Electric Cycles in Anantapur

Here's the quirk. Of roughly 660 mm in a year, most turns up in September and October, well after the rest of the peninsula has dried off. January to August is long and dry. Then a short, wet spell. And May daytimes average 39.4 degrees.

Landmarks do the navigating: Clock Tower, Sapthagiri Circle, Srikantam Circle, Government Hospital, Court Road, the ISKCON temple. The city has some 298 km of roads, and the major ones are broad enough that a cyclist can hold a line. NH 44 slices through toward Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and NH 205 leaves for Chennai by way of Renigunta.

Since the land is almost level at 335 m, you seldom ride beyond 5 to 9 km. The Court Road stretch and the area around the railway station, busy with college and office traffic, are where pedal assist makes the most sense.

Dust is the sneaky enemy. After those dry months the roads wear a fine layer of grit. So oil the chain every week or two, check brake pads after a dusty month, and top up tyre pressure before heading out on NH 44, where lorries kick grit onto the shoulder.