Ecologise book: You and Your Cycle: A Guide to Maintenance
To mark the bicentenary year of the bicycle, and to promote cycling among children, Ecologise Hyderabad and Ride A Cycle, Bangalore has published book on bicycle maintenance entitled ‘You and Your Cycle: A Guide to Maintenance’. The fully illustrated 40-page book is authored by Lavanya K and Shamala Kittane and is priced at Rs. 50/.
About the book
The bicycle is an extension of you. You are its engine as well as its passenger. To enjoy your bicycle, you should learn to keep it clean and fit. There is nothing like the joy of a well maintained cycle. Equally frustrating is the experience of a badly maintained cycle.
This book is intended as a bicycle maintenance guide for children. However, anyone interested in maintaining his or her bicycle is more than welcome to use it too. The cycle used for illustration purposes is a single speed women’s bicycle. All the cleaning and repairs illustrated in the book have been done by two twelve year old girls (child’s play!) with guidance from elders. Children using this guide are encouraged to learn more by riding and observing.
NOTE: We will be happy to mail you the book by post. Kindly let us know how many copies you need and your postal address by filling the Google form here.
You can pay according to what you can afford – it can be more or less than the price of the book, either way, we’ll be happy to deliver the books to anyone who wants a copy.
About the authors
Lavanya is trained as an engineer and worked as a software professional before she started exploring the sustainable way of life. One such experiment was the implementation of a bicycle share system in Bangalore. She works with children as a special educator and aspires to be a farmer. She rides a Trek 7.1 commuter cycle and lives in Bangalore.
She learnt to cycle on a hired bicycle at the age of 10 and got her first bicycle at the age of 12. It was a second hand BSA SLR cycle. From then on, she has used a variety of cycles ranging from a Hercules MTB cycle with a front basket to a bright red Strida folding cycle that she could take on a bus.
Shamala is a freelancer who is a commuter-biker by choice (and a happy habit). She worked as a bicycle repair mechanic in one of the well-known cycle stores in Bangalore. Shamala’s love for cycling and interest in appropriate design and mechanics took her to Oregon where she learned to design and build a cargo cycle for herself. She rides a Surly bicycle and lives in Bangalore.
Her first bicycle was a Hero buzz which she upgraded from a single speed to a seven speed bicycle. Then she rode a Schwinn Mesa for nearly 4 years, moved on to a high end “Cannondale Trail SL3” bicycle for riding trails, and then rode a MTB Merida for nearly a year and is now the proud owner of a Surly Straggler (single speed convert).
CONTENTS
YOU AND YOUR BICYCLE
Your bicycle
Buying the cycle
Bicycle size
Know your cycle
SAFETY AND COMFORT
Seat / saddle position and height
Brakes
Handlebar alignment
Cycle stand
Traffic signals and safety
Dress code
MAINTENANCE
Caring for your cycle
Cleaning your cycle
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
Daily / before every ride
Weekly / before a long ride
Monthly
Annual
BREAKDOWN MAINTENANCE – TROUBLESHOOTING
Chain slip
Loose / misaligned handle
Squeaky brakes
Brake cable cut
Brake pad missing
Flat tyre / punctured tyre
Loose saddle
Bicycle accident
LEARNING MAINTENANCE
TOOL KIT
General
Puncture Kit