Cycling cafe’s have sprung up all over the place in England, and now they’re moving overseas, with Ciclo Cafe opening up in Chennai, India.
Cyclists in India are at the bottom of the food chain. Despite around 40% of households owning a bicycle, and 16 million bikes being sold every year, there are no dedicated cycle lanes in major cities such as Chennai.
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In one city, Kolkata, bicycles, bicycle vans and all non-motorized vehicles are even banned from the roads, whilst Delhi is unique in having some urban bike lanes.
However, passion for cycling still has a place in India, and a high end, dedicated cycling cafe is proving that there’s plenty of interest.
The Ciclo Cafe opened early this year, and it’s thriving – the luxury bike base already has well over 4,000 ‘likes’ on its dedicated Facebook page.
The cafe sells high end bikes from India’s most popular distributor – TI Cycles who carry Schwinn, Mongoose, Cannondale, Bianchi, Montra and GT within their range.
Mr. K.C. Ramamoorthy, from TI Cycles talked to ChooseMyBicycle about the inspiration behind the store before it opened, saying: “Ciclo Café will bring people closer to cycling. It is our endeavor to bring bicycles and its lifestyle to one place under one roof.
Ciclo Café will bring people closer to cycling
“Ciclo Café will enable lovers of cycling to spend time together with their families while we provide a relaxed and friendly environment with the cycling lifestyle being the backdrop.”
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Under bicycle chain chandeliers, cycling fanatics can relax with a coffee, slice of cake or choose from a scrumptious looking selection of pizzas and salads.
The cafe organises rides, and despite a lack of obvious provision for cyclists, there are a number of cycling clubs springing up in the area.
Notably, the “Cycling Yogis”, founded by Ramanujar Moulana, who uses his bike to commute around Chennai, have over 2,700 members who interact via a Facebook group.
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Maulana organises rides to historic locations and loves to connect riding with exploration – he explained: “All our rides commence early morning by 5.30 am and end by 7.30 am. It is convenient for all including the police from whom we take prior permission before any event that we do.”
Other local clubs include the Tamilnadu Cycling Club, which aims to provide a platform for the cycling community to publicize and create awareness about the cause
The pioneering cafe has gone from strength to strength, and the 4/5 star average rating on it’s review page tells us it’s well worth a visit if you happen to be passing… what will you order alongside your new bike?!
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