WTF? 128km!!! R u crazy? Why??

"Harrrr, huuuhhh? That's the reaction I get from most people. And then when I say there are also about 70 "normal" riders joining me.. their face will be like ..."harrrr?  Next, I shared that many will be doing on "joker" - foldies...their mouths would be wide open. Crazy? Perhaps abit... but I feel that there is a pent up desire from everyone to move out of their comfort zone, push themselves just  a little bit. And I am not talking about scaling mount everest.  Just a ride around our tiny little dot called Singapore.

The route of slow and steady ride de singapore

Boleh? I think can... , I think we all can!  See the route detail and grouping , got time come by and cheer the folks on. This sunday, no event tee shirt, no medals, no ra ra girls. Just a bunch of friends doing a long ride!

More on Tern straight from 16incheswestofpeoria.wordpress.com

Photo credits : Tern Cycles

 Excerpt on the article
"How do you appeal to people interested in bicycles but unaware of folders?
To grow the demand for folding bicycles, we have to make good bicycles. In other words, if a folding bike looks a bit weird, doesn’t ride well, and flexes in all the wrong places, we will have a hard time getting customers no matter how well it folds. So we need to work on the design of our bikes, to make them aesthetically pleasing, and sexy even; we need to make sure that our bikes ride really well when compared to a non-folding bike. Our bikes need to be fast, efficient, and stiff. When we can do all of these things, and keep costs reasonable, we think that there’s a big part of the cycling market that will appreciate the convenience of a highly portable bicycle. We also think that there’s a lot more innovation to be had in making bicycles more suited to urban transport. Innovations in lighting, power, luggage carrying—there’s lots to be done here, and we’ve got some pretty cool new technology in these areas as well. We’re not just designing a folding frame and slapping on standard bike components. We’re also innovating on the component side."

More here... yes! I like the vibes..can't wait to see the new bikes and innovation. Go go Tern! This are exciting times! 
https://16incheswestofpeoria.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/after-the-launch-josh-hon-of-tern-bicycles-talks-business-folding-bikes-and-the-genius-of-in-n-out-burger/

Dell Experience Design group(EDG) goes to Ubin

EDG does the TW pose

Some of the folks would know I work at Dell Experience Design group. Recently I was tasked to organize a team building/chill out session. So what would be better then riding a bicycle? I chose Ubin as it was quite a different experience from the usual urban, comfortable setting and out of our comfort zone. KC kindly agreed to help me bring the folks around and see the interesting parts of the island... thanks KC!!! Looking at the faces of my colleagues - hot, sweaty but smiling.. I think I might be having more riding kakis in my office soon. See? riding makes people come together!  Here are some photos of the action!

Puffy is out patrolling

Leong and Greg rolling along

Darren obviously having fun with MTB

This is how french rides the bikes... hard! 

Darren lin surprised at the natural beauty of Ubin

Lun and Darren doing some army training moves

mired in the bush...

Safety Clinic by Steven Lim 26th June 2011

Lovecycling @ Safety clinic

This sunday ride was a different experience. We did a road safety clinic for lovecyclesg crew, kindly supported by Steven Lim of Singapore Safe Cycling task force. Although some might find it abit boring, I think the talk proved to be educational and informative. More of the clinic here and here are some photos of the clinic, featuring the tireless Steven in action. We also did a ride after the clinic to CV for nasi lemak and rode back home. More photos here

Steven sharing how to be safe on the road

Bay and family.. and u can see Bay in a trance.... lol

Adriane thinking "sure or not... ok .. if u say so"

Steven "it about positioning... " showing the crew on the road safety park

Boon Yeo and his Strido

Mr Teo and his Puglesy

Boo and Kimi sharing a nice ride together

David and Wendy

Boo with her old, but nice single speed

KC and Boo racing each other ....

Riding to school

Riding to school, a photo by taiwoon on Flickr.

Saw this on my way to bring momo to childcare. Dad bringing daughter to school on a bicycle. What a nice way to start a day!

Brompton M touchpoints improvements

This is for a friend(Adriane lee) who has a Brompton M....but I thought I share it with you too. Going for a long long ride means that ur palms, bum will be tired. I consulted Russ of Pathlesspedaled and followed his setup. I changed out the following....

Ergon GC2 on my brommie

white markings to help u gauge the angle that best fits u

1) Handle bar grip - Change to Ergon GC2 grips. The design of the grips is ergo styled which has a wider plattform to rest the palms. Also comes with bar ends to have alternative gripping position. This is good for hill climbs. To fit Brompton M, u got to loosen the shifters and brake levers and move inward the bar. Once u do that, u can fold with no problem. To be even more comfortable, I wear gloves all the time when I ride...cuz u never know when u fall.

Shimano R770 levers

Done!

2)Shimano R770  Flat bar brake levers - It has a return spring buildin with a sculpted shaped levers, which makes braking easier. Cheap and easy mod. Get it at Rodalink.
3) Brooks seat -  For my butt, I swear by brooks.. choose B17 for general purpose.
PLS NOTE, IT TAKES TIME FOR THE SEAT TO FORM TO UR BUM. So don't fit a new brooks seat for the long journey... ur ass will break.. confirm and chop!
For my brompton, I choose the Flyer model with spring... it cuts away the road vibration...


4) Marathon tyres - I don't like changing tyres.. esp on a hot dust road. So I fit my brompton with Swalbe Marathon tyres. Abit draggy but good on broken road and is more puncture proof. I rather be slow and steady. and not need to change tyres :)

Rini and Blacksie

Rini enjoying the sun, the sand and the head wind... 

just spinning along 

Rini doing the pose...while Vince looks over

Rini with lovecyclingsg at Old queensway cinema

Mary and Rini at the City ride 30th Jan 2011

This is Rini, good friend of Mary. She have been thru alot over the years and she is one iron lady! Usually seen on sunday rides with her Dahon Blackie, she would plug her earphones and spin along. I remember on a long ride to Desaru, I was trailing at the rear and rode alongside her... and she complain abit... "so long arhh, want to fall asleep..actually I can sleep while riding(that's when I nearly felt off my bike).. but she never gave up and completed the journey She also have a remarkable sense of balance and I think the only one who can do the "pose" while riding (see photo).  Thru the forum, I understand she would be leaving Singapore and I think the group would miss her lots.  Keep on riding and keep on smiling my friend!  

Spa my brompton

Spa my brompton 

  I use my bikes frequently and like them to be working like clockwork. To do that, I service them regularly too.  This time is my brompton. Degrease the chain, sprocket, rims and wash whole bike with car shampoo. Dry and grease up all the joints and internals frame walls. The bike body is steel and I applied a thin coat of grease internally to keep rust at bay.  Replaced the stock tires with Marathons and also changed out the brake levers to Shimano which feels better. The Marathons were a tight fit, too a while to shove them ... like super tight jeans. Lucky I  have tire levers or it would be impossible.  The bike feels smooth and nice after the spa treatment...  ahhh...shiok... time to ride!

Ride and enjoy the sights by Pathlesspedaled

I like to ride, but I don't like to kill myself riding super long distances and be so tired that I can't chat with people on the ride and places...  Call me soft, wussy... whatever... I think riding should be fun and be what ever u want to be ... and floats your boat.  My "boat" happens to be the relaxed version...:)  Bicycle touring doesn't need to be "ass" breaking...  See how Russ and Laura of pathlesspedaled.com combines regional bus travel with bromptons to explore the sights from Portland to Tillamook.  Oh... I can even taste the bubblegum icecream!  Check out the wonderful intro and video by Russ and Laura...:)
Do visit their website @  http://pathlesspedaled.com/ and support them in what ever means possible! I think what they are doing is super cool!

Tern, what's ur story?

Yesterday I had a lively FB chat with my good bike crazy pals, Matt, Steve, Bro Al and many others. The topic of the day was Tern.  More information here

In a nutshell it is a new bicycle company led by Joshua hon with a group of ex-Dahon staff.  I had a look at the press release and also the video teaser.  Well, it was sure was slick, stylishly executed... but something felt missing. It felt too posed and fake.  come on, cycling in the middle of the express way, with no cars...ok maybe 1 car... right... try telling this to urban city riders.  Warning...   Ok, if u are Dahon Zealots that love Dahon to death... maybe I would suggest that it is time to click away.  To clarify, I have always admired Dahon as it has set levels of standard that many folding bikes are matched to..  I tried my friend's Dahon P8 and it rides well and last well. This is the problem. It has too much legacy...Tern claims that their bikes would last better...
I quote from the report  "Tern designers have spent a lot of time examining the durability of the bicycles in their folded position, too. A patented floating linkage removes any additional stress on the steel rod in the hinge clasp, and the rounded edges of the hinges removes sharp edges which can tear carry bags or injure others on public transport. The safety catch itself is made from engineering plastic..."  Hmm...So does it means Dahon models are not sturdy enough and not designed well?  For the record, I haven't had a chance to really see the bikes up close and personal so this is just my direct honest opinion looking at the press release kit and video. From this perspective, I find there is just so much in common to Dahon. It just looks like a glam up Dahon with really nice paint and graphics.  Come on, customers are not stupid...
So what does the brand stand for? In this increasingly congested , competitive folding bike market...the brand message needs to be crystal clear. I am also very surprised that brands are not moving beyond the hardware to the "heartware"... What's the story? What will touch the customer in a "primal" and emotional way? 




And to cap it off, here is another perspective from a rider based in Taiwan.... Comments? Opinions? Fire away!

wise words from Ben Mok

Found myself thinking of Ben Mok who was tragically run down on 21st March 2010. More on the case here and he was the reason why I attended the ROS 2010.  I didn't get to meet Ben personally but I visited his blog many times to read about riding routes, his epic journeys, complaints, rabblings on life and stuff.... 

From Ben Mok of pedaldamit.blogspot.com    -- Photo credits Ben Mok

One of the phase he wrote... stuck to me like a stubborn chewing gum on a shoe... " Cycling is like a church — many attend, but few understand "  Chimmm leh..... but really thought provoking...   Why do we ride and keep riding? Is it the bike? The friends? The scenery? The food? The solitude or the aching muscle pain after a long ride? What moves ur mojo?  
Lastly, pls do take a moment to remember Ben mok, avid cyclist, blogger and writer. 

Super Sporting VVIP Mr Teo@ Sembawang Hotspring

Mr Teo showing the pose!

lovecycling crew @ Sembawang hotspring

We met Mr Teo at the hotspring on the Sunday ride. While chatting with him, he shared that he comes to the hotspring daily from Woodlands. Takes a bus and does his onsen thing... He is fit as a fiddle and has a cheery smile. He was very glad the folks come to visit the hot spring... and amazed we came on bicycles. Pls say hello if u see him there!
Oh btw, that's Mr Teo doing the TW/Lovecycle pose... cool guy rite? More hi res photos of the ride here. 

3 weeks to the 128km iron butt ride.....

Ready, steady 128km ride de Singapore    Design/photo credits Joeel Lee

http://lovecyclingsg.niceboard.com/t256-slow-and-steady-ride-de-singapore-3rd-july-2011-sunday
Folks, 3 weeks to the slow and steady ride de Singapore....All the gear won't help if u don't put in the miles in training... or unless u have a really iron butt... :) 
Here are some items for ur considerations (thanks Adriane for compiling this) 
1 ) Chapping Cream. (Please add in other recommended brands, Andrew I forgot the brand you recommended, please help add it here)
http://smallwheelsbigsmile.blogspot.com/2011/06/century-riding-cream.html
2 ) Water bottle +one extra (Although we might be serviced by our "support" team of petrol kiosks, it is best to be self sufficent especially when we get to the northern part of the ride)
3 ) Isotonic drinks or even better powder so you can mix your own on the spot
4 ) Energy bars such as those sold in sports shops or museli bars etc, you can also consider energy gels. Bear in mind we will not be stopping for meals as in sit down and makan. With the amount of cycling we are doing, we NEED to replenish our energy supplies that we are losing rapidly. 
5 ) You can also bring things like nuts or dried fruits, dont bring chocolate, it makes you thirsty and will melt in your bag making it one messy cleanup. 
6 ) Sun glasses or a cap to shade your eyes
7 ) Sunblock for the sun
8 ) arm covers to prevent sun burn on your extended arms 
9 )Helmet and gloves
10 ) Lights
11 ) Handphone that is fully charged and equipped with numbers of ride leaders.
12 ) Money to take cab etc if needed.
13 ) Poncho if you want for rain. 
14 ) Spare tube, patch kit and pump. 
15) Plasters for blisters, deep heat cream or spray and small first aid kit (Added by Lugerider)

Just learned to ride...

Listen to a young boy feedback after he just learned to ride... no BS, just pure joy! Do you remember the first time u managed to balance and ride a bike?  How was it? Who was the one who helped you?

Make ur own recumbent or bike. KC, this is for u!

 Found this while surfing around the web and made me think abit about our modern lifestyle. I mean how often when we think of our next bike, it would be straight to the bikeshop and purchase it. Of course, after all the googling of information on the world wide web, blogs and forums. We speak like we know it all, spouting angles, materials, methods like TIG welding, brazing, latest techno gizmos and what have u not. But most of us, including myself are just "www couch potatoes".  We never really got our hands dirty or did any real welding.. mods...(ok, I service my bikes abit and mod little.. but nothing like what this guy did!) This guy was amazing! He did the total opposite....  went to the junk yard, cobbled all this at home, in the kitchen space. Using basic tools like a hacksaw and a propane torch.  Really salute his ingenuity and passion.  Check it out!
 

Brazing work by Alexwetmore      Photo credits http://alexwetmore.org

Here is another cool dude by the name of Alexwetmore who mods/ make/braze his frame, racks and even  a canoe... Impressive!

Riding around office area...nice time out

Pandan reservoir, nearest MRT Jurong East 

Just a short zip around the lake enjoying the evening breeze...  nice and quiet.

Day 1 review of Vis360 as per feedback by Darren

Darren coming into work!!!

Looking from the front

Mounted side view

Lighted in full glory!!

Rear view

Top view

This is Darren. He rode from his home from Bukit Panjang to Jurong International Business park, which took him about 30min...relaxing ride I was told. Lucky fella! To make himself more seen by motorists, and other vehicles.  He has mounted a Light and motion Vs 360 on his helmet. This is the first day he used it in daylight conditions and he feedback that motorists also noticed him more(confirmed and chop).... for example turning at zebra crossing. He would look at the on coming driver and due to the helmet light position and powerful beam, the driver would definitely see him...

Direct comments from Darren...  

1. "Weight-wise - intially it felt abit heavier, esp on the rear due to the battery position. However, 10 mins of riding, totally forgot about it on the helment. ...Which is a good thing.
2. Front light mounting - it was a breeze as my helmet(Giro Atmos) fits perfectly onto the mounting strap. 
3. Rear light mounting however, too a longer time. But once it is set, it is pretty stable. 

New present...

See, guys can do this too!

These gorgeous helment mounted lights from light ( model:Vis 360 )
came in recently from the mail... woooohh... we are so excited.. personal review on this soon!
And in case u cannot wait.. here is a review by Jason Elliot of outdoorinformer.com

Ewalker, Ubi ride and meeting Mr George Lin!

Lovecyclesg crew @ E Walker shop

12th June 2011. Sunday. 38 riders came to experience first hand Birdy, Reach, IF, Carryme and many more models from Pacific. The idea is to ride the bike in a route so that riders can fully appreciate the performance. All this was made possible by the generosity of Ewalker and Francis( Jz88.com).  The air was full of excitement as the folks fitted the demo bikes and test rode abit around the carpark.

Steve trying the Sliver Birdy.. He tells me he loves it!!!

Boo understanding how CM folds down from Fude(Ewalker)

Audrey with the color matched Frog...

Me and my Carryme!

The route took us around Ubi >>Sims Ave >>Old airport road>> Dakota crescent>Mountbatten road>> ECP>>Kembangan>> Still road and back to Ubi. As usual we had a breakfast break at the famous old Air port road market. My observation when I looked around, the smiles and laughter.. the ominous "oh dear.. I really like it look...""  This is indeed an effective way of letting the cycling folks know your brand of bikes. Bicycles really need to be ridden to experience the performance!

Rolling herd of bicycles @ Ubi

Wilson with the IF bike

Lovecyclingsg pose... look at the guy in black, Centre.. that's how its done :)

Dakota Crescent, one of the oldest HDB in SG

Breakfast after some cycling is always nice...Andrew is upset as his food is not here yet...

Mr George Lin, President of Pacific and Carry me Designer, signing my Ferrari red CM... :)

What an honor! Mr George Lin's Signature = Micheal Jordan of bicycles !!! WOOOOHHH!       Photo credit: KC

Dun mess with me..

Nice buffet spread... thanks E-Walker!

Sharing some brotherly love

Mr Lin sharing with lovecyclingsg folks on the Pacific story

See the passion!!

On reaching Ewalker shop, there was nice buffet spread(thank you E walker!!) We also had the pleasure of meeting Mr George Lin and Karen of Pacific bikes. It was a real honor meeting the legend himself. Later on, as he gave a speech he shared on the Pacific motto, which is to innovate and not to copy others.  I was very impressed by the passion which he spoke of the brand and products. The man has been designing/manufacturing bikes for over 40 years and he still has fire in the belly so to speak, very impressive! One snippet of Carryme related by Mr Lin was that CM was actually designed for a hospital. They wanted a device/cycle which can keep up with erthe wheel chair bound person. Contrary to conventional impressions, some wheelchair folks are vy sporty. They used to ride sport bikes, run or cycle. There are some really good guys who can power their wheel chairs to speeds up to 40km?hr!  This mean that the caregiver would have to very fit too or he will have trouble keeping up. With this problem in mind, the hospital approached Pacific to design a bike that can ride slowly, doesnt take up alot of space and also ride fast(keep up with the wheelcar racer).  This was named the Pocket and following that Pacific continued to launch this as Carryme. The CM has lots of following around the world.. including Singapore. Mr Lin also shared that he loves the Carryme alot and have traveled all over the world with it. Altogether 18 Countries! Wow.... World traveller.    

Derek so happy to get the first prize..

The finale was a lucky draw kindly sponsored by E-Walker and our dear Derek Leong got the first prize while the 4 lucky guys(Badrul, David, Adriane and Peter) got 2 sets of Foss inner tubes each. Thanks again for Ewalker, Pacific bikes, JZ88 for T-loan of bikes, the buffet and nice lucky draw prizes! Looking at the faces of the riders, I think all enjoyed themselves and would be returning for a closer look at the bikes for sure!
More photos here for ur personal download.
Pls also check out here for another blog account..