Tamago Cycling Race Shop

Brader Ali Tamago dah bukak kedai servis kat area Kebun Teh.

Support, jom!

 

Nak dikatakan kedai, tak juga lah. Ali takde jual barang apa pun kat dalam 'kedai' tu. Lebih kepada pusat servis, sebenarnya.

 

Semasa aku melawat haritu, borak-borak sambil dia re-build wheelset si Helmy guna truing stand Park Tool dia. Seronok juga tengok otai buat wheelbuilding ni sambil ambik tahu perkara semasa pasal basikal.

 

Kat dinding kedai tu bersusun banyak basikal, semua orang punya lah. Dah siap diselenggara.

 

Ali ni dulu kerja mekanik kat kedai basikal kat Singapura. Lama jugak lah, lebih 20 tahun. Pergi kerja dari JB ke Singapura naik basikal je. Otai tak otai tu.

 

Aku rasa wheelset aku tu memang nak kena hantar servis dah pun, asek lanyak je bertahun pakai. Boleh hantar kat Ali, insyaAllah.

 

Lokasi?

Tamago Cycling Race Shop
No. 22 Jalan Rebana
Taman Perbadanan Islam
Kebun teh
80250 Johor Bahru
Johor

(013) 7951832

 

Tempatnya agak tersorok siket, jadi bila dah sampai kawasan Kebun Teh tu boleh telefon Ali agar dapat sampai ke lokasi.

CST tires

Seen a few of the folded type variant of CST brand tires in bike shops lately. I've seen (and used) the inner tubes since my first mtb experience a few years ago, though.

It's quite enlightening to know that they are some sort of a contract manufacturer. And Maxxis is actually their brand name. Psychologically, names can make a product well received, rather than reputation. At least for me, I didn't really give a damn good thought about the CST tires at first. However, they are quite cheap compared to the other brands (Kenda, Hutchinson, ehm Maxxis, Continental, etc.).

Now, with reputation and attractive price, it's a sure bet that CST tires would give a good run for the other popular brand's money.

CST XC treads:

http://www.csttires.com/Products/Product-Search-Results.aspx?divisionSearch=/Bicycle.aspx&searchType=0&productSearchType=2&productSearchTerrain=8&pageRef=54

Interestingly, all models start with a C.

Other referenced links:

http://www.bikepro.com/products/tires/cst.html

http://www.tire-information-world.com/maxxis-tires.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheng_Shin_Rubber

Offroad Riding Insurance

Many riders I know, they bring along in their bladder bags all sorts of spare parts for their bikes. It's actually a good practice. You take care of yourself, and at the same time you could perform good deeds by providing for others (or make big money for yourself). To put it in another way, you're not a nuisance for others. Being kiasu or geeky, that's a thing you won't be thinking about when you suffer a puncture but without a spare tube or the humble patch kit (with pump/CO2 canister, of course).

I'm a roadie, I don't do bags

For most of the parts, they are lightweight, so they don't really feel that much. They won't take much space in your bladder bag, too, for they are usually small in size. Personally, parts of the size bigger than my palm cannot be considered into my spare parts list. Crankset, or rims, for instance. Besides, you have to bring along special tools for them too. Oh yes, bear in mind, you have to carry along the necessary tools. Otherwise, they're useless unless if someone else in the group carries them. With this in mind, be sure to look for spaces where you can stuff the spares when you're shopping for a (new?) bladder bag.

If you're a roadie who still want to ride lightweight offroad, be sure to carry lots of spare cash. I'm selling my spares at a premium. No kidding. Of course, you can still bring your spares in your saddle bags.

Items

I usually carry with me these spare items, for my insurance:

• Spare tube (also a pump and patch kit with levers)
• RD hanger
• Brake pad
• Rotor bolts (can also be used as bolts for your shoe cleats)
• RD cable (can also double up as mech brake cable)
• Snap-on chain link
• Spare links
• Necessary tools (multi tool should do the trick)
• Snack bar (optional)

You see, they are small in size and weight, but big in value. The biggest of them all is perhaps the spare tube. Followed by the hand pump. These, however can be opted out. You may just patch the punctured tube. Hand pumps can be replaced by CO2 canisters. Even if you're a weight weenie, you can still have your insurance.

A guy I know carries with him all sorts of spares, he seems like a mobile bikeshop. Ayub's the name - flip over to the 3rd issue of Cycling Malaysia magazine, he's the one wearing the white Cap Ayam tee on the Plentong Epic Ride pictorial. Whenever the guys in the group are in need, he's the one who provides. And no, don't ask him for a spare crankset. By the way, he sells his spares :)

RD Hanger

There are various designs for the rear derailleur hanger. 'Various' seems to be a bit understated. Perhaps 'hundreds of them' gives a pretty solid picture. That being said, there are also hundreds of frame designs using different hanger designs. Check 'em out: link. I know bro Ayub has a universal hanger, but I'm not quite sure how it works (or where he got it) - have to check with him. It certainly doesn't look like this one: link.

May I suggest for you to have your own spare hanger. That would save your knees from grinding your way back to base single speed, should you unfortunately busted the hanger. The next time you're visiting your favourite bike shop for a chat (yeah, right), be sure to bring along your current hanger. The best, is to bring along your bike. Get yourself a perfectly matching RD hanger.

Chain Links

I'm too lazy to use the chain tool nowadays. Hence, I'm using a snap-on chain link. There are two brands commonly found in the bikeshop - SRAM's PowerLink, and KMC's Missing Link (google 'em up). At around RM10-RM15 per link, they're not cheap, mind you. However, if time is money, I don't mind spending a little money for saving me time (and headache) especially on the trail and much more, on my way to the office. Easier for me to remove the chain for cleaning, too.

Albeit, I still carry spare chain links, and my multi-tool includes the chain breaker tool. I use the links for mending other people's chains, and use the snap-on for myself. I told you, they're not cheap.

Tools

Yes, you need them. Get yourself at least a basic multi-tool. You can do away the ones with chain breaker (like mine), if you're using the snap-on chain link. You can also leave your hand pump at home if you're using CO2 canisters. However, I never leave the tire levers behid. Although using kevlar beaded tires, I prefer to use the levers. I found that at times the beads are quite stubborn to be removed from the rim.

If I could offer an advice, please, get yourself a good tool from a reputable brand. It would be long lasting, durable, and most important of all, reliable. Do enough research for the reviews of the particular product, and you'll save your money on potential replacements of inferior items. Reviews may be in the form of findings out of riding buddies' experience, or the internet (where else?). Spend some time, save some money (again, if time is money).

Enjoyable Suffering

Mountain biking, for some, at times are testing your limit. Endurance, power, physical, mental, and most of the time, your patience. You're exhausted, your parts are busted, and now you have to suffer the ride home with a lesser bike than the one you got in with. I choose to avoid the strain, so I choose to carry with me those things. Tawakkal is not gambling. It is being prepared, and leave the rest to Allah. At least when bad things happened, I know that I did my best to avoid them in the first place. Yes, we go offroad for enjoyable suffering. But they don't have to be strenous.

See you on the trails!

Kevlar?

Mu penah nengok dok, tayar hok ado Keblar?

Nota untuk penjual/pengutip besi buruk/baru:

Demo tok payoh lah nok bakar tayar hok ni. Takdok hasil. Abih jadi abu seghemo.

Workshop Tips by Bike Radar

and here's the link for the main page.

Workshop Tips by Bike Radar

Stumbled upon a collection of links for workshop tips from Bike Radar, compiled by a forumer.

octalink crankset removal - the solution

I noticed that local readers and from faraway lands visiting this humble bike blog are looking for solution on a problem posed by Shimano: how to remove octalink crankset.

You need a special tool for it. Shimano's TL-FC15.

If you don't have it, you can machine it yourself. Atuk from Seri Alam did just that. I borrowed from him to remove my LX crankset. My problem solved.

We are not fortunate enough like Atuk, having a lathe machine at his workplace to machine bike parts during lunch hours. Heck, he also machined a metal bashguard for himself. That's another story altogether of course.

Rejoice, everyone, for we have the help of engineering marvel. And hardware stores.

You can use a bolt in lieu of the special tool. Okay, you can shout 'yay!' now.

Yes, a bolt. No, not that Disney's dog. Just a humble bolt from your local hardware store.

Go find yourself a bolt with the head diameter of about Ø16mm. No bigger, and not much smaller. Also take note that the height of the bolt head should be as minimum as possible. Height of about 13mm would render it useless - you would not be able to screw in the crank removal tool onto the crank thread.

I hope this helps. If it does, do come back here and tell us your story (in less than 100 words). This tip was given by BC Kelolo many moons ago.

14.12.2008 wet offroad

The initial plan of riding up Gunung Pulai with Panjang and his brothers Salleh (from Perlis) and Putut on Sunday was scrapped (much to my delight). Instead, we went into Seri Alam/Plentong, to track the hash trail.

Early Sunday morning as I was getting ready, it drizzled. Texts exchanged with Panjang, and we agreed to ride on. I decided not to use a car to get to the meeting point at Ruza Café. So 0715 hrs after practically gulping down 2 half boiled eggs with sweet soy sauce I pedaled out towards Taman Scientex. It took me 37 minutes to get there, some 13.5 kilometers away - in the drizzle. Quite fast for my standard. I'm not sure whether it's the rain, the eggs or plainly the need to be at the rendezvous place before 0800 hrs (we agreed to be punctual and roll out at 0800 sharp).

I reached Ruza at 0750 (whew!). The café was closed, and I saw only Amat with his bike perched atop his Matrix roof. I checked my phone and there's a message from Panjang informing to meet at Ruza Restaurant. Another message from Yad enquiring whether we are going to ride, considering the wet weather. When I reached the new meeting point, Panjang and his brothers were there, with Mulyano. I gave a call to Yad and eased his anxiousness - already 6 riders in Ruza, so there’ll be a ride definitely despite the foreseeable wet condition throughout.

The planned route for the ride is simple: to track the Plentong hash trail. I just love the initial climb and the payback long rodeo downhill right after. Another thing is riding offroad in the rain. I’ve never experienced it so far. As I experienced during night rides, pedalling without the sun in sight is always a plus – less dehydration, less taxing, and much more fun. I could go more kilometres with lesser feeling of exhaustion. However, I constantly sipped 100 Plus for replenishing fluid and mineral loss.

Riding in wet has its toll, though. Hunger struck quite early (too bad I didn’t pack a 50 sen bun in my pack). Safety also is a concern, particularly regarding your brake pads. When we made a stop at Plentong, I saw blackish deposits on the surface of my rotors. Panjang hinted me with this: “kau pernah asah pisau pakai batu asah tak?”. Aahhh… I get it. Added with water, my brake pads would be diminishing very fast. In the second half of the trail, I really felt the effect to my brakes – very loose, and the levers reach very close to my handlebar grips. During that time, I was very concerned about safety riding the bike especially on steep slopes. And now, after the ride, I’m concerned about the $ I’m going have to burn for a fresh sets of pads – front and rear.

Panjang and Salleh also suffered the same fatality with their brakes. Because of that, and as a few of us cannot tahan anymore stamina-wise, we decided to exit the trail at Seri Alam. While Panjang was assisting Salleh on the brakes, Putut pointed out that he has a pair of spare pads in his bag. Much, much later than they were really needed. Haha… I left them with that and parted with the pack – on road towards Plentong.

Much early, actually I had the option of going back home when we reached Plentong, but we were only halfway through and it was 11ish. So I decided to move on and only split when we get out at Seri Alam. Probably due to the coldness, I felt the onset of a cramp a few times during the ride to Seri Alam and once on road going back. Alhamdulillah, nothing happened.

The ride was enjoyable, with 8 riders of about average stamina and skills. For the sake of having it, I’ll pack something to eat in my bag next time. Thanks Panjang for a bite of your yogurt bar. It was the most delicious thing I ate yesterday afternoon (my lunch was at 3pm).

Fully soaking wet, I sprayed clean my bike as soon as I entered the house gate. The shortest period of my bike being in a dirty condition after an offroad ride so far. A good thing, with the expense of brake pads! Well, I went further with cleaning the rest of the gears as well – shoes, shirt, shorts, socks, and the hydration bag too!

My ride yesterday:
13.5 km on road towards Ruza
29 km offroad
8 km on road going back to Plentong.
Total 50.5 km combined.

No wonder I was a bit tired than usual yesterday when I got back home…

joy with new mini toy

During a night ride with Naza and kids, I realized that I have lost my el cheapo trusty multi tool. I got it from Tesco Ampang about a year ago for RM12 (I think). With the absence of a proper set of bike tools back then, it helped me a lot with my tinkering on my bikes.
So long my friend, wherever you may be. You served me well, and we had great time learning. Well, time to move on now...

Some time ago, knowing what I need and what's nice to have for a compact multi tool to bring along my bike rides, Crank Brothers' Multi 17 seems to fit my requirements nicely. Well, it's in my wishlist, but never actually looked for it.

Now that I really need a replacement, I went to Aunty's bike shop in Taman Universiti and pondered over the selection of Topeak tools on display. Her's is the only place in JB that I know to get Topeaks. Only one caught my attention - Mini 18+. It has 18 tools in one compact offering. Plus, a nice neoprene bag to store the mini tool (won't be needing it, though - but nice, still). Weighing at 185g (versus CB M17's 168g) and at a very good price (after haggling her to mark down further than the displayed RM98), I took it home. I wasn't really bothered with the weight, anyway.

I have a soft spot for Topeak goods. Their designs are beautiful and a lot of thoughts being put in their products, eliminating the unnecessaries while maintaining aestethics. Coupled with the unavailability of CB in JB bike shops, perhaps that's why I opted for the Mini 18+.

I don't know why the '+', but I know for me it has all the tools I need to bring along on my biking outings, plus more. Complete with a chain tool and torx-25, I don't have to bring separate tools for each, as I do now. And there's also a flat blade for disc brake pads - to press the disc pads back into the calipers if brake levers are accidentally actuated while wheels are removed. I have yet tried out my hands on wheel truing, but now I have the necessary tools for it - 14g & 15g spoke wrenches (the 14g also doubles up as chain pin breaker tool). I can do without the single tire lever, though.

I'm happy with the purchase. Although we boys like to tinker with our new toys, I hope that I won't be needing it much along the trails or on the roadside. The assurance and availability of a reliable compact multi tool are what I need, really.

tool photo taken from Topeak's website.
Topeak logo and slogan copyright of Topeak Inc.

hujung minggu yang sibuk

jumaat
hari jumaat lepas, ada aktiviti kayuh malam sekitar pasir gudang.
start 11 malam, pukul 2 pagi baru habis - habis makan roti bakar & minum teh tarik lepas kayuh.
maka sekitar 2.30 pagi baru aku sampai rumah.
5 pagi bangun sahur, pastu subuh, pastu sambung tido.

sabtu
sebab tak cukup tido, rasa pening-pening siket pagi tu.
rantai beskal SRAM PG-971 aku beli kat Fay melalui BBS dah sampai!
maka, lengkaplah drivetrain 'powered by SRAM' aku untuk T-Bolt. oops, tolak FD Shimano LX E-type tu je - tak boleh nak elak, SRAM tak ada komponen yang macam tu untuk digantikan. kalau idak, aku dah buru dah.
sebelum asar aku, Naza dan Marsya pegi ke perpustakaan kat bandar untuk pulangkan buku (aku sambung pinjam belum habis baca). lepas tu, pegi holiday plaza beli baju raya Marsya sebelum balik rumah.

esok harijadi Adam. aku dah niat nak belikan dia sebuah beskal. aku tak tau dia suka atau tidak. kalau aku bawak dia pegi Toys R' Us belikan dia jam Ben10 (sebut: "ben-ten"), aku pasti dia melonjak suka punya. tapi aku tak pandai nak beli hadiah plastik yang harga rm100 untuk budak umur 6 tahun. iye... harga mainan plastik tu rm100 bang...

petang tu aku sekeluarga pergi kedai beskal kat Masai.
kami angkut 2 buah beskal saiz budak, satu untuk Adam dan satu untuk Marsya.
harijadi Marsya awal bulan oktober. takpelah, sekurang-kurangnya Adam ada lah kawan untuk berkayuh sama-sama nanti.
lagipun, awal bulan okt tu aku pun tak pasti kalau $ masih ada lagi :)
melompat anak-anak aku bila akhirnya aku belikan sebuah beskal untuk seorang. suka rupanya diorang. Adam tak henti-henti cakap "Ayah, thanks for buying me the blue bicycle".
hehe...
aku rasa aku tau macamana perasaan diorang tu. aku pun penah rasa macam tu masa lepas tingkatan 3 dulu. tapi laen siket la, pasal aku pegi kedai singer kat simpang empat jalan kovil hilir/jalan sentul beli beskal 'racing' cap raleigh ngan abang aku je. ayah bagi duit soh beli sendiri.
hmmm... nanti lah, lain kali aku cerita siket-siket pasal cerita dulu-dulu.

petang tu balik rumah dah nak maghrib dah. tapi diorang sempat lagi cuba-cuba berkayuh seminit-dua.

malam tu lepas aku balik tarawih, Naza ajak pergi Seri Alam berkayuh sekeluarga.
hehe... macam best tu.
aku pun sumbat 4 bijik beskal kat dalam avanza. 2 mtb, 2 beskal budak - siap roda tepi tu...
cuaca baik, dan kawasan tu pun tak banyak kereta lalu, boleh kira jugak le. kadang-kadang aje ada motor lalu.
maka, pertama kali kami sekeluarga berkayuh sepanjang jalan kat seri alam tu. ada laa dalam 1 jam kot.
aku tak ambik kira sangat statistik malam tu. sebab aku rasa happy kot. gambar pun tak ambik.

langkah seterusnya: kena beli alatan keselamatan untuk Marsya & Adam. lampu belakang lip-lap, pembalik cahaya, topi keledar, sarung tangan...

ahad
pagi-pagi lepas subuh, aku mulakan kerja selenggara beskal-beskal aku.
mula-mula, pasang rantai SRAM tu dulu kat T-Bolt.
lepas tu, bersihkan rantai kat Schwinn & T-Bolt.

awal jugak budak-budak tu bangun pagi ni. lepas bersiap, terus diorang kayuh beskal pusing-pusing kawasan belakang rumah, sambil tengok-tengok aku kerjakan beskal.

aku ambik keputusan untuk alihkan Cateye Velo8 dari T-Bolt ke Schwinn. Setakat ni beskal tu yang lebih banyak bergerak (sampai T-Bolt tu dah bersawang dah).
Maka, kerja pemindahan pun dibuat. Tapi bila tengok balik, dah macam-macam benda alah aku letak kat Schwinn tu. Lampu la, lip-lap kat injap tiub tayar depan la, loceng la... uishh.. meriah semacam je... tu tak masuk dengan cermin pandang belakang yang aku cadang nak pasang jugak tu...
takpe lah, lantak le, beskal aku kan.
(pagi tadi - Selasa - aku pasang braket untuk kunci gelung beskal pulak kat batang tempat duduk Schwinn tu jugak... hahaha...)

dah abis tu, aku kerjakan T-Bolt pulak - pasang alat kawal jauh untuk 'motion control' sepit udang RS Revelation 409.
agak leceh jugak, pasal kena baca buku panduan dulu (sebelum tu kena cetak dulu). dan, tuas yang Angah bagi kat aku tu tak sama dengan apa yang tertera kat dalam panduan tu. makanya, aku pun agak-agak sendiri aje la.

selepas dah agak lama nak fahamkan panduan tu, baru la aku tau serba-serbi pasal sepit udang tu. hebat jugak fungsi-fungsi dia rupanya...
tau la aku siket-siket apa itu floodgate dan fungsinya (RVLATN 409 tu guna internal floodgate).
dan, siap ada allen key 2.5mm tersorok kat penutup rebound adjuster kat kaki kanan sepit udang tu rupanya.
tambah sayang aku kat T-Bolt tu. bila laa nak pegi offroad lagi ek?

dah tengahari baru laa abis aku buat kerja tu semua. penat jugak seyy... tapi puas.
hujung minggu yang memuaskan.

Chain Tool / Multitool?

http://www.topeak.com/products/Tools/ChainBOT

Another item in my wishlist. Again, a beauty from Topeak.
Claimed at 148 grams, reported price is $42 in US.
The price is actually for the design - it won the prestigious design award by red dot.

But then again, Crank Brothers have these:

http://www.crankbrothers.com/multi17.php

Crank Brothers' Multi-17 tool.
Priced at $27, and weighs 168 grams (with all the other tools, mind you).
Hmm... this would well replace my dilapidated Tesco multi-tool - and I don't have to carry separate chain tool.

Problem is, Crank Bros listed only one dealer for Malaysia - and it's in Singapore!
Anybody kind enough to get me one?
Ehm... my birthday is in March (but you don't have to wait until then, really).

clean 'em up!

I bought these from ACE Hardware at Ikano Damansara.

• Liquid Grease & Oil Remover from Selley's - for cleaning bike chain (use as the bath for chain cleaning tool)
• Hand Cleaner from Abro - well, for cleaning my hands after maintenance/repair job.

I dilute the liquid degreaser to 1:2 ratio with water. Excellent job for the price.

The hand cleaner is citrus based with pumice powder for that scrubbing effect.
Not only it does the job well, my hand smells nice too.