Cycling is like life. Cycling with no goal is meaningless. What meaning is there cycling in circles? Or living aimlessly? Meaning comes from direction and destination. Join me in my life's journey on a mountain bike :)

Blogging since 2003. Thank you for reading :))

Saturday, May 31, 2003

Slow agony

Round island#2, from National Stadium to National Stadium (and Ang Mo Kio to Ang Mo Kio) 152 km. Since AR asked me to be a sweeper for this NPCC ride, I practice being a sweeper today, hanging around the back. After a few hours in the saddle, the agony of going slow builds: you spend more time in the saddle and brake a lot more. And you don't cycle at your own pace. And you stop to do some basic bicycle maintenance. Fiddling with bikes isn't that bad, but going slow is agonising.

At Lim Chu Kang Road, I can bear it no longer and take off on my own, past the cemeteries (two cemeteries, two nights in a row). I see lots of candles in some spots; elsewhere, it's dark and shadowy. I hear the sound of my breathing and the smooth working of my bicycle. There's nothing else on the road. Kind of spooky, but I try to ride faster than my fears. At Kranji, I stop and wait for the rest, just taking in the sight of Johore.

At Kranji, the roadie has a blowout. I stop to help, then ride like the wind to catch up - and then some. I push myself and my bicycle up and down the hills of Mandai Road. All of us get chewed up at the next official rest stop. At Pasir Ris, we get chewed out again because a couple of cyclists are unaccounted for. I feel bad about it all.

At Changi Coast Road, we are all good boys and girls. Even the dogs are well behaved; they bark but don't give chase. At Pasir Ris, one cyclist - from Singapore Mountain Bike Forum breaks away. I take the opportunity to do the same. Together, we tear down the roads above 30 km/h. Try as I did, I couldn't shake him off. It turns out he's modified his mountain bike with a road crank and 1 inch slicks. Well, on the actual ride (14 Jun), I guess I'll be too busy worrying about the newbie riders to agonise about anything else. I haven't lost a cyclist before and don't intend to start. Still, there are some interesting things about this ride: first time I've cycled with a police "escort" - a van that follows behind us. And I was wondering why vehicles were giving us a wide berth! Today is also the day I cross the 5,000 km mark on my Iron Horse.

Tech note Tonight, I wear Climalite. It feels more uncomfortable than cotton, but I'm game for trying new things. I don't regret it. I feel less sweaty. During my first round island, I wore cotton and it got soaked with sweat - it's heavy and it stinks.

May: 884 km

Fri 30 May: Roads of death
To Mount Faber, 42 km. Cars and taxis that cut in front of you. Buses that swerve into your path from the right or from bus bays on the left. It can be deadly on the roads for cyclists. Tonight, I have a few close calls. It doesn't help that at one junction, there is a "fatal accident" police notice. Tonight, I also cycle on Sime Road, with tombstones on either side. Ironically, this route is to escape the deadly road that is Lornie / Adam Road, with its slip roads leading to the expressway. LSL and his pal W lead the way for me to Adam Road Hawker Centre. This is my first Friday West Night Ride (FWNR). The Togoparts cyclists on this ride have different psychographics compared to the FENR riders. What's common to both however is the high end bicycles, eg Canondale and Klein. And, of course, the only Iron Horse - mine.

Tech note Managed to get my front d to shift to #1 this time, by pedalling slow. Of course, there's a risk that if the chain doesn't shift, I'll stall in #2. My new wheelset performs beautifully. It's quieter, smoother. I hit 42 km/h easily. One of my brake pads has a tiny speck of metal on it. Hope it's a leftover from the old rim. Bikeshop man has adjusted the pads well - no squealing at all despite having old pads on new rims.

Tue 27 May: New toys
Ang Mo Kio, 5 km Tech note To find a solution to my rim problem, I go to two bicycle shops today. One of them, in town, quotes me $250 to upgrade my wheelset to Deore, plus derailleurs, shifters and 8-speed casette. So cheap - calculation error or misunderstanding? After work, I cycle to my regular shop, which quotes "at least $300". The shop has another pair of wheels - Alex rims, just like my old ones. For freewheel too. The difference: new wheels are double walled (instead of single walled), 32 spokes (instead of 36) and aluminium hubs (instead of steel). The new ones are broader too. All of which mean I don't save any weight - bicycle is still 13 kg. To change or not to change? I decide that changing to eight speed plus other parts introduces too many unknown variables. So I go for the Alex wheelset. Clearly, my old front hub is wonky - must be all that pounding on the trails. The old rear hub seems OK. Anyway, with my new set of wheels, I can feel the difference. Can't wait to road test it. Cost me $150. Looks better too.

Afternote: I go back to the shop in town to check the price again. He assures me I didn't misunderstand. I go to another shop and am quoted $350 for Deore parts. Well, it looks like there's hope for the horse yet, except perhaps if the fork goes.

Fri 23 May: Five firsts
To Mount Faber and Telok Blangah hill, 48 km. What an eventful night. First time cycling with Togoparts. First time cycling up Mount Faber. First time up Telok Blangah. First time cycling down Orchard Rd. And first time cycling three abreast on the road. We thirty riders take up an entire lane. At times, motorists get nervous, instead of the other way round. There's safety in numbers. Well, sort of. Got to watch out for unexpected movements within the pack when other cyclists get too close; like when someone cycling on the pavement jumps out beside you. Or, when going up the hills, riders stall suddenly in front of you. Worse, one cyclist to my right stalled and fell, still clipped to his pedals. Good thing his limbs didn't flail under my wheels. I meet some pals K, H and LSH, and make some new friends: A and generous J who buys drinks for five of us. I also introduce myself to bikeleader N, who has a cyclist's physique: long wiry limbs and aerodynamic torso.

Tech note Front d as usual gives me problems. It's no joke trying to get up Mount Faber on a heavy Horse without chainring #1; fortunately, I don't stall. It's also no joke getting down Mount Faber without front brakes - some metallic debris as usual gets stuck on the pads and I don't want to shred my rims.

Wed 21 May: Two by two, near the zoo
To Seletar and Mandai, 33 km. Just as the animals went into Noah's ark two by two, we cycle two by two for self-preservation at times. There's safety in numbers and from the back, hopefully drivers will think there are road works ahead when they see multiple red blinkers. But as we cycle on busier roads, the feeling of vehicles whizzing too close for comfort makes me stick close to the kerb and it's single file again. Tonight, I ride with roadies "Padre" and "R". Actually, it's more like trying to chase after their blinkers, which wink teasingly at me in the night. I almost catch up with R along Upper Seletar Reservoir. Then, he stands on his pedals and leaves me way behind again. Anyway, cycling on my semi-slicks is exhilarating. It's a kind of magic, to balance on two wheels at up to 41 km/h on flat roads, with the wind in my face. Plus the companionship of nine other cyclists tonight, including M, whom I've not seen since 16 Feb. We stop by Casuarina Rd for supper as usual.

Tech note My front d seems to have two modes: on road and off road. On road means the chain shifts only from #3 to #2 or vice versa, but not from #2 to #1. Off road means the chain shifts from #2 to #1 or vice versa, but not from #2 t #3. What a joke! And my white watch, which has been with me for hundreds of km, conks out too. It's corroded with all that sweat and is beyond repair. What a pity. White watches are rare and mine matches my home-made sweat-absorbing "turban", t-shirt and socks. Sigh. Wonder what I'll feel if my Horse is beyond repair too.

11 May: Mission accomplished!

To Seletar and Sembawang, 55 km. This is the last ride I'm organising on behalf of Bikerboey before she returns from South America on 25 May. Today's ride (the fourth in as many months) comes full circle - the first ride I'd ever led was to Sembawang too, on 3 Feb. This ride is also the most fun ride I've ever led. It's the slowest ride ever, with no need to cycle fast and no pain from lactic acid buildup. I ride at average 18 km/h, sometimes just coasting along without pedalling and sometimes going at around 10 km/h, which is like stalling speed. We cycle on the road and do some off-road. We see wide open spaces, birds and butterflies, streams, the sea and the sun filters through the cloudy sky, shedding light without scorching skin. The ride is also memorable because of the riders:

  • G, on an A-frame Trek, knows Yishun and the places to eat
  • G, on a hardtail purple Trek, gets the helpful rider award for "back marker", looking after newbie H
  • H has Unlimited generosity; she buys satay for all of us
  • The two Giants, for sheer good-natured entertainment. I'm pleasantly surprised to see Carbon Giant join a slack ride like this - he usually goes above 35 km/h. And Gentle Giant is "fined" for being late - she buys drinks all round.
  • Gentle Giant tells me she should go on more rides with me, because she's regained her joy of cycling today instead of racing. Sure, we cycled about three hours, but we stopped to take in the sights and to talk to each other too. Which is part of the fun of cycling in a group.

My journey from being a solo rider (cycling over 1,000 km solo last year) to bike leader started in Dec-Jan 02, when Bikerboey said she's going away on Operation Raleigh for four months and needed help to keep the BOAC bike rides going in her absence. Somehow, I agreed, though I'd never led bike rides before.

Tech note Another first - today is the first time I'm wearing a branded jersey. Supposed to be cool. Maybe it looks cool, but cotton feels better ... and it's way cheaper.

Thu 8 May: "Church of the Knobby Tyre"
To Admiralty Rd West, 47 km. Office meeting ends and I flee like the wind so I can ride like the wind. I meet more people, including "the padre" of the "Church of the Knobby Tyre". His jersey shows a medieval monk, with a halo, on a mountain bike. All with a stained glass effect. Well, the monk may be on a mountain bike, but the padre is on a Trek OCLV. He leads the ride. At first, he goes at about 16 km/h. Hmmm, that's slack. But as it turns out, that's to warm up. Soon, we're tearing up the hills of Sembawang Rd at 30, then 40 km/h. Soon, he pulls away, a little blinking red dot on the little red dot that's Singapore. We reach Admiralty Road West. It's beautiful by day and more so at night, as the lights of Johore reflect off the black waters of the Straits of Johore. Too bad about the dogs though. While they ignore the other bikers, one of them barks at me. And on the roads, we pass by a few BMX bikers. One of them shoots out and cuts in front of me, with less than an elbow length to spare, then laughs maniacally.

Tech note My XTR brakes seem to keep picking up bits and pieces from my alloy rims. I find these itsy bitsy shiny bits embedded in the pads, which make an awful sound whenever I brake. Are they braking or breaking?

Sun 4 May: Alone again, naturally
To Pasir Ris and Tampines, 50 km. I don't know if my pals are organising any rides, so today is solo day. Group cycling can be fun, but going solo has its advantages too. I cycle as hard and fast as I want, or not. I stop to explore, sometimes on foot eg Tampines Ind Ave 2. It's a road with barely any traffic. When I'm solo, I can soak in the atmosphere as long as I want. Hills, trees and the lullaby of trickling water. A toad looks at my bike. I ride on, then stop to check out interesting scenery. What lies beyond that hill? I tread carefully on the soggy ground. Up the hill, I spy a road. But it's gonna be tough getting my bike up there. Silence. Any dogs lying in wait? Near Lor Halus, signage indicates pet farms in the area. I hear barking but somehow, it doesn't sound threatening - maybe it's because I know the dogs are locked up. Or maybe I've heard enough dogs baying for blood to know when it's time to flee.

I meet H, LCT and his friend K at Tay Cycle. LCT shows me a Kona chromoly. After lunch, we cycle to SCH but ... it's closed! H asks me when I'm getting a new bike. I say, when a critical component fails and I can't find spares.

Tech note Just out of Ang Mo Kio, while I'm still fresh, I hit 44.6 km/h. Could I have gone faster? Maybe, but for the red lights ahead. Today is also the first time in my life I cycle with arm warmers. Actually, they feel cool :-) except when I stop and the sun beats down.

Sat 3 May: Mutually scared
To Seletar and Sembawang, 46 km. It rained buckets today. So when the sky clears in the evening, I hop on my horse and recce for May's BOAC ride. At Seletar West Farmway, I turn ... and see a couple of dogs ... and a dead end ahead of me. Gulp. I turn and pedal oh so slowly, so gingerly past the dogs. One of them actually jumps when it sees me, but they all leave me alone. I guess it isn't werewolf time or not there isn't enough dogs for critical mass. The area is really a maze, and amazing too. Down to the airbase, past the beauty of Yishun Ave 1, then to Sembawang. I've been cycling non-stop for two hours, then stop by Cheap John's and hey, they have a pair of arm warmers. Goodbye sunburn pains - I apply sun block but I guess the noon day sun is too strong even for SPF30? I admire the bikes there - a Marin for only $650?

Thu (Labour Day) 1 May: Off-road on slicks

To Ubin, 69 km. I take a chance of road rash and face plants by going off-road with my slick tyres, because I'm too lazy to change tyres after last night's ride to Changi. I only have about five hours sleep, then back to Changi again. At Changi, I meet Gentle Giant's colleagues, most of whom ride fierce-looking bicycles. And me on my rigid, ancient horse. For the first time ever, I ride a trail with slick tyres. I take a pounding on the trail, especially downhill. Worse, my front d isn't working well - it refuses to shift from #2 to #1. My right knee hurts after last night's race with G. Anyway, I have some thrills without spills. Back home, I snatch some sleep, then clean my chain with "Chain Gang". Wow, my chain looks like new now but all that muck is all over the floor. And as I dispose of the muck, I end up having to clean the toilet too ... The ride doesn't quite make up for the ride to Malacca, which is supposed to start today, led by P. But my leave isn't approved. There goes another record-breaker - I could've cycled 400 km.

Sunday, May 25, 2003

Chasing the tail

Round island #1, from National Stadium to National Stadium (and Ang Mo Kio to Ang Mio Kio). Supposed to be at National Stadium at 7pm. But I'm working today though it's a Saturday. I reach the stadium at 8 pm and of course everyone is gone. How ironic. I join the ride because I haven't really cycled to south and south-west Singapore and now I have to chase everyone without even knowing the route. I don't even have the tail lights of the last rider as a directional beacon. But thank God for mobile phones; Gentle Giant and Togoparts rider J help put me on the right track.

This is a training ride for a National Police Cadet Corp charity ride for the bike leaders - plus some Togoparts riders (some of whom have been up Mount Faber like me last night). Tonight's ride is supposed to be a leisure ride, but I'm impressed by the discipline, caring and teamwork. They're of different ages (some secondary, some tertiary students) but they've bonded because they've cycled around this little red dot that's Singapore about six times. And this is my first round island - looks like I'm the newbie, not them. Most of the time, I don't even know the route, so after I race ahead, I wait for them or the safety vehicle.

At Tampines, I hear this is where the fun-loving Togoparts riders break off. As for me, I keep going though I'm tired - poor sleep for three nights in a row. While waiting for the rest, I try to snatch some sleep. The bike leaders sail on by, keeping a "slow-and-steady wins the race" pace of about 20 km/h (some on rental / borrowed low end bikes too, which makes it all the more impressive). But at Changi Coastal Road, all of us end up racing, because of a pack of dogs. No one panics, no one crashes. That's discipline. But I laugh at myself how my speed jumped by 10 km/h. At East Coast Park, it's still dangerous even at 6 am. People walk and ride regardless of race, language and collision. I have a close call there. I really dislike cycling there.

So, another dream fulfilled - cycling around Singapore (though I note this is a smaller "circumference' than the routes I've been checking out eg we didn't go that far west or north). Other dreams that came to pass: cycling 100 and 200 km. Dreams that have yet to be fulfilled: 400 km ride - and solo round island.

Tech note I really have to do something about my rims. Might as well change the wheelset to some decent hubs. The bearings in my no-name hubs must be shot by now.

Sunday, May 18, 2003

To the waterfall


To Kota Tinggi, 126 km (Woodlands to Kota Tinggi by car). For the first time in Iron Horse's existence, it gets strapped to a car. And this is the first time it's going to Kota Tinggi too. At Kota Rainforest Resort, we unload our bikes and we're off on whatever trail looks like it leads somewhere. Several times, it leads nowhere. But no matter, my Horse is here to ride. Hospital D and LCT take us further afield. Rubber and oil palm plantations, even farms. Dirt tracks leading everywhere and nowhere. We head for the road towards the waterfall for lunch and the ice kachang is great stuff - never had such heavy duty stuff in Singapore. At the waterfall, people stand below the falling water - a vertical jacuzzi on the cheap. The weather is sizzling; the water must feel good.


We head back for the resort and chill out as the sun beats down on the outside. When it gets cooler after a few hours, we head for some new trails - at least there's shade among the foilage (and mosquitoes, who have a giant feast on Giant). This last leg of the trail is the messiest I've ever been on. Mud. Holes in the ground, big and small - and places where the ground simply falls away (I had a few close calls, whew - when I'm bouncing that much, so do my spectacles, my brain and my eyeballs). Branches on the ground. Branches overhead. Twigs that whip me as I ride by. Hilly, bumpy ground - so bumpy that one of my waterbottles bounces off. Horse protests at the punishment by creaking (headset? handlebar? fork? I don't know). Once, I am forced to dismount - the deep tracks made by trucks, the branches and stones make the going tricky. Worse, it's uphill. Now and then, AZ and her friend L zip past me. Strange; they'd pushed their bikes uphill earlier on. Anyway, I come to bike, not to hike. I mount my Horse and try to pedal uphill. My rear tyre loses traction (I'm using semi slicks). My foot slips and I get a "bear trap" when the pedal swings around and gashes my shin. Ouch.

We go deeper and deeper into the oil palm plantation. It's going to get dark soon. Somehow, Hospital D's global positioning satellite thingy doesn't quite help us find the way out - the foilage is too dense for the satellites, I guess. He and LCT decide to backtrack. So here I go again, bouncing back from whence I came in.

Back at the resort, I marvel at how AZ and Hospital D lovingly wash their magnificent machines (both Specialized). Me, all I have is a Specialized helmet and bottlecage. I'm going to throw away the aluminium cage - someone tells me about aluminium poisoning ...

Half of us head for home that evening. The other half head for town (the resort is too expensive) to spend the night. Next morning, we head south for home. Along the way, a puppy zooms after LCT like a heat seeking missle. Target acquired, but lost. Missle turns to face me. I bend down and shout at it. I think it's winded; it looks at me blankly. Wonder why it targetted LCT but I'm glad this dog didn't go after me.

Thanks to Giant, who suggested I feed Horse with lube, my machine is frisky again. The lube must have been washed away as I sprayed my bike yesterday. I'm also surprised how much air has gone out of my tyres too; must have been the pounding on the trail yesterday.


Hills, hills and more hills. The morning mist dissipates, the cool morning air melts away as the sun - and temperature - rises. The roads around Johore Bahru become filled with hurtling metal monsters, anyone of which can make mincemeat of LCT, Giant and me. While rolling uphill, a bus stops. Darn, gravity has a love affair with my heavy Horse. I weave around the bus and a heavy truck blares its disgust as it bears down in my direction. (That makes two well-deserved chastisement - the first one being on the way to Woodlands yesterday to meet everyone.)


Giant is getting winded. LCT and I slow down to wait for her (LCT leads, because he knows the way home). Back in Singapore, we have a long lunch break - over an hour. We then taunt the noonday sun and ride our last leg home. I escort Giant as far as I can in Ang Mo Kio, then break away for home to clean my Horse. Well, that's the end of a trip which I'd waited agonisingly for. Sometimes, I wish I didn't know about cycling, because waiting for rides like this is painful. I survive by telling myself I should be feeling the joy of anticipation instead of the agony of waiting.

Tech note LCT and Hospital D comment about my bike being a rigid one, while they ride in relative comfort on the trail. At Bukit Timah (15 May), Giant's colleagues say that if my rides are filmed, bike shops will close and if I change to a better bike, I could be "Singapore's best rider". Yeah yeah, one day I'll get a hardtail. But not now, while Horse still has life in it. Anyway, who knows, it's a man-machine interface thing. I know how my Horse performs. Who knows if my next bike has that same frame geometry and everything else that makes my bike what it is today.

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Rock and roll at Bukit Timah

To Jln Eunos, Bukit Timah, Mandai, 58 km. For the first time in my life, I cycle the trails of Bukit Timah Hill. On semi slicks too. Had a few close calls bouncing along the trails, especially downhill among the gullies and loose rocks. At times like this, there's just no time to think. Yet, it's really a mind game. If I keep looking at an obstacle, I'll tend to plough right into it. Look at the obstacle, then spend more time looking at the way around it. If I think about failing, I will. Going uphill, I stall a few times - no traction. Besides, how can I pedal when my pedals are hitting stones? And my !@#$ chain refuses to shift from #2 to #1 despite repeated attempts and pleading (as if that helps). I shift my rear d in desperation and my chain obliges by flying off the chain rings. What a ride, thanks to LCT who leads the ride - and who knows the trail intimately. He shouts warnings to keep us safe, because he knows what's around the corners and down the hills.

Somehow, people are different on the trails. People walk and strangers talk. Hikers give way to cyclists, cyclists greet cyclists though all are strangers, and some hikers stop by to talk to us as Aviation H changes his inner tube.

Cycling with us are Giant's colleagues; I've met them before at Ubin on 1 May 03. Same people, different bikes. Now, three of them have the same Gary Fishers. And me, still rigid on my Iron Horse. And I made it :-) except for an embarrasing fall while I was stationery and resting! Well, blame it on the lack of sleep - I managed to snatch about 4-5 hours of sleep only.

The ride didn't have a good start though. While I was riding along Hougang on the way to meet Gentle Giant, I see a couple of dogs at a petrol station 75m away. They start trotting out to wish me a good morning. One of them, which is coloured like a hyena, runs parallel to me. I cut across three lanes (don't remember if I checked for traffic, but whew, this is about 7.30 am on a public holiday, so traffic is light). Ahead of me is a red light. Oh oh, I'm in for it now. Fortunately, the dog gets tired of its monologue with me. It stops barking and gives up the chase. But this isn't the only rude encounter of the day.

While cycling with Giant towards Bukit Timah, a driver cuts in front of both of us. I jam my brakes and skid. I swerve round the driver and ask her: "How do you drive?" She comes after me and horns me, winds down her window and says: "I signalled." Giant yells a one-word insult at her. The driver keeps nattering away. I ignore her, thinking that she ought to try her stunt in front of a 5-ton truck and see if her signal will save her.

Tech note Am I imagining things, or is my Bukit Timah dirt stained chain working better? Previously, one flick of the wrist turns the crank about 1.5 revolutions. Now, it goes over two revolutions. Hmmm. Last night, for the first time in my life, I changed my own tyres solo (well, I was strongly advised not to use my slick tyres). Oops, got one of them the wrong way round, let's start all over again. Must have done it right, because my tyres didn't blow despite the pounding at Bukit Timah. Whoa, what incredible inner tubes - over eight years old, still going strong.

Today, I buy myself a camera. It's kinda alarming wondering whether or not my old $25 camera is working or not. Sure, the shots of my first ride with Giant's colleagues turned out OK but the Kluang experience (18-19 Apr 03) was a real fiasco.