Allowing Bicycles to be on footpaths but with speed limits

A long awaited recommendation by the Active mobility advisory panel was announced yesterday.  Details of the report here. 

http://www.lta.gov.sg/data/apps/news/press/2016/20160317_AMAPPanelReport(final).pdf

The tireless Francis sharing his views and rationale

More cyclists hurt in traffic accidents in 2015

Its 17 cyclists deaths in 2015 and I sincerely hope more can, will be done for making the environment safe for all.  

Rider Profile Stanley Lim

Me and my crew!

1)  Tell me about your day job and age Hi! I am Stanley! I am 38 years old this year. I am current a Communication cluster chief on board a frigate in Republic of Singapore Navy.

Cycling makes me happy and relaxed

2) What you feel about cycling? Cycling is one activity which makes me feel happy and relaxed after a day of hectic schedule and work. Personally, I will classified cycling into 2 category. First is leisure and social. I always look forward to Sunday LCSG where I can meet new friends and explore Singapore in a whole new manner. 2nd is fitness. I am a person who dislike physical activities. From the day I picked up this hobby, it has improved my health and fitness level. Not only did I managed to clear all my FFI and IPPT in a single attempt, I felt happier. (Maybe it is because of the adrenaline released)

3)  What was the first memory of u cycling? I was first exposed to cycling at the age of 6. On my birthday, my dad bought me a BMX (red). I was left in the basketball court to pick up the skill of cycling on my own. Within a day I managed to cycle around my neighbourhood. Knowing it's effective, I applied the same technique on my kids while I relaxed in a corner and surfed the net. True enough, the kids picked up cycling within 2 hours.

During my primary school days, my friend Weiqi and I will save our pocket money to rent a bike at Bishan park. Cost about $4 for 3 hours at that point of time. We will cycle as far as the bicycle can take us.

On 17 Apr 2012, I saw a newspaper article on a promotion for AEON foldable bike at $390. Managed to convinced my wife to take up this sport together and we went to "My Bike Shop" in the west to check it out. I got her a last piece of green AEON but didn't manage to get one for my own. As most of the economic bike were all out of stock, I got myself a Dahon D7. (In my personal opinion bike exceeding $200 are on the high end side compare to those in giant and Carrefour). The bike was upgraded (for efficiency) over time and is current passed on to my boy.

4)When you met LCSG – How was it like and how you meet us? - After I gotten my bike, I actively searched on Facebook for a group to join. I first came across PNR (just about 2months old) on Facebook. I decided to give it a try as its near my place. It was a joke that day. Saw one rider(Hardy) with a foldie at the traffic light and went forward to ask him. "Are you going for a group ride?" He answered" yes I am. You are a new rider? Come join me." I followed him to Popeye and gosh! There were so many groups gathering at Popeye. Without asking much as I am unsure, we rode with a group all the way to Jalan Kayu. I had a hard time playing catch up as they were travelling at at a speed of 20kmph. After sitting down chatting, I realised I joined the wrong group. Chelsea and Alan welcome me to their ride and join the group LCSG. At the moment of time i was like.... what the hell am I doing? They recommended me to LCSG page and that’s how I was exposed to this group. The first event I went with my friend Pyron was LCSG 2nd year Round island. All groups were formed however i went ahead to try, not knowing what i am up for and this word gate crash. Despite gate crashing, Taiwoon welcomed both of us with open arms. He advised us to join group 4 at speed 20kmph. That's one of the worst nightmare and toughest activity of my life. Despite the distance and heat, we managed to complete the round island (105km) with encouragement from the team mates. Andy did the most job. Poor Andy. That was the time, I started to join weekly LCSG ride and made lots of friends there. 

Doing the Epic ride

As time goes by, my passion for cycling grew. On 10 Oct 2013, I got myself a road bike (Lynskey R340) after multiple poison arrows from my kakis Pei Sze and gang. I started to do longer distance ride and events. The 2 major event I took part since then are EPIC 2014 and 2016. In this event we are required to ride 1000km (4 days) to raise funds for the kidney dialysis patient. Although it's tough, but for charity, why not. With this trusty titanium bike, we also start to ride further overseas and conquer mountains organised by our group (EGBC- Encik George bike club) led by Encik George Lim

With my friends cycling up Wulin!

After 2 years to road bike, I realised cycling is not about speed and distance. I decided to fall back to the root on where I first began. As I have passed on my Dahon to my son, I went to MIGHTY VELO to get myself a Brompton. The passion of cycling flows in again. Whenever I am sick and tired of the profile of a roadie, I will fall back on my Brompton taking life slow.

After 2 years of road biking, I decided to contribute back to LCSG. (This group made me love cycling). I requested from Taiwoon to host LCSG Friday weekly Round island for those interested to ride long distance. The focus will be for those who just took up road biking. It's a tiring task and I hope I can hold on and help as far as I can go till someone step up.

5. Your steel horses – names and more details The bikes I still have with me till date

BLUE STREAK- Dahon D7 born in 17 Apr 2012. Bike have been passed on to son.

FALCON1 – Lynskey R340 Titanium road bike born in 10 Oct 2013

DORAEMON– Brompton 6 speed born in 01 Apr 2014. - I always call my bike by name as I feel more closely knitted with them. Before I buy the bike the project name come first. The bike I choose have to be close to the project name I chose.

6. My favourite cycling kakis - Simply cycling friends, Mike, Peggy, Edwin are my usual kakis and of cos many of the LCSG regulars whom I had a chance to ride, chit chat and la kopi with.

My kakis  Clay, Edwin, Peggy and Mike

7. What I’ve learnt since Day 1 joining LCSG - LCSG is like a family to me. I gain lots of knowledge on bike skills, maintenance and history of Singapore better. I also learn to take care, lead and coach new cyclist to love cycling.

8) Where is your favorite stretch to ride? My favourite stretch to ride are Punngol park, MBS, Boat Quay and Orchard area regardless day or night.

9) Do u cycle-commute to work? If so can you share the route I only tried cycling to work twice. The route which I took is as follows: Punggol - Pasir Ris farmway- pasir Ris drive 3- loyang Ave - changi coastal road- tanah merah coast road - changi naval Base.

10) Would you want to cycle to work? Yes i would. The reason I hesitated to bike to work is because there are too many heavy vehicle on the one lane traffic at Tanah Merah coast road. Maybe will try again in the near future as I see that Npark have pathed a stretch of PCN all the way to Changi yatch club.

11) Do you cycle with your family and loved ones. Where do you ride? Yes. My kids always look out for new and fun rides in LCSG. When my boy and girl reach the age of 6, I brought them to a mini round island (80km). During the days where they have no tuition, I will bring them to ride with LCSG. The most recent ride with LCSG is riding to Vivo City from Punggol and then to Sentosa. They love it. Too bad my spouse do not like riding.

12) Any advice for folks just starting out?For those who just take up cycling, try to find a group of friends who share the same interest. This group of friends can jio you for makan or leisure rides. They are also motivators in your cycling journey. It's easier to hold this passion of yours with a group of friends sharing the same interest. Poison and cycling tips will flow in thereafter.

Diabetes and High Blood Pressure and Cycling - Jon Wong

Diabetes and High Blood Pressure and Cycling
From Jon Wong 
In 2007 I was diagnosed to have high blood pressure at 150/90. In 2008 I was diagnosed by doctor I had symptoms of Diabetes type II. I was put on medication and controlled diet. Things did not get better due to work stress. I was sleepy at work and could not follow schedules at times. 
In 2010 I started taking up cycling seriously again, and cycled long distances and also MTB. My body weight reduced from 95kg down to 78kg linearly in a year, but still far from the 55kg donkey years ago (my target is 70kg). My BP maintained at 120/80 without medication, not bad for someone in late 40s. And my diabetes II reduced to marginal at 7.9 morning (ideally is below 7). Kidney functions remain ok.
Many Singaporeans suffer from HBP, and they are on generic 'affordable' medication. The truth is such medication, though cheap, could be a major cause of Kidney failures (these medications are poisons). That explains why Singapore has one of the highest Kidney failure rate in the world by statistics. If on HBP medication, have to go for the most expensive (lease side effects) and periodic renal function checks. 
Cycling has certainly reduced my BP to normal levels, and a big help on diabetes control. I know many of you are young and healthy, so continue to cycle to maintain your good health.

Sweep bar bars for general riding

I am just a regular bloke and enjoy just riding along.  As I ride more, I realised my bikes beginning to look very similar.  Old retro looking, muted colors and all steel.  See my bikes cockpit....




One area in particular that will increase riding comfort level is the handle bar. For me, I cannot ride a straight bar and it will strain my wrist. The bars that fit my kind of riding is upright and swept back. Its very "uncle" and old skool. But it works.  Here's a list of what the swept back bars out there. Do consider the width, swept back angle and also implication to the stretch(stem length).
http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/swept-handlebar-sweep-angle-list-thread-848299.html

Rider Profile Dennis Ng

"Hi Tai Woon,

As promised, I will share my journey into regular cycling with you and hopefully it will inspire more people to take up cycling as a way of commuting as well as staying fit and healthy. I will be 65 in a few months. I have learnt to cycle since 5 years old. 

Rocking it with a cool sunshade!

My first “long” ride was from Braddell road to JB with a friend in 1965. Without my parents’ knowledge of course. During those days, there were not much cars on the road. However, did not cycle much thereafter.

Before cycling, my regular exercise was running. As age catches up, my leg muscles also got weaker and my running distance was getting shorter and slower. So I decided to give cycling a shot as it is a low impact activity. 

Through cycling, I discovered that I was seeing a lot more places that I would not have visited. My regular cycling started in 2014 when my elder brother, Steven Ng, added me to LCSG. 

Thats how I looked in 2014. With my belly abit round. :) 

My first ride with LCSG was to Sembawang Park on 19 May 2014. During those rides with LCSG, I met Jimmy Kam. After the LCSG ride from Punggol to Marina Bay East to watch our 2014 NDP fireworks, he introduced me to a group of seniors that ride regularly. He also brought me to many places and PCNs that I have never been before and that’s what made me wants to explore and discover more interesting places.

My ride kakis 

Most of the regular riders in the group are retirees in their 60s and 70s except a couple of them in their late 40s. Usually about 6 to 8 riders in each ride. Our rides are usually quite relaxed. Old engine cannot be stressed too much lah. However will “qiong” when we are at a long straight stretch like the Changi Coast Road PCN.

Always hunting for C&G (cheap and good) food. (i.e. $2.00 for mixed veg rice with 2 vegs and 1 meat). It’s like winning a trophy each time we find a cheap meal. It’s a simple joy.

This group of old folks prefer to ride on PCN and pavement. We will only ride on the road when there is not much traffic. We are mindful that our reaction and eyesight is not at its best.

Our favourite RI route is from Halus to Punggol Waterway, Yishun, Admiralty, Woodlands Road, Sungei Kadut, Pang Sua PCN, B. Batok, Ulu Pandan PCN, Alexander PCN, Promenade, MBS, ECP, CV and home sweet home. I think our favourite part is along Ulu Pandan PCN until Ghim Moh. Total distance of this RI route is about 100 km. Sometimes we do it clock wise. When we reach Admiralty West, everyone will complain about those slopes as it was at the tail end of our ride when everyone was tired. Other than our long ride occasionally, we are usually quite relaxed. Stop whenever we need to, continue chatting when the subject is interesting. I guess that’s what makes the group clicked.

Riding three times a weeks and each ride covering above 50km, we ran out of idea quickly. So re-visiting places is quite normal. We will ride the same route with a little tweak like going through HDB estate and a little detour here and there and surprisingly not many riders can remember the route. And this is also part of the fun.

We also like places like those black and white bungalows near Sembawang Park, Canada Road and also Wessex Estate. Our most visited place, I think, it’s the Bay area. We never got tired of it. Its so beautiful and Singaporean should be proud of it. In short, we go everywhere in Singapore.

My furthest venture with the group was to Paken Nanas in JB.

Cycling keeps mine mind focus and alert. Always looking out for obstacles, uneven roads, pedestrians, motor vehicles etc. As we do not plan our route, we change our route according to the calling of our stomach and time constrain and usually there is no objection from the group.

It is a joy to ride with those buddies. We joke, we laugh and make fun of each other without any hard feeling. A group of very nice uncles.

I am not a strong rider but very happy with the achievement within 2 years. Important thing is to stay mobile and healthy for as long as possible so that I don’t have to burden my children. Please feel free to ask if you need any more input." 
Dennis Ng 

Taiwoon: That's so inspiring Dennis! I love the fact you found a group of kakis whom u can meet up regularly, cycle and find the "C and G". Keep on rolling and thank you so much for sharing your story!

Rider profile Matthew Koh and Max

Matthew and Max are inseparable. It's really nice to see such a wonderful friendship between them. Matthew will always bring Max out with his specially modified rack mounted on his fat bike. 

Matthew and Max 

This is Max 

Concept by Matt

Today, Mathew totally outdid himself. He designed and made using off the shelf parts this!!! Its looks great and amazing! Who said DIY culture is dead in SG should see this!

Check this out!!

Rider profile - Uncle Lim and his cycling story

This is Uncle Lim, 76 years old. His nickname is called uncle Magnet. Will leave you to ask him why so. 
He cycles 30km daily on week days and 50-70 km on weekends. Uncle Lim has done up to 120km in one go! 

Have bike, can go anywhere!

I am a smart cyclist! If too far, too tired. I take MRT. Reach my destination, unfold the bike... rock and roll! 

Some really "Gilat" riders 

Cycling makes you young!  

Uncle Lim's favorite routes are in Yishun, Seletar, Punggol, changi village, east coast, kallang, marina barage, mounbaten, fort road.

Uncle Lim has been cycling actively since 2010. He enjoys cycling because it allows him.to keep fit as well as to meet new likeminded cyclists.

What an inspiring senior and pls wave, chat with him when u see him on a ride! 

Give me wings!

Titanium MTB!