CrankBrothers Eggbeater SL Pedals

This pedal does not have any audible click when it engages and disengages. That's what my friend said about these Eggbeater pedals. He added : The only way to know whether you are engaged or disengaged is to pull your feet up and see if the pedals are connected to them.

This got me thinking ... then how do the numerous Eggbeater pedal users live with these pedals? So, my friend, being the nice guy that he is lent me his pair of Eggbeater pedals for this review

:-)

The Good

I bought my XT pedals for 110SGD. A pair of XTR pedals costs 180SGD. I think XT pedals are around 350grams (?). XTR pedals are jusssttt a little bit lighter at 325grams. The claimed weight of the Eggbeater SL pedals are 266grams! BUT when I weighed them, 1 pedal is just 132grams! These pedals are beginning to look like a financially challenged weighweenie's dream-come-true because they only cost around 150SGD!

Another thing, while most pedals in the market have only two positions where you can clip in, these pedals actually, has four! So no more rotating the pedals so you can slip your shoes in.

The Bad

I have been researching about these pedals for this 'review' and I have come across a few posts about the pedals destroying the soles of MTB shoes. I thought to myself maybe these are just people who don't follow instructions .... but Crankbrothers themselves sell a shield that goes in between the soles of the shoes and the cleats (http://www.crankbrothers.com/accessories_shoe_shields.php). So, the manufacturer knows about this and has even created a product to prevent this from happening! Uhhhhh ... I have four pairs of Shimano cleats and not one of them destroyed the soles of my shoes... So what gives?

There is also the fact that Crankbrothers sell a rebuild kit for these pedals (http://www.crankbrothers.com/accessories_rebuild_kit.php). Selling rebuild kits is not bad but the thing is apparently, these pedals need to be serviced every few months. The pedals that I have with me are a testament to this as the left pedal is all wiggly due to one of the bushings disintegrating (?!). These pedals have only been used for three months and they have never been used for off-road. This is another 'what gives?'. I have a pair of Shimano 520 pedals which have been subjected to jetspray, mud, seawater, etc. for the past two years. This is Shimano's cheapest pedals (I think) and they have yet to fail me....

It's beginning to look bad for the Eggbeater pedals!

I bet the magazines you subscribe to never said anything about the issues I stated above. Hah! The joys of being an independent 'reviewer' :-)

no side to side adjustment?

The Ugly ?

12 July 2010 - update

Finally! My OnOne Inbred is finished and the I was able to install the pedals to my new Deore crankset. However, after I installed the cleats to my right shoe, I noticed that unlike Shimano cleats, Crankbrothers cleats do not have any side to side adjustment (see picture above)! Is this good? Won't this have a bad effect on my knees?

After installing both cleats, I went for a road ride. I can summarize the feel of the pedals in one word : float ! Is this good? I am truly not sure. I read in lots of internet reviews and other publications that float is good for the knees. But this much float? I think if I bring this to a trail ride and I go downhill, cleats with this much float will accidentally release from the pedals!

Also, my friend is right. Although there is a 'click' when you clip in. There is absolutely no click when you unclip. So his problem of determining whether he is unclipped or clipped is a valid one. There really is no way to know but to pull on the pedals.

As for being able to clip twice faster because of having four clip points (whereas other pedals only have two), I think it is either overrated or I don't know how to clip in properly. I did not notice this on my old pedals but it seems the way I clip in is I put my toes on the pedals and then I gently roll into position until the cleat under my shoes 'finds' the engagement point and then I press in. This is second nature to me and so I do this without thinking. But when I did this to the Eggbeater pedals, the pedals just rolled !

The Verdict

I really really want to like these pedals. They have this bling factor and they are light. So, no matter what, I have to test them and find something that will make me want to change all my pedals and cleats to Crankbrothers!

However, my short experience tells me that my friend was right in stowing these pedals under his bed and getting XTRs instead.

Anyway, it looks like I will be bringing these pedals to the trails this weekend as my 520s are still stuck in my old crankset.

Maybe, I'll put up another update once I've done some trail rides with these pedals.

GT Avalance 1.0 2009

For MTB enthusiasts the GT Avalanche needs no introduction. The Avalanche is normally what a seasoned rider would recommend a newbie for a starter bike. Now don't get me wrong. I know a lot of people who would kick my butt using an Ava 3.0. It's just that this series of bikes have been associated with newbies because they offer one of the best bang for the buck deals that you'll get. You can just about go to any bike shop and ask them for a 'cheap and good' MTB and these will no doubt be one of the bikes that will be offered to you.

Anyway, I have a friend who just bought her first 'proper' MTB. She went straight to the top of the class. Instead of opting for a GT Ava 3.0, she got the all-singing, all-dancing 1.0. I think LnT (bikeshop in Tampines) is clearing their 2009 line of bikes to bring in more bling stuff. Any one interested in what's on sale, here's the link http://www.ltcycle.com/lnt_promo_mtb.html.

Since this is a 2009 bike, I will not give an 'in depth' review of this bike. There are lots of those on the net expecially now that we're already midway to 2010. What I would like to add to those reviews are some very positive things which I think previous reviewres might have missed or forgot to mention :

1. If you go to any site that shows a picture of a GT Avalanche, you will see that the top tube is straight. This is because normally, the reviewers have a medium sized bike. For the Small size frame (and maybe the XS if they have that), the top tube is "dropped". This is very good for standover clearance.

2. Since my friend has a small frame, the crankset that came with it has 170mm arms. The stem seems to be 80mm. The reasoning, no doubt, is this frame will fit a smaller rider more if these contact points are shorter.

3. At this price range, I don't know how GT managed to squeeze in an XT Shadow RD ?!?!? Even the 2010 version of the Ava 1.0 only has SLX Shadow RD!

Those three points are what sticks out in my mind as the highlight of this frame. As for the rest of the components, the forks are RockShox 100mm TORAs, the brakes are hydraulic Tektro Aurigas, the shifters and the FD are Deore units and the wheelsets are WTB SX24 with no name hubs. The supplied tires are Kenda 2.1 Nevegals. I just don't know if these are DTCs or Stick-Es as there is nothing that identifies them as such.




We did not weight the full bike. However, my heft-o-meter says that the bike is quite light. The venue for the trail test ride is Pulau Ubin and the owner of the bike is a 5'2'' girl. She was able to carry the bike without any problems down the stairs of Changi Ferry, into the bumboat, out of the bumboat, and on the way back, she has to carry the bike up the stairs of Changi Ferry again.

End of Blue Diamond loop, Start of Black Diamond loop



Trail Ride

The trails chosen were Chek Jawa and the various hidden trails around Pulau Ubin. The last trail loop of the day is the Blue Diamond route of Ketam. Our test rider did not complain of any issues with the bike. There was even a time she was riding the bike with the TORAs locked out. The fit of the bike is also spot on. The only comlaint that I heard was that her butt hurts which is also no doubt, the biggest complaint we hear from 100% of new bicycle riders.



As I said at the start of the article, there are very few things I can add to the numerous reviews already done on the 2009 GT Ava 1.0. This is a value for money bike. If there ever was a category of 'cheap and good' MTB, this would be one of the top contenders.


So, that's about it and before signing-off, I leave you with a pic of what I had for lunch today at Charlie's Corner (my fave eating place at Changi V)

Beef Stew, Papaya Salad, Rice

Shimano SH-M085 MTB Cycling Shoes

Success! I managed to return the Exustar to Tay Cycles and got this Shimano SH-M085 shoes in exchange. But the wife is still angry as I had to top-up with 45SGD more. Anyway, I think this is better than being stuck with half a shoe on my foot and the other half on the pedal.

So, this calls for a review of M-085 :-)

I have always worn 41 size shoes (two Specialized shoes and one Shimano MT31). For some unexplainable reason, size 41 for M085 feels too tight for me. So I chose size 42 which feels just right.

M085 is dominantly silver colored synthetic leather with black mesh and some white and red highlights. The cuff is well padded. However, the tongue is not as well-padded as the Exustar. The sole looks to be made up of two pieces. One big black piece makes up the stud area and there is a 'window' which is made up of a grey plastic. This grey plastic feels harder than the surrounding black studs and is where the cleats are attached.

There are two velcros and one ratchet strap for securing the shoe. The middle velcro is offset. I am sure Shimano has a very good reason for doing this but for now all I can think of is it looks nice. The ratchet ! As usual, point of comparison will be the ratchet on my old specialized MTB shoes. I am glad to report that the ratchets on the M085s are very smooth. One push of the release button really releases the ratchet (I have always had to wrestle with my Specialized ratchets). Inserting them in is also a doodle. You can hear each click of the notched strap.

Test Ride

First, I walk a few steps on these shoes. People might question my testing cycling shoes while walking. Well, MTB riders are not roadies. We would have to walk parts of the trail we can't clear hence the test. Having said that, these shoes are precisely in between walking in road cycling shoes (which are very stiff) and your favourite sneakers (which should be very soft and comfy). So, I don't expect any problems on the hike-a-bike portions of the trail.

I'm going out for a ride now. I'll update this post when I'm back. Hopefully, these shoes don't do an Exustar on me.

Update : 40Km Ride

You might wonder why I took these shoes on a 40Km ride and for the last pair of shoes (Exustar AKA paperweights) I only went for 20Km. I used my hardtail on this ride. I also changed my Maxxis ADVantage to a pair of Maxxis CrossMarks. This setup is the closest thing that I have to a roadbike setup. Whereas for the paperweights, I was using my BeOne Nirvana (4in FS) shod with a pair Kenda Nevegal Stick-E 2.1 .

Anyway, what can I say? These are Shimanos and what they lack in the bling department they make up for reliabiliy. Nothing tore. Nothing came unglued. The shoe is perfect.

So, who are these shoes for? It's for people like me who chose the path of clipless pedals and yet don't have the full blown budget for a pair of Mavic Furies or SIDI Dragons. These shoes are not as bling as the top of the line MTB shoes but they are stiff enough for serious pedalling. I will be taking these on a trail ride on Saturday as well and I am quite sure the leather used on these shoes will easily shrug off the mud in Bukit Timah. For 115SGD these shoes are a bargain.

But the big question is, would I buy them again? No. I already have two pairs of middle offering from Spez, one starter MTB shoe from Shimano and now this middle offering from Shimano as well. I think next time, I'll go and treat myself to either the yellow Mavic Fury or red SIDI Dragons just to see if these top of the line shoes are really worth the 400-500SGD pricetag.

Before I conclude this post, I leave you with two photos I took from Tanjong Rhu on my way to ECP where I did the Test Ride.

It's raining medals in PutraJaya

Turning you over to SPC's President for this Race Report :-)


Hi all,

I think Dick is still knackered from the weekend, so I'll throw a few words together, plus a few choice quotes from the squad....

Firstly a MASSIVE thankyou to Jacq for organising the weekend. It was flawless and we were all very well taken care of by Machiko and Susan who kept us fed, watered and in the right place at the right time.

Day 1 Saturday 19th June
After a very long journey (kept entertained by Andre singing and beer from Brewerkz) with most people getting almost no sleep we were out of our hotel at about 7am, having arrived at about 3am.

The first day was packed with heats, we were very lucky in our draws as we faced very little opposition and were comfortably winning the heats by a boat or two. Performance of the day came from the ladies 12 crew who gave the crowd and competitors an education by winning by almost 4 boat lengths.

The only hiccup was on the mens 22. The heat was tough as were up against Navy Paddlers, Singapore Polytechnic and PDRM. We failed to clinch an automatic top 2 qualifying but managed to get through to the semi along with SP through the repecharge. At this point we didn't have enough guys so we raced with 9 pairs, of which there were 3 girls to fill out the numbers.

Having managed to get all the boats through to the semis on Sunday, we were all accutely aware that the racing hadn't begun yet. We were never really challenged in the heats, so we were not firing on all cylinders, plus the fatigue from the long coach journey meant there was a lot to do if we were to get into the Finals. We had managed to avoid PNP (Philippine National Police) Patriots and Pacific West who were looking very impressive with hitting sub 2mins in their heat times. Fastest time of the day went to Republic Poly who clocked an impressive 1:55 in the Mens U23 category.

The evening was spent watching the Holland Vs Japan match in the pub. Andre opened up an illegal betting den and made a handsome profit...although he's still trying to chase his debtors.

Day 2 Sunday 20th June
Everyone feeling 200% better than yesterday with most people in bed by about 10.30pm, we were well setup for a full day of racing. The day started off well with a wheely bin being 'borrowed' to fill up with beer for after, and news that the SPC B Mixed boat had qualified for the semis through default. Due to all the racing....and dwindling numbers (Petra had to fly off home) we regretabbly withdrew this boat.

The men were kept busy in the morning with back-to-back races in the mens 12, mixed 22 and mens 22 semi. We came up against PNP in our mens 12. They hurt us off the line, but we walked them in our chug. We held on to win the semi over PNP, but as the drummer and most of their boat were happily chatting to us and themselves throughout the race, something told us that they weren't exactly putting in 100%.

The mens 22 crew semi looked more like a final, the competition was very stong and with our 4 ladies (a fact we were showing off to the competition in some pre-race banter) filling in the spaces, we were very pleased to qualify for the final coming in 3rd with a very gutsy and gritty performance.

The women put in another strong performance in their races, again coming up against PNP, and the ladies were in blistering form and they staked their claim and definite medal potential for the final.

As the afternoon went on and the "1st Malaysian Dive Bombing Competition" came to a close (Euan won the heavy weight, and Brooke took gold in the light weight division) it was time to get stuck into the finals. At this point we had all 6 boats through to the final ("To get to the final, we need to win every race"). First final of the day was the Mixed 12 Crew. Our start was w*nk, but the chug was impressive - Pronky put in a great performance as stand-in pacer for Nick. PNP were off the mark and we just ran out of road to catch them. Our final burst made 3-4 seats on them, but PNP did well to hang on, despite some last minute caterpillaring. So first medal of the day and it was silver.

Next up was the ladies 12 crew. After the performance from the heats, they were full of confidence. However, it wasn't meant to be as the ladies made the last charge and they came in second. Another silver. It was the mens 12 crew to step up and we were once again lined up with PNP. We knew that if we could stay within 2 seats of them at the start, our chug would win it for SPC. As expected, PNP were off, SPC was pushing and pushing from behind. With 250m to go we were only in 3rd. Now our fitness and strength started to go to work. We started walking PNP, it was 3 seats behind, then 2 seats, level, 1 seat ahead and we were still walking, 2 then 3 seats ahead. Our last charge put it out of contention and we collected our first gold medal and a cheque for 1,000 ringgit. Derek helped to put things in focus with: "beating them in the 12 crew has just pissed them off, to be honest, it's probably made things worse."

Our mixed 22 was the first big boat final. It was probably the cleanest performance of the day. We led from halfway with the chug making a devastating affect on the field as we pulled ahead, made some daylight and won our 2nd gold of the day.

The womens 22 was up next, and having just raced in the mixed the ladies had to pull something out, find a bit more and drive for the line. Petra and Martha had to leave so we drafted in Steph Kerr (who is in the Macau squad, but racing with the Brits) and Jane to drum. We were still going in with only 9 pairs up against full boats. It was another education for the people of Malaysia as the ladies led from start to finish, with a fantastic burst and the 3rd gold of the day.

The last race was the mens (with the ladies who having just raced in their final, and the previous mixed were being asked a lot). We were greatful just to be there as the competition was incredibly strong. There was also a debatable 7th boat in the line up who were free floating and not held back on the pontoon. That gave them an additional advantage with being able to drift forward on the start. The boys put everything they had into the race. It was, clean, controlled and very aggressive. Technically very impressive. It went down to the wire as all the boats crossed the line within split seconds. We were thinking we were 4th, but were very pleased to win the bronze (and another cheque).

So an impressive medal haul of 3 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze. As well as prize money of over 7,000 ringgit.

The bus ride home took the setting of the SPC Court of Justice with plenty of beer fines (including my all time favourite).. .but what goes on tour, stays on tour.....

I'll let Dick do the talk on what needs to happen, but I can just feel this team improving exponentially over the last few weeks and I'm excited about what we are going to achieve in the last 30 days....keep pushing yourselves and your team mates. This is our last chance.

Great job guys and I'll see you on Tuesday night!


Euan Beer

Exustar SM321 MTB Cycling Shoes

Along the stretch of Bukit Timah Road, you will find a lot of high end bike stores. There are 2 branches of Bike Haus there, 3 branches of Tay Cycle, and there's a new one that brings in Guerciotti cycles.


Every time my friends and I go home from Bukit Timah trail we will always stop at Tay Cycles (the one specially for apparels only) and drool at the SIDI shoes, 400SGD helmets, etc.


Last Saturday, as usual, I had to stop there and look at things I can't afford :-(

But this is not just an ordinary Saturday! This Saturday I was alone. My friends were not with me and of course, when there are less people around, that's when these high-end stores decide this is the day that there will be a 50%-70% off SALE !!!!


Uhhh but I still can't afford the SIDIs. What caught my eye though, were these silver and black Exustar MTB shoes. They were 140SGD and they were going for 50% off! Ok, 70SGD, that one I can afford. There's a catch though, the 2 front studs are missing and the screws that were supposed to cover the holes were also missing.... I thought, ok, those look like the size of water cage screws. So I got them.



Features

I got a size 41 which is the last piece. It has 2 velcro straps and 1 big strap with a ratchet. The heel has reflectors. It also has a rubber heel cup. The leather seems to be of synthetic origin and there are parts that have mesh so your feet could breathe. The sole of the shoe is made up of hard plastic and the studs are bonded to it. The studs are a bit softer than the sole. The sole can accomodate any SPD style cleat and there are holes for 2 studs (which are missing) for all those hike a bike in the mud.






The inner liner is made by Poliyou insoles. I admit they don't ring any bells but they promise to keep these pair of shoes odor free. The insoles are supposed to be comfortable, breathable, wicks moisture, dries fast, odor resistant, anti-bacteria and shock absorbing (whew).


Testing

I had 1 pair of Shimano multi-release cleats lying around. So these went on to the shoes without any fuss. Also, true enough, the screws that are used to secure waterbottle cages on to bicycle frames are a perfect fit for plugging the holes left by the missing studs.


Walking on them feels ok. Not much difference between these and my other 2 Specialized shoes. However, the ratchet mechanism is a true piece of fine engineering :-) I have bad experience with Specialized ratchets. They don't release like they should. The notched strap doesn't go in smoothly, and all these when my shoes were new! Now that they are old and encrusted with dried mud, they are worse! The ratchets on the Exustar though is another story. These release when you push on the release button and the notched strap goes in as if they were greased. Nice.


I also felt the rubber heel cup is really 'cupping' my heel. It's like my heel is more stable with these shoes. They don't move around too much. I just don't know what advantages it would bring when pedalling.


The 'tongue' of the shoe is also very well padded. The padding is also quite good all around the 'cuff' area (where the shoe ends and your socks show up?).


20Km Test

I just got back from the test ... actually, I almost didn't get back! You know how those who are on clipless pedals pedal in circles? There is this pushing action on the leg that is going down. There is an opposite pulling action on the leg that is going up. Well, I was almost home when I pulled on the pedals and guess what? The whole sole of the left shoe was left on the pedal !!!

Unbelievable! I looked at the right shoe and even that was already peeling halfway starting from the heel.

This is upsetting. I thought I found a bargain. Sigh... what was that old saying again? When something seems too good to be true, it normally is. This applies 100% to this MTB shoe. I should have known. I can't see this model in the Exustar website anymore! I wonder how many years did Tay Cycle let these shoes sit in their store?

I'll leave you with one final picture of the soles of my left shoe and tomorrow I'll go to Tay Cycles to return these .. paper weights?

PutraJaya International DragonBoat Festival

Congratulations to my teammates from Singapore Paddle Club for winning the following :


Bronze – Mens 22 crew
Silver – Womens 12 crew & Mixed 12 crew
Gold – Womens 22 crew, Mixed 22 crew & Mens 12 crew

Awesome! That is 6 medals in one weekend!!!

Am I regreting my decision now to cycle for the past 12 months?
...errr... a little bit :-)

The link for the event is http://www.putrajayadragonboat.com/1pidbf/event-news

I am still waiting for a proper race report though... and some pics. I hope I'll have both by tomorrow.

Anyway... this gets me thinking... We win a lot, we're a friendly bunch of guys and girls, but how come we don't have newbies ? You might want to check it out and tell me why is this so. My club's link is http://www.singaporepaddleclub.com/paddle/

Short Ride to T15 (Part 2)

continuation ...

T15 is 5km from end to end. You'll know that you are already at the end when you see ....

... this. The right path leads to the gates of a military camp. You'll have to do a u-turn and retrace the trail again so you'll get back to Bukit Timah.

The left side is a new entrance/exit that was done just a few months ago. This park connector leads all the way to Mandai Road. Yes, I know, the right side also leads to Mandai but that way is illegal and besides the left side is cooler due to the number of trees inside.

I rested at the shade of the first tree I encountered inside and then did a u-turn and rode back the way I came :-)

The ride today was made possible by my long suffering Jamis Durango Hardtail bike. I have had this bike for 2 years now. I started MTB on this bike. Upgrades on it are :

F1RST 120mm fork

Easton MonkeyLite SL 635mm carbon bars

Shimano PRO 100mm stem

Tune seatpost <== bought for just 80SGD :-)

Avid Juicy 3 Hydraulic brakes

Ashima 160mm Airotor

and an almost complete Deore drivetrain

Before I conclude this post, I'd like to show these Token steel bearing-ed jockey wheels.

I was shocked that my SLX and Deore RDs didn't have bearings in them. I thought all things that spin needed bearings and the manufacturers would have put it in. Well, they didn't. Who am I to argue with them? But that doesn't mean I have to agree. So I got this from LnT cycles at Tampines for 35SGD. They came in a blister pack with 2 Token stickers. Putting them in place of the original jockey wheels is pretty simple.

Now the question : Did I feel the difference between the black, plastic, bushing-equipped Shimano and this aluminum, gold anodized, steel bearing equipped replacement? No. No difference at all.

Are they worth the dough? To me, yes! I can sleep at night knowing that those jockey wheels in my RD now have steel bearings to support them. Plus they are gold.. and did I mention the center is red :-) ?

Short Ride to T15

Yesterday I was telling myself I would go for a long ride. Maybe go to Pulau Ubin, spend 2-3 hours there and then come back the long route (East Coast PCN, Fort Road, Tanjong Rhu, Kallang).

But when I woke up today .... arrrggghhh, who am I kidding? I can't go to Pulau Ubin if I wake up at 9AM! Pulau Ubin rides start at 6:30AM. I am one of those carless individuals who bike from his house to Changi Village ... and back! So, no long ride for me today.

So, it was quite an overcast morning at Singapore today. Rain clouds look threatening ... but I'd rather have rains than the searing heat generated by the summer sun on this island near the equator.

After having the customary breakfast at King Albert Park McDonald's, I turned right to Dunearn Rd and then turned left to Rifle Range Road.

I normally see roadies in Rifle Range Road practicing their hillclimbs. I didn't see any today. They might be all feeling strong and decided to tackle Mt. Faber this morning.

Up, up, up I went. There was a short downhill section (and I mean short) then I went up again. After this second uphill section, there was a longish downhill BUT you can't enjoy it too much as you need to have your eyes peeled for a big fenced-up area on your right. Don't ask what is that fenced-up area, I don't know what is is. Althought I see a sign saying PUB.

Anyway, once you see the fence, start feathering the brakes ... then you will see a traffic signpost on your left. Once your bike aligns with the signpost, brake !!!!!

... then you will see this :-) Nice isn't it. Well, it's nice if you're just admiring the scenery. But if you intend to tackle this with your MTB, the only thing you see is the amount of climbing needed to be done to get to Zheng Hua park!

My phone camera can't capture the colors of the field and sad to say but this photo didn't capture what I saw. My photography-crazed friends would definitely say I 'overcooked' the background. So.....

... I took this photo after I cycled for a few hundred meters. Still no good. Now, I'm already at the right of the field and can't see its entirety. Anyway, the singletrack you see on the right is the same singletrack I follewed at the start. Just follow that. If it climbs, then climb. If it goes down, then hang on for dear life :-)

After what seems to be an eternity climbing and going downhill, the singletrack is blocked by this tree. You'll know that this tree has been there for quite some time now because somebody has already made a 'ramp' out of smaller branches. You can ride over the tree but your big chainring will hit it.

Continue following the singletrack. This track will eventually lead you to the Bukit Timah loop BUT you'll be going the opposite way! Good thing I didn't see any other riders this morning.

... almost at Zheng Hua park now. This tree is blocking the 'entrance' to ZH park. I rode over this tree at the left side crook made by that branch that grew at a right angle up. I think you may also be able to ride over the right side crook. But I saw big chainring hits at the left side so that's where I went.

From ZH Park, you go right (downhill) to Chestnut Ave. The downhill ride is long(ish) but before you enjoy it too much, you go under a bridge and then the uphill slog begins. After the climb, you'll see the start of T15 :-)

By the way, T15 starts and ends as a paved road but the route in between is soil (fireroad?).

I don't know what's up with blogger.com. I uploaded five pictures and then followed it with 3 more pictures. The last 3 pictures are missing. So I'll have to reupload in another post and continue the trail ride there.

See you in a bit.

Slow Ride to Pulau Ubin

Yeah, yeah, I know. There are only four pics here. I was thinking nobody wants to see pictures of the usual 10-15 minutes bum boat ride to Pulau Ubin. Nobody wants to see the pictures of the eating places in Pulau Ubin as well.... and nahhh, nobody wants to see pictures of me getting in the boat, out of the boat too. Why? Because there's lot of those in the net already.

So here's a pic I took of a peaceful lagoon in Pulau Ubin ... you'd have to be quite adventurous to get here. There's barely a hint of a trail head where I started... I'd love to point out where the trail head is but I still haven't got my bearings right in that island.



I think almost everyone knows how to get here :-) You get here from Chek Jawa. Once you get to the point where people enter the wetlands and leave their rental bikes, take a left and go uphill... I see lots of tourists and newbies pushing their bikes here. Anyway, your reward is this breath taking view of the quarry below ... I wish I have a proper camera and not this Nokia E63.









This is what made the MTB ride slowwww ...
in the park connector that leads from ECP to Changi Village, there is this trail head. The trail inside is frequented by motocross riders. But on this particular day, I didn't see any of them. I rode up to the airport and then did a u-turn back to where I started. This place is HUGE... I think I haven't even seen 5% of this place. I hope the government takes their own sweet time before they build anything in this place. A note of caution though. I've seen dogs around. They didn't look friendly.





Another reason for the slow ride :-)
A nice, peaceful place. Makes you think your in a slowww fishing village instead of fast paced Singapore.









Next time ? Maybe a DragonBoat race! My friends went to PutraJaya in Malaysia to race as a preparation for the World Club Crew Championships to be held in Macau (watch out for that one too).

Hello World

Ever wonder what to do in Singapore? There's the national past time : mall walking... or you may consider something out of the ordinary like trail running :-) Anyway, I've been here for the past 16 years now. Going to the malls quickly became boring, especially when all the malls have the same store like Giordano, Bossini, etc.

I've tried rollerblading, rollerhockey, RC car racing (now that was fun! it took me 10 years before I got bored :-), football (got me through a year... that is until my knees gave way and I had to go for knee surgery), lately I have been doing Dragonboat paddling, Outrigger canoe paddling and mountain biking...

So! What do I show you today? Nope, not pictures of the flashfloods in Orchard Rd! Not the step by step Pro build of that gorgeous Tamiya FF03 I have been dreaming of (http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/58463ff03pro/index.htm). For today, I'll show some pics I took while cycling around the city.

Fort Canning! I normally cycle here at night... quite creepy here when it's dark. This used to be British fort that was used during WW2 ...

One of the any cannons in Fort Canning. This cannon is actually pointing to ... Dhoby Ghaut (i think)
















Singapore skyline ....









I don't know the name of this place... It's beyond Clark Quay that's for sure. You just follow the PCN from Boat Quay, Clark Quay until you reach here.... the PCN 'ends' at River Valley ... but picks right up around Margaret Drive...















My favorite pic :-) Boat Quay

Well, that's all folks! I had to start from somewhere. I hope this initial post didn't suck as much as I thought it did :-)

I'll be covering varied topics in the future... I've taken pictures of my new Timberland trail running shoe. It's just that I haven't tested it at McRitchie Reservoir yet. So tune in for that one.

There might also be pics of old RC cars.. that is until I buy that FF03 I mentioned at the start.

There will be lots of pics of Dragonboat races, OC races, Mountain bike races and normal weekend trail rides... but I promise I will keep pics of people you don't know to a minimum :-)

See ya!