Cycling

Three months back I bought a six-geared light-weight bicycle with a thought to save on fuel use and physical fitness. Also I wanted to test if motorcycles can be replaced by bicycles.

The two main fears I had were that of stamina and Time.

Stamina: The results of the experiment are astonishing. Now, I regularly cycle upto 20 km and I hardly even feel a bit of tiredness. Rather it energises me. Taking cue from me, a cousin of mine, who is apparantly quite fat is cycling regularly for exercise and he also has no issues with stamina. I wish to cycle more one-day to test further.

TIME: With motorcycle I usually need 1.5 to 2 min/km in city, whereas a small poll suggested that most people have noticed they need 3-4 min per km. (My brother takes 50 min to ride 16 km). Tell me how much time you need on your way back from office (in comments).

On the bicycle I am needing around 3 min/km, in good driving conditions.
I have found the most crucial factors for time is Minimum Braking and Smooth Roads, even if they are not tarred. (Keep your tyre pressures right).

Unlike motorcycles the max speeds of cycles is quite lower, so it is not difficult to minimise braking with some practice and clever driving.

The main problems I am facing are
1. You cannot be very fast if roads are not safe for cycling.
2. You cannot be fast on steeper roads. (I think using front gears can make driving on steeper roads easier.)

Last but the greatest fact is that, since I have started using a cycle, I have started hating riding a motorcycle. One cannot understand this untill he tries it.

Cycle for distances upto 10 km, coupled with use of public transport for longer distances, have almost reduced my use of motorcycle to just 20%.

Cycling is fun! Try it to believe!