The days of Cycling

Sometimes when I have a little extra time on my hands I sit down and reflect. The reflections vary. Often it is about my hometown Allahabad & my student life in St Joseph’s & The Boys high School.

In the same vein, I suddenly thought about my cycling days.

As a new cycle was not something that could be afforded , I was informed that the old  ladies cycle in the store room was going to be repaired and painted for me to use .

I vividly remember the storeroom being opened, boxes and boxes of old stuff being taken down (The reached until the ceiling), and the cycle being pulled out.

It was a red Raleigh cycle. It must have been in that storeroom for years as my mother supposedly used it. It was a rim; it had handlebars, a bell and nothing else.

Out of now where, a cycle repair man was at the door early that evening. He gave one look at the cycle and enthusiastically said he would make it new again.

To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. Let us cut to the chase. A few weeks went by and then low and behold one morning the cycle arrived.

New tires, chrome shining, a new bell, a new seat (which I hated) and painted as well. It looked kind of new to my 13 year old eyes. I immediately took it for a spin and returned satisfied. The person was paid some money – I think it was 50 odd rupees and there I was – proud as punch with a cycle.

It did not matter whether it was old, new or repaired – I was now mobile! A trifle late compared to friends and classmates but better late than never.

I cycled all over – to church, to the market, to school, to meet friends – there was a newfound energy in my stride and a willingness to do errands – for which my aunt tipped me at times!

I spent hours on weekends washing the bike, polishing it with shoe polish, greasing the bearings and keeping it sparkling. The bike also had a carrier and some pretty girls got a ride as well!

Mind you, it was a LADIES bike.

I then graduated to a BSA Hercules. It was a sturdy bike, black in color and looked good. I must add that I purchased it second hand from my salary as a young teacher   . If I remember rightly, I purchased it from an old gent for rupees 100 which was quite a princely sum for me back then.

I rode to work on this bike, parked it in the cycle stand, locked it and would swing the key chain with pride.

It served me well. Long rides for fun were quite common in those days. In fact when calculating now, I probably rode many miles a day.

There was often a danger of trousers being caught in the chain so I had a sort of clip to wear on the trouser leg to prevent the same.

Two things about cycles, which I must refer to.

The first was a punctured tire for which you had to find a repairperson and walk until you found him. If it was a lonely road or after dusk when all such roadside shops closed, the journey home, on foot while pushing a cycle with a punctured tire was a pain.

Secondly, if one cycled too fast, there was a danger of the chain slipping off. This was disgusting to say the very least as to put it back on again caused your hands to get greasy and black. Not very funny if one was going visiting or to a party!

There were a few funny things, which were quite the craze those days

One was a FIXED WHEEL. It was a small gear, which could be fitted on the back wheel. THEREFORE, you pedaled slow but moved quite fast.

The second was removing the mudguards to make the cycle lighter for racing. Lastly, were low-slung handlebars for a similar purpose?

Torrential rain, burning afternoon sun or biting cold, my simple cycles served me well – probably kept me fit too!