Rainy days & Mondays DO NOT get me down...

Driest part of the bike - Topeak seat pouch. Thanks to waterproof cover

I rarely turn down invitations for a ride and this Monday morning is no exception. Keong of *Foldinities fame is getting serious about the weight game and wanted to do a 30km ride at ECP to Changi Village. As we were cycling with 2 roadies, my weapon of choice was my Speed Pro. Keong's car swallowed 2 Dahons easily in the boot, and it was a surprisingly traffic free drive.

Rich and his wife Jen own both foldies (Helios & Halfway) and roadies. Living in the East Coast, they are blessed with easy access to the superb coastal bike paths, and they ride 3 times a week there. On the Pro, keeping up with them was not an issue and a friendly sprint with Rich saw us hit close to 40km/h on the flats.

It proved to be a very pleasant uneventful ride until our return leg when the heavens suddenly opened. We were soaked to the skin and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There is something special about just riding in heavy showers. Good thing my camera, mobile and wallet was kept snugly in my Topeak seat pouch and its bright yellow rain cover proved very useful. Bad thing was the Pro had no mudguards so a wet bottom and back was inevitable, in addition to a very messy bike. Unsexy as they may be, mudguards are absolutely essential for wet weather riding. Period!

Mess than can be cleaned up

I had so much fun riding that I decided to ride all the way home to the West, much to Keong's amazement. Afterall, which guy would turn down a ride in a dry, comfortable car to brave the wet weather? 52.7km later, I was home sweet home. A little damp but I enjoyed myself immensely. My reward - a well earned Banana Split!

Rainy days & Mondays need not be deary when you are on a fast foldie!
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*http://lovethefold.blogspot.com/2008/06/true-story-about-foldinitis.html

Quickest mode of transport up to 5km?

Source: Ausroads

I have a Suzuki Burgman 400 maxi scooter that has been largely neglected lately. A full tank of petrol last me 1.5 months! Its coming to 10 years old and the total mileage done is a paltry 24000km. The reason for this is I tend to do almost all my errands on a bicycle.

I do so because a bicycle has no parking problems and can often go via the shortest route - routes that normal registered vehicles can't do. A trip to buy my favourite noodles is 2km away by driving or riding, I have to hit 3 traffic lights to get to there - and its a 3km long loop. On the bicycle, and with the help of a downhill, its done in a painless 5 mins flat.

Here is an excellent research article from Australia that explains the many benefits of cycling. Its worth a read. Anyone like to buy a very under used scooter?

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http://www.austroads.com.au/Publications_Resources/benefits_of_cycling.aspx

World's fastest foldie

Saw this posted on Vik's tikit blog and on Bike Forum. Everyone knows how fast the tikit is in terms of folding but this depicts its folding speed vis a vis Dahon and Brompton in real time.

Ready, get set, click!

Friday at church

Like any big city, parking in Singapore can be painfully expensive. This is where a foldie gallops to the rescue. Free parking was avaliable at my wife's office an easy 1.5km away from church. A no worries 5 min ride for a 6 hour Band practice cum Youth meeting saved us heaps in parking - enough for a simple dinner for 2!

A Bike Friday at church makes getting there so much simpler and cost effective... it helped that the folded tikit virtually took up zero space too.

Foldie Hide & Seek...

Tikit found!

If you are a foldie fan, this game of hide and seek is something we play everyday in our homes. It's truly wonderful to make "dead" spaces alive by storing our precious folding steeds in there.

Two live examples in my living room. My tikit and Speed 8. Good thing my mom does not read this blog!

Dahon Speed 8 "hidden" stealthly

Folding into the future, NOW!

My brother-in-law Benny is a gifted Product Designer and is fascinated with foldies as well. He owns the stylish Strida and recently submitted his interpretation of what a foldie ought to look like in the latest Polygon Bike Design competition. Not surprisingly, it was selected as a finalist entry.

I think its an amazing, futuristic design with a very innovative scissor fold. Its also a 2WD bike which means excellent traction, very useful in snowy conditions. It boast a very versatile riding position that will suit any type of riding preference.

This sole Singapore entry is absolutely brilliant. If you think so too, please help to put in your vote by clicking the link below. It deserves to win!

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http://polygonbikedesign.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=35

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Update: Ben returned from Bandung pleased as punch. His design was selected by the experts as the top 3 winning designs. It will be displayed at the Spore Int'l Motor Show in Oct 08. Well done Ben! I hope it makes into production.

Pootling the paths of Perth

Patrick's new foldie - Dahon Eco3

No prizes for guessing what bike this is!

New friends spending time together

Got to meet my fellow Bike Fridian and foldie friend, Patrick, who lives in Perth. We did a short 10km ride from his house to Hillary's Boat Harbour. He originally wanted to do a Mandurah ride, about 100km south but I chickened out. It was a bit too cold for me, esp in the mornings. The fun bit is being able to catch the new train back so that is definitely a KIV ride!

What impressed are the beautiful bike paths, awesome beaches, low traffic and an abundance of good restaurants. The Brompton travelled easily in the suitcase with no airline additional charge. One "hazard" which I have gotten used to is that it attracted too many admirers in its resting state while we were enjoying lunch. Over ten people stopped to take a closer look at this strange "push bike". Justina, Pat's wife, joined us for lunch and we packed 2 foldies and the 3 of us easily in the little Toyota Yaris when the fun was over.

So many other areas left to explore like the Swan River, Fremantle, Swan Valley etc therefore I deliberately left my Brompton in Perth with a friend. Now, I have a good reason to return soon!