) Also chatted with Manohar about various things. We were sitting in the last row, and at one point, the bus went over a bump, and we were thrown up quite a bit. I had my head quite hard on the overhead luggage shelf; got a bad bump on the had, but fortunately, nothing more serious.
There was a light drizzle from time to time, which kept the air fairly cool. So the over bus ride was quite comfortable.
At around 1600hrs, we took another halt at one a nice hotel/restaurant on the Mangalore highway -- Manohar, Vikrant and I had milkshakes. :) Spent some time there, took a few pics using Manohar's camera, and finally resumed the ride.
By about 1900hrs, we were at the outskirts of Bangalore. Traffic became quite heavy and from then it, was stop and go, till we finally reached the Hockey Stadium around 2030hrs. A few folks had gotten at various points along the way, but the majority got off at the last point (Hockey stadium).
Some folks were riding back home from there, but not me. I was done riding for the day. As planned, I sent off my bike to RR Cycles Madiwala, from where I would collect it the next day.
Folks started dispersing, and finally the cab that I had booked arrived, and I took off for home. Got home a little before 2200hrs, and that brought my second CAM trip, to an end.
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