Ride for Earth

Today, as I am writing this article, I am happy to see a cycling revolution due to coronavirus. This is the one good effect after the lockdown, that people felt the need to exercise, and they are out riding. Some days ago, when it was allowed to ride outside after complete lockdown, I observed many people who would rather drive, riding their bicycles. The world has changed a lot! As you may know, 3rd June is celebrated as World Bicycle Day, across the world. This time, it will be a lot different, as group rides will not occur on a large scale due to social distancing rules, and riding too fast will exhaust the rider much more, due to wearing masks and having lack of oxygen. So, many virtual group rides are there on the internet, which are mostly free of cost, and require you to ride while maintaining social distancing, not with a group. It will be a lot different. Many people are mountain bikers, and their trails are closed. Some people will be scared of going outside and riding d...

The most common question new riders ask is whether it's better to buy a multispeed or a singlespeed. For those of you who don't know, a singlespeed is a bike with just one gear, and a multispeed is a bike with multiple gears, in which you can select your desired gear ratio with the click of a shifter, located on your bike's handlebar.  Today I will walk you through all the advantages and disadvantages of singlespeed and multispeed setups, and also talk about other gearing options available. 1)Multispeed- Pros: 1. You can alter your gear ratio, which helps in climbing of hills. On flat or downhill sections, you can increase your speed without changing your cadence (cadence in cycling means revolution of cranks per minute, or rpm.) 2. It feels less stressful on your legs. You can climb any hill without walking up it, and also get faster on a downhill sections if you have good high and low gears. 3. It is a bit easier to remove the rear wheel from the frame dropout...

A road is a wide track with a hard surface for different vehicles to travel on. Everyone is expected to follow the rules of a road to ensure safety of all travelers. But sometimes a road can become a battle field by just one's minor mistake. It all starts with a person doing a dangerous overtake, speeding, scratching another person's vehicle, making them fall over (in the case of 2 wheelers) etc. which results in a dispute including a fight, which may be violent, and a bad feeling for humanity. But who is the safest and who is the weakest? Well, of course, a lighter vehicle means it's easier to push it. A two wheeler is lighter than other vehicles. It can be pushed as well as toppled over, and in severe cases, ran over. If motorcycles are heavier than scooters, which are heavier than bicycles, it seems that cyclists are in constant danger on the road. In this hierarchy of road danger, after cyclists come pedestrians, whether it be skaters, skateboarders, or just people...

As you might have seen my blog's 'About Me' post, I've had many adventures while riding. I like adventures and long distances. Some are big distances, some are small. So, today, I will share with you my distance records, some being solo and some being with my friends or a group of riders. My first big bike (26 inch wheel). My first ever 'long' ride was to a big garden about 4 kms away in 2016. That distance looked large to me (at that point of time), But now that distance is just a spec of dust for me. For that ride, I woke up early, and went with my uncle. When we set off, I thought it would take a few hours, but it took about half an hour. At that time, I had owned a very cheap single speed bike, with a steel frame, old and rusty chain, and silly looking bar ends (see left). This meant it was inefficient, but who cared at that time? I was not even a newbie cyclist at that time. I just rode as a kid for fun. When I reached the garden, I felt the feeling ...

A bicycle is a two-wheeled, lightweight machine, which is propelled by human power. The rider who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist. I know that you may be knowing all this, but as you read ahead, there are various other facts that make a bicycle the best vehicle ever made. 1) The most efficient machine A bicycle is the most efficient machine ever built. In case you may not know, efficiency is the input energy divided by the output energy. In numbers, a well maintained bicycle is about 98% efficient. Other vehicles, such as cars, are just about 30% efficient. This means that about a third of the total energy input of a car is utilized in it's motion. On the other hand, a bicycle has the minimum energy losses. That means that almost all of your calories are getting converted into forward motion when you ride! 2) You know what bicycle you are buying It may seem obvious that you, as the customer, are aware of what you are buying. But, this not always the case. I mean, whe...

I am the guy who writes all these articles to be of some help to cyclists, whether they are newbies, or just do not understand something about the sport. I am a cycling enthusiast. Till now, I've ridden about 5000 kms and I find my peace in just pedaling. I am from India. India is famous for many mountain passes, tourist attractions and various cultures. But there are many cyclists here as well, if not few. So, in the starting of my teens, I chose to be a cyclist. I was inspired by many cyclists of my city and where they could go by just using their leg power. My first long distance ride at that time was 15 kms (30 kms round trip) away from home, to a lake situated near the foothills of the Himalayas. Later, I started to go longer distances, and therefore completed a half century (50 kms) in one ride. Just one and a half year after my half century completion, I completed a full century. It was a time trial organised by a bike shop. However, I was not that fast, efficient or ex...