All-In-One Cycling Gear and Tool Basket

Ever since Chinese New Year in January this year, I have had my cycling gears and tool all packed up into a nice portable basket. During the New Year holidays, we had to go to Ipoh. 

I was not going to spend the holidays in Ipoh without my trial bike... and so I packed everything I needed, bike and all... LOL.

Coming back from Ipoh.

From spare tubes to alan keys, I packed everything I needed into a nice portable basket.

Except for the helmet, all the gears and tools packed up in a tidy and neat basket.

The basket was actually the container for the mandarin oranges bought from Giant supermarket.

Ever since that day, going cycling or riding trials had never been easier... :-)

My New Milestone in BikeTrials

After 14 months of learning and training the basic skills of BikeTrials, I have decided to test myself on a home-made section.

The design of the section had to be within my current skill level. I remembered a friend from Singapore telling me that, you only need to master 3 basic BikeTrial skills to be able to compete. And they are track-stand, hopping and pivoting.

I dun think I have mastered those 3 skills, probably intermediate level... or less... LOL. The full list of basic BikeTrial skills that I have learned (but yet to mastered) are:

• Track-stand
• Hopping
• Pivoting
• Pedal hop/punch
• Pedal kick
• Rear wheel hop

And so I set out to collect wooden pallets and concrete blocks as materials to create an obstacle course for the section that I personally think would be ridable using only the 3 basic skills of track-stand, hopping and pivoting. From the following photo, you can see the results of my hard work... LOL.


A BikeTrial section that can have many Start and Finsh points, depending on how creative you get.... HAhaha.

When I started to layout the section, I wanted to ensure that it is doable with those three basic skills. But then again, depending on where I set the Neutral, Start and Finish zone on the above same layout, I can make the section tougher or easier.

My First BikeTrial Section

The Start and Finish points of this section was to ensure that I can use the 3 skills of track-stand, pivoting and hopping to clear it. My objective was to clear the section with out any dabs! Yes, zero dabs! "Clean" the section as they say.

When I first setup the section and looked at the ride directions, the first thing that crossed my mind was that it was a piece of cake to ride! Hahahaha... EASIER SAID than DONE!!!! Let me put it as gracefully as possible... I fumbled, fived, blistered, stumbled and almost passed out from loss of stamina.


This photo illustrate where I start and finish. The arrows indicate the directions, where I would be riding.


This is the same photo of the above, but with the "no-ride zone" marked out in Blue and the Neutral "start zone" marked out in Green. If any of my wheels touch the Blue zone, it would be considered a automatic 5... that means you are out!

After trying and trying and trying... I could managed to finish the section in 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 dabs... NEVER zero dab! It was getting more and more frustrating.

So last night, I decided to use my 26" (I was using the 20" all this while) to try ride the section. I did it a couple of times, again missing the elusive zero dab! I was going to give up for the night when I decided to give it one final try and switched to using my 20" Monty.

To my amazement, handling the 20" was smooth and easy (I think after using the 26", moving to the 20", made it easier to balance and ride) I managed to ALMOST reach the Finish line with ZERO dab... WHEN my son came out and called, "Daddy, Mommy calling you!"

Needless to say, I was startled and ENDO-ed at the finished line crashing into the flower pots!!!

LOL... I could not believe it! I almost did it! The front wheel hub almost crossed over the imaginary finish line with zero dab! I was stoked! The fire was burning HOT!

After that I managed to zero-ed the section 3 more times!!! And just so I could sleep better, I did it a fourth time!!! LOL... I was very tired and my arm muscles were aching... but who cares I cleared it!

Variations of the Same Section

I am now contemplating the following ride directions. It would be very much more challenging than the previous configuration. I think here, I would be required to pedal kick off the platform onto the concrete block, precision pedal kick is still a skill I am totally not comfortable with yet.


Different Start and Finish points, changes the skills level required to ride this section.


This is the same photo of the above, but with the "no-ride zone" marked out in Blue and the Neutral "start zone" marked out in Green.
As of now, I have no confidence in finishing this section with zero dab. I think I can clear it with 2 dabs. HAhaha... lets see how it goes. Most likely, I will continue to ride the previous section until I can really ride it at zero dab consistently.

Cheers!

Much Ado About Everything but BikeTrials

Since the start of the year, I had been extremely busy with getting the kids ready for their new school.

Joel and Jordan were now in Standard 3 and Standard 1 respectively. So, since 5th January, I had been sending them to school before 1:00pm and then picking them up after 7:00pm. By the time I got them home, it would be about 8:30pm. Everything had been so hectic and all of us needed to adapt to these new timing and schedules.


First day of school!


Jordan in his Standard 1 class.


Joel in his Standard 3 class.

Eel Fishing in Sekinchan

Two weeks ago, a friend suggested that we go eel fishing in Sekinchan near Kuala Selangor. None of us caught any eel but we managed to eat some nice shark porridge to console ourselves... LOL.

After lunch, I took Joel and Jordan for a walk on the jetty along the waterfront. I am not sure when, but Joel and Jordan seemed to be making a lot of these funny poses when being photographed... LOL.








Mantis prawns waiting to be processed.


Believe it or not, this truck is still working, transporting container loads of fresh seafood from the jetty.

The New Putrajaya Bike Park

Anyway, last Saturday, I managed to pay a visit to the Putrajaya Bike Park somewhere in Precinct 20. This was after dropping my kids off at a tuition center at around 10:00am. I managed to capture some photos of the place.


A section of the downhill trails.


The trails are being designed and worked on my a professional downhill trail designer.


The skate park is still under construction, but there were some kids already skating there.


Another view of the skate park.

Knowing that it would be a rush, I did not bring my bike. I did not stay long at the park as I was rushing for time to get back to pick up my kids from the tuition center, and then sending them to their school for some Chinese New Year holiday replacement classes. It was a very hectic Saturday... anyway, I told myself that I must go back and ride! LOL.

I managed to pick Joel and Jordan up by noon from the tuition center and then took them for lunch before sending them to their school. After that I had some major free time from 1:00pm till 6:30pm.

And so I contacted Syarul and asked him if he was interested to ride trials in the Tasik Shah Alam park around 1:30pm. He was on! But we met up at around 2:30pm... my bad, as traffic was terrible that day. To my surprise, Syarul had sold off his 20" Adamant. He is now planning on getting a 20" Monty Kamel... an expensive Kamel... LOL.

A New Pair of Venzo Gloves

After riding, just before picking up my kids from school, I decided to go to the bike shop in Sungay Way to get a new pair of gloves. I decided to try out some new gloves from Taiwan. The price tag of RM55 were pretty reasonable, unfortunately the quality were not... LOL.


The new Venzo gloves from Taiwan.

The very next day, I was so keen to try out the new pair of Venzo gloves. It was the first Sunday in 2009, that I could afford the time to practice trial at home in the evening. After about one and a half hours of practice, I could not continue any longer. Turned out that the new gloves gave me blisters, about 9 of them to be exact! Hurts like hell!

Gonna try them again soon... hopefully, I will fair better the next time around. If not, then I guess it is back to the old and torn pair of 661!


The trial sections that I setup at home to practice trials. You can see my kids are having a swell time drawing chalk graffitti on them.

I hope this coming Saturday morning, I will be able to ride in the Putrajaya Bike Park and then if all goes well (that is... no injuries... LOL), then in the evening, I can practice trials at home, just before the Chinese New Year holidays.