When I started cycling, I figured there are things I would change frequently, like break pads, bar tapes, tubes, tires, and some more infrequently like chains etc… But once one starts riding, it hits home that the bike is a pretty efficient machine and requires less than a casual, hose down and grease up to keep it chugging along. The only thing I have had to change (also less than frequently) on my bikes are break pads. The rest of the additions / upgrades that have happened is less due to necessity and more due to want or vanity. Until recently.

I have been commuting on my Trek XO in the recent months and I enjoy the zippy feel that the skinny tires provide. The trouble with skinny tires is that I have to be careful pumping the tires to high pressures regularly and also look out actively for potholes and ruts on the streets. But it is zippy. Being the bum I can be, I ride under low tire pressures and also stay careless on maintenance, and it was a matter of time when the tires start to show signs of wear.

The first was a classic ‘snake-bite’ that I had to fix late night in the red-light district (A whole another story). The patch was not perfect and was followed by a re-patch in better circumstances the very next day. After a couple of weeks, the tubes started to leak slowly and messed up my return commute. After this happened a couple of times, I realized that I have actually, ridden enough for the tires to start feeling like tissue. Not bad, I have ridden my bikes enough to necessitate a real update.

So it happened this evening, I had run out of patches and my tires were flat. Pumping air did not solve the problem for more than a 100m. The last straw was drawn when I had to push the bike a couple of Km to get to a bike shop. I figured its about time I switched on to a new pair of tires and as it happened, it is a mildly hipster joint and had funky colored Schwalbe Duranos. A bit of funk is not a bad thing and I ended up with a pair of brown’s that nicely match the Brooks Honey I sit on. Schwalbe says it has good speed (?) and is extremely durable. I don’t know about the speed part, it rides well for now. But I hope they are correct with the durability.

Oh, in other news, I have been doing regular 400-500 Km commutes these months.

Related posts:

1. 3′s the charm
2. stripping
3. Flats, eventually every cyclist gets one

But firstly, my commute stats. Jan was a good month, I wanted to make it a 500 Km month, but I chose to relax at the right times instead of pushing too hard and also lost a couple of days at the end of the month for some travels. After all the dust settled, I have a pretty good 470 Km during the month on the saddle. The distance is exclusively commute and the average speed  hovers in the 22 Km mark (slower than the usual but thats what comes of pushing for distance )

Vacations have a strange way of tiring one when they get back, Must be the strain of flying long distances I guess. But in my case, though I was tired and a bit jet-lagged, I was revived into action after a crisp commute on my bike on a gloomy Monday morning. I guess all said and done, time on the saddle can really be therapeutic. With heart pumping, fresh blood, adrenalin pumping through the veins and music pumping through the ears, it is a joy to be out and about biking. Even though the destination is a dreary day at work, lol.

Related posts:

1. Cycling in December
2. New kicks, no wheels, actually, just tires.
3. smoked by a curve

So something happened yesterday that gives me fodder to write. two separate incidents of road rage made me a bit miffed.

First case was in the morning, I was in my regular route which has 2 nasty road diversions. It is not a big deal but requires that I do an orchestrated jig to make sure I am visible to the drivers and I get my right of passage through the traffic signals. I was into the jig mid way, taking the lane, waving my hands, making myself look big, When I realized there was this white subaru (not the cops, they tend to use white subaru’s too) tailgating me, and sticking to my wheel like he wanted to pass me on a slip stream. It is one of those with the nearly illegal dark windshields and nearly black windows. It could have been a ninja but there is a higher probability of it being a beng (Note wiki shows a certain racist slur in here, but really, there is a beng in every social setup and a beng is a beng regardless of race).

What do you do when tailgated? Well, stick to your lane, and be predictable. Nothing works better. The downside is that once in a while you will get some ass like the one this morning, who passionately dole out their ignorance. He did it in abundance when he eventually passed me, unwound his windows and shouted that I had no right to be on the road. Sigh, man, I wonder how do these fellers get their licenses when they don’t seem to know the basic idea of who can and cannot use the roads.

The case 2 in point happened in the evening. I was heading back and almost home when a lorry passed inches away from me, I could feel the wind when the rear view mirror passed literally an inch from my ears. I usually am alright when people pass me close by but when 2 lanes are empty and the lorry rides inches past me at 50 kmph, I would like to voice out my opinion in the matter. I did with a Loud ‘oye’. Technically, it is just to vent the frustration and to relax the adrenalin glands and it does nothing else as the driver is oblivious listening to loud music in the cocoon of his car. Tonight was different, teh lorry was riding with windows down and he got my opinion loud and clear. He immediately stopped a few meters in front and waited for me to pass by for a confrontation.

Note, he was not in a hurry, so there is lesser reason for him to ride like a maniac.

Since I was near home, I figured I can take the opportunity to educate the feller. The conversation, however, went like this:

Me: Yo, can you make sure you give me space.

Him: You, you, why do you shout.

Me: Damn it man, you were an inch away from me, I have to get your attention. Now that I have survived, make sure you give others space while on the road.

Him (getting angrier): Why, Why did you shout. I did not hit you…

Me (flabbergasted, thinking WTF): …

How can I make an argument with some one whose case is that Since he did not physically injure me, he should not be subjected to criticism. Yikes. I hope these guys get their licenses revoked.

On a separate incident, I saw this lady drove into my lane like it was her Granny’s road. She did not bother signalling or slowing down, but she had a nice sticker on the rear window that screamed:

“Lady Driver – Please be considerate”

I don’t know, may be she thought that sticker was a license for her to behave like an idiot and get away with it. May be I should have a sticker on my back and then people will behave better. Who knows. stranger things have happened.

Related posts:

1. Good example for bad road sense
2. coffee talk on road usage
3. Initiatives for a better road

Now, I wonder what my stable of bikes are up to when I am at work… I am fine as long as they are back before dark

via copenhagenize

Related posts:

1. How to price a used bike
2. Bike for sale
3. Hunt for a Folding Bike – Aftermath – Part 1

Baikal, sharp, crisp, bi-syllable, banana shaped fresh water lake seems to be taking over my thoughts. There is something magical and alluring about this lake. When I was on Train-007, something strange happened while passing through Baikal. I guess it was a combination of train fatigue, heat and the extremely annoying change to the direction of sunlight. I was looking froward to the views of the frozen lake and once the lake came into view, the sunlight started playing tricks. The train passed along the coast and was constantly changing directions from NW to SW and back to NW. The cabin was a toasty 30C and the blindingly bright sunlight reflecting off the frozen lake was increasing the temperature and made me squint. When I peeked out of the train, all I could see was the sky and the frozen lake reaching out at the horizon. The urge to get out of the train was at its peak (like I said, It could be the heat and fatigue, but I prefer to consider it the Baikal Allure).

However, a few hours of torture later, the mysterious Baikal disappeared from view and all was normal again.

Now that I am back, I get flashes of light and shadows and constantly see the vast landscape of Ice, sky and Sun. It is as if Baikal has a spell over me. I am forced to check out maps and stare at the lake. I am strangely starting to read Cyrillic. I religiously research about the lake, the people settled around, the weather conditions, climate patterns etc… I dream about biking along rough roads and camping among conifers. I feel the warm sun on my face and I realize I am at home and over slept.

It is difficult to look forward to the daily chore when you know there is a different life out there. It seems like I am getting flashes from a parallel Universe or may be from the future.

I wish to think it is from the future, and if that is the future, I need to prepare for it. I have strategize my life towards being a nomad. Need to find a source of $ to sustain my life. I do not need much money, just enough to survive and a few additional bucks for the rainy day. Generating savings for survival is trivial. I don’t think  that is a concern. What is a concern is that I am afraid the dream may disappear. I want this dream, I have always spoken about being a bike nomad but now I have a strong urge to be one.

I think Baikal is the key. I have a feeling that it is going to open the door to my future.

Related posts:

1. Ulan ude and Lake Baikal
2. Vici on my mind

Latest estimates put the population to 17 million. I have been to Beijing and I should say it is a pretty congested town. It seems like they go through extreme measures to keep the vehicle count on the road down (similar to our weekend COE idea).

China is probably the largest car market right now and there is obvoiusly lot of money to be made in selling cars (They can have a COE system and an ERP system and I suppose the demand for car would not go down. It will be a good revenue stream for the Beijing Municipality. They can build better roads and better Public transportation with that money.

But it seems like they are doing neither. Instead, they plan to inconvenience car drivers by bringing back bike lanes.

Makes me wonder. If China (who are fighting for their right to develop at a rapid pace) can think of solving their traffic and pollution woes by introducing bike lanes, why does Singapore think the other way around?

I am not saying bring us bike lanes. I am just saying divert your attention from cyclists (and educating them) to Drivers (and how they can be made responsible for their actions on the road).

Related posts:

1. why do we need bicycle lanes
2. We already have bike lanes
3. Inherent slowness of platforms

Myself and my brother decided to do a quick loop around the island and though it could have been longer, we stopped short to avoid some night riding. Me on my NWT and my brother on his Tikit. 85 Km of very pleasant weather punctuated with muted sunshine and light showers.

It all started with a quickly decided ride to the Zoo via Mandai Road. We looped in through the Upper Seletar, a nice winding, traffic free route that by passes the more congested Upp Thomson Road. Once at Mandai, we decided to continue on to Sungei Buloh and down to Jurong east. The Kranji Road was not much fun with too many trucks kicking up dust and sand but that lasted just for a few Km’s.

A pitstop at Sungei Buloh and we continued on to Jurong to head towards Clementi. Well, after about 40 km we decided to get something to eat and we found a good place in Jurong East, under the MRT line (with the noise of trains screaming past at regular intervals). Post Clementi, we took Pasir Panjang Rd to town (bypassing West Coast Highway) and from town it is my regular commute home.

We debated on whether we should continue on along east coast, head to changi village and return via Lornie rd. In the end, we decided to take it easy and headed home to clock 85Km. A very easy ride to top up a relaxing weekend.

Related posts:

1. Photo Gallery – Sunset @ Endau Rompin, Malaysia
2. NWT test ride – Kota Tinggi Loop
3. yet another race report

Based on hearsay, we decided to make a nice little Nepalese restaurant called Everest kitchen serving excellent momo’s our first stop. A short 6 km from home, we were at the restaurant and sneaked in the bikes (actually, the restaurant was nice to let us keep the folded bikes indoors).

View Larger Map

A hearty lunch and some really good momo’s later, we wanted to head to Serangoon Gardens to check out the place. Regulars may know the place but it was totally new to me. Though I have lived in the vicinity for more than 2 years, I have never been to this place. I should say the foldies were helping me to explore the neighborhood and am glad I did go there. I visited a cozy little italian restaurant called Ristorante De Parma with some very friendly people and binged on a bunch of desserts. The menu is a bit on the pricy side but it is worth every penny.

Again finding space for the foldies in the cramped sidewalk was easy enough and I look forward to getting back frequently.

View Larger Map

I am also looking forward to exploring more cozy corners. If anyone knows of any hidden secrets, do drop a note.

Related posts:

1. Fun on foldie
2. The swing, the miss and the chase

One of the things that I found to be a bit of an annoyance was the location of the brake levers. I guess I am pretty happy with the gear shifters but the levers seemed to get in the way of where I found my hands comfortable, i.e. near the curve up front. So I made a mental note to push the levers forward. That means the the levers are going to be in partly in the bend and the levers may flare out.

I pushed them forward a bit and indeed the levers stick out a little. Not something that will bother me with my long fingers but people with small hands may find it a bit difficult. But then they may be comfortable keeping the  levers closer too. Like I mentioned, the trekking bars provide a variety of options and is fairly customizable. A couple of rides will be able to give me a sense of the position of the levers.

Anyhow, I felt good about the positioning and took some time to wrap the bars with the cloth bar tape I picked up from velo orange. Though it looks a little odd, I kind of like the two tone color scheme. I was planning to wrap over with a leather tape but I will wait to do that until I am comfortable with the positioning of the lever.

The positioning of the bell near the brake lever was pretty much annoying and I moved the bell to a place near the stem. I have to move my hands to get to the bell, but then I dont intend to use it to annoy people in busy areas. It is more of a device to communicate with my riding buddy over a short distance. It is pretty nice tool for that.

Finally, I gave a bit of boost to my LHT. I currently have a ESGE double kickstand and since the LHT does not have a kickstand plate, I was living with the annoyance of frequently tightening the stand. Furthermore, my stand came with a flat bold instead of a chamfered one. I picked up a chamfered bolt from Clever cycles (they were nice to give it to me for free!) when I was in PDX. I decided it was time to change and some of the leftover bartape came in handy. I picked up this tip from the Rivendell site and without over-tightening the bolt, the stand seems nicely fixed in place.

A good way to spend some time in the weekend don’t you agree?

No related posts.

Al, requested for pictures of the complete bike and here they go.

First up, a 100 Km loop to Kota Tinggi. It was almost impromptu ride, my brother pushed me to join him and I figured it is a good excuse to take the NWT on a shakedown. You know bikes take a bit to settle down. Cables will stretch, tires will roll into place, brakes will wear in etc… I had a few things to check out too, like how do my panniers fit the rear rack, will I have heel strike, will my setup with skating wheels work fine with the panniers, how will the dual drive hold up over long distances etc…

I realized after the initial short rides, the shifters were a bit tricky to reach, so the first adjustments were made (I have not put on bar tape yet expecting more adjustments in the coming days). I swapped my B17 with the B67 from the Surly and the bike was ready for the road test. The bigger question was whether I was ready

For those who do not know about SE Asia, we do not have regular seasons, the only thing regular is the intense sun, high humidity and thunderstorms and usually they decide to mix and match combinations as the day progresses.

We started off about 0830 in pretty much high sun and the only thing I could look forward to was some cheap / great food in JB and if lucky, some showers in the mid day. Luck did not hold out for us and we were served with intense heat and near 100% humidity throughout the ride. As it is with riding out through the causeway into Johor Bahru, heavy traffic is the norm until you cross Kota Tinggi. So an out and back loop means that we are practically in heavy traffic throughout the ride. Added to it was the fact that the highway 3 was being extended and all trees have disappeared. Shade was scarce.

Well let me say that it was a very difficult metric century. We ran through a few litres of water and at least a litre of gatorade (each) before we decided to turn back. At the halfway point, we stopped by a street side coconut vendor (Thank god they are willing to brave the heat to quench the thirst of travelers) and gulped down a couple of coconuts before turning back.

It was a good decision in the end as my brother was pretty dehydrated and exhausted when we reached JB. The ride route as follows:

So how did the bike hold up in this ride. Well, excellently. The  setup is a bit more upright and the B67 was a good choice, no sore butt or shoulder. The trekking bars were great. There were indeed many comfortable positions I could use, a worthy choice again. I do not like the position of the levers, I may push them forward a bit but given the curve on the bar, the levers might flare out a little. I will have to try the setup. I will most definitely move the bell to some place near the stem. The bell is a great idea to communicate with my brother over short distances. Ding Ding and we stop to check each other out.

I liked the friction shifters. Infinitely better than the twist shifters. The Tikit my brother was riding had a very tight twist shifter and the rear dee was also out of alignment. He had a terrible time shifting. Not so for me, heh. If I don’t shift smooth at first, I just need to feather the shifter and I am sailing along smoothly

The Dual Drive was a revelation. I need to probably write separately about the dual drive. It deserves honorable mention. But let me say a few words, Shifting was precise and smooth. I did have to use a trigger shifter for that and with a quick flick, I go from pounding on the pedals to tootling with a whistle on my lips.  The best part was that I could stick to any of the 3 gears and still choose to use the entire cassette. That means less fiddling with the gears. If you have been riding with front deraiullers (which most of us are), this is really neat. And the gear range is very nice. Rolling hills, well, bring it on I say now.Al e-mailed me once to caution me about some of the quirks of the dual drive. It has not reared its ugly head till now and I will wait for them to surface. For now, dual drive is really worth it if you are considering it for your bike.

The only minor issue I had was the chain slip when I switched gears too quickly (on the cassette not the dual drive). That is because of the odd angle the chain has to take when in the extreme gears. A chain guide should patch it, but I am in no hurry for that.

Overall, the bike worked like a charm, an intense metric century in trying conditions is the best way to check out a bike I guess and the NWT passed the test in flying colors. Thank you Bike Friday!

Related posts:

1. Multi moding a fun ride
2. Sedili loop – Feeling alive again
3. Round island loop