RTW: 30.11.2011 - 4th monthlong

Just to share with you, I have completed the year's 4th monthlong this morning. That's 1 above my target, which is to have a monthlong for each 4 months this year.

Albeit, the monthlong started late which is during July, followed by August, September and November. Sadly it would have been  a 5-months back-to-back monthlongs if it were not because of the broken streak on October 5th. Never mind, as long as target is achieved, and now going beyond that. InsyaAllah in December too.

However, I have to say that November is a relaxed RTW because for the 30 days in Nov, my actual RTW is only for 15 days. This is due to annual leave, MC, public holidays, and outstation work in KL.

The odometer has gone beyond the 9,999 km mark now, and to my surprise it is continuing to 10,000. This morning it went to 10,134 km. Because of the extra digit in front, the meter dropped the decimal point. While it would be nice to see the odometer reaching 20,000 km, I prefer to have the decimal point displayed. Resetting soon.

Note: the odometer started from November 2007

Have a good ride, y'all.

Thanks for coming over.

Upcoming Event: 18.12.2011 Ronda Riadah Mega Ride 2011

it is a cycling event, not a car show; the Viva is the lucky draw prize

:)

I've registered for the family fun ride just now, and am excited to participate this event with the whole family at Bandar Dato' Onn insyaAllah.

There are a few categories for the mega event, namely:

MTB Offroad Jamboree 50km

Fixie Fun Ride 30km

Family Fun Ride 5km

I opted for the family ride, not because it is cheap (undeniably), but this time I want the family to join in the fun too. Including 2yo Umar. No regrets on not being able to take part in the offroad category. Really looking forward for the family ride.

You can register online here, after you transfered $ through Maybank to Ronda Riadah's account. Yes, that's a proper organisation account.

I did mine in a few minutes during lunchtime, a convenience of having a Maybank account. 

After multiple SMSes to Stephen, these are the additional info for the Family Fun Ride:

Family fun ride is 5km on road ride, flat route, you can chicken out anytime.

Fee is RM30, inclusive of two t-shirts and meals, plus 1 lucky draw. Additional t-shirts are at RM10 each, smallest size is XS.

For offroad and Fixie details, look for the info at the website. Or, call the people listed in the poster above.

Now that registration is done, it's time to get the bikes ready.

See you there?

Have fun rolling.

Thanks for coming over.

RTW Macnine Downgrading - SS

syok sendiri suka suka suaiubah single speed sikal saya

'Downgrading' to singlespeed, the obvious change on the RTW Machine is that it is getting simpler. Alongwith, the weight is also shaved considerably. I'm not a weight weenie through-and-through, so I did not really bother by how many grams the bike lost with this diet.

Off:

- 9 speed SRAM PG-970 cassette

- Deore 2009 FD

- Deore 2009 RD

- XT 9 speed chain

- Deore 2010 shifters

- 28T granny ring - I still have to put on the 48T ring because I don't have spacers for the ring bolts :P

- shifter cables with hoses

On:

+ DaBomb 16T SS kit

+ non-branded chain tensioner

+ China made chain (RM10 only)

Well, that's the physical change on the RTWM. On the riding aspect, the bike is painfully slower than usual. This is in direct relation with the choice of gearing pair, of course. That's normal, as the gearing pair has got to be catering for all riding gradient. In my case, I chose 38T in front and 16T for the rear.

Okay, not entirely true. I didn't actually get to choose the rear tooth count. The DaBomb 9-to-1 kit comes with 16T ring. It's on loan from Panjang/Atuk (together with the tensioner), so I had to make do with it; I'd go with 14T if I had it my way. The 38T ring comes from the 28/38/48 crankset.

Prior to the setup, I had a 2-weeks trial on my RTW route. I tried 38/16 and 38/14 with the 9 speed setup (heavier bike). I favoured the latter due to the speed on flats and downhills while still able to carve the two hills en-route to the office.

It has been more than a week now, and I must say that SS is not for me. Purely because I miss the speed on flats and downhill. With SS, I couldn't go more than 25km/h on flat road without spinning frantically. On flats, the normal speed would be 20 km/h, while to get to between 22 and 25 km/h it would warrant a considerable effort. Also it is rather frustrating to coast downhill while normally I could still mash the crank and get down faster.

Some would attribute simple setup, worry-free ride (due to the absence of the need to think and change to the optimal gearing) and lighter bike as being the pluses (and joy) of SS. Well, I don't really mind about the worry-free part. And as it is, I'm okay with the weight of the bike with 9 speed setup. Simple is nice, especially on the handlebar. Well, a gripshift could combat that, although I play down that option because I don't want to fork more $ to change to SRAM or get down to 7/8 speed with Shimano RevoShift. If options available, I'd shrink the 9 speed cassete to have only the first 5 rings. Not really using the rest of it, actually.

However, I'd like to point out that if you want to practice spinning/cadence, SS is good. I had to spin in order to get more than 25km/h on flats. Macam orang gila terhenjut-henjut. Of course, it would reward you with strong legs and heart also, conditioned with climbing up steep hills. That, I love.

So, it looks like I'm going back to 9 speed (or lesser), then. When? As soon as I get a new chain and if I could have a few hours to make the 'upgrade'. Until then, I'm spinning on the slow singlespeed still.

more photos here.

Have a good one.

Ride safe.

RTW: the completed L-Route

the connecting ramp to Pasir Gudang, from Sungai Masai

I pedaled out on the Coastal Highway on Sunday evening to recce on the connecting bridge over Sungai Masai. To my delight, the bridge is now completed, with tarmac and divider proper.

What's more important is that the receiving ramp from the bridge heading to Pasir Gudang is also connected, although not yet completed. Currently it is a single lane red earth and a bit bumpy but smooth surface. Good enough for motorbikes and bicycles to pass through, although would be no problem for a small lorry too. Just that if there are two vehicles coming head-to-head, either one would definitely have to give way.

So on Monday I went home using the full L-Route from the office. Distance as recorded from Sports Tracker is 8.8km. That's more than 1km shorter than normal.

Supposed to be faster getting home now; though I'm not using it in the morning towards office - no breakfast stalls along the highway.

:)

more photos here.