Grocery shopping with Dummy - intial ride feedback

It is true, a cargo bike is fun.. is useful and will change ur perception of cycling and how u use bicycles. Think of it as a SUV to carry any and everything. Today I had my wife and momo riding with me to the nearby market.  It was about 3 km away, short by cycling standards but walking there will take a while.  

We tested ride with 2 behind around the void deck, learning to lean together on the turns. Momo the co-pilot was reassuring mummy" relax, mummy... and dont move...is very fun" 

Peekaboo

Momo waiting patiently for Mummy to buy veggies and breakfast

You can see Ah mo is very comfortable with Dummy seating position

Lots of room for barang barang! 

I want to shout!!! Solid lah!!! but shhssssh... not so loud...

Spurned on by Momo sunshine attitude... mummy settled in abit and we went and rolled merrily towards Punggol Plaza. Riding with additional load on the Surly Dummy means that I have to use the middle crank ring, with the rear on the bigger sprocket. The trick is to spin and not to grind on the pedals also expect that the handling will be heavier and slower. Initial feeling is that it will depend alot on the passenger, if they are relaxed and "neutral", the handling will be good. As it a motorbike, if the passenger fidgets... u will know.   

The plus point is that for the first time, we rode as a family... on one bike!!!! This is amazing and I am not by any way a strong rider. Ah mo was chirpy and singing tunes and mummy trying very hard to keep cool and not panic(she never rode on Dummy before). A short while later, we reach Punggol plaza and Kim went to buy the grocery while me and momo stood around Dummy. The grocery was a non-issue as Dummy have super deluxe load carry capabilities. unclip, place stuff. Sit on the plank, we are off. Woohoo!  The return leg was better as mummy was more relaxed and we sang as we rolled...even detoured abit to check out the neighbourhood.  I can see more family time on bikes! Yes, thats why I like Dummy so much!  Try it some day! 

Is cycling safe?

Mr AM with rear tail flag - salvaged from rubbish dump, remants of a kite... but it works

I get this question asked all the time and the next comment follows "ooooohhh it is sooooo dangerous on the road".
Well, frankly in Singapore, I find it is. Or correctly put, there are certainly risks. But as in life, there are risks every where.  Here are some rules I live by, so that I reduce the chances...
1) Be seen. Wear bright clothes, wear safety vest even if it looks dorky. I even have a handmade flag pole which makes the drivers easier to see me. It saved me a few time.. esp with the heavy haul vehicle(very tall and they cant see us)

yah.. I know.. overkill but I know for sure the driver will see me. Those who dun, are blind or drunk

2) Lighting - Bike will have lights - Front and rear. Dun scrimp on this as the rider profile is very low. Do this experiement. Go with a friend at night go to somewhere darker(dun have wrong idea), ask him to walk about 70 m from the rear and see if he can see u. Then switch on the lights. You will instantly understand what I am talking about. I even have a very bright helmet light which I can "stare" down cars, esp on the turns. Some call me crazy, which I agree. But i rather be crazy but alive.
3) Attitude. Understand that even when you can be right but still be hurt on the road. Ride defensively. Assume the drivers are blur, will do stupid things and react according. If unsure. Stop. get off the road. Wait for the idiot to move out off ur radar screen. drink water and cool down. If still feeling threaten or worried about the road condition. I will ride on the pavement. Yes, u heard that right. I will ride on the pavement. And I ride with a smile. Slowly and saying hello, exuse me if I pass the cyclists or pedestrians. This is very important to me as we are ambassadors for cycling,  and we show we are friendly, not atas, normal pple just riding along.
3.1) Confidence
This is part of attitude. Learn in a quiet spot with no cars to handle ur bicycle properly. Right turns, left turns. Braking, learn to know how stop quickly and how the bike reacts on different conditions. Wet, wet with sand etc.  Ride on the road in a stable manner. If u are turning.. visualize TP(Traffic police) and hand signal slowly to show ur intention. And please look back, before u turn. 
4) Helmet. This is one touchy hot potato. For me, I have personally witness helmet have prevented head injuries. But I find that this should be a personal right. If u want to, wear it. And if u wear it, please make sure the fit is correct and the strap is properly tighten.  The issue I have with helmet advocates is that there is this "silver bullet" message it conveys. Wear the helmet and you are safe. That is all rubbish and over rated. What is important is that when u are helmet less- u need to understand u are more vulnerable and you adjust ur mindset. 
The most classic person I can think is Francis. And he will tell u more about the biggest issue. - Mindset of drivers and cyclist.... that deserves another blog entry... later. :) 
And for those with children, I really admire the parents for bring them out. And here is an article on more on making riding safe for family. And I think it kinda of applies to other cyclists too,  http://totcycle.com/blog/is-family-cycling-safe.html

CETMA Cargo bikes, are we ready for it?

CETMA on a road trip.. look at the load, so def. can carry kids! Photo credits CETMA 

Recently I have been trying to find ways to bring my little girl and wifey along for the sunday rides and trying to make more family-time while enjoying cycling. I think the answer might be Cargo bikes. So with google... here is one of the site I found . CETMA,  in Lane's actual words...  "CETMA is run by one guy in a simple shop without automation,  mechanized assembly, robots, lasers, sorcery, superpowers or psychic beavers."  For those who are interested, pls go click here to see the cool stuff. http://www.cetmacargo.com/index.html
http://www.cyclofiend.com/working/2010/wb128-lanekagay0510.html
http://www.cyclofiend.com/working/2008/wb100-lanekagay1208.html
http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/cetma-cargo-bike/
The biggest challenge now is as I live in Singapore HDB apartments, access to my home is by a lift which is about 2.4 m height. So if the cargo bike can be dismantled by quick release.. it would be perhaps something compelling in Singapore... hmmm. Cargo bikes, do u think Singapore is ready for it?

Going slow....

Slowly does it...                     Photo credits Jay Rochlin of Tucson Velo

Just found a gem of an article by Jay Rochlin of Tucson Velo which I want to share.  Interestingly named How to ride your bike slower
Huh??  Why would anyone want to go slow?  I get that alot when I ride around our sunny island.  So I am glad to read that Jay shares the same mindset and some favorite equipment - Keen sandals, checked! Brooks B17, checked, Mud guards, checked.... oh oh.. I wear Lycra... while he wear cotton... anyway.. I find that he did a fabulous job articulating his thoughts and also a "how to ride slow list". I like to add more how to ride slow too..

1) Put something non=performance and fun on your bike. Flowers, birds, basket, mud guards..  For me,  I put a small pig mascot. My favorite is a pig titled.. "Pigs can fly"
2) Bar end shifters - This are not suitable to shift on the fly. So u have to be really slow and deliberate. Totally low tech but nice for slow ride.
3) Tag to a friend and chat along the way. Not just shouting "car back", but really chat. About anything, the weather,  food, design... This will slow down your riding speed and u can really know a friend.
4) Volunteer as a Sweeper on rides.. haha.. yah I am looking for help on rides. But really, playing sweep allows you to chat with the other riders. Sweep is actually the toughest role and it is not easy to ride slowly. I suggest again.. to chat with fellow riders and this makes the ride so much more enjoyable.
5)Look, I mean really take it all in... Bring a camera... to capture the seemingly normal but beautiful surroundings. You will find beauty everywhere... and you will ride slower, definitely.

Enjoy the wonderful article by Jay!

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. 

Life lessons from my bike

Papa Mike@ Bintan spinning away

For those who know me, I am not world tourer nor a long distance rider. Not by a long shot. The longest ride I did was the ride from Kluang to SG. Around 120km. The experience did scarred my bum some what and I couldn't  bend my knee for almost a week after the ride(a knee condition -RCL). But strangely having done the ride with my friends, I felt good. People laughed/gasped at my "stupidity" to do it..... and I also think there is something wrong with my head.  When I close my eyes, I could still see the slopes and KC's mantra- "The slopes are my friend!" Apparently, there is pleasure in pain and overcoming ur "limitation"....   With this... I share with you a very nice story by a lady rider... enjoy! 

Nancy Sathre-Vogel  "This bike of mine – it’s taught me more than a thousand classrooms. I think back upon all my years of touring the world on bicycle and am amazed at all I’ve learned from my iron companion. But one experience I had on my bike – one bad decision I made – quite literally changed my life...."

Continue reading on Examiner.com  >> 

  http://www.examiner.com/world-bike-touring-in-national/life-lessons-from-my-bike