Type of Bikes for Cycling

Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise that even elderly people with weak bones can take up. Cycling is an open chain exercise; the activity exerts much less pressure on the joints and bones. The recovery time for cycling is much shorter compared to a sport as grueling as running, football or hockey. But before one goes out and buy a cycle, one need to figure out what kind of a cyclist he/she is the city rider, the speed king or the mountain biker. Based on geometry and purpose, cycles can be classified broadly under three broad categories road bike, mountain bike and hybrid.

Cycles don’t come cheap. The cheapest road bike starts at upwards of INR 40,000. The cost goes up depending on the material of the frame, fork and other components such as wheels and gears shifters. The aluminium frame is the cheapest option, followed by alloy, and carbon bikes are the most expensive. The advantage of using a carbon frame is that it absorbs vibrations and shocks much better than aluminium or alloy.

Road Bike, as the name suggests it is meant for road riding. It is built for speed. Its primary characteristics are aerodynamics, light frame, rigid fork, thin tyres, racing handlebar with integrated gear shifters and brake levers. A rider who intends to ride largely on roads and wants to feel the wind in the hair can consider a road bike.

Mountain Bike, popularly known as MTBs are off-road bikes. They are meant for rough riding conditions, which make them ideal for most Indian roads. A typical MTB has a front suspension fork, 2-inch wide, off-road tyres and disc brakes. A full suspension MTB would have an additional rear mounted suspension as well. MTB is great for riding in the trails.

For the most experienced riders, there are three highly specialized versions of the MTB. The cross-country/trail bike accounts for the highest number of mountain bikes sold in India. A downhill MTB is one which a biker uses to come down a steep but defined path. And finally there is the free ride, the most extreme version of downhill biking, restricted to the highly skilled riders and adrenalin Junkers.

Hybrid Bike is a mix of the MTB and road bikes. It features flat handlebars, tyres wider than those of a roadie and thinner than those of an MTB, and gear ratios that are between those of road bikes and MTBs. As most cycling is done early mornings on city roads, the hybrid is the best option for someone who is not a road biker. BMX or stunt bikes has small wheels, usually 20 inches in size, a 360 degree rotating handlebar, and stunt pegs at the front or rear, or on both hub axles. It is used purely for stunts. 

Book Review: Land of seven Rivers

India spawns ideas as vigorously as it spawns diverse populations. This is the impression conveyed by the Land of Seven Rivers, a book that good-naturedly examines a huge range of India related topics, from mitochondrial DNA to modernist architecture. Writer Sanjeev Sanyal certainly begins with the shifts of Tectonic Plates that over millions of years nudged the subcontinent up against the Asian Mainland, goes on to examine the evidence for the origin of India’s populations, and so proceeds to the partition of 1947 and the subsequent absorbing of French and Portuguese enclaves.

He also covers the drying up of the once Legendary Saraswati River, the writing of the Kamasutra, the extraordinary rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, the anti-British revolt of 1857, and much more. He highlights particular locations, sometimes visiting them and reporting on their current condition. It is very easy to lose interest in a book based on facts and numbers. However, this did not happen while I was reading this book, maybe also because I took my time with this one. I had to let the history and geography of our land sink in and that helped me savor the book – page by page. This book is a fantastic attempt to talk to us simply about our heritage and of the times gone by.

It is an affiliate book that meanders, rather like the rivers it describes, through the familiar landscape of the history of the Indian sub-continent. One will pass through most of the landmarks such as the Harappans, the Vedas, Ashoka, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the various cities of Delhi, Mughals, the British and their Mapmakers, partition as well as the rise of a new India exemplified by the rapid growth of Gurgaon, a centre for the call-centre industry south of Delhi and characterized by gleaming office towers, metro stations, malls, luxury hotels and millions of jobs.  

This book is strong on unusual facts. I was astonished to read, for example, that the UK barrister, who mapped out the line of partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, in Delhi but without having time to inspect the situation on the ground, actually returned his fee of 2000 UK Pounds following the mass migration and killings that followed his work. Also of great interest is India’s estimated proportion of World GDP – a possible 33 percent in the first century AD, compared to 4 percent at Independence. The Roman Empire is estimated having 21 percent. The book positions itself very nicely between being a research based account and a leisurely stroll through Indian history.

Brands behind IPL 2016

The annual T20 cricketing extravaganza in India, the Indian Premier League (IPL) turns nine now. Over its journey, starting from 2008, the newbie has gone through many ups and downs, from controversial to financial irregularities and usage of drugs in post-match parties to betting and match fixing scandals. But its acceptance among millions of television audiences and cricket lovers has not faded.

Apart from increasing television viewership, the fact that after eight seasons, companies and brands still wants to associate with IPL is testament of that. Currently, not only are more than 80 different brands and companies are directly associated with eight IPL franchises, but companies like Cargill Foods, Mother Dairy and Kent RO have also joined pool this year. The estimated Rs. 20000 crore IPL brand is a platform that brands can leverage to reach millions of eyeballs without having to fight too much.

Through visibility in IPL, in terms of branding on team jerseys, ground etc. brands can claim a space in consumer minds over the two month period. Kent RO, Cargill Foods will be participating first time this year. Mother dairy has become the principal sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils Franchise. It is also coming up with consumer engagement programmes at select outlets in the capital. Brands from diverse fields, from hotels to health drinks, cooking oil to AIDS awareness campaigns, IPL are a preferred platform.

Major brands associated with IPL are:-

Kolkata Knight Riders: - Sponsors – Gionee, Sansui, Lux Cozi, SRMB TMT, Colors Bangla, KeoKarpin, Khadims, PepsiCO. Delhi Daredevils: - Sponsors – Daikin, Skill India, Officer’s Choice Blue, RBL Bank, KS Deos. Rising Pune Supergiants: - Spykar, Gulf, Gemini Cooking oil, Finolex, LYF Smartphone, DBS, Marriott. Gujarat Lions: - Oxigen Wallet, TVS Tyres.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: - United Spirits, Hero Cycles, 7UP, Kingfisher Premium, OLA, Fever FM, Lloyd AC, Britannia, DNA, Acer, LYF Smartphone. Mumbai Indians: - Videocon D2H, Etihad Airways, DHFL, Samsung, Deeraj. Kings XI Punjab: - Tata Motors Prima. Sunrisers Hyderabad: - Idea 4G, DTDC, Thumbs Up, UltraTech, Tyka, Red FM, DCB Bank, and Haldiram.

Best Salesman of Technology Industry

Some of the most successful tech leaders are often the greatest salespeople too. They understand you have to be able to sell your product and vision to take your company to the next level. These 7 Billionaire tech moguls are proven sales masters who could probably sell you anything.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff – Benioff was a star salesman early in his career at oracle, making him Oracle youngest VP ever. He turned his sales knowledge into Salesforce, a software maker that helps salespeople make sales more efficiently. The company now worth $50 Billion has been selling record size deals lately, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Oracle Co-founder Larry Ellison – Ellison is known for creating a super charged sales environment at Oracle, his sales tactics are legendary which is how he turned Oracle into a $38 Billion in revenue giant today. In fact, he was even able to sell a struggling Hawaiian Airline he once bought to a VC in the area.

Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs – Jobs wasn’t just a visionary, he knew how to sell the products he created. From his presentations to small talking, every move was aimed at creating a stronger brand and popular product. iPhones have grown in sales every year, while Apple is now one of the most valuable companies in the world. Steve Jobs was even able to sell NeXT Software, a company he founded, to Apple, when he returned to the company.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer – Ballmer was Microsoft very first salesman. His energy and explosive sales pitches played a big role in transforming Bill Gates tiny startup into the largest software maker in the world. When Ballmer took over the Microsoft CEO role from Gates in 2000, some people saw it as the triumph of sales over technology and innovation.

Dell CEO Michael Dell – Dell showed signs of a great salesperson from an early age. In High school, he was already making $18,000 a year selling newspaper subscription. Soon, in his college freshman year, Dell started selling upgrade kits for personal computers, which became the basis for Dell Computers, once the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban – Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is now an investor, but he started his career selling computer software. He was able to make a $15,000 sale just 9 months into his job, and later started his own PC consulting business. His biggest feat is probably selling his own startup called Broadcast.com to Yahoo for over $5 Billion. One of his favorite phrases is “sales cures all.”

Zenefits CEO David Sacks – Sacks has a history of building startups and selling them for billions of dollars. He was PayPal COO when it was sold to eBay for $1.5 Billion in 2002. His next startup, Yammer was sold to Microsoft for $1.2 Billion. He is now on to his third Billion dollar startup, Zenefits, which was last valued at $4.5 Billion.