Sunday Ride

Fallen tree @trail leading to Zheng Hwa

I was on my second banana when I decided to check my 

phone for messages before I put in in its sealed bag

...and there it was. The two words that are meant to

dowse any excited adrenalin junkie with cold water.

It says : "pass ako" (as in rain check : i'll ride with you next time).

Hehehe dehydration and muscle pain also got NoLights Louie.

So I went on my Sunday Ride, as usual, alone.

My ParkTool Chain Stretch measuring tool-thing has decided

that my XT chain has stretched by approximately 1.0 something

(there's no unit, just a 0.75 and 1.0). I saw the XTR

Yumeya chain on sale @CRC for around 50$ and so, after much

explaining, my wife allowed me to purchase a few items.



I noticed lately, that I never get to the 32 teeth cog on my cassette.

By the time I get to the 32 teeth, I already resemble a clown

on a unicycle while balancing on a high wire. I think the last cog that

I find usable is the 28 teeth. Hence, I got myself a Saint 11-28

cassette.

Also, Brother Louie changed his whole groupset to XT Dynasis

and NoLights Louie and I became the recipient of an offer

that can not be resisted. I managed to get his XT RD and FD :-)

NoLights Louie got the XT Cranks, Cogs and KMC chain.

Yesterday, I went to Mike the Mechanic's place to put

my new cassette, chain, RD and FD in their correct places

and functioning properly and smoothly on my On-One Inbred.

I also got a thorough checkup which revealed one of the spacers

 on my headset to be inverted causing some wiggle

on my headset! :-O

Hehehe nothing beats having a (ex) bike mechanic as a friend!

Thanks Mike !! :-)

11-28 Cassette, Yumeya chain, XT RD and XT FD

New shoes :-)

 Today, I used my On-One Inbred with new 11-28 Cassette,

Yumeya chain, XT RD and XT FD... and all this topped

with my other purchase from CRC : 2010 Diadora X-Trail Evo MTB Shoes.

These are black and gold in colour. Not really my favourite combination

but beggars can't be choosers and for what it's worth, they

don't look hideous in person.

Toebox is quite generous and the rubber used for the 'spikes'

are quite soft. The 'tread pattern' seems to get rid of mud easily.

Also they are quite stiff which is very good as today is 'spin' day.

Lastly, my friends would testify that whenever I see some one with a

hardtail on the trails, I would say : "You know, that's my dream. To be

able to ride a HT (properly, with out a single foot dab)

in these trails of ours.".

I mean what's not to like? It's simple, it's light, plus

the looks on the faces of people you pass by when you nail a technical

downhill is priceless. Especially if said people could not do

what you did with their 140mm-160mm trail bikes!

I was washing my bike after the trail ride today when a girl

on a bike rolled in and washed her bike too. I didn't catch

a glimpse of her bike but after a while she came out a placed her

hydration bag and fox flux near where I hang my stuff.

She cleaned her bike inside ESSO and later on she came

out with it. At that point I asked permission from her if I

could take a pic of her bike. I was admiring the bike @Zheng Hua

earlier thinking I would get something like that if I hit Toto/4D.

Her bike is a titanium Titus Riddler (I think it's a Riddler).

She has Hope brakes (!!) and Agilis cranks !!! She even has those

Q Rotor chainrings!!! These chainrings are the ones shaped like an egg

(i.e they are not perfectly round). She has a new 2011 fox fork,

CK headset, etc. The stuff (my) dreams are made off!

I (as much as I possible) politely asked how much did that

dream set up cost... she replied, I gasped

and I won't repeat the sum here.

Also, she was made this observation about not

raining for quite some time and then suddenly raining in

time for the weekends making our trails muddy.

I told her, talking about mud, that we saw some wildboar tracks

in the mud yesterday. She told me those wildboars are quite harmless.

She sees those wildboars on her night rides!!!

We cycled together and parted ways at 6th Avenue.

Joni's Ti bike