ndg’s mate here….. and posting from Pune (hence the silly time) although I’m not there 23/24th as I’ll be back in blighty by then.
The Giant Starkenn store in Pune rent out bikes, Mountain or Hybrid, friendly staff and they will look after you. Pick up the night before and return after the ride, most bikes are 400-500 Rupees for a day – about £5. Most decent stores rent out bikes but Starkenn are the only ones with vaguely decent MTB’s (XCM HLO forks and Tektro hydraulic discs is about the best you’ll get).
They used to have a weekly off-road ride on a Saturday led by one of the staff from Starkenn, I’m not sure if they still do (I work Saturdays when in Pune so haven’t kept up with it), they also have a Sunday on road ride most weeks.
Road riding is much more common in Pune than MTBing, although with Indian roads you need at least a Hybrid if not an MTB on many roads anyway and its often more like riding open fire roads than road riding, there are some really decent ‘out in the country’ rides around the area such as up to Sinhagad Fort (about 65km but with a 800m climb), round the reservoir (about 100km) or to some of the local temples such as Theur (flat, about 60km).
There is some off roading in Pune (but dwarfed by the on-road scene) there are only two venues with short off road trails otherwise its natural track or gravel paths such as the top of Tekdi (Spirit) Hill which is criss-crossed with trails and has a quarry you can ride down into which is easily self navigable. Most people seem to ride off-road on Saturday so again I’ve not had a chance to join them.
There is a facebook page ‘Pune Cycling Enthusiasts’ you can put a shout out on if you want to see if anyone doing a ride fits what you want, people here are very friendly and welcoming of new people onto rides.
One word of warning, Indian disc braked MTB’s have the brakes set up left front and right rear, the odd spill from grabbing the wrong brake is not unknown (don’t ask how I would know….)
When riding in India ALWAYS carry ID and your private health insurance card, broken bodies without obvious insurance are a low priority. Bottled water is readily available and you will drink quite a bit due to the temperatures (I’m often drinking 1L/hr and in summer 2L/hr although I do tend to drink more than average even in the UK), most people in India start rides at circa 6am to avoid the heat (its already hitting nearly 30 by 2pm and will be 2C warmer by the end of the month), roadside vendors won’t understand English but if you ask for Bisleri (the first bottled water brand in India and the de-facto term for all bottled water) they’ll understand, also a Vada Pav (Pronounced Wada Pow – a potato Pakora in a bun with chilly sauce – a Mahrati specialty) makes a great mid ride snack, washed down by a cup or two of traditional Indian Chai (tea made with condensed milk and stewed to death – but lovely despite that description) both are pretty safe for westerners digestive systems, if you’re feeling braver an Omelette from a roadside cafe is worth a try.
https://starkennbikes.com/
The Store at Sangam Projects is the larger of the two in Pune with a decent range of hire bikes and where organised rides go from
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Starkenn+Technical+Center/@18.529953,73.8590654,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x3bc2c1534812e169:0xe33684f00e6aac7d!8m2!3d18.529953!4d73.8612541
+91 (0)2026058866
email is pune AT starkennbikes.com
Tekdi hill (also known as ARAI hill or Vetal hill)
https://lbb.in/pune/arai-tekdi/
Sunny world adventure park has a shortish off road trail
https://www.sunnysworldpune.com/
As does Oxford golf resort
https://www.oxfordgolfresort.com/
I’ve not ridden Sunny’s which is quite new, I’ve ridden Oxford (although its not mentioned that I can see on the website), think something like the Kitchenor trail at Sherwood pines.
There are some natural trails on the two hills by the international airport but I’ve never tried them.
