[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Nothing more soul uplifting (especially on Monday morning) than a ride to one of the wet green rolling pretty ghats in and around Poona during the monsoons!

Alandi (Chakan) ghat. 2.3 km long. A very gentle 3.1% average gradient. Beautiful road surface. Sparse traffic. Me and my old faithful Hercules ACT 110. Perfect combination.

Lucky you, doc! The only single reason I'm ruing on a daily basis, having done the shift from Mumbai to Bangalore just before the monsoons. Loads of fun for you for the next 3 months up ahead for sure.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Lucky you, doc! The only single reason I'm ruing on a daily basis, having done the shift from Mumbai to Bangalore just before the monsoons. Loads of fun for you for the next 3 months up ahead for sure.

Completely man. Though there's been a little bit of a lull for now. But you know how it is. When it comes down, 2-3 weeks it will be non stop waterfalls.

Looking forward to photos of your rides in Bangalore once you start exploring the place. I know traffic is bad. But weather is very good. And while not many hills really close by (Nandi is the only real hill) there are many really nice 2-3 day rides around the city. Loads of climbing.

Both Tour de Nilgiris and the iconic Gates of Heaven 1200 km BRM (by invitation only for the chosen elite from around the country) are both Bangalore based.

Settle in first. The rest will follow.

Cheers, Doc

[binoyyj]

Hi, I recently started cycling and I have been riding without lights so far. Can anyone recommend a good pair of lights (both front and rear)? I don't need a lot of brightness, so what should be the lumen rating I need? I need something that looks compact, don't want anything bulky.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I like the fact that you have kept your bike "undecorated" without even a saddlebag.

Absolutely! I like to keep it as stock/minimal as much as possible, except for the necessities like bottle cages, USB lights or a kickstand. The saddle bag looks like a useful add-on though; may get one for wife’s bike (for her phone).

For rides were no stops are expected (or a small coffee stop like this morning), I go with minimal stuff. My phone is an iPhone Mini which is small enough to fit in any pocket, and then all I need is one card and 10-20$ cash. For longer rides I carry a drawstring bag with a bike-lock, and a few other bits as required.

Originally Posted by binoyyj

Hi, I recently started cycling and I have been riding without lights so far. Can anyone recommend a good pair of lights (both front and rear)? I don't need a lot of brightness, so what should be the lumen rating I need? I need something that looks compact, don't want anything bulky.

This is what I have for our bikes, not sure if available in India. Really good ones, and no additional cable required for charging (can directly plugged in to the USB slot). It was so good that someone managed to flick the front light last week

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by binoyyj

Hi, I recently started cycling and I have been riding without lights so far. Can anyone recommend a good pair of lights (both front and rear)? I don't need a lot of brightness, so what should be the lumen rating I need? I need something that looks compact, don't want anything bulky.

My experience (after a lot of costly trial and error) taught me that never buy lights online (at least unless you have not physically seen the SAME light performing in front of your eyes).

Just go to local stores in the late evening and ask them to show you the ACTUAL beam and strobe in a dark area.

Lumens (or the more accurate Lux) mean nothing in my experience till your eyes have actually seen what it looks like on the dark road in front of you while you are moving.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Absolutely! I like to keep it as stock/minimal as much as possible, except for the necessities like bottle cages, USB lights or a kickstand. The saddle bag looks like a useful add-on though; may get one for wife’s bike (for her phone).

I always use middle budget phones, so no dainty high end stuff for me. And no apples (or bananas) definitely ...

In the rainy season, always have a couple of sturdy plastic bags folded up and tucked inside your saddlebag. If it starts pouring, that will save your paper money and phone.

The saddlebag is actually not a nice place to keep a phone, especially an expensive one. Especially the ones with the glass backs. The bike bouncing around means the saddlebag attached under your saddle also bounces around. And the phone keeps hitting the saddle clamp bolt (which is the perfect conical shape to shatter your phone screen or glass back) through the thin material of the saddlebag.

Also, in the rains, without mudguards, the saddlebag is drenched in water thrown up by the rear wheel, and encrusted and impregnated with mud. The saddlebag you see on my bike above has lasted me 4+ years now (with some mochi TLC) but try as I might, I cannot get all the mud out of the weave of the fabric. Its part of the bag now, permanently. Lol

The back pocket of your jersey is the safest. Keep a plastic handy if it rains, and you are set. If you are wearing a normal T-shirt without those pockets (not everyone likes wearing skin tight jerseys for leisure rides) the front top tube bag like what I have on my bike is VERY convenient and a MUCH better location for your expensive phone.

Cheers, Doc

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ebonho

In the rainy season, always have a couple of sturdy plastic bags folded up and tucked inside your saddlebag. If it starts pouring, that will save your paper money and phone.

Yes, plastic bag or a small Ziplock bag is extremely handy here in Singapore, as it can rain any time of the day/year; pours down pretty fast and clear up even faster.

Originally Posted by ebonho;

The saddlebag is actually not a nice place to keep a phone, especially an expensive one. Especially the ones with the glass backs. The bike bouncing around means the saddlebag attached under your saddle also bounces around. And the phone keeps hitting the saddle clamp bolt (which is the perfect conical shape to shatter your phone screen or glass back) through the thin material of the saddlebag.
Also, in the rains, without mudguards, the saddlebag is drenched in water thrown up by the rear wheel, and encrusted and impregnated with mud.

Good points, thank you! As I mentioned above, rains are a part of daily life here

Originally Posted by ebonho;

The back pocket of your jersey is the safest. Keep a plastic handy if it rains, and you are set. If you are wearing a normal T-shirt without those pockets (not everyone likes wearing skin tight jerseys for leisure rides)

Yes, not yet into the skin-tight bike jerseys, so its normally a regular running top + bike-shorts.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Yes, not yet into the skin-tight bike jerseys, so its normally a regular running top + bike-shorts.

No worries. We all start like that, and eventually get there. Both for the look and the functionality. In fact for the longest time, I used to be very embarrassed about wearing cycling shorts in polite company. So would wear loose sports shorts over them. I have done all my BRMs like that in 2017-18.

Its only when I moved to the road bike that I realized that if I wanted to be part of a cycling group and ride along with them without being "who are you"d, I needed to get with the program.

A frame bag is also very convenient, and usually can hold more stuff than the top tube bag, but you need to check the size and shape and fit in your frame and whether you continue to have reasonable access to the front bottle.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Nothing more soul uplifting (especially on Monday morning) than a ride to one of the wet green rolling pretty ghats in and around Poona during the monsoons!

Doc, I don't see the second bottle cage that you had installed using zip ties. What happened? Not planning to do long rides on ACT?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Doc, I don't see the second bottle cage that you had installed using zip ties. What happened? Not planning to do long rides on ACT?

Good eyes. The zip ties became brittle and gave way. I never got those fat industrial gauge zip ties after that. The thinner ones would not even last a single ride before giving way under the weight of the bottle bouncing around.

So for longer rides (for now) I carry the second bottle in my center back pocket. But for short rides less than 2 hours, especially in this weather, one bottle is fine.

Eventually I will fit the second cage back. With Covid I simply do not feel like doing my normal roaming around of different shops looking for stuff.

[narayanang76]

Originally Posted by binoyyj

Can anyone recommend a good pair of lights (both front and rear)? I don't need a lot of brightness, so what should be the lumen rating I need? I need something that looks compact, don't want anything bulky.

NiteRider or CatEye lights are good options. I personally use a NiteRider and NR has both USB rechargeable and replaceable battery models (front and rear). These are reliable, compact and easy to use.

Regards,
narayanang76

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by narayanang76

NiteRider or CatEye lights are good options. I personally use a NiteRider and NR has both USB rechargeable and replaceable battery models (front and rear). These are reliable, compact and easy to use.

Regards,
narayanang76

Cat eye with the cr button batteries is what I have asked for. Still waiting on stock. I found the USB ones absurdly priced.

Meanwhile, i managed to breach 30k on one ride lol.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Meanwhile, i managed to breach 30k on one ride lol.

Fantastic progress man.

I was wondering where you'd disappeared, especially seeing you on a dozen different fitness threads simultaneously (rock climbing ... Egad!)

I was having visions of another kaccha drying clothes stand developing.

But this is great. Good base fitness.

I was doing 15 km loops for well over a month when I started.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Fantastic progress man.

I was wondering where you'd disappeared, especially seeing you on a dozen different fitness threads simultaneously (rock climbing ... Egad!)

I was having visions of another kaccha drying clothes stand developing.

But this is great. Good base fitness.

I was doing 15 km loops for well over a month when I started.

Oh! I have been aiming clocking about 20 kms a day twice within the week, and one 30km longer run on Sunday's (last Sunday was the first). I have to make sure I have enough of a recovery time between because I also do a lot of strength resistance training on all the other days. Once the pool opens I will probably ease off the weekday rides and bring that back into the schedule.

Rock climbing lol. Yeah I have to go give that a try with some indoor climbing first. I have a small fear of heights when standing on the edge. I have to climb and beat that.

And chicks like guys who climb

[narayanang76]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Cat eye with the cr button batteries is what I have asked for. Still waiting on stock. I found the USB ones absurdly priced.

Meanwhile, i managed to breach 30k on one ride lol.

Attachment 2178318

Agree. USB ones prices aren't any lower. There are few models with AAA batteries too, they're also good and less priced to USB ones, BRM riders use them and they just keep spare batteries with them during those non-stop long night rides.

BTW these NiteRider lights are much better than those AliExpress ones or even the Decathlon ones, my personal experience of having them earlier.

Good going with 30k. Now time to target a half century.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by narayanang76

Agree. USB ones prices aren't any lower. There are few models with AAA batteries too, they're also good and less priced to USB ones, BRM riders use them and they just keep spare batteries with them during those non-stop long night rides.

BTW these NiteRider lights are much better than those AliExpress ones or even the Decathlon ones, my personal experience of having them earlier.

Good going with 30k. Now time to target a half century.

AAA ones are the best. Bigger batteries equal to MUCH longer runtimes. Also the lights are way more powerful.

AAAs are cheaper.

AAAs don't come in fakes like the CRs.

AAAs are available in any paan dukaan anywhere in the country, even the most remote village, in a pinch.

All long distance riders will have primary USB or 18650 battery pack lights. But always carry secondary front and rear AAA powered lights as a necessary backup.

There are many places where a plug point and electricity is simply not available to recharge your USB lights. After your power banks too have run dry. And of course you simply might not have the time to recharge on timed ultra distance rides. AAAs rock there. Including at PBP and LEL. Especially after the 3rd night!

Cheers, Doc