OTF bike gps mount

Avoid cockpit instrument clutter... 

Gone were the days of the "quarter turn" bike mount for GPS devices.
The rave now - is the "out the front" mount for cyclo computers and bicycling GPS.
And these things don't come cheap...

My cockpit set-up on the Dahon Jetstream EX

The name of the game: getting ripped-off...

Believe it or not, some GPS retailer wanted RM220 for a pack of quarter turn mount. Its just a piece of plastic held together with two pieces of rubberbands and a rubber foot.
Similarly, some years back, I paid a bomb for a piece of handlebar mount for my Garmin Oregon 300.

The original Garmin mount

Choices, choices, choices....

There aren't many choices in the market for OTF mounts.
Garmin has one the goes at RM180 a piece.
The other alternative was the Bar-Fly GPS mount at RM85, sold by Quicksports, a staunch supporter of the Malaysian Foldies Forums.
The owner, Mr Yong, is a very nice guy!
Another alternative is the SRAM "quickview" computer mounth.
This retails for 20Euros excluding freight charges.

Paying more than we should.. 

At a retail price of RM180, the trader gets at least RM50 profit.
But, I think its a 150% profit margin for a piece of plastic molded in Taiwan.
The price to beat for the Garmin OTF mount, is RM127.00 which is practically, the MSRP on Garmin's website.

SRAM's quickview mount

But, if you really couldn't give a shit about brands and stuff, you might get a mount for RM50 or less from China-made copies of the OTF mount.
These are the items you can hunt on trading sites such as Lelong.com, Mudah.com, Alibaba.com and so on.

Basic Bicycle GPS workshop

Series 03 workshop

I try to keep the Malaysian Foldies Forums and its Facebook page active by hosting at least two workshops a year. 
The first workshop we had was 'Basic Bicycle Recovery' workshop held at Desa Park City. The crowd was awesome, but the venue sucks.
Later, we had a more successful 'Basic Bicycle Touring' workshop at Edmund Foo's Atmosphere Outfitters in Subang Avenue in Subang Jaya. 
To kick off this year's programme, I designed the 'Basic Bicycling GPS' workshop to cater to those who are interested to find out more on utilising these navigational devices for fitness and travel.
Its also a way for me to give back to society by sharing my knowledge. Being a GPS user for the past 12 years, I think I am qualified enough to lead the small workshop.

Location, location, location...

For the purpose of educating my fellow cyclists, I chose an outdoor location.
Reason being is to enable the GPS units to acquire its signal as well as having an open space environment to conduct the class.
So, that said, I picked Taman Rimba Kiara near Taman Tun Dr Ismail for this purpose.
It wasn't hard to assemble the participants as we were lucky enough to get at least a dozen folding bicycle enthusiasts to participate in the event.
Among them were Uncle Francis Chin who uses a car GPS to navigate.
He told me that he used an external power pack to keep the device running.
"Aiya! I can only get so much usage time on the GPS. Now, I know that the bicycle GPS can do more and is actually energy effecient," said Chin.

Open air session: Sharing with the foldies

Pointing out the Garmin GSC-10 speed and candence sensor

A decent turnout

We had a good mix of people who came for the workshop.
This includes support from QuckSport Sdn Bhd, a Garmin re-seller and a representative from Garmin Malaysia.
Mr WT Yong was generous enough to offer his time to co-host the event.
I led off the talk with a simple history of the GPS and how it came about.
At the same time, the crowd had the chance to experience the Garmin Geko 201, GPSmap 72csx, Garmin Oregon 300.
I shared the benefits of having a dedicated bicycle GPS mounted on the handlebar and how the track logs can be shared with other bicyclists.
After I was done, Yong took the floor by explaining his flagship product, the Garmin EDGE800.
We also talked about the up and coming release of the Garmin EDGE810 and 510, but these will not hit the shelves until March.

Yong of QuickSport sharing his views on the Garmin Edge800

The attentive crowd

The workshop participants

   

Free, as always..

We don't charge a single sen for the Malaysian Foldies' skills workshop.
Just as long as there are people who are willing to learn, that'll be good.
I've lined-up some talks for the entire 2013 and the next one would be the 'Basic Bikepacking' workshop which I will slot for late April this year.               

Rogue Rider: Projek Jugra - Part 4

Destination: Jenjarom
I had my sights set for Jenjarom, a town located about 7km away from Banting.
This route is also one of the most treacherous part of the ride.
Heavy vehicles drivers have no regards for small bikes. 
This is also where the road accident statistics is at its highest.
Its just a matter of split seconds that you are faced with a life and death decision.
The road is just too narrow for a bicycle to share its path with heavy vehicles like trucks and trailers.
To make matters even worse, there are motorists who drive too close to the white line.
That didn't matter. 
My mind was set. Its ride or die.
After cycling for 7km, I pulled over at a Caltex petrol station.
There, I went to the convenient store and purchased a bottle of 100PLUS sports drink.
While quenching my thirst, I had some time to reflect on the trip.
So far, I've already clocked about 83km.
I spoke to the station attendant, a teenager whom I think is no more than 19 years of age.
He told me that I can take a detour via Jalan Kampung Jenjarom to Jalan Kebun in Shah Alam.
With this detour, I can avoid Teluk Panglima Garang and Sijangkang where traffic is really heavy.
After some deep thoughts, I decided that its best to do so...

Jenjarom is in the distance.. 

My last refreshment break

Into the unknown.. 
I knew what I got myself into by taking the 'detour'.
This will save me about 13-15km of traveling time.
With the directions given by the pump attendant, I made my way towards a village road.
It was unpaved, but I was lucky to have my Jetstream EX. 
This bike is built to take the worse punishment any road conditions can throw.
The front suspension was in working condition, taking off the bumps and roughness off the handlebars, which proved to be a relief to my hands during the long ride.
I had to cover at least 23km of unpaved road.
And it was clear to me that this section of the route was actually used by people who wanted to cut across towards Kota Kemuning and Bukit Rimau.
The journey was interesting as I get to see the real "Hidden Selangor".
Just barely 6 kilometers into the ride, I saw a peat swamp. 
This reminded me of my snakehead fishing days. Its very promising as I can see some activity in the water.
I can also see that the landscape in Jenjarom is vastly changing. A highway will cut across the area, linking Shah Alam to Banting.
Slowly, I made my way to the fringe of Shah Alam.
I reached Seksyen 30 in less than an hour and was back in civilization after crossing a big void.
It was like traveling into the middle of nowhere.
Unlike the earlier ride from USJ 26 to Tg Sepat, I was in a better shape. Physically, I looked like shit, but this time, there was no issue with pain and fatigue.
I crossed into the 100km mark when I reached Jalan Kebun. 
This was my fourth Century ride on a folding bike.
I was in awe and felt great with the sense of achievement. You don't see people doing 100km rides on a folding bike everyday....

The 'shortcut'

This peat swamp will soon be gone to make way for a highway...

From Jalan Kebun, I crossed the KESAS Highway again, this time, towards KM13 near Kampung Jawa.
I've bypassed Teluk Panglima Garang and Kampung Sijangkang.
From this point onwards, it was an easy cruise towards the Puchong interchange via the motorcycle lane.
I reached my home before 4pm and had spent at 6hrs 11minutes cycling. The total mileage clocked was 113.5km.


Conclusion
It was an interesting ride.
But if you are new to long-distance rides, be sure to train up for your stamina and strength.
Mental endurance is also very important in determining how far you can go.
With some experience on this route, I knew what to expect and was prepared with my gear including spares.
The only thing that is out of my hands, is a complete mechanical breakdown on the bike.
I found that the tour of Jugra Lama is enjoyable and with the new shortcut from Jalan Kebun to Jenjarom, my 'Journey to Land's End' project for 2012 seems possible...

The distance recorded on my EDGE800

Route map of the ride

This time, there were issues with the drivetrain. I need to get this fixed.
Other than that, I felt fine and there were no problems with sore muscles and pain.
Immediately after the ride, I downed a glass of Hammer Recoverite to prevent sore muscles the next day.
The bike gets a hose-down after picking up dirt and grime.
I certainly look forward to more Century rides, perhaps to Kuala Selangor from USJ 26 in the future....

Rogue Rider: Projek Jugra Part 3

An early lunch... 
I had ngar pou cheep chap thong for lunch. 
Didn't know what the lady owner of the restaurant called Sarr Bak (boiled meat) was talking about, all I did was nod in agreement.
But from the vibes, and seeing people around me, I think the food quality would be decent.
On the next table, there were a bunch of men talking.
Every five words they muttered was "Lann Chiau!" (the human male's private part in Hokkien).
They don't seem to care who was around them and were obviously carrying on talking in their own lingo.
I think these are the guys of Jugra who made it. 
They just hang around, have a meal, a couple sip of Chinese tea and watch the day go by...


The El Turisto thing.. 
Lunch, including an iced Barley drink costs RM14. 
After paying up, I moved on to the other part of this town.
It was 12:15pm in the afternoon, the sun was not even up. Dark clouds loom ahead in the horizon.
I made my way to the Istana Bandar (an old palace) at the edge of the town.
This is located near a river and thinking that I was lost, I asked a lady who was kind enough to give directions.
She told me that the old palace is located next to the Sultan Alaeeden mosque, which is a well-kept place of worship in Jugra Lama.
I made my way there and found the palace abandoned.
It was next to an Islamic science building.
The palace, although its been vacant for a while, was actually well-maintained.
Next to it, I can hear some women singing and making their political speeches. Some sort of party convention.
Later, I rode towards a young man and asked him what lies ahead on the road and he told me that its the river.
Yeah, the Langat river, lands end on this part of the boondocks.
I later met a man, whom I presume is orang asli (aborigine) and spent some time talking to him.
The man said that some development is taking place and that there is a new bridge linking Jugra to the outside world.
I can clearly see this on my way from Teluk Panglima Garang....

Historical building: the Istana Bandar

Proof: The Rogue Rider was here.. 

The Alaeedeen mosque

Out of Jugra..
Earlier, I asked a boy on a motorcycle about the way out of town to Banting.
He told me that the road from Istana Bandar leads straight to the RMAF regiment's base and all I need to do, is to make a left turn and I am on my way.
So, I took my stride on this and half-way doing so, I realised that my front suspension had collapsed.
I didn't suspect anything as I have not ridden the Jetstream EX since I got it back from the bicycle shop.
Some idiot must have released the air from the front shock.
Lucky for me, I brought along my fork pump and worked on it right away. 
The entire trapezoid frame was really low and if used on a prolonged ride, the damage may have been irreversible.
I pulled over to a sheltered bus stop to work on the suspension and slowly, bit-by-bit, managed to restore the pressure in the air suspension.
Slowly, with the skipping gear, I rode towards Banting and the way home is beyond the horizon...

Rogue Rider: Projek Jugra Part 2

We are good to go!
Banting was disappointing.
So, it was time to head to Jugra and this town is about 13km away from where I was searching for food.
While I was on my way there, I made several detours but nothing convincing.
Jugra is a pretty interesting ride.
I cycled past the Jugra community college and noticed that there is a Royal Malaysian Air Force camp in the area.
As  I slowly made my way, the gear skipping became really annoying.
With some pressure on the pedal, the chainring began to jump.

Nice name for a town..hahahaha!

The junction towards Jugra

Permatang Pasir town formerly known as Jugra Lama

An interesting place
I've hardly seen any write-ups about Jugra Lama.
This historic town has an old palace, police station, Sultan Abdul Samad's mausoleum and the Sultan Alaeeden mosque.
There's plenty to see if you are on a bike.. So, I guess a short ride from Banting for the beginner is in order.
I cycled past the Selangor Matriculation College, which is a real big place and worked my way towards Permatang Pasir village.
Its a simple place where I can see plenty of Chinese settlers who are now well off with their big bungalows.
They are filthy rich!
The main economic activity here is agriculture.
Nearly all the land here is cultivated with cash crops...

Rogue Rider: Projek Jugra Part 1

The plan...
I did a Google Map on Jugra town which is the next stop after Banting in Selangor as my next ride destination.
The plan was simple, set out to the KESAS Highway's motorcycle lane, take an exit towards Banting and that was it..
I also invited a couple of people to join in the ride.
One of them was recumbent bike cyclists Ian Wong.
He had to work on Christmas eve, so was dropped out.
I guess the rest of the flock were afraid to do such a long ride, and being a Rogue Rider, nothing else matters.

At the KESAS Highway motorcycle lane this morning...

Getting there and back alive..
I am used to riding solo and have absolutely no qualms doing it on a long-distance ride.
Of course the risks are huge, but hey, no pain no gain.
I knew for a fact that the route from KESAS towards Banting is lined with heavy vehicles.
And at top speeds, heavily-laden trailers can zoom past you with barely inches away.
If you get caught in their wheels, you are DEAD MEAT.
These are the perils of riding in Federal roads and some motorcyclists had paid dearly for riding too close to these vehicles.
The Gods were obviously smiling at me when I rode towards Banting.
There were trucks and cars, some just barely missing me as the sped by, I was lucky, really lucky.


Murphy's Law
It rained this morning and the roads were really wet.
Half-way cycling towards the Proton factory in Shah Alam, I lost traction on the Dahon Jetstream EX.
No torque at all. 
On this bike, the SRAM Dual Drive II is the nerve and if you lose it, you are DEAD ON THE WATER.
With the rear-brake problems fixed, I now had a dead DDII.
With a long slope ahead, I managed to coast towards a sheltered bus stand.
There, I removed the DDII's click box and noticed that the tension rod had came out.
It has a threaded end, so, screwing it back was the solution.
I remember the cog wheels 'skipping' and thought that mechanic Wong at Rodalink Seri Hartamas had fixed it.
This became a nightmare that hampered my progress all the way.
I managed to get the bike on the road, but each time when I applied pressure on the pedal, the gears began to skip. 
That was not the end to my worries.... 

A pair of wet shoes just dampens your mood to ride.. 

Waiting for the skies to clear... 

The road to Banting...
To access Jugra, I first need to get to Banting, Which is about 43km away from my home in USJ26, Subang Jaya.
Throughout the ride, it was wet.
I had to seek shelter some 5km away from Banting after clearing Sijangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang and Sijangkang.
After 1hr 35minutes, I finally arrived in Banting.
My tummy was growling and the only food I had, was a piece of Powerbar.
At this point in time, my fitness level had deteriorated.
I wasn't as fit as before, but I held on with everything I had to reach Banting.
When I got there, nothing seems to excite me when it comes to food.
Maybe I need to do another trip just to eat in this town... 

Training with Garmin EDGE800

The EDGE800 mounted on my Dahon Curve SL's handlebar

Garmin GSC-10 Speed and Cadence sensor

The user interface on Garminconnect.com's website

I took my Dahon Curve SL on a 40-minute ride covering a distance of 14.1km around Putra Heights. There were some sloped sections which got me to try out the Garmin GSC-10 speed and cadence sensor. 
Last week at Putrajaya, the EDGE800 and GSC10 were not paired as I'm not used to this GPS system.
I've retired my Garmin OREGON300 and replaced it with the EDGE800 which is specifically built for bicycles.
On this little fella, there are plenty of cool features like training and navigation capabilities.
The EDGE800 unit can record my ride using the high-sensitivity GPS and each activity is stored onto the SD card which then, can be uploaded onto Garminconnect.com
This is more economical than running the Endomondo software on my LG optimus 2x Android smartphone.
The results are astonishing as I am able to view the ride statistics and route map taken on screen.

Garmin Connect trials - Putrajaya interparks ride

I get to try out my Garmin Edge800 and its awesome. Its capable of recording my ride and contents like speed, time, distance and duration of ride can be uploaded into Garmin Connect and shared over the internet..