Build Your MTB

I answered a question on Quora a couple of weeks ago, fresh from (re)building the XTC to be used by my neighbour for an upcoming short local ride.

For me, part of the joy in mountain biking is building the bike itself. From getting the parts right through to the actual assembly. I savour every moment. Except the hand cleaning at the end of each session.

Much of my knowledge about MTB assembly is from a good friend, BC Kelolo. I reached out to him before setting off on my first of many, many adventures and he unreservedly gave me good advices and tips. Over the years, I accumulated some more through my own readings, research, discussion with fellow riders and numerous trips to LBSes.

MTB evolves at a dizzying rate. I personally can't keep up with most of the tech (innovative or equally useless). Unfortunately due to this, there is a very steep learning curve if you're to dip your toe in building/assembling your MTB. So I only keep track with the ones that are particularly suited for my riding, $ and whatever I can easily source locally. There are one or two things that caught my attention, usually those which are practical and interesting to be tried out. And if my wallet could agree with them.

Many good riders I know are also good bike mechanics. The reverse may not be true, though. Anyways, knowing at least the basics about your machine would be good for you as a rider. Trust me on this.

Related links:
My answer on Quora - How do I build a mountain bike, from just the frame all the way to the trail?
Modern MTB - Spoilt for Choice
BC Kelolo's Anatomi Sebuah Basikal Gunung
My first adventure

28.04.2016 Solo Mini Tour: Seremban - Sungai Pelek - Seremban

If Plan A is a no-go, proceed with Plan B. Else, proceed with Plan C.

Lemonade with extra pressing sort of thing.

the view of Sungai Sepang on board the ferry. On the right is Selangor, Negeri Sembilan on the left

I took an annual leave on a Thursday and was ready to spend that day for a Masterclass wheelbuilding session. As Murphy's Law kicked in, at midnight I was informed that it has to be postponed (yes, not cancelled. Yeay!).

I was already in no mood to go to work, so I consoled myself to resort to Plan B i.e. a 42km mini tour from Sungai Pelek to Seremban via Lukut and Siliau. To get to Sungai Pelek, I'll be taking the bus from Terminal 1 in Seremban (cycling to T1 from home).

original route:

https://goo.gl/maps/GmQevSa98Y52

I took my sweet time prepping the bike after the rest of the family went out for school. For the first time I tested the bike bag that I had bought last year after the Labis to Seremban short tour. All okay, I set out to Terminal 1 at 9.00 am from home.

I reached T1 and went straight to the ticket counter to ask for the bus schedule to Sungai Pelek. I was told that there is none. 

*blank*

Duhh... how uncharacteristic of me to not check for sure beforehand for such an important detail.

breakfast stop at Jalan Labu

Well, there's an impromptu Plan C, which is a bit crazy and unthinkable. Some sort of a gamble, but still doable. I think. While slowly pedaling out towards Jalan Labu, I thought 'hey, I've never been on Jalan Labu. This would be an adventure'. An adventure indeed. And I'm glad I did.

The very reason for the original mini tour is to get on board the infamous short ferry cruise crossing Sungai Sepang, the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. That's the essence of it. And it is a very, very short ride. Not much of a drama, actually. So now the route has been extended extensively, I'm getting into the 'it's the journey that matters' state of mind.

The original route would have me pedaling about 42km, and with the additional adventure of about 60km (per Strava), the total is substantially extended to about 100km. Perhaps the longest I've ever pedaled in a day!

Not much preparation was made except on the bike that morning. A simple pack-up-and-go ride. Not even a proper breakfast (remind me not to do that again next time).

At 10:00-ish, I was on Jalan Labu and stopped for breakfast as soon as I spotted an eatery. After a plate of fried rice and iced tea (my current favourite drink), I continued on and headed towards Nilai on the spanking new road of Ainsdale after getting underneath the PLUS highway. It was already hot, but not to the point of getting exhausted and dehydrated. It was an okay kind of hot.

biggest pumpkin seen the whole day

Aunty Aini's near Nilai

Jalan Labu (route 362) towards SMAPL is a nice route. Perhaps due to a weekday morning, there were not many vehicles but still there were quite a number of lorries every now and then. At a T-junction, I veered right towards Nilai (N38) and carried on until I came at another T-junction where I turned left towards Sepang on route N28. Not far from Kedai Basikal Lasak Nilai, I stopped at a fruit stall for replenishing lost minerals. A cup of cold (diluted) coconut water did some work, and I moved on.

not in Thailand

I reached Salak and turned left at a T-junction towards Sepang on route B48. By that time there were many vehicles on the road as it was already nearing lunch time. I reached Sepang town at about noon and stopped for another cup of coconut water. I gave a call to Pak Ngah of DETC Bike Kitchen at Sg Pelek, asking if I could come around and say hi. Unbeknownst to me, I thought that Sg Pelek is not far from Sepang. It is actually about 12km. Seems a short distance by car. Hehe.

nearing Sungai Pelek town

Just a little after 1:00 pm, I was already there and greeted by Pak Ngah's warm smile as always, and a few of his bikes on the ground of his backyard. Immediately he offered me a seat at the Bike Kitchen and he went inside his house. A couple of minutes later he had a jugful of cold sirap selasih on a tray for us. This was followed by two bowls of cold sagu dessert. Delicious is an understatement.

with Pak Ngah at DETC Bike Kitchen

I have always admired Pak Ngah's generosity, be it in his sharing stories or knowledge or even the simple serving of cold drinks. Thank you, Pak Ngah. I pray that Allah would bestow upon you and family good health and wealth, and many more bikes (and fishing too).

:D

one for the road - photo by Pak Ngah Ishak

At about half past two, I made a move and went out back towards Sg Pelek town for my lunch and solat. The small town and its nice masjid was quiet at that time. The weather was hot, but not too hot that I couldn't bear to go out. A little headache, yes, but not daunting.

lunch stop at Sungai Pelek town

After solat, and with the verbal instructions from Pak Ngah on how to get to the jetty, I pedaled slowly under the hot sun. There is not a single marking on the jetty. If you knew, you knew. Judging from the situation, I guess the ferry has never stopped getting back and forth with passengers since the morning. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon on a Thursday, and I was in the ferry with two others on their motorcycles. Over at the other side there were a couple more waiting for their turn. Also there were a husband and wife with their mountain bikes, just came back from their ride in Port Dickson.

unmarked lane to the jetty

jetty on the Selangor side

ready to disembark at Negeri Sembilan

Troll on the ferry

Mel and Penny

In our short exchange, Mel told me that they moved to Sungai Pelek from their place in KL some time ago. I get acquainted with his wife Penny as well. It was a brief encounter while they embarked the ferry with their bikes; and as soon as I was about to get ready to disembark, the ferry had already made a turn to the other side.
So I stayed for another cruise to get to Negeri Sembilan and enjoyed the view of Sungai Sepang with healthy mangrove trees on either sides. Not a bad thing to have a double dose of the essence of the trip. With no extra charge.
:D

FYI

Now with the second leg of the whole thing in front of me, I started pedaling in Kampung India out to route N4 towards Chuah and moved further on to Tanah Merah. I took a right turn to route 5 to get to Lukut. Quite a  boring route and the day was getting hotter. Mel told me that Siliau is a good route, so I was really looking forward to that.

at Chuah

To be frank, I was getting a bit tired by then. What with the little headache and muscle cramp setting up, it is too easy to give up. However, I stayed dehydrated and made sure I have enough water. I stopped at a petrol station to replenish water, and get some salty chewables to aid the muscle cramp. That was in the form of Mor Far Kor. It worked, seriously. Gradually the niggling soreness died away. While the distance to Siliau got shorter, my motivation grew bigger.

At the T-junction of routes 5 and 53, I went to the left and headed to Siliau passing by Lukut town. As I get nearer to the Seremban - PD highway, the surrounding became familiar. Not boring, rather exciting. I turned into the Springhill housing estate for a change of view and hoping for lesser rolling hills. Well, there were a few but not that bad.

at Lukut towards Siliau and Seremban

Not far after exiting Bandar Springhill, I carried on riding along route 53. A quick stop just before the underpass of the Seremban - PD highway to check on my phone. It was running out of juice, so I decided to end the tracking on Strava and switched it off completely.

Very soon, I came around Siliau. And yes, the route is nice. There are many trees lining up the road. As it was already the end of the work day, the road got busier. Lorries were plenty. Buses too. I kept on pedaling steady while glancing once in a while on my side mirror assessing the traffic.

I reached Mambau, which is very familiar. My wife's late aunt's house is in Taman Kelab Tuanku. It is not far to the roundabout towards Seremban. By this time I was already feeling hungry but didn't stop for anything. The next stop would be the final point of this whole thing - home.

I passed by Hospital Tuanku Jaafar in Rahang and pedaled towards KGV. From there I went to Jalan Keliling and to Kolej MARA Seremban and got to Jalan Dato Muda Linggi (aka route 51 aka the road to Ampangan) via Jalan Penghulu Cantik. One of my favourite stretch of inner road in Seremban.

Not long after that I reached Ampangan and up the hill at Taman Bukti before concluding the 100+ km journey at 7:00 pm.

All in all, I enjoyed the ride. Simple as that. I learned a thing or two. I was on roads I haven't been on before. I finally did some things that I have wanted to do for a long time. A bonus too, for pedaling more than 100km in a day - my first. It was great.

But no, I won't do it again.
There are many more routes to be ridden on.
Kan?

Captured routes on Strava:

1. home - Terminal 1 - Sg Pelek

https://www.strava.com/activities/558874472

59.8km

2. Sg Pelek - jetty - up to Siliau (hp ran out of juice)

https://www.strava.com/activities/558968037

32.3km

Photos are in here.

Drop That Post!

Basically influenced by Dino's experience  with his manual dropper on his steel hardtail, I jumped at the opportunity to own a rather exotic dropper post offered by a friend's friend in Shah Alam. One of the best in the market though a bit dated and basic, Thomson Elite Dropper is golden (in finish too!). Anyway, due to restriction in $ and time, I delayed the purchase for a month. Luckily for me, the seller is not in an urgent sale.

I know that I don't have to think twice to own a Thomson given their reputation for quality and performance. Still, I read some reviews and watched youtube clips about it before getting my hands on this piece of top notch marvellous mechanical wonder. Simple, practical and best of all, it is maintenance free. I guess by the time I paid COD for the item its 2-year warranty period has lapsed. Not a bad thing for the price I paid, I'd say.

Primarily dropper posts are normally found (and perhaps expected) on Enduro bikes. Its weight at about 500-600 grams in a set comprising lever and cable/hose is a hindrance to have it installed on lightweight XC setups. I decided to put it on my already heavy Trance, hoping that it would add to the fun enjoying (mild) downhills.

I installed it the night before an offroad ride at Panchor. It didn't take me a long time to install (it's still a seatpost). I find that Thomson's simple saddle clamp design in particular makes it easy to adjust the position of the saddle - fore/aft and horizontal adjustment are dead easy.

there's still enough room for a bell,
but my thumb won't be able to reach it :)

However, my handlebar is now a bit cluttered with clamps at both ends; 4 on each - grip, brake, shifter and remote lever. There are 4 cables and 2 hoses sprouting out from the handlebar now, which is quite an overwhelming sight if I really look at it. Anyway, I wouldn't be bothered with it for now unless I want to revamp the whole drivetrain/brake/fork system as my next expensive tinkering/upgrade while getting the overall weight down a bit.

For now, call me Captain Handlebar.

A simple test ride around the neighbourhood past midnight after the installation was quite good. I love how the lever works. Press it down, and with my body weight the post drops all 125mm down in a smooth fashion. Press it again and the dropper goes up at a rate which is quite gentle to the bum (and balls). Depending on the rate of how the lever is pressed, the rate of the dropper going back up can be controlled. That means if I want to have it partially up, I just have to press down the lever up to a point where I needed the post to be. Simple and practical.

simple remote lever

Alas, there is one more item added on the handlebar, and one more decision to make on the trails now. Do I need to bring the post down? Should I bring the post back up? People who are using single chainring are now claiming that they are having one less burden of thinking about the front shifter (as well as the weight benefit). My Trance setup currently has everything. Triple front shifter, remote lockout for the fork, remote lever for the dropper seatpost, brakes and 10-speed rear shifter. I purposely didn't install a cyclometer on Trance to keep it as a fun bike. No need to bother myself on the ride data and such; rather relegated it to Strava on my smartphone (if it works correctly).

busy cockpit

Having the service of the dropper post on an offroad descend is a bliss. It is simply awesome. I am now talking about the dropper post in general. The benefits are as mentioned by Dino i.e. better control of the handlebar and the bike in general while descending. In order to lower my center of gravity during steep/technical downhill, I don't have to bring my butt to the back past the seatpost as much. This reduces arm stretch. Hence, reduced fatigue as well as having better play of the elbows. There is now a 125mm clearance on my bum to negotiate the bumps while descending so no worries on the saddle hitting my rump. The result: I could go faster. And I did, I think. That certainly brought more fun to the already fun Trance. Worth the dough and the weight penalty.

Now, about the weight...

Hmm...

Thanks for dropping by.

Enjoy your rides!

01.02.2016: Ulu Bendul II with Yad and Pak Din

I let go to Yad several bike parts and a pair of used Cross Ride some time ago. He planned to come over my place to remove the cassette from his current wheelset and install it to the new one, and collect a pair of shifter mounts that I had kept for him.

I thought that it would be worthwhile to go for a ride as well, and I threw the idea of going up to Jeram Toi (via Bukit Tangga of course!) and have a simple breakfast picnic. Much like we did when we went to Hutan Lipur Lenggeng last time.

slowly uphill all the way

Well, the plan didn't materialise as Yad thought we were only going to Ulu Bendul like we did before. It is still a ride nonetheless, while being a familiar one and less taxing. So we went, together with Pak Din, being his maiden ride this side of Negeri Sembilan - on a burly bike. We took the Bukit Putus old road and steadily climb up the gentle gradient like we did before.

near the peak at Bukit Putus old road

This time at Ulu Bendul we went a little bit further up than our previous spot. We had our simple breakfast while our feet soaked in the cool water and butts resting on the rocks. Spent about half an hour of cooling our bodies in the river, and off we went back to my place.

...and stop by at a stall for a round of Rojak and Cendol.

;)

Simple pleasures. Alhamdulillah.

As for Jeram Toi and Bukit Tangga, that'll be another trip at another time insyaAllah. Looking forward for that.

More photos in here (facebook album).

Thanks for coming by.

Enjoy your rides.

Appendix:

En route to Ulu Bendul we saw this big relic by the roadside at a shop. We spent quite some time pondering over to satisfy our inquisitive and appreciative minds for mech things. A simple research later I learned that it is a Traction Engine (aka Steam Tractor) built by Richard Garrett & Sons of Leiston, Suffolk, in England.

Richard Garrett & Sons:

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Richard_Garrett_and_Sons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Garrett_%26_Sons#Traction_engines

Some beautifully restored RG&S machines:

http://www.steam-up.co.uk/garrett/garrett.htm

This one is similar to the one that we saw:

http://www.steam-up.co.uk/garrett/garrett_no1186.htm

Cycling at Tasik Perdana (and its surrounding)

There are many interesting places to visit in and around Tasik Perdana in KL (aka Lake Garden and now properly renamed as Taman Botani Perdana), interconnected by a network of roads. They are not busy with traffic and most importantly their surroundings are scenic, with shade from the canopy of huge trees lining up the roads. Perfect for tourists on bicycles.

Here's a list of some of the places of interest around Taman Botani Perdana:
Deer Park
Hibiscus Garden
KL Orchid Garden
KL Bird Park
Memorial Tun Abdul Razak
Planetarium
Islamic Arts Museum
KL Butterfly Park

our route - started and ended at Tugu Negara

I rode around this part of KL in June 2016 with my daughter, taking the KL By Cylcle route as the rough guide. We included a stop at Sasana Kijang's cafe and Tugu Negara in our list of places to visit. Check out the photos here in facebook album.

Give it a try. Perhaps if you do take part in the KL Car Free Morning event, you could extend your ride by taking the KL By Cycle route*. The KLCFM route usually starts and ends at DBKL Headquarters which is nearby the City Theatre (marked as number 9 in the KLBC map above).  I strongly suggest that you bring with you bicycle lock(s) should you decide to hop off your ride and go around the place of interest e.g. Planetarium, Bird Park, Deer Park, etc. There are no dedicated bike racks, so be creative to secure your bike onto something sturdy and permanent.

Have a go, and do share with me about your adventure ya.

*Check out the KL By Cycle (pamphlet in PDF)

27.12.2015: Impromptu Touring to Hutan Lipur Ulu Bendul with Yad

This is the second impromptu touring with Yad this year. The first was in April (read it here).

Yad was supposed to come by my house to fetch some bicycle items. I threw to hime a proposition as well: how about a ride up Bukit Putus via the old road and then soak in the river at Ulu Bendul?

Seems like a plan and he agreed. As he was without his bicycle in Senawang, I offered my souped up XTC for his usage. We went out a bit later than the planned 8.00 am as I had to change the XTC clipless pedals to platforms and get my bike ready as well.

riding into the sun

the road was ours

It was Yad's first ride up Bukit Putus, and my third so far. I love the route as it is not busy with traffic nowadays, has a mild gradient up and the route is lined with greenery which also providing the shade; cool and breezy along the way. The only thing that poses a problem to cyclists is the known presence of a group of dogs nearby Starfresh Agro Park. Never go up there alone. 2 is good, 3 is even better.

It is unimaginable that such a busy road during my childhood is now a deserted recreational route. It was since the new wider multi carriage highway being commissioned that the choice of route has shifted. The old road (Route 361) would actually eventually take you to a higher elevation compared to the new highway (Jalan Kuala Pilah, Route 51). At which, is the usual starting point for hiking up Gunung Angsi.

at the gantry - standard feature of
Hutan Lipur across Negeri Sembilan

Past the highest point, we went down 2 km towards Kuala Pilah and went to Taman Rekreasi Ulu Bendul. We went straight to the gantry and on tarmac we cycled up to the campsite. There was a barrier on a bridge over the river, but we went on the side with our bikes and cycled further a bit offroad.

Yad in Taman Rekreasi Ulu Bendul

We spotted a nice area with somewhat deep section of the river and some space for our bikes. It is a bit secluded so we didn't have to worry much about security. The water was cold as expected, with plenty of shade from the big trees around. It was quiet and no other people around. I think we spent some thirty minutes soaking in the water and chatted catching up with things.

down to the water

It was about 10.30 am when we got out of the water and dried ourselves out. I brought along in my PakRak a change of clothes together with the mobile changing room - the ever versatile kain pelikat. My bum has to be dry as the Troll is with leather saddle; can't get it wet.

We took an alternative route offroad out of Ulu Bendul to the main road, which bypasses the picnic area. We road a short distance uphill before stopping at the roadside to replenish my water bottle with natural water from the mountain. After continuing about 1 km uphill to the highest point on the old road, we started our descend back to Seremban. Reached home at about 11.30 am.

From Strava, the total distance from the house to Ulu Bendul was about 15 km with some 300 m elevation climb. Average speed was 25.5 km/h with max speed of 63.4 km/h (!). Well, must be something wrong with the GPS. Definitely.

Troll in the nature

dual track out to the main road

climbing up towards the old road

free water

enjoying gravity

It was nice actually to be able to do such nature rides once in a while. And it is a big bonus that such things are accessible. Simple luxury that money can't buy.

For the next one, Jeram Toi via Bukit Tangga is quite interesting. InsyaAllah.

Enjoy your rides!

Touring: Labis to Seremban - Day 3 (Part 2: Pantai Puteri to Seremban)

22.05.2015, Friday.
The ride home.

It was quite hilly to get from Pantai Puteri to Sungai Udang. I remembered from my journeys by car that it was not that far, but perhaps due to the rolling hills it took us quite some time to get there. I enjoyed very much the sight of traditional houses dotted along the main road. Much more, the ability to just stop whenever we wanted to and take a look up close of the house's general build and typical of Melaka's traditional houses - their artful main stairs.

Melaka traditional house

We went ahead to Masjid Tanah, again quite hilly at some parts. I must say that I enjoyed riding through the road nearby one picnic area very close to an army camp. There are big trees lining up the road giving shade from its canopy. Cool, shaded section.

at Masjid Tanah

easily the biggest Chapal ever

From Masjid Tanah, we went along towards Lubok China. By this time we were looking for a masjid or a surau for solat, and something to eat for lunch. Latfy saw a big Nasi Ayam sign by the roadside. I detected the word Cendol on the bunting. It's an eatery stall set up in front of a kampung house. We stopped over and parked our bikes in the house compound. The place was quite busy durint that time circa 3.00 pm, and unfortunately for us they ran out of Nasi Ayam. We had to settle for Mi Rebus instead. And cendol of course.

Latfy enjoying his cendol

I have to say that the cendol is among the best that I've ever had. The al dente green cendol with its texture (the pakcik makes them himself) and  rich coconut milk mixed with perfect amount of gula melaka make an unforgettable bowl of beverage. Granted that I was hungry and thirsty, but this one is quite special by its own right.

durians on tree by the roadside

After our simple meal, we went ahead to a masjid not far from there as guided by the locals at the eatery. I've been to that particular masjid a couple of times before this, and quite comfortable with it. Nice, clean and cool. We took our time, and went off on our way towards Negeri Sembilan at a bit more than half past four.

We reached Sungai Linggi which is the border of Negeri Sembilan and Melaka only 15 minutes after we started off from the masjid. We carried on to Linggi, reached there some half an hour later and stopped for some cold drinks. By 6.00 pm we have entered the Seremban border (still quite far from the town!).

at the states border, Sungai Linggi

brief stop at Linggi

(technically) Seremban, baby!

Not long after that we reached our next marked destination which is the small town of Rantau. It was getting dark, and we headed home via the Mambau roundabout and entered Ampangan. It was drizzling as we reached Ampangan and stopped for dinner. Rushed home for Maghrib as it was nearing Isya', and  the journey ended just like that. Latfy had to get back to Ampang that night, so he loaded his bike into his car and said goodbye with his usual wide grin.

taking a (sweet smelling) breather at Rantau

nice road heading towards Ampangan

I was grinning too, and felt elated inside. 250+ km on a bike over 3 days with a good friend. It lasted me several weeks, that happy feeling.

big boys flashing teeth

I did something that I have always wanted to do and experience. The amount of money spent was quite minimal, I'd say, but importantly the experience simply cannot be bought.

Until the next adventure...

Hope you enjoyed the details of our short touring as much as I had ridden and written.
Thanks for stopping by.

#LabisToSeremban

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