CYCLE MANIA

   Ever since my friends(Sanjeev, Parag, Yogesh and Sriram)   got Schwinn cycles(schwinnbikes.com) and I was on my slow moving Hero Ranger, I had to get a better cycle. I initially thought about getting a Trek hybrid but while surfing the net came across Dahon folding cycle. The main problem which I faced was carrying the cycle up 3 floors to my flat as it would not fit in the lift. Dahon solved my problem as it could be folded! The next issue was which one from the many listed to take and would it survive the battering potholes on Pune roads would hand out. And then was whether the height of the handle bar and the seat post had enough adjustment to suit my height, and if it could take my weight. Here the Dahon forum (http://forum.dahon.com/index.php?showforum=11) came very useful and a few 

mails helped dispel my doubts. I finally settled on Vitesse D7 model based on the price 

and availability at Lifecycle mall. I selected a white colored one with a carrier. I also 

took a rear view mirror, torch, odometer and a cycling short.

All in all it cost me over 28k of my hard earned savings. The Lifecycle mall on Tilak 

road is a must see for any cycling enthusiast with its fab collection of cycles and 

accessories. Spent a lot of time drooling over the variety they stock. My family was also 

glad that I have finally made my decision as they were sick of seeing me surfing 

various cycle related sites for over a month. The best thing about the bike was that it 

grabbed the eyeballs of all and sundry on the road - a solid ego booster. And it never 

failed to draw Oohs and Aahs and "Look at the cycle"  from school kids who were 

dashed amused to see a 6ft man on a mini cycle! That would make my day. 

         With the arrival of my new cycle I began increasing the cycling distance to 20km 

or beyond. Routes were the Neckace round - Home- deccan-University  - Pashan and 

back. 

Variations would be going to Khadki Sation,  Parihar chowk, Pashan road Bavdhan and 

back or going the reverse route, to Katraj tunnel and back, to Pirangut ghat, To NIBM 

road etc. To our group was added another enthusiast - Rahul Soman. This guy is an 

out and out cycling fanatic from the Merchant navy who would cycle long distance. Both 

of us had a trip to Sinhagad base and back (40 km). The road was great for cycling but 

for a patch of a km where surfacing wasn't done. The next trip we had was to 

Somatane Phata(70km) and the beautiful Sai Baba Temple which was a bit tiring. The 

next trip was to Oxford golf course where I used his Merida MTB. The route was steep 

hills and scenic beauty, which was a killer as I had to go on 1/1 gear almost throughout 

the distance of almost 14 km. But the view on top made up for the aching legs and 

back. The sitting posture on the MTB was killing my lower back all through the climb. 

Compared to it riding my Dahon was bliss. 

     The Blue marker is our start point. The red ones are the various destinations we went to, most of them in a roundabout way. In all this trips the three most valuable purchases were the Rear view mirror, the gel seat and the cycling Short. The first ensured that I was not merged with the tar road and the next two got the blessings of my vital areas which weren't toasted in the long rides. The Odometer was the motivator as kilometers kept increasing.