Old blog posts (#2)

* feat: 2 old blog posts ported

* feat: Add 2 more old posts

content/page/links/index.md

@@ -1,37 +1,79 @@
 ---
 title: Links
-links:
-  - title: GitHub
-    description: GitHub is the world's largest software development platform.
-    website: https://github.com
-    image: https://github.githubassets.com/images/modules/logos_page/GitHub-Mark.png
-  - title: TypeScript
-    description: TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
-    website: https://www.typescriptlang.org
-    image: ts-logo-128.jpg
 menu:
   main: 
     weight: -50
     params:
       icon: link
+      comments: false
 
-comments: false
+links:
+  - title: Scolarian
+    description: Indian steel frames handmade for the road less taken. Makers of the Mudfest and Zanskar fixie.
+    website: https://scolarian.com
+    image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnPtWG3seqK1cQtSEOjAM4Whc1ZS1LdSPsIA&s
+
+  - title: Posst Bicycles
+    description: The Oberon is more than a frame — it’s a platform for solitude, descents, and soul.
+    website: https://posst.in
+    image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRyydB3P7R9SMN-7q6cmxioBTc-DcvbMEqDw&s
+  - title: Fittrip Bikes
+    description: Adventure-ready bicycles built in India — where fitness and exploration meet.
+    website: https://fittrip.in
+    image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFBngmyI2RjI-bIbC1tJMriwA65n-rqxMbCg&s
+
+  - title: Lapwing Wheels by Vitti Trading
+    description: Precision-built Indian wheels, engineered for speed, tested on gravel.
+    website: https://vittitrading.com/lapwing/
+    image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlpqjmHuZQQFJm0I2Ligyw-8jYB77Ulsp1hQ&s
+
+  - title: MKS Pedals
+    description: Japanese-made pedals that last a lifetime. Elegantly simple, quietly perfect.
+    website: https://www.mkspedal.com
+    image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS616QKfo0nJyyN-W5tK0BtCBejvorBYpXzvw&s
+
+  - title: Panaracer (Japan)
+    description: Makers of the iconic GravelKing — the tire of choice for tough, unknown trails.
+    website: https://longshineindia.com/collections/panaracer
+    image: https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u3bHx5FrvP6musYApWsAxf-1280-80.jpg
+
+  - title: Smanie Saddles
+    description: Comfortable, consciously made saddles tested on unforgiving gravel.
+    website: https://longshineindia.com/collections/smanie
+    image: https://smaniesaddles.com/cdn/shop/files/58B5CC9B-9783-452B-A390-0598674D0EE8_3.jpg?v=1671606567&width=1100
+
+  - title: Guee Bar Tapes by Ozone Ventures
+    description: Tactile comfort and striking design — bar tapes that turn handlebars into art.
+    website: https://ozoneventures.in/guee/
+    image: https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Guee-graphic-handlebar-tape-with-matching-socks01.jpg
+
+  - title: Rockbros by DoGoodCo
+    description: Smart, value-packed bike accessories brought to India by the good folks at DoGood.
+    website: https://dogoodco.in/collections/rockbros
+    image: https://www.dogoodco.in/cdn/shop/files/uif.jpg?v=1727162736&width=2160
+
+  - title: Athlos
+    description: Natural merino layers born for long rides, slow journeys, and cold dawns. Proudly Indian.
+    website: https://athlos.in
+    image: https://www.goathlos.com/cdn/shop/files/men_baselayer_Fennel.jpg?v=1743189488
+
+  - title: Lightmen India / Fenix Lights
+    description: Fenix lights sold in India via Lightmen — trusted on high passes and long nights.
+    website: https://ledflashlights.in/collections/fenix-bike-lights
+    image: https://ledflashlights.in/cdn/shop/files/BC26R-min_800x.jpg?v=1737971814
+
+  - title: Geosmina Bags
+    description: Waterproof, understated bikepacking bags that disappear into your ride — and reappear when it rains.
+    website: https://www.geosminacomponents.com/en/
+    image: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a46bb31d74cffb073caad88/1579307332854-F9IF61D9PTGHYUVS1ZTC/DSC03664.jpg?format=2500w
 ---
 
-To use this feature, add `links` section to frontmatter.
+Not all journeys are taken alone.
 
-This page's frontmatter:
+Some brands walk with us — not as loud sponsors, but as quiet companions.  
+They share our love for solitude, for simple gear that works, for stories written in grit and dust.
 
-```yaml
-links:
-  - title: GitHub
-    description: GitHub is the world's largest software development platform.
-    website: https://github.com
-    image: https://github.githubassets.com/images/modules/logos_page/GitHub-Mark.png
-  - title: TypeScript
-    description: TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
-    website: https://www.typescriptlang.org
-    image: ts-logo-128.jpg
-```
+This page is a thank-you.  
+To the frames that carry us, the fabrics that warm us, the wheels, lights, and ideas that help us go further, lighter, freer.
 
-`image` field accepts both local and external images.
+We ride with them. And we’re proud they ride with us.

content/post/lightweight-tips/index.md

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+title = "How I Pack Light Without Giving Up Comfort"
+slug = "lightweight-tips"
+date = "2023-07-25"
+description = "A practical look at the art of ultralight bikepacking — what to carry, what to skip, and how to stay happy without hauling the house."
+categories = ["gear"]
+tags = ["gear", "ultralight", "packing", "comfort", "bikepacking", "setup"]
+image = "lightweight-tips.webp"
+draft = false
++++
+
+The moment I hear the word *lightweight*, I picture someone sawing a toothbrush in half with frightening intensity. But let’s not start there.
+
+We all want to carry less on our bikes — not because it’s trendy, but because every gram we leave behind makes the ride that much sweeter. I've already rambled about why weight matters in [another post]({{< ref "why-i-prefer-to-travel-light.md" >}}). This one’s for the practical side of the obsession — five gear areas that deserve your ruthless scrutiny before you start snipping straps off your bags.
+
+---
+
+## 1. The Bicycle
+
+Rigid > Suspension. Every time. Suspension adds complexity and (more importantly) weight. Unless your route screams *rock garden*, skip it.
+
+> No, Leh via national highway does not require suspension.
+
+Gravel bikes, flat-bar road bikes, rigid hybrids — all are lighter, simpler, and friendlier to your legs and your wallet. Wide tyres act like mini suspension anyway, and they don’t break in the middle of nowhere.
+
+---
+
+## 2. The Sleep System
+
+Tents are great — for Instagram. But out here, a well-timed dhaba stop often beats a fiddly tent pitch. Most of India’s remote highways are dotted with dhabas that double as meal spots *and* sleep shelters.
+
+Want to go wild? Cool. Try a **bivy** — mine weighs just 440g. That’s 1/3 of my lightest tent and has zero poles to snap. It won’t win beauty points, but it packs tight and sets up in seconds.
+
+> A bivy is like the sleeping bag’s tougher older brother — minimal, rugged, and drama-free.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Food, Water & Cooking Gear
+
+Confession: I hate cooking on tours. After 80 km of riding, lighting a stove feels like penance. So I eat what I find: cold rice, rotis, parathas, bananas, boiled eggs. All roadside classics. All zero-prep.
+
+Skip the stove, fuel, pot, and fire-starting kit — and you save kilos.
+
+Water is heavier than your guilt — so carry just enough. Plan routes around refill points (tea stalls, pumps, villages). For the uncertain ones, carry a **LifeStraw** or **Sawyer filter**. Rain puddle? Animal trough? No problem.
+
+Pro tip: use **more small bottles** instead of fewer large ones — it helps ration and balance weight better.
+
+Need to add an extra bottle mount? Here's a great hack for adding a downtube bottle cage to almost any bicycle:
+
+{{< youtube D6f4v57dwIA >}}
+
+---
+
+## 4. Electronics & Accessories
+
+You don’t need a film crew. Trust me.
+
+Bring a smartphone, a power bank, and maybe an old Nokia brick phone. Use airplane mode. Charge everything with one cable. If the route’s wild, sure, carry a GPS. But don’t build a media rig.
+
+> One lens to rule them all? It’s already on your phone.
+
+---
+
+## 5. Clothing & Personal Items
+
+Rule: **2 cycling kits, 1 off-bike kit.**
+
+Alternate and wash daily. That’s it.
+
+If something tears, you can buy a T-shirt for ₹100 anywhere. Don’t carry your entire wardrobe. Layers for warmth and a rain layer — that’s your luxury.
+
+---
+
+So before you take a Dremel to your toothbrush, start with these five. Real weight savings begin before the gram-counting madness. And yes, once you're hooked, there’s no going back.
+
+I’ll leave you to it. I have a label to remove from my base layer.

content/post/one-bike-to-do-it-all/index.md

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++++
+title = "One Bike to Do It All"
+slug = "one-bike-to-do-it-all"
+date = "2024-07-11"
+description = "Why I chose a single do-it-all bicycle — and why most riders in India may only ever need one good, well-thought-out bike."
+categories = ["Stories"]
+tags = ["bike", "setup", "India", "perspective", "freedom"]
+image = "bergamont-sweep-4.webp"
+draft = false
++++
+
+When I was looking for a bicycle to buy out of my own pocket in 2018, there was one thing I knew with certainty:
+
+> I wanted one bicycle that could do everything.
+
+Not everything in the brochure sense of the word. Not the kind that claims to do gravel and racing and city commutes but ends up mediocre at most. I wanted a bicycle that could absorb the life I was living — a bit messy, mostly mountainous, full of detours, and very, very Indian.
+
+---
+
+## One Bike to Rule Them All
+
+Owning *just* one bicycle wasn’t about minimalism. It wasn’t about money. It was about **time**. Time to ride. Time to repair. Time to live with the machine, not spend weekends babying a fleet. Between building a mountain home, running a website, travelling for work, testing gear, trekking, and raising a pack of hill-loving dogs — I didn’t want five bikes waiting silently in a shed.
+
+I’d lived that life once. Five bicycles packed into a studio in Rotterdam. A fixie for errands. A steel mountain bike turned commuter. A drop-bar tourer. A snow bike. A spare. I had time then. I had roads that didn’t break things. Here in the Himalaya, I wanted clarity.
+
+What I didn’t want — and had once done — was to find all five bikes flat and dusty after a long winter, each with some small fault, each needing its own ritual to come alive again. That week, I walked. With tools in hand, and guilt in heart.
+
+So began the search for one bike to carry it all — and survive.
+
+---
+
+## What I Needed
+
+This isn’t a checklist. It’s a sketch of my life.
+
+1. **Where I live**: Patnitop. Elevation: 2000 metres. Roads: steep, broken, mist-wrapped. A good ride is 15 km with a 1000m gain. But I also live part of the year in Delhi and Mumbai. I needed a bike that could climb like a goat and slip through traffic like a whisper.
+
+2. **How I ride**: My rides are often for endurance and strength. Some mornings I’m chasing KOMs. Other days I’m hauling 10 kilos of groceries uphill. Speed matters. So does torque.
+
+3. **How I travel**: I move by train, by bus, by instinct. The bike had to be tough enough to survive being strapped to the roof of an HRTC bus or stuffed under a railway berth. I couldn’t afford a diva.
+
+4. **Where I ride**: Gravel, snow, blacktop, slush, and city chaos. I needed flat bars. I needed composure. I needed something that didn’t flinch.
+
+---
+
+## The Search
+
+My brother and I spent long evenings diving into Cyclop posts and spec sheets, arguing about torque and tyre clearance. We both wanted something Indian, sturdy, smart. The Psynyde Oxygen came close — a true touring machine — but came with rim brakes. I’ve bombed down enough Himalayan descents to know that **brakes should slow you down, not quicken your prayers**.
+
+Then came the **Bergamont Sweep 6.0**. Olive green. Slick. Almost perfect. Aluminium frame, bottle mounts, proper geometry, respectable drivetrain. But — road gearing. A 34x34 lowest gear. Fine for flats. A nightmare on gradients with bags.
+
+> Gearing, for me, isn’t a number — it’s a kind of mercy.
+
+I nearly passed on it. But my brother — wiser, less romantic — pointed to its quieter sibling: the **Sweep 4**.
+
+"You're not buying a dream," he said, "you're buying a mule."
+
+And he was right.
+
+---
+
+## Why the Sweep 4 Made Sense
+
+It didn’t shout. It just worked.
+
+- Hollowtech bottom bracket I could service at home.
+- Strong butted aluminium that didn’t weigh me down.
+- Hydraulic discs that stopped me in snow without theatrics.
+- Clearance for fat tyres when needed, slicks when not.
+- Rack and bottle mounts where they should be.
+
+But above all: a **22T crank** paired with a 9-speed cassette. 18.6 gear inches.
+
+> Low enough to spin up a wall. High enough to race back down.
+
+---
+
+## The Ride
+
+I’ve taken it to Bhaderwah in spring, where the air smells of wet earth and pine, and the climbs test your patience more than your legs. It’s been tied to the roof of an HRTC bus in Kashmir and come down without a whisper of complaint. I’ve pedaled it up to Sinthan Top and down into Anantnag with gear clanging in the back. I’ve used it on dawn rides that turned into meditations, on errands that turned into escapes.
+
+It has been pushed, dropped, leaned against dhaba walls. And still, it has never asked for more than air and oil.
+
+Never once have I felt I needed more bike.
+
+---
+
+## Finally
+
+This isn’t a review. This is a small truth:
+
+> If you begin with the spec sheet, you will end up with a bike someone else needed.
+
+Start with your life. Sketch it. Walk its roads in your mind. Ask it what kind of companion it wants.
+
+Then — and only then — start reading spec sheets.
+
+> Begin with what you do. Then find the machine that listens.
+
+And if you’re lucky — it might just come in olive green.
+

content/post/why-buy-local/index.md

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++++
+title = "Why Buy Local Still Matters"
+slug = "why-buy-local"
+date = "2024-08-03"
+description = "A meditation on buying local — not as an act of patriotism, but of care, community, and connection. Inspired by a tool roll and a moment of reflection."
+categories = ["Culture"]
+tags = ["India", "gear", "perspective", "freedom", "learning"]
+image = "osl-tool-roll.webp"
+draft = false
++++
+
+The first time I rolled open the Our Slug Life (OSL) tool bag, it was on the side of a dusty road in Himachal. A loose bolt, a creaking noise, the usual. My multi-tool had somehow found its way to the very bottom, wrapped snugly in one of the roll's inner sleeves. I sat down on a flat stone, unravelled the bag, and found myself pausing — not because of the repair, but because of what I was holding.
+
+This tool roll was made in Goa.
+
+Not stitched in a factory in Taiwan. Not packaged in a shiny branded sleeve from Colorado. It came from a workshop tucked somewhere between rust and rain — sewn by someone who probably rides or knows someone who does. It smelled faintly of canvas and salt. And it got me thinking.
+
+Why don’t we buy more things like this?
+
+---
+
+## Buying Local Isn’t Patriotic
+
+I’ve never believed in drawing hard lines on a map. Being born in a place doesn’t make your soul any more special than someone else’s. Buying Indian-made gear isn’t about nationalism. It’s not about thumping your chest. It’s about care.
+
+It’s about **seeing** — the faces, the hands, the intent behind something.
+
+But there’s a deeper problem I’ve seen time and again. Riders complain there’s no good gear in India. That what’s available is substandard, overpriced, inconsistent. And yet, when someone *does* make something — like OSL — we hesitate. We wait for others to try. We wonder if it’s worth the risk.
+
+What does it take to believe in our own backyard again?
+
+---
+
+## Ghosts of the 80s
+
+If you grew up in India in the ’80s, you know the feeling. The heavy switches that sparked. The toys that broke before your third use. The bicycles that creaked from the first ride. There was a time when Made in India meant compromise.
+
+But that time is gone.
+
+We live in a world of access now. We can study zippers. We can test thread count. We can compare stitching on forums. And slowly, steadily, makers in India are rising to meet that standard. But they won’t survive if we sit back and admire from afar.
+
+They need us to buy in. Not just with money — but with belief.
+
+---
+
+## The Real Value
+
+I looked it up later. OSL is a registered MSME — a micro, small and medium enterprise. In India, MSMEs generate two out of every three new jobs. They hire locally. They build skills. They keep money flowing within towns, not vanishing into corporate spreadsheets.
+
+That bag? It paid someone’s rent. It taught someone precision. It kept a workshop’s light on.
+
+And that’s worth more than the clean branding of something imported and anonymous.
+
+---
+
+## The Shops That Know Your Name
+
+I think about my favourite local bike shop in Jammu. The guy who once stayed open an extra hour because I needed brake pads for an unplanned ride. Who remembers the name of my dog, and which grip tape I like.
+
+That doesn’t happen at big chain stores.
+
+That’s the value of the local — the **unscalable**, the **human**.
+
+And if we stop going, those doors close. And the next rider won’t know what it’s like to be known.
+
+---
+
+> "Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It means nurturing locally-owned businesses which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages and serve local consumers... Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community where it belongs."
+>
+> — Michael H. Shuman
+
+I came across that quote years ago. I underlined it in a notebook and forgot about it. But holding that tool roll in the hills, it came back. Almost like a whisper.
+
+---
+
+## No Sermon. Just a Suggestion.
+
+I’m not here to tell you where to buy your gear. But the next time you’re looking for something — a bag, a light, a bottle cage — pause.
+
+Look around. See if someone nearby is building what you need.
+
+And if they are — give them a shot. Ride with their work. Test it. Tell them what worked and what didn’t.
+
+That’s how ecosystems grow. Not by demanding perfection from the start, but by walking with the ones who are trying.
+
+And sometimes, by sitting on a stone on the side of the road — holding something made not just to function, but to belong.
+
+Peace. And ride well.

content/post/why-i-prefer-to-travel-light/index.md

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++++
+title = "Why I Prefer to Travel Light"
+slug = "why-i-prefer-to-travel-light"
+date = "2023-07-18"
+description = "Weight matters on a bike — not just for speed, but for joy. Here's why I believe in keeping it light, and what it changes on the road."
+categories = ["gear"]
+tags = ["gear", "bikepacking", "ultralight", "setup", "efficiency", "handling"]
+image = "ultralight-bikepacking.webp"
+draft = false
++++
+
+Weight matters. Especially when you're trying to drag it up a mountain on two wheels powered by yesterday's rajma chawal.
+
+Yes, less weight equals less effort — this isn’t breaking news. And yet, there's more to riding light than just saving your legs. There’s grace. Speed. Joy. And a touch of smugness when your heavily-laden friend’s rear rack snaps halfway up a gravel climb.
+
+Now, before I go further — this isn’t a conversion mission. If you're the kind of tourer who packs a kitchen sink and a paperback library, ride on. I respect it. But as someone who’s shaved every unnecessary gram (and maybe a few necessary ones too), I’d like to offer you my side of the saddlebag.
+
+> "I am religiously convinced — which means without evidence — that little weight reduces the number of mechanical problems, decreases energy requirements and fatigue and increases average speed, distance and enjoyment of cycling." — [Ultralight Bicycle Touring](https://ultralightcycling.blogspot.com/2009/08/introduction.html)
+
+So with that spiritual disclaimer out of the way, here are my three favorite reasons to keep it light:
+
+### 1. Light bikes break less (and so do their riders)
+
+More weight means more strain — on your drivetrain, brakes, wheels, tyres, and patience. Everything that turns, moves, or stops is working harder. That translates into wear, breakdowns, and awkward roadside repairs while villagers gather to judge your mechanical skills.
+
+Stay light, and suddenly your parts — and your knees — last longer.
+
+### 2. Heavy bikes go slow — and not by choice
+
+Some say slowness is part of the touring spirit. Fair. But there’s a difference between choosing to ride slow and being **forced** to. A lighter setup gives you options. You can linger when it’s pretty, and blast through when it’s not. You can outrun a storm, a dog, or your own bad mood.
+
+### 3. Heavy bikes handle like overfed goats
+
+Sidewinds feel worse. Descents feel sketchier. Cornering becomes an event. And braking? Let’s just say it’s less “bite” and more “beg.”
+
+Your ride becomes a negotiation, not a flow. And honestly, isn’t fun a huge part of why we ride in the first place?
+
+---
+
+Now, a warning:
+
+**Ultralight touring is addictive.**
+Once you start shaving weight, you don’t stop. First, it’s ditching the extra fleece. Then, it’s trimming toothbrush handles. Before you know it, you're questioning the mass of your shoelaces and cutting labels off your bibs.
+
+And you’ll love it.
+
+> Want to learn how I pack light without giving up comfort or dignity? [I've listed in another post]({{< relref "lightweight-tips/index.md" >}})
+
+Ride light. Laugh often. And when your friend tips over from too much luggage, try to help them *after* the photo.