New Weapon of Choice

Sunday, May 5, 2024

The big boy just got a new toy. It's a new lens. After retirement I had bought a new mirrorless camera - Canon R7. I made do with the old 400 mm lens with an adaptor. But I always knew I would have to go for a compatible mirrorless lens with RF mount. Within my affordable range I found the 100-500 would suit me fine. Partha and Suranjan both have it.

The lens at 100 mm 

When I spoke to Tanvir about it he said he had an almost new but used one at Rs 1.7L. The new one would cost me Rs 2.2L. I was a little apprehensive about buying something used at such a high price. I don't know why a person would sell off an almost new lens unless she broke it or did something equally dreadful. So I decided I would get it officially checked by Canon. Suranjan spoke to the Canon guy, Jayanta De, who promised to examine it if brought to their workshop.

Tanvir was kind enough to lend me the lens for a couple of days. That was on a Saturday. I went straight to Dhakuria Lake and took a few shots of the Asian Openbills and a few night herons and even some flying black kites and crows in flight. Nothing seemed wrong with the glass. In fact the crow in flight was tac sharp. Although sharpness at 500 wasn't nothing much to write home about compared to my prime, what I liked about the lens is its IS. My prime doesn't have IS and I am increasingly finding it difficult to take handheld shots with it at lower shutter speeds. I shoot these days on shutter speed priority with the speed set at 400. With this I could easily step down much further. I guess I shot even at 1/60 sec handheld with it. With some practice I should be able to step down even farther.

However, since I am so used to the feather light 400 mm, my initial reaction to the new lens was "this is really heavy" :-) Apparently this is a very light lens. I would perhaps get used to its weight soon.

On Monday I went to Canon and got it tested. What I was told (after a few hours) is that the lens belongs to one Dr Susmita Dutta. It has about a year and a half of warranty still left (it was bought in November 2023). Although it had once been brought to the workshop (and they couldn't tell me exactly why) they found nothing wrong with the lens. It was perfectly in order, they said. 

In the form of a possible explanation, they said, it could have come for either a software upgrade (yes lenses also need software updates) or for calibration with the camera. I was convinced that I could buy it.

I went back and paid Tanvir the amount. I paid through Monisha's cashback card for which Tanvir charged Rs 1700. In revenge I took a Nissi UV filter from him for free. 

However, what irked me is that there was no hood with the lens. Tanvir gave me the canvas lens bag and the lens back cover etc but not the hood. He said he would get it from the original user and asked me to come back after a couple of days. I phoned back after a couple of days. The hood was still not found. 

The lens fully extended to 500 mm

I felt rather distraught. Mentally I decided, either I get the original Canon hood or I return the lens and buy a new lens. I wouldn't settle for anything in between. I was somehow convinced that this person perhaps dropped the lens and broke the hood and wants to sell it off now. On Saturday (yesterday 4th May, 2024) I called Tanvir to say I am coming to discuss it. He said they have found the hood. I went quickly to his shop by Metro and procured the white lens hood. 

It's a lovely little hood with a window for using polariser filter (hardly anyone does it these days but they improve the photographic quality several notches up). One might think what's the big deal about a lens hood. After all it's just a piece of plastic, albeit a well engineered one.

These hoods are very difficult to find in the aftermarket. No one wants to stock them because hardly anyone buys them. Even if they are available they cost a bomb. I think something like Rs 8K for what is essentially a plastic cup without a bottom. But using the lens without the hood is out of question. Apart from its stray light stopping abilities it's a protection against small nicks and bruises while walking in forests. A stray branch can easily put a scratch mark even with the hood on. 

And there is a heaven and hell difference between the original hood and a replacement, aftermarket hood. I would never buy a third party hood. 

While my 400 mm came with a fixed and retractable hood, this one is obviously a detachable one. 

Anyway, I am pretty happy with the lens now. If Canon comes out with an affordable 500 or even 400 mm prime I might go for it and sell this off. I wouldn't be paying for the depreciation. If I could get one, I would also love to have an old 500 mm tele.  

As of now the lens has the Nissi UV filter on. I have a Hoya on the 24-70. I will swap the two. The Hoya on my 400 prime has a small scratch. I will possibly change it with a new Nissi.

As of now I am not too sure what to do with the 400 mm prime. I am emotionally very attached to it. Let me see how much I use it. If I find it is not finding too much use then I might sell it off. It should fetch me at least 35K if I sold it now. I will possibly get it cleaned once. It's been ten years since I bought it or perhaps more. I have never touched it for cleaning so far. 

Saucony Excursion TR 16 GTX

This morning (12th December, 2023) my Saucony Excurssion TR 16 GTX arrived from Amazon. It cost us Rs 8K. We certainly didn't pay cash for it but used Monisha's gift vouchers given by the bank on completion of her 30 years with them.

It's supposed to be a trail running shoe and I loved it right away. The grip of the soles feels fantastic. It's Saucony's own sole and not Vibram. The fit is really nice and neutral (I take size 8). Fits me like a glove. It's also pretty light unlike other trail running shoes which are typically a little heavier than normal running shoes. I am sure it can be easily used for low altitude treks. I have added it to my list of gear on Garmin Connect and it will be automatically added to my runs - if and when I do.

I got it mainly because I loved the price and also with a view to ultimately replace the very old Quechuas, which I use for all sorts of rough adventures including daily cycling. I will not go cycling in the Saucony - at least as of now. This pair will be used for other adventure outings like this forthcoming motorcycling trip to Darjeeling etc.

For cycling I have my new Bata Power. I think that Quechua pair is going on for the last eight years or so. I got it repaired from Mr Mochi at least 3/4 times. It should be given an honourable retirement now. Next time I go to the mountains I will take it with me and give it away to a porter. They are usually very poor and would love such a free gift. 

My Timberland has also given way after several years of rugged use. I will give it away to the young boy across the street who always asks me to get him a pair like that. I think he has some developmental issues and isn't quite normal. They aren't very well off also. 

So this Saucony and Power are going to replace my Quechua and Timberland. The Power is very el cheapo. I think I paid Rs 1200 for it.

My immediate reaction to the Saucony is - I love the pair. One of the best sneakers I have ever bought. Even the lace feels very nice and not nylony (which feel like they wouldn't sit tight and might slip lose). I shall have to see how long they last. I will go for a short run soon with them. 

The price is simply great. Such a pair should easily cost Rs 12K. Amazon is selling it for 8K. On the Saucony India website it is available for 7K. But I cannot use my gift vouchers on that site. The non-GTX version is even cheaper. I think 5K. 

So, here I am with a new pair of shoes that fits me fine, comes at a great price, has fantastic grip and looks great. What else do I need?

But the true test of a pair of shoes comes from its longevity and durability. I would expect it to last me at least for five years before it needs any repair. Let me see how it goes. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

14th December, 2023

First Walk Impressions

Went on a 5 km walk around the house for the first time in these shoes this evening. They are pretty light and very comfortable. The right foot is a little loose as usual for me because that foot is a tad smaller. I have to live with it.

JBL Flip 5

 Bought it on September 30 at 6.5K off Amazon. 

Rab Venant

19th September, 2023

For my 59th birthday I got Monisha to gift me a pair of Rab Venant trousers. I bought it off Amazon because we have a lot of Amazon vouchers available with us. Monisha got them as gift from her office on completion of her 30 years with them. It cost us Rs 5950 and frankly if I had to pay it in cash I don't think I would buy them. I have never worn trousers that are these expensive. And this is after a good discount. The actual price is more than 9K !!!

I bought it in size 30 and colour cummin. It fits me quite well. Both around the waist and length. It feels very stretchy. Even the pocket material feels stretchy. It has one vertical pocket with a zip on the right leg and four other regular pockets. One of the hip pockets has a deep side pocket with it that has a loop on top. I have no idea what that is for. Actually these are positioned as rock climbing pants. So perhaps they have some technical utility. I am not sure. One of the belt loops on the back also has another loop. Again I am clueless why. You could perhaps hang a few carabiners from there. There is one other loop kind of thing on the left leg of the pants. Again I have no idea what that is for. 

What I like about this pair is that it's very very light and should dry fast. I have a Marmot that I use for trekking. But the only problem with that is it's very very large for me on the waist. I have reduced around my waist since buying them plus they are at least one size larger than they should be. I mean if this is 34, I would need 28 perhaps. 

This Rab fits me fine. It has an elastic kind of waist with two buttons in the front. They are small and you have to pay attention while closing them. But that's okay. 

Being rock climbing pants I am hoping that they will be tought and durable. They feel very comfortable. I will add more comments when I do at least one trek in them. I guess these will be my principal trekking pants now, with the Marmot going as a spare. 

RE Vamos Gloves

 

My Rynox gloves didn't last me for more than 10,000 kilometers and two and a half years. I had to finally discard them and went for a pair of RE Vamos in brown colour. The gloves came in yesterday (5th September, 2023) and I started riding at 11,420 km. From Amazon (with voucher) and cost me Rs 2940.

I chose 2XL a size that is more than my normal size. I have a feeling the tight fit of the Rynox is one of the reasons why the gloves tore off. Near the finger and also near the palm protector.

The Vamos looks nice but it is done in a more cheapo way than the Rynox. The palm protectors are from Knox all right but they seem a little smaller than the ones used by Rynox. The velcro straps on the wrist are also much smaller. 

However, the knuckle guards here are original Knox, while Rynox gave some other brand. 

Otherwise it looks like a well made pair. While the Rynox had mesh on the sides of the fingers, this is a pure leather pair all the way. The touchscreen compatibility of the Vamos works better than my Rynox and it's available on both the hands. This is a definite plus. 

The inner stitches are a bit rough, particularly at the tip of the left index finger. I am hoping they will settle with use. Of course the larger size is also a reason why I can feel it. 

Let me see how long they last. I use it for my daily rides.

SKS Cycle Pump

 

After buying my first bike (in my adult life) a few years ago - the red Merida road bike - my first purchase after a pair of flat pedals was a pump. This was a solid piece of advice given by Supratim Pal, a fellow journalist and an avid biker himself. I bought a Firefox pump with a built-in gauge. Supratim asked me to make sure the pump had a gauge as this would make life easier. 

I was very happy with the pump and dearly missed my long departed father after the first use. I remember how he encouraged me to have my own pump and tyre repair kit when we got a bicycle as a gift for Deoghar, back in the 70s. He was very disappointed that the pump was pretty muh useless and would need a lot of improvisation to get it to work. He would certainly have been very happy with this pump. It just worked. 

I soon realised that such things these days all work very well. You don't need to struggle any more to get the damn air in. They all lock very well on the valve. 

Before long I got another bike - my Surly LHT. Luckily both have the same Presta valve. And I was very happy with my pump. The pump could be used for both Presta and Schrader. However, to change from one to the other you would need to open the chuck and do a few things inside. It takes time. Being naturally curious, I learnt how to do it, though I never needed it.

In the meanwhile Mezda got a pump for himself. An Ice Toolz one. This has a flickable key to change from Presta to Schrader. It's very easy. Soon that kind of pumps became the norm. I got a small portable Lezyne pump brought in from the US and it also had an easy to change system. But it was small and would take a long time to pump up a normal tyre. 

Enter the Surly Bridge Club and now I have both Presta and Schrader valves. I made do with the Lezyne to pump it and kept the Firefox for the LHT and the Red Roadie. But back of the mind I knew I would switch to a more convenient pump that can be easily used on both types of valves. 

Two weeks ago I went to Rito's Stay Tuned to get the Bridge Club tuned - this  was my first visit after getting the bike made by him. There he had stock of the SKS pump at a little more than Rs 2000. I spent no time to delay the purchase and bought it promptly. 

It's a made in Germany pump. This fact is advertised prominently on the packaging. Though that may not necessarily mean that all the parts are made in Germany, it does carry its own weight. And it was available at a price well below the Taiwanese Ice Toolz. I also loved the matty black colour. These days the Western manufacturers advertise the origin of their products rather proudly, knowing fully well that people pay a premium for it. However, made in Germany or Swiss Made etc may not necessarily mean anything much. Incidentally many of my cycling accessories are made in Germany. My Schwalbe and Continental tyres are. The Tubus racks are. The plastic mudguards are. 

The chuck of the pump has two holes side by side. One for Presta and the other for Schrader. Depending on your valve type you just clamp the correct hole on the valve. The lock is just the opposite of the Firefox. While there you had to undo the key to jam it. Here you press the key in to lock it in, which is more intuitive. 

The black barrel is a little larger than my Firefox's which means I need to pump less. The gauge, though prominent, has a small problem. It has both the metric and FPS system but the metric unit is more prominent. We are more used to PSI. It's not a major issue but just a small bit of inconvenience. 

But the most striking difference is in the way you take off the chuck from the valve. In my Firefox that was a major task and I had often injured my palm trying to do it. I once even broke the head of a valve in the Merida. In fact I used to do it with my white cotton gloves on.

The SKS is a dream to take off the valve once done. My Lezyne incidentally is a screw on type one, which I think is the best. 

So I am very happy with the SKS pump and I had to take the unfortunate decision to sell off the old Firefox, which was in perfectly working condition.

I offered it for Rs 800 on Cyclop and it found a taker in Calcutta almost immediately. An association of triathletes took it from me. I am very happy for them. I hope they use it for many years.

So this is my third item from SKS. I have their mudguard on my LHT and the chainstay cover. The pump completes my collection. 

Comments On 12th December, 2023

After using the pump for a few times I have the following observations on the pump. 

I discovered that the barrel of this pump is plastic. I should've checked it. That's what makes it so affordable. Would I buy it if I knew it was plastic? Probably not. The initial few pumps always feel a little iffy. After some very hard pressure, the dial on the gauge sets in properly and you can pump easily. Before that it feels hard. It also feels very hard after 100 psi. Not that I need anything more than 90 but one must know that it is so.

Taking the chuck off the valve is very easy, as compared to my Firefox. With that I had to struggle a lot and sometimes it would injure me too by pushing my wrist off the valve suddenly and hit my palm on the cassette. I used to use a thick pair of cotton gloves to avoid injury. I once even broke the core of a valve and ruined the tube. Here taking off is a cake walk. 

Via Terra Medical Kit

 

September 2, 2023

I bought a small flat medical bag from Via Terra for a little more than Rs 400. It is very well made and fits most of the stuff I carry in a medical kit during my trips. So far I was using a Lowe Pro dry bag (it's not dry at all) with a roll top. That is a little round and more bulky. This is flatter and more sleek. 

Via Terra sells it as a toileteries kit. I have a Deuter for that. 

I quite like the Via Terra things. They are well stitched bags. I have a cycling seat post bag from them that is going strong for a long time now.

This medical kit has a bunch of basic tablets. A couple of Electrals. A ball of cotton wool, a gauge, plaster tape, several band aids, a pain spray, Dettol and a tube of Boroline. I had to take off one gauge and a tube of antiseptic cream because otherwise it was becoming fat in the middle. I shall see if I can get a smaller cotton wool ball. That might allow the second gauge to go in.

I normally carry one pack of Electral for every day's walk/ride plus two. For a long trek like an EBC this will have to be carried somewhere else and not in the medical kit. 

Via Terra has a medical kit bag also but it seemed too small and basic for my purpose. 

My regular medicines will not fit in this. That I have to carry in another small packet. This is more of a first aid kit.