The bike of…

He lives in Rotterdam and uses it to commute only between Delft station and the university. His perfect outing would be never ending bike rides exploring new places. What makes this peculiar is that he prefers to walk at every other instance. “The route to Hoek van Holland is my favorite. The ride along the promenade reminds me of a similar place in my country – the Marine drive in Bombay, which is close to my heart. Apart from that I enjoy my ride to Rotterdam as well. As an urbanist, I can see how well the two contrasting cities of Delft and Rotterdam blend through the use of a well-integrated landscape. The entire route is along a canal, but the dense urbanscape gradually transcends to a wide open sprawling landscape and then back to heavy traffic and chaos of the city. In a way, Dutch cities automatically draw you into exploring the bike.”

While Advait is quite the enthusiastic athlete, his bike however is the

uncooperative opposite. But opposites do attract! “It’s really high maintenance,” he says, “constantly demanding attention by punctually breaking down right in time to make me late for class or get caught in the rain. It’s probably the only bike in Delft which can automatically shift gears when you drive on one of those cobble roads.” So what has stopped Advait from dumping the bike and getting a new one? “Oh, the thought of getting rid of it has never crossed my mind,” he says. “The bike is pretty special to me. It’s also been my first and only bike. Even though I’m quite skeptical to take mine out for long rides nowadays, I have some fond memories with the bike. On a lighter note, the seat of my bike makes a case as well. Not for comfort, but for its bright white color, making it easy to spot in the chaotic bike parking at the station and school.”