Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Commuting to office in Cycle in Bangalore!

(update: latest post on the same topic is here)

is easier than I thought !!





Okay, here are the facts:


The distance I commute in cycle: little more than 15 Kilo Meters (one way).


Time I take: 40 Minutes (+/- 3-4 minutes)


I commute mostly during rush hours, I leave at around 8:30 -9.00 AM in the morning, leave at around 7:30 - 8 PM in the evening.


Root I take : Srinagar / Hanumanthanagar -> Ashoka Pillar -> Diary Circle -> Koramangala -> Inner Ring Road -> Old Airport Road.


How long I've been cycling to office: last 12 days.


What bike do I have: Trek 4300, It's a nice mountain bike.


Where did I buy the cycle?: From Bums On The Saddle, the coolest bicycling shop in Bangalore!



Some comparison:


I've commuted on Motor bike, Public buses and now, a cycle.


Time taken to commute on motor bike is around 40-45 minutes for 15 kms, but I am at the mercy of traffic. Time taken on bus: more than an hour and 15 minutes. Again, I am at the mercy of BMTC. Not every time I get a bus as soon as I go to bus stand.


On cycle, it's always 40 minutes +/- 3 minutes. Always. Yes, Yes, I do jump traffic signals, ride on footpaths. But I try my best to be not a nuisance to public and traffic.



How is the experience so far? Absolutely FUN! Feels like I've gone back in time to my high school days :-)



Some interesting stuff that happened:


I went through McDonald's "Drive-Thru" on my cycle!! The guy at the counter was kinda shocked to see me on cycle :-)


An old lady and a cute kiddo gave me "Thumbs Up" !! Awesome!


Almost fell from bike when I jumped from footpath to Road more than one feet deep :-)


Did more than 50 Kilo Meters on a Sunday, didn't feel tired at all ...



Okay, Here is what I feel:


Cycling around Bangalore in heavy traffic is not really tough or dangerous. Just keep some common sense, and you will be fine. Things like a good helmet, hand-gloves and a air mask/filter are a must.




8 comments:

v said...

cool.. i wish more and more people would do this.. I walk to college.. only because its is so freakin close but cycling sounds like a lot of fun... saves the planet and all that too :) way to go!!! :)

** Sri Harsha Maiya ** said...

You study @ BMSCE ?

Arunima said...

that's amazing.

Unknown said...

i am a journalist and doing a story on cyclers. i would like to profile u. can u plz get back to me at shanthi1984@gmail.com

Shrutzz said...

Hi Harsha, Bloghopped and commenting for 2 reasons...
1) Sri Harsha is my Husband's name and its cos of the name , I was curious to check what your posts' like....
2) My special interest which is the cycle. Myself and H were planning to buy and check some of the good cycles...One of our very good fren also travels to work in his cycle and shares a great experience with us.

Overall, nice read and keep it up!!!!

Unknown said...

Hi ..really nice blog,I am also planning to commute to office by cycle, wanted to know if we can go by normal Bi-cycle or do we have to buy a posh bike for it ?

srinivas said...

hello harsha
this is srinivas and i want to buy a bicycle and since you are experienced , can you please suggest me your opinions on buying a new one.

Chethan said...

Hi All,

I have been cycling for the past 4 months. Started off with going on long rides like 40-50 kms over the weekend.

Frustrated with the traffic, i have taken up cycling to office.

I cycle about 20 kms one way and i take around 1 hour to reach office. I am looking at changing my bicycle from Hercules ACT 110Plus to TREK 4300.

:):):)