Rvlatn Wk - ride 1: around KL with GLC

23rd. October 2008

I reached Kelolo's around 9pm. It started to drizzle. Earlier during the day, the weather was fine.
Uh oh...
It continued drizzling. At 9.30pm Kelolo decided for us to just go ahead to the rendezvous point in Seri Gombak. Already there's a newbie rider, Fino, waiting for us. He cycled all the way from Ampang. If the rain got worse, our backup plan was to go for teh tarik session at a mamak joint. I thought at least Fino had his night ride already.
Apparently other GLC regulars were not there. Went for ECC's Sahara Ride, perhaps.


ready and eager to start the night ride at the RV point


killing time, Kelolo going down the stairs KLD style

We waited for quite some time for Fino's colleague Anis. After some time we decided to move on and wait for him on Karak Highway. He, too, cycled all the way - from Wangsa Maju. While waiting, we got acquianted and swapped stories among the three of us. It turned out that Fino is a regular reader of this blog ^-^
Huhu... first revelation. I get to ride with one of my readers. Strangers no more.


me with Fino. visit the blog pages often, bro!


me with BC Kelolo

I don't know what time Anis arrived, but we started riding straight away.
Kelolo informed that we'll be going to Bukit Tunku. I didn't mind, as long as we ride.

I can't point out the exact route, for I don't know really well the names of the roads that we rode along.
Anyway, we went along these (with the help of Google Maps):
On Karak H'way (part of DUKE now) - Jalan Kampung Bandar Dalam - Jalan Sentul - Sentul Pasar - pass by Convent Sentul (Primary School) - Jalan Perhentian - Jalan Ipoh - Bulatan Duta - Hentian Duta - Bukit Tunku - Tasik Perdana - Masjid Negara - Dataran Merdeka - Bank Negara - Jalan Tun Ismail - PWTC - Jalan Tun Razak - Jalan Pahang Barat - Jalan Pahang - hop on to DUKE cross current - hop off to Taman Koperasi Polis - Taman Melewar.
The four of us split at roundabout near Bank Negara Kelolo & I went off towards Taman Melewar.
Kelolo and I had supper nearby before heading to his house and ended the ride.



View Larger Map

The ride:
It was drizzling all the way, giving a nice cooling effect - much like sitting at Starbucks with the water mist fan blowing on your face.
The other name for this ride that I considered was 'the nostalgic ride'. It brought back memories of my childhood when we passed along the earlier section of the route - from Karak H'way up to Jalan Ipoh. I dare say that I have literally walked the path during my school days. Of course, Jalan Perhentian and Jalan Ipoh are my playground. I had a warm feeling looking at Jalan Strachan, the field at Jalan Latehan, and Sentul East. Ahh... memories.


recalling all the memories at Jalan Ipoh



The high point of the ride for me was climbing up Bukit Tunku - a surprise Kelolo had in store for us. Before that we stopped for a breather at Hentian Duta. Yup, I can now say the I've been there by bike.


Hentian Duta - been there, cycling

All four of us went up Bukit Tunku pedaling no matter how slow. Very soon after that, we were presented with the payback: a nice view of KL skyline, with a long steep descent to boot.
Woohooo!!!


uphill Bukit Tunku


KL skyline with a long steep descent awaiting

The second revelation for me: I've never been to this side of KL before. Quite nice area.
Riding in Tasik Perdana at night was very nice. We had the whole park for ourselves. Kelolo had an important moment of his life right there in Tasik Perdana that night. Me, I had a good time.


taking a breather at Tasik Perdana. A few minutes past midnight


Tasik Perdana


Memorial Tun Abdul Razak at Tasik Perdana


riding through Tasik Perdana

Soon after we parted our ways at the roundabout near Bank Negara, we took Jalan Tun Ismail just beside Bank Negara building, headed towards PWTC. The road was dark, I wouldn't dare giong through it alone. It was cool with lush greenery (though I can't really see it in the dark). Another road that I've never been to. Another revelation.

I bet there are other roads that I've never knew existed in KL. That's why riding with GLC is interesting for me. As always, I'm looking for another opportunity.

For BC Kelolo, thanks a million for your bike and the hospitality as always, plus the night ride itself. Ahh, and especially for snapping the photos too.
For Fino and Anis, nice to ride with you guys. Offroad perhaps, some other time?


supper before retiring home

all photos courtesy of BC Kelolo

Revelation Week - prologue

My boss sent me an SMS message on Friday 17/10. I were to attend HAZOP meeting over 2 days in KL - 23 & 24/10 (Thu & Fri).
I replied with an 'ok' (what else, right?), while wearing a wide grin on my face
:D

That means an opportunity for a night ride with GLC.
Also, initially I thought that I could join Putrajaya Critical Mass' October ride on Fri 24th. Turns out that there's another Friday in October, on the 31st. So no PCM for me yet. Perhaps there's a slot for an offroad ride on Saturday, I thought...

Saturday 25th is a working Saturday, and my department is having a Hari Raya celebration (I paid rm30 for it already and I have to take an annual leave). Only after a couple of days I realized that Deepavali falls on Monday 27th. Naza and Marsya will be on extended school holiday until Wed 29th.
[never mind dear readers, you don't have to scramble for a calendar]
My point is, I had a bit of planning to be done, meticulously.

Naza and kids wanted to go to KL and enjoy a stay in the hotel.
We could go to Senawang visiting Ayah & Ibu in Syawal.
We could go visit Akak in Segambut (and a routine visit to Ikea).
I could ride with GLC on Thursday, and possibly an offroad ride on Saturday.
Ayah told me about Kak Liza's kenduri cukur rambut for his son is on Sat at Mak Ngah's in Kg. Pandan. I could attend that as well.
Marsya wanted to see A Famosa in Melaka. We could go there on the way back to Johor.
Oh yes of course, the prime of it all - me attending meetings.

I requested to go to KL by car so that I could go to Senawang later on with the family. Albeit, I couldn't bring my bike along. I thickened my face and asked Kelolo if I could use his bike. Fortunately he agreed to loan me one of the steeds in his stable - even asked me which of the hardtails I wanted to use.
So Naza, Mak and kids have to go to KL by bus. It'll be Adam's first long distance bus ride.
Hmm... seems like things are lining up for me just fine. Alhamdulillah!

Why was it a Revelation Week?
Nope, I didn't use BC's T-Bolt with RS Revelation fork.
Rather:
2 rides (night ride around KL and offroad in Rawang) with a lot of new knowledge gained.
A stay at the hotel's luxurious (so far) topmost floor.
Learnt something sinister about A Famosa.

I'll give my account only about the rides in here, though.
Stay tuned...

Eat To Win (or merely to survive)

I found this article in MB Action.

For those participating in Survive The Sahara Jamboree Ride in a few day's time, this might prove as a good thing to do.
Don't bother about Payday candy bars or Gu as suggested. I don't think we have them here in Malaysia.
Remember to pack your bananas...

I won't be joining the ride, though :(
Y'all have a good one!

Read on:
Eat To Win

goin' bananas

Wondering what's the fuss about bananas, I googled 'banana as energy booster'.
In a nutshell (or banana skin):

Banana contains three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, it gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Well, apart from serving as an energy booster, there are other uses as well.
Ladies (or is it actually men) might be interested in it.

Read on to find out:
One
Two
Three

nite ride syawal

Hmmm...
Weekends in Syawal are full with open house invitations.
I had gone only once offroad on the 5th.
Last Sunday I couldn't join any group going offroad. Nevertheless, I had a 10km ride to Seri Alam on road.

Saw a few bikers along the way. 2 were having their breakfast nearby my house, before riding in Plentong and open house at Neo's. 2 were roadies on Pasir Gudang Highway cycling (without helmets) towards JB. Don't really know who there are (all cyclists that I know wear helmets), but I gave a friendly wave towards them, and we acknowledged each other. Another one on the way towards Pasir Gudang honked me. An mtb hitched at the back of his car, but I couldn't make up who he is. Later Panjang told me that it was Ibrahim of Luvata.

The coming weekends are reserved for fulfilling Hari Raya open house invitations, or visiting relatives and friends. I wouldn't want to go on weekday nights because of several factors.

So that leaves weekday nights for cycling activities. Perhaps weekly short night rides would fit the bill. InsyaAllah a few of us (Yad, Zudi and I) will ride on Wednesday nights for these coming weeks. Route will be like before - from Plentong to JB and back. Perhaps will also park and ride from Danga Bay, riding around JB. Or a ride around Pasir Gudang. Anybody interested to join us?

I received the infamous el cheapo night lights from Kelolo a few weeks ago. Time to put them to test. Now that Schwinn is equipped with Velo8, hopefully we'd get the ride stats.

advertisement: Kelolo mentioned that 2 sets of night lights are available with him right now - ready stock. Get in touch with him if you need them.

mtb beginner: mazhab berbasikal

http://www.dieselbikes.com/articles/article_00002.htm

khas untuk yang baru nak menceburi aktiviti mtb.
(aku pun masih belajar lagi...)
sebelum ambik keputusan untuk beli basikal, cuba baca artikel kat atas tu dulu.
sekurang-kurangnya, tau la jugak nak bezakan mazhab-mazhab berbasikal nih.

Ang, thanks for the link.

more foxes

i've put up more ads in BBS:
long sleeve fox MX jerseys for sale, and short sleeve MTB jersey too.

cekidaut...

here for green fox logo MX jersey

here for red fox logo MX jersey

here for green fox MTB short sleeve jersey with zippered back pocket

getting foxy?

original fox polo shirts for sale.
limited stock.

material: soft cool cotton
high quality embroidered logo and lettering
(grey shirt comes with front pocket)
price: rm75 including postage

refer to my ad in BBS, for blue (L) and grey (M) shirts.
or leave your comments here.


blue short sleeve polo tee


grey short sleeve with pocket polo tee

Hari Raya Ride - with makan-makan

Yesterday I went offroad riding in Plentong with friends from Cyclemotion, and Panjang.
It started with my teaser sms to Panjang on Saturday morning. I asked him whether there'll be a casual offroad ride on Sunday. From the outlook, I foresee that there'll be not much of a raya plan for this Sunday. No open house to go to, and Naza'll be staying home doing her school work. That's the origin of the sms.
Panjang replied:

"slmt hr raya. Esok? mau ka?"

"X tau sape ada la bro. aku pun baru ptg ni nk blk pg.. ape2 nnt aku halo.."

After Zuhr, I received this from him:

"Salam. esok ada mini ride + mkn kuih raya kat umah neo. 0730 hrs. jom..."

Being quite a long hiatus from riding offroad, I read that with a broad smile. And Naza knows what that means...

Neo's house in Plentong, very near to my house - I can just cycle to his place.
I woke up early on Sunday, and prepped the bike.
7.30am sharp I went out the gate and received a call from Panjang. I saw two cars with bikes already parked nearby the breakfast spot (very near to my house). Went there and had my breakfast with them while waiting for others.

8.30am most of the riders were there at the b'fast joint, and we went off to Neo's.
Around 9.00am we started heading to Plentong trail from there. All in all there were 13 of us. Nice small pack.

This is the second time I went to Plentong trail with Cyclemotion. It is actually riding from Plentong towards Seri Alam (where we passed by familiar paths). This time also Neo brought us to a few new routes along. Man, they're sweet. Flowing downhill sections with not so hilly terrain.

I enjoyed the ride, except that my physique can't quite keep up with it. About 10km riding on, we took a fiver. Just as we were ready to move on, I had cold sweat. Had another fiver (and longer break for the rest). After that, it was ok. Of course, there were times that I felt quite exhausted. But we moved on. The ride was very enjoyable.

We had a stop in the palm oil plantation. We cleared the palm fronds and 2 Commencal Meta 55's with a GT Chucker had a go downhill the terraces. Each suffered with a flat tire after that, and a very welcoming long stop for the rest.

The ride back to base was quite tiring for me, riding under the hot sun.
1.00pm and we reached Neo's - food awaiting.
I got an sms from Naza:

"What time balik? I dah masak mihun soto. Almost siap. BANYAK. Boleh ajak org beskal makan. U buy ice."

Well that's a very nice one. It surprised me, honestly. Usually it's "What time balik?". Period.

So there were 2 makan venue yesterday for the riders.
And there'll be a post riding open house at Neo's next Sunday too - something to look forward to.

For the guys (and girls) yesterday, thanks for the ride. Especially to Neo, thanks for the food - I love the sambal. And thanks for coming over to my place even after bloated from 100 Plus and yummy sorts of food at Neo's. Naza & I appreciate your presence.

photos by David here.

Selamat Hari Raya!

To fellow riders and readers:

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri
mohon dimaafkan, kesalahan yang zahir dan yang tersembunyi.

Enjoy your holiday, and come back safely (and we'll go offroad again soon insyaAllah).

hydration bag

Not to say that I'm not happy with my High Sierra 2L hydration bag.
I am, and in fact it has all the features I need for a decent bag.

This one caught my attention, though.
From Oakley's Mountain Bike range, Tool Pouch 2.0 is pretty neat.
It has that understated look.
Added with 100 oz (about 3L) Moflow bladder from Polarpak, it's in my wishlist.
Wonder where I can have a look (and feel, inspect, drool over) here in Malaysia.

K2 Pro-Flex

I bought this bike (or remnants of it) from my younger brother Apis.
He bought it (long ago) from a friend.
After quite some time searching, i finally found the make and model of the bike.
I was browsing thru old MB Action magazines bought from Darren, and i saw it - K2 Pro-Flex bike.
Old school. And it's a K2, man! Cool, then.
I continued my search online, and it brought me to BikePedia.
Finally I got hold of the original specs - much of it is no longer on the bike. I narrowed down to three models similar to the one that is with me:

• K2 ProFlex 1000
  
• K2 ProFlex 2000
• K2 ProFlex 3000

photos below taken from BikePedia

K2 ProFlex 1000


K2 ProFlex 2000


K2 ProFlex 3000

It's a 1998 model. Wow! From 10 years ago.
Well, I guess it's the 1000 model. The other two boast with Noleen Cross-Link forks (or are they Girvin?). I don't think the original owner would swap the Cross-Link fork with an 80mm Manitou Magnum. But then again, 1000 would have RS Indy fork.
Ahh... Never mind.

When I bought the carcass, I was thinking of only salvaging usable parts for building a hardtail. Well, I got a few:

• Bontrager 50mm stem
• Titec 25.4 riser handlebar
• Titec 27.2 seatpost
• V-brake bosses from Manitou Magnum fork
• Shimano Deore XT hubs (for v-brakes)
• Amoeba head-lock
• Rims (later tossed away, changed to Mavic 719s)
  

It is interesting to note that the shifters were XTR. Anyway, they're in bad condition, only the barrel adjusters are usable. If you need them, leave your contact details.

I'm thinking of rebuilding the bike. Three major things with the frame:

1. Swingarm bushing need to be changed - don't know where to get
   
2. Rear coil shock - not in good condition - say, 6/10
3. Rear v-brake boss bracket damaged
   

For #3: to resort to disc brake, I have to source for the adapter (as pictured below).
Anybody kind enough to help me with this?


A2Z rear disc brake adapter - photo taken from internet (sorry, didn't take note of the URL)

Another problem: I don't have the space for another bike. Duhh!!

Anyway, it'd be a heck of a project. Perhaps someday. Yeah, maybe someday.

Power and Cadence

(excerpt from The Elegant Solution - Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation, Matthew E. May)

Run The Numbers : Lance Armstrong

Following his bout with testicular cancer, Lance Armstrong found that his physiology had changed. he was lighter, with a diminished musculature. The way his body most efficiently produced power had changed. He needed a new way to ride the bike in order to compete at the elite level.

He examined the power equation:

Power = Force x Velocity

where:

• Force = the force applied to pedals
• Velocity = leg speed, or pedal cadence

He did the math, looking at the variables.

If it takes 200 watts to move a bike at 20 mph, what were the possibilities? What were the differences of pedalling 70 rpm, versus 100 rpm?

Lower cadence requires higher force applied to each pedal stroke, which means more work for the leg muscles, and quicker fatigue.
Lower force to the pedals required higher cadence, which meant more work for his heart and aerobic system.

Given his stronger aerobic engine, he switched to spinning lower gears at a much higher cadence. It ran counter to widely accepted practice of driving big gears while seated. But it worked. No one could touch him in grueling mountain climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees.

Personal note:
Cadence was the the first thing I learnt about from a friend, Zaidi. He noticed I was using big rings while testing his hardtail (a very lightweight hardtail), and taught me about cadence and power.
It's with cadence that you could sustain long rides as with XC.

Well, I'm applying, and still learning.

bike rack dilemma

20/9/08
on the way to pasir gudang kayuh malam 2 RV point, i was stopped by police at a road block - he saw my bike at the rear of wira sedan that i drove.

the officer asked me what i did wrong. i said i did not do anything wrong.
he gestured to my bike and mentioned that it was wrong to carry it that way.
he pointed out that my rear wheel was protruding more than the width of the car, and the rack elongated the car's overall length.
he asked whether i think it is stable or not having a bike on the carrier behind the car. i said i was pretty sure that the bike and the carrier are stable.
again, he stressed that it is wrong to do it and he went on further saying that it is okay if bikes are carried on the roof.
at that point, i just listened to his explanation and such, blah blah blah.
anyway, i listened intently with a stoned face, and head nodding all the way.
he agreed to let me go this one time, and not to do it again.
well, i put it all behind and headed to the RV point in Cahaya Masai.

22/9/08
i called jpj's number available on its site.
redirected to 4 officers, before ended up with a very long wait for an officer in technical department to answer my query.
went back to jpj's site and looked for any info.
got this:
http://portal.jpj.gov.my/v5/index.php/en/Technical/Vehicle-accessory-installation-application-guide.html
the form doesn't mention 'basikal'. anyway, it's a general form/letter for all sorts of stuff to be carried on the vehicle.

also:
http://portal.jpj.gov.my/v5/index.php/en/Technical/Guidelines-on-the-Modification-of-Private-Vehicles.html

searched some more,and i got this:
http://fakawitribe.com/tribaltalk/viewtopic.php?t=2310&highlight=

entry by keropok, May 2007:

Guys...i was the one who responded to BBS
This is my take on the issue which is freaking retarded and waste of time...
Got stop at east cost highway from Kuantan to KL last month. Got stop by JPJ and was ask form one of them for the so call approval letter from JPJ. I was kinda of confuse coz i tought that u dun need one. As i could not produce it..i got summon for it. Thank you JPJ for making me go all the way back to Thule Ikano and screw the wrong guys for nothing.....
The next day (as i was still on leave) went to JPJ in Putrajaya and inquire about this so call approval letter. Yet they made me wait for 1 hour just to get verification on the issue. I was pass from one counter to another like a football. Finely after 2 hours of footballing was able to meet up with the "pengarah" from Bhg Teknikal JPJ. Nice guy and was well inform on the procedure of how to get it approve. But when i ask him that Thule said it was ok to use it. His reply was
" Tidak mengikut specs kenderaan asal" he also mentioned that Thule came to see him and wanted to get approval to sell the racks. But JPJ said u can sell but we will not come out with a letter or statement saying It's JPJ approval. rear mount racks are a no go for hatch back cars..as it posses a danger if the car were to be ram from behind. If for sedan you will need to make sure that the number plate, brake lights and signal lights are visible from behind. So it's best to go wif the top mount.
So to make a long story short......Get the borang for RM2 at the counter on the 2nd floor....fill it up provide 3 pics from different agle (front, back and side) Make sure the pics are clear and no handphone pics.....Learn the hard way for it Go back to JPJ putrajaya same floor submit the borang and pics....and wait. if yr lucky the suffering of waiting will be about 1 hour...of not..like me half the day....Just to get a signature and JPJ chop......And yet still have to pay the farking summon.......jezzzzzzz....all this for just to hv fun with nature.....

=end of entry=

i'll settle with the issue for now - just stash my bike in the car.

fancy bike lights

while in Ramadhan the hot topic is night riding, here's a good accessory to bling-bling up your bike.
http://www.monkeylectric.com/m132s_gallery.htm

cool!