[funkykar]

Lovely! I opened the thread to read about cycling and ended up drooling all the food pics. Do you have the summary of kilometres covered along with elevation and speed data?

[vinya_jag]

Loved your travelogue, and want to do something similar soon. I and my wife are a little new to cycling, which all started to heal my ligament, after the lockdown closed down the gyms. Doc suggested cycling, and now there is no looking back. What a beautiful experience, cycling is, and you folks have made it exotic. Sharing this with our cycling group.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Zed

What an adventure! While cycling holidays are quite popular here in Europe, this is the first time Ive come across an adventure like your's in India. You've inspired me to get my bike out of the cellar tomorrow, give her some TLC and go for a ride

Thanks, Zed! We don't have the European infra for bikers but it is not difficult to find few quiet roads for touring. Hope you have taken out your bike!

Originally Posted by am1m

Absolutely awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Amazing ride, kudos to you and your wife! Love the Konkan coast, have done a few trips along this stretch, but on a motorbike, don't think I'll have the endurance to do it on a cycle like you guys. But it looks like the best way to travel for sure - low impact, slow and beautiful!

Thanks, am1m! Yes! It's slow, beautiful and gives a huge sense of achievement as well!

Originally Posted by Aditya

Lovely travelogue. This travelogue will go a long way in helping others planning similar trips. You have done a great job of explaining everything in detail and the images compliment the write-up really well.

I love the way bicycles fit anywhere in our country's landscape. They are probably the best way to see the country as you can take them on the narrowest of streets without a worry.

I am a cyclist myself and have wanted to start touring on my bicycle for a long time. Sadly, that has not materialised due to various reasons. Just last year, my riding buddies were thinking of Mumbai - Goa ride, but that fizzled out. Now the outbreak of the pandemic has made everything impossible for at least another year. Still, I keep hoping for the best.

Thanks, Aditya! Let's hope things settle down at least in an year's time. There are so many hills around Mumbai/Pune and this lovely coast as well to tour!

Originally Posted by Biker Ram

It's always refreshing to see a bicycle travelogue. Enjoyed the read! Liked the fact that you guys not always had advanced booking or a pre-set plan. It adds to the adventure as long as things are safe.

Few questions: the elevation profile pic you shared, how did you get it? Was it from the GPS data AFTER your trip? While the net elevation gain/loss is easy to find from maps, I thought it's not possible to find the total gain and loss between any two points.
What tools/spares did you guys carry? Did it include spokes and spoke wrench?
Since the bikes are not put on the conveyor belt, is there a different way airlines deliver such luggage?

And a suggestion. Bicycle helmets are not overrated

Thanks, Biker Ram!
Google Maps walking directions when seen in the browser gives the elevation profile. I couldn't find similar info in the mobile App. I don't know how accurate it is but it gives a rough idea. The elevation profile pic in the opening post is something that we have seen before the tour to get an idea. We did not follow that exact route. We actually have ridden longer than that with few detours.

We have carried just a puncture kit, an Allen Key and brake pads. We were ready to quit the ride and enjoy at any of the beaches in case of an eventuality. I usually carry spare tyre, tubes, spokes, spoke wrench, magic link, chain cutter, brake cable, etc.

A baggage handler carries the bike by hand till the baggage handling vehicle and usually loads it on top of the pile. I once flew from Varanasi and the airport/airliner had no clue what to do with the bike! When the flight lands, again the bike won't come via the carousel. A handler brings it to the carousel area and usually you will be the last passenger from your flight to exit the baggage reclaim area.

I do not wear a helmet while touring for my safety
I mostly tour solo and many times I will be passing through empty stretches and remote places. I do not wear bright colored clothes, no jersey, no gloves, I wear a regular short on top of my lycra to be seen as any passerby coming from a nearby place. I do not take out my SLR as well when there are people around. Wearing any of the cycling apparel attracts a lot of attention on the road and the way the locals interact with me also changes.
I always wear a helmet while riding in Hyderabad.

Originally Posted by 2himanshu

Nice one mates, enjoyed it very much! Can you please share the route or tracking app details if possible as it is on my bucket list but not yet materialised. Your route will help me plan properly

Be safe & Keep riding

Thanks, 2himanshu! We kept following the SH4 road and deviated off it at places we halted for the night. I do not use any tracking apps. I rely on Google offline maps before starting the ride and a simple cyclometer to track the distance covered during the ride.

Originally Posted by silverado

What a travelogue, and i should really congratulate you for completing this wonderfull trip and for excellent pics that you have shared with us.

Also appreciable is for your wife to accompany you on such a trip. Konkan in general is very safe.
I have taken to cycling since last 2 years and cycling in Konkan is one of my dreams. My village is just 60 kms from kolhapur and i someday dream to do a similar trip.

How was your luggage plan for bicycle and which brand are those lovely panniers?
And i do hope someday we bhpians ride together on such a trip.

Thanks, silverado! The panniers are from Decathlon that I bought ~10 years back for Rs1500. They served me really well
Copy-pasting the things I carry from my other thread:
2x lycra shorts
2x dry fit t-shirts
3x dry fit inners
1x gloves
Helmet or a hat
1 short + t-shirt for night wear
1 pair of super light weight clothes for bus or flight journey. Also useful on a sightseeing day.
1 pair of medium hard sole sandals/shoes for riding
1 pair flip flops
1 sleeping bag
Jacket if required
Small mouth wash bottle. I would rather enjoy an apple to clean my teeth than carry a brush+toothpaste

All the above will be wrapped in a plastic cover (rain proofing) and they go into the left pannier

Right pannier has all the spares:
2 tubes
puncture repair kit
Small air pump
Allen key
Chain cutter
1x Chain's magic link
Few spokes
1x Brake cable
1x brake pad
Spare batteries for the lights
Mobile charger
BSNL SIM
Swiss knife
Spanner to remove pedals
Spare tyre based on existing tyres age or terrain to be encountered
First aid kit
Backup food. Usually nuts & theplas.
Packing material for transport if any

There will be some space left in the right pannier to carry any fruits that I find on the way.
Camera bag sits in between the panniers for easy access. A lot of times I just get off the saddle and stand over the crossbar to take pics.
Sleeping bag is a life saver. It helped me sleep in a lot of dingy lodges.

For this particular tour we have cut down on the spares. Carried just a puncture kit, brake pads and Allen Key.

Originally Posted by funkykar

Lovely! I opened the thread to read about cycling and ended up drooling all the food pics. Do you have the summary of kilometres covered along with elevation and speed data?

Thanks, funkykar! This is not a hardcore bike ride. The idea is to ride leisurely. So did not keep a record of it. The max we have ridden in a day is ~50km and on days when we rode 25-35km we took around 6-7hrs to complete it!

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Loved your travelogue, and want to do something similar soon. I and my wife are a little new to cycling, which all started to heal my ligament, after the lockdown closed down the gyms. Doc suggested cycling, and now there is no looking back. What a beautiful experience, cycling is, and you folks have made it exotic. Sharing this with our cycling group.

Thanks, vinya_jag! Hope you are recovering well. My wife got her ACL reconstructed few years before the tour. She is comfortable riding long distances after the recovery and rehabilitation. Good luck and keep safe while riding!

[Mr.Bentley]

Awesome travelogue! It was both entertaining and inspiring!
Great pictures too!
Cycling is one of the best ways to explore places. You both doing that over so varying terrain speaks a lot about your strength (mental and physical).
Thanks for an inspiring travelogue!

PS.: I'm from hyderabad too!
I like cycling. I do an occasional small rides for 10-20kms, but that had to be on highways. The traffic and civic sense of motorists mean my motivation goes south. Do you have any regualr or favourite routes (and are they bicycle friendly?)

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bentley

Awesome travelogue! It was both entertaining and inspiring!
Great pictures too!
Cycling is one of the best ways to explore places. You both doing that over so varying terrain speaks a lot about your strength (mental and physical).
Thanks for an inspiring travelogue!

PS.: I'm from hyderabad too!
I like cycling. I do an occasional small rides for 10-20kms, but that had to be on highways. The traffic and civic sense of motorists mean my motivation goes south. Do you have any regualr or favourite routes (and are they bicycle friendly?)

Thanks, Mr.Bentley! I stopped commuting by cycle in Hyderabad long back due to the traffic. Movie Towers via ISB road is a good route for cycling. The roads are wide and mostly empty early in the morning on weekdays and most part of the day on weekends. There are short climbs around Movie Towers and in the return you get a 4km gradual climb via Financial district->Microsoft->ISB. If you want to ride longer from Movie Towers, you can go towards ICFAI->Shankarpalli or go to Gandipet->Osman Sagar->Himayat Sagar

[Govardhansupra]

Would really love to do a trip like this one day. Could you give more info on the bicycles used, and which one is more comfortable and so on? Also elaborate on the riding gears used!
Wishing you more and more journeys like this!
Thank you.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Govardhansupra

Would really love to do a trip like this one day. Could you give more info on the bicycles used, and which one is more comfortable and so on? Also elaborate on the riding gears used!
Wishing you more and more journeys like this!
Thank you.

Thanks, Govardhansupra! I used a 10 year old Bianchi Camaleonte Uno and my wife is on a 6 year old Trek 7.1 fx. Both are hybrids. They are like crossovers in cars. Neither here nor there but comes with lot of practicality.
If you are looking to tour on a bicycle and don't plan to go off-road, hybrid is your best bet. There are few touring specific cycles available in our market like this However, they are expensive. You DO NOT need a cycle with shock-absorbers to ride on our roads no matter how many pot-holes are there.
The most important thing to feel comfortable on a cycle is the fit. There is NO one size fits all cycle. Cycles come in different sizes. You need to purchase a cycle that is suitable for your height and make sure the distance between the saddle and handle is adjusted as per your size. Saddle height also needs to be adjusted as per your height. There are a lot of resources on the net which can help with the fit.
For riding less than 10-20km, you need just a puncture kit and a helmet.
If you plan to ride more, you absolutely need a cycling short. It prevents chafing. You also need gloves to prevent numb palms. This is the minimum gear you need to get going. You can also try a cycling jersey. They are breathable, have strategically placed pockets, a long zip, etc. My wife used all these in this tour.
In addition to it, my cycle has carrier and panniers from Decathlon.
Hope this helps!

[mankuthimma]

Awesome ! Just by reading your travelogue brings so much pleasure, I can only imagine how much fun you would have had !

I enjoyed reading your recent travelogues - this one as well as the Eastern Ghats.. your choice of exploring unexplored places, enjoying all those beautiful sights that nature offers on the way in a slow unhurried pace, relishing the local food, in general.. just going with flow with whatever is available and not really hung up on luxury or comfort.. and to top it all, your breezing writing style !
A driving trip on smooth highways cant bring us near these hidden gems.. which can be best explored by bicycle and/or by foot..

keep exploring and keep writing !

[ebonho]

The food photos on this thread are simply to cruel to be watched at work man. But what a thread!!!!

Cheers, Doc

[amol4184]

Said this before on your RJ ride thread and will say it again: The best travelogues on this car enthusiasts website are the ones done on cycle.
Besides its one thing to go places and another to write to about it. You have mastery on both. Loved reading it!

On a related note, that spot where you are riding down the slope after Kunkeshwar is pretty interesting.
On your left is sudden drop with big boulders to stop dirt sliding down the sea. if you stare down the cliff, there is a small plateau like flat surface extending into the sea. That surface has myriad of round holes made by swirling water of the waves and bigger ones of those have ecosystems of their own.
I saw fishes jumping from one hole to another. I also remember seeing a sea snake. Some sea dwelling birds have nests and you can see them going in and out.

All in all, just a wonderful spot but not advisable to climb down. Pretty risky. It turned out to be surprisingly the best thing in our trip after food.