[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by ampere

I guess less km on your odo is just not something you are used to?

Good one :-) But looking at the current cycling community, I am still not there. There are many doing crazy numbers.

Very nice indeed! Congrats Arun !

Thank You.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Nice job! That too on an MTB! Seems like a 200km brevet is up on the cards for 2024. Just make sure you select one of the less elevation options

Yes, I have this in mind and I am training for the same.

Originally Posted by silverado

Congratulations on your first 150kms ride.

The most important thing for long rides is to ensure you are well hydrated a day before the ride and take foods rich in carbs.

I always ensure that i dont ride a day before the ride.
On ride day, you need to take water ( BEFORE YOU ARE THIRSTY ) and eat food ( BEFORE YOU ARE HUNGRY ).

If you take water when you are thirsty, you are already late and will cramp.

Thank you.

You are right, this long ride was a good learning experience for me.

Never ever carry anything on back, you are bound to be uncomfortable and sore. Best to invest in a light weight good quality carrier.

Thanks for this advice.

Smart watch dying in one single ride? time to change its batteries or change the watch totally. I use a GPS smart watch and it has stayed put even during my longest ride ( 210 kms ).Power bank will add to weight , every gram saved helps on a long ride like this.

It was strange that the smart watch died soon that day, but it looks fine after that. Anyways, I will get the battery checked once

Originally Posted by samre75

Congratulations for your ride!!!
For the punctures, You can try using the Liners. I do use them and have done several long rides on quite challenging terrains(Ladakh, Tawang), without a single puncture.

Thank you. And nice to hear about your journey

Originally Posted by amitoj

Congratulations on finishing an epic ride! No matter how tough the ride is, the end is always very rewarding.

That is very true. After all the struggles, it was a nice feel when I crossed the finish line.

As for the cramps, I think the lower pressure in the rear tire made your legs work extra hard and that caused the cramps. Once cramps set in, it is very tough to get rid of them. That's why it is important to keep sipping on water and electrolytes at regular, frequent intervals even if you are not feeling thirsty.

The preparation for a long ride starts not the night before, but 3 to 5 days before the ride. You'd want to start tapering off your workouts 3 to 5 days prior so that you have enough energy in reserve for the ride. Silverado makes a good point about hydrating and carb loading before the ride. I would suggest to start doing that gradually at least 3 days before the ride. You dont want to do anything extreme a night a before the event.

Mechanical issues are unavoidable. You had the right mindset to deal with them though. So, kudos to you!

Ride on brother.

Thanks a lot for the advice man, its really helpful.

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

Congratulations on successfully completing the ride. A major milestone indeed

Many more to come. All the best.

Thank You.

[mihir_m13]

[quote=Passatman;5517451]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

am new to geared cycle and trying to understand how the gears work while riding. Also, I am facing a lot of body weight on my arms on the handlebar and trying to figure out my perfect riding height as well. In the meantime, the Strava app is of great help.

One major reason could be, one is putting weight on the arms while cycling.Try practising by holding the bars with just a finger or two, to steer the bike. Slowly, one will notice that ones upper body strength improves and one will experience less or no pain in the arms.
Gears on a cycle work the same way they do in a car or bike. The difference is we have front derailleurs too ! One rule of thumb to ensure smooth shifts is to ensure no load while shifting ( shift at the bottom of your pedal stroke) and keeping the chain as straight as possible. Use Gear 1 on Front derailleur restricted to Gear 1-3 on Rear, Gear 2 on FD to Gears 3-5 on RD and Gear 3 on FD for Gears 5-7/8 . This way chain remains straighter and lessens chances of snapping. And yes, shift gears before hitting that gradient, just like in an automobile.

Happy cycling and a fitter you!

Thanks for this. Any opinion on Microshift or Shimano? Am thinking of buying FireFox Rapide - online it shows Microshift - but if i am not mistake - the store i visited had Shimano gears fitted. Will be visiting again this saturday.

[arun_josie]

[quote=mihir_m13;5687570]

Originally Posted by Passatman

Thanks for this. Any opinion on Microshift or Shimano? Am thinking of buying FireFox Rapide - online it shows Microshift - but if i am not mistake - the store i visited had Shimano gears fitted. Will be visiting again this saturday.

If I am not wrong, even Firefox Road Runner Pro D was introduced with Shimano gears but later they moved to Microshift.

[Passatman]

Originally Posted by mihir_m13

Thanks for this. Any opinion on Microshift or Shimano? Am thinking of buying FireFox Rapide - online it shows Microshift - but if i am not mistake - the store i visited had Shimano gears fitted. Will be visiting again this saturday.

Shimano would be my preferred choice. Checkout the Triban RC 100 @ Decathlon also. 20k and with 15% inaugural discount thrown in, it works out to Rs 17k which is great! And it has Shimano tourney 7 gears too!

[Kpzonwheels]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

If I am not wrong, even Firefox Road Runner Pro D was introduced with Shimano gears but later they moved to Microshift.

Yes, road runner pro d initially came with Shimano acera at the rear and Shimano tourney at the front. Attaching a picture of my 2020 firefox road runner pro d.

[Motard_Blr]

[quote=mihir_m13;5687570]

Originally Posted by Passatman

Thanks for this. Any opinion on Microshift or Shimano? Am thinking of buying FireFox Rapide - online it shows Microshift - but if i am not mistake - the store i visited had Shimano gears fitted. Will be visiting again this saturday.

Microshift seems to be just as good as Shimano at entry to mid level. I actually prefer the Microshift thumb-only shifter compared to the Shimano that uses thumb and index finger.

Two people I know who use Microshift told me they haven't experienced any problems.


Note: Entry level derailleurs are only good for occassional use. They wear out fast, especially with lack of maintenance. This leads to bad gear shifting and unhappy riders. No amount of adjustment can compensate for worn out parts.

Your choice of bike and the its condition (new or used) should be based on your expected usage. Up to a point, more money gets you better quality and performance.

[mihir_m13]

[quote=Passatman;5517451]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

am new to geared cycle and trying to understand how the gears work while riding. Also, I am facing a lot of body weight on my arms on the handlebar and trying to figure out my perfect riding height as well. In the meantime, the Strava app is of great help.

One major reason could be, one is putting weight on the arms while cycling.Try practising by holding the bars with just a finger or two, to steer the bike. Slowly, one will notice that ones upper body strength improves and one will experience less or no pain in the arms.
Gears on a cycle work the same way they do in a car or bike. The difference is we have front derailleurs too ! One rule of thumb to ensure smooth shifts is to ensure no load while shifting ( shift at the bottom of your pedal stroke) and keeping the chain as straight as possible. Use Gear 1 on Front derailleur restricted to Gear 1-3 on Rear, Gear 2 on FD to Gears 3-5 on RD and Gear 3 on FD for Gears 5-7/8 . This way chain remains straighter and lessens chances of snapping. And yes, shift gears before hitting that gradient, just like in an automobile.

Happy cycling and a fitter you!

To clarify - when you say - Use Gear 1 on Front derailleur restricted to Gear 1-3 on Rear - you mean the biggest sprocket on the front with the 3 smallest on the rear . . . and so on?

[Passatman]

Originally Posted by mihir_m13

To clarify - when you say - Use Gear 1 on Front derailleur restricted to Gear 1-3 on Rear - you mean the biggest sprocket on the front with the 3 smallest on the rear . . . and so on?

Hi Mihir! Gear shifting on cycles is a simple affair, with just a few basics to be kept in mind. One of them is to keep the chain aligned as straight as possible. This is the reason it is recommended to maintain the gear shifting as per the pattern I had explained.
To elaborate, by Gear #1 on Front derailleur I mean the gear number indicated on your shifter knob and this would mean the smallest sprocket wheel on the front casette.
Correspondingly, the largest size sprocket on the Rear Casette would be Gear #1 on Rear Derailleur.
The shifting pattern I have explained would apply to a 3x7/8 gear system.
Hope it's clear now and happy riding!

[mihir_m13]

Originally Posted by Passatman

Hi Mihir! Gear shifting on cycles is a simple affair, with just a few basics to be kept in mind. One of them is to keep the chain aligned as straight as possible. This is the reason it is recommended to maintain the gear shifting as per the pattern I had explained.
To elaborate, by Gear #1 on Front derailleur I mean the gear number indicated on your shifter knob and this would mean the smallest sprocket wheel on the front casette.
Correspondingly, the largest size sprocket on the Rear Casette would be Gear #1 on Rear Derailleur.
The shifting pattern I have explained would apply to a 3x7/8 gear system.
Hope it's clear now and happy riding!

You're right - the gear 1 on front is the smallest and gear 3 is the largest. That's what i do - i just counted it wrong. I guess the gear numbers for the front and rear are in reverse just for this purpose - to make it easier for the riders to remember when they start.

[arun_josie]

My recent 145Km ride to Mysore with my friends, I was able to outperform my previous ride to Mysore and I was more comfortable this time. Overall, it was a nice fun-filled ride. I have documented the complete ride experience in the below thread,

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bicyc...ers-group.html (A fun filled Bangalore - Mysore cycling ride with the Recharged Riders group)