The book is meant as a handbook or reference for the basic questions a beginner might have about cycling and is divided into three sections: ‘Before Buying Your Bike’, ‘Before Your First Ride’ and ‘Becoming A Seasoned Rider’. You may be in any of these phases, so dive in wherever you think best suits your current experience and skill level. Then the book dovetails into a sample 50 km training plan that you can tweak to your needs. We close with the recommendations section, where we have curated a list of books and movies that influenced us the most.
The bicycle is a simple machine that was invented more than 200 years ago. It continues to evolve and satisfy the numerous roles asked of it – transport of humans, their young ones, sometimes goods, a sport, and a tool for measuring the heights of human performance, among others. It is by far the most efficient human-powered form of transport. Even the late Steve Jobs attributed his learning about the bicycle as a major moment and paradigm shift in his understanding of tools and inventions. In the 21st century, we are still using the same simple two-wheeled machine – but now with significant efficiency and reliability improvements.
For adults, the bicycle often brings great memories of childhood, and our first sense of freedom. Memories of cycling take us to simpler times. Other pursuits often force us to shift our focus away from sports and movement. Typically, we decide to get ‘back in the saddle’ in order to lose weight, get fit or start a new and grown-up journey in sport. There are other by-products of this choice – it’s part of the solution for the environment, traffic congestion and other modern lifestyle challenges.
Almost all of you would have been on a bicycle at some point. Sadly, as with most childhood friends with whom we have lost touch, relating to bicycles as an adult can be an awkward challenge. Simply knowing how to ride a bike is not enough. Bicycles have adapted, matured and, for the most part, got better with technological developments. Yet we have come across so many unable to relate to this old friend the bicycle – a machine that admittedly looks like it went through at least two makeovers during the authors’ own lifetimes.
Other obstacles to developing a new relationship with bikes as an adult can include changes in our own bodies, medical conditions, and mental blocks. This book will address these and other questions and take you a step closer to incorporating cycling in your life. This book will also help you gain a better understanding of design changes in the modern bicycle, and simplify the process of selecting, riding and maintaining your bicycle.
We believe that a lot of great things happen out of the comfort zone. This is especially true in sports, where comfort or the lack of it is very tangible, so to speak. When you exercise or exert, the discomfort is very real – muscle soreness, heavy breathing, sweating, and what have you. Luckily, the results you get from persisting with cycling are also very tangible. We tell you all about the great benefits in this book. We were lucky enough to have mustered the escape velocity it takes to move from our couches and get on the saddle, and we hope to pass to the reader some of that escape velocity to break away from the comfort zone!
Having been riders and competitors ourselves and having worked in the cycling industry with some of the biggest brands and pro cyclists and interacted with riders of all ages and sizes, we want to give back to the community. Between the two of us, we have been to the largest bike expos, seen the world’s most important races, gone on countless glamorous and not so glamorous bike trips, met inspiring and crazy people, and worked our legs and lungs dry – to come out infinitely richer at the end. This book is a tribute from us to the cycling community at large – a very special group of people from whom we learned valuable life lessons.
Gokul Krishna
Raman Garimella
Raman Garimella 