Rider profile - Yeo Boon Chun, LCSG video man

This is Boon Chun, a chirpy guy who helps out on our Sunday rides covering the video portion. Read his profile and how u got into cycling! 

Boon Chun with his silver tip

happy to be riding!

makan with kakis and chatting about bikes of course!

Boon Chun hard at work to get the cool camera angles... this time at israwi cargo bike

cycling makes people hungry..

Rider Profile- Q&A

Tell me about yourself

Ordinary guy that has the dark tan and look of a Malay. Malays that do not know me will speak to me in malays because of my look. I quite a shy person that does not really approach people much. A fat-ass weighing over 90kg standing 1.73cm tall. Thats why cannot cycle CarryMe. I had a wonderful wife married for 4 years now but we decide not to have children (at the moment)

How did you started cycling

As a child, my mother forbidded me from doing dangerous things. Cycling was perceived as dangerous to her. I didnt got to learn cycling until 9 years old on a old-school rusty chopper bike style with 3 gear shifts. It even had a back rest. Check out this link to understand what I meant. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/images/ManualSSPL/10319038.aspx

Its during my tertiary education time in polytechnic I started to cycle with my buddy from Lavender to Marina Bay (before the great esplanade and marina barrage was even built) to Orchard road and even as far as Bukit Batok to impress my first love. I was riding a Mongoose MTB. Sold and bought my first folding bike, the Dahon Eco 2 in March 2008 and started riding with My Bike Shop in monthly organized rides.

Why do you like cycling

When I started cycling, I treated it as a form of exercise. It sweats you out and its nice. Today, cycling to me means making more friends. Out of my 300 over facebook friends, half of it involve cycling. Cycling is becoming popular as a form of of recreation as well as a means of transportation. That is when I went deeper into folding bikes in 2008. I was even happier when LTA supports the idea of allowing folding bikes on MRT and buses. Thats why I love cycling, its became a part of our life.

When u met LCSG - how was it like and how u meet us

I get to know about LCSG via an ex-colleague of mine. He mentioned to me about Taiwoon and his blog. So I went to check it out. I didnt join LCSG ride immediately as I was still hanging out with MBS. As MBS got busier and busier, their organised rides gets lesser and lesser. I officially joined LCSG ride after visited LifeCycle when Simon mentioned about a service demo organised by LCSG. On 3^rd Apr 2011, I met up the group for Dempsey road Support Japan cum service demo ride. It was a large group. I didnt mingle or talk much as I am a shy person, haha. But I felt the warmth and kindness this group having. Its like a big family. This big family also like to take alot of pictures and the ever popular Taiwoon's pose

Your steel horses- names and more details.

- Dahon CurveD3 Folding Bike – Bought in 10 June 2010 in MBS. My commute bike to work

-Dahon SilverTip Mini Velo Folding Bike – Bought in 1 October 2010 in MBS. Conquered OCBC 40km, LCSG 128km twice, King Of the Hill, Pengerang rides

Cannondale Trail SL4 Hardtail MTB – Bought in 20 August 2010 in Cannasia @Vertex. Conquered Kukup, NUS Cyclohunt, Changi Coastal Road x 2 rounds

Your favorite cycling kakis

Obviously LCSG. My closer kakis in LCSG are Panda Leader, Secretary Boo and Sweeper Vince. These are the ones I usually ride with to LCSG meeting points. Panda Leader gaves me the deepest impression because he is the one I can remember very well in Woodlands Waterfront ride, shouting very loud. Then, I had not join LCSG yet, but I was attending the same event while riding with him.

Your favorite cycling route and LCSG ride

Do not have a favorite cycling route. But do not like heavy traffic route such as Orchard Road. My favourite LCSG rides will be Pengerang rides, the Cycle Hunt and the 128km rides.

Your role at LCSG

I am the Videoman! I like to video down LCSG rides with my faithful old Creative Vado HD
video footage here.

Your feelings after and during organising LCSG rides

Very organised rides. People are very self-initiated, humbe and caring. Funny as well, such as Mr Zack, Aunty Mary and Esther. That is why I still hang around this group

Tips to share with fellow riders

My tips are all in my videos...haha. Go check out my videos in youtube. (Advertise abit)

Other things to share.. Life motto etc

Complaining about how un-safe cyclists are is not enough. Every walk of life  has good and bad people. Do not judge or condemn them only when you see the bad side of things happened. Do something about it. Create awareness, act responsibly. It all starts with me and you.

Rider profile - Bernard Lim

Bernard tong panging the handy man! 

Bernard @ LCSG Lelong day

Punggol PCN Recce with LCSG riders for feedback 

Evaluating the corners and danger areas. How can we make is fun and safe for cyclists. 

You should have seen Bernard Lim on some rides, sometimes on a yellow brompton or a carryme(I heard he sold it off after he superman once). The tall and lanky dude also recently sold his car and cycle commute to work!  

A sincere and passionate guy who is doing his very best to make the PCNs as cool and fun as it can be. Pls give him a pat on the back, shake his hand for the cool work he and his team has done for PCNs.  Bernard, thank you very much for involving LCSG on the PCNs discussions and hear from the cyclists directly on their concerns and issues. Keep on rolling! We are here to help!

Rider profile

• Tell me about yourself...
 I have been involved in sports all my life but mainly rugby, golf in the last 20 years and now cycling (again) since Dec 2010 (1 year ago!). 

• How did you started cycling (again)

 Because of this new portfolio, I picked up cycling again....and they say the rest is history.....to date I have gone through more than 10 bicycles myself.......and am still searching for that NICER bike.........

• Why do you like cycling?

1. economical - buy it once and thats it...no need to pay for anything else (except if you itchy fingers and zhng and zhng

2. low barriers to entry once you buy the bike

3. you can cycle anytime anywhere and alone or if anyone

4.  I used to think networking from Golf was good....but I tell you now, networking from Cycling is much better

• When u met LCSG - how was it like and how u meet us

 I guess the first meeting was with Francis Chu - he came to my office and I was introduced to him.  Then we met at the Japan Charity ride at West Coast Park.  Subsequently we met on National Day at Punggol for the National Day Ride....

LCSG is a nice family oriented bunch of recreational cyclists - I hope LCSG stays to its core objectives, which is to keep cycling free, fun and non-exclusive and SAFE......well done!

• Your steel horses- names and more details.

 sssshhhhh  secret cos I still haven't found what I am looking for......but I do ride a Brompton to commute, and trying to ride old steelers (for show only) and to dabble in a few vintage ones (to appreciate craftmanship and heritage).  Just bought a BMX from Tiger Tang which I shall now call it TIGER!

• Your favorite cycling kakis

Has to be Albert who introduced me to the Brompton and Uncle Thomas Soh (we ride most often recently as we stay near each other) who is retired and I wish I am retired too........

• Your favorite cycling route and LCSG ride

 Anywhere in Punggol (North Eastern Loop) for the PCN

Sentosa (it is one of the best cos very few cars)

Sorry have not gone overseas to ride yet but soon

• Your role at LCSG/ Nparks 

I am a salaried worker like most people, so I try to find the fun in what I do...and managing the park connectors island-wide can be a fun and challenging job.  Most of the time the fun compensates for the *&@# that happens backend - but that's normal...

• Your feelings after and during organising LCSG rides

 Safety is always paramount.  So seeing happy faces gives you a sense of satisfaction especially when short cuts are discovered, and good food is shared.  Being safe is the priority after each ride.

• Tips to share with fellow riders

Ride Safe, ride smart, be bright (at night).  be a considerate rider.  Know your limits and follow your own instincts.  Don't fall trap to the herd mentality especially when "cheonging" traffic lights / zebra crossings...

•Life motto 

 Have fun.  Work with Passion and be a little bit of a risk taker.otherwise Life will just be a boring journey......

Bernard LIM

26th Dec 2011 LCSG Lelong day

275h Dec 2011 LCSG Lelong day , a set on Flickr.

Lelong lelong @ West coast park   Photo credits Louis Lee

As you take up cycling, chances are you that you will pick up that extra seat, lights and what ever barang barang. Before you know it.. u have collected quite alot of stuff in your home. And you will get complained by the interior minister.... This is when the concept of  Lelong Lelong day came about. Led by GV Sealion aka Roland, the group met at west coast road for a picnic cum lelong day. Boy was it fun or what. Lots of laughter, smiles and plenty of stuff and food to go around. Love the kampong atmosphere and carefree feeling. What a wonderful day with friends!  Thanks for the food, support for this event! Lelong lelong anyone?

More photo here

Rider profile - Vince Li

This is Vince Li who is currently working as a System Design engineer at WPI. I met him at the first Monster Gun ride on the 24th Oct 2010. He was riding a single speed Carrefour market bike. And he was so tired when we reached Changi Village.. I could see remember the face. Haha..  A few weeks later, he got himself a nice Polygon foldie and trained harder to keep up. Now he is a regular feature on our LCSG Sunday rides and helps out with the Sweeper duties. In addition he also lead the recent Bukit Brown ride which was very well received. Many thanks to Vince for the nice efforts! I look forward to more nice ideas and ride from you!
Please scroll down to read his interview and how he got started on riding. :)

Vince...king of accessories...what u want I can get!

Spinning along with his "Destiny one" 

Vince mentoring Eman, a new but up and coming sweeper

Vince eating and sharing the route for Bukit Brown ride. His first time as a lead rider.. and he rocked!

feeling LCSG love @ Pengarang ride.... super punchek liao... first time ride so far

LCSG Sweeper with a gentle smile... and lots of encouraging words. Well done! 

Vince as a LCSG treasure hunt station... making it interesting for the riders... 

Vince and his carrefour bike.. Zack is behind

What got me into cycling and LCSG

Before joining LCSG, I was just the average singaporean who cycles in ECP once in a while, and later, just around the neighborhood on my cheap mtb. I do not remember the very first time I learnt cycling and who taught me, it was too long ago beyond what I can remember. Then something happened to my life and I was at one of the lowest point of life, I decided to take up a new hobby to take my mind off things, and I found LCSG amidst one of the many posts in the nostalgia blog yesterday.sg.
Why I like cycling 
The first ride with LCSG was my very first experience on road, and in long distance too. Before that, I could barely make it back home even from a nearby market. The veterans in LCSG have taught me much, and from then I found joy in cycling and it keeps my mind off things, a very effective de-stressing tool for me. Being in LCSG is also part of the fun, of course!
My steel horses and their names  

My very first "real" bike: Polygon Urbano 5.0 with kinetix comp wheelset + Schwalbe Marathon supreme, SRAM X-7 9sp and Deore brakeset. "DestinyOne"

My flatbar roadie: white Polygon Helios F500 "Unicorn"

My role in LCSG   

Whatever boss or Panda leader assigns.. but I'm usually the sweeper.

Tips to share with fellow riders

I always like to say: "Taking a longer but safer route home is better than not making it home at all" Safety always comes first!

Time to change negative attitude towards cycling - By Gordon Reid

Taken from Todayonline.... I am glad we are not alone in our thoughts.! Thank you Mr Reid for speaking up for cyclists in Singapore!
"Given the recent problems with Singapore's public transport, I would like to draw attention to the negative attitude here towards cycling.

For such a developed and green-friendly place, there are practically no safe bicycle parking areas, besides a few parks and Mass Rapid Transit stations.

If, for instance, I want to commute by bicycle to the shops or to work, there is nowhere to safely lock my bike. This includes any form of bike racks.

And for a place with little crime, there seems to be a disproportionate level of bike theft. Obviously, there is a crime racket stealing bicycles, even ones with expensive locks.

While sticker IDs are now available, what is to stop a thief from removing it? How would the police track the stolen bike?

Singaporeans are constantly complaining about crowding on public transport and the peak-hour traffic jams. I am surprised then that encouraging commuters to cycle is not a national focus.

Instead, there are blogs shaming cyclists because they lock their bicycles to signposts or fences. Due to the lack of facilities, just where can cyclists lock their bikes?

Public housing estates have inadequate and unsafe areas for securing bikes. Residents are not allowed to lock them in common areas on their floors, but if you use the old-style bicycle racks in an unprotected void deck, there is no guarantee of the bike's safety.

To expand Singapore's wonderful public infrastructure, I suggests that government officials visit places such as Tokyo, Melbourne and Copenhagen to see how bicycles are used to commute to work, school and the shops.

Please Singapore, bicycles are not just for the poor."  Gordon Reid

http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC111219-0000044/Time-to-change-negative-attitude-towards-cycling

Rider Profile - Zack Tay and read what he learns from cycling!

From the rear

Zack on the cover of SPIN!!! 

This is Zack Tay, resident Lovecycling golden poster hunk in our very nicely designed(by Joeel lee) LCSG jersey. Dun let the smiling face and slender legs fool you. Under the hood is V8 engine with twin turbo... those who tried to "chiong" with him will know. Most of all, Zack is a kind soul who can really ride. 
He has already done a charity ride event in Malaysia called Bike and Blade. It is a 320km rolling hills to raise funds for St Luke hospital. Now together with Steven Lim, Tan Geeli, they will embark on another event - called Klicks for Grace  to help raise fund for Yong - En Care centre.  On 7th Jan, in 24 hours, they will cycle continuously to complete 400km or 3 loops around Singapore. And if this is not enough... it is on foldies ok!!!...  Now this will definitely test their willpower and stretch their capacity to the max. From Zack, he said to me.. no problem.. this is all for the old, poor and needy.. I will do it. Just like that! Wow! So if you like what they do and want to help... pls visit this site and learn more.  more on his story below..........

Zack trying out advanced cycling moves @ Ubin Ketam Trail

Always the gentleman, Zack tongpang Cleste after the dog bite incident

With his beloved Klein Mantra comp...MTB Classic! 

surfer dude mode

Congrats... you made it! And here is his story on how he go into cycling - direct from the horses mouth. 
"I started cycling since young from BMX stun bike to offroad MTB.

Stopped at age of 19 due to entering of army and after that started off with my working life and got a car as transport on Feb 2007.

In 2009, Steven Lim organised cycling as a friend's outing. From then, I got back into cycling and started to join a few cycling groups and finally ended enjoying riding with LCSG in 2010. From there, I hear cases like Francis Chu, who sold away car and uses two wheels as mean of transport, I told myself that I should be able to do that as well. My home to workplace is only 12km away. I can cycle to work to exercise and stay healthy, yet save money and its Eco-friendly. Therefore after months of hard decisions, finally sold my car in on Nov 20" 
Zack Tay
Interview with Zack the hunk... :) 
When u met LCSG - how was it like and how u meet us
i join LCSG when i saw the thread posted by u (Taiwoon) on SMBF and decide to join and see what this group is about since there are so many groups with different objectives
when i first join.. the group was small but cozy.. everyone was friendly even when we are strangers.. and i getta been to places that my bicycle has never been and my eyes have never seen

Your steel horses- names and more details.
my current bikes left are;
2004 Klein Attitude XV (TIG-welded ZR9000 aluminum)
2011 Dahon Speed P8 (4130 chromoly steel)

Your favorite cycling kakis
LCSG of cos..

Your role at LCSG
whatever the boss assign.. but no lead pls..
Your feelings after and during organising LCSG rides
always enjoying chatting with the kakis and dun feel like going home.. haha

Tips to share with fellow riders

keep pedaling.. bicycle can bring u to places where other transports cant..
Additional words. Charity!!!

I always wanted to help doing my part for the poor and needy but my financial aint strong i have not been able to help much.. got back into cycling for 2 yrs and started to get stronger after been training for a while with some of the LCSG riders.. so decided to use my only strength - cycling.. (see I told u he is very humble and nice one) to help in doing my best for the poor and needy just like what Teresa Hsu.. using 1 smile to exchange for more smiles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VAv9_IefGxM

hunk even when he eats!