Every Aspiring Engineer Should Ride and Know About a Bicycle

Every Aspiring Engineer Should Ride and Know About a Bicycle

Ramesh Singh, a retired 74-year-old metallurgical engineer, describes himself as detail oriented and always preparing for the next mental and physical challenge. And that is why you will find him cycling or running on the Brays Bayou Trail about 5 days a week. He credits his 94-year-old mother Kamala for his love of cycling. Growing up in India, she was one of the first girls to be allowed to ride a bike to school each day. She often shares this cherished memory of freedom and adventure.

Ramesh’s back story is that he became very involved in the MS 150 rides to Austin, riding 2 times as a regular participant and another 7 times as a Ride Marshall. Then COVID hit and the organized rides stopped. One day, he decided to cycle about 50 miles to the west of Houston. He had his bike packed as he would for the MS 150. And then it came to him. Why not keeping going? He called his wife and said he would be gone for as long as he could ride, because he needed a new challenge. He originally thought he would be gone a few days but gradually decided to cycle to San Diego California by a southern route, which included riding through the Chihuahuan desert close to the Mexican border after leaving El Paso. He arrived in one piece 27 days later.

With such limited planning time, I had to ask how he could have been adequately prepared. That’s where his engineering knowledge and confidence kicked in. He prides himself on traveling light and knowing how to make any necessary bike repair. Traveling light means accepting that adequate water will be your heaviest supply, and that is necessary for long rides through mostly rural areas and long stretches in the desert. He is an expert at bike repair, noting that “Every aspiring engineer should ride and know about a bicycle; it has all essential aspects of mechanical engineering to learn about: gears, gear ratios, cam, chain as power mechanism, mechanical advantage, drive mechanism, stability, center of gravity, lubrication, resistance and breaking power, hydraulics (as in hydraulic brakes). A bicycle is, if not the greatest, one of the greatest mechanical devices invented.”

One might think this satisfied the itch for adventure, but he rode another two solo rides in quick succession, one by a northern route through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts to San Diego, and the last to Wyoming, climbing to an altitude of 12,600 feet. So, if you recognize Ramesh cycling from his Linkwood home along Brays Bayou, call out and ask him, “What’s next?” Then ask yourself the same question.