New Rubber for the Feet

Yesterday I ordered for a pair of Under Armour Speedform Gemini from Flipkart. Size 8.5 and colour orange. 

Let me try to analyse why I did it. Basically thinking on my keyboard. A. I got them at a throwaway price of Rs 5.5K. Big brand, properly cushioned running shoes come at minimum 10K, if not more. This was available at almost half the price. Possibly because it is old stock. This particular model was launched in 2015. Gemini 3 is the current model and obviously no one will buy a model that is two iterations old unless offered at a deep discount. 

But curiously enough, on the Amazon international store this same shoe is priced at 12K.

B. Ever since the latest injury I am wondering if my Asics Gel Nimbus 16 is losing its cushioning. Till date I have run 364 km in them. This I did in 137 activities. That means I would have walked an additional 137x2 = 274 km in them because I walk 1 km either way to go to and come back from my runs. That makes it 638 km in all over two years. Given that I am pretty lightweight I wouldn't think that the shoes need to be retired off but I was checking the soles and they have indeed worn off a little on the outside (proving I am a supinator). 

This prompted me to look around for options and soon enough I found the deal. I will possibly not retire the Asics right away. I am sure they have a good 200 km more at least in them in pure running, not counting the slow walks to and from the start/end point. 

I read up on the Gemini. Actually I first read about them and while looking for them on Indian sites to check if they were available I discovered the deal. Here is the detailed review that I read on Sole Review . This piqued my curiosity and the deal sealed it for me. The final endorsement came from this video here.

The review might disappear after a few years. To keep the vital statistics about the shoes. They have a heel drop of 8 mm. My current Nimbus have 10 I think. It's a neutral running shoe, meaning it is not specially meant for under or over pronators.

I have to see how they fit. All websites are saying they fit half a size small. This is the reason I ordered the 8.5 size, as opposed to my regular size of 8. Actually my right foot is perhaps 7.5 and the left is 8. But shoe fit is not just about size. It is also about the shape of the last and the material of the upper.

Shoes in India are always stocked in round number sizes. That is, 7,8,9 and it is impossible to find shoes in 7.5 or 8.5 size. And I have a feeling my correct size for most shoes is perhaps 7.5. Flipkart, for the first time I discovered, has these shoes in 7.5 and 8.5 etc. But since they fit half size less I had to upsize and order 8.5. If it was available I would probably go for 8. They will arrive on Friday, that is, tomorrow.

Friday, December 15, 2017

The shoes arrived today. I had placed the order Tuesday night. That means they took just two full working days and the item arrived on the third day. I would call this super fast service. Very happy.

Now the first reactions after unboxing.

A. The colour is hideous. Absolutely hideous. To me it looks like baby pink. According to Mampu and Monisha it is orange. I had of course chosen the orange colour. But this is not the kind of orange I wanted. To make matters worse, the main upper of the shoe is white. This makes the pair look absolutely hideous on my feet when I wear them. I had thought it would have some orange inside the mesh. It is just pure white.

B. The fit is fantastic and almost perfect. I had deliberately chosen 8.5 on the advice of all the reviewers. I could've done with 8 but that was not available. 7.5 would have probably been tight on the left foot.

C. The first experience of putting them on at home was excellent. The heel stays locked in place. The plantar pain almost immediately vanished from the corner of the heel. The heel feels more firmly held in place than in the Nimbus 16. As you can see in the review, there is no insole and the cushy feeling of the Nimbus is absent, yet the feeling is better. Has the Nimbus really lost its comfort value for me? If indeed that is true then I must say their durability is highly questionable. I have hardly run in them. 350 km is nothing for a pair of modern running shoes, particularly for a lightweight runner like me.

D. The lacing up system is quite different from what I am used to in my Asics. There is just one final hole on each side where you tie the knot in the lace. I prefer two there, where I make a loop and tie the lace in a different way to lock the heel. I use this on my trekking boots and I have saved a boy from calling off his trek due to blister by adopting this technique.

This UA does not have two holes. But the upper mesh material and the lacing up system combine to give the shoe a nice form fit. There is no collar or extra cushion near the ankle. It doesn't matter really. Perhaps it is better for a good grip. I must add, the lace is fairly long.

Another point worth mentioning here is that when you undo the lace before taking the shoes off, it is not easy to take the foot out. The shoe clings to your foot and you have to pull it off carefully. This is a good, albeit time consuming thing because it shows the shoe is literally form fitting.

E. Traction on the shiny floor of the living room felt much better. On a wet road I would be more confident in these than in my Nimbus. That is not to say that the Nimbus is bad. But this is better. I don't know if this is so because the shoes are just off the box but the design of the outsole is definitely quite different from anything else that I have seen so far in running shoes. This interesting and radical design more closely mimics the anatomy of the sole of the foot than anything else. However, it is pertinent to add here that this unique design has been discontinued in the latest iteration of the model. Gemini 3s do not have them.

F. The midsole is not soft, which is basically two pasted layers - the upper one has Charged written on it, the other has Speedform written on it. It is perhaps a little more hard than the Nimbus. But that wouldn't lead to any shock on the feet. Or so it seems.

G. The front toe area has a transparent plastic protection. I have never seen such material being used on running shoes. On trekking boots this is given to give protection against rocks and other such things. I suppose the purpose is quite the same here as well.

H. The shoe does not have any collar around the ankle. It's like our good old keds. This is a speciality of Under Armour. None of their shoes have collar. But you don't feel it and now that I am gradually getting used to it, it is perhaps a good thing.

Except for the colour, I quite like this pair of shoes. This is my first pair of shoes bought off the internet. I always prefer to check them out at the store for fit. With these I took a risk and looks like it paid off. Now I have to wait for the plantar fasciitis to completely go and then I will take a chance with them. Till then I am going to wear them at home.

Monday, 18th December 2017 

Post first run views

Went for a one kilometer run on Saturday. Of course one has to add to that more than one kilometer to reach the starting point and 1.5 on the way back. So a total of 3.5 or almost 4 km perhaps. Here are my first reactions based on that. A. I did not feel the plantar pain while running. It came back a little as I approached my house on the way back.

B. The shoes feel more firm than my Nimbus 16. I guess this is what they mean by stability shoes. It does not have the squishy feeling of the Nimbus 16. These shoes are harder but not in a wooden sort of way.

C. The cushioning is adequate in that I did not feel the shocks of the road much.

D. The grip around the ankle is superb. There are some silicone linings on the edge which sit on the leg. Very comfortable and good grip due to that.

E. The traction is undoubtedly fantastic. Of course I ran on dry asphalt. Even then you can understand the difference easily.

Saturday, 30th December 2017 

I have had a few short 1 km runs in these shoes. I also ran one 1 km with the old Asics in the middle. I think these shoes, being neutral, are better for a proper mid foot strike and it is time to retire off the Asics. They have definitely lost the cushioning though they retain that squishy character, which is rather funny. One simple difference between the Asics and the Gemini is that with the Asics on, I can hear my foot strike the road. Loud and clear. But with the Gemini my run is almost silent.

Once my feet regain their strength I will probably run a shorter run in the Asics once again and see how it feels but it is not going to be my main go to shoe any more. I think I like the neutral nature of the Gemini than the squishy feeling of the Nimbus.

If I could afford another pair I would probably go for the GT 2000 5.

My First Cycling Jersey

Pic courtesy: Adidas

Today I bought for myself my first cycling jersey. A Strava-orange Adidas. Never knew Adidas also made cycling jerseys. I have a black Pearl Izumi cycling bib which had a tremendous positive impact on my riding comfort. I was so far using this with ordinary running T's. I never had a cycling jersey. 

Today while browsing alone through the sports section of Brand Factory I saw this beautiful Strava-orange jersey among a bunch normal running and fashion T-shirts. At first I didn't realise it was a cycling jersey because that's the last thing you would expect in a store like Brand Factory. I was initially attracted by its colour. But then I saw it had full zip in the front. On closer inspection I found 3 pockets on the back. It's Adidas branded and the icing on the cake was that though MRP was 4k it was available at a 70 per cent discount making the effective price Rs 1200. I thought this was a bargain.

A quick trip to the trial room convinced me that M was quite the right size for me. It fitted me pretty well, including around my biceps where it has silicone bands. Cycling shorts and jerseys and bibs have to be form fitting. This one did. I didn't spend too long to decide. Pulled the trigger. 

I needed this shopping therapy to come out of the office blues as well as the injury blues (read about my plantar fasciitis injury here). I hope this jersey will serve me for a long time. 

Once I do a trip with it (hopefully tomorrow), I will add more details to this review. But before that I can give a few basic facts about the jersey.

No. I don't take myself so seriously. Just a joke here :-)

The front zip feels easy and smooth to operate. The sleeves and the bottom have silicone bands on the edge for good fit and body hugging abilities. They have fluorescent reflector bands on them which are of top quality. The very first evening I wore it at home there was a short power cut. I checked out the quality of the reflectors on the mirror in the dark. They were pretty bright. The Adidas logo is also made of the same reflector material.

I learnt something new about cycling jerseys from this. The back of the jersey is a little longer than the front. Probably to compensate for the upward pull that portion gets when you bend over to hold the handle on the drops. So no chance to expose your butt cleavage with this.

The rear of the jersey has three vertical open pockets, typically for keeping energy bars and other such sundry items as an air pump or some medicines etc. One of the pockets has a very small fourth pocket with a zip on top. presumably for a key or anything that is small but too valuable to lose. I doubt if I will have any use of that unless I take the bike in my car to the highway to ride (as some serious cyclists do).

Review After A Few Short Rides In Summer

The winter of 17-18 was a rather idle time for me, what with injury and a general dislike to go out in the cold of Calcutta. By western standards our winters are ridiculously warm but by my standard I hate going out in the dark cold early mornings.

I started cycling back in right earnest from April 2018 and obviously chose this jersey. Short hour-long 20 km rides. Summer has set in and I sweat profusely. This jersey is definitely not warm but the word "chill" in the brand name is an over statement. But it cools much better than any cotton T-shirt. Its only problem is it stinks after a ride. It is not enough if you let it dry out in the sun. The stink does not go. My other T-shirts or socks, with which I have sweated a lot more, don't stink like this. It is not a very strong smell that you can get from far. But if you sink your nose into it, it smells bad. In any case I do wash my T-shirts after every single use. So it's not a problem for me so far.

I love the colour, I must say. One certainly stands out on the grey streets of Calcutta. The other day, as I was coming back home from the Red Road area, I saw a group of amateur photographers near Victoria out on their Sunday shooting practice. Very soon I realised some of them were clicking me !!! I don't think they would have, if I were wearing something duller or more mute.

Is it worth the price? I guess so. Yes. 

Some Hardware For The Body

Bought a pulley, nylon rope and an S for doing some lat and deltoid type exercise at home. Bought them from Chandni where Monisha and I went this morning, basically to buy two Aron helmets (Rs 600 each). The pulley (a very basic one) cost Rs 170 and the S Rs 10. The 10 meter nylon rope came in for Rs 80. It's the thinner variety. I thought the thicker variety might be difficult to tie to the weights. But now after installing the machine, looks like it's too thin for the weight. I am using 10 kg for pulling up. Might go up to 15 kg. It's too thin for a decent grip. Let me see. I might go for a thicker rope or a wooden/cane rule to be tied at the other end or perhaps both. 

I remembered my father once again. He would've been happy today. We had a very famous large well in our house in Deoghar where the entire neighbourhood used to come for their water in summer when the other wells in Belabagan used to run dry - ours never ran out of water as it had several perennial springs inside. It had a very elaborate grille (according to Baba his father had bought them off an auction from Hazaribagh jail) on top but it did not have the pulley system for pulling out water. During my grand father's time it had a latha system to fill up the cistern for irrigating the field around. A latha is a large bamboo with a rope attached to one end with a bucket hanging from it and the other end is on a Y kind of piece of wood fixed to the field. That end has a big weight. You pull the rope down and guide the bucket into the water and then let it go free. It rises with the load at the other end of the bamboo. A very ancient kind of system, I am sure. I don't think these systems are practised anywhere in India any more. 

Our caretaker Tilua used to complaint a lot that pulling water out of the well without a pulley was a hell of a problem. Basically he used to stand on the grille on top and pull water out with a bucket attached to a rope. To use a pulley we would need to make a concrete structure over the well. Two pillars on the sides and a concrete slab connecting them over the top from where the pulley would hang. 

Baba used to often take quotes from some local masons and they would spend hours over various details like how many bricks and how much cement would be needed, what diameter of steel rods to use etc. Finally the pillars would never get erected for paucity of funds. 

Today that pulley finally got purchased. Albeit for a different purpose altogether. But it's a similar pulley nevertheless that should have hung over our big well in Deoghar. All that is part of my memories only. 

From Chandni I also bought for my tool collection a small hammer for Rs 70. It's not a regular requirement item but when you need it you cannot make do with something else, particularly on cycles or other delicate items. 

You Light Up My Way

The unit mounted on the handle bar

Yesterday my basic headlight and taillight arrived from Bangalore for my Red Roadie. Bought these off Happy Earth. A NiteRider Swift 350 lumen front light and a very basic NR TL 5.0 SL. Both are basic but the taillight is more so, given that it costs Rs 549 only. The headlight costs Rs 2299 for 350 lumens of white LED light. But then there are cheaper headlights that offer 200 or 100 lumens. 

The other day while going for the early morning group ride with Rana, I realised that light is really going to be important if I was to ride early mornings. Particularly now that winter is coming and fog will soon envelop Calcutta streets in the wee hours of the morning when we venture out on the streets.

Everyone else in the group had their taillights. It was really helpful for me because all of them went ahead of me and I could see them from a very long distance behind. 

My taillight has three LED bulbs inside and offers three modes. It has the steady light, which is fairly bright. The second is the strobe mode where one light blinks on and off. Then there is another mode where the three lights go on and off in succession. I think I will have the lamp on in this mode when I ride. It draws the maximum attention. 

The lamp is powered by two small AAA batteries. The OE pair was NR branded. Very cute looking. 

The unit is operated by one tiny little switch behind. I have stuck the unit by the clip to the back of my saddle bag and I hope it does not come off on a rough patch of road. There is another attachment for strapping it to the seat post. I have kept it aside because with the saddle bag on, there is no space to use that on my bike. 

The unit feels very cheapo. Opening the unit up for installing the battery was easy. But fixing it back on was a bit scary. I was worried that it might break. Well, it did not. 

It's on. The white light is of the button

The headlight is a small "pencil torch" kind of flashlight. The light output is decent. But it is not really meant for seeing the road in the dark. It is more for making yourself visible to other drivers. That's fine for me for now. If I ever went for a 300 or 400 km Brevet, where you do a lot of night riding I would have to go for something bigger. 

This unit has three light intensities - I guess 100, 200 and 350 lumens respectively. To switch it off you keep the switch pressed for 3 seconds. There is no strobe mode. There is a way by which you can lock the switch to prevent accidental switching on when you are carrying it in a bag or something. I have to work it out though. The unit is powered by a lithium ion battery that is USB rechargeable. The unit came with a USB charging cable. I have installed it on the left hand side of the handlebar with the strap that is provided. I don't think the battery is user replaceable. I will have to chuck it off when the battery dies out.

Important Note - Added 10th June 2020

I think it was last year that the rear tail light fell off the bike and broke. It had a clip system to attach to the saddle bag and that clip progressively became loose. I had hit a small road bump and it fell off the bike. The first time it happened I could re-assemble the unit after collecting back all the disintegrated parts but on the next accident the glass shell broke. I have since not replaced it. If I do I will possibly go for a Sigma but the attachment system has to be something like my front light which is quite good.

In fact the other evening during lock-down I had gone cycling to Regent Park and the roads were totally dark in stretches. The light is pretty adequate. I could quite see my way around. I may not feel confident with it on unknown mountain roads in the dark but here in the city I am quite okay with this.

Crankbrothers Multitool 19

Yesterday my Crankbrothers Multitool 19 arrived. Bought it off Amazon. I intend to carry it on my bike trips. It has a few hex keys and star keys. It also has a chain tool, not to speak of spoke wrenches. These days that's about what you need for a world tour. Because bicycle manufacturers have simplified most of the stuff. Of course a few specialised tools are needed for specialised jobs but this tool can do most of the basic tightenings and loosenings.

The chain tool; it also has 4 spoke wrenches - Moto G5s

The tool feels nicely heavy and solid in the hand and does not give the el cheapo feeling at all. I find the different tools a little too tight as of now. But I am sure with use they will loosen up. So far I have only used it to tinker with some minor saddle adjustments like pushing the saddle back a bit and pulling it up a bit. The tool came in handy. I have to learn to use the chain tool. I don't think one will ever need it on the road. But no harm learning basic things that can be fixed on the road.

June-end 2018

The tool has found a permanent place in my saddle bag and it is immensely useful. The other day I bought an old chain just to practice chain breaking and repair. I broke a few links with this multi tool. Works like a charm. You can read about it here.

The keys have eased up quite a bit. However, you have to be very precise with folding the chain breaker tool otherwise the unit does not slide into the aluminium case. Precision designing at its best. The plastic cap of the case, which was difficult to take off and snap back on, has eased up too.

I love using this tool. No doubt.

Asics 5-in Split running shorts

The first shop I went into in Amsterdam was an Asics concept store. It's near the Light Supply area. Quite prominent and fairly large store. Here I saw the 5-in split running shorts. Available at € 30. On my second visit to the store I bought it after a trial wear.

This is clearly one of the most expensive running gear I have ever purchased, apart from my shoes and a pair of Adidas compression pants. Is it worth it? Well, I don't really know. But if you leave the cost bit aside, it is certainly a great pair of running shorts. It is very light, airy, roomy, stylish. It dries out in real quick time. These are what many elite marathoners wear. And that's precisely the reason why I bought them :-) You may not run like an elite marathoner but you must look and feel like one !!! That's my motto in life - like it or hate it :-)

Almost all the running shorts that I have worn have had problems with the crutch area. They are perhaps a little too tight for free movement of the legs. Like you cannot really do a full squat without adjusting them a bit. This one has no such problem whatsoever.

My most favourite running shorts so far has been the New Balance that I had bought years ago. That material is a little more plasticky than this. It's unbreathable. But it lasted forever except that its stitches around the crutch broke. This one might well outlast that without anything breaking.

The Asics shorts have only one real problem. It has a pathetic little pocket meant only for a mobile phone. I normally run with a fat Turkish face towel. It is very difficult to shove that in. The pouch of the pocket hangs on the back - on the side of the thigh. That makes shoving something very difficult. However, if you want to carry a phone - it's ideal.

I am wearing it for every evening run now, meaning three times a week. Let me see how long it lasts. 

Motorola Moto G5S

Just pulled the trigger on a Moto G5S. After a lot of pussyfooting over what to buy and what not to buy, from where to buy and how to pay etc. Finally settled on this model. As it turns out, the model has just been launched in August. I didn't know this before deciding to buy. I have never bought anything so fresh on the market. I prefer to wait and watch and let a new launch establish itself. But with phones and computers that strategy does not work. Technology is evolving so fast, before anything is established a new development kills the predecessor. 

This is perhaps the first time I spent so much time on choosing a phone. Earlier the choice was simple. Now there is a mind boggling array and so many features to consider. My priorities were simple. It must have the latest OS (Nougat, I think), Gorilla Glass 3 at least, minimum 3000 mAh battery, panorama feature in the camera and a metal body. I have no clue about processors, hence had no priority there. In this phone I am told they use Qualcom Snapdragon, which is supposed to be a good choice.

If everything was equal I would go for a non-Chinese brand with a better camera. I ended up picking up the Motorola despite it now being Chinese owned. I am shamelessly racist about anything Chinese but increasingly we have to accept their domination in the manufacturing space. 

From GSM Arena

My next set of updates will come after the phone is delivered. Amazon takes its own sweet time to deliver something. I have bought it on COD. Let me see when it arrives.

September 122, 2017

The phone arrived yesterday. Nicely packed in a jiffy bag. Though the package might look casual it was not damaged in any way. The box had the phone, a black charger and a white head phone. There is also a small pin for the SIM card tray. The phone is discretely heavy. Not too heavy to be an extra load in the pocket but not too light either, giving it a personality.

The back cannot be opened. It's sealed. Even the battery cannot be taken out or user replaced. Batteries in any case are not supplied by mobile companies and changing a battery does not solve any problem. In fact if I could get a new battery for my older Samsung I don't think I would have bought this new phone.

The transition from the old phone to the new one was relatively smooth. All the numbers got transferred. All the apps also got downloaded once again into the new phone. This is the beauty of google. They know everything about me. It is scary. But makes a few things like the phone transition smooth.

The phone's display is very nice. Way better than my previous phone's. Of course that being a way cheaper phone is perhaps not comparable.

Though Samsung makes a big song and dance about Super Amoled display, this display - IPS LCD - isn't too bad either. The camera is also fairly decent. I took a picture of Mampu and that looked pretty nice. Even the old photographs taken with my previous camera look nice on this phone.

The phone gets charged pretty fast. But if the data is on, the phone gets heated up quite a bit. More than just warm. It gets really hot. Switching off data during the charging process helped, it seemed. Charging speed is faster when the battery is relatively empty. Like, from 20 to 30 per cent it goes up really fast. But from 90 to 100 it takes a much longer time.

There are obviously lots of differences between the way you do things on a Samsung and on Motorola. I am having to work things out right now. Changing over to Samsung from my Nokia was an even more painful experience. That was an upgrade to touch screen and smart phone from an ordinary phone. I think they have given it a fancy name - feature phone.

One obvious disadvantage I think is absence of Samsung's equivalent of a "gallery". Gallery is where all your media files are stored, including the downloaded files from whatsapp or any other app like facebook or telegram etc. You can create albums there and keep your photographs neatly arranged. Here the gallery is google's "photos". I cannot seem to find out how to create albums there.

Another disadvantage over Samsung is the absence of a smart switch that toggles between wi-fi and data, depending on which is faster. It is particularly useful in places like my house where connectivity is poor. If I keep both wi fi and data pack on, it chooses the faster connection. Here it is not so. You are either on wi-fi or on data pack.

I have chosen not to use any screen protector or back cover with this phone. I did not buy any back cover for my Samsung also, which had a plastic body. It was just fine with no scratch mark. Of course it came with a screen protector on the front. I didn't take it off. But I refused to give it a jacket. My Nokia's back was totally ruined by all the scratch marks caused by the trapped dust inside the jacket.

Regarding the front cover, I paid a premium for this phone's Gorilla 3 glass, that is virtually unbreakable and unscratchable.  

Long Term Usage Update

It is pointless writing about it now because I am sure the phone is discontinued but let me say that this Gorilla 3 glass being unbreakable is a myth. Phone's display cover glass cracked after a drop on the floor. Some pixels also got broken after another fall. I don't know the current series of Gorilla that is selling. Will have to see how durable it is. But the phone is working fine so far, touch wood.