For me the year 2009 is ending with great satisfaction since I could cycle to work throughout the year. I am leaving for my own version of ‘Tour of Nilgiris’ on 25th. The year started with the absolute beauty of cycling and will culminate in cycling.

Please remember:

1. Adopting cycling as your primary means of transport is not easy but not impossible either.
2. Start with short distances – cycle for about 3km a day. In the beginning, 3km can take as long as 20 min. But it soon comes down to 10min.
3. Start cycling to grocery store and nearby places. Cycle during weekends and gradually increase the distance.
4. 5km is a very comfortable distance and it gets a bit difficult after 15km (one way). I have seen many people doing 20km oneway, after sufficient practice.
5. First few days your body will pain. You also need to adjust your saddle properly and emphasize on good cycling postures.
6. Traffic in Bangalore is not very cycle friendly. But if you keep a low profile on the roads, maintain a reasonable speed and stick to extreme left, you will do good.
7. Traffic police and other vehicles in Bangalore have been very understanding, so far.
8. Pollution could be a great negative. Choose interior roads. It could be a bit longer, but you will love the fresh air You can use masks, if needed.
9. Street dogs are a menace at night. So ride slow, don’t get into a race with them. If needed, get down the bicycle and walk.
10. Always use lights – Note that light is not important to see the road but to be seen by fellow motorists. Majority of the cycle accidents involve bad lighting systems.
11. I encourage people to use a good helmet.
12. In a period of 1-1.5 months, cycling will soak into your blood

Wish you all a Happy New Year and a year filled with new discoveries such as cycling.

TFN starts in second week of December 2009. I have roughly 5 months to prepare. My plan is to increase the distance organically. I ride around 30km everyday. In next five months I want to increase the distance by 3km every week and reach 66km/day close to TFN. Once in a month I want to take up some serious riding. So here is my plan

• Jul -6 – 13 – 33km/day
• Jul – 13 – 20 – 36km/day
• July – 20 – 27 – 39km/day
• July – 27 – Aug 10 – 42km/day
• Aug – 10 – 24 – 45km/day
• Aug – 24 – Sep 7 – 48km/day
• Sep – 7 – 28 – 51km/day
• Sep – 28 – Oct – 12 – 54km/day
• Oct 12 – Nov – 2 – 57km/day
• Nov 2 – 16 – 60km/day
• Nov – 16 – 30 – 63km/day
• Dec – 1 Till TFN – 66km/day

Major rides planned

• July – 25th – Shivagange
• August – 8th – Kanakapura Rd – 75km total
• August – 22nd – Nandi Hills
• September 12th and 13th – Mysore
• October 2nd, 3rd, 4th – Chennai
• November  – 14th and 15th- Tumkur

There are some concerns though.

If the distance between my house and office is 30km, how do I keep on riding upto 66km/day? The answer lies in the route I have to take to office. It is better to leave my house at 7:00am and reach office by 9:30am. I should be able to cover close to 45km in two hours. Again in the evening I should cover 20km back home. In five months, a total of 5hrs/day of riding as compared to my existing 1.5hrs of riding.

I also need to ride longer distances continuously – riding to Mysore, Nandi and other places are good ways to practice.

Longer rides pose special challenges – sore bums, flat tires, necessity of cleat pedals etc. Also the very argument of the necessity of a road bike comes into picture. But I don’t want to invest in a road bike as of now. I intend to do as many days as I can on TFN  with my existing Trek 4300. I need to buy bike shorts and cycling shoes with SPD cleat pedals. Decathlon is the best place to buy them. Cycling shorts are already available at Decathlon. It might take two more months for the shoes and pedals. I need to wait as getting them from US would prove to be costlier. Also, the shoe size may not match my requirements well.

I may also have to change my diet. Longer the distance, greater the need to feed yourself with food and water. I got a hydration bag from Decathlon for purchasing a Rockrider 5.3. That bag should help me for practice rides. One can also buy water bladders and use them with normal backpacks. I may have to work on the diet.

Some two lines about cleat pedals (also called clipless pedals). These pedals help you cycle with more efficiency since your feet would be attached to the pedals. There will be a push and pull effect and this is very important to achieve good speed and distance. You get two types of cleat pedals – LOOK and SPD. More details from Wikipedia. You need a special shoe to ride bikes with cleat pedals. You also get hybrid cleat pedals – pedals which are flat on one side for ordinry riding and with cleats on the other side for riding with the right shoe.

TFN requires commitment. If I cannot follow the plans I have laid out, I am sure that I would drop out on 2nd or 3rd day of TFN and my dream would die with it. But this is a new challenge to test my limits, a new way to see beautiful the Nilgiris_(mountains)^W. What is life without new challenges and new perspectives?

I am tracking the preparations on DailyMile

Cycling has different connotations.

1. Poor people who cannot afford other means of transport.
2. People who have adopted cycling by choice.
3. People who have adopted cycling for fun.

Let us consider the first group. If a person is poor, he is struggling to meet his needs. His overall carbon foot print will be minimal. So he is the most eco-friendly person among the lot. (India’s carbon emission, in relation to its population, is very minimal because 70% of the population is poor enough to have minimal carbon footprint)

The second lot, the most complex of the lot, tend to be self righteous, sometimes. Cyclists tend to be a bit arrogant to the rest of the population. They act as though they are putting all the effort to save the planet while the rest are basking in the luxury of automobiles. Cycling can be one of the ways to minimize carbon footprint. I don’t know how many of those cyclists are firing unnecessary printouts or keeping their computers on at office, always. I don’t know how many of them take prolonged showers, keep tap water running while brushing teeth or shaving. I don’t know how many of them compost their kitchen wastes, refrain from burning crackers during diwali or harvest rainwater during monsoons. I don’t know how many of them have reduced their meat consumption or eating organic or non-exotic food items. I don’t know how many of them are really bothered about unnecessary consumerism and have cut down on shopping. I don’t know how many of them reject plastic bags and carry their own cloth bags.

I have seen people who don’t cycle but have adopted many other ways of being eco-friendly. So we need not be arrogant to non-cyclists.

Cycling, as a sport, is very resource intensive. Also, these cyclists may be squandering environment in their normal way of living but might have adopted cycling as a fun sport. These people might use an SUV to carry a bicycle to a hilltop and then ride the cycle down. When you look at cycling as a sport, you cannot talk about environment. We should just appreciate it as any other sport. Running or walking is the most eco-friendly way to move from one point to another. But an Olympic runner need not be the most eco-friendly person on earth. Cycling as a sports completely falls into a different category.

Cycling is one of the most humble ways of moving around. Hence a cyclist can never be arrogant. By cycling, we are not saving the planet or fellow humans, we are trying to save ourselves.I

1. Make cycle my primary mode of transport
2. Cover 7000km in commuting

It has been six months now. I cannot imagine any means other than cycle for commuting. Reason? My commute time is now almost fixed – 1.5hrs. Earlier it was entirely dependent on traffic. I have tried Hero Thunder, Merida SUB-10V, Trek 4300 and BTwin Rockrider 5.3.

I have stopped using my motorcycle. I don’t remember spending any money either on petrol or on maintenance. In last 6 months I have saved more than Rs.6000 just on fuel (other than maintenance and insurance).  I listen to audio books while cycling since I don’t have to focus much on traffic – one book in a week – that alone accounts closely to 25 books in last six months.

I have cut down my weight by 3.5kilos. I don’t worry about parking. My life has become less stressful and more beautiful. In past six month I have converted 6 of my friends to cycling. I have also reached 50% mark of my annual goal of 7000km. Currently I am using Mycyclinglog. My friend Thej is working on a new WordPress plugin. I will shift to it soon.

Here is my log:

I paid Rs.350 for BTwin Coil lock. It costed only Rs.250 at Decathlon, pant clips at Rs.100 (instead of Rs.130). The list goes on. But the best part was Rockrider 5.3 – Rs.23000 cycle for Rs.20,000. When I went through the features, I jumped with joy – dual disc brakes, 100mm fork with lockout, SRAM 27 gear combination, double walled rims – all for Rs.20,000.

To purchase items from Decathlon at wholesale prices, you need to have a valid sales license. We got our memberships done. Pulkit and Sejal wanted to buy a bicycle. So we decided to visit Decathlon on Saturday. I and Diwakar (my brother) reached the shop by 12:00pm. Pulkit and Sejal were already there. They were little confused between Rockrider Hybrid and 5.1 After some deliberation, they decided to go with 5.1. I and Diwakar drooled at 5.3 and other accessories. We decided to pick up a 5.3 for our youngest brother – Kaushik. We got mirrors, mudguards, locks, pant clips and saddle covers.

Deepak joined us at 4:00pm. In all, we shopped for two 5.3s and one 5.1. We got real good goodies as free gifts. Each Rockrider 5.3 purchase got us Rs.3000 discount + a hydration bag worth Rs.1800 + Puncture Kit worth Rs.1000 and an insulated bottle worth Rs.1200. Virtually, a 23k bike costed us Rs.16k. I don’t know whether 5.3 can be compared to any of the Meridas or Treks. But I am very happy with the bike. I will post the review after using this bike for few months.

Decathlon has other sports items too. You must visit it at least once.

Since yesterday, all my siblings (we are three brothers) have been commuting to office by bicycle. I hope this trend continues. Here are some snaps of our new family member Rockrider 5.3.

Rockrider 5.3

I now need to work on the cost, duration, route, cause (it would be water for sure) etc.

Before that, we need to prepare for Tour of Nilgiris in December. 900km in 9 days – test of body, mind and everything else that is there with you…!!!

V Brakes need regular adjustment. As the shoes start to wear off, the gap between the rim and the shoe needs to be adjusted regularly. If the wheel loses its truing, even a bit, it starts rubbing the shoes. Of course, adjusting V-Brakes is a not very time consuming task, but it can sometimes get annoying. Disc brakes on the other end do not need this level of regular tweaking.

The main reason why I would recommend disc brakes for bicycles is, the grit that gets stuck between the shoe and the rim. Yes, this has become a serious problem for me since the onset of monsoon. The clean brake shoe picks up grit and rubs it against the rim. This abrasive effect, over a long period, can push you to change the rim. You might always clean the shoe and rim before you start the ride, but the road has got enough grit to fail you. Worst of all would be, riding through a small mud patch. If that happens, mud just sticks to your rims and brake shoe happily smears it all along the rim and uses the mud to sand the rim off. Disc brake not only helps you avoid this mess but also gives you better control in rains.

Merida SUB 20 MD

Bicycles with disk brakes might seem like a costly affair. But if bicycle is your primary means of transport (just as mine), you will start appreciating disc brakes very soon. BTW, mechanical disk brakes are sufficient. You don’t need to have hydraulic disc brakes (and these cost you a fortune). I would recommend Merida SUB 20 MD or Cannondale F8 which costs you around 23k and 22k respectively.

Cannondale F8

But now I want to document some basic maintenance a cycle owners needs to perform – some daily, some weekly and few monthly. This is as per my experience. I use bicycle to commute a distance of 30km everyday (around 700km a month). 95% of the route I take to office is asphalted. Only the roads near my house are muddy and have some potholes.

So here is my checklist:

Daily:

1. Wipe the brake shoes and the rim. Dust between these two damage and rim and wear off the shoe faster.
2. Check for air pressure before you take the cycle out. Not that air pressure falls on a daily basis, but there can be issues with air valves in the tube.

Weekly:

1. Clean the hubs.
2. Oil the chain
3. Oil the dérailleurs

Fortnightly:

1. Check air pressure and fill air if required.

Monthly:

1. Adjust brakes
2. Adjust gear system

Once in six months:

1. Check the chain for enlargement. Replace if required.
2. Check the brake shoe for damage and replace if required.

Once in 12 months:

1. Check the tires and replace if necessary
2. Check the cables and replace if necessary

A new chain costs around Rs.400 (KMC) and Rs.600 (Shimano). New V-Brake shoes cost about Rs.120 a pair (and cost as much as Rs.600 a pair depending on the brand). A 100ml oil can (Singer) costs you Rs.15. The above activities are merely suggestive. The actual damage/maintenance is dependent on the usage and the style of the rider.

In an year, if you own a Merida or a Trek, expect a maintenance cost of about Rs.1,500, if you ride 7000km in a year. The same distance on a motorbike can make you shell out upto Rs.3,500 in a year + petrol expenses.

A bicycle does not depreciate at the same rate as a motorcycle. A bicycle does not require huge insurance, licence or any emission certificate. Cycling is the most natural way of moving around the planet Earth

Whenever I speak of cycling, people speak to me of the childhood memories, the freedom cycling gave them. I believe that it is time to reclaim those memories, that freedom.

This month three of my friends expressed willingness to buy bicycle. Nadish and his wife together bought my all time favourite – Hero Thunder MTB. My friend Subhash got a Merida SUB-10V while my colleague Arun Patre bought Merida SUB-20V.

Over last two weeks, the attitude of these people has changed tremendously. They now have a clear understanding of what it feels like to cycle in Bangalore. And all of them are happy that they made this choice.

People, just come out and start cycling… you can rediscover the beauty you forewent long ago.

There are two important reasons to it.

1. I stay in the outskirts of Bangalore. When people come to collect the bike, they show all the enthusiasm and do their best to get the bike. When it is time to drop the bike off, people rarely show the same enthusiasm. Except in the case of one borrower, I have struggled a lot to get the bike back. I don’t think I have any time for such errands anymore.
2. Bicycle is my primary means of transport. I use it on all days of the week/month/year. I lent out my bicycle on weekends thinking it to be a kind of obligation to the society. I used to rent it out for free. But it seems society no longer deserves such favours. Last week I lent out my bike to a person who wanted to participate in some rally. I decided to exchange my Hero Thunder for a heavy Hero Hawk cycle (with single gear). I struggled to take that cycle home. But I never felt bad since I always thought that I was helping somebody realize his/her dream. The person was supposed to return the bike yesterday. I have not heard a thing yet

I have decided to keep the bicycle for myself. It is much better off that way. All the happiness I derive out of cycling gets lost in the frustration of not having my bike back in time.