Cycle to work, trial run

Looking at my last post, it has been about 2 months since I bought the first MTB. Very soo after that, I bought another, more expensive one. The first was a GIANT, entry level at RM1,300 but after plus this and that, close to RM1,500. And then some more. This was a discounted price (about RM100).

This new age of biking is expensive. Helmets is almost a must. You can hardly find any MTB or Road Bike rider without a helmet. In the olden days, when I was a kid, we cycled everywhere but no one bothers with a helmet. Our helmets cost only about RM50-60 each. It can go up to RM200 and more.

Then you need gloves. They are not just for show and not just to protect your hand when you take a tumble. Those who ride long distances will know you will get sore arms and hands. I think it is not just from the vibrations and jarring as you ride but from gripping the handles for long periods. That's why you see those road races bent over their handle bars resting on their forearms. A good pair of gloves sets you back about RM80. The are nerve muscles on the palms of your hands which you need to protect.

Then protective eyewear is a must, especially if you wear contact lens. That's close to RM200 a pair, with multiple changeble lenses for different lighting conditions. My wife says it makes even a dark day appear brighter.

Ah, padded cycling pads are almost essential. RM150 each. Jerseys not so important. "Sleeves" to cover your forearms are a good idea - sunblock is not good enough. Now I understand why the ladies themselves from "neck to toe". I discovered on sunday that riding with only the padded pants felt so free and easy. For awhile I was wearing my ordinary shorts on top of the padded pants because I needed the pockets. You don't need those cycling jerseys. A good sports t-shirt is just a good. Get one which is light. One of those high-tech t-shirts which removes the sweat instantly is a good investment.

The first MTB I bought was a Taiwan brand but made in China. The second MTB we bought is a French brand but made in Taiwan! The second was more expensive. List price on the tag was about RM3200. They offered an initial sale price of RM2,500 plus some free gifts. After some chatting, the sales manager brought it down to RM2,300 plus RM200 worth of accessories (bottles, bottle holder, speedometer, flashing front and back lights, a stand) plus one free service (they strip the whole bike, a one-day job). So it was a good buy. Oh, after 2 weeks, I complained the pedals were squeaking. No problem, they gave us new pedals. Good service? Or did they give me inferior product the first time?

I actually bought this for my wife but she has grown used to the GIANT so I ride this most of the time. It's got hydraulic fork. The other one has mechanical fork (which does not need maintenance).

Riding for health and leisure (and thrill) seems a big business now. We signed up for the 4th Cycle for Health and Environment event to be held in Alor Setar on Malaysia Day (16 Sept 2012) and I see more than 1,100 registered for the event. This will be a 63+ km fun ride.

I wonder if its all the freebies which comes with the registrations as well as the lucky draws that attracts the crowd. Shopping malls are also jumping into it. Paragon has got a very tough trail through Penang Hill, coming out on Teluk Bahang and then back to Gurney and they are expecting a 1,000 participants. Sunway Carnival in Butterworth is organising a charity ride coming 25 August. There was also a charity ride a few weeks ago starting at the TAR College on the Island. There's also the Kayuh Bendang (Padi Field Ride) on September 1st just in our "backyard" (in Kepala Batas) but we have to miss that 'cos we will be NZ/OZ.

Oh wait, here's another trend. MTB clubs are morphing into Cafes. No kidding.

(Photo from facebook page) This off Jalan Ong Yi How, near Econsave Supermarket, very near Chung Ling High School in Butterworth. What's special? I don't know, haven't walked in, even though passed it many times on the way to dinner in that area.

Of course the grand opening tomorrow includes a cycling event, 28 km through the padi fields. Yes, you bet, I and my wife will be there. Their facebook LP MTB Club has 2,331 members as of this morning.

Ah, all this is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate is to ride to work.

One of the things we talked about for greening USM is to aim for more people riding to campus, to reduce carbon emissions is one. To get people to have a more active healthy lifestyle is another. Reducing the traffic congestion on campus would be nice. Perhaps we can then dig up the carparks and create urban forests.

Well, yesterday I had a meeting at the George Town World Heritage Office (or GTWHI) and I warned them I would be cycling and asked for a secure place to park my MTB. They were obliging.

I parked next to the two toilets (on the right) together with the office's two "official bicycles" (haven't seen anyone use it yet). I brought a small towel (see it on top of my helmet) to wipe off the sweat. I tried not to ride too fast to reduce sweating.

Endomondo recorded my ride from Teluk Air Tawar. I started at 7:20 am and reached the ferry terminal at about 7:50 am, a distance of about 10 km. Fare is RM1.40 for bicycle riders. Try to have exact change. I gave the guy RM5.00 and he had a hard time figuring out how much change to give me back. So, it's just 20 sens extra for a bicycle (RM1.20 for walking passengers).

It's tricky with the ferry now 'cos the Penang Island side's wharf is handicapped. One wharf (jetty) is out of operation for repair and reconstruction until next year. But I still got to the other side before 8:30 am and was in the office by 8:40 am.

What to wear. I wore tight jeans and it felt good on the ride. But remember to have your pants secured at the end near your ankle to stop them from flapping. I wore a good t-shirt, suitable for meetings (well, no one complained I was under-dressed).

Total cycling, excluding the distance on the ferry ride, was about 12 km to GTWHI from my house.

After the meeting (and chicken rice lunch plus Penang Road Famous Chendol), I rode to USM to see if it was doable. YES, absolutely doable.

{Intermission 11:43 am - leaving for Penang Island to listen to the Chief Minister of Penang defend his policies at the Penang Forum, a bunch who claimed they contributed to the downfall of the previous State Government. And then Dark Knight}

{Restart 8 Aug 2012 -  The Penang Forum turned to be a disappointment. The Chief Minister spent only about 2 minutes on the title of the talk and the rest on politics. The other speaker was rambling away. And the audience did not live up to the billing of shooting fireworks}


Now back to cycling to work. From the GTWHI office I detoured for chendol and then took the old road to USM, going under KOMTAR towards Gurdwara Road, Macallum, CY Choy and then all the way down Jelutong Road. Traffic was heavy and slow along this road. With a bike you can squeeze through the gaps while the cars are all queued for the traffic lights. The biggest concern is you don't want to bang into the sides of the cars.

From Jelutong I went over the flyover at the Gelugor roundabout and straight down Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. One thing I learned on this ride is that merging into multilane traffic is tricky because usually the cars and motorbikes are really fast. I rode up to the Post Office at Gelugor and then turned in on the service road leading to the Minden Heights side gate.

As you know, USM has some killer steep slopes but the one from this side gate is not too bad. I did not have to get down to push my bike. I think the one up the Minden Padang main gate would be too steep for me. For now. I didn't spend much time on campus, went to check my pigeon hole and then headed out through the Sungei Dua gate. So, the trick is to take the reasonable slopes. Will test out the other slopes another time. So, ride to campus, park and walk. That should be the strategy. But of course I would be sweating like mad and need a shower first.

 Riding back to Teluk Air Tawar, I took the Jelutong Expressway, on some stretches riding on the exclusive motorbike lane. Yes, it feels much safer but a little too narrow if motorbikes want to pass you at high speed. The motorbike lanes don't cross over on the flyovers so you have to stop quite a number of times at traffic lights. But I think it is worth the wait to avoid the speeding cars and problem of crossing over to the left side of the highway after you get across the flyovers.

The biggest problem riding on the road is not so much the traffic. I think even when speeding, the motorists will give way to cyclists if they see them in front of them. Like when I want to cross over to the left after the flyovers, the cars coming from the left will slow down for me. But it is still dangerous because of the high speed.

So, to me the biggest problem is the fumes. It smells toxic and nauseous. Solution? Wear a good facemask.

What do you need to cycle to work?

• a good t-shirt which transfer your sweat straight out so it doesn't clink to your body (and become really smelly)
• good balance and agility to control your bike in heavy traffic
• you need to stay sharp and alert, be aware of your surroundings on all sides; constantly scan your surroundings so that you don't bump into stuff
• obey traffic rules; anticipate what the other road users will do in the next few seconds

I don't thinking cycling on the roads is anymore dangerous that riding a motorbike or even driving a car. Of course always remember that the cars and trucks and even the motorbikes weigh much more than you and your bicycle so you don't want to butt heads with them!You can win. Show them some respect. They will reciprocate.

Distance from George Town to USM is about 10 km, in 45 minutes.

Distance from USM to my home across the ferry is 24 km, inclusive 3 kilometres over the channel on board the ferry. Distance of about 11 km from USM to the Jetty along the expressway taking only about 35 minutes, much faster than on the old city roads.