The distance to my office is about 16-17 kms one way, and the days I chose to cycle to office, it feels like a really long time. 34 kms, in a day, cycling, I had never imagined that I would be able to do it regularly, without fainting. I haven’t fainted yet. But, I do sweat a lot. And after reaching office, I have to take  a mini shower before I can start to work.

It’s a Rockrider 5.0. Weights 14.5KG (Light weight comes with a higher price tag). 21 speed 3X7 grip shifters.

Overall cost: 11, 000 INR

I have already crossed 1000 kms on the odometer. But, I am quite far away from my target, 3500 kms in a year. And there are only 5 more months to complete the remaining 2500 kms. That’s about 16kms a day, which doesn’t look realistic. Let’s throw that target of mine out of the window for this year. I don’t want to revise the target for obvious reasons.

A few things for people who want to buy bicycles.

1. Don’t go for the geared ones unless you are planning to ride it for more than 10 kms at a stretch. It costs you more, and is not worth the trouble dealing with all those gears. Although you will get used to the gears, you would hardly use them during short commutes.
2. For Bangalore roads, you need good mud-guards which would ensure that your own tyre don’t throw mud on yourself. The shopkeeper was suggesting me not to fit the mud-guards while buying it. He asked me to come back after a month and get it fixed, since it was summer time then. I am glad I bought them. 4 days later, it did rain while I was out cycling.
3. A bell and a night light, (Rear view mirror is optional). You would probably think that they would never be used. But trust me, you will definitely need these.
4. A pair of gloves, if you are going for long rides.
5. And of course, a good helmet.

You might now want to buy everything here in one shot. If you are coming back from a long break, some practice before going on longer rides is definitely required. It will take some time to get adjusted to just about everything. Right from your posture, pedals, handles and the seats, it will be very uncomfortable. I took about 2-3 days to be absolutely sure that I could handle all kinds of roads, traffic and my fellow commuters on the roads. After all, I was starting to bicycle again, after a gap of 12 long years.