crank with procycle issue 11 - december 2013

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ISSUE 11 DECEMBER 15 TH 2013 THE NANDI GRIND WHEELS OF CHANGE BROWN COUNTY BROKEN DOWN INSIDE

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In this issue we cover the wave of protests against the cycling ban in Kolkata. At the other end of the spectrum, here in Bangalore we had more than a thousand people show up for the first ever ‘Cycle Day. We had the biggest community road race of the year - 100 kilometers of pure pain on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway, culminating in a gruelling climb to the top of Nandi Hill. Then we hit the dirt in Brown County again as Gautam Desai and his mates headed out for more action. All this and more in this issue of CRANK with ProCycle. Turn the page and read. Then get out and ride!

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

ISSUE 11 DECEMBER 15TH 2013

THE NANDI GRINDWHEELS OF CHANGEBROWN COUNTY BROKEN DOWN

INSIDE

Page 2: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

03 Brown County Broken Down

06 The Nandi Grind

10 Hairpins from Hell

12 ProCycle Profiled

14 Gear Reveiw

16 Bikers’ Lair: The Nook

18 Street Style: Ajay Padval

20 Cycle Day

22 Cycle Satyagraha

26 Boys’ Toys

IN THIS ISSUE

3

6

18

14

20

10

1216

22

26

Page 3: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

Hey Folks,

Its been a tumultuous month in more ways than one. The wave of protests against the cycling ban in Kolkata have attracted national attention with the centre promising to step in. At the other end of the spectrum, here in Bangalore we had more than a thousand people show up for the first ever ‘Cycle Day’ with plenty of promises made to up the cycling ante in the city.

On the racing front, we had the biggest community road race of the year - 100 kilometers of pure pain on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway, culminating in a gruelling climb to the top of Nandi Hill. The Pune bicycling championship saw more roadie pain with plenty of hairpins at Lavasa standing between participants and glory.

We hit the dirt in Brown County again as Gautam Desai and his mates headed out for more action. And, in keeping with the same love for all things offroad, we review our favourite freeride bar - the Raceface Atlas.

Turn the page and read. Then get out and ride!

Editor

The CRANK with ProCycle Team

Publisher and Managing Editor Vikram Limsay

Editor Rahul K Thomas

Technical Editor Nilesh Dhumal

West Zone Bureau Divya Tate

South Zone Bureau Anita Bora

Contributions by Neha Dar, Amol Sharma, Sushruta Nadig

Madhavi Rangaswamy, Gautam Shroff Manali Bhide, Mitra Bijwe, Nachiket Joshi

Arun D’Silva, Ashim D’Silva, Gautam Desai and Vaibhav Mathkari

Registered to Procycle and Sports India Private Limited

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For queries regarding advertising and subscription mail us at [email protected]

Cover Photograph caption and credit The peloton on their way to Nandi.

Image by Rahul Thomas

Rear Cover Photograph caption and credit The ProCycle car making its way through traffic.

Image by Rahul Thomas

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Disclaimer all rights reserved. reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. We do our best to research and fact-check all articles but errors may creep in inadvertently. All opinions expressed by columnists and freelance writers are their own and not necessarily those of The Crank with ProCycle.

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Page 4: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

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Page 5: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Great trails are not an accident. So where do they come from? To find out, we were driving down from Michigan to Indiana, to hit the Brown County Breakdown in the Hoosier National Forest there. Our vehicle was Ben’s 1981 Bluebird Wanderlodge, a school bus converted into a decked out RV. The horn was the University of Michigan’s Fight Song. Our bikes were everywhere - on the roof, tied to the back, shoved into the mini-bedroom. The bus’s top end was 15 miles below the interstate speed limit. Didn’t matter. There was no better way to travel!

When we got there, the park was teeming with bikes and riders. People from all over the Midwest and some from as far as California. Everyone bumping into one another, striking conversations like they’d always known each other. We took it all in, and then it was time to ride! Suited up, wheeled the bikes out and scanned the trail map.

Day 1

Day one presented the opportunity to do more than 30 miles of prime singletrack. Rode out onto some flowing beginner level trails, and worked our way onto the intermediate level Green Valley trail. This was an all-out pump track! Hold on to your handlebars, ride on the edge of your reflexes, trust your bike to do its job, and don’t forget to look where you want to go. 5 miles of this dumped us right at the base of the Hesitation Point climb. 1000 feet of elevation gain over 2 miles, all the while switching back over tree roots and rock gardens, tall pine trees shooting up into the sky and the ground sloping away inches from your wheels into the valley. Grind your

way up, take the customary victory shot and ride the rollercoaster back down. After the arduous ride, Day 1 ended with live bluegrass music around the campsite. We broke out the tents and cooked paella, which perfectly complimented the craft beer flowing around. The night dwindled down with most of us passing out in our camp chairs.

Day Two

After a breakfast of eggs and chorizo sausage, we hit the Walnut trail. Things were getting serious. This trail was designated ‘Black Diamond: Very Difficult’. It became harder to crest the climbs, cranks scraped the ground more, even our 29” wheels rolled a little bit harder over the rock gardens. The downhill sections included some dropouts and sharp switchbacks, and a narrow log that tested balance and control as you rode over. Walnut changed to the easier Limekiln, which took us to the top of Brown County Park.

BROWN COUNTY BROKEN DOWNText and images by Gautam Desai

Gautam (second from left) and his buddies at Brown County

Ready to hit the trail

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The IMBA doesn’t rate trails by physical exertion level, rather by the technical difficulty. But getting to the top of the trail system, we felt the toll our bodies had taken. Scott’s derailleur hanger was bent, Ben’s wouldn’t shift right, and a most of us had wiped out once. We found the Park store and treated ourselves to a chocolate milk. Best recovery drink ever!

The plan was to attempt the Schooner Trace trail – Double Black Diamond: Extremely Difficult. Our numbers were dwindling. Two of us had to return, another decided to follow the IMBA epic route instead, and only five of us rode back on Limekiln to the Schooner trailhead. A rock garden greeted us. Correction, more like a boulder garden. Wiped us all out, but one. Clip back in, pedal twice and stumble over the next rock. Repeat. The trail is inches wider than your tire, and the loose dirt is sloping in the wrong direction. You fight to keep the grip, fight to clear the rocks and fight to not target fixate on the drops. The difficulty level is deadly, makes the trail a bike-n-hike for most of us. Another rider quits and heads back. There are 4 miles of this ahead. Schooner feels like it is drawing us right into the heart of the park, its quieter in here, almost

ominous. There are location markers at the deadliest bits, and worse, spots of blood spattered over the rocks. The rock gardens go from challenging to physics defying and your heart gets violently displaced towards your throat with every dropout. Just as I get ready to lean into a corner, Ben and Dave shout warnings from across the switchback to stop. I nervously tread around the corner and the trail disappears, leaving a rocky edifice to scramble over with a 30 foot vertical drop. Most of this trail seems impossible because of the serious exposure involved. I chance upon another switchback that seems simple at first, sheer momentum should see me through. But my wheel locks into a gap in the rocks and I find myself tumbling down the embankment, my bike toppling over me. Luckily, I escape unhurt.

Surviving Schooner, we make our way back down to the campsite. Now everything else seems tame by comparison. We fly over the rest of the intermediate trails. Back on level ground, we are greeted by crowds of bikers doing bike demos from Cannondale, Niner, Trek, Giant and local fat bike and gear manufacturers. Every brand

has a tech guy nice enough to have a look at our battered bikes and tune them up for free. Scott even gets his hanger repaired! After another evening of craft beer, live music and local eats, everyone calls it a night.

Day 3

They say it’s going to rain. After 50+ miles of technical riding, the weather is enough to keep you stuck to your camping chair. We take a vote, and four of us decide to ride. Get your bike ready as the rain beats a steady tattoo on your helmet. Brakes are working, gears are shifting, chain’s lubed. Riding back out to the trail system, we have an option to explore a 100 mile loop in the surrounding forests, something that is usually closed to park users. The rain and our tired bodies forces our choice to stick to the Aynes Loop. The loop flows around the hills, climbing between ravines and then switching back. The climbs are taxing but lend you much needed momentum for the next bit. Before you know it, everything is covered in mud. You’re soaked, so you might as well settle in. Riding in the rain is exciting, same terrain, different rules. We team up and call out upcoming sections. Every root displaces your tire in an unpredictable direction. The woodwork is slippery, and now it takes an extra ounce of effort to clear the bridges without falling in. Although it seems like slow going, as we get the hang of it, and the ride turns out to be extremely rewarding in its own way. We return to camp a happy bunch, showing off our mud spattered bikes and selves for the photographers, unable to contain our smiles.

It’s time to break camp and head home. The RV rumbles out of its spot and the Fight Song is tooted over the horn! The event of course, is a big success. It gets in more than $100,000 in funds, and $27000 will go towards building and maintaining 22 miles of new trails just in Brown County. I personally sign up to the IMBA, and look forward to picking up a shovel pretty soon.

Great trails are not an accident. They are the result of countless volunteering hours digging in the mud, shoveling and packing dirt and planning lines through the geography. And at the end of it all, what emerges out of the earth can bring people together; a trail that’s a must-ride for every mountain biker, near and far.

The schoolbus which is now an RV (recreational vehicle or trailer home) Exhaustion after a long day riding in the rain

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All you can do is smile and bear the pain Planning the day’s ride

A gorgeous Salsa layin’ around

Great trails take a lot of time and a lot of effort to build and maintain and its possible only through the effort of countless volunteers

Some proper technical riding

Page 8: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

RACE ROUNDUP

THE NANDI GRINDby Rahul K ThomasThe final road race of the 2013 Bangalore Bicycle Championship was a gruelling 100km race culminating at the to of Nandi Hill. Some of the top riders in the country turned out for one last race of the season.

Support vehicles in tow

Crowds at registration

Riders took turns to lead the peloton

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This is how some of the riders probably started seeing things when into the last 30kms

Off into the wide blue yonder

Jetharam Gat - the workhorse of Team Trek Firefox

Vicki Nicholson (Queen of the Mountain and women’s cat winner) swaps bottles.

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The peloton hurtles over a speedbreaker

Naveen Raj, defending King of the Mountain, lost his crown The battle for 2nd and 3rd in Cat 2. Daniel beats Vishwanath by a hair’s breadth!

Sachin Kumar of Team Trek Firefox - the best climber in India and new King of the Mountain

Sangamesh of SKCT rode an incredible race to finish second Giorgios wins the Veteran’s category

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10 CRANK with ProCycle DECEMBER 15TH, 2013

HAIRPINS FROM HELLBy Divya Tate

Divya Tate - PBCh race route

The 5th edition of the Lifecycle Pune Bicycle Championship or the PBCh Race was conducted on 20th October 2013. Held twice a year, the PBCh race is well known for being a challenging hill climbing race. Only 12 kms in distance, it pits riders against the winding hairpin bends that rise up to Sinhagad fort and Lavasa. The first 3 editions were only for MTB and Hybrid bikes. It has now grown to include a road bike category, at least when road conditions permit. The race has always included categories for the 40+ age group for men and women, and has seen participation from people even in their 60’s. Each edition sees 200 participants race in 8 categories.

At first the race drew amateur and leisure cyclists in Pune and around, but it now attracts the state and national level athletes in addition to semi-pro riders from around the country. It has been interesting see that the amateur riders give the pros a run for their money.

In this edition, Jan Ekern of Norway, a 45-year-old with no pro-cycling experience, on a borrowed bicycle, finished in 2nd place, beating a slew of India’s top national road bikers, who were medallists themselves. In first place was Dilip Mane of Sangli, who until recently raced on a single speed. Among the women, Shradha Rathod who has taken up cycling only 3 or 4 months back and has no athletic background, trained hard and came second to Rutuja Satpute, a National and Asian Games medallist. Local youngster Aunsh Bandivadekar who came first in the youth category (also not a pro-cyclist) clocked the same time as Husen Kurgu a national level racer who came first in the Open Mens category.

It seems certain that the bar of our national cycling scene needs to be raised, before we can expect to match performances internationally. Every race, every opportunity for racers to compete with each other contributes toward that.

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The roadies in action. Image courtesy Nachiket Joshi

Milind Soman flags off the race. Image courtesy Mitra Bijwe Women get ready to crank off. Image courtesy Manali Bhide

Riders begin their grind uphill. Image courtesy Manali Bhide

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PROCYCLE PROFILED

ARUN D’SILVA

Arun D’Silva has been riding bicycles since the late eighties. Back then it was a BSA Mach and he was tearing up the streets of Delhi. The ‘serious’ bug bit him only a few years ago when he decided to ride the second Tour of the Nilgiris to raise funds for a charity called Aarohi. Since then he has ridden it every year, intends to do so this year too. His cycling has brought more than ten lakh rupees to Aarohi and he isn’t anywhere near done yet.

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ASHIM D’SILVA

Ashim says he isn’t quite as competitively inclined as his dad, but he has always enjoyed cycling. From the time used to ride his bike to school and college, the bicycle was always his chosen mode of transport. Today, he gets everywhere around town on his bike, even hopping from one meeting to another. He says that given the traffic and congestion, it is the only logical choice.

We couldn’t agree more.

Page 16: CRANK with ProCycle Issue 11 - December 2013

GEAR REVIEW

Strong, light, bling and WIDE, the Raceface Atlas handlebars burst on the scene and set the gold standard for freeride bars.

Why go wide? The wide bars are a trickle-down (and across) effect from the motocross scene. Wide bars allow for an aggressive posture (wide and low with weight on the shoulders) and huge leveragewhich results in quicker, more responsive handling.

The Raceface Atlas really took bicycle handlebars to a different level with a monstrous width of 785mm and a bewildering array of avatars, from a flat bar (for those who like to get down low) with a 9 degree rearward backsweep to a huge 1.25 inch riser which has an 8 degree backsweep and 4 degree upsweep.

Cold-drawn, air-cooled 7-series aluminium alloy make for a very strong bar indeed. Despite this size, Raceface managed to keep the weight down to a very respectable 330 odd grams (give or take some depending on the version). This was (and is) done through some very clever engineering where the bar is selectively reinforced in places which experience the most stress. We have found them to be completely bombproof and they have, so far, survived many a crash with no sign of failing whatsoever. Amazingly, there is no discernible flex either.

They have since added an even bigger bar which is 800mm wide and 35mm in diameter which is (unbelievably) lighter than its predecessor at about 300 grams.

The Atlas bars come in just about every single colour you can imagine to suit your bike, and several you can’t (imagine) as well. They are anodized so they take quite a beating without showing it. There are some clever little markings on it at the ends to help you cut it down to your size (if you prefer something a little shorter). Completing the package are little topographical lines wrapping themselves around the bar to give it some design coolness.

The Atlas retails for Rs. 5200 here - an astonishingly great price for a true, top-of-the- line product. Go get yourself one and bling out your ride!

RACEFACE ATLAS WIDE BARS

14 CRANK with ProCycle DECEMBER 15TH, 2013

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BIKERS’ LAIR

by Divya Tate

Cafe Nook was started a year and a half ago by Vaibhav Mathkari, a software engineer with a wide circle of friends who needed a place to hang out and chill over coffee, food and books! Cycling was not at that time a part of the plan, but would soon become a major activity at Cafe Nook.

Cafe Nook started by providing support to Pune Randonneurs on brevets, as a control, and start and finish points. The staff stays up late to welcome hungry, tired, sweaty (and quite often really dirty) cyclists with equanimity and encouragement and a quick refreshing drink or snack. Participants can even pre- order their food, thereby getting a healthy meal, and saving time during the brevet.

This activity aroused the interest of regular customers and Cymour started to keep Bicycles on rent at Cafe Nook. Vaibhav himself was inspired to begin cycling starting by taking customers on short 15-20 kms rides. A lot of them, including other Cafe Nook Team members, have graduated to riding 60-70 kms quite comfortably. Now, weekend rides conducted from Cafe Nook see 40 to 60 cyclists assembling on Sundays for an outing into the countryside. Vaibhav’s wife Tejal, a nutritionist has worked on creating special menus for cyclists, and a packed picnic accompanies the cyclists.

Image courtesy Vaibhav Mathkari

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STREET STYLE

AJAY PADVAL

A dirt jumper by identity, Ajay Padval also loves to practice his stunts around his native Pune. Here we see him doing it in style as he table-tops his way off the top of some stairs. Did he make it or did he break it? We’ll let you guess. Image courtesy Tanuj Ulangwar

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On the morning of Sunday, October 27th, all roads (and pedals) led to Cubbon Park in central Bangalore.

There has always been talk of Bangalore being India’s cycling capital and the occasional 100-cyclist ride has been some token of evidence of this. But, nothing prepared anyone for the scale of Cycle Day.

Word spread like wildfire through social networking sites in the days leading up to it. Still, nobody in their wildest dreams would’ve imagined the streets clogged with cyclists of all ages and hues.

Truly the whole of Bangalore came together here. The BMTC chipped in by offering free transportation for all cycles between 6 and 11 a.m. A lot of riders used this service to bring their cycles to Cubbon Park. The Mayor of Bangalore, B S Satyanarayana, kicked off the event by launching a new cycle stand. He then led a ceremonial ride of a kilometer, after which riders went off on a 5km long ‘heritage ride’ around Cubbon Park. The Bangalore Traffic Police played a stellar role in ensuring the safety of all riders.

The Karnataka Milk Federation provided a free milk drink for all participants. Cycling communities all came together to participate in this.

If the objective was to raise awareness about cycling and the need for cycling infrastructure and overall participation from all stakeholders in society, that indeed has been achieved.

Mayor Satyanarayana promised to try and get all corporators to cycle to next month’s Cycle Day. Dr Manjula, Commissioner of the DULT, promised to work on more amenities for cyclists in the city. The ACP Traffic, Mr Dayanand, said the police would work on providing more support to cyclists.

But, the real testament to the success of this event, was the 1,200 riders who showed up, ensuring that the voice of urban cyclists would be heard.

This is now going to be a regular event on the last Sunday of every month. See you all at Cubbon Park in November.

CYCLE DAY

WHEELS OF CHANGERiders in front of the historic library building in Cubbon Park. Image courtesy Madhavi Rangaswamy

Participants take off on a ceremonial ride. Image courtesy Sushruta Nadig

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Riders pack the road. Image courtesy Sushruta Nadig

The Mayor inaugurates a new cycle stand. Image courtesy Sushruta Nadig

Image courtesy Sushruta Nadig

Comment for both pics (across the two) - ‘Riders of all ages. Image courtesy Sushruta Nadig’

Getting them started early! Image courtesy Amol Sharma

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While in Bangalore, things seem to be getting brighter with the introduction of Cycle Day, we turn our sights to another city, where the outlook for cycling has taken on a grimmer perspective.

Most people have heard about the recent ban on cycles in Kolkata and the protests it has sparked, but few know it goes farther back. It was originally introduced in 2008 on 38 ‘major thoroughfares’. So, even though most Bengalis have been brought up on a diet of art, literature and protest, they chose to ‘adjust’ and not make a big brouhaha about it, choosing perhaps to work (or cycle) around it. But, in June of this year, that ban was extended by the Kolkata Police to 174 thoroughfares across the city. But, it isn’t just cycles that have been banned but all forms of ‘non-motorised transport’ which includes handcarts, cycle rickshaws, cycles, pull carts, bakery vans and pretty much anything with wheels and no motor on it. So, this ban affects more than the average underpaid joe who is forced to cycle to work since he or she can’t afford bus fare. It affects many others who barely eke out a hand-to-mouth existence as it is. Poor milkmen suddenly found themselves being fined arbitrarily at a rate of anywhere between 100 and 300 rupees. Newspaper delivery boys were stopped everywhere. And yet, they have no choice but to run the police gauntlet as their very livelihood depends on it.

The reasons trotted out for this?

“To ensure that traffic flow is not disturbed by the mix of fast-moving

vehicles and cycles, as Calcutta has no provision for dedicated cycling lanes” - K Hari Rajan, Additional Commissioner (Traffic), Kolkata Police

Lets examine that.

True there are no dedicated cycling lanes and if anyone has been to Kolkata its not hard to understand why. Inner city streets date back to the days of the Raj and have no scope for expansion. But, is it non-motorised vehicles that are slowing things down? And should the law favour motorised transport?

The Ministry of Urban Development has data which shows that in Kolkata, trips by cycle outnumber trips by car 11 to 8 per cent. There are 25 lakh trips made by cycle ever single day (you read that right)! According to 2011 census data, there are more bicycles in Kolkata (252,887) than either motorised two-wheelers (117,173) or four-wheelers (85,605). Average speed of traffic in Kolkata is a mere 14 to 18 kms per hour.

Now, considering the number of cycles versus motorised vehicles on the road, firstly we are compelled to wonder who is disturbing whom. Secondly, the contention that removal of said bicycles and pushcarts will speed up traffic is debatable at best. If anyone really wanted to speed up traffic they might consider disincentivising cars and personal motorised transport from some of those uber-narrow roads. For inspiration, Kolkata needs to look no farther than their

CYCLE SATYAGRAHAImages courtesy Gautam Shroff

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favourite pin-up city which they seek to emulate so badly - London. But, wethinks that may not go down too well with the powers that are.

A second contention has been that it has been in aid of ‘preventing accidents to cyclists, thereby safeguarding their health’ (paraphrasing). Well, according to a Ministry of Transport report, only 5% of all accidents involve bicycles whereas 64% involve pedestrians. By that token, should we ban pedestrians on those roads ‘for their own good’? Cyclists are actually responsible for (they are at fault for) only 1.5% of road accidents while 71% happen thanks to motor vehicle drivers. Perhaps we should consider addressing bringing the actual guilty to book.

The same Mr Hari Rajan quoted above also has this pearl, “There are security concerns as bicycles are often used to plant bombs.”

Apparently banning cycles and their ilk gets rid of bombs too since God forbade terrorists from using motorised transport.

Luckily, the good men and women of Kolkata know how to protest and hundreds of thousands of people have come together to ‘fight the power’. Organisations such as Switch On and Ride to Breathe have found support from Medha Patkar, the Public Relations Society of India, Greenpeace, WWF Kolkata and Centre for Environment and Development, and have, so far, organised two major protests - Cycle Satyagraha (September 8th) and Chakra

Satyagraha (3rd October). Their protests have also finally spurred the Union Urban Development Ministry to finally intervene, finding that the ban on cycles imposed in Kolkata is a contravention of the National Urban Transport Policy of 2006. They have stated that they will take up the issue with the Mamta Banerjee government.

To tell the truth, Kolkata has for a while now espoused the need for progress infrastructurally, in order to try and catch up with the revolution that has swept the rest of the country over the last twenty years (and left them in the Socialist lurch). In that vein they have often touted western examples such as London, as worthy of emulation. While we certainly find this laudable, we do think that measures such as this blanket ban haven’t quite been fully thought out. Wielding a stick without a carrot is never going to provide solutions (unless you live in a police state). So, if you plan on freeing up traffic, there need to be solutions for all affected stakeholders. Having said that, atleast it has resulted in some form of public awareness and debate and this can only lead to better governance.

And perhaps, if we are lucky, it might lead to better infrastructure for us cyclists too.

To stay abreast of whats happening and show solidarity with our pedal-powered friends in Kolkata, join the Cycle Satyagraha facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/ groups/CycleSatyagraha

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BOYS’ TOYS

HORNIT BICYCLE HORNUrban riders who are regularly frustrated at not being able to be heard over traffic, here is your solution. The Hornit horn is all of 140 decibels - guaranteed to have even trucks get out of the way in a hurry. It has a cable with a trigger so you can have it right next to your thumb for easy reach. Use it with caution! You just might scare yourself if you’re not careful

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GIRO DIRT JUMP GLOVESThe Giro dirt jump gloves are made tough! Tough enough to save your skin even when coming off big jumps and rocks. With minimal padding on the palm so as to increase sensitivity, you hardly feel they’re there. Each finger has mesh along the sides, keeping your hands cool even when out in the sun. The back of the glove is padded so no thorns are getting through. The index and middle fingers also have a little print on it to ensure you don’t lose your grip on that brake. Add a sweat pad to the thumb and some beautiful, bling colours and you have a pair of gloves to die for.

For more details drop us a line at [email protected]

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GET OUT AND RIDE!

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