HBCC 7 - The MTB Race

Get ready for the 7th edition of the HBC Championship - this time it is an MTB one. What's more, the route is so scenic that we have decided to open it for non racers/leisure riders too. To organise it better, there will also be a donation of Rs200 per participant ( applies for racers and non racers).

Location : Around Narsapur Lake. Approx 50 km from Kondapur, and 25 km from Gandimaisamma, on the medak road. Distance: 20-30 KM.
Route : 8-9 km loop, to be ridden multiple times. Combination of untarred country roads and forest trails. Scenic and thrilling. Non racers can do at their own pace. Riders are responsible for their safety and that of other riders.
Categories : a) Racer b) Non racer/leisure rider
Start Time : 6 am for racers, 6.30 am for leisure riders.
End time : Ride will get over by 8 am. We will pack up and head back by 9 am.
Donation : Rs 200/rider. This will cover
a) to and fro transport of limited nos of bikes,
b) supply of drinking water and refreshments ( juices , electrol, banana).
c) Mechanic support ( only for genuine mechanical problems, and not for punctures)

The trail while beautiful is very unforgiving. More details on HBC meet up site
http://www.meetup.com/HyderabadBicyclingClub/events/17511009/

MTB with knobbies are must. Road bikes, hybrids, or mtbs with sleeks will not be allowed in the race for safety reasons.

Riders who want to join either has to RSVP on the meetup side or let me know so I can do it on their behalf. If you don't have a bike, TBA will be happy to arrange one for you at an additional cost.

Movie Time - Chasing Legends

What : Lunch, movie, coffee.
When : Sunday, 15th May 2011, 1 pm - 4 pm
Where : My Cafe latte , Kondapur (in the lane opposite Google).
Costs : Rs 250/person ( lunch + beer/coffee + movie)

Indulge yourself in some great food at My Cafe Latte while you watch Chasing Legends, a movie that brings out all the drama of 2009 Tour De France, as seen through the eyes of HTC Columbia.

Riders are welcome to get friends and family members along. Do block your seats by sending a mail to krish@thebikeaffair.com with subject 'Chasing Legends'. Limited seats.

TBA-Medical Workshop

For all who want to use bit of advice on first aid and injury management, Doc Muralidhar would be conduction a session on the same at The Bike Affair, 23rd April, 7.30 am. Doc Murali has been a general practitioner since the last 9 years. He is also a long distance runner and a keen cyclist.

He will cover the following

a) Accidents
- minor (bruises/road rashes/cuts/abrasions/sprains)
- major (dislocations/fractures/head injuries)

How to stabilize and manage these injuries and recognizing critical injuries.

b) Repetitive Strain Injuries
- lower back, upper back, knee, wrist
- numbness of wrist/palm,... handlebar palsy

Causes, prevention, precaution and remedy.

If time permits, he will also talk about the aspects of nutrition and hydration, before, during and after a ride.


This is a free session, but you need to register yourself by sending a mail at krish@thebikeaffair.com, with subject 'TBA-Medical Workshop'.

A weekend Bicycle Escapade : 28th-30Jan 2011

Here's a belated new year gift from TBA - A biking escapade into the hills and jungles of Ananthgiri, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Now, you have always wanted to be on a vacation that lets you sample some great food and still loose a pound or two? Not to mention the terrific scenery and the awesome trails around. Pictures from the recce can be found here

http://thebikeaffair.blogspot.com/2010/11/coming-up-organised-biking-trips-from.html

What : Januari@Ananthgiri, a weekend of Bliss
When : 28-30Jan, 2011
Stay: Trails, an eco resort right at the edge of Ananthgiri Forest, Vikarabad
Food: North Indian vegetarian
Suggested Bike Type : MTB
Difficulty : Medium
Fees: Rs 4900 (+ 10.3% service tax) for the complete trip, per person on twin sharing basis.
Itinerary :

Day 1, 28-Jan-2011 :

Start point: The Bike Affair, Kondapur
End point: Deccan Trails, Vikarabad (Manneguda)

Option a) Ride to Vikarabad
Start time: 6.00 am
Route: Scenic village routes through shankarpalle, nawabpet, vikarabad, manneguda
Distance: 80 km

You will be checked in at one of the twin sharing tents at Deccan Trails, a luxury jungle resort commanding a splendid view of the ananthgiri forests. You will be based at Trails throughout this trip. Optional 10 km trail riding in ananthgiri jungles in the evening. If you don’t want to cycle any more, you can opt for a jungle walk instead.
Dinner followed by campfire.

Option b) Drive down to Vikarabad
Start time: 4.00 pm
Route: Gachibowli., Outer Ring Road, Moinabad ( via Vikarabad road), Chevela, Manneguda, Deccan Trails.

Dinner, campfire and stay at one of the twin sharing tents at Deccan trails - a luxury jungle resort commanding a splendid view of the Ananthgiri forests.


Day 2, 29-Jan -2011

Start time : 6.30 am
End time : 11 am
Distance : Around 50 km
Route : local loop, primarily trail riding through some nice and quite little villages , hills, and farmlands, in and around the ananthgiri forest belt.

Rest of the day at leisure at Trails.
Campfire after dinner

Day 3 , 30-Jan-2011

Start time : 6.30 am
End time : By 12 pm
Distance : Option of 45km or 90 km
Route : Manneguda, Vikarabad, Anathgiri, Kirelli, Kotepally lake, Vikarabad

Today’s ride is going to be through some of the serene countryside around Vikarabad - primarily a road ride through village roads, with scenic views. We will cross Vikarabad town, get onto the anathgiri hills; take a very scenic route downhill to reach the village of kirelli. We will then continue forward to the Kotepally lake. There will be a few km of nice and relaxed trail riding thrown in around the backwaters of Kotepally Lake – a birdwatchers delight. You have the option to stop the ride here (and get into the support vehicle with your bike. Around 45 km), or complete the full loop (90km) till the resort

Once you are back at resort, you will need to pack up your bikes. Packing materials will be provided. You can then head for lunch. Post lunch, transport will be arranged for you and your bikes. Destination will be The Bike Affair, Kondapur.


Whats included :

• Stay at the luxury jungle resort Deccan trails in twin sharing tents
• Breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner. Food served will be north Indian vegetarian plus boiled eggs for breakfast and dinner.
• Pick up and drop from The Bike Affair, Kondapur to Deccan trails, Vikarabad, and vice versa
• Transport of your bike from The Bike Affair, Kondapur to Deccan trails, Vikarabad, and vice versa.
• Support vehicle on day 3, in case you don’t want to ride the whole distance.
• A mechanic will accompany the team of volunteers, in case you need any help with your bicycle.

Whats not included :

• Your bikes. You can get your own bikes, or rent a bike from us. Rental bikes will cost Rs 800 for the whole trip.
• Any bicycle spares that you may require during the trip.
• Bikes need to be packed by the respective owners before transporting them to destination. The Bike Affair will only provide the necessary packaging materials.
• Anything that is not mentioned under ‘what’s included’

For reservations/information, mail krish@thebikeaffair.com or call us @ 9966040005

The 2011 Schwinn Sporterra and Sporterra Sport

Its been couple of weeks since we received our fiurst stock of the new schwinn sporterra and sporterra sport. So this is defnitely a delayed report . Overall, the sporterra series seems to have undergone a total change. The most striking change is of course the new frame. Other changes inlcude the new saddle, the tyres, the hndle bar grips, the shifters. And even the logo

The Schwinns in the box

Thats an oldie

The new logo looks quite stunning, especially on black

The 2011 sporterra looks totally different. Especially different is the frame.

And so is the sporterra sport

The frames are now more MTB inspired. The saddle, the shifters, the handle bar grips, the tyres, everything has changed. True to the MTP inspiration, the tyres have gone a little thicker. 700 x 37c

Another angle

Same with Schwinn Sporterra

The new saddle looks sleeker, and definitely is a welcome change. As before, the seat post comes withn a suspension. The quick release now comes with a rubber think on top. Welcome change again.

The bar tapes have now been upgraded to rubber grips on handlebar, which again is a nice thing. The shifters, though the same , looks differnt in their 2011 version.

The rear alivio derailleur on Searcher sport , which is ofcourse the same as it used to be in 2010 version.

TFN - Day 5

The day was supposed to start at 8 am, but it has been drizzling since the time I got up. This being a day of long descents, organisers didn't want the riders to ride on wet roads. The schedule start was pushed to 9 am. The rain however, didn't stop, and instructions on efficient braking and speed controls, we were out on the road at 9 am. I had my rain jacket on; it was still drizzling. But my body heated up pretty soon, and it felt nice to ride in rain. The terrain was rolling to start with. I was super careful on the descents and were testing my brakes every now and then. However, the rain stopped as we closed towards pykara lake. That made me confident on the descents, and I started enjoying it. This was definitely my longest descent.

Soon I passed the first service station, hit gudalur , and was off into the tea estates.The terrain became rolling again, the landscape breathtaking. I stopped every now and then to take pictures. The road has been pretty good with lots of down hill too. But towards the end I realised I was running behind time. I pushed a little hard towards the end, and made it to hotel Green Gates, Kalpetta by around 6.30 pm. Overall, a nice and long ride, with the best vistas so far in the tour. Heard later that one of the riders crashed on the ooty, and had to return back to bangalore the next day.

Riders waiting for the rain to stop

On the ouitskirt of Ooty

A waterbody couple of kms down the pykara lake. Definitely worth a breather.

Riders zooming past

More greenery

Mansij - the blogger, and Jas- the volunteer trying to reach the bike mechanic to help out a rider in despair.

After neduvattam, on the way down from Ooty, the road was surrounded by mist and fog

The fog started to thin out after a couple of km though

A cyclist passes through the eucalyptus forest.

Came across Boni and gang on my way to Devala. Turned out the hanger that Boni had fabricated in Ooty wasn't really able to take the load. So boni is in the middle of converting his bike back to single speed.

Riders ride through the tea gardens around Devala.

Tea gardens and hills where ever you look at

More tea gardens

Ravi breezes through

Ankur rides up at one of the small uphill sections. At this point it was close to 4.30 pm, and I had more than 55 km to be covered. I decided to push it a little hard ride non stop .

Is that the chembra peak?

Around meppadi, the landscape gets a new life. The hills are now closer and bigger, and some of roads seems to be merging right into the hills. I was definitely running out of time, but thought I won't do justice to the place if I don't do a pic stop here. Our destination - Green Gates hotel, kalpetta was around 20 km from here.

TFN - Day 4 (rest day)

So after 3 hard days of ride, one thing was sure. Nobody wanted to ride their bike on the rest day. Some riders decided to trek doddabetta, some went bird watching, some were busy cleaning and lubing their bike, and some went chocolate shopping. Places offering massage was very high in demand too. Myself, Sunil and Paul drove down to Coonoor.

Rakesh Nair giving his bike a good wash.


Myself, Paul and Sunil stop at a viewp0int on the way to Coonoor.


We met Jacob at the very laid back Coonoor town. He invited us home for a cup of coffee, and played host for a wonderful lunch at Coonoor Club, an even more laid back place.

Inside the Coonoor Club

After lunch, Jacob led us to some sight seeing around Coonoor. This picture is at the lambs rock. We were hoping to spot some bisons, but no luck

Jacob, Paul and Sunil

Came back to hotel by 6 pm. Came to know that Boni had a fabricated a derailleur hanger for his bike, and his fuji is now back to multispeed mode.