.... the jackal rides and run....

The Polar CS200cad data can be downloaded into the Polar website via sonic link. Its a cute way of connecting the unit to the PC as it uses beeps and tones (kinda like a fax machine would sound like) via a PC or Laptop speaker. The installed web-link program will automatically upload the information into my registered account with Polar. This helps me to keep tabs on the workouts done and over time I can see the trend in Cadence, HR, distance, max and min of various parameters. Could be a useful thing over time to monitor ones progress or even to set future targets. Below are a couple of screenshots from the website.

Did a 50km ride on Sunday with Mr.Ti (usual meetup at Lor Chuan, so its 50km from Marine Crescent and back, distance between Marine Crescent and Lor Chuan is about 9km). Started off from Marine Crescent @ 6.30am, yet again the Mr. Pina Alu was nowhere to be found despite arrangements....shot down with a flu. I'd prefer very much a slightly earlier start time due to traffic. Amazing...at 6.30am and Still Road - Eunos Link had quite a lot of traffic and I keep getting stopped at the lights so it was not a smooth 9km to Lor Chuan. Legs were still asleep too! So the first 10km I was labouring a bit. Ok, the ride is basically the 80km one cut short. We make a turn into Mandai Zoo along Mandai Road. There's a short 1.5km up and down which was surprisingly tough (didn't look it at first) which got me short breathed at the end...oh well, I hammered it and I am a smoker so I'm disadvantaged to begin with. Regarding heart rate, the past 2 rides (incl. this one) seems normal. Max

Did a really fast usual 80km on Christmas day! It was raining continuously the past day so the weather was really cold by singapore standards. Kinds dark too when we reached Neo Tiew area. Overall a good ride. Managed to complete 80km in 3.5 hours and that was with 4 stops smokes and short rest! The polar hrm was quite useful too. I can see my heart rate while cycling so I know when to back off if I am pushing too hard. I was pretty surprised with my cadence though.....average 94rpm max 123rpm. Gonna keep this short cos I'm blogging from my iphone in bed! iPhone rocks!! [Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Vintage Shimano Aero Bottle Finally the vintage Shimano Aero bottle (thanks to Mr.Ti who knew I was looking for one and pointed me to the Ebay auction) arrived from UK! A nice japanese chap there happen to have this new one lying around and what a bargain it was at 5.50GBP (roughly 13-14SGD). With shipping it come up to be around 30SGD. Kinda pricey for a water bottle + cage but hey, you can't find these guys readily anymore!! And it even goes with my Pearl White colour scheme!! Polar CS200cad : HRM + Cadence + Everything else you need to monitor the Bike and Yourself! Purchased this at Boon Tat St. after so many shops kept quoting me higher. I think its a great buy but I missed the 15% which ended couple of days earlier! Anyway, got all the stuff installed. The sensors were pretty small and were not user serviceable so when the batt goes flat I need to get them serviced at the service centre but this is supposedly to last 2 years before servicing. Well, I have not tried it out on

Yup, got my wheel back and glad to ride with this set again. Hopefully this will last me much longer while I wait for the spokes. This time I'll get the DT Swiss 14/15/14 spokes for the rear, just to be on the safe side. Here are some pics at the Jetty at ECP....

Called the shop today, wheel is re-trued and tensioned as before. I asked him what was the issue with the spoke breakage and he confirmed with the supplier that its likely a bad batch of spokes. I was thinking what the fish? Tells me to ride this wheel while he get the spokes and will re-lace it for me...haiz...I hope i dun break another one in the near future. I know he typically takes a LOOONG time to get anything done....

For weeks now I've been fiddling with my setup and really find that the frame is likely a size too small for me. Lots of forum guys are advising me to change the frame but to me that's not an option since I love this frame! Anyhow, its only slightly too small for me and I did find the 56cm frame of Mr.Ti, a bit 'too big'. Its a funny feeling and I can't really describe it. On my 100mm stem, I had my saddle way back and a considerably set-back campy post, in order to get myself a lower profile but I still had some problems getting my arms bent more when on the hoods. I just don't feel as 'stretched out' as I would like to be. Cramp is the word. After much Ebay hunting and local shops search, Mr.Ti suggested that I checked out TR bikes. Well, lucky me, they had a NOS 120mm Shimano 600 quill stem, exactly the same type as mine, except a bit longer. Well, why this stem you might say? Its simple to me, the most beautiful stem ever made, and the hidden bolt (f

ARRGHHH.......went on the 80km ride 2 weekends ago with Mr.Ti. Broke a spoke right at West Coast highway....what a bummer. I'm kinda doubting that these custom wheel is built strong at all. OK so I am heavy at 87kg but still, to break a rear non-drive spoke every 200km or so is surely ridiculous! I'm starting to think the wheel was not built up properly, maybe the tension is a little bit too low on the non drive side (which is actually a weird place to break spokes!). Anyway, LBS pointed out that changing the spokes to double butted will not solve the problem and that there is another issue. I wonder wats the issue.....I told him to retension higher for the rear drive side so that the tension on the non-drive side will be higher as well. Quite unhappy with this entire situation. To me its a testament to his wheelbuilding skill. If I break one again in the coming weeks, I'm gonna rebuild the whole wheel and stay away from the shop that built it. Nuff said.

Did a wonderful ride with Mr.Ti-bike today. The route as mapped below... East to West Loop (80km) Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com Started off from my place at Marine Parade and met up with Mr.Ti at Lor Chuan...he is familar with the Kranji-Neo Tiew area so was essential for this ride. I started out at 5am....met him at 5.30am (yup I got a bit lost along the way). The morning was cool and nice....highlights of the ride include the uphill-downhill ride around Upper Thomson Road hills. And man, cycling around Kranji/Neo Tiew at the break of sunlight was AMAZING....I didn't think such places still existed in Singapore. It looked as if I was cycling in some Malaysian farmland. Lim Chu Kang road was closed for some Army exercise so we went along Old LCK road instead and what a nice road it is compared to the huge run-way new road. From then on, it was Jalan Bahar (NTU) and straight south to Jurong Island (Jalan Buroh). Mr.Ti suggested prata at Fong Seng area near NUS...good idea sinc

Some latest pics in B & W....

Well what can I say? Bad week indeed.....my 7-month old son was hospitalized, diagnosed with Kawasaki's disease. Yes I know, wtf is that??? Well its not common but not rare as well. Its cause is still not known and there is no direct way to diagnose it....just by the prolonged fever and a couple of other symptoms. Read it up if you have kids!!! He's ok now but we are worried sick right now on that the long term effect (aftermath) of this disease will leave on his health; his heart in particular. We are going for a first scan to tomorrow (2D Echogram). Pray for us and our little boy.... Back to cycling...did a quick ride on Sat...managed to complete the usual course (about 29km) in about 64 minutes. Was really struggling to get up to speed along Changi Coast Road and tried really hard to keep at 30km/h....the aim was to do it in less that an hour! Well I failed. Only managed an average of 27.5km/h for the entire ride. Prior to the ride I had a niggling stiff neck and weird nerve

Ah, after a 2 week hiatus - partly due to the slow broken spoke replacement and the shitty weather we've been getting here, I got to do my usual routes this weekend. First on the spokes....bugger was slow in replacing just one spoke. It was scheduled to be ready in a few days but he ordered the wrong spokes....and when he did order the right spokes, it took him almost a week. Kind doubt his words now.....if its a simple job, he should definitely do it fast. Anyway, I told him to mount tires as well; GP4000 to be exact. My mistake cos he mounted the 20c version (he did not have any 23c) and I did not indicate to him the size I wanted but on hindsight, he should ask right?? well. I'm gonna try to avoid going back to him from now on...that's for sure. I bought a pair of GP4000s tyres...an upgraded version of the GP4000. Cost me about SGD78 per tyre (when most LBS listed it as SGD94)...well....to be honest, tires feel very good and is grippy. Its a well reviewed tire and for th

Damn...the LBS actually ordered a wrong length spoke and more delay to the wheel yet again. Was hoping to ride at least on a Sunday but was told that he ordered the wrong length and could not true the wheel properly. Though he wanted to rush it for Monday, I told him to take his time cos anyway I'll be out of the country till Friday...... Yes may pall in the Alu Pina reported back that he loved the ride of the Cannondale CAAD4 road bike...and claims that its better than the Pina that he has. Well, I've not ridden his Pina before so I won't know. All I know is that my last bike, which was a GT 7000 series butted alu frame was damn stiff and uncomfortable for me...but it was fast and really light. I daresay the frame is even lighter that the titanium frame a friend of mine has. This affirms the claims that the claim 'steel is real' is irrelelvant and that whether it be Alu or Titanium, bikes can be built to have great ride qualities akin of steel but the built and geo

well....I gathered that replacing a spoke should not be much of a difficult thing to do. Of course, one must have the correct spoke length to begin with! Well, I sent the wheel back for spoke replacement and ordered an additional 2 + 2 spokes (non-drive + drive side) for safe keeps. Got a spoke tool as well from a local LBS in Toa Payoh for 8 bucks. So I am ready in case it fails on me again. I'm starting to think now that maybe 15 gauge spokes is a little bit too thin for the rear wheel but then again, it has 32 spokes! how can it break so easily?? Hope the wheel can be done by tomorrow so that I can resume my weekend ride!

Suffered a broken spoke on my usual Sunday ride.....was doing ok tailing my buddies between 38-40km/h along Changi Coast Road but as we slowed down to about 30km/h and heading towards Changi Village I heard a faint 'twing!'. Immediately I thought about a broken spoke. As I was cycling i did a quick look at the rear wheel and it was slightly untrue so I stopped to check. Confirmed, and I think it was exactly at the spot where I thought the spoke tension was a little bit slack (rear wheel, non-drive side). As my buddies went onwards, oblivious to my predicament, I simply text them to go ahead and I will go cycle back slowly. Think I was going between 26-30km/h easily....cos they turned back from Changi village and never did caught up to me! Well on one hand I'm quite disappointed with the broken spoke only after about 250km which is very very bad in my opinion. I need the wheelbuilder to explain to me how this could happen. At this point I could think of nothing else except p

Did this little route this weekend. It was the one that caused my knee injury earlier and understandably so, I was quite reluctant. Total ride was 35km thereabout, starting out from Macs at ECP and ending at Marine Crescent. 3 bikes : A Look carbon, Pina Banesto alu (yup confirmed not steel) and my steel ride. To my surprise at the hill, I was able to overtake the lighter bikes...but nearly punctured after the first 3 hills (they were total of 4). On the downhill, I did about 47km/h just coasting. The trick is to of course, gain as much speed as possible to tackle the next hill else you'll be caught pedalling like a mad dog. Knee feels fine so far, so that good. Except for a little soreness on the thigh muscles, nothing serious. In fact it was a really really good workout for all of us and I'm looking forward to doing it again this coming weekend! This time I will do it with the Titanium bike! (who's owner has improved by leaps and bounds since he started riding 1 month plu

Well, after a week wait the wheels are ready. Took them out for a spin last weekend and they were really great. Built up with Mavic OP and 15g Phil Wood straight gauge spokes, laced to Ultegra hubs. Smooth rolling and reassuring. I weigh them in at about 1.8kg minus the skewers....not bad for a 32 spoked wheel. Thoughts? Well, they ride very well, better than my 16 spoked Shimano R540s (which were, honestly, not very reassuring but still rather nice looking and works just fine). They have some creaking sound still....maybe they're still new and haven't really broken in yet. Well, I'll ride them again this weekend and maybe a couple of times more to see if it goes away. The wheels really match the frame with its retro, many spoke-ed look! .

Did a non-stop solo 30km ride (usual ECP-Changi Coast Road Route) on Sunday morning. Managed to complete 29km in 1hour 4mins.....that's an average speed of 27.2km/h. I'm quite happy with this and I think I'm on my way to getting it below an hour pretty soon. Really wished I could cycle more than I am doing now. Next week I shall try the Changi Prison hills. Still have a slight phobia. Anyway, have been reading up abit regarding crank arm length.....apparently longer cranks help in climbs. I'm currently using 170mm cranks....fit wise, its shorted than recommended : 172.5mm. I did try my friend's 172.5mm cranks on his 56cm frame. It was really comfortable but I was not too keen on the pedalling motion it offerred. It seems harder to cycle with a higher cadence, which I am really trying to improve these days (and to much success, I now cycle at least 70-80rpms on average and could spin to to 100rpms on short bursts). With the longer cranks it did feel like I had to use

I did this route before (maybe about 10 years ago!) on a heavy mountain bike. We made it (me and Basil) but me with some battle scars on the butt. Fairly clear roads but as I recall with some mean uphills along the way.... Anyway, I'm hoping to do this trip again with the Saronni and hopefully a couple of friends as well. I figured it would be quite relaxing and should be in time for check-in at the hotel in Desaru (I'm thinking Pulai Desaru Beach Resort, prob the best hotel there anyway) and enjoy and ice-cold beer with our bikes safely stowed (12pm-1pm). ECP Macs to Changi Village (~20km) Pengerang to Desaru (~50km) I've even a short itinerary in mind.... 7am - leave ECP Macs 7.45am - Arrive Changi Village (Light Breakfast) 8.30am - Take Bum Boat to Pengerang 9.30am - Leave from Pengerang Ferry Terminal 12pm - Arrive at Desaru hotel All this at an leisurely average pace of 25km/h. For the trip back. Same thing. 8am - Breakfast at Hotel 9.30am - Checkout from Hotel and sta

Went for the usual ride on Sat with a friend using a Titanium frame (light!). Same route from ECP Macs to the end of Changi Coast Road and back (total 30km). This was an easy ride and my friend was really improving his stamina considering its only his first month riding a road bike. We did a good 28-30km/h on Changi Coast until he pulled a hamstring. Told him not to use his calf too much while pedalling and focus more on the thighs. We swapped shoes and for the first time I rode a tTitanium frame! It is a 56cm (compared to my 54cm steel) so although its the ideal size for me based on KOPS, I feel that is not very efficient for me. Its very comfortable though but maybe the handlebar reach were a bit too high and too far for my liking. I find it more difficult to accelerate fast. Likely just be a bike-fitting issue, serving different 'purposes'. On the other hand, my friend found my '2-3kg more heavy' steel frame to be more 'eager' to accelerate and comfortable. O

For a while now, the seat post used in my current setup is actually quite close to the limit line for my usage. This has been bugging me as from my research on the net and help from guys at cyclingforums.com, I need to have sufficient post inside the seat tube in order not to risk damaging the frame. I gather I'd need something at least 250mm or more for this frame. Its not easy sourcing for a 26.8 seatpost with set-back, that I can tell you. Ebay provided the solution. After weeks of waiting, a nice Campagnolo Centaur 26.8 Vintage Seatpost surface. New Old Stock. Well I just won the bid and the item is on its way to Singapore as i write here. Its 300mm so it should be more than sufficient for my application. Below are some pictures from the Ebay site. A real beauty!

Added some decals purchased via Ebay (from Australia). The seller sent me the wrong decals and promptly resend the correct one upon me informing him. Great service. Bike is a little bit dirty due to the wet road and rain! Vintage Columbus Tubing Decal - opted for the Vintage version that does not indicate type of tubing, of course we all know is actually the lowly 'Aelle' tubes...Matching decals on the fork as well Championship Stripes - only opted to get this as the original bike had the stripes as well.

Here are a few Tecnotrat 'Saronni' and 'Others' still hard at work. Tecnotrat shipped a lot of these frames during the 1985-1989 period, badging them as Saronnis, Ferraris, Europa, a whole lot more! Tecnotrat Saronni This one's in Japan . Original paintwork intact! Same chromed fork as mine. Well maintained! Love those cages..... ( www.campyonly.com/ retrobikes/gallery.html ) Some pics of Saronni frame alone Tecnotrat 'Others' 'Europa' badged Tecnotrat, brought into Australia for Europa Cycles. She is in not too good condition but as a steel, it will be easily refurbished by its new owner. Another Europa, in better condition, serving as a dog-cage as well A well used and neglected Europa in Sydney.... Tecnotrat 'De Benardi' Probably one of the last incarnations made by Tecnotrat.... Same frame for Track Bike build....notice the rear facing drooputs Another track build... Road bike circa 2001....same steel design, campy dropouts...

Did a short research on Tecnotrat. Located in Cuneo, Italy. Previously supported a couple of parent brands such as Condor, De Benardi. Its basically a family owned business but has in recent years reputedly some family issues. Tecnotrat brand no longer exists but have instead using the same staff based in S. Defendente of Cervasca in Cuneo have formed a new company. Got most of the info from an Italian cycling forum. In fact Technotrat is quite well known amongst the amatuers around the Cuneo region for its good quality yet reasonable price point. Fact is all small family owned bike makers are finding it increasingly difficult to stave off the Asian invasion. While a long time ago some of these makers thrived either with their own brand or parent brands such as Colnago or Cinelli, today the rapid shift of production towards Asia and higher marketing towards aluminium, CF and to a lesser extent, titanium had almost put a lot of them out of business. However, locally, some still survive,

Rivendell remains one of the last (if not the last) companies that believe in lugged steel frame bikes. Not only for its material performance but also for the more intangible and personal attributes of steel with age....great interview and inspiring. Just might take up the steel bike building course from Sulaiman! INTERVIEW : GRANT PETERSEN

Well, in the weeks that I was recuperating from the knee strain, I've been doing a lot of thinking about getting a pair of lasting wheels. I bought a pair of Ultegra hubs and have been soliciting with The Rebound Centre on making a pair with DT Swiss Double-Butted spokes and Mavic Open Pro Rims. Apparently indestructible, well at least given my non-racing state of cycling anyway. However, this I plan to complete in a month or two. No rush, given the R540s seem to be holding up quite well on my short training routes. The other thing that kept playing on my mind is a single-speed/fixed-gear setup....sounds yummy. I have most of the parts to do it. I have the Sante stuff and 105 brakes etc, I can get the crack on the GT welded, and even re-use the Montreal Tubular Wheels....The only major thing in pursuit of this is getting the rear Montreal wheel laced with a flip-flop hub (single speed on one side and fixed gear on the other). I'm guessing this new setup bike can be very light,

Absolutely lovely. The frame felt stiff yet confortable. I can go through speed bumps along Changi Coast Road at 30km/h without the risk of fracturing by sit-bones. The bike was surprisingly responsive. Acceleration is not as brisk as the lighter GT but good enough. On the first 2 occasions, I managed to keep up (for most of the journey) with my friend on a Pina Banesto averaging 30kmh with some up to 36kmh short sprints. But them I must admit, thanks to him being in front, I was safely in his slipstream....it could be all different with if I had to lead. Went cycling twice through the Changi prison route as well...4 uphills and downhills. I managed to climb those hills without even once getting out of the saddle on the Saronni, I think its good considering its quite a heavy setup with me on it and that its only my 4th ride outing since 3 years ago. See the route here . However, couple of days later.....my left knee went into limp mode. The pain was so excruciating I had to go on paink

It took a while but well worth it. There was absolutely no way I can have 2 bikes stored in my space-lacking government flat; the GT and the Saronni. ....There can only be one. ... Keeping the Saronni the way that it is was tempting but that will lay my GT to complete waste. After long self-deliberation (actually a couple of minutes), I decided that I want the ride of old steel but with state-of-art mechanics. The simple solution was to transfer all the parts from the GT to the Saronni. Re-spraying was also in the books. I opted to go to a so-called expert (well at least in Singapore...maybe) at the Rebound Centre. The ever-busy chap called Mr. Sulaiman was only too eager to help and advise. I opted to re-spray to metallic pearl white, for both frame and fork Place new 'SARONNI' decals Decal 'Tecnotrat, Cuneo, Italy' at the top tube Re-space the drop-outs from 126mm to 130mm to fit newer cassettes and wheels After a 3 week+ wait, it was all ready to go. 'The Saronni