Bike Shifting in Shoranur

Shoranur is Kerala's great railway junction, and the packers page answers the question everyone asks here first: should we go by train? For the household, there's a straight answer on that page. For a bike, the railway is one option among several, and for most families a carrier is simpler.

This page is about a different kind of Shoranur bike. The town sits close to Cheruthuruthy and the classical arts that grew up around it, and many households here include a performer, a teacher or a student of music or dance. Their scooter often does a particular job: carrying an instrument.

A chenda rides on a bracket bolted to the side. A mridangam or a maddalam travels in a case on the footboard or behind the rider. Some scooters have a custom frame or a padded rest welded on for years of this work.

When the family moves, two things need care.

The bracket comes off. A side bracket or frame sticks out beyond the scooter's normal width. On a carrier, it catches straps, takes up a neighbour's space and can scratch other bikes. Take it off a day early, keep its bolts in a small labelled pouch fixed to the bracket, and pack it among the household's things. If it's welded on, tell us at the survey, so the crew can pad it and allow the extra width.

The instrument never travels on the scooter. It's tempting to leave the chenda in its usual place on the bracket and send the whole thing together. Don't. A carrier jolts, straps tighten and loosen, and a drumhead or a shell can crack. The instrument travels in its own case, in the household vehicle or with the performer, padded and upright, ideally carried by hand from door to door.

Mind the pegs, ropes and heads. Instruments with laced heads and tuning ropes are sensitive to heat and damp. Don't leave them in a closed vehicle in the sun. If the move is long, carry them with you.

Look after the bracket's mounting points too. Years of a heavy drum bouncing on a side bracket can crack the panel behind it or loosen the frame lugs. Once the bracket is off, look closely at where it was attached. A crack found now is noted on the condition record and can be repaired at a workshop before the bracket goes back on; found later, it's a mystery nobody can explain.

Plan rehearsals around the move. A performer with a programme coming up needs the scooter back, with its bracket refitted, before the next rehearsal. Book the delivery for a day or two before, and refit the bracket at a local workshop if it needs drilling.

Shoranur bikes are collected by vetted Palakkad partner crews, who'll allow for a bracket or frame if you tell them. After our survey you get a single written price, and the scooter stays our responsibility up to its delivery.

Our Shoranur packers page answers road versus rail. Here the subject is the scooter that carries music to the stage.

If you're tempted to send the bike by train as a parcel because the station is close, compare it fairly with a door to door carrier: who loads it, who unloads it, and how the bike gets from the far station to your door. For most households, the carrier wins on convenience.

A word on the performer's own timetable. The festival season fills calendars quickly, and a programme booked months ago won't move for a house shift. Look at the calendar before fixing a moving date, and leave a clear week either side of any major performance. The scooter, the bracket and the instrument should all be back in working order before the first rehearsal at the new place.

And for the instrument itself, ask your teacher or instrument maker how they'd like it moved. They often know a better way than anyone.

Some musicians now ride electric scooters to rehearsals, and a bracket may be fixed near the battery cover. Ask the fitter how it attaches before unbolting anything, and carry the charger yourself. At booking, say which electric model it is.