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| Side view: bike with complete luggage compartment |
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Friday, 3 May 2013
16:42
Ooi
I have decided to get Ortlieb Ultimate to be mount on handle bar of my bike. Dave Ern recommend me to get it from Faizal as he is quite reasonable. I am not sure that whether is my bike handle bar aluminium or carbon fibre (if over tighten, it will the carbon, that's why people does not recommend to mount anything on carbon fiber frame).So, i brought my bike to show it to Faizal to make sure it is suitable. Thank god, it is ok. Then, i got it (try to get yellow color, but no stock.)
However, purchasing of tangle frame is not very smooth. I had problem buying from amazon.com. I have to find other baggage solutions because Ortlieb itself is not enough to carry everything. Faizal suggested me to wrap the tyre and inner tube around the bike stand and cover it with plastic. With the tyre storage issue solve, if by the travel date i still could not get the frame bag, i will carry my hydrapak.
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| Interior |
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| with open cover |
Finally, the bike selection and carriage option is temporary set.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
18:35
Ooi
Last year when I met Ricklee, he
recommended me to talk to Basikal Akmal for building a touring bike and also
advise. After communicating with Akmal on FB, I decided to visit him at UPM on
23/4/13.
After understanding my requirement he recommended me to get a tangle frame bag. I was like Huh!? What is that? I never heard it before. But after he showed me the picture of the bag, I immediately agreed with him that it is one of the best options for my Scott as it will not jeopardized the integrity of the bike frame.
He also introduces some cools gadgets like take a look eye glass helmet mirror. I personally think that it is a super cool gadget which acts as a rear mirror. After attaching it to my spectacles, it kind of feel like new Google spec that is expected to launch in the end of the year and it looks futuristic. Of course it is effective in serving its purpose. It is very clear when looking back. Conventional look back mirror is being mounted on the handle bar. The problem with it is that if you turn left or right with your handle bar during cycling, you will not be able to look back of your bike. But since take a look is mounted on the spec or helmet. It doesn't have the issues.
After understanding my requirement he recommended me to get a tangle frame bag. I was like Huh!? What is that? I never heard it before. But after he showed me the picture of the bag, I immediately agreed with him that it is one of the best options for my Scott as it will not jeopardized the integrity of the bike frame.
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| How it looks like mounting o a bike |
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| Revelate M size tangle frame bag dimension: Top length 19.5", front height 1", overall height 4.5" |
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| Take a look eye glass mirror |
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| Take a look eye glass mirror mounted on on my spec |
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| How it look like mounting on spec |
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| Image of view from Take a look eye glass mirror |
Never realized that there is also automatic shifter for bicycle....
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| Automatic gear shifter, change your bike gear without you shifting it. The down side is that it has 4 gears only |
Akmal actually had done the route before, he would recommended us the following
route.
Day 1 : Alor Setar to Penang taking coastal
road –and skipped Sg Petani
Day 2: Round Penag Island
Day 3: Penang to Taiping ard 50km
Day 4: Taiping to Ipoh
Day 5:
Ipoh to Telok Intan
Day 6: Kuala Selangor to Shah Alam ard
150km
Will further discuss this with Prem.
Akmal also recommend android apps -Oruxmaps. According to him, the apps allows us to save the route map on phone. This comes especially handy when there is no data connection.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
18:18
Ooi
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| Bike Advertisement only RM 699 |
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| The actual promotion bike |
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| The Releigh touring bike that they sell, nice spec, but out of my budget |
He ask me to check it out on other shop as they do not carry the model.
Before i leave, i saw ORTIEB Ultimate classic. 7L capacity, water proof. Maybe i can mount it in front of my Scott. I can use it to put my shirts and hand phone and other accessories. But the volume might be a bit small, i need another options to carry the rest of the luggage eg. spare tyre and tubes. i was also concern that whether is it suitable to mount on my carbon fiber handle bar?
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| Prelim idea of mounting Ultimate in front of my Scott |
17:28
Ooi
After seeking advice and talk to people, we conclude with 3 options.
- Get a new touring bike with budget of RM 1500 (include rack and pinion), but I am not sure whether will I like touring or not. If I like bicycle touring after this trip, it would be a good investment. Otherwise, it would be a white elephant. Furthermore, I still have to consider the storage after travel.
- Modify a cheap mountain
bike by changing the tyre to touring bike tyre and add rack and pinion and
bag, walaa….i have my bike. But still have to concern about storage after the trip.
- Use my existing scott bike
(which is the most economical way) and add rack and pinion to it. However,
bike shop people do not recommend me to do so as it might break the frame
easier if meet with accident. The tyre will not be big enough to support
the additional weight.
Every option comes with pros and cons. I need to explore further.....
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
18:50
Ooi
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| Original copy of class magazine before published. Thanks Siew Yee for loaning me the copy |
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| This is where my cycling dream begins |
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| The dream chart that has been hanging in my room for the past 3-4 years. Have no clue , no idea, no information about cycling at all during that time. Even the bike type was wrong. Just get any bike photo and put it up. It is amazing to see how it got materialized. |
"What will you do after SPM?" This was the question ask by editor in preparation for our class magazine during form 5. I wrote down cycle from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur. I would like to stop by and tour the major city along the route. I just think it was something unique. It fits my appetite and character. But most important of all, i love it! I can't really recall what went into my little brain that time because i just don't have the right resources to do it. No one around me has ever did that before. I don't know where to get the information. I don't even have a bike to begin with. The idea just sound ridiculous and impossible at that time. But thank god, my classmate never laugh at me (maybe at the back, but definitely not that that i know of).
Years passed. After graduating, i still remember the dream but was busy earning money and learning new things. It was being put aside. The dream stayed dormant until i meet up with Ricklee in Bukit Bintang with his touring bike and 2 yellow panniers. I went on to talk to him. Apparently, he was planning for a trip to cycle to China. It would take him 6 months to do so. This got me very excited. My cycle touring dream got revived and i planed to do it in 2014. But, few weeks ago when spoke to Dave Ern (one of the experience cyclist), it seems like everything is in right place.Therefore, i decided to make it this year June. And so, the preparations begins.
17 years man! 17 years and finally the dream is going to materialized....! Thank God! I am very excited and looking forward to it.
Dreams... do come through, just be patient and never give up.
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