well cared Atlas Goldline bicycle

Saw this immaculately maintained cruiser Atlas Goldline at Dharwad market on Sunday morning. Take a closer look at the bell's shape. I'd never seen that bell design earlier.

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Force Trax

This eye-catching MPV was parked close to my car in Dharwad market area. The owner, most probably also its driver, has added a lot of extra fittings from front to rear. side to side and bottom to top. The interior would also equally done up. It looks like a private vehicle since it's registration number isn't displayed on the side. One thing is, how many of these addons are legal is the question.

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mobile advertising on a tricycle

Earlier this year, i.e. in May I happened to see advertising on a cycle-trailer at Dharwad market. Last Sunday morning again at Dharwad market a convoy of three advertising tricycles were seen moving on the main street. It seemed like a trial run. The tricycle guys were pushing it, did not see them ride. The product being advertised was a financial service for apparel / textile traders.

 

A few months back, on the way to Belur Industrial Area, close to the IOC outlet between Narendra cross & Mummugatti, I happened to see a fleet of cycle-trailers parked on the service road. If I remember correctly, the advert was of some highway restaurant. Looks like this idea of mobile advert is picking up.

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an antique cruiser bicycle

Spotted this ancient beauty at the vegetable market. Apparently this bike is being used to transport vegetables by the vendor. Its a Phillips make, identifiable by the letters on the sprocket and letter 'P' on the light holder and on the fork as well. Going by the design of the seat, this bicycle could be 50s or 60s product. Looks like the owner's family- husband, wife and a kid -travelled on this bicycle during a period of its life. I hope this bicycle doesn't end up in a junkyard. This antique should be reconditioned & preserved in a museum.

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mobile advertising on a cycle-trailer

Happened to see a unique way of advertising on a Sunday morning at Dharwad market. Some brilliant mind came up with an idea of modifying a bicycle into a tricycle-trailer loaded with a frame & billboard advertising courses offered by an educational institute. The idea offers a non-polluting low cost way of publicity.

The cycle-trailer was run by a teenage boy. Going by the way he was riding, it looked like this was a maiden run. The tricycle's chain was coming off the free-wheel frequently. It was an alignment issue- the crank and free-wheel were not inline with each other. Hoping the fabricator has made provision for adjustments.

From my experience of cycling, this cycle-trailer can be ridden on flat roads or downhill roads. However, it would difficult or impossible on uphill roads. Most of Dharwad is hilly terrain, hardly any level roads. The operator will have to push it on uphill stretches. The other disadvantage I see is the possibility of toppling over in windy conditions. Summer winds are quite powerful in Dharwad. The operator must be alert, when wind starts blowing in, the cycle-trailer must be parked and harnessed to prevent it from falling over. 

Wishing and hoping this idea becomes successful.

Edit1: last week October, another cycle-advert vehicle was seen in Dharwad market. See the article mobile advertising on a tricycle.

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Bicycles- MTB vs Hybrid

Having ridden both Mountain Terrain and Hybrid bikes I had accumulated some experience and knowledge about the bikes and riding. When I spoke to a person relatively new to cycling, the most common question was: what's the difference between a Hybrid bike and MTB. Having gone over the matter several times, a thought formed- collate the info into a blog post. So here we have this post outlining the differences. Hoping this helps a buyer choose the right kind of bike.

MTBs Firefox Firestorm 29 D & Firefox Firestorm 27.5 D

Hybrid bike Montra Downtown

	MTB	Hybrid Bike
Frame	MTBs come in 2 or more frame sizes. With frame the wheel diameter varies. Larger the frame, larger the wheel diameter.	Hybrid bikes come in 1 size which is more or less equal to 27.5" MTB.
Tires	Tires are usually 2" wide with deep treads. These tires are built for rough roads.	Hybrid tires are slimmer compared to MTB tires. With closer treads the tire surface appears smoother. Hybrid tires are made for smoother roads.
Suspension	Front fork has twin shock absorbers with suspension lock as an optional feature.	Rigid frame.
Brakes	Older MTBs have V-brakes, the newer bikes have disc brakes on both wheels.	Disc brakes are standard for both wheels.
Terrain handling	It is easier to control a MTB on dirt roads, stony roads, muddy & slushy conditions than a Hybrid bike. Wide tires and front suspensions absorb shocks to a great extent hence the ride feels comfortable. Braking power on dirt roads is better compared to a Hybrid.	Hybrid bike is built for smooth to mildly rough roads. A hybrid rider experiences more shocks on rough roads because it lacks shock-absorbers.
Rider effort	MTB tires have more contact area with the road surface hence requires greater pedaling effort than a Hybrid on tar / cement roads.	With sleeker tires, a hybrid bike moves faster on tar / cement roads with lesser pedaling effort.
Tire Air Pressure	30 to 35 PSI	45 to 50 PSI

Disclaimer: The information provided is based on personal experience after riding these bikes for  considerable distances. There isn't any sort of input from the two manufacturers in composing this article.
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Bajaj Sunny Zip

As I roamed Dharwad market, I spotted this little beauty of late 1980s and early 1990s. With a 60cc engine, it was probably the lightest scooterette in the market. It was ideal for college going girls. Sunny came in bright colors like red, yellow, white, etc. This is the first blue one I'm seeing. This Sunny looks superbly maintained, no visible scratches or rust or even dirt. The owner must really love his or her Sunny. Long live Sunny!

I remember a real story involving a Sunny. An acquaintance from Goa worked in an organization near Dona Paula. One of his colleagues had a Sunny, it was an ideal vehicle for his light build. One day as he was about to step out for lunch a lady colleague tagged along despite his reluctance. The duo set of on the Sunny. The road they took was rather steep and the lady colleague was quite plump. Sunny was screaming its heart out carrying the load uphill. At one point equilibrium was lost, Sunny's front wheel left the ground, weight on the rear end tilted the scooter backwards and hell broke loose. The plump lady, the light weight guy and light weight Sunny all toppled. The lady started rolling downhill pulling the guy with her. Somehow they came to a standstill, a passerby came to their rescue. That's all I remember, not sure if they had lunch after that ordeal.

Edit: a friend came out with this sketch after reading this post.

Moral: overburdening your vehicle leads to mishaps

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Convertible motorbike

July-30-2019
Happened to see this motorbike with a rain shelter near Dattatreya Devasthana. Guess it gives sufficient cover from getting wet. However, the color could have been less conspicuous, some shade of grey. Also, the front frame's bottom corners should have been rounded.

 The pillion too is protected.

Do check out the front-end tipper seen several years ago.
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Front-end tipper

Happened to see this unique contraption on Dharwad-Goa road at Sadankeri.


Looks like a Willys Jeep modified to carry loose material like sand, pebbles, or even food grains.


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