Bicycle lift for hills

What an excellent idea for hilly areas. I understand that this is the first bicycle lift in the world and it is done at Norway! Imagine how this can help make it more relaxing for normal folks to enjoy a bicycle ride.

Bike fitting video

If u have a video camera and trainer, might be a good thing to learn on ur riding posture.

Inspiring stuff from old uncles... .

This inspires me!

Safety flag inspired by Starwars from Taiwan

The power of social media..... Joeel shared this on our facebook and I think this is a very cool safety feature for group rides. I know it looks dorky but it really help increase our odds on the roads and make the rider be noticed on by truckers and heavy vehicles.  This is made by Shiner- fiber of Taiwan and you can see how it works below video.

As lovecyclingsg group gets bigger, the rides are attracting more riders and safety becomes even more of a concern. I think this LED Flag pole will help. What do you think? How can we make cycling in Singapore even safer for all?

Ride safe, use a flag - by Darren Siow

PUTTING A FLAG ON MY BIKE - Written by Darren Siow
After some outings with Tai Woon and the LCSG team, I thought it was fun to have a flag on my bike. Initially, I wanted one just for fun. Later on, I felt it was a good safety measure. It’s strange that I would consider putting a flag on my bike because for many years I rode road bikes and there was no way in hell one of those flappy things were going on my bike. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s knowing that bad things do happen to cyclists on the road, so I decided that I wanted aflag. Come to think of it, I have a flag on my Brompton but I never put one on my road bike. I don’t know why I have double standards. 
The Rod

Anyway, I thought for a long time about how to make a flag that would fit my Brompton. On one of my rides to Changi Village, I decided to pop into the shop that sells fishing equipment. My hope was that I would be able to buy a cheap fishing rod to use as the flagpole. I knew there were telescopic fishing rods but they usually also come with the loops for the line. I told the shop owner that I wanted a telescopic rod without the loops and to my surprise, he said he had exactly what I needed. And he was right! From under the counter, he brought out a few carbon fiber prawning rods! It wasn’t cheap but it suited my needs to a T. The fully collapsed length is about 30cm; the extended length is 7 feet! The nice thing about the prawning rod is that you can customize the length you need. Since the sections of the rod collapse into each other, you can simply remove the smallest few or the largest few sections to get the length you need.

The Flag

My initial attempt to get a flag was to go online and buy one. However, they aren’t cheap. So as a keen DIY-er, I decided to make one myself. Digging into my wardrobe, I found the perfect t-shirt to be used. It was an old Nautica tee which I never wore anymore because it was too rough. The color was perfect!

I had 2 concepts to fit the flag onto the rod: glue it down or slide it in. I’ve done both and there are pros and cons for both concepts. The glued down flag is very secure, and you won’t have to worry about the flag flying off the rod. The downside is that it takes up a fixed length of the rod, so you can’t collapse the rod fully.  Obviously, for the slide in concept, the pros and cons are opposite. For my current flag, I’ve taken a lazy man’s approach to solve the flying off issue: zip tie! It’s proving to be very effective; I’ve ridden over a hundred klicks and it’s staying on the rod just fine.

My first proto flag had a standard pennant style, whereby the side that is fixed to the rod is shorter than the other 2 sides. However, due to the softness of the material, I realized that I had to ride really fast before the flag was fully extended. That called for Plan B. In the next prototype, I followed a design from Purple Sky Flags (http://www.purpleskyflags.com/) because I like how their flags look. The current flag orientation is oblique to the first prototype. This meant that the longest side of the flag was fixed to the rod and the shortest side was the lowest edge (nearest to the ground). In this design, the weight or softness of the material is negligible because the distance to fully extend the flag is very short.

In the next few pictures, you will see the items that I’ve used as well as the current flag that I’ve placed on my Brompton.

The Sacrificial T-shirt

The First Flag Proto and The Telescopic Prawning Rod

Mark 2.. with blinking lights

Stitching to hold the snaky blinking lights 

Taiwoon recycled kite pole

TW flag on his Moulton

Thank you Mr Bicycle uncle - written by Wu JinFeng

身材瘦削的他习惯蹲在店前埋头修理脚踏车，或许是他的姿式吧，总让人把他想像成很矮小。他蓄着小胡子，头发有点凌乱，手因为一直在认真劳作所以有点脏。地上散放的一两件工具就像他双臂的延生，能供他随时轮替使用。身后的店面如个巨大的洞穴吞噬着各种型号的脚踏车和零件，只吐出一条窄窄的通道让他可以进出。他是老板，唯一的助手是妻子，顾客都是邻里的大叔、大婶、少年和小孩。我们几乎从没交谈过，偶儿经过时，他总会抬起头和善地微笑，他知道我是他邻居书店老板的女儿。爸爸说那盘生意是他老爸留下的。我记得曾经有个行动不便的老人家，天天就坐在矮几上看着他转动着车轮，日子在一次次熟悉的转动中无阻地前行。去年初，老公突然对旧款的脚踏车车铃感兴趣，我在探访老爸时就顺便向他询问。他终于站了起来（原来他不算矮！）热心地往店里淘宝。我后来跟他买了两个已经停止生产的老牌车铃，叮叮叮，声音清脆响亮极，爸爸兴奋地说很像他年轻时用的款型。他说如果找到更旧的会帮我留住并请我爸爸转告我。回家后，老公如获至宝地将车铃装上然后愉快地骑着去兜风。过了这些时日，我已经忘了寻找旧款车铃一事。老爸昨晚回来见到了我有点沮丧地说：脚车店的老板走了，才五十多岁的人，患癌症。他走了？我甚至不知道他姓什么，我只是清楚地记得他亲切的笑容和卖力工作的样子。叮叮叮，Momo正开心地玩弄脚踏车的车铃，一岁的小表弟坐在娃娃车里听得出神，伸手想要来抓。谢谢你，脚踏车店老板
By Wu JinFeng 
In English :) 
The skinny gentleman used to squat and work daily with bicycles beside my dad bookshop at Bedok. Perhaps it was his posture, my impression of him is thats he was very short, alway fussing with some stuff in his shop. Sporting a long mustache, the hair a bit messy, the hand worn with the manual labour, stained with dirt and grease. Twelve tools on the ground and his fluid arm movements dancing a lonely tango of bicycle wheels and parts. Behind him is the Store, like a huge cave that swallows various types of bicycle and parts, only to spit out a narrow channel so that he can enter and leave. 
He is the boss, the only assistant is his wife, and customers are the neighbourhood Uncle, Aunt, adolescents and children. We almost never talked... when children came near, he always raised his head and a kindly smile. He knew I was a book store owner's daughter of his neighbor. The father said that he took on the bicycle business started by his father. I remembered the scene of the elderly folks, sitting everyday idly looking at him turn the wheel, day one familiar rotating unimpeded.. the shop closed last year. ..
Early last year, my husband (that's me:)) suddenly shared with me his interest in the old bicycle bell, when I visited Dad on the way to ask him. He finally stood up (He is not short!) Enthusiastically, he went to the store and showed me so old stuff. I later told him that I will  buy two old bells which is not longer produced. "Ding Ding Ding..", the sound is crisp loud and very, Dad excitedly said it reminded him of his youth when he listened to the bell ring.  The gentleman said that if finds older bell, he will help me to retain and tell my dad. After some months, he really passed me an old bell to me. We returned home and my husband happily the bell fitted and went riding.  After such time, we kind of forgotten about the uncle....and his shop.

Bell gift 

Dad came back last night, a bit frustrated... and he said..." the bicycle shop owner, and only 50-year-old man suffering from cancer. He is gone.."  And I do not even know his last name, I just clearly remember his warm smile and hard workong ethics "Ding Ding Ding"... Momo is happily playing with a bicycle bell, one-year-old cousin sitting in the baby in the car to hear wonderful ringing...wanting to ring the bell too. Thank you, Mr bicycle shop owner for a wonderful gift. We will always remember you!

Education with bicycles by Prof Yap Fook Fah

Prof Yap Fook Fah, NTU 

I finally met Prof Yap in a strange way. Me and my friends were chatting over coffee at office. The topic was bicycles and how to improve our bikes. As the conversation went on, Wai Yuen recounted a memorable part of his university days which he learnt alot on bicycles and engineering. It was a week long inhouse practical training on Mechanics of Bicycles programme - headed by Pro Yap. Rather than theory lessons, it was a hands-on test of bicycles so that the students can understand what materials, geometry, mechanical components affect the handling and how to measure stresses and so on. So rather that reading about bicycle, the students have to ride them and then document down how they felt on the bike, from the handling to the braking and all small details after completing a pre-determinded circuit.
I was intrigued that Wai Yuen could still remember so much Pro Yap taught and followed on to track him down.

Behind this door.. 

space for carrying out experiments 

We met at NTU car park E, school of engineering. We visited the studio where many mechanical test was demonstrated to show the mechanical principles. From balancing a shaft to understanding the planetary gears of the internal gear hubs to ideas on mechanical bar linkages system and many interesting props on centrifugal forces was organised neatly into the studio space.

Ideas on measuring pedalling forces.. left and right leg! 

Explaining gyroscopic force and what keeps a bike stable. 

1998! Mechanics of Bicycle programme!! 

What was covered in 6 days...

For this interview, he even took out the Mechanics of Bicycle programme and it was dated 1998. That was some time back and the programme went on for a few years and was part of the core subjects. However due to the difficulty in maintaining the bicycles and the amount of manpower needed to run the course, it was scrapped eventually. I detected a tinge of sadness but he covered it up by moving on to more interesting stuff.

Did u know pedalforce.com bikefit was developed in Singapore?  It started as one of his student project 

SG Segway with an equally SG name. 

whhheeeee...  and can stop 

cycling simulator...  I know it looks scary but the idea is great! How to allow people to experience cycling

Fook Fah recounted with a smile that the workshop opened many students eyes and many of them really enjoyed it. He is still as busy as a beaver trying out new ideas to measure the pedalling forces, and ideas to create the ultimate bicycle and other stuff. Like a Segway device..
One interesting work he and his students are embarking was the e-folding bicycle work with collaboration with a German university. I was not too impressed with the industrial design but amazed by the level of engineering and prototyping skills.

Airnimal with wireless shifting by Mavic ..and I thought Mavic does rims only... 

press the yellow button if u want to shift the gears

Fook Fah sharing with me the intricate details of the custom bike and also the frame has a very short step over height. It rides very well. .. I tested. 

Another very cool fact was that Fook Fah was also the designer of Airnimal bicycle! Wow, I didn't know and he being the nice and humble gentle man just quietly shared that when I ask him why he got so many Airnimal bikes.. and he just said quietly... I did the design and some of them are my prototypes. Oh my gosh... and I got to also try his custom made bikes, designed to be packed and travelled.
Nothing on bicycles can be just spoken. Bicycles must be ridden to feel and experience the ride. I got to ride the Airnimal racing version with Mavic wireless shifters. I didn't know Mavic was the first innovatior of wireless shifting... but apparently they have killed the product line..  The hilly terrain was quite a challenge to me as the gearing on the Airnimal was more for racing not hills.  And the ride of the bike was great.. I would say more stable and quick than most mini velo I was used to.
We chatted lots and how bicycle can be a great education tool, esp on engineering principles. From me, I shared more about what we as LCSG are doing to promote cycling and the need to change mindsets. All and all, a very engaging meeting. And yes, he might be joining us for a ride sometime! If you do meet him, say hello and ask him anything on bicycle.

yes.. he rides them too! 

Bishan park with Lovecyclingsg 1st April 2012

LCSG at the Bio filtration pond, Bishan park 

This time the location of interest is Bishan Park which was recently launched with big fan fare from our Singapore PM Mr Lee Hsieng Leong on 17th March 2012. 

A river runs through it.. 

Tobias and LCSG team at the start of Bishan PCN... ready to roll

Official Ra Ra aside, I knew it would be alot more meaningful for the LCSG crew as coming for the ride was Tobias Baur, who designed and worked on the new Bishan Park. He shared on that Bishan Park was designed using natural-like methods - for example meandering river paths to help create a nice place for people to use the river.  It is not just a nice place but functionally the new design helps provide a more control of water flow to the water catchment area- Marina Barrage.  He added with a windy and uneven riverbed helps to slow the water speed and it creates a nice biodiversity which more fishes, plants can grow. 

Tobias sharing more details of the Bishan park design

This project was part of the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme of the Public Utilities board. What is ABC waters? More information here.
I also found this timelapse shared by Tobias of how the old Bishan canal turned into the new and natural river. 

Pretty amazing change to me as I remembered Bishan park and the canal simply flows straight pass which was nothing interesting. Complete with metal railing that is purely functional.. no one care to have a second look. I was very happy to note that the new Bishan park feels so much more natural and fun. Not designed but feel very comfortable. I could see many people walking down to the river bed and exploring the place. Even more impressive is the "untidiness" of the place. Tobias explained the rough slabs of concrete were recycled from the old canal and reused to help form the new park.  More than just the river, the design of Bishan park involved the design of eating places and also playground. We talked about the playground design and it was more edgy and innovative.  And most importantly, sand was a medium for parts of the playground. In the name of safety, many of the playground have took out the sand. But I still think sand should always be used...why? So that children can play with it! 

New playground stress tested by LCSG

Jasmine caught in the net

Carryme also want to explore the playground

I am very proud of the fact that this natural approach on design was used in the new Bishan park and the fact it was engineered with a more human approach to involve people to use the park for exercise, just relax around, play and have fun on the water. 
After the informative tour of Bishan park, we headed to another SG gem, the old thomson road to have our breakfast followed by a nice relaxed ride on the old thomson road stretch and turn back to Bishan Mrt. Cycling distance was short but we returned with a better understanding on the new Bishan park design. 

Roti Prata...

Breakfast... finally!

Mass Tai Chi

Dont feed the monkeys... which one? 

More photos here and here