Riding the south indian coast!

[vaibhavb]

hey fellow biking enthusiasts --

A few friends of mine and I are riding along the southern Indian coast
this December --
http://ramblings.vitraag.com/2010/08/biking-along-the-indian-peninsula/

I was wondering if any of you guys have done it, and had more
pointers. Also along the line what are good bike shops to buy a
touring bike in Bangalore (some of people joining the ride want to buy
a bike in Bangalore).

regards.
Vaibhav

[Shree Kumar]

Hi Vaibhav,

Good to see this. I have ridden most of the route you have outlined. I can't really comment on the roads now, since my rides were done in 2003 and 2005 ! I don't need to tell you that the ride on the coast till Gokarna is very scenic, and till Udupi somewhat less so.

Here are some suggestions :
 - research your route better. I can't believe you guys have missed out Trichy, Tanjavur, Chidambaram & Rameshwaram. The ride from Ramanathapuram to Rameshwaram is something you shouldn't miss too !
 - with 100 km a day, you still have plenty of time for sight seeing. I've done that for many years - so you should be able to do so too.  Else, reduce the distance - you won't regret that decision.
 - learn some elementary Tamil if possible.
 - the book, "Lonely Planet - South India" is an excellent, well researched book. This makes it easy to find lodging, is a good reference for places to see, and gives you a fair idea of rates, cleanliness of the place, etc.

Happy Riding !
-- Shree
http://www.shreekumar.in/

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)

are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

[Sathya]

I'm doing the same route a little earlier between nov last week and
dec first week. I got a good update of roads from team bhp on all the
highways. Broadly most of the roads are in good condition except
tuticorin-tirechendur-kanyakumari section which you're skipping
anyway. Like Shree mentioned Chidambaram, Tanjavur, Rameshwaram are
places not to miss. I agree Madurai has a beautiful temple, but it
also means a good deal of riding uphill on your route and I decided to
skip that in the trade-off (also I've visited Madurai several times
before!). With an average of 200 kms a day for two weeks I want the
terrain as flat as possible!

The entire coastal belt in Kerala supposedly has good roads, but the
temples are not exactly on the coast apart from guruvayoor. Some of
the must visit temples, like chottanikkara bhagavathi, are much higher
up the ghats. I suggest reading through team bhp routes - I found some
sections interesting - like the cherai beach road (vypin) which has
water on either sides of the road. I also second the book 'lonely
planet - south india'.

Will update you on any bad roads we encounter soon after my trip!

On Nov 8, 11:01 am, Shree Kumar <shree.sh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Vaibhav,
>
> Good to see this. I have ridden most of the route you have outlined. I can't
> really comment on the roads now, since my rides were done in 2003 and 2005 !
> I don't need to tell you that the ride on the coast till Gokarna is very
> scenic, and till Udupi somewhat less so.
>
> Here are some suggestions :
>  - research your route better. I can't believe you guys have missed out
> Trichy, Tanjavur, Chidambaram & Rameshwaram. The ride from Ramanathapuram to
> Rameshwaram is something you shouldn't miss too !
>  - with 100 km a day, you still have plenty of time for sight seeing. I've
> done that for many years - so you should be able to do so too.  Else, reduce
> the distance - you won't regret that decision.
>  - learn some elementary Tamil if possible.
>  - the book, "Lonely Planet - South India" is an excellent, well
> researched book. This makes it easy to find lodging, is a good reference for
> places to see, and gives you a fair idea of rates, cleanliness of the place,
> etc.
>
> Happy Riding !

> -- Shreehttp://www.shreekumar.in/

[Nishanth Varma]

The chotanikara temple has normal roads and is no high range stuff. I used to cycle every day evng from cochin during my collage days
Regards

Nishanth varma

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

[htedum]

Vaibhav, about touring bikes locally available, I think pickings are
thin. I'm in the market right now (picking up a Sutra probably in the
next couple of days, IF fit works out).

I guess your options are limited to the Kona Sutra (Alpesh from
RiderOwned, Pune) and the Cannondale Touring (Track & Trail). The
former is a solid bike from what I've read, but has some quality
control issues with the eyelets where the rear rack mounts. The
touring is reputedly a great bike, but is Cannondale-expensive. :)

Your other option is to go with a tried and tested mountain-bike
(4300D/F7/The Giants).

[san2411]

Hows Kona smoke for touring(even though its not a tourer). Have seen
couple BZers using it as a tourer.

[manish Rajput]

On a slightly diff note,

Has anyone converted Trek 4300 (2009) to a touring bike?

I mean is it possible to attach front and rear racks for it? if yes, which brands are recommended and where can I get them from?

 

Regards,

Manish Rajput.

9886262327

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)

are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--
Regards,
My Web Tailor.
[Manish Rajput]

[Ravishankar Balasubramanya]

I did part of the route last year . I rode from Mysore to Cochin
through Gudlur , Gurvayoor.
The roads in Kerala were extremely narrow with high traffic and
pretty rash too .

I went to Ernakulam through the Cherai beach road , The road next to
the beach was great but after a couple of kilometers it turned to bad
and to worse . It may be a good idea to return back to main road after
Cherai.

Cheers,
R

> Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--
Cheers,
Ravi

[htedum]

Lots of people tour on MTBs <http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/
categories/?o=RrzKj&category_id=348&doctype=journal>. They have a lot
of plus points for touring - they're solid, comfortable, take fenders,
wide wheels, have lower gearing, stable, etc. The only problem with
newer MTBs are that they're aluminium. That said, it shouldn't be a
problem unless you're doing an around-the-world tour.

You should be able to attach rear racks to it, not sure about front.
Brands - Tubus, Topeak, Surly. Check http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/
and http://www.thetouringstore.com/.

> > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comfor more details

[krishna kumar]

hi friend,

         If want to do kerala ride please check about whether.... last time i gone my native in kerala. i stuck in rain in my rides and please take care of riding in kerala roads. the roads are very narrow some time in NH also some time u face bad roads too and traffic is too high. Please take care of KSRTC & Private buses... don't ride in nights....
 
" BURN YOUR FAT NOT FUEL....!!! "

With Regards,
Krishna
+919611905879
+917795257227

[Shree Kumar]

Manish,

This is way too much OT from the subject of the email - or the solicited input. Please start another thread for this if you agree.

Thanks
-- Shree
http://www.shreekumar.in/

[vaibhavb]

hi fellow biking ethusiasts --

Thanks a lot for all the information and pointers.

Based on some feedback and more research I've finalized the following
route --
http://ramblings.vitraag.com/2010/11/riding-the-southern-peninsula/

Please feel free to send comments my way.

@Shree -- Thanks for input, i did incorporate your feedback.

@Sathya -- It will be great if we can share a private e-mail with
contact information. I would love to talk to you after your ride. Also
can you send me a pointer to team BHP's resources?

@Sans2411 -- yes friends of mine are thinking of getting the Kona
Smoke.

@Ravi -- yes i'm finding it a little harder to Navigate Kerala past
Trivandrum. We are leaning towards taking a train to Mangalore, but
even before that it will be atleast good to ride up to Kochi.

Thanks again folks!

regards,
Vaibhav

On Nov 9, 4:57 am, Ravishankar Balasubramanya <bravishan...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> >> > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformore details

>
> > --
> > biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> > are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?

> > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comfor more details
>
> --
> Cheers,
> Ravi