OSIM Tri - Cycling

Let's see what the tikit can do...

Parking the tikit, ready for race

Can this Roadie eat the tikit for breakfast?

Surprisingly, the answer is mostly the other way around

Taking on BIG wheels with small ones

This is the stage that is most relevant to Lovethefold readers. How does the tikit compare with other full size bikes, and also, the impressive Dahon Speed Pro which was used last year? I asked Jem about the tikit and he said he prefered the tikit. He liked the overall performance in terms of nimbleness, riding position, responsiveness and ease of handling/pushing (100m worth), though the wider range gearing of the Pro was better for stronger riders.

Despite its smaller 16" wheels compared to the 20" S Pro, Jem felt that the tikit was just as stable. He remarked how he overtook 4 riders on his first leg, and another 9 on the return leg of the 10km ride. He was not overtaken by anyone in his class! One roadie rider yelled, "Oii!" presumably in disbelief at the shame of being overtaken by a circus bike. Another rider exclaimed, "Why the wheels so small?"



The tikit was the ONLY folder in the entire Tri race. An impressive commuter bike, don't you think?

The Speed Pro did 10km in 31:48 mins last year. Can the tikit beat this? Stay tune! Results out Tuesday July 15.

OSIM Tri July 08 - Swimming & Running

A most exciting start to the Tri. The swim into the open sea is not as easy as it seems. There are the current and waves to begin with, as well as the clashing and battling of swimming in close proximity.


Running is the last stage, and by this time, one is pretty spent. Its about endurance here and it shows on the face. If you have to run out of energy, this is the safest stage. You just walk, instead of drown or fall from your bike!

A tikit to Tri

Jem will be using the Bike Friday tikit for his 3rd OSIM Tri this Sat, 12 July. He will be swimming 200m, cycling 10km and running 2km. He has been using foldies (Helios & Speed Pro) last 2 Tris with respectable results. It will be interesting to see how he competes against those Tri bikes with 700c wheels, with the tikit's smallish 16".

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This is the first time the *fastest folding bike in the world is used for a Tri in S'pore.

Stay tune. Please cheer for #378!!!

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*5 sec folding time

The best medicine

Click on pic for better viewing, esp if over 40.

Thanks so much Ken & Blanche!

One of the great joys in travelling is meeting interesting folks. Ken & Blanche Stewart were staying in the same B&B with us in a small town in British Columbia last June. We somehow got along so well and shared a nice dinner. The Stewarts live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. I blog while Ken captures significant moments in his life with drawing cartoons. And boy, has he got a wonderful sense of humour and amazing skill.

He sent this to me last Christmas. And this humorous cartoon of yours truly and the tikit up the hill never fails to bring a smile and a chuckle upon my face. The best medicine I reckon after a silly spill is some witty laughter!

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http://www.okanagan.com/

I can't believe I crashed!

Having just cleaned my road rash on my elbow and shin, and icing a sprained toe, I'm still in the state of disbelief. I have travelled to all sorts of far away and menacing places unscathed. How did a simple golf-ball size fruit throw me off? And at all places, East Coast Park - playground for children and novice bike riders. Talk about a humbling experience.

This morning's ride was organised for Patrick and Justina (Dahon owner), new friends from Perth Australia who are visiting. Pat, like me, has a serious bike addiction problem and has 8, maybe more. He is an all weather roadie and rides a fixie. He is also a fellow Bike Friday rider (Pocket Pro) and wanted to test my collection of folders. His new job required him to travel so he needed a bike that he could take along.

So it was a most intriguing morning, exchanging views and experiences. We were talking about Stelvio tires - at how fast they are. At 120psi, they are about the fastest tires available for foldies and my Speed Pro has them standard. They are also quite fragile, susceptable to cuts etc but hi performance always have cost. There we were, chatting riding side by side at a leisurely 20km/h, when I did not notice those golf-ball fruits (plenty just opposite the Changi Airport runway section). They did not have much effect on Big Apples (went over them last week with no issue) so I was riding nonchalantly when before I knew it, I was up in the air and landed on my back. I could feel my helmet hit the ground hard and I knew I was in trouble.

Thanks to safety gear, I rode away only with some bruises and sprains. Helmet cracked, Bike Friday jersey torn, gloves sandpapered but bike ok. Keong, who rode behind me, saw first hand how it all happened. He was impressed with my "smooth" fall (several motorcycle accidents, you get the hang of it). The importance of wearing safety gear was tattooed on his chest today, forever. And indeed, on all of us!

I still can't believe I crashed... but thank God for His care and protection :)

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If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm.

Though he should stumble, he will not fall Psalm 37:23,24

Lovethefold on Bike Friday website & more...

Cool 17c mornings in the c'tryside make for beautiful rides & conversations in Pai - Switzerland of Thailand

A valley in the mountains

Having fun off-road with the Tikit

Was quite surprised to see Lovethefold linked in the Bike Friday Tikit webpage under 'Customer Blogs'.

http://www.bikefriday.com/clubs/tikit

My famous blog "partner" from Canada, Vik is also featured:
http://viktikit.blogspot.com/

In their summer flyer, a little story I wrote about our inaugural trip to Pai, Thailand in Oct 07 was printed. You can read more about it here:

http://www.foldableflyer.com/pdf/2008SummerFlyer_small.pdf

Hope it encourages you to take your foldie along on your next overseas trip. It is your tikit to exploratory fun and priceless adventures!

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Thanks Bike Friday for the honor :)

Slow down you move too fast...

Realise it or not, the 2nd half of 2008 has snucked up on us.

Depending on which part of the planet you are from, life can be a flurry of activity or an unhurried one. If you are reading this blog, I suspect you, like me, belong to the former. Busy, stressed, hurried and overworked would be words used to describe our world. And it reminds me of cycling frantically in a gym, sweating furiously and getting nowhere (which is why I prefer bikes that move).

Perhaps there is some wisdom in the English idiom to "stop and smell the roses". The roses and other forms of nature remind us that there is a special beauty in being alive. I'm so glad that my friend RW took the effort to stop and "shoot" the roses during our recent Highlands trip. Thanks for sharing them RW :)

I hope you will enjoy and appreciate these natural works of art. They are given to us by our Creator to savor and to reflect upon what's really important in our garden of life. Maybe we should all slow down to see more, to smell more.

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Wishing you a meaningful and unrushed second half , on and off the saddle.

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Slow down, you move too fast, you've got to make the morning last. Just kickin' down the cobble-stones, lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy...

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Simon & Garfunkel - 59th Street Bridge Song, 1970s (OK so I'm old...)

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