#255 - Saturday

 

 

Cycling

 

Last Sunday I was at the Mandai end of T15 and

I was lying on my back looking under this coconut tree

and I heard these people saying that they are going to

Hungary to go Mountain Biking. Wow! Hungary?!

So this guy described what they will be doing in Hungary

 to this other guy. First day would be relaxed and would

involve wine tasting, second day would be a bit harder

and third day would be the toughest day... and since they

will be there for more than three days, the 4th day will again

be an easy day, so on so forth. ... and so while I have

my eyes closed, they were talking about mountain biking

in Canada and Kathmandu and Lhasa ... and I was thinking

wow these guys are loaded! Not just that. They seem to have

lots of vacation leaves at their offices ... and they're sooo

adventurous! I bet they don't miss going to Woodcutter

and Butterfly Trails!

 

Anyway, while other people are going to exotic places,

my friends and I have joined the Millipede XC Jamboree.

See the flyer above.

 

... and since, I am supposed to go for a 45km jamboree, I

told myself I better go and do some longer rides. I called my

friend Tabs as she has been doing long rides lately and asked

her to plot a route for us.

 

The route started with the usual cycle to Mandai via Upper

Thomson. The only thing was we were sooo early. I think we

reached the Mandai entrance to T15 before 8AM. We went

in to T15, did 1 lap and went out via Mandai again. We turned

left to Mandai and went straight to Woodlands. I can't remember

the route clearly as my mind is clearly oxygen deprived from

too much pedalling. I just know we passed Kranji, Neo Tiew,

Lim Chu Kang, Boon Lay, Jurong Town Hall, West Coast,

and finally went up to Henderson. All in all I did around

81km. My friend lives near Paya Lebar and most probably

she would have easily done 90+km.

 

 

 

We parted ways at Moulmein Road and I asked her

if she would still like to go to the trails tomorrow (Sunday).

... and both of us agreed that if our legs don't hurt too much

then we'll decide.

 

Technically, I found this last Friday (not Saturday). But

isn't that nice? Not all bikeshops have chamois cream and

here is a well-known brand and I found it in ... Guardian!

... and yes, that is the price there. It is 19.90 for a tub.

 

I used this on that 80km ride that I just described and I

was just using a triathlon bike short (lesser padding).

My nether regions did not make a single complaint :-)

Udderly Smooth is very much recommended!

 

DragonBoat

 

The Spanish Armada Race Crew - photo from Spanish Armada
Group page in Facebook

 

The team I currently paddle with, Spanish Armada have

joined the annual 10Km Challenge which is traditionally

organized by the AustCham DB Team.

 

Everybody was happy because it seems that they have shown

much improvement on this 2012 version of the 10Km race.

The Spanish Armada has water training on Saturdays and

Sundays and their Wednesday Land Training in Botanic

Gardens is very well attended.

Finals results of the 10Km race. Spanish Armada @ #12
and my friends at Mountbatten took the Gold - photo from
Spanish Armada Group page in Facebook

 

My friends from Mountbatten/SPC brandishing their newest
Gold Medals ... by the way, these girls are World Champions
in the Women's Boat DB hence they make it look so easy.

... and of course, my friends from Mountbatten/SPC were

clearly the favorites to win the 10Km race and they did not

disappoint :-) hehehehe sometimes I miss being in a winning

boat ... but SPC's training schedule is really hectic and ....
I can't just leave Mountain Biking :)

 

 

 



#254 - Tidbits

I think it started immediately after the last race. Everyone just

got soooo lazy after that. Nobody wanted to go for any long rides

and even now ... when there's a race coming up on the 16th of Sept,

nobody still wants to go for long rides.

So, in short, nothing much happening in the MTB front. Hence

the silence in this blog. My group finally got our own jersey designed,

by the way. See first picture above. I also got a matching helmet from

Kali Protectives. I bought it at "A Motorcykel Area" 

which is very near Whampoa Market.



Although the group that I cycle with have become

lazy, we still go for shorter trail rides though. Both

day and night trail rides.

But ... what actually prompted me to write this post

is that while I'm being lazy on the cycling front, two of

my past hobbies have started calling me again!

The first is DragonBoat paddling ... I don't think I can

commit to the racing schedule of Singapore Paddle Club

and so I decided to join the Spanish Armada DB Club.

They are more relaxed and I think their practice sessions

will greatly complement my cycling sessions.



 The second hobby and my most expensive hobby ever

is RC Car racing. Deck has been bitten by the bug and you

can tell that he has been bitten badly because he just bought

a Sanwa M11 Radio Controller. See pic below. It looks

like it can control a space shuttle launch. Unlike my

Sanwa M8, this is no longer an FM radio. It is using

2.4 GHz bandwidth and you actually bind it to the

receiver as if you are binding a wireless headset

to your cell phone. 

Apparently, the 'in' thing now is 2WD buggy racing.

Deck's car has been ordered... while I on the other

hand rummaged through my store room and found out

that I actually own two 2WD buggies !

The first (and newer of the two) buggy is an Associated

Factory Team B4. I bought this buggy in the early

2000's. I remember that this buggy had carbon composite

everything. You name a part that can not be made from

Titanium or Aluminum then it will definitely be Carbon

Composite. Now here is the thing. I chose this version of

this buggy because of the Carbon Composite thing. The lower

version 'only' had plastic parts. Everybody who was 

'knowledgeable' in RC last time said that this Carbon Composite

material is good because it is LIGHT and STIFF (hehehe

much like bicycles). THEN later on people started complaining

that being light and stiff, only the factory drivers have the

talent to control this buggy! The lesser mortals will find

this buggy to be a handful AND SO the solution is to

UPGRADE the Carbon Composite Chassis so that it will

have a little 'give'.... Can you guess what is the upgrade?

Hehehehe yes, the upgrade is you have to buy the chassis

of the cheaper version of the buggy.

So in short, if you bought the cheaper version, you

would have been ok.  

The second buggy is the Schumacher Fireblad EVO.

While the American manufacturers Losi and Associated

have all given the nod to molded composite chassis, European

manufacturer Schumacher have always had a thing for

fiber glass/carbon plates much like the

normal Touring Cars today.

I bought this car because I have always wanted to

'drive' a Schumacher. I have always found these cars

to be sooo exotic. According to local folklore, these

cars used to be common in Singapore in the early 90's.

But when the buggy fad faded away, Schumacher

faded away with it never to come back.

So! I drove this car for ten battery packs (less than 1 hour?)

and after that, I took out the electronics and then put moth balls

and kept the car. But I remember that driving this car was

a lot more rewarding than the Associated....

Maybe I should get the 2013 version of this buggy ?

That is if Schumacher is still operating :-(



#253 - DragonBoat

One for my InstaGram

Guess who's the noobie :-)

The left side of the boat showing some charm

This is the new pontoon for kayaks. Those 2 guys serve as
the anchor.

After Saturday Trail Ride last weekend I joined my group

for the (usual) after ride drink(ing spree). So after a few bottles

of beer I learned a few things :

1. We were drinking because it was Neil's last trail ride

with us. Good luck to all your future endeavors, Neil!

2. Gambling in wakes in the Philippines is a

really lucrative business.

3. IronMan Randy runs 10-20km in the afternoons after

our usual 50km trail rides in the morning.

4. Fast Pao has taken up running ??!?!?!

5. and I was reminded that another friend, Efren,

swims as a form of cross training.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Those were alarm bells ringing

in my head! So! My friends are all having some sort of cross

training without telling me! It took them 5 rounds of beer

before they spilled out everything.

... and so, Podium Louie and Tabs put to action this thing

we had in our minds for the past 3 weeks. Tabs called a friend

of a friend belonging to the DragonBoat group Spanish Armada.

She said we were total newbies BUT we are fast learners hehehe.

Our contact told us to show up at the Kallang DB place at 8:45am.

... and so the night before, I smsed Podium Louie (who's a real newbie)

of what to wear so she'll be comfortable for 2 hours in the boat.

Next morning ... she showed up looking like the picture above ...

and she forgot her water bottle ... it doesn't look good for her hehehe.

Anyway, after a few minutes of basic introduction to paddling,

we were off. Tabs and Podium Louie were put in the back part

of the boat and I was put in the front right side of the boat.

After a while, the coach/steer told Tabs to go to the front of the

boat, beside me because the guy in the white cap (AKA me!) needs

some instructions LOL. So she went beside me and both of us

were giggling at the thought of her teaching me paddling :-)

Anyway, we were off again and this time the coach apparently

thinks I have grown by leaps and bounds paddling wise. He asked

Tabs and I if we were married as we look good paddling together.

.... followed by more giggling on our part. We said I am just a

very fast learner.

So, after the two hour session, I asked Podium Louie if

she's coming back. She said instead of her core hurting from

the exercise, it's her butt that hurts! Come on! I'm sure the first

time anyone cycled, it wasn't the legs that hurt but the butt from

sitting on an unfamiliar shaped object we now call a saddle !

Me? I think as long as this DB thing is relegated to Sundays

and nobody asks me to race, I think I should be ok joining the

Spanish Armada... and yes, my wife 'okayed' the quarterly fees :)

#252 - Kent Ridge

This about sums up the reputation of Kent Ridge MTB Trail.

Me! Running to attend DH class

DH Masters Arnold and Eric conducting the DH Class.
Note Arnold is wearing a neck brace. That's why when he
says it's easy to do, I didn't believe him LOL.

One of the DH boys of PadyakPinoy trying to convince us
that it was easy to do just as long as you follow what the
Instructors said.

Podium Louie on Sunday. Monday in the office and she was
still beating herself up saying "Why didn't I ride the tech sections?"

Sam the Mailman, one of the instructors for the XC Class.

Master Bobot, the other instructor for the XC Class 

Four years! That is how long I managed to dodge all the

ride invites to Kent Ridge! But now that all the nice trails

are closed, I don't have any more excuses not to go to Kent

Ridge... and so last week my friends sent out invites that said

something like "We can do the same old thing at Bukit Timah

or we can join the guys at PadyakPinoy for a lap or two in Kent

Ridge." So, if you were to get that kind of invite, what would you

have done? Yes! Show up at Velocity at 8AM without any sort

of armor, pull your group on the roads up to ridiculously

steep Vigilante Drive and declare that you are ready to go

in to Kent Ridge MTB Trail just as soon as you finish your

Hammer Gel. 

Hehehehe, of course, good thing that the PadyakPinoy

guys were there and so we exchanged a few Hi's and Hello's

before we eventually went in to the trail. That gave me

ample time to catch my breath from climbing Vigilante

Drive. Anyway, just before we went in, Sam the Mailman

and Master Bobot graciously offered to give us the guided

tour of the trails to lessen the casualties, as they put it.

Gulp ... what have I done?!

Also at the carpark, I noticed many familiar faces

on familiar big, burly bikes. I think they found me familiar

also as we all exchanged smiles, nods and greetings of

'Ah ha! So you are all here now?!  :-)' 

... and so we went inside the trail ... and it was indeed

narrow and twisty and rooty and all sorts of devilry are

there ... but hey, it was not as bad as I imagined it to be.

Then there was a traffic jam inside and all of us were told

to get off our bikes. Sam and Bobot then mentioned that

we should be aware that there is this killer DH part in

Kent Ridge. They told us that the moment we see this

sign saying 'steep dropoff', we have two choices, one :

grow some big balls there and then, or two : get off your

bike and walk. So being firm believers of the saying :

he who fights and runs away, will fight again another day,

we all got off our bikes and Sam and Bobot showed us

the trail ahead. What can I say? Never mind if it is just

steep, but you need to be mindful of trees and navigate

bends as well. So walking is a good thing.

At the bottom of the DH Section, Arnold and Eric were

giving tips to some DH riders on what to do when faced

with those kinds of conditions and when they saw us coming,

they all went up and showed us the line that XC bikes should

use. They also showed us how to brake and lastly, they showed

us the correct body position when going down. The sermon

errr I mean lesson was followed by two demo runs from Rico

who I didn't recognize as he was in full battle gear and also

another DH rider from PadyakPinoy who I didn't get the name.

After the demo runs, Arnold and Eric were asking who wants

to try the section on an XC bike ... uhhhhh ... I believe those two

are right but I can't get over the fact that Arnold was wearing

a neck brace ... and so I said : not me! I'm walking. Hehehe.

After the demo, we completed one lap of the trail only

to find out that since there were many DH boys practicing,

we can't complete the last climb which was actually the downhill

section for the DH boys. Sam and Bobot told us we will have

to climb Vigilante Drive AGAIN! Haaahhhh????!!! They

calmed us by assuring us that climbing Vigilante Drive is a

lot easier than climbing the DH Section ... and so with tears

in my eyes, I winched myself up Vigilante Drive and

plonked my ass in the grass at the carpark.

Everybody finally came up the carpark and then Sam said

'Ok, that's Lap 1....' arrgggghhhh. So after a few minutes of rest

we went in again and this time, it was much much smoother.

... and then disaster struck ... I mean my friends were all

endoing all over the place but this time it was more serious.

One of our lady riders missed one of the wooden bridges

and fell into a drain. She had a fractured elbow and she had

a cut on the chin which required stitches (seven stitches in fact).

 We all got out of the trail via Evacuation Point B and Arnold

fashioned a splint out of a tree branch and lots of arm warmers.

Rico came with his pickup truck and rushed Cheryl to the hospital.

All of us went to have lunch and eventually, Rico and Sam

came back and joined us giving us some early news of how

Cheryl was. That made for a more subdued lunch.

 

Conclusion

If we don't count the fact that one of my friends had a

fracture at Kent Ridge, I would say I actually enjoyed the

trail. I would like to come back ... and I will actually be back

but next time, I need to 'respect' the trail. What I mean is I'll

be back with proper equipment (knee, shin, elbow pads) and

I'll be using my Reign... it should be 'safer' than my XC bikes.

Also, I am one of the 'lurkers' at SG TAP groups in FB and

I would like to say thanks to the groups and individuals who

maintain the Kent Ridge Trail. My friends who had been there

before told me that that place was a lot cleaner and safer than

before... I do see people cleaning up the place and posting the

before and after pics in Facebook ... so once again, Thanks for

your hardwork and I promise to do my part in maintaining the

cleanliness of the place.

Edit

How could I forget?!?! I'd like to say a big Thank You to Sam
and Bobot for the guided tour of the trail. It surely helped that
two of the most 'decorated' XC riders in PadyakPinoy were the
ones who were guiding us in Kent Ridge. They went around with
pumps in hand and individually checked our front and rear tires.
Those two have raced (and won?) in Kent Ridge so they know
the exact PSI that would generate enough traction and yet not
wallow in the dips and ruts. If a tire is deemed too soft, they pump
in some air, if the tire is deemed too hard, they let out some air.
... and they were taking our riding abilities and weights when they
were doing this! Lastly, for my case, they told me to loosen my
SPDs as they noticed I was having a hard time disengaging.
Small things, really, but it made my first time there more
enjoyable and safer.

Next on the Thank You list are the two DH instructors :
Arnold and Eric. Again, who else better to learn from but
these two who have raced (and won?) here? I believe the
things that they have said in 'class' applies not just in KR
in particulat but it should enhance my riding in general.
I will always remember : keep your torso stationary... THEN
throw your bike in front of you! hehehehe

Lastly, of course, Mechanic John of Hup Leong for supplying
the expertise in making sure that all of us are running
smoothly like clockwork.

So, last Sunday, all I had to do was pedal. The trails were
clean, my bike is running smoothly, my set up was spot on
and I had coaching. I felt like I was Absalon hehehehe :-)

 

#251 - Brand-X Hardtail II Triple Butted 7000 Frame

My seatpost is Titanium. That should help in color comparison.

I turned up with the above frame for my normal Saturday

ride and my friend Deck said : You bought a Titanium frame?!

On the way home and we met Bal and Podium Louie hiking

in Bukit Timah and they said : You bought a Titanium frame?!

So, although CRC assured me that what I am buying is a

grey colored frame, in real life, the color of the Brand X HT II

Triple Butted 7000 frame is actually nearer to Titanium color.

You can look at the picture above and compare the color of

the frame to my seatpost which is actually Titanium.

Ever since I started going to these Jamborees in Malaysia,

I have been going over to Togoparts and ChainReactionCycles.com

every night. I'm trying to get a hardtail frame that won't break

the bank. You might ask why, since I already have a Jamis

HT. The thing is my Jamis HT is 17" C-T. I stand 1.70m barefoot.

Most of the sizing charts that I see says that I should be fine

with a Medium frame (17" ?). But seeing all the pros in youtube

and even our local racers in Sg, I think I should be better served

by a smaller frame. Hence the burning desire to get a 16" HT frame.

... But I don't have the budget for a Ti or Carbon frame (as always)

and so I had to settle for an aluminum frame. If I could get a

second hand (cheaper!)  frame from Togoparts.com then

that would be the ideal scenario.

However, CRC has been selling this Brand-X XC HT 7000

frame for just 174SGD (depending on the prevailing exchange rate)

and so I put that frame on my basket.... and when I was finally

ready to order ... yup, I was too slow again, the size 16" was

already out of stock. I grumbled to my wife and she asked if

there is another alternative? Of course, there is! Enter the

2nd version of the Brand-X XC HT frame.

You may ask what is 'new' to the second generation of Brand-X

XC HT frame ... and I don't know the answer. I just know that

the first version comes in three colors (black, silver and blue)

whereas the 2nd version only comes in grey. The nice thing

though is that the reviewers of the first version all said that the

paint on their frames, chipped easily. In the second version

nobody seems to complain about the paint ... must have been

solved by then? ... and so, with that in mind, I paid around

250SGD for the frame and conveniently forgot about it so that

I won't go crazy waiting for the package to arrive.

But I didn't even have to wait long! I ordered on a Wednesday

and the next Monday the package was delivered at home. My

wife smsed me saying she thinks there is something wrong

with my order ... apparently, the box is so big and yet whatever

is inside is soooooo light. I said there's nothing wrong hehehe

in fact everything is perfect nyahahahahaha!!!

So when I got home, the first thing I did after opening

the package was to weigh the frame. My frame is 16" C-T

and it weighed exactly 1.6kg. After that, I took out the

bosses for the v-brakes but I didn't bother weighing them

as they seem inconsequential.

The next day, I went to TEF @Novena and asked Wilson

to put in an Aerozine headset which costs 50SGD and bought

a set of Clarks shifter cables (everything you need is inside,

cables, housing, etc.) for 30SGD. I then went back home and

proceeded to transfer all the stuff from my Jamis to the Brand-X

frame. After just 1 hour ... tadaaaaa, I have a new bike :)

All the cables are on top of the top tube. CRC forgot that the
cable guide for disk brakes are for mechanical disk brakes NOT
hydraulics.

How did it ride?

Of course it was nice! It's a new bike :)

In all honesty, I can do 'more' with this new smaller

frame. It was just an inch smaller (C-T) but now I can

'get out' of the bike more so I don't get too scared whenever

the trail points down. Also, it seems a bit 'softer' than my

Jamis. Anyway, that is subjective. But was I faster on this

than my Jamis? Maybe just a bit, on the downhill parts.

Was I faster on this than on my Anthem? On the road, of

course, yes. But on the trail, I'm still faster on the Anthem

and yes, that includes the climbs. Maybe I need some more

time on this hardtail before I can bring it to Malaysia

with confidence.

Is this frame for you? If you are looking for a nice, cheap

aluminum frame that you can use on the road for your XC

training as well as cruising on fireroads then this is the

frame for you. It is relatively light and seems to be as well

made as other aluminum frames from the more well known

makers. There is no choice of color but the grey is quite nice

and understated. My only complaint is that although it is

stated that this frame has the routing for disc brakes, the

disc brakes being referred to were mechanical ones. There

are no guides for hyraulic disc brakes on the top tube of the

frame. But hey, 250SGD for a new frame and delivered

straight to my house? I think I got a very good deal.



#250 - 3rd MCC Muar Pagoh Agro Bazaar MTB Jamboree

Muar's Landmark

Street food for our dinner

Muar's streets were closed due to a parade

Nice day for a race. The sun hid all morning, there was a hint of fog
and for a while there I thought it would rain.

All smiles. Me in blue being a snob.

This is already part of the trail ... but you may be forgiven for thinking
this is a road race.

Last few meters

Exchanging war stories

All smiles. She has been in the podium for all three races that
we have joined in Malaysia. 5th here in Muar... and she donated
her winnings as beer money.

I have always heard CrestPursuit Owen mention
stories about the Muar race/jamboree ... and I have
always wondered what's so special.... and so after
having been bitten by the 'racing' bug, I trawled
through malaysiacycling.blogspot.com and saw that
THE Muar Jamboree is to be held on the 1st of July
and that entries are limited to 1,500 people only!
 
So! A vote was called and IronMan Randy, Uncle Bal
and the recently nicknamed Podium Louie were voted
as the organizers for this road trip / race. ...
errrrr actually, there was no vote. But those three
can't stand being disorganized so they volunteered
themselves hehehe.
 
Anyway, after a lot of phone calls to Malaysia,
exchanging of POSB accounts and reminders that of all
the fruits in the world only bananas have a heart
(hmmm nevermind the banana part. something got
lost in translation), IronMan Randy managed to get
all 19 of us registered in the race, Podium Louie
managed to get us a 3 star hotel for just 12SGD per
head and Uncle Bal managed to get a very very nice
bus for us and our bikes... complete with a very
accomodating driver.
 
We left Singapore on Saturday morning and since
the bus ride is 2 hours plus, we asked the driver
to bring us someplace where we can have lunch...
and so we had a five-course lunch at Yong Peng :-)
... not just that, before we went to the hotel, the
driver asked us if we would like to see the race
start site. We said yes and he drove us to the race
start.. and found lots of people being busy preparing
the grounds for the race tomorrow.
 
Once we reached the RiverView Hotel, we just dumped
our stuff and bikes in our rooms and off we went to
explore Muar. There seems to be a festival going on
as some of the streets were closed. We can walk in the
middle of the streets and there was even a parade in
the late afternoon. It was a nice, laid back place.
The only problem was the language barrier ... the
hawkers can't speak English. Good thing that between
me knowing how to count in chinese and Rico's meagre
knowledge of Malay, we were able to order drinks.
  
Hehehehe of course, quote of the day belongs to Sugar
Rush Rey... or is it the hawker serving us?
It goes something like this :
hawker : what do you want to drink (in Malay)
Efren : Asahi Beer
hawker : ok
Me : Coke
hawker : ok
StairRider Deck : Carlsberg
hawker : ok
Sugar Rush Rey : Let me think ....
hawker : Lemon Tea, ok
All of us : nyahahahahaha
  
After the drinks, we decided to go where we could just
point to the food and do less talking. Or else, we might
get inundated with Lemon Tea. So we went to this place
where there are lots of street food and had our dinner
there. After dinner, on the way to the hotel, we saw a
parade comprised of children from different schools.
  
When we got back to the hotel, some of us played billiards
and drank a few bottle of beers. Podium Louie, Brother Louie
and I went for a massage. It was lights out at around 11PM.
Our bus picked us up at around 7AM and we thought that we
will be the first ones in the race site. But when we got there,
it seems all the racers were already there! We quickly got
our race numbers and proceeded to go to the race start gate
where we had to wait for 45 minutes because the race start
is exactly at 8:30AM.
  
I wasn't in a talking mood most mornings and this morning
is one of those. That's because I didn't sleep properly
due to one of my roommates snoring so loudly. My roommates
are Uncle Bal and Podium Louie. Guess who is the loud snorer :-)
  

Start to CP1

We were all let go at exactly 8:30AM and everybody proceeded
to go all out since the first 8km was road. We were on a slight
downhill and everybody was pedalling furiously and passing me
left and right. I looked at my CatEye and was surprised that
lots of people were passing me when I was going at 47kph!
(Later on my friends said they were going at 50+kph)
Hmmmm there are lots of people and it is very clear that not
everyone were expert cyclists. I got nervous and feathered
my brakes until I got to 42kph. I told myself there will surely
be an accident here... and true enough, just before we went
into the trail, on the left, lots of volunteers were assisting
some one who obviously took a spill. I hope that guy is ok.
... and while I was doing my mindless pedalling technique,
Brother Louie and AirTime Mark passed me.
  
From the trail head to CP1 was just rolling terrain. I reached
CP1 and found Ronald and his nephew, Brother Louie and Airtime
Mark and Podium Louie. All of them took off quickly and last
to take off was Podium Louie followed by me.
Last thing I heard from the organizers were : 'go slowly,
singletrack ahead!!'

CP1 to CP2
The singletrack reminded me of Scorpion Trail (sniff sniff).
But this one is a long and dry Scorpion Trail. Anyway, if you
can clear Butterfly Trail, then this piece of singletrack is
very easy for you. All this time, I can still see my friends
in front of me.

After we exited the singletrack, I managed to pass Podium
Louie and I told her that we should go and chase the rest...
... and then I saw it.

It's THE climb. But at that time I didn't know it since I
can't see the end of it. Podium Louie and I started slogging
using our granny gears. While pedalling, I can still see some
of our friends disappear on the top (I thought it was already the top)
of the climb.... and then a light bulb flashed in my head and
I got off my bike and I started to run and push my bike.
I thought when I get to the top, my heart rate will be lower
than if I spin on my granny gears.... but when I got to the
'top' I saw that the climb continued on to the right. But there
was no way to get back on the bike anymore as the climb was
quite steep ... arrrgghhhh and so my strategy turned into another
stragedy. The worst part was when I thought I reached the top
(for the 2nd time), the climb continued again :(
 
Anyway, when the climb was finally over, I cycled again and
saw these two guys who were poised for a split second at the
start of what obviously looked like a downhill section (what
comes up ... must go down). I thought what's up with
these guys? It's just a downhill section. When I finally got there,
I knew why they didn't want to go down. The downhill was
steeper than the China Bowl Section in Ketam and it was very
long! Not just that! There is a cliff on the right side and
view is actually fantastic! But I remembered one of the basic
rules in cycling : you will go where you are looking. So if I keep
looking at the cliff, I will eventually go there! I semi-ignored
the cliff and went down.
 
There was another climb that is similar to the previous climb
but much shorter. I managed to clear the second climb as
I have learned my lesson already. No more 'bright ideas' from
now on.
  
After a few more rolling terrain and I got to CP2.
 
CP2 to CP3
I think this is where the mountain was taken out of this
mountain bike race. From what I remember, this stretch consisted
of paved dirt path. I managed to go behind a guy dressed in
a black Scott kit. His cadence was consistent and we were going at
28-30kph. He noticed me behind him and after a while I signalled
that I will go in front and he go draft me (in an MTB race?!?!?!).
So this arrangement went on for a while ... until the guy suddenly
threw a tantrum! He braked and he seemed to be saying "why are we
pedalling like this on a mountain bike race" or something...
So I left him and after a few more minutes I reached CP3.

CP3 to Finish Line
I think there were many of us who reached CP3 at the same time
because I remembered one of the volunteers shouting :
Roooaaaaaddddd!!!!
I swear everybody in front me of hunkered and did their best
aero tuck on a mountain bike. I managed to hang on the coat tails
of one guy in another black jersey. We were going at around 32-35kph
all thanks to him. This stretch is like the roads in Pulau Ubin.
  
The two of us passed two more guys who decided to hang on our coat
tails as well. The four of us took turns in pulling the group (on
a mountain bike race??!!) until we reached the main road. The main
road leading to the finish line was going up and so our group became
separated. In the end only I and the guy in black was left. I got
a medal saying I was 495th and I looked for my friends and plonked
my ass and refused to stand up for picture taking hehehe.
   
Historical Moment in this Race
The hands down winner for this honor... is again Sugar Rush Rey.
It goes like this :
Sugar Rush Rey (rushing to checkpoint and shouting at the top of his
lungs) : give me 100 plussssss !!!!!!!!
One of the marshalls gave him a Salonpas (LOL)
Sugar Rush Rey then decided 100+? salonpas? sounds the same?
So he went and sprayed the salonpas on his face. (LOL)

#249 - HardTails

We felt sooo 'lazy' on this ride that we thought we'd rather climb
a few stairs than go to the reroute to Jalan Tenaga on the way to
Tampines Trail

A very delicious Storck. I asked the owner if I could lift it
.... and I was very surprised at how light this bike is!

All five slots in the wash bay was occupied by hardtails.
The ones waiting their turn are all on hardtails as well.
Some were on 29ers, most were carbon HTs. By the way,
notice the inverted handle bar on this 29er?

Lately, I have been going to Tampines Trail on Sundays.

This particular Sunday, I saw Boom and KK there ... so that

was one carbon 29er HT and one 26 HT.... and when I reached

the gate it was then that I noticed that almost everyone there

was on a carbon HT. Also there seems to be more 29ers now.

Finally, when I was waiting my turn to clean my bike on the

wash bay, all five slots were taken up by hardtails ... and those

waiting their turn were also on hardtails. And! Only me, my

friend and another guy (on a white Merida HT) were cleaning

aluminum hardtails! Most were on hardcore carbon race bikes!

What's the big deal you say? Nothing. Just an observation.

Four years ago, when I bought my first MTB. I bought a HT

because of budget issues. Most people I meet on the trails,

be it Bukit Timah (and surrounding trails) or Tampines Trail

are using 140mm bikes. I remembered that there was even

a strong XC team that had it's members using ML8s

(remember those?).

Fast forward 4 years later, to the present. Here I am

having three FS frames at my disposal and yet I'm using my

aluminum Jamis HT in Tampines Trail :-) The thing is, now

that we can't go to the nicest trails in Singapore anymore

due to their being illegal, couple that with me and my friends

discovering the joy of attending Malaysia's jamborees, I am

seriously considering getting a carbon HT ... or a Lysnkey.

... and so, if you are seriously considering giving the sport/hobby

of mountain biking a shot, just get a simple hardtail first. Who knows,

maybe that is all you need? :-)



#248 - Bontrager RXL

I almost didn't buy this pair of shoes. My wife told me that

since my birthday was quite near, she will close one eye

when she sees the price displayed on the Point Of Sales

machine and just enter her PIN very very quickly and so

I better go and buy what I really want!

   

... but still 335SGD is very very hard to swallow for some

thing that will offer benefits that can only be felt and

not measured. So, there I was, looking at the RXL, the RL

and the Race models of the Bontrager MTB line of shoes.

After looking (really just looking) long and hard at the RXL,

I decided not to buy them and went home ..... and then

I came back the next day and bought them hehehehehe.

Above picture shows the crux of the matter. The sole is

made up of carbon fiber. I mean the whole sole is carbon

fiber, not just the itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie 'window' where

you attach the cleats. Due to this construction, the shoe

is sooo stiff ... and it is sooo light that I am shedding tears

of joy whenever I am wearing them while climbing

Personal Challenge.

   

Note the 2 screws that are in place of the two 'cobra fangs'

or football studs. 2 pairs of football studs came with the

shoes as well as a tool to screw and unscrew said football

studs. However, I used them in KulaiJaya and I lost one

of them (remember to use Loctite!!). So instead of

going around with a pair and a half of football studs,

I decided to take them out and just use screws instead.

Anyway, I'll try and see if there are any spare football

studs in any of the T3/Treknology branches.

   

Also, if you could just go back to the first picture?

Notice that the buckle has these 2 black buttons? You

can't miss is it. The buckle is silver and the buttons are

black. Pressing the two black buttons simultaneously

will totally release the strap ... pressing just one button

will adjust the strap tension a little at a time. Neat eh!?  

Now, refer to the red arrow in the photo above.

The red arrow is pointing to a metal band that I always

pinch before I wear these shoes. What it does is it 'narrows'

the part that touches my Achilles tendon. As you wear the

shoe, the back part then conforms to your Achilles tendon

leaving you with a really snug feeling ... ahhhh the devil

is in the details. Not just that! See the silvery cloth material

that will come into contact with your socks? Even that

material has a function! Your socks will slide down

perfectly when you are wearing these shoes. BUT in the

opposite direction, the material feels like velcro!

what this means is you will not encounter any

'resistance' when wearing these shoes BUT when you

are pedalling, this material is 'fighting' the tendency

of your heel to 'lift' your foot out of the shoe!

Very nice (thumbs up like Borat)!

    

Now, see the Aqua arrow? That arrow is pointing to

a vent protected by a mesh ... looks like it was taken

from a Maserati :)

  

Lastly, the insert that came with the shoes can

be baked and it will then conform to your feet! The

instructions came in the box ... but I'm lazy ... and

who really does these things? Maybe there will come

a day when I will appreciate these baked shoes/shoe

parts ... but for now ....

     

...and ok, I hear you, how does it 'ride' you say?

As I said at the beginning, there is no way to measure this

... maybe unless I buy a Power Meter? But I don't have

a Power Meter and I don't know if any of my Roadie

friends have one also. But the difference is very obvious!

Climbing is easier. Power transfer is very good as there

is less energy wasted on flex.

   

Now, I've professed my love for my new shoes, I would

just like to say that for me, shoes like these really make

XC a lot more enjoyable. Notice that I am not just singling

the Bontrager RXL. I believe you will not go wrong with the

top of the line Shimano, yellow Mavic Furies or SIDI Dragons.

The only consideration is how much money would you

be willing to part with to take advantage of these racing tools.

... ok, next post I'll be telling you about some thing that

I've noticed lately ...