Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #7

mountain bike magazine

Issue 07 | January 2012 | Free Download

www.freeridermag.in

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Photo: Helge Langen | Rider: Jonas Eriksen Tilseth | Location: Trondheim, Norway

Hope you guys are having a good time riding in the winters. We love riding out during this season too and have realized that the future of mountain biking in India looks bright and full of hope and we are pleased to announce the addition of BMX in our magazine. Starting from the 7th issue; stories, products, riders and much more from the BMX industry will also be shown! Hope this inspires you to get the most of whatever riding you do.We have overhauled our website with a new look and more info and hope you like it. Wish you a very Happy New Year and Happy Trails for 2012.

Vineet SharmaEditor-in-Chief

CONTENTS

NOTE: We have done our best to make sure that all content in this issue of Freerider mountain bike magazine is accurate, but would emphasise that we at Freerider mountian bike magazine accept no responsibility for any errors in the magazine/content or any errors caused to your computer while reading our magazine.

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine#2434-A, Sector: 39-CChandigarh. 160036INDIA.........................................................This magazine is intended forfree distribution and is onlyavailable through our web portalwww.freeridermag.in........................................................Feel free to write or contribute.E-mail at: [email protected]

The Team:

Editor in Chief: Vineet [email protected]

Deputy Editor: Vinay [email protected]

Contributing Editor: Vaibhav [email protected]

Contributing Editors and PhotographersPhil Evans, Ajay Mehta, Malcom Mclaws, Rocky Khatra, Jenny Lama, Helge Langen, Jeron H, Sameer Jhawar.

EXCLUSIVE STORY

Yak Attack | 3MAG SPECIAL

Trails n Dust | 13FRAMED

Pro Photos | 22TECH TALK

Cup & Cone Hub Basics | 26

DROPPING IN

Twelve Eleven | 29

TWENTY INCH

The Free Sikh | 32

WHATS UP

2nd DH Race NEPAL | 36

FRESH JUICE

PSYNIDE & BTwin | 38

YAK

The idea for Yak Attack was born on returning to the UK after taking part in the Everest Marathon in November 2003. I had already had a long “love affair” with Nepal, first visiting in 1991 and then for many subsequent years after, invariably embarking on various treks and always reveling in the peaceful, friendly, yet mystical atmosphere that always seems to prevail in the mountain kingdom.

ATTACKEXCLUSIVE STORY BY PHIL EVANS

Extreme World ChallengesPHOTO CREDITS: Phil Evans, Phil Stasiw, Sonam Gurung, Phil Morris, Wong Ho Fai, Chhimi Gurung & Snow Monkey

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 3

Taking part in the Everest marathon 12 years after first visiting Nepal had allowed me to combine my 2 major passions in life, being in the mountains and pushing my endurance to the extreme, but as much as I enjoyed it and enjoyed the year’s worth of training preceding it, running wasn’t really my preferred sport, mountain biking was.


Once back in the UK I did some research and it became ap-parent that there was no mountain biking equivalent of the Everest marathon. Although off road riding had been around since the late 80’s in the UK it was very much still in its infancy in Nepal. I googled “mountain biking Nepal” and the same name came up time after time, Sonam Gurung, the first mountain biker of Nepal, “The Guru” and co-owner of Kathmandu’s premier mountain bike shop “Dawn till Dusk”. I emailed Sonam, explaining my interest in organising a mountain bike race in Nepal and he subsequently put me in touch with his brother, Chhimi Gurung. Chhimi happened to be president of the Nepal Cycling Association and was very keen on the idea of bringing an international mountain bike race to the highest mountains on Earth, and so we put our heads together over the next few months and finally Yak Attack was born.


The Annpurna circuit was decided on as the route, it had all the ingredients for an epic race; rocky singletrack, leg burning climbs, technical descents and one of the highest mountain passes on Earth, its one of the most prestigious and famous trekking routes in Nepal. It was also decided to throw in a wild card, who would be faster over this terrain, runner or mountain biker, and so we also opened the race to runners.


Two years of planning ensued and on March 8 2007 a handful of international and Nepali mountain bikers and runners stood on the start line in Besi Sahar for the first ever Yak Attack. Hari Rokya, former Everest Marathon champion, was the eventual winner of the 2007 Yak Attack in just over 24 hours and nearly 3 hours quicker than the first Nepali mountain biker, Suresh Dulal. That was the first and last time a runner was to win the Yak Attack, as the annual development of jeep tracks further and further into the area meant that by 2009 it was no longer possible for runners to keep up or compete with the bikes and so the running category was dropped.

Kaji Sherpa, an accomplished Everest guide and summiter won the 2008 race, excelling at the high altitude stages, setting a blistering time overthe Thorong La pass.

Injured but not out - Phil Evans in 2010 Yak Attack

Matt Hart (Torqfitness) a UK rider was the first non Nepali to win a stage, a feat that wasn’t to be repeated until 2010, and Nirjala Tamrakar became the first Nepali female to compete in Yak Attack and ride the Annapurna circuit. Mountain biking was growing ever more popular in Nepal and 2009 saw a new young, more skilled and fitter local contingent enter the race. Padam Sabenhang, at only 20 years old was too strong and motivated for the rest of the field and on winning the race he became the first rider to break 20 hours to complete the entire course.

2009, also saw the entry of the first international female, Helen Curtin, who was also part of the first ever Yak Attack wedding, after her boyfriend and fellow competitor proposed to her on top of the Thorong La!

2010 saw the Yak Attack course lengthened. An off road route between Kathmandu and Besi Sahar (the original start point) had been pioneered and the riding was too good to miss, so an extra 200km and 4 days were added to the race. This was to be Ajay Pandit Chhetri’s year. He, along with Chandra Chhetri were the only 2 riders to take part in every Yak Attack and although Ajay was pushed all the way by 2008 winner Kaji Sherpa and Australian veteran Phil Hystek, he went on to secure his first victory after 4 attempts. By now, the Worlds highest mountain bike race was really capturing the cycling worlds attention and 2010 saw Sweden’s most famous rock star, Martin Stenmarck take part.

Chandra Chhetri , only 1 of 2 people to do it all 5 times


Ajay Pandit Chhetri was dominant in 2011, winning 8 of the 10 stages and completing the 400km course in little over 26 hours, just 2 hours slower than it took Hari Rokhaya to complete the old 200km course back in 2007! In doing so he became the first person to win Yak Attack twice and both he and Chandra vowed to be back in 2012 to take part in their 6th successive race.

2012 is going the see another first with the entry of 2 professional riders from the USA, one of whom could well be the first non Nepali to take the Yak Attack crown. With the massive media interest that has surrounded the event ever since its conception, the international field has multiplied from just 4 in 2007 to over 20 in 2012, with Nepali riders bringing the starting field up in to the 40’s . With journalists from Germany, Belgium, UK and the USA attending the 2012 event, the future is looking bright for Yak Attack and 2013 is expected to be fully sold out soon after entries open.


The race is one of only a handful of high profile events that is run as a purely non profit making venture. Yak Attack’s ideology is to use any profits made through race entry fees to benefit the Nepal mountain bike community and the rural communities that the race passes through. From its humble beginnings in 2007, when only a handful of participants took part, Yak Attack is now slowly starting to “make a difference” and has been able to supply a number of top quality bikes for budding Nepali riders and finance a trip to the UK for Nepal National champion Ajay Pandit Chhetri, where he received professional mountain bike coaching. Our dream for the future is to be able to provide support for even more Nepali riders and explore the possibilities of getting a Nepal national mountain bike team into the 2016 Olympics, as well as providing support for schools and medical facilities and promoting cycling as a viable means of transport throughout the isolated rural villages the race passes through.

From Kathmandu to Pokhra via the Annapurna Circuit | 11 Stages | 400km of off road trails | 12000m of ascent | Lowest elevation 348m, highest elevation 5416m. = The Worlds highest mountain bike race.

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Trails ‘n’ Dust Mountain Bike Challenge is the first mountain bike race organized in Kullu and Manali which is located in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. The initiative to organize the challenge was taken by a local lad, Naveen, who is a regular rider in the area and owns the only bike shop (Eco Ride Enterprises) in Kullu and Manali.

MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINEET SHARMA & AJAY MEHTATEXT BY VINEET SHARMA


The organizing team included like-minded people and outdoor professionals, who are constantly working hard to encourage and educate about Mountain Biking through Summer Mountain biking camps for school children in various parts of the country. The mountain bike challenge was sponsored by Firefox bikes. We were stoked to be the media sponsor for this event and also helped in the technical conduct of the race.



Tails ‘n’ Dust mountain bike challenge was originally planned as a two day weekend race. But due to snow fall the route for the second day was blocked and the challenge was changed to a one day race. 22 participants showed up on 17th December at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied sports where they all crashed after having dinner and briefing next to a bon fire.


Race Day: The race marshals checked the route early morning and reported ice patches in middle of the route in few places. The race route was a 30 KM uphill stage followed by a downhill stage on the same route. The race started from the mountaineering institute with a joy ride till club house located in Old Manali from where the 1st stage started. All the participants did pretty good and crossed Shanag, Burua, Palchan and reached Kothi where the 1st stage finished with a steep climb. The locals were pretty surprised to see what was going on!



Sarah, the only female rider in the race, hails from Germany and participated in her first mountain bike race. She started training just three weeks before the race with local hero Jogi. She was really impressed with her performance in the race and now plans to continue riding mountain bikes for good.

Another rider, Michel from Chile, who is touring India on mountain bike decided to join the race after removing the panniers from his old school Mongoose which we were really happy to see.

After wrapping up lunch and beverages, the riders were set for some gravity back to Club House. As soon as the 2nd stage started, crashes started happening but it did not make any participant lose their hopes. They got up and pinned down the tarmac, the slush and the snow patches where few riders almost got off the cliff. The race came to an end in Old Manali and Bristo, a local rider, claimed 1st place. Michel came second and Sunil Barongpa from Kullu came third with a very impressive performance.Everyone was impressed with this initiative and the top guys from the the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied sports announced that they will introduce mountain biking as one of their of-fered courses. This surely is big news for everyone and another step in the progression of the mountain bike scene in India.

Me, Naveen, Musa and Jogi went to Vashist afterwards for a hot spring bath that was well deserved!

IN


First and only dedicated MTB magazine ofIndia, Nepal and Bhutan

from the people who love to rideand keeps you up to date with

the latest news, events, reviews ofthe latest products and gear for mountain bikers

in India, Nepal, Bhutan and around the world.Our readers want to know about your products and services

Epic shots by professional photographers from around the worldFRAMED

Photo: Malcolm Mclaws| Rider: Ben Reid Ireland | Location: Garbonzo DH Whistler BCFreerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 22

Photo: Malcolm Mclaws| Rider: Danny Hart| Location: Vital World whip off Whistler BCFreerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 23

Photo: Malcolm Mclaws| Rider: Mike Montgomery| Location: Red Bull Joy Ride Whistler BCFreerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 24

Photo: Malcolm Mclaws| Rider: Steve Smith| Location: Hecklers Rock Whistler BC Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 25

What is one of the most important parts of a bicycle, in terms of movement? I’d say the wheels. What do the wheels revolve around? The hubs. So to reduce friction and ensure smooth and efficient functioning of our bikes, we need to frequently service and adjust our hubs. Many higher end bikes come with sealed bearing hubs which cannot be adjusted, but there are still a lot of regular cup and cone hubs in the bikes being sold in our local markets. So we thought it makes sense that we show you how to service and adjust these babies!

A cup and cone hub system consists of a hub with a cup built in to it. The ball bearings rest in this and a cone screws onto the axle and the ball bearings spin between these two. The tension can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the cone with respect to the bearings. The cone is kept in its position on the axle with the help of a locknut, washer and / or spacer.

If you do a lot of rough offroad riding, your hubs will benefit from frequent service. The best way to tell is to remove the wheel from the frame, take out the QR, and turn the axle with your hand. If you can sense any grit, sizeable friction or lateral play, then your hubs could do with a checkup!

Tools required to service the hub mechanism: Cone wrenches #15 and #17

1. Pry out the rubber dust cover from both ends of the axle

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Tech Talk

CUP AND CONE HUB BASICS

2.Loosen the locknut from the outer cone by the use of the cone wrenches and remove the locknut, washer, spacer and cone from the axle.

Note: you only need to open up the cone on one side of the axle.

3. Pull out the axle from the other side of the hub. The cone, spacer, washer and locknut are intact on this side of the axle. 4. Proceed to clean out all grease and dirt from the axle, cones, washers, locknuts and cups with a soft cotton cloth. Apply grease onto the axle and cones. 5.Pull the ball bearings out of the cups from both sides of the hub and clean the cups and the bearings.

6.Fill the cups with just the sufficient amount of grease to keep the bearings in place – too little will not protect, too much will only attract dirt.7.Replace the ball bearings back into the cups on both ends of the hub inner. Ensure you’ve put the correct number of bearings on both ends.8.Put a little grease on the bearings with your finger.

9. Slide the axle back inside the hub and then fit the cone back on from the other side of the axle till it becomes plush with the bearings. Tighten the locknut (and spacers) against the cone.

10. Turn the axle with your fingers and check that it is revolving smoothly. The cone should be tight enough against the bearings so there is close to zero lateral play. Too tight means the bearings and cone / cup will wear out faster. Too loose and there will be play in the bearings which will damage the cone / cups. You may not always get this step right in the first go, so try it a few times until you’re satisfied you’ve got the right tension between the cone, bearings and cup.

The simplest way to do this is to only make the adjustment on one side of the axle, since you have only opened the cone from one side.

11. Now tighten the locknut against the cone with the cone wrenches and make sure you don’t alter the position of the cone while you’re at it (otherwise you’ll ruin the bearing tension).

12. Put the dust cap back on. Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 28

PUNETWELVE ELEVEN

December stepped in with its winter chills and dry trails. Looking back at 2011 and the good times it laced along, my buddies and I peddled out a few XC single-tracks and DH descents in the twelfth month of twenty eleven. Our gangs been busy lately with work and daily chores, finally twelveleven got us all synced back to the hills.

TEXT: VINAY MENON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY: VINAY MENON, GAUTAM TAODE, SAHIL JAGTAP


Part I: The clan joining me for some XC churning included Sahil Jagtap, Kaustubh Gujare along with downhill punk Gautam Taode on a street commuting rig. Packing our two wheeled toys in 800cc fueled boxes with wheels; we set off for some quick single-track roost. One of the oldest walking trails we’ve been riding always throws in a spectacular view with random spotted deer sightings and regurgitating cattle. With exposed lines and rock surprises the long ride through trees gave our granny gears some needed work. After a few missed turns and streaming off the trail a few times we wrapped up the hub heating XC ride.

Part II: A Canuck buddy of mine came visiting India and landed in Pune. After some scooter cruising through the city and sorting out bikes for the weekend, Alex Salikan (skinny Canuck kid), Hrishi Mandke (streetbike freestyle guru), Prawnz and the rest of us dispersed on the weekend shred eve.


Sunday called in for some XC rip on downhill bikes. Some barbed wire fence hop-ping and tons of downward gradient rolling! After a bit of mucking around we stumbled upon a decent 15-20ft cliff drop. Though the run out wasn’t all prepped up, scattered with wolf sized rocks, I decided to give it a launch.

Three, two, one and droppin… Run 1, clean but no style. So Hrishi called out for another run. I had to! It was OCD at play now. Run 2, three, two, one… Boom, I tried hipping the drop and overshot the landing patch. Ran out into the wolves and destroyed my front hoop.

Well, you gotta huck what you gotta huck! With a quick Indian lunch, a tacoed wheel ride through traffic and some street foolery we wrapped up the dirt day, only to start the next morning. Some more downhill blasts and random descents down ridges and it was time for our white buddy to pack up and fly back home to the mecca of mountain biking. With a quick bike store visit and more desi delicacies, its time to disperse again.For another dirt day soon…

We have been observing BMX scene too, and we were missing it so much that we finally decided to include it in our magazine and showcase the BMX scene. In this issue we interview Navi Singh from Chandigarh who has been riding BMX for a while.

Full Name: Navinder Singh Deol.Nickname: Navi Singh.Hometown: Chandigarh.Favorite Drinks: Pepsi, RedBull.Music: Rock, Death Metal, Trance, Dubstep, Hip-Hop.

1. When did you start riding BMX?I started doing bike tricks when I was 15 years old. Now I’m 17.

2. Who influenced you and how?I got inspired by Matthias Dandois, who is a French rider. Since the day I did see him on my computer’s screen I always wanted to be a Pro BMX Flatland Rider and ride like he does. I saw his video of the contest named ‘Rivera Ninja Spin’ of 2009, and got crazy for his skills. At that time, I didn’t even know that this type of BMX riding is called Flatland. I saw all his videos and read all his interviews, and came to know more about him, and of course, I came to know more about BMX.

3. What do you do for living?I’ve not started earning yet. I’m in high school.

4.What bike do you ride?I ride a Mirraco 5 star.

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Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 32THE FREE SIKH

5. We know BMX is your thing, but do you ride mountain bikes?I used to ride a mountain bike before I started Flatland riding. In 2008, I had a deadly crash, which almost did put me on a wheelchair. I didn’t want to leave, but I was forced to. Later I started riding again, but this time it was not a mountain bike.BMX.6. Which BMX comp do you dream to compete at?Well, I can’t name one, there is a huge list. But most impor-tant contests for me are ‘Red-Bull Fight with Flight’ and ‘Ninja Spin’. I know I’ll go there one day.

7. Your opinion on road biking?**DID NOT ANSWER **

8. What is your favorite trick and what new move are you working on?Right now, my favorite tricks are Cross Foot Turbines (rear wheel), Hang-5 and Hitch-hiker. I’m also working on a ton of other tricks, like the Wheel-Chair, Rocket-Whip/ Bunny hop Tail whip, Double-foot Turbines and Upside Down Mega spin. After I complete all of these, I’ll be working on every other trick that my mind can think of.

9. Your greatest achievement to date?The Hitch-hiker. After working on it for 5 months, I finally learnt the switch and rolled that trick. That day was the happiest day of my life.


10. Your worst cycling experience?In 2008 (before I started Bmx riding) I used to ride my mountain bike around the city. I tried a drop, which was as high as 7 feet. Not so sure of my safe landing, I still went forward. Finally, as expected, I ended up flipping forward with a face landing (without a helmet). For a minute I was not even sure about me being alive. I stayed there for an hour, and later, I went to the doctor by myself. All this ended up with a fractured arm, and a LOT of other internal injuries. Even the frame of my bike did break into two. I cannot forget that day; you can still see the scar on my face.

11 Broken bones and parts?I broke my right arm (twice). You will always find my legs wounded anyway.Parts- Rear wheel (thrice, while learning the bunnyhop tailwhip); Handlebars (6 times);Stem (thrice); frame (once); Axles and Spokes (I don’t remember how many times did I break them).


12. What are your current and future goals in life and what are you doing to achieve these goals?Currently, I aim at completing my high school; have a driving license; and learn as many tricks as possible. In future I aim at going abroad- England; becoming a pro Bmx Flatland rider; getting married (lol); and obviously, getting admission in a college. Studies and Bmx go together. Many riders leave studying when they become a pro rider, I also thought so, but a few words of my friend changed my mind. He said, “You can ride Bmx till you’re young. But when you’ll cover the age of 45, you cannot ride a Bmx and put the food on the table at the same time.”

13. What would you have been doing if you were not into BMX riding?If Bmx was not there in my life, I would have been in my school’s football team. I used to play football with my friends, all day long. I must say, me and my friend (Vikas Teji) grew up together, playing football.

14. You have been invited to many places for demos. Do you have any favorites?Not yet. I’ve been riding in the North part of India only.But 2012 comes with great Events and Contests. I’m going to go to Shillong, and soon after this I’m going to go to Chennai. I know these trips are going to be exciting, and I’m well prepared with my tricks to face them.

15. Before we wrap it up, do you want to give any shout-outs or Words of advice?Well, I must say, Flatland is not an easy thing. It involves a huge amount of concentration, patience and stamina. Many people, who come into flatland riding, leave after a short period of time. Maybe because they’re not pa-tient enough. There’s a weird point of time in every rider’s life. This point forces us to quit. But, a true rider never does. I’ve been through the same time, and I’m still riding. Bmx is always developing. One or the other guy does a trick which the whole world can’t even think of. Take an example- Adam Kun, a Flatland rider from Hungary, invented the Monster Whip recently. It’s not that we cannot do it. There are always the possibilities of success, it’s just that we have to identify the beast within ourselves. I did, and I know you’ll do that too. Just don’t quit, never give up, never back down! Keep riding, keep practicing, and you’ll be a pro rider in no time.

Up until two year ago downhill riding and racing was little heard about in Nepal, strange considering the country boasts the “Biggest” mountains in the world! The sport of downhill racing has long had an image of being a rich man’s sport with the cost of bikes, equipment and transport involved, making this sport out of reach for the average Nepalese rider. But thanks to a group of dedicated downhill enthusiastic and a great community of riders in Nepal the sport is now opening up and becoming more assessable to the young people. Yesterday, Christmas eve the 24th December 2011 was a special occasion for this development. Once again Chain organized a downhill race, its second championship.

When the first concept of properly organized downhill races was introduced little over two years ago only 11 or so participants where able to participate. Yesterday as Chain relaxed the rules to allow hard tails 27 riders took part in the race. The majority of riders where first timers and under the age of 19. It was so inspiring to see these enthusiastic youths pelt down the 1.9km course on an assortment of full suspension bikes, hard tails, free ride bikes, street trails bikes, some of the kids didn’t even have proper full face helmets so wore motor bike helmets instead and some even raced on cross country bikes with SPD shoes and jeans on because they had no body armor for protection! Pushing bikes up the hill to the start was not an easy task either.

There were crashes and tears, broken bikes and flat tires, but there was also spectacular flying jumps, courage and brave performances!

The way forward for the future of Down Hill racing in Nepal!

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNY LAMA


Whats Up

The excitement increased in the final heat with the riders starting from slowest to fastest. Shyam Lumbhu who had a mishap in the first round to finish in perhaps the record slowest time of 12:07:27 scorched the trail and posted an impressive time of 02:48:96 which put him in the hot seat as over 20 other riders came down the slope. He was finally ousted by Suraj Pandey in 02:45:04 who’s stay was brief when Parmeshowr Pokharel improved his first heat time by 10 seconds posted a time a time of 02:38:04. Raj Kumar Nepalie was the last rider on course and everyone had their hearts in their mouths as the Himalayan Single Track sponsored rider came into view through the pine trees and within striking distance of the finish line, the timing was close, but he nailed the last big jump perfectly and peddled his heart out to reach the finish line in the winning time of 02:37:24.

We will never forget the images of the first time downhill races like Rajan Bhandari belting down the trail on his ATX Pro Giant hard tail with and over-sized motorbike helmet on, or Santosh Rai ripping up the trail on a borrowed bike, also in his first downhill race to be only one of two hard tail riders to go under 3:00:00, amazingly he finished in 8th position over-all, or Ron Bai on a Cube all mountain, two sizes too big for him, hanging onto the handle bars as he flew over the jumps! These are the images of courage and stout heart and good spirit that make’s champions in the future. This is downhill racing in Nepal!

The best thing to come out of the day was the smiles on everyone’s faces and the sense of community and support from local’s, established downhill riders, supports, volunteers and the Nepal Cycling Association and of course the riders, without this team work events like this would never happen. We hope to see more in the future as with more events the potential to unearth and develop some future champions for international competition will hopefully arise.

The race was held over the first half of the national championship course, 1.9km of winding down hill through the pine trees and some pretty daunting jumps, the whole course was back dropped by big blue skies and the snow capped peaks of the Himalayan serving as a reminder that we were in Nepal!

The first heat sorted out the fast from the slow. Impressive rides where posted by Gaurav Ghimire on a street trails bike, he took 6th ranking with his time of 02:53:58, Raj Kumar the champ from Pokhara screamed down the trail un-fazed and took first ranking in the what would turn out to be the fastest time of the day 02:35:88, Victor Shrestha, Umang Shrestha, Suraj Pandey, Tenzing Gurung and Purushottam Pokharel where other riders to go sub 3 minutes and fill out the top ten rankings going into the final heat.


FRESH JUICE

Vinay Menon tests Psynide Components

BTwin SG800/SG800 Optic reviewed byVaibhav Nijhowne


High performance mountain bike components and India may not be a union you would come across often. That is until now. Step in “PSYNYDE Bikes & Components”, a Pune City based per-formance bicycle products manufacturer. Designed and evolved by one of India’s veteran mountain bikers, Praveen Prabhakaran. An animator by profession whose been machining out high per-formance CNCed bike jewelry for over a year now. Everything from headset binders to frames have been on his design and execute chart for the past few years. Not one to compromise on quality, Psynyde products hope to share shelf space with other leading bike component brands from across the globe.

Bashring “Tooth Fairy”: 104BCD/36T, 4 bolt, 6082Al, Red anodized w/laser etched logos

Headset Binder: 6082AlCap w/star flange nut, Laser etched logos

Psynyde components looked promising when I received them for testing earlier in October. Two months into trashing and the red anodized Bash Ring, Stem, Headset Binder and Seat Collar are still fighting strong. Here is a detailed account of how Psynyde plays.

STEM “Masheen”: 50mm reach, 35mm stack height, 31.8 bar clamp, 6082Al, Black/Red anodized w/laser etched logos

Seat Collar: 6082Al, single 5mm bolt, Red anodized w/laser etched logo

Overall Impression: The stem did its duties pretty fine. The super rigid and slip free Psynyde “Masheen” with its striking Black/Red anodized finish added spark to the OEM setup. The seat collar with its single bolt design was easy to install and never failed. The simpler star flanged nut and a bling red anodized cap added to the stems bright package. While the bash ring is working in sync with my stock Gamut chain guide, the fit and design of the Psynyde “tooth fairy” bash ring is neat in itself. With deeper scoop outs on the 6082Al plate, Psynyde has worked on making its bash ring lighter.So far the anodizing too is holding up pretty well through the test.Hope this Indian brand of bike blingery rides a long way and crops more performance bike names waving the Indian tri colors.

Psynyde Bikes & Components (INDIA)

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It’s good that Decathlon are bringing in more and more cycling products from their stable into the country. The latest thing we’ve got our hands on are their range of sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. These are specifically designed for cyclists and the ergonomics go to show. They are lightweight and comfortable and they do rest high up on your nose and hence stay in your line of vision even if your head is inclined downwards when you’re riding in an aggressive stance. We have tested 2 models on a long term basis - the SG 800 and the SG 800 Optic. Both these cool shades have 4 different tones of interchangeable lenses: clear (rain), yellow (cloudy), brown (mixed) and grey (sunny). So you can choose which lens suits the weather, click in, and ride out. Added to that, the lenses are polycarbonate (which makes them shatterproof) and claim 100% UV protection!

The design of both pairs is very similar. The major difference being that the Optic model comes with an interesting add-on frame for prescription glasses that snugly fits behind the shades! Rejoice my bespectacled bikers! The Optic has 2 separate lenses for left and right while the Basic model has a single piece lens. This does make it slightly cumbersome to change, whereas the Optic is easier to change one lens at a time. On the other hand, the prescription lens can end up being too close to your eyes and brushes with your lashes. But you can easily adjust the rubber nose bridge to increase the distance of the frame from your nose. This is a good feature that both the models have, in terms of comfort and adjustability.The one thing we could have done without is the humungous case that these shades come in. It’s a bit too bulky for my liking and after all, we’re riding bikes, not cars, so smaller is better!The price tag these retail at is rather attractive though - with the SG 800 retailing for 1599 Rs and the SG 800 Optic for 1799 Rs. Given the fit, finish and versatility of these shades, I’d say they are money well spent!

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Photo: Jeron H | Rider: Basher| Location: South England

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Documents

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #7