The Bangalore Cyclists

So you got a new ride recently? You're super stoked about it! Talking about your new bike at home, with your friends and your colleagues, taking it out for a spin every day, uploading ride stats on Strava... I get it, I get it! we've all been there 😉 In today's market, there are a plethora of options when it comes to cycles and cycling accessories. Here I focus on 6 essential/useful accessories  under a grand   :)  HELMET     Oh boy, I can never stop emphasizing on the importance of a helmet, this is not an accessory, it is essential! First things first, get a decent helmet and never ride without one!    Recommendation :  VAN RYSEL RoadR 100 Cycling Helmet ROCKRIDER Mountain Bike Helmet ST 100          GLOVES      The one part of your body that is in constant contact with the bike are your hands. More specifically, your palms. Wearing cycling gloves not only  wicks up moisture/sweat but also  helps prevent chafing. The padding in the gloves provides comfort and some degree

    Tyre pressure is a highly debated topic among cyclists. So where do you begin, if you got a road, mountain, or hybrid bike?    Conveniently, every bike tyre has recommended PSI stamped into the rubber on the sidewall. Tire pressure has a huge impact on safety and how a bike performs. It’s amazing how easily we miss one simple and free way to improve how our bikes ride: getting the right tire pressure. Higher PSI ( pounds per square inch ) makes the tire harder. Lower PSI makes it feel softer. You need to find the sweet spot for a tire and figure out where the high pressure doesn’t have any risk of blowing off the rim and the low pressure won’t rip off the rim.  Tyre pressure dictates 2 aspects of your ride, Grip & Rolling Resistance. Grip: The more a tyre can conform with the surface that it is rolling over, the greater the grip level that it achieves, which means that an over-inflated tyre that bounces over a surface and rolls only on the central strip will not have optimum

Riding in the rain can be more challenging are dangerous than riding in dry conditions, the reason being the loss of traction, takes longer to stop & the possibility of hindered rider visibility. We can certainly take steps to make them more enjoyable. Here are a few tips. TYRE PRESSURE: reduce by 5 to 10 psi – increases your surface area, and thus grip on the road as well as comfort.

During these times we cyclists are plagued with all kinds of questions, is it safe to ride out? Should I ride with the masks? Group or solo ride?...Etcetera. We try and answer some of these FAQs. 1. Is it safe to ride outside? Yes, the safest way to do so is to go out alone. When people congregate together and someone sneezes or coughs, droplets get onto objects that people touch, and then people touch their faces. The best plan for riding right now is to go out, ride solo, enjoy the outdoors in open areas, and try timing your rides for when you know your route will be less crowded. Always adhere to the Government regulations. Be sure you know what’s going on in your area and if there are any restrictions or mandatory self-quarantines. And, if you’re sick or at-risk of spreading the virus, you shouldn’t go out or exercise. 2. Should I wear a mask out on rides? The purpose of the mask is not to protect you, but to protect other people from you. But wearing a mask also affects how the ex

A great initiative by BMTC, bicycle racks on buses. They hold 2 cycles at a time. The racks will be retrofitted to buses plying the ORR route which will soon have a dedicated bicycle lane. Hope Bangalore becomes the cycling capital of India. Kudos BMTC!     Nelson John https://www.strava.com/athletes/nelsonjohn Follow us on Strava https://www.strava.com/clubs/TheBangaloreCyclists We are now on Facebook, help our community grow. Like and share The Bangalore Cyclists FB page. https://www.facebook.com/TheBangaloreCyclists

Karnataka's Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has invited Bangalore city cyclists to mark the routes where they prefer cycling lanes. With more people opting for cycling over other forms of exercise, the pandemic has brought the best out of the cycling culture in the city. The crowdsourcing effort will be open until August 14. If your area is not covered in this cycling district it will open up as soon as the plans and budget for the Cycling District 1 are completed and submitted for implementation. The department is considering Purple Line as a cycling route to work, Red Line as school routes, Orange Line as transit routes, Green Line as Rejuvenate Routes, and Blue Line as neighborhood shop routes. Cyclists can look at the map to see if their area falls in and around the identified cycling district, observe points of interest such as work, school, rejuvenate and the last mile for transit, mark them and upload, contributing to the crowdsourcing initiative. The process is s

  Understanding the fundamentals of how gears work changes the way we use, shift & ride. But most often  gears on a bike confuse many people, don’t worry if you're one of them, I'll try my best and help demystify the jargon & principals associated with bicycle drive-train.

I f you're a newbie to cycling, often the anatomy of a bike can be frustrating to understand. You could be at a group ride meet up and hear seasoned riders use terms like a derailleur, crank, caliper. Perplexed!? Or you need to explain to a mechanic what is wrong with the bike. Breaking down the technical jargon is an important step towards becoming a knowledgeable cyclist. Let’s look at the typical bicycle and explain what’s what in the anatomy of a bike.. Frame  - At the heart of the bike is the aluminum, steel, titanium, or carbon-fiber frame. Composed of a top tube, head tube, down tube, bottom bracket shell, seat tube, seat stays, and chainstays. Bar ends  - the angled extensions attached to the ends of some flat handlebars and riser handlebars that provide an alternate place to rest your hands. Bottom bracket  - the collection of ball bearings and spindle housed within the bottom bracket shell of the frame, which provides the "shaft" mechanism on which the crank arm