BIKING 101: BIKING IN NIGERIA

My name is Mamba. Not my real name anyway, but my riding name. Why I chose it? I will answer later on in this article. Writing this article anonymously will allow me to turn a blind eye on making the syntax and semantics of this article perfect. Not like the article will be graded by my lecturer anyway. I am 25 years old and I love motorcycles. I am not a journalist, heck neither am I a good writer. In fact, I am not even close to being the most experienced rider in Nigeria. I am just an average biker with a laptop on vacation from work, which means I have a lot of spare time to write all this “junk” about my experience being a biker, safety tips and “powerbiking” in Nigeria. I will try my best to organize the article to make it readable, enjoyable and educative to you.

I am a computer engineer by training, but a businessman by profession. I hail from Imo State, in South-Eastern Nigeria. Yes, am an “Omo-Igbo”. Not like it matters in this article anyway. A little about my history of riding. I started riding motorcycles when I was 10 years old. Before then, I would ride far away on a bicycle with my cousin, intentionally get missing and try to figure out a way home before it gets dark. We tried to limit our little adventure to within a 10 km radius of my home. My elder brother did the same thing (maybe not intentionally trying to get missing), but on a motorcycle. My grandmother had a little motorcycle she used to ride before she got too old. When she stopped riding it, it was parked in our house. This was the motorcycle my elder brother would use to go to “God-knows-where”. When I turned 10 years old, my brother was closer to 17 years old and started to set his eyes on driving a car instead of riding. Maybe, he had intentions of increasing his own radius of adventure. He dumped the motorcycle and started driving the car at home. Becoming my mother’s driver gave him the opportunity to practice.

Lest I digress, I then had the opportunity to take over the use of the motorcycle. It was a Suzuki 50cc motorcycle. They called it “Ladies” motorcycle in my area, maybe because it was generally believed it was a motorcycle for women. That did not matter to me anyway. The motorcycle had a clutch and three-gear system. Problems with the throttle led the mechanics back then to link the front brake levers to the throttle system. Quite creative in my opinion. My cousin somehow got a similar motorcycle and we finally got the chance to increase that our 10 km radius. We started embarking on journeys farther away from home and by 14 years old, we would ride over 30 km away from home just for the fun of it.

When I turned 15 years old, my gateman Mr. Lawrence purchased a 125 CC motorcycle branded Jincheng. They called this type “mens” motorcycle. The difference between the “mens” and “ladies” motorcycle was essentially the engine size, number of gears, clutch system, location of the fuel tank and length of the passenger seat. The “mens” had a four-gear system, a clutch system, fuel tank located between the rider and the handle bars and a longer passenger seat. The longer seat is mainly why it is the preferred choice for commercial motorcyclists (okada). On the other hand, the “ladies” motorcycle has a three-gear system, no clutch and the fuel tank is located under the seat. I think I might just have figured why its called a “ladies motorcycle”. Women wearing skirts cannot comfortably ride the “mens” with the big fuel tank between their legs. So you see am learning while teaching you. Lol!

Anyway, back to the topic…I would give Mr. Lawrence some “fuel money” and take his motorcycle out when my parents were not around. Did not take long to get used to the clutch system on it. In no time I was speeding on the highways which I usually would not dare try with the former motorcycle. It was a good feeling overtaking slower vehicles such as trucks on the road. There was a huge difference from the motorcycle I had been riding. It had more acceleration, the clutch made me feel I had more access to all the engine power and the extra gear gave the bike a higher top speed which the former bike lacked. Now, I felt the urge to push my radius to 50 km, which I eventually did. I rode to another state and back. I got addicted to the power, and my addiction made me hungry for more power. I would watch the MotoGP on TV back then, and see how those guys banked hard on those curves. I knew better than to try it on my tiny motorcycle, even though I gave it a thought.

Now I feel am dwelling too much on one subject. Don’t worry, I will try to round this history talk quickly. I did not imagine that such powerful motorcycle could be found in Nigeria. When I was 18 years old, I moved to Adamawa state for my university education. At the same time, my elder brother was returning to Nigeria from the US to begin living and working in Abuja. He had experience on superbikes and would tell me stories. This got me amped and I only wished I could ride one. Then it happened. My brother discovered that not only were there superbikes in Abuja, but there were motorcycle clubs around the country. Didn’t take long for my brother to meet a few bikers in Abuja. Months later, he bought his first bike. It was a 1990 Kawasaki GPZ 400 CC. I felt I had to go through a special training to be able to ride it. Well, that was what my brother made me think. Maybe to discourage me from riding his bike. As a sharp guy, I stole the key, sat on the bike and it took me literally 30 minutes to get comfortable enough to get on the highway. That rounds up the brief history of how I got to this stage of riding superbikes.

I have ridden a variety of bikes. Bikes that I have owned in chronological order are 2000 Honda CBR 600, 2005 Yamaha R6, 2000 Suzuki GSXR 600, 2002 Yamaha R6 and 2011 Yamaha R6. Other bikes I have ridden either borrowed from my brother or others are 2010 Kawasaki ZX10, 2002 Suzuki GSXR 1000, 2008 Honda CBR 600 and a few more I frankly cannot remember. When purchasing a bike, what I desire is maneuverability. To me, maneuverability is directly correlated to the size of the bike. I like smaller bikes and that is why I have stuck to the 600CC bikes. I love bikes that have handle bars closer to me. I don’t want to have to lie belly-flat on the fuel tank to reach my handle bars. I want to be able to sit up straight and ride my bike. I love the looks of the Suzuki Hayabusa and its sister (because it’s a fragile bike as far as I am concerned), the Kawasaki ZX 14; but I cannot buy these bike for personal use. They are annoyingly bulky. I cannot sacrifice my comfort for anything abeg!

Out of all the bikes I rode, the one that fits all my desires in a motorcycle is the 2008 Honda CBR 600. It was small, highly maneuverable, had a nice torque and comfortable to ride. Maybe when I ride more motorcycles, I can give a better judgement on others. I sat on a 2010 Honda CBR 1000 once, and it felt nice. I am yet to ride it, but I have a feeling that it would be the next bike I will purchase. I am tired of getting oppressed by all these 1000CC and 1400CC bikers when going on group rides.

I am not very familiar with all the biking terms, but I will try to educate you on the different types of bikes out there. To the best of my knowledge, and mainly because am too lazy to go online and research what the fact is, street motorcycles are classified into two. Sport bikes and Touring bikes. Sport bikes are essentially racing bikes. They are designed with only one factor in mind…SPEED! 

The touring bikes as the name says are for touring. This means they are bikes designed to be used by long distance travelers. They are not necessarily very fast, but come with accessories and features which the manufacturers feel are beneficial to travelling riders. There are individual riders who want features from both ends of the stick. This led some manufacturers to make a hybrid of both classes and called them Sport Touring motorcycles. In layman’s illustration, the sport bikes are those you see racing on Supersports while Touring bikes are those you see on those documentaries about Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Sport Touring bikes are those you see leading vehicle convoys of the President, Governors or just “Very Important Crooks Persons” in Nigeria. Examples of Sport bikes are Suzuki GSXR, Yamaha R, Honda CBR, Kawasaki ZXs and more. Examples of Touring bikes are Honda Goldwing, Harley Davidson, and so on. Example of Sport Touring is BMW KS 1200. There are dirt bikes as well, but I do not classify them under street bikes.

My advice to prospective motorcycle buyers is to ignore what anyone advices you to buy. The best way to know the bike that is right for you (considering depth of your pocket is a constant) is to sit on the bike and ride it. The bike that fits will stand out naturally. I will discuss a little about purchasing the right bike for you.

When purchasing a bike for the first time, there are several factors to consider. The most important is the rider’s ability. For a learner, I do not advice buying more than a 250CC capacity bike. When you feel more comfortable on it, you can switch straight to a 600CC and then 1000CC. Many overzealous learners make the mistake of going for larger capacity bikes when they are not ready for their power. The second factor to consider is the depth of your pocket. Don’t bother trying to look for a good bike with less than 300,000 naira. It is just pointless! You might find a bike for less than 300k but be rest assured, it will be as good as scrap metal. If you fall under this category of buyers, trust me, I understand your enthusiasm to start riding, but that zeal will die faster than a hot knife through butter. Now, the good bike you will find for around 300,000 naira will be an older model bike but will be in good condition. The 2000 Suzuki GSXR 600 I bought was straight from the ship, having just landed Nigeria. Bought it for 350,000 naira and rode it for over 8 months and then sold it without doing more than oil changes on it. Through this period, I rode it from Owerri to Abuja and back three times.

To make it easier, the table below should be able to guide you on the typical prices of getting different bikes. These prices are from my own experience and may not be entirely accurate

YEAR (CBR600/CBR1000/R6/R1/ZX/GSXR600/GSXR1000)	PRICE
< 1996	300k to 500k
1996 - 2000	400k to 600k
2001-2005	500k to 700k
2006-2010	700k to 1.2 M
>2010	1M and above

Am not very familiar with prices of touring bikes. But to get a really good one, you need to have a budget anywhere between 2 million to 20 million naira. If a dealer tries to sell you any of those bikes for anything less than the prices stated above, then you are safe to be suspicious of the condition of the bike. However, it is not uncommon to find individual riders willing to sell their bikes for less than those prices stated above. The advice I usually give riders looking to purchase bikes is to hold their cash in hand and wait for a biker looking to sell his. Get a mechanic to certify it before purchasing. I will share my terrible experience buying a motorcycle. But, before I share it, I want to give you one DON’T in bike purchasing. Read my lip, or rather my writing…NEVER BUY A MOTORCYCLE THROUGH A ROADSIDE BIKE MECHANIC. Okay, now let me share my experience and you will understand why. My 2005 Yamaha R6 was bought through a mechanic after I was offered the bike for 400,000 naira. Well, I was naïve back then and did not suspect anything. Come on, this was a four year old bike at the time. I was about to own one of the sleekest bikes in town. The bike should have been worth over 700,000 naira back then. So I assumed I had got a steal. I had not rode the bike for up to one week, when I noticed the engine oil was mixing with the radiator coolant. Of course! Stupid me! I had just bought a bike off a mechanic. The same mechanic then told me it required a new engine. To cut the long story short, I sold the scrap for 100,000 naira back to the same mechanic. So now you understand why you should buy your motorcycles from a dealer or an individual rider.

Forgive me for digressing. The third factor to consider is your physique and how it matches the bike. I cannot stress enough the importance of test riding a bike before purchasing it, to be sure your body “gels” with the bike naturally. Ignoring this factor will be like trying to balance a 140 kg woman on your laps while sitting on a plastic chair. Okay it might not be that dramatic, but you get the point. It is always good to test the bike to ensure you are comfortable with the handling and riding position. Larger guys will be more comfortable on a Kawasaki ZX 14, Suzuki Hayabusa or most touring bikes. The length of their frames and size allows bigger guys to ride more comfortably. Guys with big round tummies should probably go for touring bikes. Trying to squeeze a big belly on a Yamaha R6 is just torture. Maybe when I have 20 million naira to waste, I will get myself a nice touring bike. For now, we “go dey manage”. Also, if you intend to use your bike for a lot of stunts, go for a 600CC or 1000CC. They are easier to stunt with and more forgiving on crashes. However, I am not discouraging prospective riders with smaller statures from going for big bikes. As I said before, you have to sit on the bike and make sure you and the bike have chemistry.

It will be irresponsible to talk about motorcycle riding without talking about safety. We all want to have some fun, but riding safe is very important. There are some tips to keep the rider and other road users safe. The most crucial part of safety on motorcycles is the riding gear. Motorcycle riding gear is essentially what prevents your brains from frying on the road asphalt if you are unfortunate to crash. Your gear can be a factor in deciding if you walk or stay in a wheel chair for the rest of your life. But on a lighter note, your gear can also prevent minor injuries as well such as what my club members call “Monkey Nyash”, the abrasion that occurs on the buttocks, as a result of falling hard on the asphalt after a crash.

Wearing your safety kit is a MUST. A very good helmet costs anywhere around 45,000 naira. If you cannot afford it, some dealers sell used ones. The helmet protects your head in the event of a crash, and protects your face and eyes from the wind while riding. There are a lot of helmets out in the market, some very fancy, while others are sophisticated. Personally, I love the Predator helmets. They are very expensive (around $1000 each), but they give the rider a cool and scary look. However, for the rider like me who cannot shell out $1000 for just a helmet, I usually give an advice. Go online and search “cool motorcycle helmet”, you will see other nice fancy helmets which will guarantee you stand out amongst others. These helmets are mostly fancy and I would not recommend using them on long journeys. Have a regular standard functional helmet and strap the fancy sophisticated one to your bike when travelling. You could always pull it out when riding within the city or amongst other bikers. Clean your visors regularly and be careful not to drop your helmet to prevent scratches on the visor. Also, I do not recommend helmets with tinted visors, as they are hard to use at night.

Another important component of your gear are your jacket and trousers. They are designed to protect your body from injuries in the event of accidents. It is advisable to get both jacket and trousers. The prospective rider who is on a budget can ignore the trousers. However, a riding jacket is required. I have seen some riders who use make-shift jackets such as the jacket from track-suits, sweaters, swimming pool life vests, boxing vests, winter coats and more. Though creative, they can never substitute the functions of a genuine motorcycle jacket. A jacket has strong protective armor around the elbows, shoulders and spine. These are the most injury-prone parts of the body during a crash. Trousers protect the groin, buttocks, knee and shin. Most riders substitute the motorcycle trouser with a pair of jean trousers. Such people still put on a knee and shin guard while riding to give them protection. Riding jackets cost anywhere in the range of 30,000 naira to 80,000 naira. Knee guards cost anywhere around 10,000 to 30,000 naira.

Riding boots and gloves are equally necessary. Riding boots are usually rain proof and also protect the feet and some parts of the shin in a crash. Get a pair of boots that are exactly your size. Getting small boots will lead to fatigue, and getting large boots makes changing gears or applying back brakes difficult. Gloves protect your hand from injury in a crash, and also helps maintain a grip of the handle bars while riding. A good pair of riding boots can set you back anywhere between 30,000 and 80,000 naira. Gloves can be purchased between 10,000 naira and 50,000 naira.

Riding with complete gear gives the rider more confidence. Asides the safety part, we can all agree that the coolest part of a rider on a motorcycle is his/her gear. There is an exhilarating feeling watching a rider zoom past. Most prospective riders I have met confessed that the looks of the rider rather than the bike attracted them to the sport. Being cheap when buying a bike is allowed, but if you are cheap or miserly on your gear, think about how much a standard burial in Nigeria costs. Food for thought!

Moving on. When riding on the highways, keep two things at the “front” of your mind (not the back). The first is the condition of Nigerian roads. If you hit a pothole hard with a car, consequences are more forgiving. However, on a motorcycle, potholes are a nightmare. Hitting a pothole hard can make a rider lose control and crash. While riding, look far ahead to anticipate potholes. Do not ride too close to the back of vehicles, so you can also see potholes in time. Watch for oil spills on the road. Oil and motorcycle tyres are not the best of friends. Watch for animals (human animals too) crossing the road. Speed up only when you can see far ahead of you.

The second is the assumption that “All Motorists are out to kill you”. Once you absorb this assumption in your brain, you will be careful enough to avoid them. What this means is that a rider must always ride defensively. A good number of motorists on Nigerian roads are not qualified to ride bicycles not to talk of driving cars. They make reckless decisions that put the lives of bikers at risk. An example is the U-turn scenario. Some motorists trying to make a U-turn have this authoritative mindset that makes them assume they have the right-of-way over a motorcycle when making a U-turn. When they do not see a car approaching from the opposite lane, they ignore bikes approaching. It might be because bikes are assumed to be lower on the vehicular food chain. Do not try to wrestle with motorists for the road, because in a crash scenario, a car will only have a dent while you will be leaving the scene with a totaled bike and few broken bones.

There are some nice add-on accessories that most bikers use. A leg bag helps keep your cash, phones and items needed during riding handy. It eliminate the need to carry a back pack or to take off your backpack each time you need to get some cash or use your phone. A baraclava mask looks cool, but its main function is to help soak up sweat from your face while riding to prevent it from rolling into your eyes. It also prevents your helmet from soaking your sweat and making it smell bad. Strapping ropes hold down your bags on your bike while riding. Riding with a heavy backpack on long journeys is not advisable, as it increases fatigue. Crash guards are fixed onto the bike to protect the bike’s plastic fairings in a crash. I will discuss more accessories in future articles.

If you want to get into the stunting game, make sure you are properly kitted. It is almost guaranteed that you will fall off your bike in the first few tries. Most bikers in Nigeria do not bother trying to do stunts. Maybe because whenever they consider trying, they remember how much they spent on purchasing the bike. However, before any rider starts stunting, I advise they watch tutorials on Youtube. It gives instructions on how to stunt safely. “Stunt safely!” Such an irony! The most popular stunts amongst Nigerian bikers are wheelies, stoppings and burnouts. Ability to do wheelies and stoppings attracts some “respect” from other riders. For now, I do mini frog-jump wheelies. I will get there someday. Do not burnout your brand new tyres. It’s a waste of money. Burnout your tyres only when they are worn and you are about to change them. Am not much of a stunt rider, so I cannot elaborate much on the topic. Heard the Togolese and Ghanaian bikers are the best at stunts. So maybe you can get better advice from them.

In my opinion, the most interesting part of riding motorcycles is going on long trips. There is a sense of freedom you get when riding long distances on the highways. I have rode from Owerri to Abuja and back, Owerri to Lagos and back; and more recently Owerri to Calabar to Uyo to Enugu and back to Owerri. Riding on long trips can be exhausting, but to me, it’s the only way to truly enjoy a bike. It is always good to make frequent stops while riding to reduce fatigue. Riding with other bikers in a group is even more exciting. You draw more attention at every stop, but more importantly it discourages recklessness. 

When going on group rides, a Road Captain is appointed to lead everyone. He/she is the most experienced rider, and ensures the group rides safely. The Sweeper remains at the rear of the group. The sweeper is also a very experienced rider with a fast bike, incase he has to catch up with the Road Captain to inform him of any problems, such as mechanical faults among any of the bikes in the group. Hand and leg signs are used to communicate between the riders in the group. The signs can represent low fuel, potholes ahead, slow down, speed up and so on. Fuel stops on long trips are more frequent than cars because of the size of the tank, but the fuel economy on bikes is better than cars. Typically, a trip from Owerri to Abuja with a bike would not require more than 4,000 naira worth of fuel. On my small Kia car, it costs around 10,000 naira. The downside of riding in groups is that chances of one of the riders having a mechanical fault is higher. When this happens, it delays the journey as everyone in the group tries to look for a solution to the problem. However, there is a genuine concern shown by all riders whenever such scenarios arise.

Maintenance of motorcycles is expensive. However, if you do things right, you would not need to spend so much. Areas of motorcycles that require very frequent maintenance are the brake pads and oil changes. Brake pads cost around 15,000 naira in Nigeria. Oil change costs around 15,000 naira including the oil filter. Areas that require maintenance but not so frequently are clutch fibers, spark plugs, sprockets, chain, fuel filter and fuel pump. These parts can set you back anywhere between 5,000 to 80,000 naira. If a rider is careful, those parts do not need to be replaced very often. Did you know that the fuel pump on most bikes is the same on Honda Accord cars? Interesting right?! I am not an expert on motorcycles mechanics, so let me stop here. I will elaborate more on the subject in future articles.

Let me talk a little bit about hard drugs and alcohol. Do NOT take hard drugs throughout your motorcycling life. Not like I am even saying there is an acceptable time to consume hard drugs, but hard drugs and motorcycles do not go together. The reason I say so is that hard drugs affect your reaction time and judgement. Even when you are sober, your senses are never fully crisp. I know I am already sounding like an experienced “drugee”, I am not. I am just aware of the effects of hard drugs on an individual and since I am a biker, I know it is dangerous. As for alcohol, do not consume alcohol 12 hours before you get on a bike. Ensure you are 200% sober. When hanging out with other bikers, there is a temptation to get some drinks. At such points, choose between drinking and riding your bike. If you drink, do not ride till the next day. Alcohol makes us do daring stuff, and already there is nothing more daring than riding on a motorcycle right? If you are an alcoholic or drug addict, don’t buy a bike. Period!

Not so often, bikers are harassed by overzealous law enforcement officers. There is usually this daft assumption that all bikers are drug peddlers. Sometimes, bikers are flagged down at checkpoints and are searched. Usually, if they do not find anything incriminating on the biker, he/she is released. As I said, the occurrences are rare. Usually, law enforcement agencies are friendly with bikers. Slow down when approaching checkpoints, open your helmet visor and if you are pulled over, be polite. When you are rude to them, they feel the urge to delay you. Also, ensure your motorcycle is registered. Regular registration is around 10,000 naira or less I believe. Customized registrations is 35,000 naira. This ensures you have less problems with the law enforcement officers.

Joining a motorcycle club in your area is usually a rewarding experience. There are other clubs around the country. For example, 09ers MC Abuja, CCMC Abuja, HardRiders Port Harcourt, Peace Riders Jos, Glory Riders Bayelsa, Ride Easy Lagos, Wheelers and so on. These clubs, if properly organized can be very beneficial to its members. I will speak of my club, as I have been a member of only one club. The club is an avenue to ride in groups, network with riders in your area and do charity work. I have met some amazing individuals through my club. Club members can benefit from each other. I will give an example. I used to have a mechanic come down from Abuja to fix my bikes, but through my club I have met one who resides in Owerri. I recently awarded a building contract to a fellow club member. Charity work also promotes togetherness and of course, blessings from God.

There is a bad assumption by people that bike clubs are similar to those secret cults found in tertiary schools in Nigeria. Some people assume bikers to be irresponsible individuals. Took a lot of effort to convince my mother otherwise. In fact, it was until she met some other members of my club that she relaxed her stance of my biking hobby. I cannot deny there are irresponsible bikers around, but they are only a very small percentage. Most bikers in Nigeria are very responsible professionals. I have met doctors, bankers, engineers, lawyers, and other professionals who ride. I had the opportunity of meeting an Emir from Gombe State who is also a biker. A top ranking director with First Bank is in my club too. Most clubs try to screen members to ensure they do not carry members with questionable backgrounds. Bike clubs simply function to bring bikers together, have fun and give back to the society. 

Starting a club is not easy but doable. Important factors to consider when starting a club is the number of bikers in the area, laws guiding members and possibe location of a club house. It is also important to register the club’s information with all relevant law enforcement agencies in the area. A clubhouse, if setup properly can generate revenue for the club. A good example is the 09ers Club house in Abuja. If the clubhouse is open to the public, it will attract bike enthusiasts and those who simply want to hang out with bikers. You know we bikers are like celebs!

There are a number of events that attract bikers from all over the country. One is the Independence Day conventions, the BT race and Bikers Converges arranged. The Independence Day convention is arranged and hosted by a club with the venue rotated every year. In the past, there have been conventions in Uyo, Ibadan, Ekiti, Lagos, Abuja, Jos etc. The convention draws over 1000 bikers from all over the country, and is usually a three-day event. It enables bikers to meet and socialize. The BT race is a timed bike race which is organized yearly in a small town near Benin City, Edo State. The rider with the best time from one set point to another (usually 30 kilometers apart) wins. Bikers Converges are organized by different clubs and invitations are extended to all motorcycle clubs. It is similar to the Independence Day conventions. The difference is that it can be organized at any time of the year.

Am sure you must be wondering how many times I have crashed on my bike. The answer is zero. Since my history driving or riding motorized vehicles, car or bikes, I have never had a crash. I have never even experienced a crash as a passenger of any vehicle. You may wonder why. Honestly, all I can say is that God protects me. I am careful, but I know I have my reckless moments. You might not be as lucky as I have been, so do not push your luck too far. Think safety first always.

If you cannot ride but wish to learn, there are a number of training schools around the country. I know of two for now. When I get information of others, I will post them on this blog. There is the Ride Easy Training School in Lagos run by legendary biker Ogbonnaya Kanu. I call him a legend because he rode on a bike from Nigeria to South Africa and back; and then from Nigeria to Europe and back. He is not a small boy in the biking sport. He has this leather vests with patches of flags of countries he has visited. I could not count the flags. Truly inspiring! The website of the training school is www.rideeasy.org. Nobody paid me to advertise for them, so I will not go further.

Time for me to conclude. I started this article thinking it will be only three pages at most. I am on my tenth page. Back to the reason I chose Mamba as my riding name. Well, I was thinking of a name that will depict speed and fearlessness. I thought about Lion and Cheetah. But putting Lion or Cheetah on my customized plates just did not cut it. Mamba sounded cooler in my ears. The Black Mamba is the fastest snake and there is a myth that says it goes after those who mess with it. Anyway, this is the first motorcycle article I am writing. I hope you enjoyed it. Please ignore grammatical errors, as I was not even tops in my English class in school. The idea was to pour out all I know about biking straight from my head without doing any research. I hope to keep it that way in future articles when I elaborate on certain aspects of biking. Be safe always. Have a good day!