[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Gansan

But how do we react to a poor Joe on the road riding an ordinary bicycle to work, because he can't afford anything else, sometimes even the bus fare? Do the same emotions rule our hearts? Are we even civil to them when we encounter them on a busy road?

Oh. Don't worry. On the road we cyclists are all the same. 25k, dressed like a freak nothing counts. Get on a cycle to realize it.

Fact 1: All cyclists riding any cycle are treated equally by the idiots on our roads.

Corollary to Fact 1: All those who respect pedestrians and cyclist do it anyways and dont bother what shoes they wear or which cycle they ride.

Trust me. I ride my cycle everyday with these guys. All along. We are all equal. Only difference some dress funny. Even they do. Seen a guy wearing a lungi ride a cycle? Its all good.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Trust me. I ride my cycle everyday with these guys. All along. We are all equal. Though we might dress funny compared to them

Oh, I am sure it is so with you guys who pedal along! I was actually musing aloud about the motorists in us!

I actually have a wish to buy a geared bicycle and ride it to work, but my office does not provide bath/change facilities which are a must if I ride! I am also put off by the traffic, though I had used nothing but the cycle for the first quarter century of my life!

[kaushikr]

Great thread and a good initiative to outline the positives of cycling in a city like Bangalore! As with everyone, my concern with cycling in Bangalore was to do with the traffic/road conditions. Due to this my tryst with bicycles was limited to weekends/ early mornings.

Originally Posted by reswaran

IMHO, the biggest challenge to those who bike to work is the availability of shower rooms and change rooms. I personally know of a few who don't bike to work, and only bike on weekends on isolated roads because of unavailability of facilities at workplace.

reswaran, an excellent point. To encourage all weather cycling, workplaces should provide access to shower/changing rooms.

Parking for cycles with abilities to lock them securely will also be appreciated by the riders.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by kaushikr

To encourage all weather cycling, workplaces should provide access to shower/changing rooms.

In Cities like Mumbai, it is simply not possible. So we have to look for workarounds.

What works for me is, getting a pool-only membership of a health club near workplace. That gives access to shower near workplace. Because of local climate, that is only possible way of using bicycle for commutes.

On positive side, cycles are faster than cars in areas like Andheri/Goregaon/Malad link road

[kaushikr]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

In Cities like Mumbai, it is simply not possible. So we have to look for workarounds.

What works for me is, getting a pool-only membership of a health club near workplace. That gives access to shower near workplace. Because of local climate, that is only possible way of using bicycle for commutes.

On positive side, cycles are faster than cars in areas like Andheri/Goregaon/Malad link road

@Netfreak, you have a practical point.

For companies to whom space is premium, it must be a decision between shoving a few more desks in or have a shower/changing place for the few people who cycle in.

It'll be interesting to hear how other people who cycle to work, manage without shower facilities at workplace.

@Spitfire, as the replies might encourage more people to cycle, hope you don't consider the question as hijacking your thread!

Cheers

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by kaushikr

@Spitfire, as the replies might encourage more people to cycle, hope you don't consider the question as hijacking your thread!

HIJACK?? Are you kidding me? You are doing wonderfully well here. Thanks for the great posts above. We have to get more folks on those saddles.

About the shower/changing room. One note before I do that.

Women love to see men sweating. (This is open to conclusions)

Having said that. I do like to clean up. We do have one shower room in our office. Not many come to office in the condition I make it here. So presently its exclusively for me. Apparently from all the cyclist who get the cycle to office. I ride the furthest and so need the shower more. I also sweat more then a normal human.

My organization is also not very demanding with respect to work attire. I am in a Product Company and a dri-fit Tshirt, a jeans or even 3/4ths are welcome on a normal day. People who work in services might not have that liberty though.

[SwiftSD]

I was speaking to a friend of mine who has been staying in Norway for quite some time now and during the conversation came to know that most of the people there commute to office on their bikes (bicycle). They have separate tracks for the bikers which make the ride pretty safe and convenient.

Even the big shots in the company traveled on their bike which was very good to hear and at that same instance started wondering if I would ever be able to see my manager come to office in a bicycle and that it would really be a great sight to watch

[reswaran]

We have a gym with shower/changing rooms, and ample parking, so it's ok for me as well. What's more, the organization encourages biking to work, we don't have to get a membership in the gym, we can use the showers for free!

Since we've to carry change of clothes on our backs, I usually end up with not more than jeans and a t-shirt as well.

One real irritating problem is, when I return to my bike in the evening, the gears are all messed up. This happens very often, and it gets on my nerves. Don't understand why people can't keep their hands to themselves and respect other people's property. Especially at the workplace.

[kirsn]

For those of us in the IT profession, cycling into work with a laptop + change of clothes seems a bit much.
How do you guys manage that (assuming you have to bring in your work laptop and change of clothes)?

[pulsar56]

Maybe a silly question, but how do you guys manage the wet clothes/towels after reaching work in the morning?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

My organization is also not very demanding with respect to work attire. I am in a Product Company and a dri-fit Tshirt, a jeans or even 3/4ths are welcome on a normal day. People who work in services might not have that liberty though.

Same kind of story for me.

We have a couple of showers with hot water available the whole day.

So I get to have a shower and change into my work clothes.
Not that they are any different from my cycling clothes.
Just that I like to wear a full pant while working and shorts while cycling.

Once I get to my desk, I have a wet towel and a damp t-shirt.
So I put them on the cubical wall behind my work station for drying.
Beyond this wall is a window. So no one is actually disturbed.

Product development offices are the best.

[the_joker]

I used to use a two wheeler (bike/cycle) to office. What I have observed is that repect for fellow motorists on the roads is decreasing day by day, it is becoming very dangerous to ride a two wheeler. Also, the amount of pollution caused a chronic cold/throat infection in me. So, I now reserve cycling on weekends, that too on early mornings so that I don't face much pollution.

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by SwiftSD

I was speaking to a friend of mine who has been staying in Norway for quite some time now and during the conversation came to know that most of the people there commute to office on their bikes (bicycle). They have separate tracks for the bikers which make the ride pretty safe and convenient.

Even the big shots in the company traveled on their bike which was very good to hear and at that same instance started wondering if I would ever be able to see my manager come to office in a bicycle and that it would really be a great sight to watch

I second that. I had a chance to meet a senior management staff from a product company in Sweden. He used to have a BMW 7 series, since the parking space is at a premium and it takes a loooong time to reach to office in a car, he now uses a cycle to work. Turns out to be half the time when compared to car. His wife uses her own cycle to work. Hope we have similar conditions here.

Another fact is the horrible heat during mid-day. Cannot think of cycling in the middle of the day in traffic.

[Wind splitter]

I cycle to work once or twice a week as my office is 25 KM (51KM round trip) and I get 2 common question being asked on a regular basis from my colleagues,

1. Are you cycling because the petrol prices have gone up (I say yes sometimes and most of the times I smile)

2. How will you go back, are you planning to take your cycle in bus, will they allow (After cycling for 25KM in the morning its impossible to cycle back home 25KM once again hence this question)

[scarecrow]

@spit fire - even i work in BTP, but i generally ride my motorbike to office (OMBR) to BTP. I have been toying with the idea of a bike for quite sometime, but havent gotten around to it. Hope to join u guys soon. tc