Bike Setup

In this part of the world, it's well worth making sure your bike is properly prepared. Although the tours aren't too long in the greater scheme of things, they are unreasonably tough on kit, with regular water crossings, rough and rockstrewn descents, mud and even snow. In short, your bike will take a serious hammering, so make sure it's ready for the ordeal. Bear in mind too this is India and there are simply no shops that stock western MTB parts. None at all. Your local reputable cycle-wallah may be great for archaic single speed curiosities, but don't expect him to be an official Shimano Service Centre (instead, expect lots of bike petting, tyre squeezing, and lingering glances at 'gear systems' and 'shockers').

Your bike

For our jeep-supported rides, most quality mountain bikes should do, with Deore-grade kit or above. We'd recommend a hardtail with a 100mm fork. A short travel full suspension bike would be fun in Spiti. We like steel bikes as they're more travel-friendly, but aluminium is fine - just be sure to bring a spare derailleur hanger that fits your bike. Bear in mind there's lots of elevation gain, so whatever you ride, make you're happy climbing on it for hours and hours at a time. Conditions can be very rough in places, so front suspension is the minimum requirement. Again, think reliability and low maintenance over weight saving. Please read through the points below, such as tyres and brakes. Remember is that if you want to bring anything fancy, make sure you know how to deal with it if it goes wrong...

For self-supported rides, running a simple, reliable and comfortable bike is the main obejective. A steel hardtail frame would be our first choice as it's more resilient to airplane baggage handlers and if pranged, is easier to bend back into place. Nothing fancy, think On One's Inbred or Orange's P7 (2007 update - most of the latest geometries are updated to favour 130mm forks, so older pre 2006 models are best) and more recently, Genesis's 1.0. A decent aluminium frame is fine too, just make sure you bring a spare derailleur hanger that fits your bike. If you're bringing a dedicated 'touring' bike, we've found flat bars offer better control over the rough stuff. Bikes with 26" wheel bikes are best as they're easier for group spares so if yours runs 700c wheels, make sure they're strong and you have suitable tyres fitted - the wider the better for the rough roads. What about front suspension? Whilst not strictly necessary, we've found a set of shockers (to borrow from Indian terminilogy) helps tame those potholed roads, especially over long descents, so we'd strongly advise them. 80mm or 100mm is fine - you won't need more. Failing that, a fork with plenty of rake and a wider tyres will help. Be sure your steed is in ship shape condition as we won't have a jeep full of spares. On this page we've listed some pointers for tweaking your setup into the perfect ride. If you're buying a new bike for the trip, get in touch and we can help you decide what's best. In any case, it would be a good idea to check your bike over with a shop that has touring experience - they're more likely to know where you're coming from (and going to) and stock the right parts.

Our bikes

As for our own bikes, we're constantly honing down the best setup; one that's reliable to maintain, predictable with luggage but fun to ride unladen too. Cara's been riding a steel framed Thorn Catalyst with a Rohloff hub and Fox Vanilla RL forks (80mm coil sprung). Cass rides a Thorn Catalyst with Marzocchi MX Comp forks (105mm, coil in one leg, air in the other). We either run BOB trailers or some kind of steel rack, like a Tubus Vega with Ortlieb's Classic panniers and 3M bar bags, and a rack for the front - like an Old Man Mounain or a Tubus Swing. We either run V brakes or Avid BB7 Mechnical discs. Our bikes are Rohloff specific. We've been running these 14 speed hubs for the last two seasons, submitting them to pretty much every condition imaginable. Whilst they're not totally maintenance free (gear cables need cleaning and replacing more regularly to keep the shifting light) they're certainly far less of a headache to run than a derailleur system. Pricey, but in our opinion, very much worth it if you intend to ride this kind of stuff regularly, or don't like fettling with your bike and transport it regularly. The downside is that our bikes our heavy - but you can't have everything...

Racks, panniers and trailers for self-supported trips

For self-supported rides please make sure your racks and panniers are properly setup for your bike and suitable for the rough conditions. For these tours, we'd recommmend running two at the front, and two at the back, to help distribute weight. Steel racks tend to be best (eg Tubus, Tortec, Thorn) but well fitted, quality aluminium racks (eg Blackburn) are fine too. If you're running a suspension fork and want to use front panniers too, try Old Man Mountain's racks or the Tubus Swing. The adventage of the Swing is that it bolts on to the crown, so the extra weight is sprung. The only issue is that the bags sit a little higher up - so keep the load light - and the mount can interrupt some suspension fork lockouts/gubbins. Panniers and bar bags that are hardwearing and waterproof (eg Ortlieb, Vaude) are recommended. Check there's plenty of room between your heel and the pannier, often an issue with MTBs - if you're having problems, you can try a Tubus Logo, as it shifts the panniers back an inch or so. Make sure too that the mounts don't slide around when you're bouncing around off road.

Otherwise, we can supply BOB trailers. The advantage of running a trailer is that you don't need to worry too much about changes to your bike, as there's no clearance issues and less stress is applied to the rear wheel - it also means there's no problem running a suspension fork. The BOB trailers we hire out are fully maintained - they have Schwalbe tyres and improved sealed bearings over the standard issue ones.

Be sure to take your bike on a "shake-down" ride, with kit if possible, to make sure you're happy with the setup. Don't leave it until India!

Riding Position

Top of Lachlung LaThe right riding position is really important. Think comfort over out-and-out performance. This may mean running handlebars roughly in line with the height of the saddle to help ease pressure on the neck and shoulders, with a reach that allows your lower back to be as straight as possible. A good long distance riding setup also puts you in a better position to soak up the views around rather than staring down at the road. MTB's tend to have a more aggressive stance for fast handling and gnarly climbs, so often it's a case of swapping the stem for one with a steeper angle to lift the cockpit. If you need to go higher still, other options include fitting a riser bar or as a last resort, changing your fork for one with a longer steerer and stacking up the spacers like casino chips. We like riser bars, as they seem to open out your chest. Fitting bar ends to riser bars may be a fashion faux-pas to some, but who really cares?! For the jeep supported rides, there's there's the option of riding some steep, at times technical descents, so having a quick release on your seat post is highly recommended. Dropping your seat post a few inches and shifting your weight can give you a lot of extra confidence, and give you room to manoeuvre .

 

Gearing

Climbs are long rather than steep, so we'd suggest an 11-32/34 block at the back (SRAM is good), with a 22 tooth granny ring - make sure it, and the middle ring, are in tip top condition as you'll be using them a'plenty. Overkill? Climb a 5000m pass and you'll be glad of the extra gears, both laden and unladen. If you're fitting new rings, Middleburn are hardcoated and tough. For the self-supported rides, Shimano compatible kit is a good idea in case you need to beg, borrow or steal. A chain with a removable link (such as those by SRAM) are easy to clean and remove in the event of chain suck.

To preserve those all important knees over the course of a few hilly weeks, we'd recommed keeping to a fast, easy to pedal cadence rather than pushing big gears.

Wheels

If you're running panniers for the self-supported rides, ensure that your wheels are built up strong enough, particularly the rear one. Conventional 32-spoke three-cross wheels should be fine though 36 are best - steer well clear of paired spokes or lightweight wheels. If you're planning on building up a new set of wheels especially for the ride, get in touch as we can advise. For jeep-supported rides, your standard set of wheels will probably do the job. But again, nothing too lightweight please, especially if you're a heavy rider as we won't have access to spares. Bring spokes that fit your hub and rims too.

We've had excellent life out of Shimano XT hubs, and they're easy to service in the field too. Those who have come with Hope hubs have also had great things to say too. Before heading off, check the bearings in your hubs (pop in a new set of cartridge bearings if need be) and the wear of your rims (your local bike shop will be able to advise you). Make sure your spokes are evenly tensioned and you have a quality cloth rim tape. Change it if need be, as this can be the cause of unexpected punctures.

Tyres

If you're coming to Spiti on one of the jeep-supported rides, road conditions are varied - smooth tarmac, potholed tarmac, fast dirt trails and rocky tracks, plus loose, scary switchbacks... We'd recommend a front tyre with plenty of bite, like a Panracer Trailblaster or a Schwalbe Big Albert, as corners can be stetchy. Go for 2 to 2.2in models. On the back, a semi slick will do the job. Road conditions on the Manali to Leh and Sach Pass are predominantly tarmac but also varied - though less full-on. Two semi-slicks should be fine.

For the self-supported rides, we'd strongly recommend Schwalbe Marathon XRs in 2.0in diameter - 90% of adventure tourers use them, for good reason. Make sure you buy the XR model, rather than the standard Marathons, as they have a deeper tread. Don't freak out when you pick them up. Ok, so they are heavy. But we've found them to be a super tough, reliable tyre for touring with a reasonably low rolling resistance, bullet proof sidewalls and a good grip that suits the varied terrain of Northern India. There are a few other tyres that get good longterm feedback, such as Specialized's Armadillos - it's just we've found XRs hit the nail on the head, as it were.

Perch

Find a perch you're happy with as you'll be spending plenty of time in the saddle. It should be supportive and comfortable - don't get one that's too soft. Selle Italia (eg XO, Lady Gel Flow), Terry (eg Butterfly and Firefly) and Fizik (eg Arione) make good saddles, but it's very much down to the shape of your own backside. Specialized's Body Geometry series is also popular. If you're a lady, get a women's specific saddle - it will make a big difference over time. A suspension seat post can help tame those bumps - try it out first as some can bob around too much and make your knees sore.

Pedals

SPD-style pedals will make life that bit easier on the climbs - otherwise, toe clips are recommended. For self-supported rides, we like Shimano M324s - a platform on one side and a cleat on the other - but any quality pedal will do. Don't forget to bring a spare set of cleats (especially if you're running Eggbeaters/Time tec...), as the bolts can have a habit of working themselves loose. If you're suffering from knee problems, Time pedals are best.

Brakes

The jeep-supported rides tend to attract glitzier bikes. If you're running hydraulic brakes, bring spare cables, oil and a bleed kit as we have had problems in the past. A set of sintered pads should go the distance, but bring spares. Think bike shops, or rather lack of. If you can stretch to it, we'd recommend fitting a set of Goodridge hoses to offer extra protection against scuffs and cuts during transportation, as that's the main worry. Also, people will invariably fettle with your fancy bike while you're not looking - mechanicals are a bit more tamper proof and are good for peace of mind.

For self-supported rides, V-Brakes with replaceable pad cartridges are light, ease to set up and a decent set will do the job of stopping you just fine, even with load. Go for Avid, Aztec or similar pads, rather than Shimano which wear down in no time on wet, gritty descents. Bring spares. If you prefer discs (nice in wet and muddy conditions), definitely opt for low maintenance mechanicals, such as Shimano Deore or Avid, and run them with a set of sintered pads. But be aware that if you're using a rear rack, there may be clearance issues. Pulling a BOB trailer should be fine.

Suspension

For all the trips, we strongly recommend running a suspension fork for added comfort and performance, ideally coil sprung (no seals to blow) and with a lockout for road climbs. We've found Fox's Vanilla RL very reliable, albeit expensive. Pretty much anything with the word Marzocchi on it gets our seal of approval - the MX Comp in particular is a well priced, overbuilt fork that's straightforward to service too. In any case, make sure your fork is in good shape or service it before the trip. The Manali to Leh and Sach Pass ride is perfectly possible on a fully rigid bike (witness the many independent tourers in the area) but a reliable front shock will certainly make life easier. For Spiti, we'd recommend at least 100mm up front, as some of the terrain can be very rough.

Clock it

There are kilometre markers along the road, but accuracy isn't guaranteed so a cycle computer is handy to count down the distance. Some computers have built-in altimeters, useful when you're half way up a climb and to celebrate the highest passes. Check your battery before you leave.

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Servicing your bike

Treat your bike to a thorough service before leaving. This should include checking (and replacing as necessary) the following:

  • hubs
  • bottom bracket
  • headset
  • chain (fitting a new chain and cassette is advised)
  • cassette
  • cables
  • rims
  • suspension fork if you're running one - if you have a decent fork, we'd recommend sending it off to shock-maester Tim Flooks for some TLC: www.tftunedshox.com

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Tools and spares

It's Murphy's law that if you don't carry it, you're guaranteed to need it. The further away you are from western culture, the less likely it is the local bike shack can deal with your newfangled MTB. In our case, there's pretty much nought in the way of spares on the whole trip, aside from cheap tyres and parts scavenged off Indian renditions of full-sussers - not a pretty sight. So as unlikely as it is that anything will go wrong if your bike's in good shape before you leave, it's worth being thorough with preparation and spares - particularly for the self-supported tours.

Each rider should have:

  • trail multitool
  • tyre levers
  • patch kit
  • 2 spare inner tubes (not lightweight)
  • a length of Duck/electrical tape for bodge repairs
  • a few zip ties
  • a dozen spare links for your chain
  • 1 brake and 1 gear cable
  • 1 length of cable housing
  • 3 pairs of brake pads (with pins)
  • 1 small bottle of lube (eg Finish Line's Cross Country Wet Lube 2oz)
  • a few spokes that are the right length for your wheels (front and rear)
  • mini pump suitable for your tyre pressure
  • front and rear lightweight mini LED lights
  • extra set of cleats if applicable
  • anything unique to your bike, eg torx key, hydraulic brake fluid and bleed kit

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Here's a list of what we have stored in India, so there's no need to double up on the heavy, bulky stuff:

  • Cassette removal tool and chainwhip (for jeep supported tours)
  • Hypercracker (for self supported tours)
  • Bottom bracket tools for square taper, Hollowtech and Hollowtech 2
  • Adjustable spanner
  • Spoke key
  • 13/15/17/18mm cone spaners (for Shimano hubs)
  • Pliers
  • Cable cutters
  • Tub of multi purpose grease for pedals, seatposts etc...
  • Shock pump
  • High pressure track pump
  • Spare 9 speed chain
  • Spare generic Shimano Deore rear mech
  • Spare 26in tyres
  • Spare BOB trailer inner tubes

 

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