Daytrip to the west of Pune

Nari has written a detailed trip report, so I won't. The trip was useful to figure out if the bike and I liked each other, and what my present level of fitness is. My findings:

1. The bike is quite cool to ride for long distances, except for two sticking points: Firstly, the lack of a carrier on which to strap my cycling and photography gear, which meant I had to haul the backpack, leading to back pain later. Secondly, the stiff seat made for painful cycling after about 40km. I switched cycles with Nari for a bit, and found that although his Ranger Swing was heavier and unwield-ier, it was much more comfortable.
2. My fitness level is worse than a guy who watches golf on television.

Nari in his sleeves-ripped-off tee

The first thing to give way in the cycle was the front mudguard, which just fell off after about 20km. Since there was no water on the road anyplace, the lack of a mudguard was not much of a problem:

Storks

Nari gets sugarcane. I think I need a walking cane.

Hero Octane DTB1

After thinking about it for many years, I finally went and got myself a bicycle again! I was looking primarily for a cycle that would be lighter than a steel-frame one. I also didn't want to spend too much, since I didn't know how much I would be riding a cycle after more than ten years off the saddle. After some internet research, I decided that Hero Cycles made some alloy cycles that were within my budget. Went to the local Hero showroom, and a few test rides later, was the proud owner of a Hero Octane DTB1. (On prodding, the dealer revealed that DTB stood for Dirt Terrain Bike. Whatever!)

Since I found few pictures of this cycle on the internet, here are some hi-res scans of amateur pics I took inside my apartment:

3*7 speed Shimano gears, with rotational shifters. Observe the lack of a carrier, and the plastic mudguards. No pillion-riding on this bike for sure ;) But I'll need to figure out a way to strap on luggage for the long multi-day rides...

Closeup of the rear suspension. The stiffness of the spring is adjustable using a hand-screw:
The quick-release seat. One drawback I later realized, is that the seat has no support springs, making it quite hard and uncomfortable for longer rides:

The bicycle cost me Rs 5,600 in Pune. Senti bought a slightly different cycle called the DTB2 at the same time as I did, and for the same price. Cycling days are here again!