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Since then, Joel, Jordan and Jodene have their own bikes now, albeit used and old. Now they are so fast and daring.
Jordan, Jodene and Joel, each their own bikes.
Jodene and the old hand-me-down bike from Uncle Joe.
Look at them go!
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
From Push and Glide To Cycling
Its been a year since they picked up cycling. All of them learn how to ride using the push and glide technique, which I blogged about back in August in 2008.
Since then, Joel, Jordan and Jodene have their own bikes now, albeit used and old. Now they are so fast and daring.
Jordan, Jodene and Joel, each their own bikes.
Jodene and the old hand-me-down bike from Uncle Joe.
Look at them go!
Since then, Joel, Jordan and Jodene have their own bikes now, albeit used and old. Now they are so fast and daring.
Jordan, Jodene and Joel, each their own bikes.
Jodene and the old hand-me-down bike from Uncle Joe.
Look at them go!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Jordan Learned to Ride in 3 Days
After Joel has successfully learned to ride a bicycle using the gliding method, I decided to get Jordan to learn to ride as well. But first, I had to find a bicycle that fit this 6 years old's size. For his age, he was extremely small in stature... LOL. His 4 years old sister was almost the same height as him.
I told Joe (my colleague) about my success in teaching Joel to ride and my predicament of getting a bike small enough or Jordan. Joe said that he had a small bike at home and that Jordan could have it. That evening, I went to Joe's house in Sri Petaling and picked up the bike.
After I reached home, I immediately started dismantling the trainer wheels and the pedals. Unfortunately, that night my wife had to work late and they arrived home late at about 8:00 pm. In any case, I got Jordan to try out the bike. I taught him to push the bike with both of his feet and then try to glide on the bike with the forward momentum. He spent about an hour doing that until his mother started to make noise... LOL.
The next night, Jordan started to glide a fair distance with one push. When he went on a downhill slope, he could glide all the way down. Success! Pedaling would be the next milestone.
The next day, Saturday, I managed to get my kids home around 4:30 pm. After their customary nap, Joel and Jordan were pestering me to let them go out and ride.
Early that morning, I had gone on a cycling hash to the trails in The Rubber Research Institute between Subang and Sungai Buloh. Together with Joe and the rest of the Wildgeeks, we had a great a hash! But I was a quite tired.
Anyway, by 7:00 pm, Jordan was pedaling like there was no tomorrow. His elder brother, Joel, was quite encouraging.
Jordan on the "new" bike.
Joel and Jordan on their bikes.
Joel was over confident. He skidded on the sand and fell down.
Joel's little injury on his knee.
Jordan, Jodene and Joel with a damaged pride... LOL.
Jordan pedals for the first time.
Jordan confidently pedaling down the slope with the brother coaching him.
More videos here.
And now, my 4 years old daughter has started pestering me to teach her. Unfortunately, this Sunday evening has started raining and I could not take them out cycling. Lets see what tomorrow brings... LOL. Next weekend, I will get their elder sister to take them cycling.
I told Joe (my colleague) about my success in teaching Joel to ride and my predicament of getting a bike small enough or Jordan. Joe said that he had a small bike at home and that Jordan could have it. That evening, I went to Joe's house in Sri Petaling and picked up the bike.
After I reached home, I immediately started dismantling the trainer wheels and the pedals. Unfortunately, that night my wife had to work late and they arrived home late at about 8:00 pm. In any case, I got Jordan to try out the bike. I taught him to push the bike with both of his feet and then try to glide on the bike with the forward momentum. He spent about an hour doing that until his mother started to make noise... LOL.
The next night, Jordan started to glide a fair distance with one push. When he went on a downhill slope, he could glide all the way down. Success! Pedaling would be the next milestone.
The next day, Saturday, I managed to get my kids home around 4:30 pm. After their customary nap, Joel and Jordan were pestering me to let them go out and ride.
Early that morning, I had gone on a cycling hash to the trails in The Rubber Research Institute between Subang and Sungai Buloh. Together with Joe and the rest of the Wildgeeks, we had a great a hash! But I was a quite tired.
Anyway, by 7:00 pm, Jordan was pedaling like there was no tomorrow. His elder brother, Joel, was quite encouraging.
Jordan on the "new" bike.
Joel and Jordan on their bikes.
Joel was over confident. He skidded on the sand and fell down.
Joel's little injury on his knee.
Jordan, Jodene and Joel with a damaged pride... LOL.
Jordan pedals for the first time.
Jordan confidently pedaling down the slope with the brother coaching him.
More videos here.
And now, my 4 years old daughter has started pestering me to teach her. Unfortunately, this Sunday evening has started raining and I could not take them out cycling. Lets see what tomorrow brings... LOL. Next weekend, I will get their elder sister to take them cycling.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Finally, Joel Learned to Ride a Bicycle!
After my last blog post, "Its not a Bike, It's Like a Bike," I have been wanting to get Joel to learn to ride a bicycle using the same "pedal-less" method.
Notice that the bike's pedal had been removed.
So today, I removed the training wheels and the pedals on Joel's bike. Then I told him to use both his legs to push the bike forward. As the bike moves forward, I told him to lift up his legs and roll forward on the momentum.
Within 2 tries, he managed to roll his bike downhill without using his feet to touch the ground! The next challenge was to get him to move forward by pedaling. And so, I installed back the pedals and got him pedaling within the first try!
Like any father seeing his child learn to do something for the first time, I was very proud of him.
Now Joel will be able to go riding with his elder sister, Nicole, instead of just watching on the road side... :-)
Jordan and Jodene standing by their elder brother.
I got him to give this confident pose... LOL.
Jodene pointing at Joel.
A video of Joel rolling down the hill on his bike.
And now Jordan and Jodene are bugging me to get them a small size bike so that they can learn as well... and it is no surprise that Joel is looking forward to riding his bike tomorrow.
Notice that the bike's pedal had been removed.
So today, I removed the training wheels and the pedals on Joel's bike. Then I told him to use both his legs to push the bike forward. As the bike moves forward, I told him to lift up his legs and roll forward on the momentum.
Within 2 tries, he managed to roll his bike downhill without using his feet to touch the ground! The next challenge was to get him to move forward by pedaling. And so, I installed back the pedals and got him pedaling within the first try!
Like any father seeing his child learn to do something for the first time, I was very proud of him.
Now Joel will be able to go riding with his elder sister, Nicole, instead of just watching on the road side... :-)
Jordan and Jodene standing by their elder brother.
I got him to give this confident pose... LOL.
Jodene pointing at Joel.
A video of Joel rolling down the hill on his bike.
And now Jordan and Jodene are bugging me to get them a small size bike so that they can learn as well... and it is no surprise that Joel is looking forward to riding his bike tomorrow.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Its not a Bike, It's Like a Bike
I was browsing the blog-sphere when I saw the Google advertisement saying, "LIKEaBIKE". I was thinking, "What do you mean like a bike? Is it a bike or not?" I was curious and so I followed the link. According to the website, "The LIKEaBIKE is a unique toy vehicle for children between the ages of two and five. Riding a LIKEaBIKE is incredible fun for kids! At the same time, it's highly beneficial for the development of their motor skills and sense of balance."
Check out the models below:
I have been trying to teach my 8 years old to ride his bike to no avail. I think this LIKEaBIKE will definitely help him to attain his balancing skills.
Check out this 2 years old on the LIKEaBIKE!
PVGlider Bike
As usual, I started "googling" for similar balancing or gliding bikes and found this cool alternative called PVGlider.
Check out the video below:
A 1 and a half year old riding a bike!
I think I am going to modify my son's bike and remove the training wheels and pedals! That should allow him to learn to glide and balance first...
I will update the results here later... LOL.
Check out the models below:
I have been trying to teach my 8 years old to ride his bike to no avail. I think this LIKEaBIKE will definitely help him to attain his balancing skills.
Check out this 2 years old on the LIKEaBIKE!
PVGlider Bike
As usual, I started "googling" for similar balancing or gliding bikes and found this cool alternative called PVGlider.
Check out the video below:
A 1 and a half year old riding a bike!
I think I am going to modify my son's bike and remove the training wheels and pedals! That should allow him to learn to glide and balance first...
I will update the results here later... LOL.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Giant Mountain Bike with Handlebar and Seat that have Built-in Absorbers
Last Saturday, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Sri Petaling together with my daughter sheltering from the rain (while waiting for my sons to finish their mental Arimetic classes for the day). I was going to twitter about being caught in the rain when I noticed a Giant mountain bike parked outside the coffee shop as I took a photo of my daughter.
The geometry of the bike was interesting to me as I was considering getting a cross-country mountain bike, which I hoped to be able to configure as an urban trial bike.
The Giant mountain bike in the photo behind by daughter.
When I checked out the bike, I noticed the strange looking handlebar stem and seat post. The first thing that came to mind was that, "Hey, cool!. The handlebar stem and seat post were quickly adjustable by the rider to suit riding uphill or downhill (e.g. stem higher and lower seat for downhill and vice versa)."
Later that night while on the drive down to Singapore together with Syarul to watch the BikeTrial competition, I showed the photos I took of the Giant bike. He told me that those modifications were not meant to adjust the stem nor the seat, but were the actual suspension system of the whole bike... and that this was old technology... LOL.
When I got over laughing at myself, I was actually quite impressed with this new found discovery... LOL. It never crossed my mind that the handlebar and seat post could play a big part in a bike's suspension system design. Now that I have this "revealed" to me, I must say that it made perfect sense... doesn't it? LOL... It is not even thinking ouside-the-box... Hahaha...
The Giant mountain bike without any front or rear suspension, or so I thought.
The handlebar stem with a built-in suspension.
The seat post with a built-in suspension.
After getting back from Singapore, I went and did some research on the net. I found out that there were many patents related to this kind of suspension system for bicycles... :-)
The geometry of the bike was interesting to me as I was considering getting a cross-country mountain bike, which I hoped to be able to configure as an urban trial bike.
The Giant mountain bike in the photo behind by daughter.
When I checked out the bike, I noticed the strange looking handlebar stem and seat post. The first thing that came to mind was that, "Hey, cool!. The handlebar stem and seat post were quickly adjustable by the rider to suit riding uphill or downhill (e.g. stem higher and lower seat for downhill and vice versa)."
Later that night while on the drive down to Singapore together with Syarul to watch the BikeTrial competition, I showed the photos I took of the Giant bike. He told me that those modifications were not meant to adjust the stem nor the seat, but were the actual suspension system of the whole bike... and that this was old technology... LOL.
When I got over laughing at myself, I was actually quite impressed with this new found discovery... LOL. It never crossed my mind that the handlebar and seat post could play a big part in a bike's suspension system design. Now that I have this "revealed" to me, I must say that it made perfect sense... doesn't it? LOL... It is not even thinking ouside-the-box... Hahaha...
The Giant mountain bike without any front or rear suspension, or so I thought.
The handlebar stem with a built-in suspension.
The seat post with a built-in suspension.
After getting back from Singapore, I went and did some research on the net. I found out that there were many patents related to this kind of suspension system for bicycles... :-)
- Bicycle handlebar shock absorber (1991)
- Suspension for bicycle seat and handlebar support (2004)
- Spring-Post for bicycle seats or handle-bars (1901)
- Saddle-support for bicycles (1897)
- And many more.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
My First Ever Encounter with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Back in 2004, I had a crippling spinal problem that left me in bed for 2 weeks. It was not through any physical activity or exercises that I was left in this situation.
It was late in the afternoon in the office after a meeting that the problem started. For no apparent reason, my back started to ache. The aching escalated to extreme pain. I could barely drive home that day. Coughing and sneezing caused excruciating pain to run through my spine.
The next day my wife drove me to Subang Jaya Medical Center and I sought treatment there. I saw a doctor whom just prescribe some pain-killers (that has totally no effect) and sent me to physio-therapy, which according to the schedule, I had to endure for 6 weeks. Each physio-therapy session cost about RM180. This is excluding the cost of other equipment I had to buy. All in all, I had already spent more than RM1500 with more to come.
After suffering for a week with no end to the pain in sight, my wife's friend suggested to her to take me to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine physician in Ampang. That afternoon, my wife came home and drove me there.
Within 30 minutes of arriving there, I was CURED! My back was as good as new! The physician basically massaged some muscles and then twisted my legs sideways against my body. The moment I heard the crackling sound coming from my backbone, the pain was totally gone. (Turns out that the lower portion of my backbone was slightly disjointed and some vertebrae were pressing against the nerves.)
I drove home a very happy and satisfied customer. And the cost, RM65. Heck! I would have paid much much more.
The next part was to convince my company to recognize Traditional Chinese Medicine as a valid treatment for medical conditions or ailments. which was not difficult to do considering the cost savings the company could save.
Insurance companies would do well to pay attention... LOL.
It was late in the afternoon in the office after a meeting that the problem started. For no apparent reason, my back started to ache. The aching escalated to extreme pain. I could barely drive home that day. Coughing and sneezing caused excruciating pain to run through my spine.
The next day my wife drove me to Subang Jaya Medical Center and I sought treatment there. I saw a doctor whom just prescribe some pain-killers (that has totally no effect) and sent me to physio-therapy, which according to the schedule, I had to endure for 6 weeks. Each physio-therapy session cost about RM180. This is excluding the cost of other equipment I had to buy. All in all, I had already spent more than RM1500 with more to come.
After suffering for a week with no end to the pain in sight, my wife's friend suggested to her to take me to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine physician in Ampang. That afternoon, my wife came home and drove me there.
Within 30 minutes of arriving there, I was CURED! My back was as good as new! The physician basically massaged some muscles and then twisted my legs sideways against my body. The moment I heard the crackling sound coming from my backbone, the pain was totally gone. (Turns out that the lower portion of my backbone was slightly disjointed and some vertebrae were pressing against the nerves.)
I drove home a very happy and satisfied customer. And the cost, RM65. Heck! I would have paid much much more.
The next part was to convince my company to recognize Traditional Chinese Medicine as a valid treatment for medical conditions or ailments. which was not difficult to do considering the cost savings the company could save.
Insurance companies would do well to pay attention... LOL.
Biketrials and Tit Tar - Traditional Chinese Medicine
Since I twisted my left arm more than a month ago while practicing biketrial, I have been waiting for it to heal like forever. (See previous post here on biketrial.wildgeeks.org)
I have tried rubbing vicks, nutmeg oil, chinese medicinal ointments and Salonpas plasters. None of those remedies worked. So when I was in Batu Gajah last weekend, I went to see a physician practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
He operates from a house and there were a lot of people waiting for their turns. From what I could see among the other patients, my problem was the least serious of all. One of the patient had a terrible motorcycle accident with healing scabs on parts of his fore head, face and right arm. He could not even bend at the elbow (I believe parts of his tendons were shortened and reattached). I could see the recent surgery scars that were performed on his arm.
When it was my turn, the physician basically took a cursory look at my left arm and told his helper to wrap my elbow with some medicinal ointment wrapped in banana leaf. I was not to remove it for 3 days. The cost of treatment was RM24.
Day 1 - My arm was wrapped in some traditional Chinese medicinal ointment.
Day2 - The pain was reduced only for the initial two days. I suspect that the ointment has some anesthetic effects.
I removed the bandages on the 3rd day.
The banana leaf that was used to wrap the medicinal ointment around my arm.
After the removal of the bandages, I could see small bruises around the elbow. The medicine had some effects, but my arm was far from being healed.
Yesterday, we had a biketrial gathering in Kelana Jaya. I just had to ride... LOL. And this morning, I am paying for it in spades. The pain on my left arm graduated from throbbing to sharp painful jolt each time I move my arm.
So at around 7pm in this evening, with a friend's (Sean) recommendation, I went to see a "Tit Tar" in Taman Seapark. What is "Tit Tar"? Here is an extract,
"Tit tar
is a Cantonese term that, when translated literally, means ‘fall-hit’. When used together, tit tar refers to the treatment of bone, joint and muscle misalignment sustained from physical trauma such as a fall, an accident or during sports." You can find out more here.
The name of the "Tit Tar" that I went to is called Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd. In Malaysia and probably other countries, most "Tit Tar" treatments are provided by Chinese martial arts organisations. But from what I can see, Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd looked like a modern medical clinic with several branches in the Klang Valley.
Eric Leong was the physician that treated my arm. He rotated and pivoted my fore arm around the elbow, and told me that there was a minor dislocation at the elbow. I could faintly hear a clicking sound each time he rotated my arm. He then proceeded to pull and twist my arm at the elbow, which caused me to (ahem... tough guy image gone liao... :-) yell out in pain.
At that point I felt a release of tension around my left arm. I could actually move it in all directions without discomfort. But when I press down on the bone at the elbow, I could still feel some pain. I am assuming that this was because of the internal bruising and blood clot, that will hopefully dissipate after a few days.
Next, my arm was wrapped in steaming hot medicinal herbs, that according to Eric, will help to sooth and remove the blood clot inside the joint.
The registration card I received as a patient of Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd. There was also a piece of paper that lists a number of items that I must not eat for two weeks, such as prawn, soya bean, tea, cabbage(?), etc.
My left arm wrapped in conventional bandages.
The cost of treatment is RM45. So far, my left arm feels really good. I will be removing the bandages tomorrow and lets hope that it is well on the way to recovery, so that I can ride next Wednesday... LOL.
I have tried rubbing vicks, nutmeg oil, chinese medicinal ointments and Salonpas plasters. None of those remedies worked. So when I was in Batu Gajah last weekend, I went to see a physician practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
He operates from a house and there were a lot of people waiting for their turns. From what I could see among the other patients, my problem was the least serious of all. One of the patient had a terrible motorcycle accident with healing scabs on parts of his fore head, face and right arm. He could not even bend at the elbow (I believe parts of his tendons were shortened and reattached). I could see the recent surgery scars that were performed on his arm.
When it was my turn, the physician basically took a cursory look at my left arm and told his helper to wrap my elbow with some medicinal ointment wrapped in banana leaf. I was not to remove it for 3 days. The cost of treatment was RM24.
Day 1 - My arm was wrapped in some traditional Chinese medicinal ointment.
Day2 - The pain was reduced only for the initial two days. I suspect that the ointment has some anesthetic effects.
I removed the bandages on the 3rd day.
The banana leaf that was used to wrap the medicinal ointment around my arm.
After the removal of the bandages, I could see small bruises around the elbow. The medicine had some effects, but my arm was far from being healed.
Yesterday, we had a biketrial gathering in Kelana Jaya. I just had to ride... LOL. And this morning, I am paying for it in spades. The pain on my left arm graduated from throbbing to sharp painful jolt each time I move my arm.
So at around 7pm in this evening, with a friend's (Sean) recommendation, I went to see a "Tit Tar" in Taman Seapark. What is "Tit Tar"? Here is an extract,
"Tit tar
is a Cantonese term that, when translated literally, means ‘fall-hit’. When used together, tit tar refers to the treatment of bone, joint and muscle misalignment sustained from physical trauma such as a fall, an accident or during sports." You can find out more here.The name of the "Tit Tar" that I went to is called Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd. In Malaysia and probably other countries, most "Tit Tar" treatments are provided by Chinese martial arts organisations. But from what I can see, Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd looked like a modern medical clinic with several branches in the Klang Valley.
Eric Leong was the physician that treated my arm. He rotated and pivoted my fore arm around the elbow, and told me that there was a minor dislocation at the elbow. I could faintly hear a clicking sound each time he rotated my arm. He then proceeded to pull and twist my arm at the elbow, which caused me to (ahem... tough guy image gone liao... :-) yell out in pain.
At that point I felt a release of tension around my left arm. I could actually move it in all directions without discomfort. But when I press down on the bone at the elbow, I could still feel some pain. I am assuming that this was because of the internal bruising and blood clot, that will hopefully dissipate after a few days.
Next, my arm was wrapped in steaming hot medicinal herbs, that according to Eric, will help to sooth and remove the blood clot inside the joint.
The registration card I received as a patient of Oriental Medicines and Therapy Sdn Bhd. There was also a piece of paper that lists a number of items that I must not eat for two weeks, such as prawn, soya bean, tea, cabbage(?), etc.
My left arm wrapped in conventional bandages.
The cost of treatment is RM45. So far, my left arm feels really good. I will be removing the bandages tomorrow and lets hope that it is well on the way to recovery, so that I can ride next Wednesday... LOL.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Guess what I have gotten myself into?
It all started with me declaring myself to be overweight in June this year. Then my purchase of a mountain bike in the hope of using it as one of my means to loose weight.
I spent RM400 on an Exitway - Mr Sub mountain bike, a really heavy "hardtail" (see... now I am talking biking jargons... LOL... must be progress), that I personally referred to as the "Lorry" bike! LOL.
Since buying the bike and riding to so many places these past months, I have discovered some must-buy gears for anyone wanting to go mountain biking on a budget!
One of the things I needed was a bicycle lock to lock my bike when I carry it behind my pick-up. So it was a must have item for me. The lock has seen better days since! The RM25 lock still works, but has lost it's casing after a week! Made in Taiwan! Quality?
I also bought a Cateye tail light for night riding for RM34. Excellent quality!
Aside from the bike, the next single most important thing I bought was the SixSixOne Helmet!
I spent RM120 for this notorious US brand but made in China helmet that after the first day of use, the protective foam just came loose! I think I have a big head... Hahahaha... Check it out below! Quality? Sucks, I guess, but still usable as a protective helmet as long as I fasten the strap properly. I will not recommend anyone to buy this though.
After a few cross-country rides, I realized that a set of gloves would be an important piece of safety equipment to have, especially on downhills!
So I dished out a reasonable RM80 to get this nice pair of SixSixOne gloves, which has since save me from a lot of potentially nasty cuts and bruises on my hands! Quality stuff, yeah! A must buy for all bikers!
Liters of water are a must for cross-country biking. A friend of mine managed to get a 2 liters High Sierra branded hydration back-pack for me from Bangkok, Thailand, for RM110.
On the day I was going to use it, while filling in water, the bloody water bag was leaking profusely at the joint between the bag and the "straw"! Quality sucks big time! Major disappointment!
So now I am just using the back-pack to carry a spare bottle of water! Sad? Pathetic? Hell yeah! Still bloody sore about it! High Sierra sucks man!
About a week ago, I bought myself a nice pair of padded cycling pants! Since I started cycling, I have torn more than 5 pairs of shorts.
For RM110, I have basically reinforced my ass and save myself from a whole bunch of nagging from my wife regarding torn or split shorts... LOL.
A couple of months back, a friend gave me some MTB videos to watch! Man... my first thoughts were, "What? How the heck did that guy do that?" I was referring to Ryan Leech! Man... that guy is inhuman! Ryan Leech is the king of trial riding! Check out this video on YouTube!
Since then, I have been trying to learn track-standing, hopping and jumping on my bike! One of the painful lessons I learnt was that you gotta watch out for your shin hitting the pedals!
Which is why I bought this RM18 shin guard 2 days ago!
Check it out! I have yet to try them on. Probably gonna do it next opportunity I get.
Since I started MTB, I have amassed a whole bunch of stuff, some defective and disappointing and some really lifting and useful.
All in all I have not spent a whole lot of money. Including a child seat, a cyclometer, fixing a crooked crank and a broken headset, and 3 set of punctured tubes, I have spent only a total of RM 1277! (Btw, learning jumping and hopping are expensive if your bike's parts are only good for normal biking. I could have save RM200 if I hadn't tried jumping and hopping like an overgrown clown... LOL)
So what have I achieved since the time I bought the bike? Did I loose weight? Unfortunately, I did not loose weight! So what did I gain? I became a Superhero... that's what! LOL...
Just fooling around after a ride on the KL-Putrajaya highway in Sri Petaling... :-)
Basically, I now have more stamina. I do not feel lethargic from lack of exercise. I feel healthier. But most importantly... now at 44 years old, I can track stand reasonably well, hop like a bunny and jump over speed bumps... LOL.... HAHahhaa..
It's just gonna get better from here on... LOL!
I spent RM400 on an Exitway - Mr Sub mountain bike, a really heavy "hardtail" (see... now I am talking biking jargons... LOL... must be progress), that I personally referred to as the "Lorry" bike! LOL.
Since buying the bike and riding to so many places these past months, I have discovered some must-buy gears for anyone wanting to go mountain biking on a budget!
One of the things I needed was a bicycle lock to lock my bike when I carry it behind my pick-up. So it was a must have item for me. The lock has seen better days since! The RM25 lock still works, but has lost it's casing after a week! Made in Taiwan! Quality?
I also bought a Cateye tail light for night riding for RM34. Excellent quality!
Aside from the bike, the next single most important thing I bought was the SixSixOne Helmet!
I spent RM120 for this notorious US brand but made in China helmet that after the first day of use, the protective foam just came loose! I think I have a big head... Hahahaha... Check it out below! Quality? Sucks, I guess, but still usable as a protective helmet as long as I fasten the strap properly. I will not recommend anyone to buy this though.
After a few cross-country rides, I realized that a set of gloves would be an important piece of safety equipment to have, especially on downhills!
So I dished out a reasonable RM80 to get this nice pair of SixSixOne gloves, which has since save me from a lot of potentially nasty cuts and bruises on my hands! Quality stuff, yeah! A must buy for all bikers!
Liters of water are a must for cross-country biking. A friend of mine managed to get a 2 liters High Sierra branded hydration back-pack for me from Bangkok, Thailand, for RM110.
On the day I was going to use it, while filling in water, the bloody water bag was leaking profusely at the joint between the bag and the "straw"! Quality sucks big time! Major disappointment!
So now I am just using the back-pack to carry a spare bottle of water! Sad? Pathetic? Hell yeah! Still bloody sore about it! High Sierra sucks man!
About a week ago, I bought myself a nice pair of padded cycling pants! Since I started cycling, I have torn more than 5 pairs of shorts.
For RM110, I have basically reinforced my ass and save myself from a whole bunch of nagging from my wife regarding torn or split shorts... LOL.
A couple of months back, a friend gave me some MTB videos to watch! Man... my first thoughts were, "What? How the heck did that guy do that?" I was referring to Ryan Leech! Man... that guy is inhuman! Ryan Leech is the king of trial riding! Check out this video on YouTube!
Since then, I have been trying to learn track-standing, hopping and jumping on my bike! One of the painful lessons I learnt was that you gotta watch out for your shin hitting the pedals!
Which is why I bought this RM18 shin guard 2 days ago!
Check it out! I have yet to try them on. Probably gonna do it next opportunity I get.
Since I started MTB, I have amassed a whole bunch of stuff, some defective and disappointing and some really lifting and useful.
All in all I have not spent a whole lot of money. Including a child seat, a cyclometer, fixing a crooked crank and a broken headset, and 3 set of punctured tubes, I have spent only a total of RM 1277! (Btw, learning jumping and hopping are expensive if your bike's parts are only good for normal biking. I could have save RM200 if I hadn't tried jumping and hopping like an overgrown clown... LOL)
So what have I achieved since the time I bought the bike? Did I loose weight? Unfortunately, I did not loose weight! So what did I gain? I became a Superhero... that's what! LOL...
Just fooling around after a ride on the KL-Putrajaya highway in Sri Petaling... :-)
Basically, I now have more stamina. I do not feel lethargic from lack of exercise. I feel healthier. But most importantly... now at 44 years old, I can track stand reasonably well, hop like a bunny and jump over speed bumps... LOL.... HAHahhaa..
It's just gonna get better from here on... LOL!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Wild Geeks Hashing
Since the day I bought my mountain bike on June 12 2007, I have been very busy cycling. (Everyday I made it a point to cycle at least 11km or more to build up my stamina.) After watching Wild Hogs, it inspired me and George to start a "Wild Something".
By June 26 2007, the Wild Geeks Adventure club was formed.
With the formation of the Wild Geeks Adventure Club I have been very busy hashing with the guys. The first trip was to the Rubber Research Institute and there were only three of us - George, Daniel and me.
By the second trip, which was to Batu Dam, there were 7 of us - George, Daniel, John, Azril, Izaini, Ken Wei and me. We hope to get more people to start cycling and hashing with us.
I have gone on three MTB hashing trips and they were all fun and exciting. The joy was to be in an unknown place not knowing what is down the road or the trail, or around the next corner.
Thanks to Daniel and Azril, I have some photos of myself on our last hashing trip to Batu Dam (view GPS photos on Google Earth here).
Photos by Daniel:
Photos by Azril:
I had just completed a trip to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) with Joe and Azril yesterday - July 21 2007 (view GPS photos on Google Earth here). And now, we are already planning another hashing trip for next Saturday (28th July).
George proposed and planned this next hashing to the Lata Kijang Waterfall, Negri Sembilan. The Lata Kijang Waterfall destination is not exactly a MTB route. It's famous more for 4WD and there are a lot of 4WD 3D2N tour packages to the falls, with tour activities such as spending an evening in the orang asli village.
Hopefully Micol and Ken Wei will have bought their bikes by then to be able to make it for the trip; and also Henry and Jason, fellow MTB adventurers whom I met in FRIM, will be able to make it as well.
Here are some information about Lata Kijang Waterfall:
For more full reports of the Wild Geeks hashing trips go here:
By June 26 2007, the Wild Geeks Adventure club was formed.
With the formation of the Wild Geeks Adventure Club I have been very busy hashing with the guys. The first trip was to the Rubber Research Institute and there were only three of us - George, Daniel and me.
By the second trip, which was to Batu Dam, there were 7 of us - George, Daniel, John, Azril, Izaini, Ken Wei and me. We hope to get more people to start cycling and hashing with us.
I have gone on three MTB hashing trips and they were all fun and exciting. The joy was to be in an unknown place not knowing what is down the road or the trail, or around the next corner.
Thanks to Daniel and Azril, I have some photos of myself on our last hashing trip to Batu Dam (view GPS photos on Google Earth here).
Photos by Daniel:
Photos by Azril:
I had just completed a trip to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) with Joe and Azril yesterday - July 21 2007 (view GPS photos on Google Earth here). And now, we are already planning another hashing trip for next Saturday (28th July).
George proposed and planned this next hashing to the Lata Kijang Waterfall, Negri Sembilan. The Lata Kijang Waterfall destination is not exactly a MTB route. It's famous more for 4WD and there are a lot of 4WD 3D2N tour packages to the falls, with tour activities such as spending an evening in the orang asli village.
Hopefully Micol and Ken Wei will have bought their bikes by then to be able to make it for the trip; and also Henry and Jason, fellow MTB adventurers whom I met in FRIM, will be able to make it as well.
Here are some information about Lata Kijang Waterfall:
For more full reports of the Wild Geeks hashing trips go here: