Greenfield Kickstand

The installed kickstand

The right sized bolt. 6mm M10

I went for a Greenfield Kickstand some time back for my LHT. I went for it so that I don't have to worry too much during a tea or momo break for the most stable support to keep the bike standing. With some load it might be more difficult. So went for this American kickstand. 

It is lightweight being made of aluminium. Since it is made in the USA I am hoping they have made something quite sturdy. The kickstand cannot be installed without a pair of Surly clamps, which I had to buy also and in fact that costs more than the stand itself. The main challenge for the installation was finding the right sized bolt. The supplied bolt that the kickstand came with was found to be too small for the job. So I went looking for a larger bolt. My first port of call was a shop in Prinsep Street. They specialise in nuts and bolts only. After two sorties I found the right sized bolt and installed the stand, which is a very simple no brainer kind of a job. I was apprehensive that our metric thread pitch might not match with the American thread that the kickstand comes with. The bolt is supposed to go inside the stand. But the fear was unfounded. The bolt was metric despite being American. 

The bottom of the stand

After installation, the stand was found to be too long. The cycle was standing almost erect and not stable at all. I found they had markings on the back side of the stand where you are supposed to chop off according to your requirement. I got Kushuda to cut off about 2 cm from the bottom of the stand. He has the hacksaw required to do the job. Plus I find the sound of cutting metal with a hacksaw very irritating. He didn't take too long to cut off the stand. The bottom of the stand has a peculiar shape. Half of it is a triangle while the other half is like a semi-circle. Kushu-da cut more or less parallel to the bottom so the shape was somewhat maintained. He used my angle grinder to file off the edges. 

The cycle stands perfectly at ease, even on the shiny floor of our living room. I have to get a rubber foot for it, which is again available only with Happy Earth :-(. Asked Sankhadeep in Bangalore to see if he can manage it somehow. Costs just Rs 75. Not a critical requirement but nice to have. Possibly I will need to cut off a bit more when I instal the rubber foot.

Standing its ground firmly. With Mezda at a tea shop on Camac Street

Long term view - I am glad that I decided to instal the kick stand. It's useful to have. I am yet to get the rubber foot for it though. The other day while I had a lot of load in the side pannier - like 5/6 kg as I put the office laptop in it - it seemed a little unstable. I thought the bike might topple. I have to check how it behaves when there is equal load on both sides of the bike. It is possible that the instability was due to the load being only on one side of the bike.

Yesterday as I took it off the bike for a thorough cleaning I realised that the plates had put marks on the frame. The top paint has come off, exposing a black colour underneath. It is not raw steel that is exposed. I guess it is the ED primer. I have asked Surly to tell me whether I should worry. They have not replied yet.

Tubus Logo Classic

 Last night I brought home the Tubus Logo Classic from Ritabrata. I had to spend a mini fortune on it. Rs 13,000 plus. Abroad it costs $100. But I cannot ask a friend to bring a pannier rack for me. That's asking for too much. So got it from Happy Earth through Ritabrata's Stay Tuned. By far, this is my most expensive piece of cycling accessory.  

The rack looks very simple. It indeed is very simple. I wonder why we cannot make such stuff here in India. Perhaps the demand is too low. But the beauty of this rack is that although it weighs like a feather, it can be loaded up to 40 kg. Question is am I ever going to load my bike with 40 kg luggage? It's not about that. It's about the strength of the rack. A touring bike, or indeed any bike for that matter, can take a tumble and fall down. Its chance of surviving a big tumble without any fracture is that much more than a Rs 750 Btwin rack (that I also have). 

The beauty of precision German engineering is written all over the rack. It's silk smooth to the touch and the lines are very clean. The welded joints could be cleaner but that's fine. It might look very unimpressive for its price. But the appeal of the accessory is in its strength vis-a-vis weight. 

I am yet to install it. The instruction manual and the hardware to attach it is in the small tubular thing that came attached to the rack. The manual seemed straight forward and useful. It might not be a piece of junk that most of these manuals generally are. It seemed to have follow-able instructions. I will report on its ease of installation after I actually do it. I plan on creating a video out of it. There is nothing on youtube.

June 7th, 2019

This evening I installed the rack on the bike. It wasn't such a major problem except tightening of a pair of nuts which are in a very difficult to reach position. I hope the nuts are properly tightened. Essentially eight bolts in all. Not too complicated. The trick is not to tighten them all from the beginning Keep them loose. Once the whole thing is more or less installed, tighten them up thoroughly one by one. I used a spirit level to ensure that it is perfectly level. I did it by putting it up on the home trainer. The bike now looks like a proper touring bike.

There are two nuts that are a little tricky to tighten if done after installation because there is very little leeway for the spanner to move. But you cannot preinstall them either. So after the installation I took off the two front bolts and loosened the two bottom bolts. This helped me to push the rack back a bit giving me adequate space to tighten the nut. Once done I put the bolts back on. Now I wonder whether I should have put a drop of Loctite on those nuts.

The installed rack - final view

Medium Term View

I started using the rack to hang a pannier and go to work every day. I hanged it, only one and not two on either side, from the lower tube for a few days but now I use the top tube. The rack's powder coated colour discoloured at the contact points of both the tubes. So the powder coating is fairly thin. I hope the primer underneath is stronger. I have half a mind to wrap an electrical tape there. Otherwise the rack is very solid. I lost one of the two rubber end caps that were attached to the end of the arms that attach the rack to the seat stays. Must have fallen off. I am sure I can get a replacement but it will be something local. Not the German original :-)

Ortlieb Panniers

The much awaited Ortlieb Backroller Classic panniers arrived yesterday. Bought from Starkenn online stores, they cost me Rs 10,200 for the pair. Together they have 40 litres of space. I got it in colour black. I had wanted them in yellow but they didn't have that colour in stock. The other option was red but I declined that. 

My first reaction was - these are heavy. These are big. I have still not done anything but just had a basic look at one of them. I went by their reputation for being very good, durable and waterproof. I can test these only over a period of time. 

As of now these are the most expensive ornaments I bought for my bike. This will be surpassed by something else that I am getting tonight. A Tubus Logo Classic rack from Happy Earth, through Ritabrata of Stay Tuned :-)

I will possibly need another front handlebar bag. Ortlieb has a 15-litre one at Rs 7.5k. Let me see. 

July 20, 2020

Since starting daily commute to office on my LHT, I have started using the pannier. I keep my lunch boxes and other office stuff in it. I have a small tool bag with my tube replacement kit, the Lezyne pump and a spare tube. I have kept the other bag stuffed with woollens so that it does not gather those creases. 

I am yet to test the water proofness of the panniers. There have been only minor drizzles during my office commute so far. I got seriously drenched only once for a few minutes. The bag held up pretty well. Not a drop inside. So there is no reason to doubt its water repelling power, given also that every single user swears by them. I find it a little heavy and wonder if they aren't going to be too much to carry in a mountain trip. 

The system to take it off the rack is very nice and convenient. Given that I have serious OCD I frequently used to check if the pannier was still there. Nowadays I use the strap to keep it strapped to the rack as an extra bit of peace of mind. 

An Ambition - Manali to Leh

It will be a dream ride and it is still in the dream stage. I want to ride from Manali to Leh and further on to Khardungla. Perhaps next year in August. I have more than a year to prepare the body and the mind. And also to do all the planning.

Right now I have a few unanswered questions in my mind. God knows who will be able to answer them. There is a guy in Manali called Navin who runs the Firefox dealership there. He is apparently very dependable and knowledgable.

Most of the blogs I read are by people who did supported rides (that is, they had support vehicles with tents, cooks etc; in short they got taken for a ride by any of the numerous touring agencies). We will do it unsupported. I spoke to Rana. He is game, though he thinks getting 3 weeks out of his practice might be difficult. Understandable. For self-appointed professionals going on a vacation means no work, no pay. That makes their trip all the more expensive.

Let me jot down the questions.

1. Do we need to carry sleeping bag?
2. Do we need to carry mattress?
3. Do we need to carry a tent? 

I have all the three but the question is whether these are necessary to be carried. If yes, then my pannier rack will have to be upgraded and a solid plan devised to carry everything.

Then there are more questions.

1. Do we need a butane burner? 
2. Is butane gas available in Manali? (10th May - called up this company in Delhi called Hans. They said they have no stock in Manali right now. That might or might not mean it will not be available when we go)

If not, then we will have to either go by train or pick it up in Delhi. But Manali being an important base for mountaineering, I am sure these items would be available there. 


If the above is yes, then I will also have to carry the utensils and the ration. So pannier bags will have to be purchased.

Is it easy to find a bicycle cardboard box in Leh? Because I shall be discarding my box in Manali and need a new box in Leh to pack the bike. Is it easily available? I saw couple of well stocked bike stores in Leh. Will check with them.

Used this pic to get the number :-)

10th May - I called up one of the stores in Leh. They said yes it's very much and easily available with them. That's great to know.

We will find those details out later. For now, let me concentrate on the route.

Day 1 Manali To Marhi - 37 km - 

Manali (0 km) - Palchan (10 km) - Kothi (13 km) - Marhi (37 km) 
This looks like the pretty obvious first day for virtually every one. Mostly uphill through green roads. Might rain. Lots of dhabas.

Day 2 - Marhi (0 km) - Rohtang (17 km) - Gramphu (23 km) - Koksar (37 km) - Sisu (50 km)

Rohtang to Sisu is mostly downhill

Day 3 - Sissu - Thandi - Keylong - Jispa

A Pump And a Saddle

After the Darjeeling trip (read about it here), two of the things I knew I will have to invest in were a Brooks saddle and a Lezyne Microfloor pump. The pump was in fact more necessary because my existing hand pump, I knew, was totally inadequate for the job on a 26"x1.75 tyre. 

In fact one of the first things I did after coming back home was put up my Park Tool Half Pint for sale on Cyclop (a popular facebook group for Indian cyclists). It got sold in moments because I had kept a sensible price of Rs 500 plus courier. 

Next I did some research and realised Lezyne had two models of micro-floor pumps for touring. They come with a pipe and didn't need back breaking pumping to inflate 10 psi. One was high pressure, with or without in-line gauge (HPG or HP); the other was for high volume without gauge (HV). Soon I discovered that the HPG was available in India with Starkenn and in fact at a price that is lower than what one has to pay in England. I immediately ordered for it. That was on Tuesday. 

Brooks was available with Bike Affairs, Hyderabad. But I thought I would buy it later. 

After placing the order with Starkenn started the long and arduous wait for the item to arrive. I was told there is some stock audit going on in their warehouse so it's taking time. 

On Tuesday (that is yesterday and a good one week after the order was placed on Starkenn) I got a message from Guria (my niece living in America) saying she is coming in a week or so and if I needed anything. I realised God is there and He really wants me to ride. Or at least spend on cycling equipment. 

By evening, when I still did not hear from Starkenn, I called them up and cancelled the purchase. I had not paid and opted for COD. 

Next I sent two links to Guria asking her to bring the pump and the Brooks saddle. One from Amazon and the other from REI respectively. As far as I know they are priced $85 and $119. So a total of $204. I asked her to get me the high volume pump without the gauge. 

I wasn't sure if space would be an issue for Guria in her suitcase and told her to go only for the pump, if it was. But this morning she confirmed that she is ordering for both.

May 3, 2019

I knew I would need to buy a thing called Brooks Proofide to treat the saddle. Now Proofide is either not available with any of the regular cycle retailer or available at an exorbitant price in Amazon. I realised getting it by courier will be expensive for Guria and work out to be same for me as buying in India. So more research.

Finally I realised it is available for £ 8.99 in Evans Cycles. Further research and a question to Raja showed that their Cardiff store is not very far from Raja's house and close to his daughter's school. So I told him to get it for me. Asking him to get it by courier would be torture on his pocket. Courier charge alone is £ 5 pounds.

Problem with Raja is he does not accept money for such small items. 

So, I am more or less sorted for now.

Sunday May 12, 2019

Guria arrived on Saturday 2.30 am. I went to their house today and brought the saddle and pump home. The total damage is $216 (x Rs 70). It's a little more than I anticipated because she bought the pump with digital gauge, which is the latest model and quite a bit more expensive. I have no clue why she went for this. This is not a subject she would know anything about to use her discretion. Most likely the store didn't have the required model and suggested or perhaps auto suggested this one, which is fine with me.

I promptly went on with the task of working them both out. Here are my first impressions.

Saddle 

Out of the box, my first reaction was - what a beauty ! It's smooth and flawless. Shiny in a dignified way. I read the short literature and referred to a website on how to treat the saddle the first time. They suggested that you lightly spread the supplied Proofide on both sides of the saddle. Rub it off and then ride the next day perhaps. So I did that. Applying it on the underside is not so easy because of the rails. The amount supplied in the sachet is just about right for one application.

It's looking a little matty now. I installed it on the Surly, after taking off the Griffon. Will possibly ride it tomorrow. Can't wait for the morning. The odo on my Cateye shows 922 km.

Monday May 13, 2019 - Went for a 10 km ride this morning. It wasn't so uncomfortable as people make it out to be. At least I couldn't find it any less comfortable than my Probike Griffon.Therefore I can assume that it will get better. The underside of the saddle is still wet from the Proofide I appliled last night. I guess that is how it should be.
Went for 15 more today, May 14th. Didn't expect any major change. I can feel the saddle better now. Once it starts flexing a bit it will be a great saddle. Let me see how soon that happens. I guess it takes at least 500 km. Since I am on the lighter side it might take longer for me. But I am not worried at all. I am fine with it as it is.

Pump 
Nice pump, though I didn't like its shiny colour. Each stroke increases the pressure in the tube (26"x1.5) by 1 PSI. Sometimes it takes 2. The digital gauge is very nice and useful too but it requires a battery (I don't like carrying electronics around in the rough and tumble of multiple day touring life). I pumped it up from 30 to 45 with about 20 strokes. It's not as easy as they show it on youtube, or at least I am not that strong. Quite hard for me but better than the Parktool Half Pint I had. The handle on top could be a little larger. It's too small. I have to figure out how to attach the pump to the frame. Looks like they expect me to sacrifice a bottle cage. No chance, Mr Lezyne. Or is it possible to attach both the bottle and the pump on to the same set of braze ons? Will have to find that out. It might quite be possible.
I love the screw on feature of the nozzle the most. You cannot damage the valve. Presta valves are pretty dainty. I have blown one so far.

Friday Evening, October 11, 2019

The other day there was a discussion on a cycling group on portable pumps and strongly voted for portable pumps with a hose because the tiny ones are really impractical unless you have very strong arms. The discussion prompted me to try the pump on my 700cx23 road bike. It's also a good idea to actually use mechanical things once in a while. Otherwise they get damaged.

I loved the gauge once again. I loved the smoothness of the barrel and the piston. It is definitely easier  than the earlier Park Tool thing that I had (which was really really small) but filling in the 700x23 is a lot harder, particularly after 25 psi. I used a small towel to properly grip and put pressure on the handle. Otherwise the small handle was hurting my palm. I loved once again that you can do the job while standing, as with a proper pump. I did reach 90 psi all right. But I would prefer not to use it at all ;-) With my Park Tool I could barely reach 40 after a lot of struggle.

On Presta Valves

A bicycle can have any of three valves in its tyres. Presta, Schrader or Dunlop/Woods. The Presta valve is the thinnest of the lot and used in tyres that typically have very high pressure. It is a much hated valve among average cyclists because of its dainty nature. If you are not careful you run the risk of breaking the tip of the valve. 

This is precisely what I ended up doing to my Merida rear tyre the other day while trying to take off the pump from the valve after filling it up. The tip just vanished !!! I even opened up the pump's chuck to look for it. Just couldn't find it out. 

The tip in the above picture is missing. I had broken it off while trying to pull the chuck of the pump off the valve. Regrettably I had to replace the tube with a Maxxis one that I had. I still have another brand new Schwalbe in stock. The tube that I damaged is the original tube that came OE with the bike. This tube taught me two important things in cycling repair and maintenance. A. It taught me how to replace a tube on the road. B. Later at home I repaired this tube with my own hands using a patch and rubber solution etc. Once you learn these two basic things your confidence with touring grows immensely.

The only good thing about the tip blowing is that even if you break the tip, air does not go out immediately. It oozes out of the tube the normal and usual way. In fact pushing the last bit of air out of the tube is a little difficult when you don't have a tip. You have to use a pin to insert in the hole that is created and let the air out. 

Apparently this tip can be repaired if the core of the valve is a removable one. In my cheap Taiwan made tube the core is not removable. So I have to do away with the tube altogether. I will keep it as a memento. 

Scwhalbe Marathon Plus Tour

Yesterday the two Schwalbe tyres arrived in office and I installed them right away last night itself, replacing the stock Continental tyres. My odo on the Catseye Velo reads 653 km. Let me see how long they last. 

I was very disappointed with the packaging by BOTS (though technically it was packed and couriered by Ozone Ventures of Pune but BOTS is responsible). The tyres were packed in a figure of eight with plastic strips and cello tape. No cardboard box was used. I was shocked to find the wire beading had lost its shape in one place. Tried to adjust it a bit by hand by pressing it. Didn't improve things much. I installed it on the front wheel. I spoke to Rana about this and he said that's fine. Once you instal it doesn't really matter. I hope he is correct.

The new tyre sat on the rim rather easily without much trouble. However, due to my carelessness I had pinched the tube and it burst when I pumped it up to 50 psi. 

When I took the wheel off to change the tube (I had a spare Schwalbe tube in my saddle bag) I noticed a little bit of thread had come off the edge of the tyre. The wire is not exposed but it might get exposed if it is rubbed more. Malcom thinks it is because of the tube burst but at the same time he thinks it must be an old tyre that was perhaps sitting in storage for a long time. Otherwise a tube burst shouldn't normally injure the edge of the tyre.

Anyway, I ignored it and installed it once again. The folded bead part does not show any more. I am just hoping that nothing happens to the tyre during my trip. 

The rear tyre got installed without much fuss.

This morning I had meant to go out to test ride the tyres but couldn't wake up on time. Went out in the evening for a short spin around Peep Inn - Menoka and Southern Avenue. About five kilometers. The tyres are rolling rather well. Perhaps because they are new. I also reduced the seat height just by a centimeter or so. It feels much better now. 

The treads look really nice. I hope they serve me well. 

But frankly if I was buying these tyres off a brick and mortar store I wouldn't buy them. One of the tyres even had mud marks on the side wall. I don't think they are used tyres. They are just old and took a very long time to be sold.

Accessories and component retailing in India is just about taking off. It is yet to mature. Expensive and famous brands are now available in India but they don't sell fast and hence gather dust in warehouses of distributors. My new Surly was four years old. The SKS mudguards were also obviously very old. 

Also these retailers try to spend the least on packaging the larger items that they sell. This is very unfortunate.

27th March 2019
This morning I went for a 10 km ride. My usual course. Peep Inn, Menoka, Gol Park, Guru Saday, La Marts, Exide, Hazra, Rashbehari, Home. The bike rolled like a dream. It's smooth as silk. Is it because of the new tyres? Don't know. They are supposed to be heavy and slow. At least that's what all reviewers say across the touring world. I loved them though and didn't feel either the weight or the slowness. The weather also perhaps plays a role. A very pleasant morning it was. At 1.75 the width of course is more.




I am beginning to wonder if the wheel needs just a bit of truing. I am checking out truing techniques. Not sure I want to try it out before the trip.

March 29, 2019

Looking at the burst front tube which came as OE from the company I realised it's size 1.25 to 1.5. Therefore it is not adequate for my new 1.75 tyres. Have to replace it right away. I will go for a ride tomorrow but now I am a bit scared. What happens if you put a tube that is one size narrower? I don't know. But this OE tube is definitely narrow, compared to the Schwalbe tubes bought from Giant store.

Bicycle Preparation For The Darjeeling Ride

My bike preparation is now more or less ready for the Darjeeling ride. Here is a list of things I added to the bike or got specifically for the bike or upgraded.

A. Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tyres - 26x1.75 (both front and rear)
B. Kool Stop V-Type Holder Dual Rubber brake pads - front and rear
C. B-twin bottle cages black - 3
D. B-twin rear rack
E. SKS fenders

A Few Decathlon Purchases

Today I made a few purchases from the Decathlon shop.

Two bungee cords (100 cm) - Rs 399

A bottle cage - Rs 199

A medium size microfibre towel - Rs 199

A raincover for the backpacks (20 to 35 litres) - Rs 399

Other than this there was another plastic carabiner for keys at home for Rs 99 and a compass cum thermometer cum whistle for Mampu for Rs 299.

March 28, 2019

Bought two Schwalbe tubes for the LHT from Giant store in Bentinck Street. This makes me ready for the Darjeeling trip. After the blow out of the OE tube during installation of the Marathon tyres, I had consumed my first spare and ran out of any spare tube. Made amends today. These cost me Rs 400 each. Now, I will have to keep them in the front handlebar bag.

Brake Pad Upgrade And How To

Just finished a mini upgrade of sorts for the brakes. I changed my OE Tektro brake pads with a pair of Kool Stops bought from BOTS Bangalore for Rs 2500 (two pairs). I don't know what the model is called precisely but it has V-type Holder written rather prominently on the packaging. I was advised this particular model by the BOTS team's Gautam.

The first thing that you notice about these pads is that they are quite large.  Much larger than the Tektros. This is supposed to be an advantage as it gives you more surface contact. Next, of course, is the dual colour. The black part of the brake is supposed to be more effective in dry weather while the salmon side is for wet conditions. We shall see how effective that is in real life in a few weeks from now. But the online reviews of these brake pads is very very good. Also, they are made in America, if that makes any difference. 

I am happy to inform that I did the installation or swap myself. I had watched a few videos some umpteen number of times. Incidentally there aren't too many of them on youtube. But finally realised that a basic swap is no rocket science. Anyone with a size 5 Allen key and a pinch of common sense can do it. I also chose to do it on the Friday night itself so that I could do a proper road test of my skill on Saturday and could seek Someswar's help over the weekend if things went out of control.

I first changed the front two brakes. Getting the pad to go behind the fork was a little tricky. They are seriously long and were fouling against the forks. But it can be overcome quite easily. Was reasonably satisfied with its stopping power inside the room and thought the pads were touching the rim more or less simultaneously and are equidistant from it. These are the two basic checks one needs to do after installation. Now it was time to test it out on the road. I went out despite the road being a little wet from the evening norwester. The excitement of the situation got the better of me. I had two things to test here. A. My mechanic skill. B. The stopping power of the new brakes.

I think I passed both the tests. On the road I engaged only the front brake a few times without engaging the rear brakes (so that I could understand the new brakes' stopping power). Of course, being only the front brake I didn't apply full force on them. But I think the stopping power is very adequate and much improved over the stock Tektros. It didn't squeal much. Will have to check this out more carefully tomorrow when I go for a full road test. 

Back home I mustered enough courage to now swap the pads on the rear wheel as well. It didn't take too long either. And from the room test it seemed they are working fine. Both are equidistant and are engaging on the rim simultaneously. I didn't go out for a road test to check both of them working together. That is being kept aside for tomorrow morning's ride. 

I have kept the Tektros nicely packed and marked. I intend to take them for the Darjeeling trip. It may not be entirely impossible to fry the brakes on the descent. I clubbed them together for rear and front wheels. I also put a thread between the spacers/washers exactly as they were separated on either side of the brake pad clamp (I am hoping that's the word). This is to counter my forgetfulness about such details.

Overall I am very satisfied with today's performance of mine as a mechanic. Actually it is important to know these basic roadside fixes if one aspires to be a serious tourer in future. I will now write a detailed how to. Although there are a couple of videos on the internet, they leave a lot of unanswered issues that you discover when you actually go to instal the pads. I shall address them in my how to.

How To Change A Cantilever Threaded Post Brake Pad

If you are reading this it is good to inform you that there are various types of brake systems in cycles. I am describing what I have. A rim brake (as opposed to disc brakes). And to be more specific a cantilever brake with threaded post (there is another type called smooth post).

The brake pad has three parts. A threaded post with a hex nut and several spacers, a metallic holder and a rubber shoe. The rubber shoes are generally changeable. That is, if the rubber shoe gets damaged or thinned out due to repeated friction then you can just change the rubber.

First you disengage the brake. After that I took off the existing Tektro brake pad. For this I used a long Allen key size 5 (on street side I may not have that long Allen key and must make do with the  smaller multitool). In fact that's all the tool you need. While taking off one has to be careful about all the spacers and washers attached to the post. They will come off the post as soon as you take off the nut. Depending on the brand, these spacers will vary in number. The Tektro had more number of spacers than the Kool Stop. Now these spacers will be on either side of the clamp to which the brake pad is attached. You should note how the spacers are arranged on the existing system and from there get an idea as to how to arrange them in your particular cycle.

After you decide how many spacers should be on which side, you take the correct pad for the particular side of the cycle (these are marked Left or Right and the direction is also shown with an arrow) and engage the threaded post to the clamp and tighten the bolt. That's all that is there to it. But ...........

There are quite a few buts. First you have to ensure that the rubber sits only on the rim. Particularly the top edge of the rubber should be in line with the top edge of the rim where it touches the tyre. The pad should not touch the tyre. What I did is, I did not tighten the nut all the way. I left about one rotation and adjusted the pad properly first ensuring it was parallel to the rim and then did the final tightening. I also used a rubber band at the back of the pad to ensure proper shoeing (so that the brakes don't squeal). While tightening the bolt one has to hold the pad tight with the other hand otherwise it will also move a little up or down forcing you to rearrange its precise position.

That's all there is to changing the brake pad. I am not sure if this makes sense to any newbie. I wrote it down so that I myself can refer to it next time when I need to change it.

Review After First Road Test

Today is Saturday. I had changed the pads last night. Missed the morning session but went out later during the day for a short test ride of about 3/4 kilometers. Went up the Lake Gardens flyover and came back. The brakes are working fine. Is there any improvement? Initially I thought so. But perhaps got used to it after a few stops. On very hard stops at high speeds there was some squealing. But that might be a new brake issue rather than shoeing in. I did not do any particular cleaning or rubbing of the new rubber before installation. And frankly I don't mind that very little squealing. But if it is a fault of fitment I will want to correct it. A mechanic should always strive for perfection. 

Pedal Installation

Bicycle pedals are a little quirky things. At least the type of pedals I have on my bikes. It is prudent to write down how to instal and take them off. It's an important thing to know if you want to go bicycle touring. Because before you pack a bike in a bag the first thing you do is take the pedal off. And when you reassemble the bike this is the second thing to do (after fixing the handle, that is.)

If you want to cut the crap and just learn how to install or take off the pedal check these two videos I made. It's very simple and can be done with a sliding wrench, as I do. To install a pedal click here . To uninstall or take off a pedal click here . A tip to remember. If you sit facing the bike on both sides then you have to turn the wrench in exactly the same direction. You need not read the rest of the write up here. Just one other thing. Always use grease when you install a pedal. Makes the job of taking it off later much easier. 

The Detailed Story

The two pedals come with L and R written on them. L goes to the left (non-drive side) and R goes to the right (drive side). Obviously. You will need a wrench that is the right size for it. There are specialised pedal wrenches available in the market. But the job can be done using any adjustable wrench that is not too fat. I use this type of adjustable wrench (picture to the right). Typically such wrenches are used by plumbers. I have used it to undo a lot of plumbing stuff in the toilet or hand wash basin. It's a multi-utility kind of tool. It makes sense to carry such a wrench on a tour because it can have other utilities too. If pushed it can even work as a basic pair of pliers also. However, the particular one I have is perhaps an overkill in terms of size. But it does its job very well. There are other smaller models too, which might be better suited for cycle touring. Anyway, off with the instructions of how to instal the pedal. 

The end of the pedal has a bolt like thing with thread on it that goes inside the crank (see image on left). I think its proper technical name is spindle. The initial impulse of a novice would be to hold the thread against the hole and turn the pedal by hand. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I wish it was. The pedal moves around its axis freely. That is, if the pedal turns on its own axis, the axis itself or the spindle or the bolt does not move at all. So, just turning the pedal won't make it go inside the crank arm.

It has a head with two flat surfaces on opposite sides that you hold with the wrench. In the picture you can see L is written on one of the flat surfaces (the other flat side is hidden below). You hold this flat surface with the wrench and then hold the bolt against the hole in the crank arm where it will go. 

Next you rotate the pedal backward, holding the wrench steady. Don't let the wrench turn with the pedal. The pedal slowly goes in and sits inside the crank arm.

Taking it off is exactly the opposite. That's quite a no brainer, isn't it? You hold the same head kind of thing with the wrench and pedal forward (keep the rear wheel lifted or set the cycle on a trainer/repair stand to do this). You can start off by unlocking the initial stubborn part. For this try turning the head clockwise (without moving the pedal forward). This is a little counter intuitive but that's how it is. 

The first time you install a new pedal make sure you grease up the bolt end. 

Remember this one line - After you hold the spanner  and looking at the pedal - left pedals come off if you turn them clockwise and right pedal comes off if you turn them anti-clockwise.

One universal rule - if you are looking at the pedal, all pedals left or right, tighten to the front. And they all loosen to the back. I am not using the term clockwise or counter clockwise because that's confusing. Confusing because we look at a pedal from two different sides.

All this might sound a bit confusing but there is no rocket science involved. Just sit down with a spanner and the pedals. Any person of average intelligence can work it out. If I can do it, you can do it too.

There are some pedals - usually the more expensive ones like the steel MKS pedals above left - that can be installed using a 6 mm Allen key as well. You will need a long Allen key for that. Of course the one in your multi-tool can also do the job during a tour. But the longer ones make the job easier. To do this you need to reach the pedal from the opposite side.

The pedals on the right are more humble and need a wrench to be installed or taken off.

I use the Allen key for the final tightening of my MKS. Because operating it from the other side through the bottle cages and all is a little messy.

In Simpler Terms (because I myself forget these things after a day)

Take off the left pedal - Sit in front of the pedal. Hold the wrench on the spindle. Turn clockwise, that is towards the rear wheel. It comes off.

Take off the right pedal - Sit in front of the pedal. Hold the wrench on the spindle. Turn anti-clockwise, that is towards the rear wheel. It comes off.

How To Instal SKS Bluemels Fenders On LHT

They call them fenders these days. I prefer to call them mudguards. Here is my account of what I did to instal them (Bluemels SKS) to my Surly LHT. The learning curve, as usual, was very steep. But if I can do it, so can you. Read on if you have the time. I am writing it for my own self. I might soon forget everything that I learnt from this exercise.

Front Mudguard installation 

Tools Required – Spanner # 8 and hex wrench # 4, a pair of pliers and some grease. Later you will realise that you also need a bolt cutter or hacksaw. This is not mentioned anywhere.

This is what I did based on viewing 3 youtube videos on the subject and the literature that came with the product. If I do it again, I will do it in a different way, the reasons for which are explained later. But no harm jotting down truthfully exactly what I did. 

First insert the four plastic end caps in their respective places, namely on either side of the two clamps that come fitted to the MG. It is a little tricky. The plastic end cap has a very thin slit side. The metal clamp should slide through that so that it stays snug. The pointed part should go through the hole. For this to happen smoothly, the hole of the clamp has to be in perfect alignment with the clamp's side. Use the pliers to do this alignment. Please remember, once inserted properly, it is very difficult to slide it back down. I am not sure if this will make much sense to someone unless you try it out yourself.  

Step 2 - Insert the stays with the plastic ends (the non-plastic ones are for the rear wheel) into the end caps. Use the four bolts to secure the stays with the end cap.

Step 3 – Secure the stays against the fork on either side with two of the smaller bolts (use hex wrench #4). Since the inside threaded part of the fork’s end has painted surface, the first time is really hard. I had to turn the bolt in and out several times to strip the paint inside. Once it is smooth add some grease and secure the stays.

If I install another pair of MG I will do these three steps last. The reason is discussed at the end of this description.

Step 4 – Insert the biggest bolt through the clamp and the hole in the middle of the fork and secure the nut on the other end. Use a washer here. Hold a spanner on the nut and a hex wrench on the other end. Tighten whichever is more convenient.

Step 5 – Now secure all the bolts tight but not too tight.

The installation instruction PDF from SKS

Now you will find that the MG is fitted all right but looks awful because it is not in alignment. What none of the effing youtube videos or the official literature from the company tell you is that you need to now cut the stays to size so that the MGs don't look deshaped and misaligned. Here is what they look like with the original stays (without trimming) attached.

Here is what they look like (picture above). Front and rear. Look at the end of the MG where it is attached to the stay. The stay needs to be trimmed by about an inch. I will get a bolt cutter tomorrow and then post another pic. First I have to get a bolt cutter. Bhanubhai (my hardware supplier from Bentinck Street) zindabad. I am off to Chandni tomorrow. Will carry the stay for Bhanubhai to understand what I need to cut. 

I hate it when I have to stop a work for the want of a proper tool. In this case it was a bolt cutter. So the next day during lunch break I went to Bhanubhai and bought for myself a heavy duty Taparia bolt cutter for Rs 800. It's a 14-inch cutter. Anything smaller would've failed actually. The stays are really strong German material.

On second thoughts, I should have probably spent a little more and got for myself an angled grinder. Because with a bolt cutter, you cannot do anything else except cutting bolts or nails, which is not a very frequent requirement unless you are a professional mechanic, particularly the heavy duty 14-inch stuff that I bought. An angle grinder can be used in various situations around the house, including for bathroom cleaning. But then I have made many other such superfluous purchases in life. This is perhaps one more and one of the less expensive spending mistakes in life :-)

Anyway, back home I took the stays off while the MG remained attached to the frame. Held the mudguard in a proper shape parallel to the wheel with a piece of thread tied to the rim and then measured the stay from the center point to the end cap. I marked the cutting point, slightly shorter than where the end cap ends. I put different marks on the two arms of the stay (upper and lower), so that I am not confused later. With one stay thus measured I held the other stay matched to the marked one and put the same marks. The idea is, both the stays on either side should be exactly the same size.

Now came the cutting part. Just one tip, if you are as novice as I am. Hold a towel kind of thing loosely over the end that is going to shoot out in any direction, including your eyes, when it is cut (potential energy converted into kinetic energy, I guess). Collect the ends safely and dispose them off safely later. They are tougher than any nail I have ever seen.

The ends of the stay, now that you have cut them, will be slightly rough. If you are very fastidious about these things you can file them. I did not. I installed the stays once again. Now the fender looks a lot more respectable.

I did one more small improvisation. The front part of the MG was a little raised and not entirely parallel to the wheel, like the hood of a raised pique hat. I did not like the shape. So what I did is put a few washers on the bolt joining the MG to the frame. This somewhat pressed it down. Possibly a longer spacer and therefore a longer bolt would do the job better but then I'll have to get a longer bolt first, to get which I will have to take this bolt off and go to Chandni. Lot of work that can wait.

One other point to mention about the front wheel MG installation. You don't need to take off the wheel to do it.

Rear Mudguard Installation 

It's much the same as the front MG installation. Will mention the differences. The first thing you do is take the wheel off. Then slide the bridge up the MG. The rear MG is attached to the frame in two places, as opposed to only one for the front. Bolt them up there. Measure the stays and ensure that the fit is right. That's it. Here also a spacer would make the mudguard look nice but that would mean getting a longer bolt. I can live with the MG looking slightly pushed out at one end.

Bite The Bullet

I have decided to bite the bullet. I am going to go out on a multi-day cycling trip. It might sound a bit too ambitious to choose this particular route as my first such tour but the temptation was too much to resist. Rana and I have decided to try to cycle to Mirik from Siliguri during the Poila Boisakh Good Friday week in April. The plan is we will go to Mirik on day one. Rest there the next day and then see where we can go. We might go to Sukhiapokhari or Maney or Dhotre or Lepchajagat or Ghoom. We shall see.

I have already ordered for a soft bicycle carrying bag from Trek n Earth on Amazon. We will take the Volvo bus to Siliguri. There we will spend a day there setting up the bike, taking rest and leaving the cycle bag and other such stuff at the Exide warehouse. I shall see if we can stay somewhere in Dudhia or Sukna area. So that the next morning's ride will be shorter. The real climb starts from Dudhia after one crosses the Balsan bridge. And it's an uphill climb for about 25 km.

If you google Mirik or Darjeeling cycling, you discover lots of commercial posts from tour operators offering cycling packages in that area. But there are just two old personal blog posts about cycling on this route. People who have themselves cycled from Siliguri to Mirik. One is by a foreigner who went from Siliguri to Mirik and the other is from a Calcuttan who seemed to exaggerate the experience a bit (it's just a hunch and I am seldom wrong on these hunches). Also they went with a support vehicle (the bikes have no pannier or bag or anything. Just one small water bottle). So their account need not be taken too seriously. Apparently they reached straight from NJP station to Mirik in a day.

Adrian's blog is more real. However, he does not describe the route in too much detail except to say that it is a series of switchbacks. I do not really depend too much on the foreigners' accounts because their physical and mental abilities and experiences are completely different from ours. But he took 11 hours to finish what he says is a 50 km ride. He says he had a huge load on the cycle.

Here is the blog by Adrian . He cycled this route in 2009 I think.
And here is the blog by Manasij . I think he also did this around 2010.

If I do this trip I promise to write an accurate travelogue so that others can do it as well.

As far as I could gather, it will be an uphill task. No doubt. We shall see how far we can reach. If I get overawed before the start then I shall never be able to even start. So best to prepare myself as much as possible and hope for the best. In a worst case scenario I can always walk the rest of the way from where I cannot cycle any more.

Rana has already booked a homestay in Mirik for two nights. The plan is to start from here on 12th night. Reach Siliguri by 13th morning. Start for Mirik on 14th from Siliguri. If we find something near Sukna or Dudhia we could stay there for the 13th night instead of staying in Siliguri.That way we get a head start on the next day. We spend the day in Mirik on 15th as well. On 16th we start towards Sukhiapokhari. From there we turn towards Manebhanjang. If we feel up to it, we might even go up to  Dhotre. If possible or feasible we might go to Rimbik or Srikhola the next day.

From Sukhia we might also opt to go towards Lepchajagat and then off to Ghoom.

We shall see. It's an open ended thing. The only things fixed are these - our start and return dates and that we are first going to Mirik.

My main worry right now is how to carry my stuff. I have no pannier rack. No pannier bag. I have nothing except a small front handlebar bag to carry my food and Gatorade etc and a small saddle bag to carry my tools. These are permanent fixtures on the bike. I am all for going for a front pannier rack from Surly and a pair of Ortlieb panniers. Both are available in India but that will set me back by 20k right away. It will also create more bulk. And as Rana says riding with a front pannier rack requires experience.

Rana says go for a 10 litre saddle bag from Trek n Ride like he has. Costs just Rs 1200. I want to check out his bag. I read a review that grinding with the bag is next to impossible. Apparently it also makes hill climbs a little unstable.

Now let me see what all I want to take for the trip.

I will be wearing at any given point of time while cycling

1. Half-sleeve jersey - 1
2. Cycling bib - 1
3. Socks
4. Cycling gloves (PI half) 
5. Cycling helmet (?) 
6. Quechua boots

I will be carrying the following clothing and related items

Includes a rainwear lower.
Won't take it

1. Half sleeve jersey - 1
2. Cycling bibs/shorts - 1
3. Dry fit material half sleeve - 1
4. Dry fit material full sleeve - 1
5.  Kappa track pant (really soft material with lining inside)  Marmot Transcend pants (poor man's rainwear) - 1
6. Briefs - 4  2 (needed only when I am not riding)
7. Socks - 3
8. Marmot Precip Rainwear - 1
9. Sierra Designs Jacket - 1
10. Woolen cap - 1
11. Quechua pique hat - 1
12. Towel - 1 (may buy a microlight from Decathlon)

Items for the front handlebar bag (to be packed inside a dry sack)

1. Rag - 1
2. Medicines (regular plus emergency)
3. Basic first aid kit (Boroline, gauge, cotton wool, Volini/Relispray, Band Aids) 
4. Toilet paper, soap, toothbrush, paste, 501 bar soap, Nivea, Suncream lotion, comb (these can go in the handlebar bag)
5. Head torch
6. Four spare batteries
7. Phone-charger-powerbank
8. Topeak gauge

Tools & Spares in saddle bag

1. Multi-tool
2. Tyre lever 
3. Chain link
4. Adjustable pliers
5. Tube repair kit
6. Chain cleaner and lube (?)
7. 
   

Attached To Bike

1. Bottle cages - 3
2. Pump
3. Front light
4. Back light
5. Spokes

March 16, 2019

As of now the plan is to go via Kurseong up Hill Cart Road and not via Mirik. I think the Mirik climb is much steeper than the Kurseong one.

Here is a complete list of the railway stations from the Indian Railway website that we will be passing on the route. If they are right on the road - I think they are - I am going to take a selfie in front of each one of them. I believe Gayabari and Sonada stations have been gutted in political agitation. One wonders if they have been restored.

Final Countdown 

April 8, 2019

Yesterday Sunday Someswar came to my house and packed the bike. The die is cast. I am a little scared now. I have a little OCD about preparation and packing. I always worry I have forgotten this and forgotten that. Now that the bike is packed and sealed in the box (Someswar felt since we will be going by bus and the luggage will be in the hold it is safer to use a cardboard box rather than the bag).

The bike is extremely well packed with foam tubes and zip ties etc. I forgot to take a pic of the finished packing. Will take one before taking the packaging off in Siliguri.

I am a bit nervous about putting it all back together myself in the Siliguri hotel room and more worryingly packing it equally well when I come back. He took the brake cable out and packed the handle in a different way from the way it came from Happy Earth. In fact, I think he did a better job than Happy Earth. He showed me how to put the brake cable back on through the barrel adjuster. I find the barrel adjuster very confusing. Must learn it once and for all.

Today I got all the items that will go together and put them in a box. These are the hardware kind of items. I think I am more or less covered. There are a few luxury items that I am taking till Siliguri. They will be left behind and not form part of my equipment list for the ride. Here is an image and now I will jot down the items one by one from the top.

1. Bungee cords - 2
2. Zip ties - 1 large, 1 small (to be left behind in Siliguri - TBLBS)
3. Bottle cages - 3
4. Schwalbe inner tube 2
5. Cello tapes - Green and brown (TBLBS)
6. Tin cutter (TBLBS)
7. Pliers (undecided whether TBLBS)
8. Pump
9. Allen key #4
10. Box wrench #8 and #9 (to hold the nuts of mudguards/carrier etc)
11. Sliding wrench (For Rana's pedals)
12. Tube repair kit in a box (with a spare chain link, two dust caps and a Presta to Schrader converter)
13. Multi-tool
14. Knife
15. Scissors (TBLBS)
16. Combination lock (not in the picture)
17. Chain Lubricant
18. A rag
19. Some spare allen screws M5

Sunday April 28, 2019

I am happy to inform that last Sunday I came back after a successful completion of the trip. It was fantastic. Nothing went wrong. Not even the weather. Read about the trip here