Ride to Hessarghatta and Madhurekere

Did a short loop of about 70 Km this morning, to two lakes in North- and - Northwest Bangalore. Cyclone thane caused some rain in the early hours and soaked us completely within the first hour. The sky remained an angry gray throughout and threatened us with a little drizzle here and there.

The route is almost entirely flat so we made excellent time till Hessarghatta, and then onward to Madhurekere. The lake was dry, with a couple of ponds here and there. Saw a few water birds but when they sensed that they were being watched, and quickly took cover in the grasses.

SH74 at Madhurekere

The road is fantastically good except for a really bad stretch just after Madhurekere, and pretty quiet too. Ideal for a peaceful ride on a lazy weekend


View Hessarghatta - Madhurekere Loop in a larger map

Disc Brake Caliper Adjustment

After a prolonged problem with disc-rub with my disc brakes I finally solved it. The solution is documented very well on the Utah Mountain Biking site. Here are some two pictures with some additional comments to help you out.

Step 1:
Loosen "the two bolts that hold the main body of the brake onto the fork "

At this point make absolutely sure of two things:
1. The wheel is correctly placed in the dropouts and the quick release is completely tightened.

2. The brake cable is not snagged anywhere and the ends of the housings are properly seated.

It is highly recommended to have the bike upside down since this way it is easier to get at the assembly and spin the wheels at will.

Now tighten the Inside pad adjustment screw. This will move the inside pad closer and closer to the disc. Later you will need to loosen it off. You should tighten this 75-100% of the way in so you will have that much more margin when loosening it off.

Use a torch shining light into the gap to inspect the clearances.





Update: Here is the manual for TekTro IO Mechanical Disc brakes, which come standard on the Rockrider 5.3. Also cached here.

Important Fine Print Disclaimer: These instructions are not to be read in isolation, but as additional comments to the link I have posted and other material on the subject. I am not responsible if you wreck your bike with your DIY.

A fresh look at an old road...

Many of us have traveled a number of times on Hessarghatta Road, making it one of the most familiar roads for bikers in North Bangalore.However it can sometimes be surprisinghow the same roads can look drastically different when travelling the other direction, in different light conditions, and different seasons. Here are some pictures of Hessarghatta Road shrouded in fog, from a recent ride.

Photos courtesy Hari Krishna and Alex Fell.

Hessarghatta Main Road

The Hessarghatta Pump House