[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Attachment 1269365

The ones to the right of the picture are F50 (Priyank) and yogi1771 (Yogesh). The one in the centre of is a friend of my dad's - Jairam Shetty.

Thanks! I believe I rode back with Priyank and/or Yogesh till Andheri. But didn't connect with them. This was the first time I rode with the MCE group.

Increasingly (& thankfully) I am looking at taking the cycle everywhere replacing my car/bike - to the local grocery store, to the nearby restaurant, or just for the occasional visit to the friends' place. Mostly I just lock the cycle (frame) with a pole or something similar. But places like a mall or multiplex I am completely lost - there is no scope of doing that. Plus the security have no idea how to handle such a case.

I wonder if anyone has a solution to that.

[NetfreakBombay]

Great Thread....

How do you carry your bike across Pune, Mumbai and Chennai ?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Great Thread....

How do you carry your bike across Pune, Mumbai and Chennai ?

Hahaha - I was expecting this Q

I sent the Rockrider to Chennai via Gati couriers about 2 months back - that's my ride in Chennai. The Cannondale I carry between Bombay & Pune in my car.

[graaja]

Awesome thread, Ninja. Very useful route information and fantastic photos. Keep them coming!

You should be having a lot of fun biking in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Let me know if you have a chance to visit Coimbatore. We can do some good rides together.

[ninjatalli]

Route: Pune - Ravet - Kamshet - Lonavala - Khopoli - Panvel - CBD Belapur (Link)

Distance: 123 kms

Difficulty: Moderate

Feedback: So I had breached the 3 digit figure and I had touched upon the Pune - Lonavala stretch. But the itch was always there to do the full monty - uptil Mumbai. Plus with the onset of monsoon on us, now was the time to do this ride if ever it was.

The route is pretty simple - having done it a million times in my car & bike, I knew every section of the road, bit by bit. The road was as smooth as it could ever be. So it didn't really worry me a lot when work and personal things allowed me only a night ride alternative. Oh no, I was actually quite gung ho about it

So I started early from my office around 5 and beat the Mumbai-going traffic and put up a nice speed till I reach Dehu road where I am greeted by a beautiful sunset. I finally reach Lonavala around 9 where I decide to have my dinner at a roadside dhaba. After holding on for a while, the curious owner & other customers finally get to ask me where the hell I was heading. I tell them I am coming from Pune, and they look twice at the cycle and then ask me with a crazy look - Did you come on that?!!?

And with a grin I nod, and update them that I'm on the way to Bombay. And that shuts them up. Probably assuming I have gone bonkers, they leave me alone and get back to their stuff.

The route from Pune to Lonavala has immense number of dhabas that are open till the wee hours. Although most of these have huge "family restaurants" written all over them they cater mostly to the boozing groups from Pune & Mumbai.

However the stretch from Khopoli to Panvel is stark empty as compared to the former. The few restaurants/dhabas that are there on this part close shut early and there's hardly a few lights on the entire stretch. However that didn't worry me and I kept along on a nice pace, finally reaching Panvel around 1.

Around 2 near CBD Belapur, I stop over for a break near a taxi stand, when one of the fellas decide to try their luck and ask me if I need a ride. I decide to call it a night and head home in the taxi, absolutely tired but happy


Sunset at Dehu road


The beautiful curves of Expressway lit up by the lights of Khopoli in the background

[yogi1771]

Great thread ninjatalli,should meet up for one of the rides.

[shipnil]

Great thread Ninja! I remember few months back we were having a discussion, in the bicycles thread, on you upgrading rockrider tires and now here I see you with a Cannondale! When did that happen? Also, I recall you mentioning, in the same discussion, that your rides were mostly limited to your office and you doing mostly 20 kms a ride. And here you have a whole bunch of 100k rides. Man that's a very fast progress.

So, do you have a regular group with whom you ride in Pune? Let me know if you are taking up any ride in the western/PCMC part of Pune and I'll try to join you.

[madhu33]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Nice thread ninjatalli. I see some familiar faces in the Mumbai chapter (Seaface picture) - F50, yogi1771 (BHPians) and Jairam uncle.
With traffic conditions in cities deteriorating and parking increasingly difficult to find, cycling is a great and easy solution. I'm just waiting for the rains to subside so that I can get back on the saddle!

Exactly the same for me . May be i have seen you in some of Bcct rides ?

Even me too waiting for the rains to subside . Worried about my Fuji gathering rust in the meanwhile.

I can also make out Jairam uncle(its odd to call him uncle actually.He is aptly called 1 speed magic), Prateek Shukla , Deep Udeshi, Rahul magar , Yash Parasrampuria to name a few.

[Doc_nikhil]

Wow!!! I used to think cycling 20Km a day was hard. You guys have humbled me so much. Just one question. How to deal with saddle sore? I got myself a btwin seat cushion but that hardly helps. I know it gets better as days go by, but my god the third and the fourth day after a long hiatus brings tears to my eyes. Pls help me here guys. Will be ever grateful!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by yogi1771

Great thread ninjatalli,should meet up for one of the rides.

Thanks! As I was saying to Aditya, technically we have met on that Worli sea-face morning ride I believe you rode back with Deep Udeshi till Andheri - can be mistaken on that. But yes, a proper meeting needs to be done for sure.

Originally Posted by madhu33

Exactly the same for me . May be i have seen you in some of Bcct rides ?

Could be. I'm extremely bad with remembering names so apologies if I don't recollect.

Originally Posted by shipnil

Great thread Ninja! I remember few months back we were having a discussion, in the bicycles thread, on you upgrading rockrider tires and now here I see you with a Cannondale! When did that happen? Also, I recall you mentioning, in the same discussion, that your rides were mostly limited to your office and you doing mostly 20 kms a ride. And here you have a whole bunch of 100k rides. Man that's a very fast progress.

So, do you have a regular group with whom you ride in Pune? Let me know if you are taking up any ride in the western/PCMC part of Pune and I'll try to join you.

Thanks. The Cannondale story is almost 3 months back - got a really good deal and grabbed it. And the rest is history

Most of my rides (in Pune) are solo generally. The ones in Bombay are generally with friends or the occasional ones with groups (MCE, Mulund riders, etc).

Sure - unfortunately my bike's in Bombay this week, lets' plan a ride sometime next week. Always game for it!

Originally Posted by Doc_nikhil

Wow!!! I used to think cycling 20Km a day was hard. You guys have humbled me so much. Just one question. How to deal with saddle sore? I got myself a btwin seat cushion but that hardly helps. I know it gets better as days go by, but my god the third and the fourth day after a long hiatus brings tears to my eyes. Pls help me here guys. Will be ever grateful!

Trust me @doc, everyone goes through that phase. So did I a few months back when a 5 km ride would make me go huffin' & puffin' !

Give it time and you'll be able to manage it. Just one suggestion - invest in a good padded shorts. For instance the ones at Decathalon are pretty decent to start with. Makes a huge difference!

[ninjatalli]

Route: Powai - Airoli - Rabale - Mumbra - Kharghar - Sanpada - Palm Beach Road - Vashi - EE Highway - Powai (Link)

Distance: 82 kms

Difficulty: Moderate

Feedback: So the rains were here finally! Yay! Contrary to what I was advised by one and all, I was all enthu to ride in the rain. (Un)surprisingly most of my cycling friends weren't very enthu to ride out in the rain. Thankfully I could convince one of them to tag along

And boy was he happy he agreed to come, or what! Technically I had done this route on a motorbike. And that too about 10 years ago. So I wasn't sure how it would turn out to be :P

People in Mumbai keep forgetting the hills are just a few kms away. And not everyone needs to head to Lonavala to get to the hills. Kharghar has amazingly gorgeous hills that are just a short ride away. Ideally the shortest route is to reach Vashi and head south to reach Kharghar. But I wanted to try out the Mumbra - Taloja route considering it had been a decade since I went on that route.

Except for a short section between Rabale and Mumbra that is undergoing cement re-laying, the route is perfect for riding. There is hardly any amount of climb on the entire route and traffic on this route early morning is hardly to be seen, except for the odd truck or two.

Once you reach Kharghar, the hills are upon you. We decide to take a short detour into the hills - our agenda was very clear. Keep going till the dirt road goes on. Which kinda ended at a lovely stream. Thankfully the rain gave us a breather to take some beautiful pics which we immediately did, much to the amusement of the locals.

We also later found out that Kharghar has these amazing south-indian laaris run by Tamil fellas that produced some of the best idlis & medu-vadas that I had ever tasted across Mumbai suburbs all my life (or maybe I was really hungry :P ) A few plates later, we finally re-joined the highway and cruised back to civilization.


Rabale - Mumbra section


Rabale - Mumbra section


Just before we head on to the Mumbra-Taloja highway


Just before we head on to the Mumbra-Taloja highway


Ride into the Kharghar hills


Ride into the Kharghar hills




The route

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Sure - unfortunately my bike's in Bombay this week, lets' plan a ride sometime next week. Always game for it!

I am not in town on the 15th weekend but look forward to a ride anytime other than that.

Since you brought up the topic of monsoon, I'd like to ask a few questions. Since the rains started in mid july, my rides have become erratic to say the least. The reason is, a lot of muck gets onto the roads during these rains and even after a ride of 20 km, me and my bike are all dirty. My back, from bum till helmet is covered in mud. The whole drivetrain of the bike, the derailleurs are covered in thick layers of mud. If I pour water on it on my return, the bike starts making various noises the next day. It is a totally hopeless situation.
I normally ride in 25kmph to 30 kmph zone. Not sure if I have reduce it but then all the fun is gone.

My question is, don't you face these kind of issues during your rides? What do you do protect yourself as well as your bike from these muddy roads?

[batterylow]

Awesome stuff ninja.

I ride a RR 5.0 but my rides are generally restricted to 20 kms' or lesser.

I usually ride in the early hours as once the city wakes up all the motorized transport pushes me off the road

And between the cannondale and RR, which is your preferred ride and why?

Thanks

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Doc_nikhil

Wow!!! I used to think cycling 20Km a day was hard. You guys have humbled me so much. Just one question. How to deal with saddle sore? I got myself a btwin seat cushion but that hardly helps. I know it gets better as days go by, but my god the third and the fourth day after a long hiatus brings tears to my eyes. Pls help me here guys. Will be ever grateful!

My office commute is 18 kms one way.
Yesterday I resumed my cycling after a month long break due to Ramzan.

Its very windy in Hyderabad. Also for the first time, I decided to wear my backpack rather than fix it on my cycle's rack.

For the first time ever...I have pain in my sit bones.

Maybe you might want to check if your route is windy or you are not seated properly. I am sure the backpack messed up my position.

Also discard the gel seat. They are bad.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by bblost

Also discard the gel seat. They are bad.

Why do you say so?

I am unable to ride long distances without them.