Solo Ride - Binangonan Fish Port

Saturday - August 24, 2013 4:00 PM MLA

Woke up to the sounds of heavy rain drops. I really wanted to ride out but the skies didn't want me too. A couple of hours later, the streets are flooded again. It has been raining a lot this week. I don't know why, but every time there's flood water outside I've been wanting to ride my bike out and that afternoon was no different. The rain poured, flood water rose energy level went down, lost in a dreamy chain of thought I remembered when I was an intern with Knowledge Channel we shot a scene along side the Binangonan Fish Port. And then it was decided, I went to sleep with nothing else better to do and prepared for a ride out the following morning, rain or shine, destination - Binangonan Fish Port.

Sunday - August 25, 2013 

6:00 AM MLA

Sky was cloudy, no signs of the sun coming out. I stopped by a local Tapsilogan to have my breakfast. I liked how the cook made the egg, sunny side up but the yellow part was all over the place with lots of salt on it. 

6:30 AM MLA

Dropped by my local bike mechanic to have my tires checked. All good.

6:35 AM MLA

I was on my way to Binangonan. Passed by several groups of bikers waiting for their ride mates, exchange of smiles and glances where made. Having a single speed set up has it's own pro's and con's. One of the con's, it's hard to ride with a group that rides geared bikes. Riding solo will allow you to control your pace. 

7:00 AM MLA

I reached the Angono - Taytay Y junction, stopped to check directions. At this point I was looking for a Buko Juice stand and the road was pretty much inclined downwards, in the middle of the descent I realized that I will be passing through the same incline on my home but instead of going down I will be going up, and I have been coasting for a couple of minutes then.

7:45 AM MLA

Another Y junction, the group of bikers earlier was able to catch up on me. It was a platoon of roadies occupying the entirety of the road. They were fast is all that I can say.

8:00 AM MLA

Familiar places. Still remember where the cameras were placed during the production when we did the shoot at the fish port. The only differences is, this time the streets where flooded. 

The lake overflowed I guess, and this caused the streets along side the shore to be flooded, the port was very busy nonetheless. I wanted to take a picture of myself and my bike but everyone was looking at me already and I didn't want to give them more reason to look at me further. :D

Took a couple of shots of the lake and decided to ride back home.

9:30 AM MLA

I was back home, satisfied. The road was wet to and from with some hints of mud from the hills nearby. This are just a few and select instances where I really don't care if I get mud on my face. It was all fun and I really can't wait to ride again. Thinking of revisiting the Wawa Dam. hmmmm...

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The Itch

I have been trying to squeeze in more saddle time in between my very busy day everyday and the best that I can do are very short short trips within the subdivision. 

Everyday, before I leave the house, I pass by Mako my bike and almost every time I do, there is this urge to to slap the saddle or squeeze the brake lever. Everyday there is this itch to gear up, forget about work, forget everything that needs to be done and just ride. This itch will build up until my rest day arrives, the sad part is, as soon as rest day arrives, all my energy and strength has been sucked up by the things that I did the whole week. And all that I can do is to stare at my bike and muse over my favorite sticker stuck on my top tube.

However, there are times that I still have some energy left and some free time to spare and this is when I try to squeeze in some ride time. 

I found a short dirt road a few kilometers away from where I live in Google Maps and as soon as I shared it with my cousin, who just had his bike rebuilt, all we can talk about was locating the road. And that is what we did one rainy Sunday afternoon.

I wanted to describe the road leading to that dirt road but without pictures I don't think it would give much justice to this short yet fun trail. My cousin and I are planning a ride back to this trail because I also found out that It is connected to a subdivision that will lead us to the opposite side of our place, and by that time I will make sure to bring a camera to take pictures of the trail.

Maiden Ride II - Night Rides on my Maldea

After my maiden ride with Mako I was able to squeeze in several more short rides and then I stopped. Not because I don't want to anymore, it is not also because I broke something or lost something. It's because I found something.

I am a member of several bike forums and bike groups in Facebook and all of these groups allow members to post their items for sale. And while browsing through the pages I found a custom made steel frame posted, and the price was within my budget. Without hesitation I messaged the seller and told him that I will be getting the frame. In that same instance I decided that I will be letting go of my KHS Alite frame, that same day I got a confirmation that someone will be getting my Alite frame. Problem solved. 

Picture Courtesy of Robert Martin

So what was the custom frame that I got? Well if you look closely at the decal you will be able to read "maldea". Nope, that's not the bike owners name, that is actually the last name of a Filipino frame builder who custom built this High Tensile Steel frame.

Who is Maldea? Well let me just quote Eric Caruncho of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on that:

"Before the advent of mass-manufactured bicycles, all frames were built by hand. But today, bicycle frame builders are a dying breed. In the Philippines, you can count them on the fingers of one hand. But ask around bicycle shops and hardcore riders' groups and check the Internet and one name keeps coming up: Ave Maldea."

"'His craftsmanship is second to none,' says one cycling aficionado who owns nine Ave Maldea frames. He admits that he also owns bicycles made of aluminium, carbon fiber and titanium and rides and enjoys them, but he says his steel frames are his keepers, especially his custom Ave Maldea frames."

I have seen and heard of his custom made frames before but never really imagined that I will be owning one, mainly because it's a custom made frame and custom frames are always heavy on the pocket. But I have always wanted one that is why when I saw this frame posted there was no hesitation in my mind when I messaged the seller.

I met up with the seller's brother to pick up the frame, I was excited and anxious to be honest while waiting for the frame. Anxious because it's a custom made frame, even if it's size 16 according to the seller, the angle and the length of the tubes could still be off to my size. I was also anxious because for me the price of the frame was just too good to be true for a custom frame, and like what many say in the buy and sell community, anything that is too good to be true is false. Excited because it's a custom frame! Excitement grew and anxiety faded when I was holding the frame in my hand, checked the frame for dents and cracks, checked the joints and like anyone who have seen a Maldea frame, I was in awe of the smooth joints. Ave actually fillet-brazes the joints of the frame that is why you will not be able to see any weld marks if the frame has been painted. Closed the deal and went home after checking the frame.

 Custom Drop-outs, Integrated RD Hanger and Adjustable Disc Brake Mount

Marks of a Craftsman

Stripped of the paint and decided that I wanted the frame to be grey with orange accents to match my components. Designed my own decals and had it made in a decal shop. Bought two cans of primer grey and clear coats and started painting. I just hope Ave comes up with his own badge and I will definitely be getting one for my frame. I was also thinking of having him sign my frame. :D

Decals placed and paint dried up I went to build my bike, luckily now I have all the tools to do it on my own. And I was really happy with the build, tested it to check for the size and everything was flush except for the my handle bar that is too long,  I will be having it cut soon.

A couple of days after the build I was really itching for a ride but can't because of the work schedule. And then one night after a long day's work all stressed out on my way home I decided that as soon as I reach home I will be taking my bike out for a spin, and that is what I did. My first night ride. 

I was only able to take 1 picture of my ride that night, it was a short 6 km ride from my house to a near by mall. The following day I decided that I should go out again and this time double the distance and more pictures!

Single speed on a steel frame, almost no motorized vehicle outside. Just me, my shaking legs and my awesome Maldea bike. Will definitely ride out more I just hope I already have a helmet by then and some bike buddies to ride with. :D

Maiden Ride - Cramps Everywhere!

Yep! Cramps everywhere! :D

Woke up all excited! Warmed up a bit and then rode my bike, it's been a while since the last time I had the heat of the morning sun touched my face. The welcoming sound of broomstick brushing against the pavement and cocks greeting everyone a good morning. Wow my bike is light, first thing I realized. Followed my usual 30 minute paved-uphill-dirt-uphill-beatenuproaddownhill-paved route just to test my bike. Last stretch home, calves and fingers in my feet started to cramp, arms, palms and butt cheeks sore. No gears to switch, no springs to absorb the shocks and to quote a fellow biker, you get punished immediately for every wrong lines chosen. I missed this feeling. :D

After almost a year of planning and building my project bike bits by bits it's finally done! Well not really done because after my maiden ride I realized I need to replace some parts. 

I had all the parts ready and just had the time to assemble them this week. No problem during the build part, assembled it all by my self except for the Disc Rotors and Cogs since I do not have the tools to tighten them in place. Bought my self a non series Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brake Set, and coming from a bike with a V Brake installed before this is one upgrade that I really felt the difference. 

My cousin once said that Shimano's Zee is jinxed because of all the troubles I had with it, I was really expecting it to fail on me during my ride hahaha. But that did not happen, I still need to tension my chain and replace my cogs with lesser teeth. My current setup (38T Chainring and 18T Cogs) helps on uphills but a killer on flats, feels like my leg will explode when pedaling on flats. Chain line is on the spot thanks to the spacers included in the A2Z singulator. Currently brewing a DIY chain tensioner and will be replacing my 18T with a 16T.

You get what you pay for. That's the only thing that I could say to my self pedaling on my home with my palms sore and butt cheeks aching. I bought a cheap lock on grips and a generic saddle just to complete my bike and I am regretting it. Saddle is literally a pain in the butt and the knobs on the grips feels soft at first but not so in the long run, will definitely be replacing these parts next. Aside from the saddle and the grips I realized that my handle bar is a bit wide for me, thinking of going to a machine shop to have it cut. My stem is a bit longer as well but I am still not sure if I will be replacing it though.

I was thrilled, I was happy, I was satisfied and my body is sore right now because of that 45 minute ride. Not much I know, but it made me realize how lazy and inactive I have become because of my work. Will take a long time for me to get used to this again but I am sure I will be able to ride with the regular riders again one of these days. 

I lost an arm.

Yep I just lost an arm, the left that is, with my foot pedal.

I finally had all my bike components complete ready to be assembled. All of the parts are pretty much in place all it needs is the proper tool to be tuned and tightened where it needs some tightening.

I set out early with my dad to have the bike tuned at a local bike shop, than plan was to walk all the way to shop and ride the bike on the way home.

half way through the walk dad noticed that the left crank arm together with the foot pedal is missing.

My fault obviously. I was to scared to tighten the bolts last night because the arm is not on its proper place yet. During the walk in the bumpy road it must have slipped and fell.

We both did not hear it fall nor noticed it fall.

Bike road his bike and backtracked where we walked. I started to walk back as well checking all the pot holes and crevices on the road where the arm might have fallen. Reached home without finding it.

I'm in now in the process of checking if I can buy a single crank arm in our local Shimano Dealer.

This is the second time I had a bad experience with Shimano Zee Crankset. First one is that I bought a Zee crankset from a fellow rider neglecting to check what is the length of the BB shell and crank shaft length, yes it was for a DH frame with 83mm BB shells. My fault as well. Now this with my new Zee cranks. Clearly my fault again. sheesh... (>_<)

Lesson learned - don't be careless. Don't be stooopid.

Building The Project Bike - Part One

This is my second bike build. And there was a lot of things that I considered during the planning stage of my build. Let me enumerate them and have it on writing. 

When I had my first XC bike I have always thought that it could have been better if I had a lighter bike. Lifting the bike was hard because almost all of the parts were either a non series part or a cheap one. I had no carbon fiber parts, few aluminum pieces and a lot of steel components. That is why I have decided to build a light XC bike this time. 

The cheap components that I had installed on my previous bike was okay, they are doing their job but not that well. I have had issues with my FD and RD that I ended up barely using them. I have also noticed that during climbs I hate the feeling of pedaling a light gear combination. I tried to work on my shifting. Tried shifting before the climb and during the climb to no avail. I then tried a much heavier gear combination, stood up and pedal as hard as I can, I liked it much better. So this time, as much as I can, I will try to invest on good components and I am switching to a single speed set up. 

Part of my plan is to use the bike as a daily commuter and trail worthy week end rider. I do not want to go CX or Hybrid. XC Race is too expensive, so I decided to go Full Rigid SS XC. Why? Well, for the most part I like how an XC MTB looks like and I'd like to retain the MTB posture. Going full rigid will give me a light bike without spending too much. SS will lighten the bike as well and will also lessen the overall cost of the bike because it has less components, plus it will solve the issues I had posted above regarding my previous bike. Another reason why I considered this set up, is because I will be riding on pave roads for most of my rides. The trails around my area are very minimal and I have seen guys use a rigid on much rougher trails. If they can do it I should be able to do it as well. hehehe

Requirements:

• Mid range components.
• Light.
• Fast.
• Can handle a minor beating.
• Has to look good.
• Within the budget.

I then started to scout for components that I will be using for my project bike. Initially I wanted an On One steel frame for my project, light, sturdy and it looks really cool. However it is way out of my budget. I tried to look for a cheaper steel frame alternative but I can't find one so I decided to go aluminum, now the question is what brand. Vision Pursuit designed by Da Bomb is one of the first choice here in the Philippines if you are just starting out. Cheap, light, it has the looks and sturdy enough to receive some beating. This was my one of my choices too, and the fact that my first bike sported a Vision Pursuit as well contributed to this decision. But it did not happen. I went KHS Alite 150, I had both frames on hand when I was about to purchase my frame. Welds for both frames were good, almost identical weight, same price range, same good reviews. Why KHS then? To be honest I don't know. Hahaha I guess at that moment I liked the Alite 150 more than the Pursuit, and up to know looking back, I don't have any regrets.

I have the frame, now I need a fork. The most common rigid forks around the bike shops in Manila are blade types and those rigid forks that looks like a BMX fork. I rarely see a suspension corrected suspension fork looking MTB fork. Does that make sense? LOL Most of the forks that I see of this type are full carbon and are for 29ers. That is why when I saw this La Bici aluminum 26er suspension looking MTB fork, I bought it even if it's a bit over my budget. But boy am sure satisfied with this purchase. I really did not realize how light this rigid fork until I disassembled my cousins bike who had an RST Launch Suspension fork installed. The weight difference was like a pack of cotton versus a bag of stones. A full carbon rigid fork would have been much better but I am okay with this one for now. ^___^

The wheel set gave me hard time deciding. I was torn between buying a wheel set or building me a wheel set. I decided to go with the forum reviews on this one. In one of the forums that I go to, the Shimano MT15 wheelset has been recommended by a lot of bikers. Tagging it as a bang for the buck wheel set that can surely take a hell lot of beating and has a flat aerodynamic spoke. Some even say that they use it for doing a couple of feet drops without breaking any spokes. The Kenda Small Block Eight has also been recommended as one of the cheaper fast rolling low resistance tires that is readily available. I am not totally happy with the stickers though and I am really thinking of customizing a sticker for my wheel set. I also bought and installed an A2Z singulator with a 16T gear. 

I was so happy with my La Bici rigid fork that I have decided to use La Bici for my cockpit. I have read good reviews about this components on the forums. They are light and I believe more than sturdy for my intended use. I really liked the orange accent on the La Bici stem, it really goes well with my black/orange frame.

Well that is what I got so far. It would be great if I can finish the build by Mid May, so far I am really happy with the components that I have all I need is to complete them so that I can start riding. 

• Frame : KHS Alite 150
• Fork : La Bici 26er Aluminum Fork
• Head Set : FSA Integrated Head Set
• Stem : La Bici 3D Forge Aluminum 
• Handle Bar : La Bici 707 Aluminum
• Seat Post : La Bici Lightweight Aluminum
• Seat Clamp : KHS Aluminum 
• Wheel-set : Shimano MT15
• Tire : Kenda Small Block Eight
• Tube : Kenda Lightweight Tube
• Freewheel : A2Z Singulator
• Crank-set : - (Probably a Shimano SLX)
• Pedal : - (Probably a Lightweight platform pedal)
• Grips : - (Will go with a Propalm Lock On Grips)
• Saddle : - (Will go Selle Italia)
• Brakes : - (Will go Shimano Non Series Hydraulic Brakes, heard a lot of good reviews for this)
• Spacers ; - (Generic Carbon Fiber Spacers)

Hopefully I can complete this list soon enough and sure hope I have picked good components. I just remembered, if you do have your own set ups that you would like to share please do comment below, same goes for feedback's regarding my current set up. I am no bike expert that is why comments and suggestions are very much welcome and appreciated.

Thanks for dropping by, now let's max out that cyclocomp!