Crank with ProCycle March 2016

India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine

` 100/-

Volume 4 Issue 2 March 15th 2016

INSIDE

Exclusive: Bangalore Mountain Festival Ride to Light

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Official a n

COMMUTER BACKPACK

Cycling Federation of India

IN THIS ISSUE

Crank News Route

4 Industry News............................. 6 Race Reports.............................. 8 CFI news.....................................

Coffee with Crank

14 Ducks in a Row................................................ 18 Ride to Light.....................................................

Profiled Young Turk..............................

20 CycTech

22 Boys Toys................................ 26 Shop Talk................................

Tune your bike! Tweak your heart !

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EDITOR’S NOTE The CRANK with ProCycle Team Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor

Mr. Onkar Singh Bureau Head Joseph Anish

India North Bureau Ashish Sood

Marketing and Distribution Joseph Anish

anish@procycle.in, +91 97415 77884 Test Riders

Ajay Kamble Ritwik D Burman, Joseph Anish Issue contributors

Veloscope Photography, Daniel Marsden The Batti Project, CYCL All rights reserved by

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Hello Readers, When it comes to limitations, the only limit is on your mind, and proof to that are India’s star cyclists Naveen John, Deborah Herold. Deborah has been paving the way to take Indian cycling to the Olympics and has made her mark by getting ranked World number 4 in cycling. Crank is proud to have followed her journey and will continue to support her.

As the country’s leading cycling magazine, we have been constantly striving to get people to understand that cycling is not just about commuting or exercise or racing and our Exclusive story on the Batti Project that used bicycling as a means to generate awareness and funds for the underprivileged in remote sections of India.

This month, we focus on commuter accessories in our CycTech section that make commuting on bicycles easy, effective and safe.

ProCycle Showrooms Indiranagar

#226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560071 Tel: +91 98802 16064 Koramangala/HSR Layout New #12, Old #75, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, Koramangala 1st Block, Near HSR 5th Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 Website

www.procycle.in For queries regarding subscription write to subscribecrank@procycle.in To share a stroy, write to feedback@procycle.in Cover

Ajay Padval at BMF. Image by Veloscope Photography, Bangalore Back Cover

Awaiting Spring Printed by

Print 2 Last Solutions | info@print2last.in

As the Managing Editor of Crank with ProCycle, I know that my team sometimes gets hard pressed to choose one reader contribution over the other, but their unanimous feedback is that they always enjoy in knowing that the increase in the number of contributions showcase that we are only helping in growing the cycling community and we shall continue to do so.

Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher

L-R Ms. Deborah Mr. R K Sharma Ms. Kezia Varghese.

CFI NEWS

DEBORAH HEROLD HEADS TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Crank CFI Bureau

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n another first for Indian Professional cycling, star cyclist of India, Deborah Herold who has been carving her place in Track racing, is now the first Indian to head to the World Track Cycling Championship to be held in London from 2nd to 6th March 2016.

Over the last year, UCI has been holding various qualifying races across the globe. Only first 20 cyclists and 12 teams in a particular event qualify for the World Championships on the basis of the performance in the various registered UCI events during the year. Deborah was ranked 4th in Time Trial Event in the world as per the UCI ranking published on the 1st of Dec 2015 higher than the leading cyclists form Japan and Korea, while the team was placed at 13 that too highest among the Asian Cycling Countries. China was placed at no. 15 the only other Asian team appearing in the UCI ranking list in the same event.

This performance delivery of the Indian cyclists to be at top 20 is a grand achievement as we took on teams from 185 countries affiliated to UCI to get to this position. Since the inception of qualification system in World & Olympic event about four decade ago, this is the first ever feat of any Indian Cyclists for which credit goes to the efforts of the CFI and its Coaching department.

This has added another feather in the cap of Deborah and has brought laurels to the cycling family of the country. “This is a great sign for Indian cycling which is the result of the continuous efforts of the coaching team headed by Sh. R.K Sharma who is very optimistic of the performance of Deborah in the World Championship as well as other junior cyclists in the years to come.� said

by Onkar Singh Secretary General of the CFI. He reiterated that with continuous support from the Sports Authority of India, Cycling is bound to improve upon its standard and will definitely show results in various International events in near future.

Crank wishes the Indian team and Deborah all the very best at the World Championships.

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Deborah Herold

Delegates of Asia UCI Sharing Platform

CFI GEARS INDIA FOR INTERNATIONAL CYCLING Crank CFI Bureau

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ttending the ACC Management Committee Meeting held at Tokyo on the 25th Jan, 2016, Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, President and Mr. Onkar Singh, Secretary General, Cycling Federation of India respectively, showcased the efforts undertaken by CFI to host the Asian Track Cycling Championship scheduled to take place in New Delhi in February next year.

The following day, Mr. Onkar Singh attended the UCI sharing Platform (USP). This was Asia’s second UCI Sharing Platform and the topics shared were diverse, covering Indoor cycling in Macau, cycling for all in Iran, para-cycling in Japan and cycle tourism in Jordan. Twenty months after the Asian continent’s first USP in Astana (Kazakhstan), the UCI organised a second gathering of the continent’s National Federations. This year, the Japan Cycling Federation hosted the one-day seminar, which attracted more than 40 representatives from 27 Asian National Federations. The participating Asian Nations presented on the working of their respective Federations and discussed the possibilities of sharing the resources among Asian Countries.

satellite centre in New Delhi. He said he had appreciated having the opportunity to share his story with other National Federations: “We have shared a lot of ideas with different countries, some that have limited resources. We have also received information about UCI programs and how they can benefit us. It has been an incredible session.” He also added CFI’s plans for inviting other Asian Countries for training purpose at the World Satellite Centre set up at the Indira Gandhi Velodrome.

“I have found it all very useful,” said Navid Kasirian, International Relations Manager of the Cycling Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “I have got some new ideas, especially concerning indoor cycling, and I will be putting forward some propositions to our Federation President Khosro Ghamari.”

With opportunities like the USP to showcase of our cycling laurels and a detailed report of the progress of cycling in India, the CFI has certainly grabbed global eyes towards the sport in India and will strive to do so with the World Satellite Centre.

The seminar was attended by UCI President Brain Cookson who was impressed by the motivation and commitment of the participants and said, “Cycling in Asia is going from strength to strength, and from listening to the National Federations it is clear why. The stories we have heard from the continent’s different nations are inspiring. A great deal of work is being carried out in both the smaller and larger nations, and across all disciplines.

Different countries face different challenges as they govern our sport, and the UCI Sharing Platform provides them with an ideal opportunity to share their experiences and create a solid network that will help them enormously as they continue to grow cycling in their territories.”

The Secretary General of the Cycling Federation of India, Onkar Singh, talked to the USP about the new UCI World Cycling Centre

ACC Meeting photo

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2016

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INDUSTRY NEWS Firefox Bikes’ Stall

Shiv Inder Singh,CEO,Fire Fox Bikes launching Firfox Swiss Miliyary bikes at Auto Expo 2016

FIREFOX BIKES ANNOUNCES NEW RANGE OF BICYCLES Crank India North Bureau

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n a bid to provide a whole new experience to its customers, Firefox Bikes in collaboration with Swiss Military announced the new range of FIREFOX SWISS MILITARY co-branded bikes at the recent Auto Expo 2016 held in Greater Noida.

Firefox Bikes has joined hands with Swiss Military for introducing international standard value for money bike models for youth. With this new association Firefox Bikes aims to expand its range of bikes and reach out to the young and restless biking enthusiasts.

Shiv Inder Singh, CEO, Firefox Bikes said, “I believe that our association with Swiss Military will bring the Indian bikers a great new range of bikes made for the rugged mountains. We are planning to launch the new models by mid of financial year 2016-17 within the price range of Rs. 12,000 to 20,000. In the first year of launch, we expect to sell around 10,000 bikes.”

Commenting on the partnership, Anuj Sawhney, Managing Director, Swiss Military, said, “There is great synergy when two global

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brands combine their mutual strengths for a common purpose.

This is especially true when both teams in question have a similar perspective of making world-class innovative products for the masses. In that respect Firefox / Hero, is the ideal partner for Swiss Military and we are bound to achieve great milestones together with this new association.”

“Firefox Bikes have been providing newer versions and variations of bikes for people to enjoy the ride, and be a part of an environment friendly drive. With these bikes Firefox Bikes is focusing into the mid-segment of city bikers” informed Ajit Gandhi, Marketing Head, Firefox Bikes.

Within a short span of time, Firefox Bikes has made a huge impact in the biking industry, it has over 200 bike stations located across India and 1 in Bhutan. Firefox Bikes plans to expand its retail presence with 10 additional outlets in the next quarter and 30 new stores each successive year.

BANGALORE’S FAVOURITE BICYCLE SUPERSTORE INDIRANAGAR | KORAMANGALA/HSR Discover a world of premium bikes from global brands, genuine spares, impeccable service and expert advice at ProCycle, Bangalore’s bike superstore. Great rental plans too.

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+91 80 2550 1967

At the start line

RACE REPORT

MVS COIMBATORE CYCLING CARNIVAL

Scott Rider Faizal in Action

Crank India South Bureau

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he Kari Motor Speedway is known for hosting some of the fastest motorsport events in the country. It has also managed to become the proving grounds for many racers across man disciplines who have gone on to achieve greater things in the field of motorsport racing.

Once a year, the Kari Motor Speedway is transformed to accommodate cyclists in Criterium style racing with its sharp curves and high speed tarmac. This year, the organizers decided to scale from a mere Criterium and made the event in to an entire carnival and included off road enthusiasts as well as an event for kids to enjoy the tarmac.

The event was hosted over a period of 2 days between 6th and 7th Feb, 2016 with the main event of the Criterium reserved for the 7th.

The Enduro race for the mountain biking enthusiasts was held at a newly created track around a Mango grove near the speedway. The race saw many new and young talents. One among them being a new face in Indian mountain biking from Manipur and the youngest

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Indian to scale Mt. Everest, Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba and is the newest addition to the SCOTT Future stars program.

The race had multiple categories across Men, Women of different age groups and an open category of even children on training

Womens Category start

wheels. The categories were Under 18, Amateur Men and Women, Masters Men and Women, Elite Men and Women and Veterans Men and Women for riders aged above 55 years of age. The race organizers also arranged for transport of the bicycles given the remote location of both the race tracks.

The Criterium timing was managed via transponders fixed to the bicycle. The race was a flying start and was checked at regular points for malpractices and to ensure clean racing. The Elite category race saw some serious competition from across the country. Many riders from Bangalore and Trivandrum showed up with the intention of giving the competition from Coimbatore a serious run for their money. The MVS Criterium has been one of the favourite races of amateurs and riders who have now become professionals. and this year’s addition of the kids category only helped more cyclists to get a flavour for racing.

Scott Sports India and Tissot were the biggest supporters of the event and have ensured a good event for all members of the family to participate in.

Enduro Action

The participants stood a chance to win between Rs. 8,000/- to Rs. 30,000/- for the winners as prize money. JK Aswin from Coimbatore is a new face in MTB racing from the South and has managed to bag the second place in the three stage Enduro race with a total time of 0:09:59 only 19 seconds behind the winner. The winner of the Elite Criterium race, Mr. Sreedhar Savanur, who should be nick named Criterium specialist, set his best lap time of 3:06:260.

Men Elite

Sreedhar Savanur Basavaraj Kadapatti Jetharam Gat

Total Time 01:01:48:089 01:01:48:125 01:01:48:309

Masters Men Shankar Jayaram Hari Menon S Selvakumar

00:39:11:508 00:39:11:598 00:39:45:513

Masters Women Shanti Srihari Dr. Revathy Hariharan Shanti Rajkumar

00:36:03:721 00:35:00:597 00:36:01:753

U 18 Boys J. K Aswin Ballesh Ningappa Savanur Faizal

00:40:05:031 00:40:05:045 00:40:05:048

Enduro Satyam J. K Aswin Sreenath L

0:09:40 0:09:59 0:10:04

Children enjoying the track

Winners Circle

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2016

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Trail Run Start

BANGALORE MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL Crank Bengaluru Bureau

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n a first of its kind event, Bangalore got all its active life enthusiasts from different disciplines together at one place. The Bangalore Mountain Festival held between 6th and 7th Feb, 2016 near Nandi hills was being conspired for quite a few months now.

Bangalore being the unofficial capital of Indian cycling was long overdue for some serious activity that involved everyone from enthusiast to professionals.

The Bangalore Mountain Festival (BMF) hosted three rugged sports, Trail run, Cross Country Mountain biking and Downhill Mountain biking.

Bengaluru had near reached saturation point with the existing locations to carry out these sports at a competitive level and something new had to come along. News of trail building for the Downhill track had come our way at least 4-5 months ago and all else was kept well guarded. Downhill riders from across the country and even the Indian Dakar King, Santosh CS himself had inputs in putting together the DH track used at the festival.

For the first time in India, ladder bridges were used to create a smooth track to help reduce hang time and set fast lap times for racers.

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Trail Run Course

The entire track was freshly carved and created on the side of the hill that hosts the Thimmaraya Swamy Temple on the Devanahalli-Nandi Hills road.

Runners and cyclists from Bangalore have been going to Nandi hills often to train. The climb made for good strength training and the conditions of the roads have always been pristine. With the utilization of the back tracks of Nandi in the previous season on BBCh (Bangalore Bicycle Championship) as the course for Downhill racing, the idea of Nandi hills being the ultimate adrenaline junkie rest stop had somewhat peaked.

The entire idea was conceptualized by Sunil Nanjappa who has been an active cyclist and community enthusiast for quite some time now. He teamed up with a merry band of mountain bikers like him to conceive the event and with the help of Balu, Rajnikat, Preetham, Mohan, Yashas and Ajay Padval, he managed to bring the idea to reality.

BMF hosted over 70 trail runners, 30 Cross country cyclists and 20 of the finest DH warriors from across the country. The team from the Indian Air Force graced the running fields while Kiran Kumar Raju who is the current Indian National MTB champion bit it out at the Cross Country race. The DH race however turned out to be the most dominating on the number of eye balls. It brought together many of the Indian DH Bombers whom we had featured a few issues ago. These are pioneers like Vinay Menon, Nilesh Dhumal and Scott’s rising star, Piyush Chavan. DH is fast growing in India and proof of that was many teenagers who showed up on entry level hard tail MTB’s to take on the DH track.

Runners High

The runners and cross country riders had nothing to be disappointed about with the slight shift in glory towards the DH riders. In fact, the trail run did not just include some grass patches here and there. It included challenges like multiple flights of stairs, running alongside a lake, some steep climbs on rocky paths and naturally occurring obstacles sprinkled with short flat sprint sections.

XC Start

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DH Jumps

All three races were hosted on a single day with the first day of the event allotted for inspection of the course and dry runs followed by some good old school camping under the stars in the open mountain winds.

The festival was kept open for men and women’s category and from kids of 16 years to veterans upto 60. While the obvious trend was the young ones got attracted to the most new sport of DH. Many of the seasoned participants were enthusiastic towards the 10kms run and the Cross Country Riding.

BMF has opened out a great avenue for enthusiasts who have been looking for newer grounds to prove their mettle in.

With sponsorships from Ajmal properties and support from lifestyle brands like Haul, Lumos, Merida among others BMF can only help grown these extreme adventure sports in a bustled city like Bangalore.

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XC Sprint sections

DH and XC Winners

Cycling in the Snow - L - Rajavel from Bangalore

FEATURE

RIDE TO LIGHT Crank India East Bureau

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ndia is known for its diverse culture and geographic expanse.

The North East and the Himalayas have always enchanted the rest of the nation and the world. Arunachal Pradesh is the farthest state in the East of India and is where the Himalayas in India begin. It is a state known for its unique tribal culture and for being a popular destination for many adventure sports activities.

Crank tracks down the story of a cycling tour across Arunachal Pradesh that has a lot more than simply pedalling involved.

The Further & Beyond foundation based out of Bangalore spearheads The Batti Project which aims at providing sustainable basic lighting to the remotest inhabitants of North East India.

Starting off The first step to fixing any developmental issue is to create awareness about it. The Batti Project has been running for over five years now and has successfully raised funds to light thousands of homes in remote Arunachal Pradesh.

The folks at Batti have over the many years spent along with the locals, discovered that sustainable employment is also becoming a fast growing problem. Adventure sports in Arunachal can become seasonal and making the most of allows the youth there to look

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at other options during off season times. With the idea of providing a solution to this problem and help raise more funds for completing the next stage of lighting up many more villages, Rajiv Rathod and Merwyn Coutinho, founders of The Batti Projet conceptualized an innovative fundraising tool a cycle tour across the scenic mountains of Arunchal Pradesh and called it Ride to Light.

Ride to Light brought about the much required attention towards their cause along with facilitating fund raising to reach their target of lighting is aiming to light up 1500 homes in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in the next year and another 7000 homes

Some hard climbs

Soaking the nature

Refreshments and Rest

in the next 5 years.. What it gave to cyclists in return is the option to explore a whole new terrain and route and bring about a spirit of wanderlust which was the base instinct that formed the Batti Project in the first place. The participation was limited to 10 as this was the first edition of the tour and making sure that everything went well was really crucial to carrying out many more editions of it. The participants were to register by paying a fee of Rs. 20,000/- and then raise an additional Rs. 40,000/- individually from their supporters.

Getting some rest in

The ride was six days long, starting on 26th Jan and ending on 2nd February, 2016. The tour took the cyclists through a total distance of 300 kilometres across Lohit district, Dibang and Lower Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Ride to Light started from Tezu, Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh and progressed to Roing, Lower Dibang Valley district which was where Batti’s operations

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2016

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Camp Life

first began. The tour took the riders to Mayodia (the highest point in Lower Dibang Valley district at 2655m above sea level) and ended at Anini in Dibang valley district.

Ride to Light was supported with facilities like a mechanic and support vehicles, one for leading the riders and the other as a broom wagon. The riders even had a runner on a cycle who shuffled between pacing different riders making sure that no one got left behind. Since it was not a race, there were regular refreshment and lunch stops. The riders were also supported in terms of stays at night by setting up tents in some very pristine locations.

There was also a kitchen and camping crew that helped in setting up the tents and preparing meals so the tired riders did not have much to worry about after a day’s long ride.

The cyclists were exposed to an alternative cycling event. Through the event, the riders experienced a completely different landscape, terrain and scenic beauty. They also gained some surface knowledge of the region and its people through interaction with the Idu Mishmi tribe. And finally, some funds to light up more houses in the region was successfully raised.

The Batti Project is dear to its founders as it has now become to the riders and supporters who were part of the Ride to Light and many of them promise not just to come back themselves, but also to bring in more hands to help support their cause and more legs to brave the hill climbs of Arunachal Pradesh.

Catching up

Just a kilometre left

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1YEAR ` 720 12 ISSUES at 40% OFF the cover price DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP PLUS some surprise goodies along the way To subscribe, mail a cheque in favour of ‘PROCYCLE AND SPORTS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED’ to our corporate office (address below) along with your details or drop by one of the ProCycle showrooms (adresses below) and pay cash.

For queries, call Joseph Anish on +91 97415 77884 or email anish@procycle.in Showroom: l Indiranagar - #226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560071.

Tel: +91 98802 16064 l Koramangala / HSR Layout - New #12, Old #75, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, Koramangala 1st Block, Near HSR 5th Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 l Sanjaynagar - #126, 80ft Road, RMV 2nd Stage, Ashwath Nagar, Bangalore - 560094 Corporate Office: Indiranagar - 226, 1st floor, 1st Main Road, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bengaluru - 560071. Tel: +91 80 41161902

Ducks in a Row Backpack

PRODUCT FEATURE

COMMUTER BACKPACK aniSh

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lifestyle brand from Tel Aviv called DUCKS IN A ROW has made cyclist backpacks that is modern, elegant, chic and practical. This unique backpack is a combination of lifestyle and high-tech.

With the increase in people using a bicycle for regular commute there comes the lack of a specialist product that lets you carry all that you need throughout a regular day without having to attach a trailer to your bicycle. The Duck in a row backpack could be the answer to it. It has a convenient touch screen pocket which allows users can navigate GPS and handle music without having to stop riding. This is a must have feature for urban cyclists. The founders of DUCKS IN A ROW discovered it was difficult to find a backpack that offered an elegant solution for carrying a laptop and looking

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Helmet Connector

professional yet stylish while riding a bicycle, so they created one.

The creators of DUCKS IN A ROW, Anna Brosh and Tony Julie, worked together in a leading international photo bag company and decided to follow their true passion. They have created a solution for sophisticated urban city cyclists who seek style and fashion in their cycling backpack while upholding convenience.

The DUCKS IN A ROW backpack not only looks great, but protects your laptop and makes your life easier by connecting to your handlebars and leaving your shoulders free. “We set out to bring our take on urban fashion to sophisticated commuters who cycle to work,� said Anna Brosh, co-founder of Ducks In a Row. The DUCKS IN A ROW backpack has a

Handle Bar connection

simple handlebar connection which leaves cyclists’ shoulders free and keeps riders’ shirts and suits wrinkle free, fresh and tidy. The pack also has helmet connectors, so you can make your high power conference call when you walk towards your parked bicycle while sipping on coffee and not getting a feeling that an extra hand would have been wonderful.

The backpacks will be available in Caramel or Dark Brown vegetable-tanned leather and each backpack comes with two designer water resistant rain covers, one for the pack to keep valuable contents dry , the other for your saddle.

“While developing this bag, we focused on creating the best solution for urban commuters’ every day needs which include functionality, style and fashion,” added Brosh. DUCKS IN A ROW’s luxurious design and choice of materials creates a truly elegant bag and its many useful features are designed to offer solutions to your every need.

Its other features include a blinker connector, a quick access top pocket, a comfortable organizer and enough padded space to hold up to a 15” laptop.

Getting a commuter cyclists’ ducks in a row could never have been simpler. You can pre order yours at http://www.ducksinarowpacks.com/

Matching rain cover for the pack and your saddle

Anna Brosh and Tony Julie

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2016

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DH Skills

YOUNG TURK

NAMEIRAKPAM CHINGKHEINGANBA Crank India East Bureau

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ountain biking in India is climbing peaks at a fast rate and many youngsters are taking to the sport.

The newest athlete to hit the spotlight is Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba. He is from the Far East of the country from Manipur and is a natural at manoeuvring on mountains.

Nganba as he is affectionately called, is the youngest India to ascend the Mount Everest at the age of 15. His father is the co- founder of Manipur Mountaineering & Trekking Association (MMTA) & his mother is a gold medallist at the National Games which steers his motivation in the right direction.

Nganba’s talents have been identified at an early age and is the newest to get signed on by SCOTT Sports Future Stars Program.

Nganba started exploring climbing at a very young age and slowly progressed onto

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Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba

mountain biking as a means for getting around camp sites. With his association with Noren Cycles in Imphal, Manipur he got introduced to good quality mountain biking and leant many riding techniques and even took up the sport competitively.

In his stint with racing, he has victory at the Kohima Downhill 2014 under his belt and has also participated in National Mountain Biking Championship in 2014 and 2015.

He has also participated in MTB challenges of Kerala and Uttarakhand.

After his sign up with SCOTT, his first race was the recent Coimbatore Cycling Carnival. With interests in Downhill racing, Nganba should be closely working with Piysuh Chavan, Scott’s first Future Star. He currently uses hill training and is on a path to improve his bike handling on technical tracks. He uses a Scott Genius 740, Spark 730 and a Scale 930 for his racing and training requirements. He is also focusing

on road cycling to improve his strength.

Nganba is young and has the potential to grow to great heights. He tells us that he hopes to climb to the levels of World Champion Nino Schurter.

SHOP TALK

TRACK STAND Images by Daniel Marsden

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Bicycle storage

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t Crank, we have been getting many letters about grief towards the good old kick stand. Most hate it, some cannot live without it and somehow none of the people who do either are using the kick stand for parking the bicycle. It has been learnt that leaning the bike against a wall or a fence is much preferred as opposed to having a skinny metal stick hold up the entire weight of our precious bicycles.

How then would one store the bicycle while at home or during a quick weekend wash or maintenance spree? The answer we found was the TrackStand by Od Designs from the heart of Yorkshire. Od Designs pride themselves in problem solving, innovative thinking and experienced craftsmanship and have been helping cyclists and the bicycle industry for the last four years.

Conventional bike stands are heavy, expensive and cumbersome. The TrackStand can be folded up and stored away in three simple motions. Designed for functionality, it is lightweight & compact but very sturdy. The TrackStand can be used as a single unit or can be connected to other TrackStands in order to present bikes before a race or on the shop floor. The TrackStand supports the bike by the chain and seat stays of any one side of the bike. It is fully adjustable in order to accommodate a large range of frame types and sizes, from the lightest of Track bikes to the heaviest of Down Hill Mountain Bikes.

Handmade at the Od workshop the TrackStand could very well be the solution to our bike storage woes.

TrackStand

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WingLights in Action

WINGLIGHTS Images by CYCL

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ommuter cyclists face a common problem of having to keep their hands off the handlebar long enough to indicate a turn signal and yet end up not being visible enough especially after dark. Sure we have all got blinkies and head lamps for visibility. But, turn visibility is still at stake.

CYCL, a London-based cycling accessory company founded by Italians Luca Amaduzzi and Agostino Stilli has just launched its new safety innovation - WingLights. WingLights are new directional indicators that make bikes more visible to motorists. Just like cars and motorbikes, cyclists can now make their intended directional changes visible to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

The WingLights can be snapped on and off the ends of your bike’s straight handlebars using strong magnets in seconds and are activated with a simple tap. The powerful amber light can flash at the same speed as car indicators, making every bike highly visible by day and night. WingLights are shockproof and 100% waterproof, making them tough and ready for urban cycling.

CYCL WingLights come in two versions. One is the magnetic removable edition and the other is non-removable without magnetic attachments. The product features two universal mounters that attach in the handlebar ends, with a magnet that allows the lights to stick firmly to each mounter. When the WingLights are removed they clip together to form a keyring that can be hooked to the cyclist’s backpack or belt preventing theft and loss of the lights.

Simple and innovative and amplifies safety factor by many folds.

Crank will bring you more such safety products and in return, all we ask of you is to #getoutandride.

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Easy Storage

BOYS’ TOYS

TOPEAK ROCKET MT - RS. 3230 When it comes to compact hand pumps, Topeak makes some of the best products. The Rocket MT is meant for all kinds of valves just like any other valve, but this one is intelligent and requires less caveman like efforts in switching from one valve to the other. An extendable hose with SmartHead™ ThreadLock fills Presta and Schrader valves with ease and helps take stress off the valve stem when filling the tire. Its efficient and smooth action inflates tires to 90 psi / 6 bar. Compact in size it easily fits in a jersey pocket or saddle bag and with a low weight of only 114g.

ZEFAL TIRE LINER RS. 1000 Punctures have the top rank in the most annoying thing to happen during a ride.

We’ve got patch kits and compact pumps for fixing them holes, but a simple way of preventing them is installing a tire liner. the Zefal Z liner are made of Polyurethane and makes for a great one time solution to avoid punctures. Installing it is fairly hassle free and as an added measure, ensuring correct tire pressure adds to the prevention of punctures. Tire liners are available across all tire sizes and are easily identifiable based on colours.

GET OUT & RIDE!

RNI No. KARENG04437

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