Written by Umang Saini
on 

Commute

I bought a bicycle on 18th July 2013 with express target to lose weight and save money spent on fuel. It's been 6 months now, and here are few summary stats -

I shifted from Nike+ to Strava for tracking my bike rides. My Strava profile ->
  1. 6 months - 2000km
  2. Total Money saved  - For 1400km Commute = Rs. 4000 = The cost of Bike
  3. Total Expenses - 
    1. Bike - Rs. 4000
    2. Accessories - Rs. 2900
    3. Repairs - Rs. 0
  4. Weight lost in this duration - 20 lbs or 8 kgs (From 76kg to 68kg) 
My bike commute motivated at least three people to buy a bike for commuting to work (SRK, NKP, RKTS), however they are wary of Bangalore's biker unfriendly narrow lanes with extreme traffic conditions. One of them has committed to commute to office at least once a week. So net social impact = 1 person shifting from two wheeler to bike for one day a week.

Meanwhile, when I posted the pic of my bicycle on What's App, and a friend from Bangalore posted about his bike in response. He just happened to have bought the same bicycle, same color in the same month that I bought, and for the same purpose. He is also using the bike to commute to office. Here's a pic of his Decathlon MyBike (white).


My Friend's Bike
Do leave a comment if you are commuting by bike, and / or are considering to make the leap. I'll be happy to discuss your concerns and experiences. Here's the link of a 360 degree Photosynth of my cycle - Link.

Best,
Umang