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!

Rest Day Over Drive - For The Love Of Cycling

Foreword.

Welcome to Rest Day Over Drive and probably the longest post that will be for this blog as I will be blogging how this blog came about. : )

What is Rest Day Over Drive (RDOD)? It is a blog that will document my biking adventures and everything bicycle. Expect to read about my weekly ride (hopefully -__-) and features, updates or even shout outs that is everything bike related and my advocacy to promote biking in Manila if not the Philippines. 

Why name it Rest Day Over Drive? Well, given the workload and schedule that I currently have plus my family and my social life, rest days (at least one) are the only option that I have to go on long rides hence the over drive during my rest days. hehehe 

I am almost done building my second bike and I just thought it would be cool to document everything from the build up to the last kilometer of my ride. 

Why bike when we have all of this electric and gas powered means of travel? Well everyone who loves to bike has their own story of when, how and why they fell in love with bicycling. Some where just so stoked when they first learned to pedal without any training wheels that they kept pedaling till they have grown old. For some, it could be because of the many tricks and maneuvers that they can do with a bike. Others are avid collectors who just love how a bicycle looks, works and how they are made. Many may say that it is because of the health benefits and the environmental benefits that cycling can give. I do agree with all of those reasons, but what really drove me into biking is the freedom, satisfaction and the stillness (yep that's the closest word that can describe what I felt) that I experienced during one of the Mass Ride in which I have joined and finished with my cousin who was new at biking then. 

Every year the Fire Fly Brigade hosts a critical mass ride to promote the benefits of cycling and during this mass ride, I realized that I would love to bike every day.

But before I go into the story of how I fell in love with biking, please allow me to introduce the Fire Fly Brigade, because I believe in what they are fighting for. Let me quote them to best describe who or what the Fire Fly Brigade is.

"The Firefly Brigade is a group composed of dedicated and fun-loving members and volunteers that embody the Firefly Spirit:

· An infectious love for cycling

· A spirit of volunteerism

· A strong sense of community

· Positive action for the environment

· Gender-sensitivity and non-discrimination

· Responsible Cycling Behavior" 

So what's my story? 

I learned about bicycles when I was around four years old, I was given a bike as a gift, not sure though if it's for my birthday. Soon I was off the trainers and zooming in and out of the garage. I really don't remember what happened but I stopped. I guess it has something to do with my older brother getting into an accident with his bike. I remember him with blood gushing out of his skin. Family then moved to a different house, my older cousin got himself a mountain bike, my uncle got himself a bike as well, we all lived in a small compound, soon enough I was with them cruising around the subdivision using my father’s errand bike (a bike that was built with parts in hand and used mostly for getting to and from the market). I Became very active with biking mostly because I can go wherever I want to go without mom and dad noticing. My playmates within the neighborhood started to join my solo rides. 

December 24, 2000, Christmas Eve, I was with my friends, joined them with their Christmas carols, with our bikes. We were on our way home when I decide to overtake my friends, reached my max speed, overtook my friends and never saw the humps ahead of me. Bike threw me off the saddle, left arm broken. I stopped biking for a long time.

I really don't remember what got me back to the saddle but I remember myself going to my friend’s house to visit with the same bike that got me a fractured left arm. The same bike that became my means of transportation for visiting my friends. I got to learn more about bikes, different set ups, different disciplines and different price range. Decided to save up, with just my school allowance I was able to build my first XC bicycle with most parts bought used. 

My first long ride was fun but grueling. The group's plan was to ride from Cainta to Wawa Dam in Montalban Rizal. I really don't have any idea what I got myself into and if you look closely, you will see on the picture of my bike, that my tires has almost no thread left, so just imagine how I was like pedaling uphill on a very loose and dusty road. I got into trouble a couple of times but it was most rewarding. I learned a lot on that ride alone. At this time biking was just a hobby for me. Then came the 2010 Tour of the Fireflies.

I got my cousin into biking as well, and he had just finished his bike just in time for us to join the ToF. That was his first long ride and it was my second. Both of us were really excited, him because it was his first, me because we are riding with a mass of riders. Started out early, arrived at the start of the event and we started pedaling. Everyone was happy, each and everyone is greeted with a smile. The route of the tour was very familiar, simply because this was my hometown, this was my area. Because of that I really never took notice of the surroundings because all I see are familiar places. Instead all my focus was divided between my cousin and the other riders around me. Halfway through the ride, I realized something.

There was something missing, something was different even if it's the same roads that I go through every day. Then I started to hear it. Gears switching, tire knobs hitting the road, hubs whizzing, and voices talking to each other. I can hear the bikes and the people on their bikes.

The noise, the honks, the engines, the smoke, the heat, the cars and motorcycles that floods the same road was nowhere to be heard, seen or felt. 

The stillness. The quietness was so overwhelming I immediately fell in love with it. I started to enjoy the bike and the ride itself. And then a question soon followed that drove me to my advocacy. Why can't we have this every day? Would you not want a pollution free, traffic free and noise free roads? 

My cousin and I finished the tour, tired but both of us were very happy. Hell, everyone was very happy. Since then I have longed for the same feeling not just for myself but for everyone else, specially my loved ones. I want everyone to experience the same joy that I have experienced during that ride. I am not against motorized vehicles in fact I have a blog that features my love for cars. However, wouldn't it be nice to have the noise, pollution and congestion caused by vehicles to a bare minimum and have a bike and walk friendly city? I bet Manila would be a much happier place if we can have that.

After a year or so I sold my bike, but I never stopped wanting bicycles. I never stopped believing that my advocacy can one day be achieved. Couple of years after the tour, here I am again building my second bike, still believing and this time I will document my mission and my adventure. I will start by using my bike as my means of transportation from home to my work. (^_^),!!,,

Why? Because whenever I tell people that I am building a bike and I plan on riding it to work, I always get that "Why?" look from their faces. I'll then start to talk about my riding adventures and their "Why?" faces quickly turns into "Really? Hmm... Interesting..." look. I know that If I can show my friends that it's possible, it's doable, I can probably inspire them to do the same. It may not be that big but it could start the ball rolling. 

Let's max out the kilometers of our cycle computer, enjoy the fun of riding a bike and reap the benefits of cycling one ride at a time.