Been really enjoying riding more regularly now with the combination of a little increase in physical strength/stamina and this 29er Raleigh Conan… I used to be skeptical of the claims, but the 29’s do seem to roll WAYYY easier than my 26” cycles. Did about a 15km loop a couple times in the past week that includes about 700ft of elevation gain (peaking at around 7600ft); Both times with my 7-year old son who was pressing on admirably on his 24” Stärkenn MTB – So I had to take it easy, and presumably it was a few km's more for me as I kept turning around to rejoin him every time I got a couple hundred meters ahead, but at any rate as an, eh, “older fella” just beginning to ramp up, it was probably better to be doing something more like “interval training” here at the beginning, till my cardio system is good and strong.
This morning's solo ride tuened out to be considerably more vigorous:
Managed to climb about 800ft (elevation gain) to a little village above here, in almost exactly 30 minutes. Probably really ought to get a watch with a heart-rate monitor… felt I may have pushed a bit too hard this early on.
Lovely ride, though... with a few justifications for going for more aggressive tyres (ordered a pair of Ralson Vasco's that came in at ₹1400 delivered - they seem to have quite positive reviews on Amazon).
Anyway, despite its not being too lightweight (~16kg at present), the Conan is smooth and generally unfatiguing and as a size-L frame, fits me better than most of what I've ridden till now (I probably ought to have an XL, but that's a rare bird up in these hills, especially).
This is also my first bike equipped with hydraulic (Shimano) stoppers - another thing I used to be skeptical about but now really like for their firmness and power. They are probably especially helpful on something like this that’s a bit heavy with big wheels (=more leverage, when you think about it).
Front chainwheels are 42/34/24, and rear cassette 34/12)… I have managed well enough on the steepest on-road climbs so far but a 36 low in back and a 22T small ring up front would grant me some extra “oomph” for the most challenging gradients or long ascents. I don't really enjoy riding at high speeds, since here that's usually downhill, so with the 29” wheels could probably just about eliminate the largest front ring and save a couple hundred grams. I guess a 36/22 front and 11/36 rear (maybe a 9-gear) would give me about all I'll ever need without fouling the derailleurs, so let's see if I can come up with some parts (pre-owned if necessary) to do that. A lot of Shimano cassette gear stacks are held together with two or three long pins which, when removed, allow you to mix and match individual gears according to personal gearing preference. Being that I spend a lot of time in the lowest gears, it makes more sense to have closer ratios there, vs. at the higher speed end, as is more common…
A few reasons for it being a little heavier than original are:
• The B-twin tool bag w/ folding allen-key set and puncture kit;
• Light-alloy carry-rack salvaged from a derelict (imported) Decathlon Riverside a friend gave me; this will provide backpack-free riding when doing errands… will mount a thin plastic panel there to give me a mudguard!
• 3-mode LED tail-light and reflector (taxi-wallahs insane here).
• Some pretty heavy but extremely robust Wellgo brand pedals – the knobs of which just so happen to lock perfectly into my Vans' lowtops… and on the less negative side don't seem.much heavier than the Bontragers I saw in the showroom today with a ₹5,500 pricetag (these were freebies basically)...
• This aftermarket (presumably low-grade Chinese) adjustable neck (original actually had a slight DOWNWARD angle, this one I have set at 20-degrees upwards which suits my height better)
• In lieu of this South African self-sealing tube (which weighs a whopping 450g!!),
...added about 100g in each tyre of this Amerseal tyre sealant.
A friend is working on setting up the India distributorship for this aforementioned product…which seems to be a good one. Versus Slime it's a bit gritty, but he's used it in all kinds of stuff and claims it is far superior. Let's see - I've put it in tubes that already have 3-4 patches apiece, inside the rather dry original Maxxis Pace at <20% tread up front (just rotated)…
Will test and report back here. On account of the grittiness the slurry won't pump through the valve and in particular with the Presta-equipped Bontrager, besides removing the valve core, I had to use a small drill to open up the innermost part of the stem a bit. My rear rim is actually a Bontrager tubeless, so later might try a 700C (same 622mm) tubeless hybrid tyre, something smooth in the middle with knobs on the shoulders, which should both roll easier on-rosd, and give enough bite for both road edges and light trail… But all in good time... eager to try out these new-era Ralsons... and hope they'll serve a lot better than their old-era ones!
I know this (jugaad) mudguard is ugly... no-one need tell me so! But it is a necessary evil in this place in this season, and lightweight enough. I'm just gonna put a strip of black duct tape on the rear carrier to serve the same purpose in the simplest, lightest way possible.
The Suntour XCT fork is pretty horrible and lacks poise even on moderately rough roads (nevermind trails), so if I happen to find a deal on something better (or find something serviceable in anyone's scrap bin) will go for that.
Till then trying to focus on physical conditioning, to where I can climb 1000ft or more in good time (~40 min?) without feeling too fatigued.
Rohtang Pass is about 5000ft above where I sit, so I'd guess it's gonna be awhile - if ever - that I've progressed enough to top it...
-Eric