ISSUE 2 VOL 2 MARCH 15TH 2014

INSIDE

KIDDIE KANDYSAVE THOSE KNEES

VODAFONE CYCLING MARATHON

Tune your bike! Tweak your heart !Maintain your cycle, so that your cycle maintains you!

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04 Kiddie Kandy!

08 Vodafone Cycling Marathon: Cycling Centre Stage

12 Snippets: Auto Expo 2014

13 Ultra Cycling comes to Goa

14 ProCycleProfiled

16 Gear Review: Save Those Knees!

20 Bike Review: Fit Bike Co BMX

22 The Long Road: A journey with no Destination

24 Spotted: Brompton M6R

26 Boys Toys

IN THIS ISSUE

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Hello Readers!

Its been an exciting month for cycling! The Vodafone Cycling Marathon in Bangalore has really dragged, pushed and shoved cycling into the limelight. We’ve seen monstrous publicity on radio, in print, hoardings, social media and so on. And its resulted in cyclists literally coming out of the woodwork. We had no idea there were so many in Bangalore! And if sheer numbers are any sign, there are some good cycling times to come.

In this issue, we decided it was time to get ‘em started early. So we’ve given you a little peek at some of the awesome bikes your kids can look forward to. So start saving up, ‘cos that tyke is going to have a looooong list for Santa.

If you’ve been wanting to pelt down that heart-stopping trail and are too nervous to do it, we’ve reviewed some leg armour which should help you work up the courage. We also cover a couple who are riding to raise awareness about teen suicide.

All this and more in this issue of CRANK with ProCycle. 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

Bike Tester Ajay Kamble

Contributions by Robin Darius Conz, Sreeram Nair, Akshata Rao,

Santhosh MV, Krishna Chandu and Sanjay Ramaswamy

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Cover Shreedhar Savanur takes the win at the Vodafone

Cycling Marathon. Image by Rahul K Thomas

Rear Cover ProCycle rider Manoj ‘Manz’ Jaiswal nails a 180.

Image by Rahul K Thomas

Printed by Print 2 Last Solutions

HEYA!

2 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

OVERVIEW

Remember the time you got your first bicycle? Odds are it was a BSA Champ. Or, if you were really lucky, perhaps a Hamilton Highriser. Well, kids today have it better than ever with a whole slew of bicycles to choose from. So, in this issue, we thought we’d feature a few of them.

AXIS

From the stable of the same company that brings us Scott bikes in India is the brand Axis. They make excellent, affordable mountain bikes for adults and have now brought in a slew of bikes to make your kids jump for joy.

Axis Brat and Buzz

First up are the terrible twins from Axis - the Brat and Buzz. The 16-inch bikes are perfect for your kid’s first bike.

The Brat and Buzz 16 make for decent BMX imitations. The frames are made from steel as is the oversize fork. The differences between the two aren’t readily apparent but very much there. The geometries are a little different and the top tube of the Buzz is a little thicker than that of the Brat. The Brat is a beautiful, bling yellow, guaranteed make your kid the envy of the neighbourhood. The Buzz is a subtle powder blue with a celestial paint job.

The cranksets are single-piece BMX cranks with a chain guard. Nice, neat V-brakes take care of stopping duties. The wheels are crafted out of alloy making for nice, solid but light pairs shod with BMX race tyres.

The BMX bars allow for easy reach adjustment so the fit can be

KIDDIE KANDY!

4 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

Axis Buzz 20

Axis Buzz 16

better adjusted for children of different ages.

The 16-inch bikes come with optional training wheels so a kid can take those first few pedal strokes without the usual accompanying cuts and scrapes.

The Buzz and Brat also come in 20-inch versions for your kid to move on to some more serious

riding once he’s outgrown the 16. These are pretty good imitation BMXes so they could very well inspire that young ‘un to start tricking early.

Both 16 and 20 inch versions of the Buzz and Brat are also available in black.

Axis Busy Bee 16 and 20

We have a specially designed girls’ BMX frame in candy pink for that adventurous little girl. The sloping top tube gives the little girl more standover clearance than the boy’s versions while simultaneously giving it a nice feminine design. Just like the other two, this comes with a 1 piece BMX crank with a chain guard. A nice BMX bar comes with white grips to

complement the whole paint scheme. A custom vinyl saddle in pink goes perfectly with

the pink mud guards. And of course, reinforcing the name are a number of little bumble bees flying about the tubing. Alloy wheels in white complete the pretty little package. The 20-inch version comes with an even more compact-looking frame and a kickstand to ensure it always

stands straight an tall.

Axis Busy Bee 16

Raleigh Sport 20

RALEIGH

Most adults have grown up hearing about the legendary Nottingham brand Raleigh. A bicycle brand which moved the nation for decades, it was an object of lust up until the 70s. Then it left our shores much to our disappointment. Well they are back! And now kids will understand why their grandparents waxed lyrical about it.

Raleigh Sport Kids 20

This 20-inch bike is perfect for kids who want to graduate from their tiny training-wheel aided learner bikes. With its straight lines, lack of mudguards and nice bars, it certainly looks like an authentic BMX. The red grips are a nice touch. The full chain guard should keep that chain clean. And on the chain stay is the legend ‘Best of Britain’. White alloy ‘performance rims’ mated to white spokes beautifully complement the whole paint scheme making for a neat sporty package. The Raleigh Sport Kids is outrightly a lads bike that will give your boy some proper street cred even from the older boys on the block.

Raleigh Ranchero MX 20

The Ranchero MX 20 has a rather unique frame design. The compact front triangle with the curved top tube allows for greater standover clearance. This makes the Ranchero a very versatile bike - potentially suited for both boys and girls of varying heights and dimensions. The cockpit employs an old-school quill stem with a flat, city bar. This means that the bar is less amenable to reach adjustment. Raleigh has specced a nice little suspension fork on the Ranchero to ensure that it can suck up all the little bumps on the road which could trouble your child. To ensure that it is low on maintenance, they’ve added rubber fork guards to keep the dust away.

Completing the package are alloy wheels and a half chain guard.

Crafted from steel and decked out in gorgeous orange, the Ranchero is every little kids dream. Make it come true!

Raleigh Ranchero

6 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

CYCLING TAKES CENTRE STAGE VODAFONE CYCLING MARATHONImages by Rahul K Thomas

8 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

Those not in the know, who were out in the wee hours of the morning of Sunday the 9th of February, would’ve thought that Bangaloreans are amazingly early risers. Hundreds of people could be seen walking, riding and driving Kanteerva stadium near Cubbon Park. All with their cycles. And all with one goal in mind - to participate in the Vodafone Cycling Marathon.

The buzz had started well over a month before with hoardings, end-to-end radio spots, print ads and a social media storm bombarding Bangaloreans about the biggest event in cycling. Interesting events were held across the city drawing enthusiasts and curious onlookers alike. In one publicity-grabber, a rider seemingly pulled a BMTC bus on the inner ring road. Naturally, he wasn’t really puling it (it was just set up to appear that way) but the interested it generated was massive. The video went viral leading to a huge increase in interest in cycling in the city. Vodafone also held events in malls such as the corporate challenge where people could go head-to-head and race on trainers, right in the centre of town. All this put cycling squarely in the public’s sights.

FEATURE

The ‘Passion Ride’ was set to flag off at 6:30 a.m and there was no parking at the stadium so people had to get there well in advance. As the watery dawn announced itself, spectators were treated to the sight of a virtual ocean of riders, all lined up within the stadium, patiently waiting to be led to the start line. Some of them were frantically tuning their derailleurs, others were pumping up air, regular joe’s had their game face on and stylish ladies shivered in spandex.

As the last announcements were made, people were allowed to make their way to the starting line, at the gate of the stadium. But, with nearly 3,500 riders, the queue extended down the block and all the way into the stadium area itself.

With the customary speeches being completed in quick time, the race was flagged off. 40 kilometres over the course of 8 laps - the track was nice but rather short considering the number of people. The Bangalore Traffic Police had turned out in droves to man the course. Lining the streets, they tried to keep a grip on traffic to the best of their ability.

The riders up front set up a frenetic pace but soon ran into a rather unique problem. The line was so long and the course so narrow that by the time the lead riders had completed a lap, they were already upon the tail of the main body. Made up of casual riders, some elderly people, some kids and people generally out to have a good time, the tail significantly slowed down the leaders. General

racing etiquette requires riders to move over if they are being lapped but, most people didn’t know that, being out for a Sunday joyride. Suffice it to say, it became a game of cat and mouse the likes of which would be enough to daunt a New York bike messenger.

The lead group comprising about 8 or 10 riders quickly built up a massive lead. Led by the three lads from Wheelsports, Siddharth Kansal, Ankush Sharma and ProCycle riders Kumar and Aditya, they played hide and seek between themselves and the traffic. When it came down to the final sprint, Basavaraj Kadapatti (Wheelsports) just pipped Siddharth Kansal to the tape. They were followed by Sadashiv Kadapatti (Wheelsports), Gajanand Kullolli (Wheelsports) and Praveen Kumar (Students Foundation for Sports). That done, the scene was set for the big race of the day - the Champion Race with a total purse of INR 10 lakhs up for grabs.

The long line-up to the start

Passion riders zip around Kanteerva

The stunt that went viral. Image courtesy Robin Darius Conz

Riders battle it out on trainers in a mall Image courtesy Nilesh Dhumal

The field was restricted to 150 riders, all of whom needed a CFI (Cycling Federation of India) license to compete. With riders lined up inside the stadium grounds, the announcement was made that this was to be criterium. While all those who had been at the briefing the previous day knew this, it still came as a surprise to some considering it hadn’t been publicised as such before.

For those unaware, a criterium (or ‘crit’ as its popularly know) has rather different rules than the average road race. It is usually raced over multiple laps of a short course making this the ideal setting for it. In it, riders are expected to compete not just for the overall win, but for individual laps as well. Riders who get lapped have to drop out of the race. This is so that the tempo is kept up which makes it great for spectators. In this particular instance, the race was to be 12 laps, out of which every even lap counted for points (2, 4, 6, etc). The rider coming in first would get 5 points, second would get 3, third 2 and fourth 1. The winner is the one with most points.

After the usual speech at the start, the flag was dropped. The race got off to a blistering start as the teams quickly had their strategy in place. Teams Wheelsports and Specialized worked hard to give their leaders the best possible chance. The first sprint in the second lap was won by Sreedhar Savanur (Wheelsports) as he edged out

Lokesh Narasimhachar (Specialized). As the ride continued, the pace stayed above 40 km/h. The Traffic Police tried their best to keep people and vehicles off the road when the peloton was in sight but it seemed they hadn’t been briefed or trained on how to do it properly. Volunteers who have been to many races before, stood by the sidelines and shouted warnings at each crucial juncture. By the 10th lap Sreedhar Savanur had built up a commanding lead in the points tally. The sprints had worn down the field and the lead group had swallowed up a number of those who had fallen behind. It was now just a question of completing the formalities.

And so he did - finishing the last lap in third, Sreedhar Savanur of Wheelsports finished in first place with 21 points, taking home a prize of INR 2.5 lakhs! In second place was C Rajesh (Tamil Nadu) with 17 points followed by Amarjit Singh (National Campus) with 10 points. 4th place was taken by Satbir Singh.

With the business end of things out of the way, the event took on the air of a carnival. The ‘Green Ride’ of 20 kms kicked off with riders lining up around Kanteerva. But, by this time, it had become rather late and traffic was being intermittently let onto the route. Riders didn’t have it quite so easy and a number of riders were stopped even though they still were within the stipulated time. The

The course had riders lapping each other

Champion riders listen to final instructions

Fun Ride wasn’t quite as fun as people wanted. Originally slated for 10 kms, it was truncated to just a ride around the stadium leaving many riders, particularly the little ones bitterly disappointed.

While this was happening outside the stadium, the festivities were on within the grounds. The ProCycle BMX team made its debut. They tricked and turned their way to much applause throughout the day. Ramps were erected and the boys snapped out 360s and grinds as people watched in awe.

People turned up to watch famous fusion band Indian Ocean perform too. As ‘Kandisa’ and ‘Ma Rewa’ echoed through the day, people vied for the title of ‘whackiest’ outfit. There were lucky draws and prizes rained down upon excited spectators.

At the end of the day, there is no denying there are some issues that need to be addressed. Traffic needs to be planned better and permissions need to be secured. Commitments to riders need to be adhered to. Each lap was closer to 4.3/4.4 kms than 5. While this can be overlooked for joy rides, it is not at all desirable for a CFI-sanctioned national competition. A race such as the ‘Passion Ride’

The Champion Race got off to a frenetic start

Racing around a bend

Flying across cobbles

Fusion band Indian Ocean performs

SNIPPETS

AUTO EXPO 2014

shouldn’t have so many people of so many differing abilities over such a narrow and short course. There were a few crashes which happened but luckily nothing major. The first aid team as well as the ambulance drivers could also do with some guidance.

If the organisers can look at these, there is no question that this would be a truly premier event - one which people would flock to year after year. However you look at it, the Vodafone Cycling Marathon certainly put cycling in the centre of the city both literally and figuratively and we look forward to all the good things to come with it.

The 2014 Auto Expo saw participation from two of the India’s biggest premium bicycle companies - Firefox Bikes and Giant Starkenn.

In case you’re wondering why you hadn’t heard of Starkenn before, its because its the first time the brand was aired. Starkenn Sports Pvt. Ltd is the new name of what was once known as Sprint Sports Pvt Ltd - the distributors of Giant bicycles and a number of other international bicycle, component and accessory brand.

Their stall featured some real eye candy too such as the Giant Trinity Advanced SL – a 6.5 kg bike with an electronic gruppo. Priced at a whopping 10.89 lakhs, premium hardly begins to describe it.

Firefox also had some exciting news. They introduced the new Trek Domane with IsoSpeed as well as the new Madone series.

The key feature of the Domane is a new seat-tube-based suspension system called IsoSpeed which takes the edge off rough roads - perfect for Indian conditions.

Firefox also introduced the new 29er range called X-CALIBER priced at INR 46,350.

Giant Starkenn at the Auto Expo

ProCycle rider Nikhil Dhon gets some air

ProCycle MD Vikram Limsay gifts a bike to a lucky (draw) winner

Firefox MD Shivinder Singh announces the launch

AROUND THE CORNER

ULTRA CYCLING COMES TO GOAThe Race Across America (RAAM) held every year in the month of June is the world’s toughest bicycle race. Solo riders have to complete a distance of about 5000 kms in about 12 days, and have to be qualified to participate. A very small number of ultra races around the world enjoy the status of being RAAM Qualifiers. The Giant-Starkenn Deccan Cliffhanger, a 643 Km Ultra Cycling Race from Pune to Goa, is one among those few and we at ProCycle are proud to support this flagship race in India as technical and media partners.

The Deccan Cliffhanger takes advantage of the terrain of the Deccan Plateau, defined by the Sahyadri range on its western edge.

Starting in Pune on the 22nd of Feb 2014, the route climbs up to Mahableshwar, one of the highest motorable points on the Sahyadri Range, before heading east through Anshi forest and tiger reserve. That part of the route is spectacular, as one drops through dense forests that cover the cliffs of the escarpment, into the Konkan and then on to the Indian Ocean. The last few kms are along a river or creek that opens out onto the Indian Ocean at Miramar beach, Panjim, the capital of Goa. Participants can look forward

to a relaxing time on the beach at the end of a hard race! Besides the solo category which is the RAAM qualifier, the event has RAAM style Relay Team categories, for teams of 2, 3 or 4 riders. Team Racers get to recover while a partner rides and will be able to enjoy the route. The riders have to be fully supported and all racers must have a support vehicle and crew.

So who can we expect to see racing at The Deccan Cliffhanger? While many cyclists are gearing up to form teams, some very strong contenders from Pune, Mumbai, Nasik and Goa plan to Race solo. All of them have been riding Brevet and most have successfully completed 1000+ km BRMs. It is a small world and Hiren Patel, the only Indian to have completed London Edinburgh London (LEL), will get an opportunity to ride again with a fellow participant from LEL.

The current Great British National Ultra-triathlon Champion, Shusanah Pillinger, is set to take part in The Deccan Cliffhanger in her build up to solo Race Across America (RAAM) in June. She will be attempting to be the first British woman to successfully complete the 3000 mile non-stop race within the cut-off of 12 days and 21 hours, assisted by a crew of 9 - including Cliffhanger Race Organiser Divya Tate.

Catch all the action in our next issue.

Shusanah Pillinger - Ultra-Triathlon National Champion of Great Britain. Image courtesy Shusanah Pillinger

The picturesque route

PROCYCLE PROFILED

KRISHNA CHANDU

Every morning Krishna Chandu heads to work, fully kitted-out astride his beloved Cannondale hybrid. But, his love for cycling goes well beyond commuting. He picked up his bike a couple of years ago and since then he has been down several roads less travelled. Whenever he gets the chance, the bike is put on a bus and he heads out to explore different places. Thus far, he has ridden through Munnar, many parts of Kerala, Chikmaglur and so on. We wish him many more cycling adventures in the future.

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1YEAR ` 720

GEAR REVIEW

SAVE THOSE KNEES!

Have you been trying your hand at mountain biking? Did you just make the time and work up the nerve to get off the beaten track, only to crash and spend the next ten days limping around? Or have you been dying to hit bigger, more complicated lines only to have the fear of smashing yourself up hold you back?

Well, then this little guide to leg guards is just for you. We’ve spent countless hours riding trails and moaning in pain after crashes, just so we can give you the skinny on these.

We’ve got a mix of some of the more well-known guards the world over. Some of them might not be on the latest roster of products in 2014, but they are still available in plenty.

We’ve got two pure knee guards, one medium length and three full knee and shin guards on display. They’ve all been through their share of trauma, some more than others. Here’s how they stack up.

Race Face Dig Knee Guards

The first thing that strikes you about the Race Face Dig is its low profile. They say the best things come in small packages and this is one of them. The Dig has an ‘open back construction’ which basically means that it simply opens and fits over the knee and you can then strap it up. No need to take off shoes and slide them on or any such. Their beautiful low profile means that, despite being a hard shell, they fit under trousers. So this makes it pretty neat for even flatland and dirt jumper riders who want a little protection while tricking. Perforated neoprene gives you ventilation and the foam padded side walls give you extra coverage.

We’ve found that it takes hits and keeps on trucking. It is very secure on the knee and doesn’t move in a crash either. It does leave your shins exposed to pedal bit though, so decide what you want before picking this up. It also has a tendency to bunch up a little behind the knee.

Bottomline: A great little set of guards if you can find them.

Fox Launch Pro Knee Guards

From one of the world’s biggest brands, we feature the 2014 Fox Launch Pro knee guards. These are one truly ergonomic pair of guards. Its fit is ‘soft shell’ which means that the knee cup is sheathed in uqality perforated neoprene. It is so comfortable that you forget its even there. The fit is ‘pre-curved’ so it been created with a curve to begin with so that it sits in place throughout the pedalling range.

The profile of this guard is bigger than the Race Face Dig which

means that these will not fit under trousers so its a bit more focused on mountain biking. They tend to be a bit shorter under the knee and a little longer above the knee. This means they look better with shorts and still hold your leg well (most guards have a tendency to slip down). These too tend to bunch up a bit though. It has lateral pads which are pretty strong and quality fabric to hold it all in place. While you have to slip you leg into this one (unlike the open-close method of the RF Dig), the straps allow you to tighten it well.

In the event of a crash, this protects your knee very well. And to protect the guards, Fox has specced Kevlar fabric over the the knee cap itself, so this baby isn’t going to wear out in a hurry.

Bottomline: Excellent guards which, deservedly, come at the usual Fox premium. If you’re looking for a good-looking all-round, look no further.

The Race Face Dig knee guards

Low profile and easy to strap on

The light (and premium) Fox Launch Pro

661 Comp Knee and Shin Guard

These are among the most commonly used guards in the business. The 661 Comp guards have a ‘rock crusher articulating armour’ which is is basically two large hard caps which can overlap each other when pedalling. This gives the full- length piece enough flexibility to make the rider comfortable while

simultaneously stiffening and covering up the gaps on impact. We must say that the padding at the back is very comfortable indeed. 661 uses a ‘high impact memory foam’ which, over time, conforms to the shape of your leg. This gives it a nice snug fit despite the long hard shell which usually would cause some spaces to form. The ‘asymetrical design’ gives it plenty of wraparound, for protection to the sides of the calves.

Bottomline: Low on tech, high on value, this is a dependable pair of guards from a respected brand which is very affordable.

Race Face Zero LW

The Race Face Zero LW was launched a few years ago to provide heavy-duty protection to downhillers and freeriders in a lightweight package (LW for lightweight). Designed with inputs and tested by Race Face pro rider Wayne Goss, they went out of their way to

ensure that the reduced weight did not compromise its protective ability. The backing is perforated neoprene while the nylon offers greater resistance to abrasion. There is even some amount of water repellant ability thanks to the PU gel treatment.

In practice, this pair (as you can see) has been really put through the wringer. Its been worn on countless downhill runs and seen its way through many crashes. The Race Face Zero does not move in the event of a crash and the hardshell has laughed its way through everything. Perhaps more telling is the quality of the fabrics used. The foam is extremely comfortable at all times but no part of it has even begun to fray despite all the abuse. So this isn’t just a pretty pair - its extremely durable indeed.

Bottomline: A fantastic pair of guards that is no longer in Race Face’s line-up but one which is available in plenty with retailers. Light, strong and fairly reasonable - this one seems to have it all. Grab it if you can!

Exustar E-MPK303D

Seemingly named after some particularly virulent strain of a disease, the Exustar E- MPK303D is pretty unknown. But we brought it into this review because we’ve seen a few of them doing the rounds in these parts. Exustar is Taiwanese company thats been around for more than twenty years. They make a whole range of products, a lot of which are fairly respectable.

The E-MPK guards are full-length guards with a plastic shell and ‘biofoam’ padding. It is the least comfortable padding of all the guards tested. Having said that, they do mould fairly well to your legs but don’t breathe much. Four straps might seem like overkill but they do their job well ensuring that the pads don’t move in the event of a crash. What sets this apart from the rest is the unusual knee guard. It comprises two separate pieces of plastic which articulate (rather well) on a hinge. It ends up resembling a medieval piece of armour. But, it really does allow a lot of movement when pedalling.

Bottomline: An odd pair of guards and not the first pair you’d

Race Face Zero LW

choose, but given the paucity of choice in this product category in India at the moment, they are not to be shunned.

Face Face Flank

We save the best for last - the Race Face Flank. Born from gnarly riding of Vancouver’s North Shore, the Race Face Flank ranks among the best guards ever designed and produced. Employing the amazing technology of D30 impact protection, these have been worn by many a rider on the pro tour. The pair we have tried and tested is the 2012 version but little has changed since then except for possibly the strap position (very slightly). D30 is a patented material that provides protection on impact while remaining flexible under normal conditions. The pads you see on the front of the guard contain D30. Since they are ductile, they allow you to pedal with no hindrance whatsoever. In fact, you will probably forget you have guards on shortly after putting on the Flanks. They fit like a glove and are very flexible. Under impact however, it changes. The inner structure (we are talking molecules here) of the D30 lock together and distribute the impact over the entire structure, functioning like a hard shell. So, you can have the best of both

worlds - the flexibility of foam with the protection of a hard shell.

The Flanks have an extended section which covers your leg up to mid shin, helping to protect against pedal bite too. If you want just the knee part, you can pick up the Ambush. How effective is it? Well, these have been through hell and back considering their owner likes to take 20 foot drops on occasion. His knees are fine and the fabric has barely registered a scratch. Nuff said!

Bottomline: The Race Face Flank is the product of superb technology and extensive testing and R&D in a beautiful package. See it? Buy it!

Big thanks to our buddies Robin Darius Conz and Sreeram Nair for their guards. The sexy legs wearing the Digs also belong to Robin.

Race Face Flanks in action. Image courtesy Rahul K Thomas

20 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

BIKE REVIEW

This time we go a whole different hog! We check out Rahul Mulani’s state-of-the-art rig - a 2014 Brian Foster Signature Edition Fit Bike Co BMX (whew!).

For those of you wondering, we’ll just break down the name first. Brian Foster is a BMX racer - a rider who raced in the American Bicycle Association fairly successfully. He won the 1998 X-Games and pioneered a sub-category of BMX - dirt jumping. He continues to push the envelope and even won best trick at the recent Nike 6.0 ‘The Pool’ contest with a monstrous gap to curved wallride.

Fit Bike Co is one of those all-American BMX brands. Its a sub-brand of S&M Bikes, started by the legendary Chris Moeller. Suffice it to say that in the world of BMX you better bow down and ‘respect’ it.

The frame is made of good old 4130 Chromoly steel - light and very strong. This particular frame has a 21 inch top tube which is pretty long by BMX standards. Thus, it truly is made in the image of Brian Foster as this is a thoroughbred trail bike.

The fork is an S&M widemouth pitchfork - solid and with plenty of room. This lets Rahul run the Odyssey Aitken 2.2 wide tyres on Gsport wheels. Those wide tyres are perfectly home on dirt, gravel, concrete, you name it.

FIT BIKE CO BMXBRIAN FOSTER SIGNATURE EDITION 2014Images courtesy Rahul Mulani

S&M Slam bars

Keeping it cool up front is an S&M Slam XLT bar which sits up at a wiiiide 29 inches (736mm) with a Fit stem - another Brian Foster signature item. He’s running bling blue Fit grips with S&M Beringer alloy bar ends. Mated to it is a Demolition brake with a beautifully crafted Eclat lever.

Complementing the cockpit are the gorgeous chrome Eclat pedals, Fit Indent crank arms and 28T Fit Key Guard sprocket. Whazzat? Well, its an integrated sprocket and chainguard, CNCed out of a single piece of 7075 alloy - for the thrashers out there.

But how does it ride?

Designed for a tall rider, this bike provides room and stability. The longer wheelbase makes it more stable under sprinting and it can really move. The geometry and wide tyres mean that its a thoroughbred trail bike which can also be used for racing or street shredding, if required. Its strength and low weight also mean it is perfect for dirt jumping - in the image of Brian Foster.

The bottomline

This is one beautiful piece of machinery which every hardcore BMXer would love to have in his (or her) stable. Rahul Mulani is the envy of us all!

Gorgeous machining - Fit Key Guard sprocket and Fit Indent crank arms with Eclat pedals

S&M widemouth pitchfork. The tennis ball is a signature of Mulani’s BMX crew

The chunky but hot Brian Foster Signature stem

A JOURNEY WITH NO DESTINATION Images courtesy Akshata S Rao and Santhosh MV

The choices we make give direction to the course of our lives. While Akshata S. Rao and Santhosh MV were examining what choices to make with respect to their own lives, they were confronted with the realisation that others didn’t think they had a choice. No choice but to end their lives. Shocked at how big a problem suicide is, particularly among the youth, the 2 of them decided to address this issue. Taking it head on, they have immersed themselves fully doing the best they can, to prevent suicide. Abandoning conventions, and comfort zones, they are applying what would appear to be skills that are unrelated to the task at hand - their training in adventure consultancy and ballroom dancing. You read that right! And if that were not unconventional enough, they are doing so by cycling the length and breadth of the country on a tandem that they built themselves.

After college they both gravitated to working in the field of outdoor training. But, designing outbound training programs in luxury resorts soon grew monotonous. Within a couple of years, feeling a lack of challenge in their work, they realised they were ready to for a change. The two of them took a unique approach towards making their choice. As Santhosh explains, “We wanted to try something else which both of us enjoy doing and wanted to work together. Both of us made separate lists and dancing was one of the common things which we loved.” While they used to dance together in college for competitions and festivals, it had been 7

years since they had danced.

Exploring the possibility of becoming trained to teach ballroom dancing, they found an institute in the US that suited them but were unable to get a visa in 2008. Disappointed but still determined, they got in touch with Diane Jarmolow, the founder of the institute, who was impressed enough by their commitment to come to India and train them in 2009. The next year they got their visa and went to the US to get trained in 26 Ballroom Dances, achieving certification in 19. They even went on to participate in an International Competition, winning 3 prizes.

Back in India, they started a dance studio focusing on teacher training. During this time they hosted a couple who were travelling on a tandem bike and Santosh, who had enjoyed cycling for many years was smitten with the idea of the tandem. He started to build one.

At about the same time, they approached schools to introduce ballroom dancing and, in the course of it, they discovered how much societal pressure restricts interaction between boys and girls in school. Strongly believing that healthy interaction between the sexes is essential to reducing discrimination and crime against women, the two decided to to address this in their own unique way. They took to the road on their tandem bike, working with schools

THE LONG ROAD

22 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2014

along the way and spreading the message of ‘A Healthy Touch’ through dance.

This first tour exposed them to another issue among teens - suicide. Seeing how many of the youngsters they interacted with, had either attempted it or very seriously considered it, they decided to address this issue.

They built another tandem out of 2 bicycles - one that was better suited for long days on the road and planned a much longer journey. How much longer? Well, one that has no end date.

On their entirely self-funded ride right now, they depend on the hospitality of others and have not been disappointed. People have warmed to them and their cause along the length and breadth on the country. Hosted by families, friends (new and old), they stay from a day to a week in any place, making connections for their next port of call. Their chosen mode of transport (the tandem) and their medium of addressing the issue (ballroom dancing) have proved to be well suited to the cause. Both get them easy acceptance, breaking down barriers and allowing them to start a dialogue.

They left Mysore on 11th August 2013 and in these last 6 months have interacted with over 7000 students in 60 institutes in Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujurat and Rajasthan. Currently heading toward Jaipur, they plan to ride toward Agra and then continue east through the Gangetic Plain. The journey has no parameters for success, nor any need to measure it. Every person taken from the brink of hopelessness, to feeling a sense of hope, endorses their journey.

As Akshata says ‘This trip was successful even before we started, as we had changed one girl’s mindset of not committing suicide.’

On their first ride a few years ago

Ballroom dancing

Spreading awareness among school kids

SPOTTED

BROMPTON M6RIn this section we will be featuring beautiful, classic bikes which make little boys out of men

Here we have a finely crafted Brompton M6R - the quintessential folder from a legendary marque. It comes with a 3-speed Sturmey-archer internal hub gear and 2- speed Brompton derailleur system giving you six very usable gears. The rear rack with EZ wheels allow you to carry a significant amount, wheel it around like a trolley or stand it straight, unaided, when folded. Sanjay Ramaswamy, the owner, has also added a Brooks basket and saddle bag to make this the ultimate carry-all bike,

Brooks B17 saddle

Folded

Brooks grips

Sturmey-archer hub gears

BOYS’ TOYS

RACE FACE GRIPS (SNIPER AND CHESTER)Do your grips keep spinning leaving you nervous in traffic? Or do you wish you had better grip when hitting those trails? We strongly recommend you pick up a pair of Race Face grips! The Chester (seen here in red) comes with a BMX-inspired flange and a longer grip area while the Sniper slide-on (seen here in green) offers excellent grip with a more minimal profile. These come in every shade of the rainbow allowing you to bling out your bike while letting you enjoy superb control.

CINELLI CORK RIBBON TAPEA legendary product from a legendary Italian marque, Cinelli’s cork ribbon tape has been setting the standard for handlebar tape for decades. Soft, sweat-absorbent and grippy, these come in an array of colours so you can co-ordinate your road bike, as every roadie should.

For more details drop us a line at torquewrench@procycle.in

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