Sunday, June 17, 2012

A newbie cyclist speaks out

As kids we all used to ride bikes(bicycles) everywhere and I am sure all had lots of fun and adventure.

But then in the process of growing up, people leave behind such indulgences and move to more sophisticated stuff suited to their lifestyles. And I speak with the conviction that more than 80% of the IT population don't take bike riding seriously, owing to various reasons ( major one being laziness ).

Alright. Getting to the point: I bought a BTwin Rockrider 5.1 last saturday .So I have been into cycling for about a week now. I just wanted to share some thoughts I had during this experience.

Preface:-
I use this beginner MTB model bicycle to cycle around the Outer Ring Road area of Bangalore , mostly after 7pm. Have cycled around just 70kms as of now. Have acquired some basic accessories, and more in pipeline.

Observations:-
(I can't resist noting the similarity to record books in school :P)
Health first
1. Higher lung capacity
2. Higher metabolic activity - burns more fat and improves appetite
3. Builds and conditions calves,knees,ankle and thighs
4. All the activity leaves you breathing through your skin
5. You can overexert and kill yourself

Enjoying a calm ride..

Moral perspective
1. You don't pollute (THE big morale booster)
2. You don't increase clutter on the road
No clutter on the road..
3. You can bash the polluters as much as you like on FB,twitter etc 

Logical
1. You reduce the fuel expenditure by reducing dependency on other modes of transport
2. Good health leads to good life overall
3. You save electricity by not being indoors for long periods of time
Yes the creepy addict..
4. More the time you spend on the road, lesser the time you get to post cheesy blogs, FB statuses/shares and stupid tweets. Good for mankind.

Special
1. You gain a lot of patience. The entire world will seem to shoot past you, while you crawl. Once you learn to live with it, you will enjoy every moment of your life.

2.  Finally you will learn the food chain of the road, where you would be just above the poor pedestrian. But then even they have more legal protection than a cyclist.

3. Learn to respect and fear the things on the street, especially the dogs. You will start planning your trips according to traffic situation, prefer places that allow to safely secure your bike and consider timings and ferocity of the dogs in the locations you plan to visit(V.important)


4. While you are involved in the constant struggle against friction, gravity and your own aching muscles, you forget every other problem in the world and can freely wander in your own world.

5. The feeling of triumph that accompanies each long route you complete, is more addictive than that gained from a motorcycle, because you are purely powered by your muscles, grit and determination.

6. Last but not least, you become the cool guy in the block and you can get to buy a lot of cooler accessories(provided you don't burn your pockets). I was shocked to see the level of sophistication that goes into the accessories.
just a few basic ones..


So get a bike , break free :)))))

3 comments:

  1. you know what, I have been thinking of riding a bicycle for a long time, now that you have done it and your blog has made me more determined to get a bike...kashtichu odikkaane ariyu, ennaalum try cheyyaalo :P

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  2. @anand so what man.. cycling is always fun..go for it. Glad to know you liked my post and got motivated :)

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