Bangalore based designer displays innovation: Eco-friendly bamboo bicycle to make debut

Bangalore, 12 December 2009: The BSA Tour of Nilgiris, India’s longest organized bicycle ride, will reveal the country’s first hand crafted, eco-friendly road bicycle on 16 December 2009, at flag off from the Koramangala Indoor Stadium Lawns. The flag off to the prestigious tour will happen at the hands of The Hon'ble Sports Minister of Karnataka, Sri Goolihatti D. Shekhar.

Vijay Sharma with the first eco-friendly bamboo bicycle made exclusively for BSA Tour of Nilgiris. Picture by PeeVee.

The eco-friendly bicycle has been designed and hand crafted by Vijay Sharma, a Bangalore-based designer from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology. The bicycle has been made from bamboo, replacing 3.5 kg of steel tubes traditionally used in the manufacture of bicycles. The bicycle has internationally accepted grade of components.

Sharma will lead the 70 riders on the BSA Tour of Nilgiris as a symbol of the effort the 70 riders will make to encourage cycling and adopt means of transport that has a lower carbon impact on the environment.

Sharma will gift the bicycle to the organizers of the BSA Tour of Nilgiris (www.bsatourofnilgiris.com). The BSA Tour of Nilgiris is a 900+km, 8-day cycling tour that kicks off at Bangalore on 16th December 2009, with 70 participants. BSA Tour of Nilgiris passes through Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan, Mercara, Irupu, Sultanbathery and Ooty. It is a first-of-its-kind-in-India sporting event and is a spectacular tour of southern Indian heritage, culture, cuisines and its people. This is the second edition of the highly successful tour.

Speaking about the eco-friendly bamboo bicycle made from a renewable resource like bamboo, Mr Sharma said, “The bicycle is a reflection of my personal interest in cycling and the desire to use clean transport.”

Commenting on the hand crafted bamboo bicycle, Mr Rajesh Mani, GM Marketing, Bicycles & Fitness, TI Cycles said, “We encourage and recognize the spirit of innovation behind the BSA Tour of Nilgiris and see Mr Sharma’s efforts as a step which could help create bicycle options that are suited for India conditions.” TI Cycles of India is the title sponsor of the BSA Tour of Nilgiris, through its popular BSA brand of bicycles.

The BSA Tour of Nilgiris is supported by BSA, a brand of TI Cycles of India. TI Cycles of India is a part of Tube Investments of India (TII), a flagship company of the USD 3.14 billion Murugappa Group.

Murugappa Group is one of India's leading business conglomerates. Market leaders in diverse areas of business including Engineering, Abrasives, Finance, General Insurance, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilizers, Plantations, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, its 29 companies have manufacturing facilities spread across 13 states in India. The organization fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 32,000 employees. The Group has forged strong joint venture alliances with leading international companies like DBS Bank, Mitsui Sumitomo, Foskor, Cargill and Groupe Chimique Tunisien has consolidated its status as one of the fastest growing diversified business houses in India.

The BSA Tour of Nilgiris is an initiative of the Bangalore-based not-for-profit bicycle advocacy group RideACycle Foundation.

Photo credit for attached pictures: PeeVee

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