20.03.2016: Spartan Race Super 2016

Sunburn, muscle soreness, skin abrasion and headache from March Equinox heat. All trumped by the high feeling of brotherhood and togetherness.

Venue: Canary Gardens, Bandar Bestari Klang.

Team NCUK.Whattt?
Capt Izham
Azwat
Azman
Hairul
Akmal
Ashraf
Zaiman

(and team Bekamer, Zakuan, on his favourite couch at home)

The seven of us, whom we had known each other back in our college days in Shah Alam formed a team for the Super leg of the Spartan Race. An eclectic mix of triathletes, marathoners, CrossFitter and other mid-life crises outlets achievers.

Izham, Hairul and myself took part as individuals in the Sprint leg October last year in different heats. In our quest towards achieving the Trifecta (finishing the Sprint, Super and Beast courses), we decided to team up and enjoined by others as well.

What's beneficial in being this team is that we got the privilege of getting in the early heat, taking advantage of Izham's early registration. Indeed, it is quite an important one as the date coincides with the year's March Equinox, set to be the hottest day of the year. The best of it all, we were reunited after more than 20 years since college, and I'd say the bond is strengthen right there along the course with brotherhood and camaraderie.

muddy barbwire crawl

The objective of this leg was met; we stayed (strolled) together from the start until the end. All the way along the 13 km trail and trenches over (and under some) 20+ obstacles.

I prepared more of my upper body strength primarily doing pull-ups, chin-ups and biceps. Basically with the aim of clearing the rope climb obstacle which I failed miserably during the Sprint event. The other obstacles requiring upper body strength are the walls. 8 ft., 10 ft. and inverted walls. Overall I did better than Sprint in general although it could be better. I cleared the walls with a little help, but perhaps with 80% of my own effort. Believe me, to get that 20% more is quite a daunting task. For that I thank my team members for their literal support.

I'm happy to report that I was only a feet away from hitting the bell on the rope climb. Didn't manage to clear the obstacle, but almost there. Miles better that not being able to even lift myself up during Sprint. Hats off to Hairul and Ashraf for their victory against the rope's bell.

I found myself in a much better shape against many of the obstacles also featured in Sprint event; in part because of familiarity, but most of it due to the time spent at the gym and around the track at Kombes Paroi. The other thing that made it much more bearable is that we didn't run all along the course. Yes, we walked. Hehe. Of course, finishing the whole course in 5 hours is nothing much to shout about. Alas, we did it. Together.

*except for maybe the last few obstacles where Hairul sprinted off to catch up with the time; he had to get back home ASAP to fetch his boys for their afternoon events.

There were a few more additional obstacles not featured in Sprint leg; among them the Tyrolean Traverse, of which I had the same fate with my rope climb. Almost hitting the bell, but my hands just could not bear the grip anymore and I gracefully fell down on my back to the smelly bed of mud. Another one in my list to be cleared off during the Beast leg later this year.

Izham's pair of Salomons gave up on him from the 3rd kilometer on the course. We had to resort to on-the-trail McGyver fix. It lasted up until the 12th km, which is not bad at all. We went in the muddy trails, over numerous trenches and through the course obstacles, stopping at several places to refasten the makeshift broad lacing made out of the cordon tapes.

:)

There was a circulation issued by the Meteorological Department notifying the general public on the heatwave and March equinox a few days before the event day. Coincidentally, the event date is on the March equinox so it was making quite a stir among the participants. Taking cue from the worried cries on social media, the organiser announced that they are going to fortify the 6 water stations along the route. That in itself means that we won't have to bring along our hydration belts/packs on our waists/backs. Cold water and Lucozade were provided in adequate amount (well at least for our morning heat).

We finished at about 1.00 pm, and marched straight to the photo booth for the team's victory photo after collecting our medals. Before getting to the shower area, we collected our Finisher t-shirt and bags. In the end, I decided not to have shower at site, but to get a proper shower at my hotel room in Klang as I have arranged earlier for a late check-out.

trifoota featuring Izham's Salomon

The t-shirt and bag collection were two places where the organisers failed quite miserably. We were handed a simple cutout red ribbon upon getting our finisher medals as a token for exchange at the t-shirt counter. Immediately I thought that it is a bad idea as it can't be controlled especially when I could easily pick up about ten of those red ribbons on the ground right there and exchange for equal number of t-shirts.

Of course I didn't, I'm a Spartan. Albeit, some did and poor Spartans for the later heats were left with bigger sizes to collect (as mere souvenirs or maybe repurposed as a wall decor). The sizing for this time is much different than the Super. The M size that I had last time was a bit tight, so I opted for an L. Fortunately my former teammate Sudi was around and he told me that it is a bit bigger compared to before. So I got myself an M size t-shirt, and it fits me just nice although a bit short.

two-third of the trifecta

I got my bag at the chaotic bag counter quite easily as I could spot it from the outside, hung by the wall together with a friend's. Different story for many fellow Spartans though. Some found theirs appallingly laid outside the bag tent, and some separated from the bags checked in together, and some unlucky souls had their belongings lost.

Overall I think this Super leg is a mix of improvements from the previous Sprint but marred by lagging in some of the things they did okay before. I'm hoping that the next event - Beast - (which by default is a must due to the allure of completing the Trifecta) would be an avenue for the organiser to prove their mantle in getting things right if not better.

And of course on my part to get much better in clearing the obstacles, with minimum burpees to pay.

Aru!

more photos in here.

Spartans wash their clothes themselves

Gear Calculator: Compare your next possible drivetrain

I've found a gem!

Okay, here it is.
Go to http://www.ritzelrechner.de/ and have fun.

I have been collecting data and putting them onto an excel spreadsheet and hoping that one fine day I could publish it here for your convenience. It shall be a comprehensive tool in aiding us finding the best possible drivetrain by way of comparing the gear ratio spread which would suit our riding style.

While reading this post over at Bike Rumor, I found the link above posted by bikeshop.nl in their simple comment.

*it goes without saying that it pays to read everything and explore the links to get useful information.

That 2014 post by Tyler Benedict in Bike Rumor actually came from a forum discussion at MTBR, which originally posted by Daryl Smith; a gearing table for selecting chainring for XX1 drivetrain way back in 2013.

The handy Gear Calculator is copyrighted by Dirk Feeken.

What I like most about it is the Compare two Setups bit. In the image above, I compared my current 3x9 versus 1x10 with OneUp (40T). Click here to play around with the setup.

3x9: 22/32/44T with 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34T
1x10: 34T with 11-13-16-19-21-24-28-32-36-40T

You can visually assess the gear steps and also other parameters such as the speed at a given gear ratio and cadence (90 in the above example), tire development for a single crank turn for the gear ratio and wheel/tire size, and many more display options.

What blew me away is how updated the calculator is. In its Sprockets drop down list, SRAM's new 12 speed Eagle is there as well. Listed cassettes are from 9 speed up to 12 speed. If you wanted to see how a custom sprocket setup would fare, no sweat; just drag away the unwanted cassette sprockets from the graphical display and move it out of the line-up. Pretty versatile.

Internal gears are also listed. Have a look at the 'Gearing' list. Rohloff, Pinion, Shimano Alfine, Sturmey Archer and Brompton are a few among them. There's also Singlespeed as well.

For me, this convenience is blessedly an answered prayer.
Thank you Dirk.

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!

Take A Step Back

While we are getting lost in our obsession and passion towards upgrading and adding our rigs, take a step back and remind ourself why do we take up cycling in the first place.

Take your time, and dive deep and rethink.

Get the Rear Edge - Alternative Cassettes

Below is the lowdown on the alternative cassettes to give you the range for gear ratio on your MTB drivetrain, be it currently by Shimano or SRAM. Assuming that other things remain constant (chain, front chainring ratio, tire size, crank size, etc.), let's look at the possible range that you may employ for your rig.

Praxisworks - 10sp Wide Range Cassette

range: 11-40T

toothcount: 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40

material: steel (11 through 28), hard anodized 7075-T6 aluminium (34 & 40)

weight: 322g average

price: USD130

Advantages:

1. low gear 40T without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Hope, etc.)

2. smooth transition between gear range

3. could achieve lower overall weight

However:

1. highest gear is with 11T

e*thirteen - TRS+

range: 9-42T (10 speed), 9-44T (11 speed)

toothcount:

10 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-35-42

11 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-32-38-44

weight: 300g (10 speed), 320g (11 speed)

price: USD279 (10 speed), USD309 (11 speed)

Advantages:

1. 9T high gear instead of SRAM's 10T

2a. low gear 42T (for 10 speed) without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)

2b. low gear 44T (for 11 speed) without having to resort to 11s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)

3. comparatively lighter weight (excluding the XD Driver) compared to Praxisworks' 'equivalent'.

However:

1. requires SRAM's XD Driver

2. price for 10s is more than double of Praxisworks' (however, it is not exactly apple-to-apple comparison as you won't get the advantage of 9T high gear).

So?

Well, it is up to you to decide which one is best for your gearing needs. Bear in mind that it all depends on the gear ratio to be made available for you on your bike. Your riding style and strength are the factors dictating your gear ratio choice.

True, the free-market economy brings about choices for the consumers to get the best to suit their needs, but it is good only for those who know what they need. The above are represented for you to make that informed choice, and I hope that this would somehow help you to get what you need.

You may want to consider the combination of:

1. available gear ratio

2. overall drivetrain weight

3. overall price

Happy hunting!

-----------

*respective prices are as at the date of this post

**images taken from Praxisworks and e*thirteen websites

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

Tips: Reusable Cable Ties

the humble reusable cable tie

Rider number plates in local events are usually secured onto the handlebar using a pair of cable ties. Simply thread one each through the punched holes on the plate and zip them tight. 

It is however a hassle to look for (or bring along) a pair of scissors or other sharp objects to clip them off. Most of the time, I resorted to yanking off the plate and this resulted in two unavoidable things:

1. The cable ties are still there on the handlebar to be dealt with later at home (or not).

2. The number plate is damaged at the holes.

Okay, some may say that the scar at the holes adds to the aesthetics alongside with the mud splats especially for mtb events. I leave that to your preference.

What if there is a better way? And a little bit environmentally friendly too, I might add. May I suggest to employ the service of reusable and releasable cable zip tie. It is comparatively expensive, but it helps a lot.

Look for them in your local hardware store. I got mine at Ace Hardware. Price is about RM1.00 per piece (in average), sold in a pack consisting a number of them. The normal punch hole diameter on the event number plate is around 6 mm. I suggest to use the ones with a width range of 3 to 5 mm. Minimum length shall be 130 mm, this shall give a nice wrap around the handlebar with 3 cm to spare.

The 'normal' cable ties in your event goodie bags can be used as emergency trailside fix instead.

Happy trails!

Tech: SRAM's 11 speed

SRAM has a lineup of groupsets featuring 11 speed cassette on the rear as below:

• XX1 - single chainring with 11 speed cog; top of the range
• X01 - X0 in single chainring with 11 speed flavour
• X1 - single chainring with 11 speed cog; higher weight
• GX - entry level 1x11 offering; available also as 2x11 (36/24 front) and 2x10 (36/22 front, 11-36 rear)

But why 11 speed? What are the advantages?

Personally, I'd like to analyse from gear ratio perspective; the performance side of it. Gear ratio is the tooth count ratio of front chainring over the cassette, e.g. gear ratio of 32T chainring and 10T of 10-42T cassette is: 32/10 = 3.2

SRAM's 11 speed is a bit special as it has the advantage of having the 10T gear on their cassette. This is made possible with the introduction of their new XD Driver body. Yes, another 'standard', but it makes sense and gives out performance advantage.

Compare these two parameters below, on a 29er with 2.1 tires spinning at 90 rpm and 175mm crank length:
1. 32T chainring with 11T gives out theoretical speed of 35.7 km/h (Fig. 1)
2. 32T chainring with 10T gives out theoretical speed of 39.3 km/h (Fig. 2)

1T more on the rear means 3.6 km/h faster, ceteris paribus.

Fig. 1 - 32/11 gear combo at 90 rpm with 29x2.1 tires gives 35.7 km/h

Fig. 2 - 32/10 gear combo at 90 rpm with 29x2.1 tires gives 39.3 km/h

For a racer, that is a lot and worthy the investment for upgrade/migration.
But is it for you? Only you can decide.

Now imagine if Shimano's Capreo system which include 9T on its cassette is introduced for MTB, that would be something big, at least for racers. And pretty attractive for those who are thinking of jumping into the 1x bandwagon.

Well, while Shimano is working on it and churned out their new 11s systems (under XT and XTR badges) with 11-40T and 11-42T cassettes, e*thirteen has spawned into production a 9-44T mega number - TRS+. That's massive on both ends! Requires SRAM XD Driver freehub.
*their 10s cassette is 9-42T.

Holding all other parameters the same as in above figures, 32T chainring with 9T gives out theoretical speed of 43.7 km/h! How about that.


Do visit and read further:
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/1x

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/press-release-sram-xd-driver-body/
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/products/sram-xd-driver-body
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Inside-SRAMs-11-speed-rear-hub-and-XD-Driver.html
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/products/sram-xg-1199-cassette
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/sram-xd-driver-body-explained-44409/

http://www.xddriverbody.com

9T Extras:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/capreo.html

http://bythehive.com/e-thirteen/components/2016-trs-cassettes/

http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/2016-Mountain-Bike-Components-at-Eurobike-2015,9336/e-thirteen-10-and-11-Speed-Wide-Range-Cassette,96398/bturman,109

Happy trails!

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!

Upgraditis?

There's Nothing Wrong With Your Bike

Really. I agree with Aaron.

There's simply no cure for upgraditis, but you can definitely do more to upgrade yourself. Soup up your leg muscles and better your heart rate.

Do some circuit training, weight training and cardio workouts. The next time you tackle that familiar hill, take note of your heart rate and your timing. Can you clean it up with ease and have spare energy to keep going (for the next one!)? Once you have upgraded yourself, sprinting a short uphill or taking up the endurance challenge of a long hill climb will be your breakfast. In fact, you'll want them for dessert as well.

Read on:
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/opinion-theres-nothing-wrong-with-your-bike/

Dingle Speed

*I know that on the (English QWERTY) keyboard, the letter S is just next to D. No typo in the title for this blog entry.

dingle cog on a track frame

I just found out about DS yesterday. A simple concept, minimalist and practical. It is dual-speed single speed.
Yes, if you're thinking about bailing out while riding the minimalist single speed, this may be for you.

I'm keeping this entry simple, so you have to hop on to the links below as they are pretty much comprehensive.

Explanation (a good one):
http://wilddogbicycles.blog.com/dingle-speed/

More explanation, rationale and uses (or excuses):
http://dornochdingle.blogspot.my/2012/02/idea-of-dingle.html

Parts (from Surly):
http://surlybikes.com/parts/drivetrain/dingle_cog


Photo credit:
http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2007/cc267-philipwilliamson0307.html

09.08.2015: Putrajaya Inter Park Ride #29

the crowd at Taman Perdana Putra

One of the places that I would like to cycle before this is Putrajaya. Touted as a cyclists friendly township, I had high expectation about the place. Moreover, there are many parks around the area which I would like to explore with my family (later on). I joined a bash with KLMBH last year in Putrajaya, but that ride is different from PIPR. PIPR is specifically bringing the riders around the parks available in Putrajaya, introducing them what's available in the vicinity. Also, Pak Adib Noh had always posted many, many beautiful photos on his fb wall on the subject of the parks in Putrajaya.

And so I participated in PIPR for the first time on their 29th edition. RM25 fee before the closing date gets you an event t-shirt and a medal (if you finish the ride), a meal with drinks, a chance to win prizes in a lucky draw and a lucky dip.

have handpump to lend, make new friends
from Seremban: Akmal, Hafiz and Firdaus

I drove from Seremban at 7:00 and reached the place of event a bit less than an hour later, ample time to get my goodie bag and get my bike ready before the event starts. I didn't expect the crowd to be big, so I was surprised that the turnout for the event is very encouraging. As this is an event designed for all walks of life, it is nice to see the mixture of participants and their bikes alike. Personally, this is a leisurely ride and a 'fun ride' event. This, was reiterated by the organiser in their pre-ride briefing. The point being, this is not a race. My kind of ride, of course.

:)

the crowd raring to go

The ride eventually started at a few minutes before 9:00 am. Positioned at about two-third of the whole crowd from the starting line, I had to wait about a minute before rolling the tires. The event started at Taman Perdana Putra (Presint 1, the big oval roundabout at the heart of Putrajaya). Going down towards Lebuh Perdana Barat, we worked out about a quarter of the roundabout. The traffic is regulated, closed and therefore restricted momentarily only to cyclists. This in part is good as there are small children in the pack as well; the traffic safety thus is something less to be concerned about.

a view of Putrajaya landmarks from Lebuh Perdana Barat

the ride is for all ages, big and small

at Presint 11

at Taman Saujana Hijau, Presint 11

The destination is Taman Saujana Hijau at Presint 11 some 8 km away, through Jalan P11a and encircling a little bit around the bottom of the park via Jalan P11. Once we reached there, we took some time to recuperate and recharge, and took photos of course. Bottled water and bananas were handed out at the checkpoint set up at the park. Taman Saujana Hijau is a nice park atop a hill, with beautiful landscape and nice walk/jogging path cordoned with wooden fence. Being there is like being in a European garden.

the view at Taman Saujana Hijau, Presint 11

the ride marshal still in Hari Raya spirit, dressed in traditional Baju Melayu

the various parks at the area

I had small chats with a few fellow cyclists while resting over there. One was from Sentul. He told me that he cycled all the way from Sentul with his son and a few others earlier that morning to get to Putrajaya. Another is a touring cyclist (with his Surly Cross Check), who introduced himself as Abang Din.

segregated bike path marred by bumps resulted from tree roots

After 10 minutes or so, we moved on rolling down towards Persiaran Putra, going along a good distance of Jalan P11and a Jalan P11b, and headed to Persiaran Persekutuan. We went along the segregated bike path along Persiaran Putra. I like and applaud the implementation of the segregated bike path. Added to it are trees lining up the path creating a natural canopy for a cool ride. However, unfortunately the trees' roots crawled under the bike path towards the road, creating multiple mini bumps all along the way. This must be the reason why cyclists shy away from using the path. There was an accident in front of me whereby a young cyclist fell and scraped his skin.

a view of the Wetlands from Persiaran Utara, with the bridge on Persiaran Persekutuan

We regrouped on the bridge at Persiaran Utara and took photos, particularly of the swans and the bridge of Persiaran Persekutuan (Taman Wetland, Presint 13). Not long after that, we continued our ride and shifted to Persiaran Persekutuan at the interchange and headed back towards the starting place at Presint 1.

I lost count of the number of hills that we went up and down. For me, on that particular day I was fit enough not to suffer any cramps, and alhamdulillah was able to climb each one of them without much difficulty. Hence, I enjoyed tremendously the whole ride. I also loved the housing township that we rode along. Nice houses, clean area and neat roads with many places are with trees providing shades.

Overall, I like the idea of the ride. It does many things in one go. It promotes healthy recreation, it tests one's fitness, it introduces the parks around Putrajaya and also familiarises the area around it. Splendid.

queueing for post-ride meal and checking the lucky dip

the finisher medal

I finished my ride, arriving at the end/start gantry at about 10:15 am and covered some 18 km in distance. I received my medal, got in the queue for the meal provided and while doing so, checked my number whether it is entitled to a prize in the lucky dip. Well, I got none, and moved on to find a spot to have my meal.

I had something else to do later in the afternoon, so I didn't wait around for long and forfeited the lucky draw. So I went down to where I parked my car and went back straight to Seremban.

Good experience, and I loved it.