The cycle was finally assembled by Someshwar in our drawing room on Sunday. Someshwar Rao started off as a self taught cycle mechanic. After working for a few years with a shop he got training in Gurgaon by Firefox (an Indian cycle brand). He certainly knows his job.
I had taken the bike out of the box on Saturday night itself. On Sunday, before Someshwar's arrival, I removed the various protective covers one by one. However, I could not work out how to take off the front fork stay and the other plastic protective covers like on the front and rear hubs. I filmed the entire process, so that if need be I could pack it back in the box and transport it.
Someshwar arrived at around 1 pm and set up the bike in less than an hour. However, he could not inflate the tyre beyond 30 psi. He said his small pump was incapable of pumping beyond that. My tube needs 120 PSI. I would need a full fledged pump to do it. Being a presta valve it is very unlikely that the local tyre repair shop would be able to do it. So the bike is still waiting in my study room, yet to be ridden.
Today (Monday) I have purchased a Firefox pump with a pressure gauge which can inflate both presta and shroeder valved tubes. The modern pumps are way more efficient than what we used to have in our childhood. They used to take ages to inflate a tube. It used to be very frustrating trying to pump up a bicycle tube, hard enough to ride. However, the narrow modern road bike tubes don't require too much air volume either. Though 120 PSI is the requirement, it doesn't take too long.
After the bike was set up, Someshwar and I went to our house in Metro Park, where I have the old Hero MTB. Someshwar said he would love to restore it and make it into a proper hardtail with gears and front suspension etc but it would require to be transported to his house. I gave him a go ahead. He took off the front wheel. We loaded it in the back of my car with the back rest of the back seat flattened out. Together we went to Shalimar where he re-assembled it and went home. It is in terrible shape. I don't know what all he would change. Let me see.
If it is properly restored then I can go to the difficult places around Calcutta with it. Going out medium distance on the road bike is not a very sensible thing to do.
It is worth noting down how the bike was set up. The order in which the parts were attached. The first to be attached was the handlebar. Next was the front wheel and adjustment of the brake. The front fork's plastic stay takes a strong downward push to be dislodged.
After this the seat post was fitted with some liquid grease applied to the post first. Next was the rear brake adjustment and some front derailleur adjustments too. With the seat fixed at the lowest point, I am just about able to touch the floor on the two sides. I wonder if I should have gone for a 52 sized bike. Funny that the bike felt so small when I first took it out from the box.
Forgot to mention that at some in time, the pedals were also fixed.
Modern bikes have brakes in reverse. What I mean is the rear brake is engaged with your right hand. In our traditional bikes or even motorcycles it was the opposite.
Someshwar told me that the drop handlebar will take some time to get adjusted to. I think he has a point. I tried to ride it in our living room and almost fell as I felt disbalanced. The real test of a bicycle is of course out on the road. Weather permitting I am going to go out today.
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