Plentong Epic Ride 2013

Breaking news!

Plentong Epic Ride is back this year, according to people in Cyclemotion.

It will happen in May insyaAllah.

Stay tuned.

Run Forrest Run (or Run and Walk)

adidas supernova glide 3 - KLCC Park 25.12.2012

My weekly-basis secondment in KL being extended monthly and it has been about half a year already. With that, my cycling has been sporadic. Sure, there were night rides and offroad rides in KL but they were very few.

With that, my daily doses of endorphin is dramatically shrunk. What's more alarming is that I had to buy new pants (bigger waist, not smaller).

Fueled also by friends' running activities that they posted over fb, I took the plunge. It seems that running is quite cheap (if you don't splurge >RM500 for a pair of shoes, that is) and doable. More and more people are doing it, and there are also lots of running events nowadays. Well, I'm not in it for the competition, rather for my exercise. If I do compete, it shall be with my own self (oh yes, the tee-off cliché so as not to be discouraged).

I always savour the morning walk to the office through KLCC Park whenever I stay at Corus Hotel Jalan Ampang. I envy the morning joggers, and had been wanting to do the same. And so I did, on a nice 25/12/2012 evening. Bought a brand new pair of running shoes with ¾ shorts the day before.

Of course, the first couple of runs bought aches to my thighs. Strangely, I kept on with the running. And now after 24km (total, with walking), the legs are not complaining anymore. Just that I have to improve my running form and start to work on endurance, speed, etc.

I'd say that the smartphone is my essential companion, but not without the armband. It is quite motivating to see the results of my running sessions and to track progress, while listening to the recitation of Al Quran Kareem or songs. There are numerous apps for running, but I'm sticking with Sports Tracker. And recently, Strava.

While running is considerably and comparatively cheap compared to cycling, I still love what cycling could give - especially the bike assembling part. My version of Lego, I might say. On the other hand, running would complement my mountain biking in terms of stamina and strength. In-syaa-Allah.

So I'm hoping that I could do this long term, and I'm interested to see where it would lead me to. I'm looking forward for my first running event soon (short one, fun run perhaps) and gradually up to 10k, half-marathon and even a marathon.

Meanwhile, stay calm and keep running. I'm getting back my doses of endorphin, Alhamdulillah. Yay!
:)

If you're interested in running, perhaps this is a good place to start reading:

http://running.about.com/od/getstartedwithrunning/a/beginnersguide.htm

Thanks for running by.
Have a blessed day.

Night DH in JB

A: Psst... Psst... Have you heard about it yet?
B: Heard what?
A: DH event in JB.
B: That's normal la bro.
A: This one's different, bhai...
B: How different? Open to fixed-gear only?
A: Yeah, right... Well, this time it's a night DH.
B: OK...
A: And it's gonna be 1km DH trail.
B: When la?
A: 03/2013
B: Where?
A: Seri Alam Bike Park
B: Eh, itu dekat benor dengan rumah Akmal kan?
A: Akmal who?

Bangga aku dok kat Bandar Seri Alam...

09.12.2012 Sunday Short Ride

It was only about 20km of tarmac and offroad ride with 1½ hour saddle time.

With Ziyad.

We started from my house and pedaled to a mamak restaurant at Suria area for breakfast.

Route:

home > Suria > Flora Heights > Fort William > Rodeo > UniKL/MRSM > Bike Park > home

I love the tranquility of the morning's ride on Sunday.

Rolling through the rubber estate, there was a sense of serenity.

The weather was nice, not humid just crisp. And the trail was dry.

There were lots of climbing, especially during the initial ride going to Flora Heights and Fort William.

The payback down FW and Rodeo was really rewarding. Also at the Bike Park although just a short one.

But most of all, was being able to be at home before noon. And not having to wash the bike.

Yeah!

Route map: http://bit.ly/TR8NlZ

Enjoy your ride!

Thanks for coming over, dude.

11.11.12: solo ride around localities

at UniKL MITEC Seri Alam/MRSM JB

I had a very limited saddle time during the last few weeks due to various reasons, the major one being rainy evenings/nights. That's why I tend to cherish any rides that I manage to do. More so when the ride is coupled with an objective other than spinning the crankwheel.

Helmy, an avid freebies collector (and a reader) of MBUK asked me to get him a copy of Nov 2012 issue from KL. He's riding in Plentong that day, so I delivered the mag by riding on road with my RTW Machine. Heck, it's only a 2km ride from home.

So, after chat over nasi lemak(!), I went off pedaling home. Noticing that it was still early and the distance covered was not that far, I decided to stay on saddle and charted a longer route in my mind. I covered various places, hills and a little bit offroad (mud!) thrown in the overall distance. Not too bad, alhamdulillah I covered about 30km that morning. Enough endorphin over less than a couple of hours of spinning around the localities. No bad doggies.

:)

Route: Plentong > Bandar Seri Alam > MRSM JB > UniKL MITEC Seri Alam > Flora Heights > Nusa Damai > Taman Cendana > Taman Bukit Dahlia > KIP Mart Masai > Masai > Bandar Seri Alam (Suria) > home.

Oh, and for the first time I used the Raleigh panniers bought from Amir Syafiq who got it from Bristol during his years there.

Bila lah nak buat short/long distance touring daa...

Distance: 28.6km
Route map in here: http://bit.ly/T2x7Qo

Thanks for coming over.

Have a good ride!

And take care of your solat.

Seri Alam Offroad 14.10.2012: Leading the Pack

multiple Yad

It's only a week to Burung Hantu 2012 event, and I needed so badly some dirt time. The last offroad was at PCP two weeks back and that followed by an 8.6km Fun Ride on tarmac with the family, participating in Mega Ride 2012.

 

Highly motivated, I pedaled to Ruza Taman Scientex on that Sunday morning. There were only 5 of us: EG, Wak Amm, Yad, Apau and myself. It was a small group, and the level of fitness & skills are about the same, hence I decided to ask EG if I could lead the ride that morning; with him as a guide whenever we got lost of course. And yes, he guided me quite a number of times!

 

The trail network in Seri Alam is quite confusing for me all these while; and I've been tailing the riding group whenever we rode in there. There were numerous occasions before this when I got lost, and not knowing which part of the area I was. It is quite scary, especially when it is close to the afternoon when water supply depleted and the body is exhausted. During the last 2 rides, we had been going through the same trail, so I could remember a certain (sumptuous) parts of the trail. This time, I took the lead.

Destination points: Flora Heights, Fort William, rodeo, Mashi Maro, and Badminton; and then Seri Alam Bike Park on the way home.

 

I tell ya, when you're in the lead, the trail's various branches opened up. Paths on the sides which were not noticeable suddenly become very, very visible. In many occasions I did steered the group to unfamiliar routes and we had to retrack to jalan yang benar. EG had been helpful in correcting the way, all the way. Thanks, deh!

 

Anyway, I felt confident to lead a group from Nusa Damai up to Badminton now, insyaAllah. Still a bit blur to get back to Bike Park, though. Hehe...

Photos in here: http://bit.ly/ZpG3lT (action shot overload!)

Route map (Nusa Damai --> Seri Alam) is here: http://bit.ly/TDA2eF

Thanks for coming over.

Ride on!

Jangan tinggal solat ye.

Ronda Riadah Mega Ride 07.10.2012: Family Fun Ride II

The people in the family was quite excited when I told them that we are participating in the second installation of Mega Ride's Fun Ride. The advertised distance this time, however, is triple than the first's 5km. That got me a bit worried, especially for Adam's single speed BMX. For Marsya, I built her a 9-speed mountain bike 2 weeks before her birthday, so no problem there except for her handling of it.

 

We did about 4 training sessions with the kids, and once with the missus and Umar. It made a lot of difference, really, and I think they are fit enough for up to 10km ride on tarmac. I sensed that they enjoyed the small victories whenever we finished our training sessions. And I think more rewardingly the family bond is better when we go out cycling together. Getting the kids to get ready on time is still an area that we could greatly improve on, though.

:P

 

So, the D-Day arrived. I managed to load the Innova with 3 mountain bikes and 1 BMX while still having comfortable space to sit in (Umar as usual would hop around front and back, regardless). We got up early and drove out to Bandar Dato' Onn that Sunday morning. Such an awesome spectacle it was, a carnival of cycling enhusiasts gathering on a big open space of the grass hill.

As usual, the eventual flag-off was preceded by formailities of short speeches, safety briefing and anthems. We the Fun Riders had to wait from 8.00am to 8.50am before our turn arrive. By that time, Umar was a bit restless and sleepy. I managed to keep him interested although he refused to wear his helmet all the way.

I kept track of the distance and kept watch on Adam's condition. The gentle slope heading to Seri Austin was a bit tough for him, but he managed to pull through after a short rest for water halfway. The weather was nice and bright, but by the time we reached the turning point at Seri Austin, it was already a little bit hot. Nothing to complain, though, as it is much better than if it is raining. The total distance was only 8.6km according to my cyclometer. Well, I think it is just about the right distance for us, with the amount of training that we had.

After getting our meals and drinks, we went off. Not bothering too much on the lucky draw at all. We had what we wanted, and it was more than the measly RM50 entrance fee for the whole family. The goodie bags itself worth more than that (a good quality jersey with back pockets); plus the meal, free-flow drinks and satay provided. The family outing: priceless.

Looking forward for the next Fun Ride, and preferably with shorter waiting/idle time and suitable ride distance.

Photos in here: http://bit.ly/TZ5ed0

Thanks for coming over.

Have a good day!

30.09.2012 - PCP Maiden Ride with Dino and Gang

Another one ride wishlist ticked off now.

:)

 

Many thanks to Dino for being the ride guide and also providing the transportation.

The same goes to BC Kelolo for lending me one of his bikes.

 

Dino fetched me on a beautiful Sunday morning at the entrance of The Royal Selangor Golf Club at Jalan Tun Razak, which is a short distance from the hotel I was staying in at Jalan Imbi. We headed straight away to Putrajaya from there with Dino's son Irfan. At PCP, we were joined by two others, Hafiz and Kamil.

 

We started right off at the pump track, a short steep downhill and into the singletrack. Abruptly after, hidden from sight is a climb up upon a series of switchbacks. One word about the switchbacks at PCP: aplenty.

 

The trails in PCP is mostly singletrack, some tight on the ledge and some are quite wide. There are technical ones, and served with uphills matched with rewarding downhills. I failed miserably on many of the switchbacks, hence not really enjoyable - found myself hiking down most of them. I'd say 60% of the tracks are with switchbacks. Some looks gnarly, some quite tight and some are quite relaxed. So, if you mastered the skill to tackle switchbacks (both going up and down), you will definitely enjoy riding in PCP.

 

The trails are actually divided into 4 categories coded with colours:

Blue

Green

Red

Black - DH

*sorry, too lazy to look for info of the trails.

 

Dino brought us through a mix of the blue, green and red trails. Quite challenging at some sections, a good place to hone and practice your mtb skills (if you have a good guide). From my Sports Tracker's reading, we chalked only about 6.5km of riding but I tell ya, it was really intense.

 

Surely I'll be back, and tackle all those haunting switchbacks. InsyaAllah.

 

From Sports Tracker's reading:
Distance: 6.51km
Duration: 1h 16m 37s
Average speed: 5.10 km/h
Max speed: 22.4 km/h (couldn't be!)

 

Photos are in here:

Akmal's: http://bit.ly/QlJPaJ

Dino's: http://bit.ly/UDf5Sy

 

Ride map: http://bit.ly/PJya4E

 

19.09.2012: NR with GLC - Desa Park City

me at Jalan Strachan

 

Another ride with GLC, and this time the destination was Desa Park City. A very nice township with the lake park Waterfront complete with a reputable bike shop. There's also a recent installation of stainless steel bike rack nearby the bike shop and 7-Eleven. How convenient (for cyclists!).

 

I loaned BC Kelolo's bike and kept it with me while staying in the hotel. So we agreed to meet up along the way, RV point mamak restaurant nearby Jalan Ipoh/Jalan Sentul T-junction. Not long after I reached the place, the group arrived and we moved on.

 

Goosebumps on my arms and I grew excited while cycling along Jalan Ipoh towards Segambut, for nostalgic reasons. We passed by SRK Sri Dhandayutapani (can you say that in one go, quickly?) and I was smiling big time as I saw Jalan Strachan across the road. I didn't go to school there, but I remember my childhood friends and I were having fun with saying the name as quick as we can. And that fun we had was on Jalan Strachan, used to be our home.

 

I won't say much about the route. You can view it on the maps via the links below. Suffice to say that the route is wholesome. A lot of downhills. After the necessary cranking uphills, of course.

:D

 

On the way back, more downhills (and uphills!) were served. The one at Publika, and also the one leading to Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan. Awesome.

 

All in all, I'm happy to have joined the ride. Went to new places, and also revisit old places; some personal satisfaction during my solo rides from the hotel to Jalan Ipoh and back.

Many thanks to BC Kelolo and GLC gang for this one.

 

Photos in here: http://bit.ly/Qx5WNh

 

Ride maps:
1. hotel --> Jalan Ipoh: http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/akmalhizam/tji98kfa6jg235n2
2. Jalan Ipoh --> DPC: http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/akmalhizam/el4eqei9sj6dtrcj
3. DPC --> Jalan Ipoh: http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/akmalhizam/7itmanhoadbv0sco
4. Jalan Ipoh --> hotel: http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/akmalhizam/cupkoupoou7hau5g

 

Thanks for coming around.

Have a good weekend!

Offroad: Seri Alam 26.08.2012 - gathering of brothers

 This is ride special simply because it has been a long time since my last offroad outing in Skudai. Lond put up on PG Gerek fb page about the ride, so I set out to join in. Moreover, it is in Seri Alam. It has been a very, very long time. Being the first offroad after Ramadhan, I'm sure it would be a bit taxing.

 

7.30 am and I went to Ruza in Nusa Damai but no one there. Lond was waiting in Ruza in Taman Scientex. The restaurant is open, but without breakfast or even hot drinks. Bought RM3 worth of assorted kuih from nearby stall and had it in the restaurant. Washed down with plain water. Eg and Am joined us shortly after. To my surprise, Reza came too. So there we were, 5 of us. We went to the other meeting point in Taman Scientex and had breakfast over there.

 

Eventually, we started rolling proper at about 9.15 am.

:P

 

+-------------

Route:

Taman Scientex - Backyard - Flora Heights - Fort William - Mashi Maro - Badminton - 7-Eleven - Kambing - Seri Alam Bike Park - Kuil - Nusa Damai - Taman Scientex.

View the trail on Sports Tracker and here.

 

My stats:

Dist 31.07 km
Odo 384.7 km
Max 40 km/h
Time 2:36:29
Avg 11.8 km/h

+-------------

 

The first 10 km was very taxing. I was out of breath, and the stomach feels uneasy. Not to the point of vomiting or nausea, but uncomfortable although yet can still endure the ordeal. However, the legs are good and didn't give any problem. Alhamdulillah. I have to note here that most of the time little granny was asked to serve and big ring was spared most of the time. Sheesshhh...

 

I enjoyed the ride in overall. Especially the sumptuous start of Fort William - Mashi Maro section. The boing-boing downhill was simply awesome. The downhill to Badminton was interrupted with fallen (more of chopped off) trees at the halfway point.

 

To our surprise, the settlement at Badminton (and all other kotais) were deserted and some were burnt. A chat with a PATI on motorbike at the trail reveals that they had moved to other places. There were multiple thefts; cooking gas tank and rice were robbed. The PATI told us it might be that the thieves came around to their places following the waypoint markings that were left after the events ended. They didn't want to take them off out of their respect to us cyclists. We agreed that they could take off the markings for their safety; the markings should be taken off by organizers after the events, anyway. So, please be warned that if you're in Seri Alam trail, do expect discontinuity or even absence of markings from now on.

 

We met with people from Cyclemotion at 7-Eleven for a short get together (beraya tanpa makan-makan) and rode together for a few kms before parting off at the goat farm. The five of us went ahead and that led us to the bunch of DHers at Seri Alam Bike Park - another section that I enjoyed most. The run down at Seri Alam Bike Park towards the lake was amazing. Kudos to the trailbuilders!

 

It's good to be back on saddle offroad, and more so getting to meet again with fellow bikers after such a long time. What's leaving a big impression to me is the Seri Alam Bike Park. It left me grinning to this day.

 

Anybody has a Glory (with fullface helmet, neck brace, paddings, etc.) that I can borrow?

:D

 

Photos are in here.

 

Thanks for coming over, dude.

Have a great day ahead!

RTW: 23.08.2012 back after a month

Salaam.

I was yearning for a ride yesterday. And I did it today, half-obliged on my Trance with knobbies (!).

:)

The office (and the whole Pasir Gudang) is still on extended Eid leave, except for my Filipino mates and some people who share the same fate with me - not allowed to take extended leave due to project demands.

My parents are at my home with the rest of the family still on school festive holiday. They have plans to go here-and-there with the car and so I have to RTW.

Yeay!

One small problem: the Kona Nunu RTW Machine is buried quite deep in the store room. Being away for the Eid holiday, I can't afford to leave it outside so I put it in there. The Trance is ever ready in the living room, though. I was too tired last night to get Nunu ready for this morning's RTW so I went out with Trance.

Stats this morning:

Out from home	0718	hours
Arrive office	0752	hours
Door-to-door	34	mins
Ride time	31' 25"
Distance	11.5	km
Ave. speed	22.0	km/h
Max speed	36.5	km/h
Odometer	340.8	km
Good doggies	0
Bike / Tire	Trance/knobbies

I'm happy to report that the average speed is quite good for a long absentee. However, I have to note here that I'm a bit tired after my shower and taking some time to recover. Anyway, I'm elated.

Not much difference on the surroundings en route, except that the coastal highway was without as much vehicles. Easier for me to cross the road. Quite boring, actually. Perhaps a venture offroad on the way back?

Hmm...

Have a good day ahead, guys.

Thanks for stopping over.

less RTW

Following my third monthlong RTW for this year in May, my bike commuting has since reduced quite dramatically due to change of workplace/office. I have been in a weekly outstation stint since June and still ongoing. A 3-day week in KL initially is now graduated to a full 5-day week including the whole Ramadhan. So, this year effectively there were no Ramadhan RTW at all. Heck, today is 22.08.2012 and I haven't done any RTW at all yet in August. My latest RTW was on 24.07.2012. Such a long hiatus.

The only cycling that I did to 'compensate' were few and far between. I guess that makes it more memorable, more intense and more joyful.
1. Night ride with GLC: KL Tower + Sup Dorai - with Latfy 26.06.2012

2. Night ride with GLC: Carcosa + Tasik Perdana + S'gor Mansion - with Azlan and Latfy 04.07.2012

3. Offroad: Kayuhan Amal Skudai - 15.07.2012

Oh yes, I enjoyed tremendously all those rides. The theme was all the same: strenghtening ties between friends - long lost friends, and friends found through cycling. I rode with Latfy my friend from my MLA Cheras days and Azlan (MBPS/MBS Sentul/MLA Cheras) during the GLC night rides, and reconnected with good people from JB in the Skudai ride. Also, the places were all that had been in my wishlist, too - a ride up the KL Tower (base), late night hot soup at Jalan Doraisamy, the serene Carcosa Seri Negara, a touch of offroad at Tasik Perdana, and the Skudai Trail.

I hope more of good cycling in days ahead. The bikes at home are gathering dust and cobweb. With the exception of today, I hope the 3 days in Pasir Gudang this week could see me back on the saddle again. Spare tire is growing on my waist.

:P

Thanks for coming over.
Enjoyed your Eid?

Offroad: 15.07.2012 Kayuhan Amal Skudai

Sorry, readers. No photos. Was busy enjoying my ride

:)

There are too many events these days lining up in Johor alone, judging from the event invitations that I received through Facebook. During my initial year of mountain biking, I wished for mtb events in JB some years ago. Some wishes do come true, albeit realised after a few years. However, you better be careful with what you're wishing for; it may not be good for you. But in this case, I think it is a good thing in some aspects.

Take for an instance the recent event I took part in. A simple event, with a good cause, and kinda back to the roots. It was Kayuhan Amal Skudai, in conjunction with Festival Skudai 2012 at Masjid Zainal Abidin in Taman Sri Skudai. The mtb event was brought up by the handsomest bug in all Skudai, Ijat aka Kumbang Hensem Durjana with CTanggang Riders and Rahman KBC with KBC bros. The measly RM20 event fee goes to the masjid fund, while 200 registered riders were given a nice turquoise cotton t-shirt.

I registered as a walk-in (or pedal-in) rider that morning. The ride suits me very well in various facets. First and foremost, it is a charity ride - fii sabilillah - for the masjid's fund. And the rest, on equal ground: riding with friends, excellent trail, a short distance offroad and a closure for my offroad biking before Ramadhan (which is, not many). I noticed that my handlebar gathered dust from too much resting at home. Sheeshhh...

Alhamdulillah, the weather was fine as it was raining the day before. Mudfest expected, and more or less prepared. To get to the trailhead, 6+ km tarmac warmup required, guided by Traffic Police, on hilly Skudai Batu 10 area. I enjoyed tremendously the uphill sprint before the descend to the trailhead. The fun began as soon as we hit the dirt. Some younger fixed gear heads went in too, I guess to get a taste of offroad, but I think more of a preservation (and manifestation) of their ego. Well, you never underestimate what the young ones could do. Let them be. I went ahead to enjoy my ride.

;)

The beginning of the offroad was quite mild, but my bike was relishing it; and so did I. I intended to enjoy every inch of the trail. Soon enough, we hit the trail junction. Rather, a secret door to an awesome technical trail loop. Magical it might seem, with the damp ground and undulating, swervy singletrack  strewn with roots in certain sections. There's also a slippery KumBerm and some drops. That's Plastic Cup. The loop is about 2km. Panjang and I enjoyed it so much, we went it for a second serving of the cup. How envious we were with folks at Skudai who regard this as their evening playground after working hours (or before iftar).

We continued to Denai Trail. Here, the magic continued further. More singletracks, with some bumps and the infamous drop, decorated with a gem of a finishing at Bukit Tergolek - a steep drop that (honestly) made my heart pounding and knees wobbling. I bypassed the first mega drop, and continued on. But I knew from my first visit here more than a year ago, that BT is the pièce de résistance not to be missed. I was a bit shaken upon descending the BT drop, forcing me to suspend right at the edge of it. It took me some time to regain my normal heartbeat and shaking knees attenuated. I redeemed myself finally, and descended not once but twice. Pure adrenaline rush. Loved it.

*ye laa... tak tergolek, boleh la kata macam-macam...

After much of a carnival at the base of BT we headed to Bukit Double Trouble before a somewhat fast singletrack with an ending at a small drop. I thought that it was over, but soon enough there was a little surprise - Bukit Che Mat greeted us. Rather a big mound than a small hill. Plus, some more small drops after that. Still, simple features like this make the playground a happy place. For the bike and myself.

We got back to the trailhead, right where we came in from and pedaled uphill on the tarmac to get back to the event base. Total distance was less than 20 km, and I finished the ride at 11.30 am.

I stayed around to cool down and enjoyed the tug-of-war match at the field. I reached home at 12.30 noon, much to the delight of my missus.

:D

To Ijat, Rahman, Skudai folks and everyone else who made the event possible - thumbs up for you. May Allah bless you for all the good deeds done.

See y'all in the trails, local and elsewhere(!) after Ramadhan, insyaAllah.

Thanks for coming around.

Have a blessed Ramadhan.

Ride a Bike

I recommend for you to ride a bicycle:

for your spiritual health - involve zikr with each pedal stroke

for your physical health - even a short spin around the neighbourhood would make you sweat and put in some exercise

for your mental health - be alone even when riding in a group

.

.

.

.

.

*fill in the blanks (believe me, you would be filling in many lines after some kilometers).

Have a good day.

Ride a Bike

Merino Wool?

merino wool jersey - have ewe tried it yet?

Latfy - a reborn cyclist (and I mean a very avid cyclist at that) - was checking up on the idea of wearing merino wool shirt for his RTW. Both of us agree that in our local climate we would surely sweat when riding the bike. I had done tests myself on my RTW journeys with cotton t-shirts and polyester jerseys. No matter how cool the weather is (post rain, gloomy sky, etc.), surely I would be sweaty whenever I'm stopping at the traffic light.

The other challenge is to not be stinky because of the sweat. One of my two Sugoi jerseys would smell a bit funny when I'm sweaty - perhaps because of the polyester. The other jersey, Brooks with X-Static material is much better, with no odor due to its anti-bacterial properties.

And then Latfy gave me this link:

http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/two-weeks-one-wool-shirt.html

Two weeks with one shirt with no odor? That's something. Anybody tried any merino wool jersey in our local climate? Especially when it's hot and humid, for any types of cycling - road, offroad, RTW, touring, etc. Please share your experience. I'd like to know what you think (feel).

So far I've got a pair of Smartwool socks from a Timberland store (and they're not a cheap pair of socks!). A bit thick, I've been wearing them with my sneakers only. No cycling yet.

Why Merino Wool?

http://www.merino.com/en/active-wear/performance-benefits

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-merino-wool.htm

image taken from here.