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

......very boring! I don't understand the hype surrounding it and never will. However, I can't complain cos it means 4 days of holidays! So this morning (CNY 1st Day), I got up at 7+am, thinking whether I should do a short jog or take my fixed out. Decision was a now brainer actually......fixed la! Just did short ride at ECP, without all the gadgetry and road gear; Just me in my sleeping gear and my old adidas shoe. The feeling of cruising around the park in the morning sun and sea breeze was wonderful... Did have to adjust my saddle tilt and height after previous day's ride experience with KL, pushed saddle about a cm toward the handlebar and up about another cm or so. Feels sweet. I'm astonished that getting onto the toe straps is no longer a biggie. I can normally (statistically correct) strap in within the 2nd or 3rd turn. Still far from being an expert but the phobia of struggling and fumbling to get in is long gone! I'm really enjoying riding fixed. The simpli...

This is the first time out on a familiar route with KL and Ben on my fixed. Had my seat pushed way back (maximum) but still find the seat a bit low. Same problems with getting the shoes into the toe straps!! I had no problems following the speed they set on this ride. I led at about 37-38kmh on Coastal (~2km), managed the hills with much ease and also no issues up Parbury on the 48x16 gearing. Only problem with riding with non-fixed guys is that I get dropped at traffic lights due to problem of clipping in (then I sprint to catch up! which happened a couple of times) and also since they could coast to a red light, I can't, so I slow down a fair distance from the traffic light, this is to avoid having to stop, unclip, and clip back on again! 54km/h at 142rpm going downhill....not bad.

Went for a quick 40min ride around ECP this morning. The first thing I had to do an the fixed was to get both feet onto the toe-clip pedals. I laughed. I couldn't do it easily! After about a minute of figuring out the best way to do this, I got it in. The bike was surprisingly very comfortable on the hoods and drops despite the aggressive handlebar height. Pedaling motion is smooth and feels really good. Did not really use the brakes much as I did not cycle very fast (ave maybe 25km/h) and gave myself time to slow down when coming into turns and traffic lights. Slowing down is quite easy too, just continue spinning or to slow down faster, put some resistance to the pedals. Also, dropped the dang cadence sensor magnet which was attached to the crank. Shit. I can't really explain the experience though, its kinda weird but very relaxed and comfortable. The thought (or the lack of it) of not having gears is really liberating somehow.....

After almost 2 months of sourcing for parts, ordering, waiting and finally (the past couple of days) building, the Mockba 80 Fixed build is COMPLETE! Last night, spent some time fixing on the brakes, bar tape and tightening all the bolts, screws, whatever. Finally, I could clear off some clutter in my room, no thanks to this little project! Can't wait to give it a test ride sometime soon! PS : Chain is still noisy, but chainline looks ok to me! PS2: This ain't no fixie! Its fixed gear road bike! Red Tape!

Finally! Got the headset installed at a LBS. Could not wait to get everything up and running. Assembly was pretty fast, the only tricky part was getting the chain to the correct length and adjusting tension of the chain on the cog and chainring. Well, chainline seems ok (about 45-46mm) with the outer position of the crank spider BUT, though it looks straight (almost), the drivetrain is noisy! I tried tensioning even more and slacken a bit too, but to no avail. So, I moved the chainring to the inner position which gave a chainline of about 40-41mm, still no improvement, drivetrain is still noisy! The inner position is a no-no as the chainring is dangerously close to the chainstay..... So now the big question is : Is the chainline causing the noise OR simply the chain itself? It appears that the sound is coming from the rear cog area, not the chainring..... So the quest continues......in the meantime some pics..... Handlebar is super-low and its pista (did not know when I got it!!!) With...