What happens when passion and the zeal to remain fit drives to the next level? For Gokul Krishna and Krishnendu Haldar this passion took the form of The Bike Affair. It first started as a cycling group, then as a consultants for cycles, then a multi brand cycle boutique and then eventually it took the form of a their own brand of cycle.
Their love affair with cycling and The Bike Affair is over five years old. The two gave up their well-paying jobs to follow cycling and fitness as their passion. This home grown and organic affair now makes custom-made cycles.
As they quit their jobs to pursue something for their demanding health, one thing led to the other and from being leisure cyclists, they became crusaders of fitness. It was during this time, Gokul came across a ‘fixie’ and was delighted and mesmerised by its dynamics. For a non-cyclist, a fixie is a cycle with a fixed wheel which as a rule are fixed-gear bicycles and a single speed.
Was this an easy choice? “Had we not been married it wouldn’t have made a difference. However, we both were married and felt the unsettled vibes. It is not easy to think of cycling trips when you know you have to support a family. Since ours was a gradual process we equipped ourselves with our savings and also prepared our family gradually,” laugh Krishnendu.
In 2008 when they first set out on their dream, the word start up wasn’t common, so their struggles were of different sorts. “When we started The Bike Affair, the consultancy place, then we realised the demand for cycles and the supply as well. There was a lot to be done but there was no proper channel,” adds Gokul.
Krish and Gokul’s love for cycles varies; while Krish loves to tour and cycle around for leisure, Gokul wants to use it as a means of everyday commute. This made them look into various cycles that suited the varying needs of a cyclist. When they combined their research and knowledge of cycles they came to one conclusion — steel is the metal to be used in their brand of cycles.
“Four years of research, trial and error, and cyling trips, only made us more hopeful of using steel as a brand. We also wanted it to have a minimalist look for Astr — their first variant/model of cycles,” explains Gokul and adds, “The first model was Sidewinder, with a frame that’s made of 4130 chromoly (chromium-molybdenum) steel. This is very high grade steel which is very strong and hence can be made with thinner tubes and still provide the required strength. The frame tubes are also double-butted (the thickness of the tube varies along the length of the tube, with higher thickness around more stress areas and thinner where stress is less). As a result the Sidewinder weighs in at just 9.5kg for a 52cm size bike.” However, Astr was the result of long hours they dedicated to their consultancy/repair multi-brand cycle boutique.
“It wasn’t only about selling cycles and making profits. We were set out to make cycling a part of everyday routine. So it involved finding new tracks, new routes, looking into aspect, organising rides, deciding route maps and a lot more. But it has been a jolly good ride,” concludes Krish.
In all this bike enthusiasm, are the two men getting to maintain a smooth married life? “We are!” they laugh.
(This column features people who dared to give up lucrative career to pursue their dream)
