Black Rapid Sports

 Last evening, 13th December 2022, I bought a Black Rapid Sports strap. It's a very nice strap for wildlife shooting.

Canon R7

 I had slowed down on my birding and bird photography related activities in the last few years. In Sunderban couple of years ago I discovered my 7D was giving some problem. It would stop working, showing Error 20. I would need to switch it off and on again. Sometimes take off the lens etc to fire it back. So before our North Sikkim trip I took it to the Canon authorised service centre. 

They just held the camera and told me, "this model has become absolute (sic). We cannot do anything about it." What he meant is it has become obsolete. True. I had bought it 12 years ago when it was the latest hot thing in the market. And Canon stopped its production many years ago. 

After much discussion and some trepidation I finally settled for the R7.

Firemaple Stove & Hans Butane Cylinder

Raja brought for me from England a Firemaple titanium stove for camping. Model name is FMS 116T. It's a very small lightweight stove that's less than 50 grams. It comes in a cool little hard plastic case. It has a threaded bottom that sits on the cylinder. 

To use it with I bought a Hans butane cylinder off Amazon. The cylinder has 230 grams of gas in it. Only experience will tell me for how long it will last. The stove fitted perfectly and the flame seemed very good. But this rig is good only for some very basic cooking on the field like an omlette or tea for one person. Not for any serious cooking. I have to look for some utensils to go with this rig. 

In case you have never used these gadgets (like me) when you screw on the stove on the cylinder a bit of gas comes out with a scary hiss and the unmistakable smell of cooking gas. Please do not panic but keep turning it. It goes off in half a second. This point was written in the literature that came with the stove. 

Another point to note for newbies, when you are tightening the stove on the cylinder, keep the cylinder upright. Because what's inside is liquid. If you keep it inverted the liquid will come out when you are turning the stove on. The liquid becomes gas when it comes in contact with the atmosphere. I learnt it the hard way.

Here is a youtube video that I made on how to use the cylinder and stove. I am afraid I got the spelling of Hans wrong in the video.

The only problem with this set up seems to be the fact that Hans is apparently the only company in India that makes these mini cylinders. Kabsons has small cylinders for domestic cooking which are not feasible to carry on the trail. They come in 2 Kg sizes. I tried to look for a local solution to this in Lake Market. They seemed violently opposed to the idea of a small portable cylinder, saying it will never work here. They obviously have no clue about adventures and the requirements of camping. I am sure customers like me don't make up for a large market size.

However, it might be possible to locally refill these cylinders. Have to enquire around. In a worst case scenario I can use an adaptor on a small tubular canister and use my stove. However, how stable that set up will be for making an omelette or tea is open to question. The canisters are cylinders with a very narrow base.

Coleman has something similar but they need Coleman stoves. I believe the threads are proprietary and monopolistic. Though there might be an adapter available somewhere. 

These 230 gm cylinders cannot be brought in from abroad either because apart from the cost, they will not be allowed in an aeroplane. Which is another problem for domestic travel. If I want to use this I cannot travel by plane.

Ortlieb Front Panniers

Yesterday I brought home a pair of Ortlieb front panniers from Rito's Stay Tuned. Sport-roller Classic. Total damage is Rs 9,600.  The India importers are Ensign Sports. They are red in colour and come with a combined capacity of 25 litres, which is relatively small compared to my 40 litre classics that are strapped to the rear rack. These red ones are to go with my Tubus Duo rack in the front. They are particularly useful for the hills where their low slung nature helps in climbs. I believe they can be also mounted on the rear rack. I am yet to take them out of the box. I know what they are and am happy that they are nicely packed in the box. I will take them out only when I need to go somewhere and use them.  

These bags are rectangular in shape as opposed to the triangular (or trapezoid) shape of some of Ortlieb's other bags. They come with an inner pocket and reflectors. I chose the red colour for visibility in bad, foggy weather in the mountains.  

I have a pair of large back-roller classics in black because when I bought them a few years ago nothing else was available. So, if I mount all the four bags it might look a bit odd. But then who cares about looks?

These panniers are very robust and are 100 per cent water proof with a roll-top closure. They are made in Germany. No compromise on quality. The beauty about them, apart from being waterproofing, is the clipping system. It takes a second to clip them on and another to take out. Literally no sweat.

In the hills it is easier if the weight is distributed evenly between the front and rear. I shall see how the weight distribution works for me. When I went to Darjeeling I had everything in a plastic carry bag strapped to the rear rack. Now, I am better organised in terms of load carrying options.

The only downside to all this robustness is that they weigh quite a considerable amount. 

All these purchases are in anticipation of my retirement when hopefully I shall be able to go out on long cycling holidays after September 22.  

The model name is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging except on the label where the model code number is mentioned as F6302 and the name as Sport-Roller Classic. 

Earlier while riding in the city I used to strap one of the black bags on the rear to carry a waterproof and a bicycle pump. Of late I have started ignoring them because puncture with the Schwalbe tyres that I have is very unlikely. I guess, I should restart the good practice once again. 

I had bought a Tubus Duo from Happy Earth few months ago. But I found it difficult to install. The other day, emboldened by a post on facebook, I tried and realised that I can quite fit it. That is when I ordered the panniers. 

Motorcycle Chain Lube & Can

Thursday, 31st March 2022: 

Strictly speaking this is not a gear review. This is a bottle of gear oil that I bought yesterday from Nandy Brothers on Elgin Road for Rs 155. And no I do not intend to change the oil either in my car's gear or in my motorcycle's. I intend to use it as my chain lube for the motorcycle.

I have used the Motul chain spray in the past but, call it OCD or whatever, I find the idea of adding oil drop by drop on each chain link a very appealing one. I looked around for a non-aerosol solution to my chain lube. There is none, except a very expensive one from Motul. It's a greasy paste kind of thing that comes with a brush and you apply it on the chain in a thin coat. Each application costs around Rs 40 or so, I calculated. Not worth it, I suppose.

I read in various forums that gear oil will do just fine for lubing up the chain. So I went ahead and bought this half liter bottle. Servo etc might cost even less but then they don't come in half liter cans. 

I have also ordered for an oil can online for applying the lube. I am sure it would have cost me less than half if I took the metro to Chandni and bought an unbranded one. But that's fine. It's a Goodyear oil can. Let me see how good it is. 

I follow this routine for cleaning and lubing the chain. Clean the chain with kerosene and an old toothbrush. Thoroughly wipe it dry. If time and enthusiasm permits, clean it again with soapy water. Wipe it dry. Apply oil. Wipe off the oil that is oozing and you are good to go. The spray messes up the whole place. And I am very bad with spraying things. So unless there is a good reason I will apply the lube drop by drop.

Here is a nice link on the subject

Friday, 1st April, 2022

Yesterday the Good Year branded oil can arrived by post from Amazon. It cost me Rs 258. I set it up at home and poured some gear oil in it. After some initial struggle to make the oil come out it started working fine after some time. 

It looks well made and classy in the blue and yellow colour scheme of Good Year. The sprout was not attached to the unit. And the nozzle had a plastic plug in it to ensure it is not damaged, which is very nice. The thread inside the nozzle was painted yellow, which is why the sprout was not going in properly initially. After a few attempts the paint got scraped off and it went in fine. I tightened the nut with a box wrench. 

In my enthusiasm I oiled the front door's hinge and the lock's inside. They were just fine and never queaked, yet I had to do it. I find a childish pleasure while working with such tools :-)

I have to ensure that the oil, the can and the funnel (bought for Rs 10) are kept in a safe and secure place. They have the potential to mess up any place. The cabinet under the wash basin in the dining area seems like the best place. Let me see.

Garmin Instinct Tactical

Today, Monday the February 21, 2022, I brought home the Garmin Instinct Tactical for Rs 17,000 from Nikita Distributors. It's in khaki colour. The original Amazon price is Rs 23K (or perhaps 24K). I got it for a discount as the box was opened. They said it is new and unused. I take their word for it. I have been dealing with them for years now.

The watch is a little complicated, as it comes loaded with various features and abilities. I will probably take some time to fully utilise its potential. As of now it is doing the work of a regular watch. I am also using its heart rate monitor feature. 

There is a youtube video by DCRainmaker. I will have to check it often to learn about various features of the watch. 

Why Another Garmin - My only go to and every day wear watch for a very long time was the Timex Ironman. It got damaged in water after years of dedicated service (a screen change and several strap changes later). In the last couple of years I could just not find a suitable replacement for it. I think this is just it. The Forerunner 15 would have done just fine if it had a longer battery life or a more easy charger. The Tissot, with its dainty leather strap and no day/date is not suitable for adventure trips. I mean it does show the date but one has to adjust it every time the month is of 31 days or 28 etc. I don't bother with it any more. I have another Titan given by Exide as a long service award but it is entirely metallic which hurts my wrist. The main problem with these watches is they do not show the day and date, which is a major requirement for me as I keep forgetting them. And after retirement, which is  pretty imminent.

But then the Instinct is not a watch. It's a GPS with ability to track my movements and all sorts of complicated calculations. It also has its own ABC - altimeter, barometer and compass. I intend to use it for all my outdoor and indoor activities like cycle touring, hiking and trekking, running, swimming and everything that can be done by a human being. It can run for 16 hours on GPS mode. And if I switch off the GPS it will go for a very long time, working just as a basic watch. But more importantly it can be recharged with a USB type charger (the pins are different though) like a mobile phone. My Forerunner needs a special Garmin charging pad kind of thing. This watch is actually a few generations ahead of the Forerunner and the two should not be compared. Another problem with the Forerunner is that its battery is getting weaker. It still works fine as a basic running watch. But if the activity is a little longer than usual the battery gives out. If the battery, for any reason, dies out, it takes a long time of charging to revive it. It is nearing its service life, quite obviously. I think I will gift it away to Ranjanda. He will appreciate it.

Another very important upgrade for me is the wrist based HRM that comes with this watch. My chest strap (from the Forerunner) is becoming increasingly difficult to keep in place during certain activities. Also it gives wrong signals in winter, particularly before the body has warmed up and sweated a bit for the contact to work properly. In fact Garmin recommends making it wet with water before wearing it in winter. 

However, I do not know how to add the heart rate readings from this watch to my Edge based cycling activities. I shall see when I cycle tomorrow or the day after. (I have since cracked this. IThe watch can broadcast HR to any nearby paired device. I have paired the Edge and the Instinct without a problem and went for a ride on 23rd February.)

The three tiny lights on the back of the watch I think is the HRM. I hope they are accurate. 

When we were young, one would need a super computer to do what the Instinct does. 

I shall have to also see if the cycling speed sensor and cadence sensor can be paired with this. In that case the Edge 130 becomes redundant. I might even sell it off, if that is the case. I think it can be done. Let me see.

The Watch Faces This watch has many faces (14 to be precise) that the user can pick and choose and change as per his mood. Seven of them are black on a white background, seven more are their reverse (like in the photograph above). The faces can be changed by first pressing the menu button and then scrolling down with the ABC button. The face you like can be accepted by pressing the GPS button with the prompt apply. 

The face has various elements. For example, right now it has the main time plus sunrise and sunset, day and date, battery life indicator, Zulu time (which is the modern name for GMT) etc. These can also be changed as per the user's requirement. I am yet to customise them. (I have done it since. Now I have the temperature displayed rather prominently.) 

The Activities This is a multi activity watch. It can be used for various sports like running, walking, cycling etc. As of now, I have just learnt how to use it in walking and cycling mode. One can also add activities that are not there. I have added hiking. I might even add climbing just to see what exactly it is. 

Different activities have different metrics that are measured and displayed. Obviously these can be customised too. I have not done any of that yet. It is very much on my list of things to do/learn.

Friday, July 1, 2022

Today while I was walking to the swimming pool with the walk mode on (I measure my walk every evening while going to the pool with the GPS on), the watch froze. This was the first time this happened. After coming back home I did a hard reset by pressing the ctrl button for about 20 seconds. After a few minutes I restarted the watch and it was fine. 

I have been using the Pool Swim mode every evening except tonight. It's a very poor one for measuring my swimming laps. It measures the lap at its own free will. Sometimes it measures more than I swam, sometimes it's less. A couple of days ago I turned on the rest mode - which is another name for what we call auto pause - and I think the watch is now behaving properly. But one thing I have not yet been able to hack, that is, how to set the HRM on in swimming mode. I have to find it out. There is a hack available online. I will try it one of these days. In the new Instinct the facility is there. The old Instinct demands a hack.