Sometimes it is nice to take life in the slow lane (quite literally, although no pun intended) and take time to smell the roses so to say. I have found that there are a number of side benefits to cycling and I have discussed them (will discuss in future) elsewhere. One of the things I enjoy is the exposure to elements. These are both natural elements – rain, sun, elevation etc… and artificial – interaction with traffic, observing human behavior, sights, smells etc…

Riding an hour to and from work not only gets me to my destination in convenience but I also get to indulge in exposing myself to the elements. For instance, I have been observing the construction of the F1 Pit garage and the circuit over the past few months and have witnessed the changes to the asphalt being laid out on the circuit. The lighting systems are being put in place to ensure ‘bright as day’ lights over the circuit when race heads to Singapore in September. While I observe this, I see hundreds of people in cars consumed in their own world and not aware of small changes happening around them on a daily basis. A small but none the less nice incentive.

I also happened to see the lady on the red vespa the other day. What struck me was the lovely colors and since I had my camera handy, I snapped a picture. Imagine my surprise when I saw the same lady a week later in the same spot. I was lucky to shoot her the second time. I did see her a third time but this time I was riding in a busy part of my route and could not whip out my camera for a shot. I am sure I would bump into the red vespa again and will be ready with my camera. Deja vu is fun

There is a short uphill section on my commute path and I usually ride it as a leisurely pace. Reason being that the lanes are narrow and traffic is bumper to bumper. At anytime, I might have to detour through a petrol station alongside so that I can get to the head of the traffic. Further, there is a traffic signal at the top of the hill and there is little reason to hurry.

I was leisurely riding up this morning when a cyclist zoomed past. I don’t mind cyclists overtaking me as I am not racing. I do a brisk pace to sweat out during my commute and am not usually suckered into racing. But this time, I wanted to catch up as the feller was on a foldable bike with 20” wheels. I had to chit chat with him. City riding affords that since all traffic is buffered at the traffic signals and I managed to catch up with him at a couple of signals down. This was a longish red and managed to get some first hand info on foldable bikes.

The bike was a 2008 Dahon ( Curve or mu I am not sure) and he mentioned that he was speed testing the bike for the distributor. I am not sure if it was the rider or the bike, but it seemed like the bike is pretty capable of good speeds. The feller looked a bit twitchy at times but was able to easily ride around traffic. That is good for urban setting. What struck me was the acceleration. Like BMX bikes or roller skates with smallish wheels, the acceleration is pretty rapid. My heavy, large wheeled bike, in comparison is pretty sluggish off the start. I am pretty sure I could match the speed (or faster) on long stretches but nonetheless, was impressed by the acceleration it seemed to have. It might be good for urban setting with many stop-starts at traffic junctions.

One thing I noticed was that the feller did not stand up to pedal. It seems to me that the bike would not be very stable if you try to stand and induce lateral forces. It is not rally a problem since it does provide good acceleration and climbs pretty well. The bike was bare-bones, no fender, racks etc and may be with additional weight, it might be bogged down and am not sure how it would handle. The bike seemed comfortable around traffic and I guess is a good option for people who do not have secure bike parking at their work place. Foldies are also good if you multi-mode your commute as they can be easily brought into buses / trains. Though I do not have a need, I guess I would test ride one when I have time.

There are 2 distributors I know of in Singapore who deal with foldable bikes. If you are interested, you should check them out.

• Diginexx (dealing with bike-friday, brompton, birdy, strida etc…)
• Speedmatrix (dealing with dahon)

Happy shopping and riding

It seems to be a constant debate on whether cyclists should be on the road or Platforms (pedestrian pathways). In the presence of segregated bicycle infrastructure, the answer is simple – No cycles on platforms. But in a case like Singapore where space is at a premium (allegedly) and city planners seem reluctant to provide for bicycle lanes, the answer is not clear. Even though LTA stipulates that cycles should stick to roads, the regulation is almost never policed. And the reason for not enforcing is that LTA, Traffic Police and the general public doubt that the regulation makes any sense at all. Let me explain:

There are a variety of cyclists out there and an attempt to classify them follows:

1. Age: Kids, Adults, Old
• Kids include children who cannot safely ride on roads.
• Adults form the bulk of cyclists that are road ready.
• Old cyclists could probably be riding out of need. If They are uncomfortable to be on the road, they should be accommodated on the platforms. Of course, they should remain slow and amiable to others.
2. Cycling Experience: Novice, Moderate, Experienced
• Novice should not be on the road nor the platform. If you are learning to ride, go to a park.
• Moderately skilled riders should make every effort to get out of the pedestrian path. If you have to be on the platform, better have a friendly attitude and ride slow.
• Experienced riders have no job staying on the platforms.
3. Confidence: None, Low, High
• If you have no confidence to ride on the road, Please don’t ride. You are putting yourself and others in danger.
• If your confidence level is low, ride slowly on the road. It is a good way to build confidence. Have enough lights etc to let cars know of you presence.
• Once you are comfortable riding on roads, there is little reason for you to go back to the platform.
4. Physical Condition: Weak, Fit
• If you are unfit and need to ride, stick to platforms. Make sure you are not too fast or rude.
• If you are fit, stick to roads.
5. Road Sense: None, Moderate, Good
• If you have no road sense, you probably have no pedestrian sense either. Keep your bike at home.
• If you have a decent understanding of how the vehicles move about, you should stick to the road, if you are in between, stick to the road and gather experience.
6. Attitude: Brash, Cautious, Friendly
• Wherever you ride, make sure you have a friendly attitude. Road rage is very unpleasant and no one wants their personal space encroached.
• If you are on the platform, do not ring you bell at pedestrians. You may think you are being cautious but it is a very un-friendly gesture.
• Though you are on the pedestrian path, do not behave as pedestrians do. At road crossings, Stop and wait for the vehicles to notice you. Be attentive.
• Do not speed. Pedestrian walk way is not built for speed. There are tons of obstacles, pot holes, drains etc that will make you twitchy at sped. This will also create a need for pedestrians to jump out for your sake. If you need speed, get on to the road.
7. Speed: Slow, moderate, fast
• If you insist on sticking to pedestrian path, you should not be faster than walking speed when there are people around.
• If there are people and you need to go any faster than walking speed, get on to the road. Unless you fall in the some of the categories above (In which case you would not be fast anyway). The logic is circular.
8. Motivation: Need, Utility, Commute, Sport
• Sport cyclists and most commuters I encounter seems to prefer roads – Obviously since it is faster.
• On the other hand, people who are forced to bike (due to work / shopping etc…) seem to take the pedestrian path. It is ok I suppose as long as one maintains the pedestrian etiquette as mentioned above – Attitude, speed and sense.

I guess what cyclists should try to comprehend is that the pedestrian path is the domain of pedestrians and Cyclists ideally belong in the road. There are situations when (some) cyclists need to be on the platforms and in such situations it is important to respect the pedestrians and give them their space. At the same time, when on the road, cyclists should try to earn respect and space from vehicles.

We are lucky in the sense that the road traffic in Singapore is no too unruly and provide decent room for cyclists. I hope when cyclists are on the pedestrian path, they extend the same courtesy too.