let's make urban cycling a bit safer

make urban cycling a safer

safety is probably one of the most common reason for people for not to shift to cycling in the cities.
will break this post into 2 parts. firstly how safe or unsafe are we on the bike. secondly how to feel safer.

Are we safe cycling on the road? the answer is ‘NO’.
Are we safe driving a car around or a bike or simply walk? the answer again is ‘NO’.

Does that mean we shut our self indoors and wait for a an earthquake or flood to kill us.

Lets be real there is no way we can be 100% percent sure about our safety, but there are ways to make it safer for you to enjoy the ride.

We can’t change the world and expect them to start driving with cyclists in their mind, but what we can do is to put the cyclist in their mind once in a while. So a few easy steps to do the same.


VISIBILITY

• Be it the night or the day it’s very important to be visible, so make sure you are as visible as possible
• look for a flashy neon wind breaker, something light and thin is better can be used in summer and winters it adds another layer of safety and warmth. 

http://goo.gl/JElQEg

• reflective patches are at times a part of the wind breaker or else you can buy a reflective tape and put a couple of stripes on the jacket
• bright clothing is always good even for the day time
• in the night/evening lights are really required. head lights solve two purpose it helps you see whats ahead, it also creates a illuminated spot infant of you and make you more visible to the approaching traffic. you can use a headlights or handlebar lights. or at time a combination of both can also be good. 

http://goo.gl/DW5J1j (that's the one i use will try and ad some pictures of the fenix headlight in action)
http://goo.gl/GRnwFi

• all bicycles come fitted with reflectors but it’s always advisable to use more of them even the simple reflective tapes work well
• backlight is as important as the front light or maybe more. us a bright one which has an option of blinking. it should be as disruptive as possible. this is the one i am using works really well. also make sure all this is LED the battery consumption will be much lesser
• if you carry bags of your shoulder of panniers put reflective tapes on them too

BE A CAUTIOUS RIDER

• The world is not interested in being on a look out for you, so it’s your job to ride as safe as possible
• Helmets are must, it adds some cushioning in case of a fall or a hit to your head
• Ride on the left side of the road
• Be aware of parked cars, they are likely to open the doors at any moment and you may hit on it
• Don’t go too close to any vehicle, maintain safe distance
• If you have to take a turn make sure wave your hands a bit ahead of time
• Side view mirrors is great thing to have (still not the most important)
• Most important thing is to be aware nothing is more important that you senses, sight and sound both work in tandem
• Be aware of potholes on the road, gravel, wet roads etc. riding through all these can be real fun as long as you are aware of them. if they take you by surprise they can act mean
• FOLLOW TRAFFIC RULES. If you want to be respected on the road, you have to behave like a law abiding citizen

CONDITION OF THE CYCLE

• Brakes should be fit. Brake shoes should be checked regularly. the wires should be well lubricated and flexible
• Regular service of bike is must
• All the nuts and bolts should be kept tight in place
• Tyres should have the right air pressure
• Tyres should not be bald. Never
• Handle bar grips should have a good grip, in case of emergency your hands shouldn’t slip

Hope this list will be good enough for atleast one of my friend to start riding to the nearby pub or grocery store. Feel free to add your tips and comments.

go cheap on your first bike

often to i meet people who get excited about cycling as a thought, pick up a bicycle ride it for a couple of weeks on a daily basis, then over the weekend for a month or two. and then next couple of months once in a fortnight and slowly it becomes a furniture in some corner of the balcony or if lucky inside a room.
my first suggestion to everyone is to buy a cheap bike to begin with. first test the waters for atleast a year or so. make sure you keep loving the idea of cycling through the grilling indian summer, the wet wet monsoon and the bitter winter. or it's just a flavour of the season that you bought rode for a few days, shed some sweat and got over with it.
the best thing people do is to start looking for excuses.
few of the most common excuses to not bike.

• it's gets too hot in delhi, out here it's not like europe where the weather is favourable for bikes
• winters are so cold how can you even think of cycling in the fog it's so risky
• in india people driving cars have no respect for cyclists (and what do you do while you are driving) none the less a genuine issue it is. but still an excuse
• how can you go to office on a cycle you feel so sweaty after a ride

well the ideal thing is to buy a cheap bike or rent a bike for a few days and try it out. there is no harm in not riding but looking for excuses is the easiest thing to do. so avoid it, i'm sure there is a solution to most of the problems (just look up on google). if you love cycling you won't look for the problems instead you will enjoy the ride and do something to come over the problem. interestingly enough most of these are real problems but riders tend to enjoy it all.

i remember one my ex-boss thought it's very cool to be a biker, the guy is one of the most physically fit people i have come across. but i realised cycling regularly has nothing to do with your physical fitness but your love for cycling. so this boss of mine ended up buying a really really expensive Trek. did one long ride almost a 40km, around 5-6 rides to the office (he managed to get enough eyeball in office) and after that the bike got the privilege of adorning his living room for a few months then moved to the balcony. and then given away to another aspiring cyclist friend.

honestly there's no point for everyone to take up to cycling. the more important thing is to find your reason to ride. some may enjoy a long solo ride over the weekend, for some cycle is a great way to go to the grocery store, others may love a group ride on a sunday morning while others love going to office.
for me it also turns out to be a great way to bond with my tiny 6 year old son, whereas for him it brings in the sense of freedom, the cycle becomes the mean to go few kilometres all by himself. cafefree.

find out your reason and then find out you bicycle.

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.
--------------------------
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

Way to work

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