Cycling
Partly inspired by my gang’s craziness, and partly inspired by Shree, I bought a cycle a month ago, and I’ve been cycling to work on 2-3 days in a week ever since.
Some observations :
- People who drive in Bangalore have no respect for cyclists.
- The assumption is that the only reason you’re on a cycle is because you can’t afford a bike.
- Traffic is so dangerous for slow-movers like cyclists.
- People find it funny to see a guy riding a cycle listening to his iPod while most people are in formals on bikes.
- When most people my age are planning to buy a car, mom is wondering why I’m buying a cycle.
- It takes 45 min to travel the 8 km on cycle, just 10-15 min more than my bike (mainly because of the traffic)
- After I reach office, I feel energised and have noticed a positive effect in the concentration at work.
- No traffic cop trouble. They never bother cyclists.
- It’s dangerous to be on a cycle at night. It doesn’t have a headlight.
- Never park your cycle just about anywhere, it’ll easily get stolen.
- I save on petrol.
- I feel like I save an hour everyday because I don’t need to exercise separately now.
- Cycling is fun.
- 8 km is turning out to be easy now. Shree, when do we do a long one?
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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August 24th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
hey, what model is it & cost?.. i am also planning to buy one.. was thinking abt this one – http://www.herocycles.com/siren1.html , or mountain bike one…. fitted with a dynamo headlight & maybe a custom made electronic speedometer+odometer..
August 24th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
i was a cyclist half my life.. avging 15-20kms daily going to school!.. never gained weight till then!! now 65+
August 25th, 2006 at 4:20 am
Helmets, knee pads ?
And it takes me ~1 hour 40 minutes to walk from my home to office. The only reason I don’t cycle is because if you have one, you can’t jump into an auto to get somewhere quick.
August 25th, 2006 at 9:13 am
WOW! that is so cool!! I haven’t cycled since school!! And this post reminded me how much fun it used to be. There’s something so natural and simple about riding a bicycle, isn’t there?
August 25th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Way to go Swaroop!!! Apart from saving on fuel, you also wont be contributing towards the pollution in the city…
Sometine I seriously feel that on one day in a week, we must not use our vehicle at all… A resolution from within us…
August 25th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Very nice
You are right on target about people
looking downon cyclists. Meh. who cares.Yeah, my mother too summarily dismissed my idea of buying a cycle calling it waste of money. But, that idea might soom materialise since both my wife and brother too want to use cycle for short trips. I will definitely cite your example…
I think the biggest benefit of using cycles is, you can avoid all the one ways and dividers
August 25th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
Wow. Must be good fun. Me too toyin with the idea of buyin a cycle for quite some days now. I dont know if I’ll take it to work, but I’d love to cycle around on lazy sunday afternoons.
August 25th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Which bike are you using?
August 25th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Well done. I hope your can-do attitude spreads and more people will bike to work. I look forward to future Bangalore Bike to Work Day like they have at http://www.sfbike.org/?btwd
August 26th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Absolutely. I tried this when in Mysore on a vacation for a week. Given the fact that the traffic mennace at Mysore is lot lesser than in B’lore, I made the same inference in just 2 days. Day 1, I thought I was paranoid but as the consistency of disrespect by fellow commuters stayed on, I realized it was stupid of people to make such conclusions.
August 27th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
That’s very true Swaroop. I used to cycle about 8-9 Kms daily and now I seem to be on the verge of starting back again! The city traffic is just a big menace—-Guess we’ll reach our destination sooner even if we walked!
August 29th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
@Karunakar, @Kapil : I had got the Hercules “Wow” bike, costed around 4.5K. Btw, the hero cycles website is down because it exceeded bandwidth. Anyway, all the best in getting back to cycling!
@t3rmin4tor : I got a new helmet from someone who came back from Sunnyvale. I don’t think I’ll ever wear knee pads. Cycle takes me around 50 min to travel 8 km to office from home. And yeah, I take cycles on days where I don’t have any plans to go anywhere other than home/office.
@Angeline : Yep, it sure is fun. And as you said, natural and simple, and also gets you “in the zone”.
@PizzaDude : Hehe yeah, lesser pollution contribution. A “no vehicle day” might be interesting indeed. Even more interesting would be roller skating friday nights like in Paris
@Pradeep : Yeah, I had to spend some time to convince my mom too. And be careful, traffic is not at all kind to cyclists.
@Viju : Just go for it. Don’t think!
@Jayakumar : That’s interesting, but I wonder if it is possible in Bangalore, too many people would snicker at such an idea.
@Rohith : Yeah, but as more and more people take to cycling (which is apparent by the number of comments here), that attitude could change.
@Sudeep : Hehe true. Last week, I was stuck in a bad traffic jam, I was so frustrated, I could’ve reached home faster if I was on cycle.
August 30th, 2006 at 12:48 am
2) of some observations says that people think you have a “cycle because you can’t afford a bike.” So what’s the difference between a cycle and a bike?
August 30th, 2006 at 1:15 am
Sakat hot maga!
August 30th, 2006 at 12:08 pm
@David : Over here, bike == motorcycle.
@Premshree : Hehe.
August 31st, 2006 at 11:34 am
A very good initiative as usual.:))
September 1st, 2006 at 1:50 pm
oey! swaroop yaar! i jus learned cyclign 2 months ago, something i should have done when i was 7…am 17 now. heh ..sadly i had to return back the cycle i borrowed. i want a new one too:( waaaaaaaaaa mutti!
-danke schoen
September 2nd, 2006 at 9:52 am
i am a 20 yr old guy.does cycling increase height even at this age.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Gr8 goin dude
I guess the people are not used to this. Switching to cycles would be a huge change and people have to do away with the mental block they have about some stuff like this.
This is almost like a change in ideology which I am sure will take time to digest. Until that, I guess we will have to face this.
I am sure taking to cycles will become a necessity in a few days … Thanks to the steep increase in traffic
September 5th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Awesome to see that you have a bike – I’m a huge fan of cycling. I cycle about 6 km a day. This is what mine looks like (bought it two months ago) – http://herocycles.com/razorback1.html
Yes, it is a lot of fun!
September 10th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
[...] Swaroop has posted an entry on cycling to work in Bangalore. Cycling is very good in many ways. Apart from getting a person from point A to point B, the by-product is very good exercise. Given that my office is just about 4 k.m from where I live, this one is a very good idea to try out. Since I’m very lazy and largely unorganized, I do not (have time to[excuse]) exercise. The only physical activities I am involved are praying almost all 5 times a day and cleaning my car(once a week). The muslim prayer also serves as a good physical exercise. [...]
November 14th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Strange – I am seeing this post now. Enjoy cycling !
November 27th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Hi! I have the same bike I bought it last year. Unfortunately it is all chinese!!! Anyway I am 35 and on the Healthy side. I ride it every morning for abt 5-7 Kms. Yes people look down on cyclists feeling they cannot afford a Motorbike. But I still have fun it feels great esspecially in the winter. moutain biking has not cot up in our country yet. Now I have my eyes on a 12-14K Raleigh bike with drum brakes looks absolutely neat!!
November 28th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
I cycle about 36Kms a day to work. I do it 3 times a week. Am in Mumbai and my timings are 7:40am to 5pm. So I don’t face the traffic much. Its a nice cool ride and an excellent workout.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Great going! Ive been planning to buy one too . need a scond hand one though – not feeling too plush! Any suggestions?
February 2nd, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Hi there,I am 12 yr old and planning to buy a cycle.I am confused between the hero ranger DTB and the hercules wow. The wow looks cool but i don’t know about its shockups(suspension).The ranger has good suspension but it doesn’t look cool than the wow.
February 2nd, 2007 at 6:38 pm
sorry but what is the meaning of the term #K?.what is the ‘k’ for?pls answer me about the suspension of the hercules WOW.Also its colors and the DTB’s colors.
February 9th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Hey there,i have’nt got any answer.i am sure to but a hercules wow now.my budget is not more than 9k.hercules wow looks cool.i want to know its suspension and the cost.pls help me.
February 21st, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I have been riding to work with my Hero Hawk Nu age cycle for the last one year, apart from that I do weekend cycling. I have seen that I have re-discovered my passion for cycling.
It’s a racer cycle with out gear. I also maintain enteries of cycling activities I do through out the year. On an average I do 100 to 120 kms a week. My work place is 12 kms from my residence. I prefer a racer cycle to MTB, as they tend to be lighter in weight and the thin tyre allows me to bike at a good pace.
Ppl who want to ride cycle for fun,workout, here are some thing to note - 1. Always wear bright cloths especially when riding in a ring roads. 2. Make sure your rear reflectors are installed. 3. If cycling for more than 15 kms, ensure you wear paded shorts so that it can protect your wangs. 4. Avoid cycling in nights on highways or ring road, as you could be a sitting duck for MV and you may not be able to spot the small pot holes which can cause pain in your groin and a**. If you can use bright lights in the rear and front, then go for it. 5. Do light streches before getting on the cycle as it will ensure that your back, lower and upper body is not sore after cycling. After a ride ensure that you do enough streches.
I lost lot of inches after I took up cycling(from waist 38 i have moved to 33) and hope you all can enjoy cycling again
June 2nd, 2007 at 2:18 pm
hey i want to buy a cycle.can u give me a suggestion?i am planning to buy ranger dtb.will it be fine?how will i check the gears?pllzzzzzzz give me the answers!!!!
June 26th, 2007 at 10:08 am
hey Swaroop, How is the biking coming along ? Hope you still bike to work.
Have you seen this – http://www.bumsonthesaddle.com
June 26th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
hey i haven’t got any answers???????????
June 26th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
@Rohan: Yes, I’ve seen it, and glad to see such stuff.
@Ayush: I had replied to you in email long ago, please check.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
i drive this cycle it’s awesome
September 13th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Hey,
how you doing dude? this is audi. Balaji’s and Srini’s friend. SKCH. i cycle to work too. Let me know if there are any cycling clubs existing in Bangalore for weekend biking. If there are none, let me know your interest levels for starting a new one. Nothing big, just gather a few people one of the weekends and cycle to some place away from the city. Let me know.
Peace, Audi
September 13th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Sure there are quite a few.
http://www.bikeszone.com/forum/index.php http://groups.google.co.in/group/Bangalore-bikers
September 20th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
hey dude nice post i used to cycle to work 2 work but stopped after i met with a minor accident. will start soon…so i am on the look for a new cycle. hows the wow dude. please mail me ur comments!! Thanks
October 14th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
hey iam a student and i have hercules Topgear 26y 18sp cycle but it has no shocks and iam planing to buy a new one now ans i stay in bangalore, iam confused between WOW and RANGER DTB1, and my budget is 3.5K to 4K so please sugest me a good cycle between WOW and RANGER.
thanks, athar waiting for your email please email me which cycle is better wow or ranger.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Crap…You got every single thing right!
November 5th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I am planning to buy a cycle…..but dont want to spend too much.I want it just for fun and may be sometimes commute to office….which will be good….? Is it safe for girls in b’lore to ride?
November 17th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Hey nice post ….
@Payal … Its safer for everyone who drives safely. there is no differentiation between boys and gals….So just enjoy the RIDE. just be in left most side of the road and dont try to compete with any motorists. And if you tell your budget i can suggest you something.