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

The thing about riding in Singapore is that if you ride more than 6 Km and you work in an office, one needs to have a change of clothes at the destination regardless of weather. Summer invites strong perspiration and the monsoon always threatens a wet ride. It is nice to have facilities like the bike boutique to shower and change before heading into work… If I have not mentioned it before, I used to have access to a nice shower room at work which was yanked out of usage in the pretext of security (I call it “jock-strap security”). I have been using the lodging facilities from the Bike Boutique and been enjoying the services. It is not a money minter but I am sure a few more parking services in town can easily survive.

I have been having an enjoyable ride generally devoid of any incidents. But, due to a marathon participation in the early part of the month and the holiday season in the later, this has been a low mileage month. About 350Km at last count. Speeds are hovering at 24KmpH which is around average for me, it seems.

Related posts:

1. Jan stats
2. cycling shoes
3. Bike parking, Hijacked!

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

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

I do not expect this to happen all over the world. However, it is a measure of how much the notion of cycling as a means of transport has seeped into the public conscience.

The problem as I see it in Singapore is that the authorities and public view cycling as either a sport or recreational activity or at the very most, a mode of transport for the extremely poor and dare I say it, foreign workers. The second part of the equation is the notion that the people who ride are unwilling to learn the local traffic rules and will flout the rules even if taught.

Now seen from such clouded perspective it is easy to understand why the authorities are trying to ‘fix’ the cyclist instead of the drivers and more importantly the infrastructure. The typical cyclist is viewed as one with low economical value and hence there is very little need to provide for them. This idea also spreads in other areas. A colleague commented on how someone from LTA was quoted as saying that providing amenities for handicapped people was cost prohibitive (I quote without basis here). The notion of economic value add is at play here again.

The same is true in the rest of the world too. I suppose Copenhagen city council is willing to invest in infrastructure since the ones cycling are teachers, lawyers, doctors and tradesmen, all contributing to the economy and it is ‘worth it’ to keep these lives safe.

I sound morose but I guess that is how things are.

Getting back, I am not expecting very fancy railings or segregated lanes (it will be great to have them and will encourage more cyclists). But I can live without some middle manager quoting to the media and media misquoting to rest of the world that cyclists are endangering their lives and others.

No related posts.

I quote from the Channel News Asia Article:

More often than not, cyclists are at fault when it comes to fatal or serious road traffic accidents involving them.

This has been the case in more than 50 per cent of such accidents between January and September of the last two years, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary of Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Tuesday.

Common causes for the accidents include changing lanes without due care, failing to keep a lookout, and failing to give way to traffic with right of way.

The rationale is akin to saying (for lack of a better comparison) that women with short skirts are at fault for being molested.

Oh Please this is an amateurish argument. If you cannot provide proper infrastructure, you might be better off keeping the mouth shut.

It is totally possible that this is simply bad journalism (from what I see being published on local news papers, I will not be surprised). It is also possible that the parliamentary Secretary is quoted verbatim. Either way, it is a step in the wrong direction.

I am not absolving cyclists of faults but any argument that blames the victims is a weak mechanism to shrug off ones responsibility and avoid a sensible debate.

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1. Risk
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3. I got Fu&#ing Door’d

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

Inquiries led me nowhere and someone suggested I walk through the underpass (where is the foldie when I want it ). Luckily, some parts of the circuit were not fully secured, I guess for people to walk in and take pictures. I managed to get out and follow along a couple of non traditional paths and rejoined my regular commute route.

When I was in the circuit, I could not help but snap my racer(ahem!) in the track. Looks more like a pick up if you ask me…

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1. bicycle, the best way to look around
2. deja vu

I find the bike without fenders a bit naked and am planning a bunch of upgrades in the coming weeks (fender included). I dislike the flat bar . But overall, the ride is pretty much spot on.

As you can notice, the bike Friday Folding Rear rack allows me to put in some Inline skating wheels (20 SGD for the upgrade, sweet) to prevent damaging the rack and for rolling it when folded. Good when rolling it from one corner of the room to another and pushing the while storing. Not much use on the road. Neat, none the less!

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1. 3′s the charm
2. NWT test ride – Kota Tinggi Loop
3. smoked by a curve