Electric Cycles in Bhopal

Try Shyamla Hills first, and you'll understand the town. Then the road over Idgah Hills to the old city. Then Arera Colony and Char Imli. Short climbs, every one of them, but sharp enough to have a plain-cycle rider stopping for breath. Drop into a low gear, let assist do its bit, stay in the saddle, and enjoy the roll down to the water. People who ride here daily know the nasty gradients by name and route around them. Choosing the road matters more than anything else.

Where do people actually go? South from the walled city (Chowk Bazaar, Peer Gate) towards MP Nagar, Arera Colony, Shahpura and the Hoshangabad Road colonies. A home-to-MP-Nagar ride, offices and coaching centres included, usually lands at 5 to 8 km. From Kolar Road it's about 9. Over in the east, shift workers pedal to the BHEL township and the Govindpura industrial area.

About that bike-share. It ran with Bhopal Municipal Corporation, with hundreds of GPS-fitted cycles docked around New Market, MP Nagar and Hoshangabad Road, and red-marked lanes on the main corridor. There's also a metro now, near AIIMS and Subhash Nagar, so you can pedal to a station and ride on. Nice when a shower's coming or you simply can't be bothered with the full distance.

Summer peaks near 41 °C in May, so leave early or late, and keep the battery out of the sun. Rain is about 1,100 mm over a year, falling mostly July to September. The roads beside the Lower Lake and bits of the old city hold water. After the rains, October to February, the lake roads are lovely at dusk. VIP Road along the Upper Lake is the one to pick.