basics of gear shift

Basics of gear shift

Friends

When I see a bicycle next to a tree they look so friendly. 

There are days like this...

Simplifying bicycle navigation

Its always good to see technology simplifying things. here is a perfect example.

Anay's first 5km ride

Well he ended up doing a 6.34kms. Came back home and went biking with his friends again. 

Tips for bicycle commuter for monsoon

Everyday we are looking at the weather forecast and desperately waiting for the rains. temperatures are still touching 40 degrees in Delhi. 
But lets agree to it the moment it starts raining we will have our own reason to grief about that or atleast crib about. Be it those traffic jams on every road during office hours, or water logging while you are getting late for movie. Or the cyclist who loves going to work on his bicycle everyday or maybe once in a while. Lets try and make sure the cyclist enjoys the monsoon as much as she/he can. 
Dear biker we have sweat enough for the past few months time for us to have fun zipping past the cars stuck in traffic. All we need to do it be ready for the rains.

Here are some thought starters, will be obliged if you add to the list.

Will break down the list in 3 parts.

1. What to do to the bike
2. How to carry stuff (storage)
3. What to wear

the bike
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mudflaps: make sure you get a pair of mudflaps. reaching office with lots of mud on the flap can be a bad idea at times, and the rear one is even more important or else it can give your backpack a mud bath. these too need regular cleaning or else thick deposits of mud will gather around. 

surely your local cyclewala will also have some options to last you a season. 

or else you can buy some from decathlon
or firefox 

brake pads: these are damn important since the weather will be tricky and everybody else around will be going crazy make sure you are well prepared with brake pads in good condition. pebbles, stones and dirt mixed with rain water gives your brake pads a good seasoning and makes sure they erode fast. so be careful keep checking the pads often before metal starts cutting onto metal. and braking becomes tough.

lights:  visibility is always low during rains. headlights and tail lights both become necessary. even in the day when it may not help you see any better the other person can see your light flashing lesser chances of bumping to each other. if you don't find waterproof lights make sure you wrap tight a plastic around it, a bag or something maybe.

chain: keep it clean or else dirt, grime and water, all put together erodes the chain and the sprocket and cassette.

 
strorage: this one is really crucial specially those who are going to work and want to carry some stuff or the other. more so on a rainy day some extra clothes, and towel etc... will be needed to be carried and kept dry. here is a list of things you can have depending upon the need decide which combination suits you.
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big plastic bag: any plastic bag will do as long as they are not leaky. Used Grocery Bags, Garbage Bags (make sure you reuse as much as possible and dispose them well). these come really handy in case of a surprise rain to wrap up Laptops, Papers etc.

panniers with rain cover: another interesting thing which works well when you want to free your shoulders from the burden of carrying all the stuff. 

backpacks with rain cover: either you can buy a backpack with an attached rain cover or else rain covers of different sizes are available in the market. 

Aquapac Stormproof Messenger Bag 
Aqua-Quest 'The Stylin' Waterproof Backpack Dry Bag - 30 L

small waterproof bags or zip locks or simple small plastic bags/ small sized garbage bags should be used to save mobile phones, wallet, headphone and money. 




getting dressed
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it's good fun to get wet in the rain specially while riding a bike. but it all depends upon where and when you are off to. if the plan is to go to work or even a movie, i'm sure getting wet can be irritating and uncomfortable. 
stay wet for long and even the AC can bug you and falling sick is just a step away. depending on the weather (as in summers or winters) keep extra pair of clothes (the panniers can come very handy in this case). 
in case of a summer shower it's simple to wear quick dry shorts or pants and ride. 

Rain Jacket, Rain coat, Poncho: any of these prove to be a good companion on a rainy day. make sure you don't buy something too bulky or else carrying them around while it's not raining isn't fun and storage space is always limited. though all these have their own pros a poncho can be helpful as some of them can be clipped to the handle bar and covers the legs too and even a backpack me fit inside the pocho (a decent one will cost around Rs400). enough of goretex stuff are available if you want to spend some bucks. 
Towel: thats a must a small one will do. even quick drying towels are available.
Extras: Pants, T-Shirt/Shirt, Socks, Shoe (if possible)


regular cleaning of the bike during the rains is a must don't miss that out. 
will be great if you can add your own tips and make this a better list.

Innovation

few days back i bought myself a new pair of dueter panniers for my foldable dahon. the idea was to shift the weight from my shoulder and back to the bicycle.
on my way to work the heavy backpack (laptop+headphone+some papers+files+lunch) becomes a bit of a discomfort specially in hot days. our city easily hits upto 45-46 degrees Celsius.
the backpack adds upto to some extra sweat dripping off my back.

my simple solution was to shift the weight to my panniers.

on the first day of using my panniers as i was pedaling back home i met another fellow cyclist Mr. Narain (a plumber by profession). like me he was on his way back from work. and it seemed he had similar issues of carrying stuff along with him to work.

but his solution was much simpler and innovative than mine.
he required a space to carry a big bottle (2ltr.) of water + 1 towel (gamcha) + some plumbing tools. this guy used the V-Frame to build a large bag. since it's made of plastic seems water resistant.
here are some pictures of Mr. Narain's storage system.

Anay's DinoBike

the time has come for anay to flaunt his new bike.
a month back or so he decided that he wants a red and yellow bike. he was bored of his Blue Firefox bike with Popeye graphics

Blue Firefox bike with Popeye graphics

What he wanted was a Red & Yellow Bike. First things first we strip off the whole bike take off the wheels, the chain covers, the pedals etc.

Take some sandpaper scrape off the old blue paint and put a coat of primer with a 2" Brush. Once done with the scrapping off we start masking parts which doesn't need a paint job.

Now Anay moves his studio to the balcony with a few layers of old newspaper spread around and geared up with cans of yellow and red paint.

 

first coat of bright red spray paint

once done with the Red he sprays around yellow on top.

So far i was under the impression that's all he was looking for. but no i was ready for some surprise, he wants graphics on the bike.
Now it's time for his Mom to come into the scene with some black markers and references of Dinosaurs on her MacBook. and Anay wants ugly Dino's not the cute ones.

Anay and Momma making Dinos

Anay is like a painful client and very picky about the dinos to be drawn and he wants them in Black.

What are you doing momma? Do it right.

now we are almost done with the paint job and detailing. time to go back to the neighbourhood mechanic to get the bike fixed.

and here we are presenting Anay's Brand new DINO BIKE

Parking

Road to home

After a lazy day. A lazy ride home. 

Ride On to work

Way to work

The rhythm of pedals sets the pace for the start of the day. 

Kill the Monday morning blues

bikes do a wonderful job to get you out of gloominess. this morning was once of those few morning when i didn't feel like going to work (i'm generally very enthusiastic about going to work). good that i opted for the bicycle instead of the car. it took a bit longer but made sure by the time i reach work my spirits are higher and lethargy is out of my system.
have a good week.

Dahon- SUV

Dahon- SUV.

Neat city bike. 20" rims good enough to take the potholes of Gurgaon. been a smooth ride to work yesterday. takes just a few seconds to fold down. makes complete sense to commuters.