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.
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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.

Parking

Road to home

After a lazy day. A lazy ride home. 

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.