Test ride: Tern Link P9

Everything is okay...
I called up the K2 Asia guy to arrange for a delivery of the Tern Link P9.
This is a premium-line model from the folding bike manufacturer and has a pricetag of RM2.8k.
That's quite a sum to pay if you are looking for your first bike.
But, wait! The Link P9 is not your average ride.
Its a worthy upgrade for those who had cycled a basic model with the average-quality components.

The LP9 - folded

Genesis
Its no secret that the Link P9 was derived from the Dahon Speed P8, which is one of the best bikes ever made by the company.
Tern is taking this one step beyond by further improving the design.
Although similar in appearance, both bikes are different in many ways.

New for the enthusiast
The Link P9 comes with a 9-speed drivetrain.
And like its predecessor, you can expect some really good quality stuff that are used to put this bike together.
What I can say is this: the built quality and components on the Link P9 would ensure you loads of fun and if you maintain the bike well, its there to last.

Performance
This bike weighs at 11.5kgs. 
Its light enough to be packed and carried onto the LRT, KTM Komuter, Public buses and taxis.
Folding is a breeze as it takes less than 15 seconds (my own pace) to fold.
It as a rider's maximum weight of 110kgs which means that Godzilla-sized guys like me are able to cycle it with ease.
I clocked-in the maximum speed on a flat stretch at 32km/h.
And on the slope, it went as fast as 55km/h downhill.
Braking was responsive and with the new SRAM 9-speed twist-shifter, the transmission between cogwheels was smooth and precise.
I love how the Link P9 handles which is nippy and tight.
Its not twitchy at all compared to some bikes from the same class.

Responsive: The SRAM 9-speed twist shifter

 And now, for the part that sucks..
Well, part from a short handlebar stem where a large guy like me had to lean forward a bit, I couldn't complain about the overall fit, finish and quality of this bike.
Having cycled the Link P9 for 100km, the only slack part is the vulnerability of the drive train to chain-slips. This can be easily remedied with a tune-up at the service dealer.

The Tern Link P9

Conclusion
I see the future in Tern Bicycles as the company continues to progress with their award-winning designs.
As for the Link P9, this is one bike that you can use for your daily exercise, short distance commute and it has the capabilities of being upgraded for touring and bikepacking.
For its firmness, solid lock-up and handling, I would give this bike a two thumbs-up.

World Car Free Day Ride - Part 3

Pulau Ketam revisited
We have to endure a 30-minute ride to Pulau Ketam.
The bikes are placed on a cargo hold on top of the cabin.
Some cyclists were worried about losing their bike.
Since this was a big group, the cabin space was maximized for passengers.
I didn't mind the bike being hauled just as long as it was secured.
The first thing that came in mind when we landed on the island was to look for food.
I had to take care of the Muslim riders and told my buddy Radzi to ask the local cop on where to get Halal food.
The rest of the gang went on with their own business.
One of the cyclists had a problem with his front brake, so, his priority was to attend to his bike first.
After a decent meal, we rode out to one of the island's Chinese temple. 
But I couldn't locate the other guys.
Back in the village square, I told the rest that instead of setting out for a ride, its free and easy. 

Setting up the bikes on the jetty

Rolling out

 Time well-spent
Well, the old-timers were having a lot of fun.
I joined them later for a few beers. 
Mr Wee, their ring-leader was on a ball.
These guys are in their late 50s and the most jovial guys around.
This was also the first time I met Joseph, one of their buddies who blogs - Joe's Blogsite
He's an avid cyclists and man, the old saying that goes: "Never judge a book by its cover" was true to the core.
Prior to the ride, I have never met Joe. His blog is very interesting and if you are a newcomer, you would be inspired.
Despite the muka bengis (stone face), this old timer is one of the nicest guy in the group.
Then, there were Nash, the comedian, Sin, one of the fittest bikers around and Wong, the youngest member of the group.
These guys are in the construction business and pretty well-off. So, its no wonder why high-end folding bike shops and some of their customers are sucking up to them.

Riding the plank

The Kaki Foldies gang: Joe, Fong, Wee, Wong, Nash & Sin

 Time to hit the road.
We spent about a day on the road, rail and boat.
After all the enjoyment, its time to head back to mainland.
Some of the cyclists wanted to ride in Port Klang.
But since it was getting late, I decided to scrap the plan and told them that there will be ample opportunities to do so on another time.
We boarded the KTM Komuter and parted ways.
My ride home was a smooth affair with Andrew Ng and his wife Hui Min.

Unloading at the jetty

The ride home...

Conclusion
It was an interesting ride in a sense that most of the cyclists did not drive.
Only a handful had drove and parked their vehicle in Brickfields.
The main point in this exercise is to show the riders on how to use the Federal Highway's motorcycle lane to access different parts of the Klang Valley, particularly to the West of the city centre.
In this ride, we cycled, took the train and a vessel. The experience is complete.
That said, I might do something different for next year's event..

World Car Free Day Ride - Part 2

Half way there..
 We cleared Batu Tiga toll's layby in good time.
By this time, the number of cyclists are way over 20 people.
We dropped the halt at a checkpoint near UiTM in Shah Alam and proceeded towards the Keris Munoment near Sungai Rasah.
Just beside the motorcycle lane, I noticed a Perodua Kancil with its front right tire burst.
It was making so much noise, it wasn't funny.
The moron who was on the wheels drove it all the way towards Kg Jawa exit.
I think that by the time he gets to a tire shop, his front rim would have been bent.
Earlier, the Tern Link P9 had a chain-slip.
This was easily fixed and good guys like Mr KK Fong had lend a hand.

Clearing the Sg Rasah toll

Fixing  chain-slip

 We re-grouped at the Keris monument where I gave another briefing.
At this point, the motorcycle lane ends.
The road ahead merges with the Klang town traffic.
Our intended destination was the KTM station on the opposite side of the river.

Chong Kok Kopitiam

An excellent breakfast

Munching by the five-foot way

 Despite a 15-minute delay and a short detour, we arrived in Klang on time.
From Brickfields, we did about two and a-half hours.
Chong Kok coffee shop was packed to the brim. Some of the cyclists had improvised by taking a stool from the main counter and set it up by the sidewalk.
At RM3.50 for a plate of tasty nasi-lemak. I wouldn't complain.

The trouble with wannabes
Most of the bikes in this ride were either Dahons or Tern. There were two Bromptons. One, an Englishman classic is owned by my buddy Swofinty.
The other dude, I don't really know. Although he added me as his 'Facebook Friend', we were merely acquaintances.
Now, I don't like people barking orders and showing their fart face. Let alone being loud and confrontational.
At the end of the late breakfast, I told everyone to bag up their bikes to get ready for the train ride.
With a Brommie, all you need to do is to dump it in a small bag.
While the rest were struggling, the wannabe dude was yelling: "Hey! Take the stools back to the shop la! Why are you so unethical?"
I don't think he needs to shout because we are going to help out anyway. It was a matter of priorities and the crust to the matter was that stacking the stools and putting it back where it belonged can be done last. 
But no. This guy had to shout and call the rest 'unethical'. Even the usage of the word was wrong. It should be 'inconsiderate'.
Then, I made further observation on this guy.
When we arrived at Pulau Ketam (I made it an option to visit the island), this guy vanished with his Brommie.
He didn't bother to offer any help to move the other bikes. Speak of 'unethical' what a waste of time. 
Selfish buggers like these are the ones I would avoid in future outings.
We bagged the bikes and made our way to the KTM Station in Klang.
The stationmaster did not stop us from boarding the train.
Even as we were waiting, the wannabe was ranting about time and schedule. 
Later during lunch in Pulau Ketam, he was kissing ass with a group of old men whom he rides with regularly.

Moving towards the train station

My buddy Roger at the Klang station for the first time

Happy cyclists: The foldies in the Port Klang bound train

 We got ourselves organised for the RM1 train ride to Port Klang.
My initial plan was to tour the place, but after consulting SK Yeong, an old touring kaki, we decided to proceed to Pulau Ketam via the South Port Ferry terminal.
The ticket ride costs RM7 for a single-journey.
Most of the 20" bike including a large 26" Tern were placed on the boat's top hull where there is a cargo holding area.
It takes about 30-minutes to get to Pulau Ketam via the high-speed ferry.
Even in the cabin, the wannabe was complaining about timing and such.
People like that should not take up bikepacking and lucky for me, I just need to put up with him for half a day..

World Car Free Day Ride - Part 1

An initiative
I toyed with the idea of cycling from Kuala Lumpur to Klang via the Federal Highway's motorcycle lane.
This facility has been around for decades and a section of it is now deteriorating.
Its also the poor man's access to Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam.
In total, the distance is 32km one-way.
That said, for this year's World Car Free Day Ride, I designed a route from Brickfields to Klang Town.
The plan was to meet up at the YMCA, which in turn, is not a bicycle-friendly establishment.
I found out the hard way that the front desk people in this hostel are really shitheads.
Spare that, the heavy rain in the morning didn't help much.
Much of the cyclists who signed up for this ride were unsure.
Nevertheless, the show must go on.
I posted on the Malaysian Foldies Forums as well as its Facebook page on the details and pre-ride briefing time.
Along the route, I staggered five checkpoints.
Another group of cyclists had decided to join in the ride half-way.

Setting up at the Kuala Lumpur YMCA

A group photo at the YMCA

After briefing the cyclists, we rode off towards the motorcycle lane in Brickfields.
The bike lane was blocked with a large wooden stump.
Fortunately, two of the riders Sin and Fong knew of a scenic route that leads to an Indian Temple which I had mentioned to them earlier.
They took lead till we reached the temple.
It didn't take long for us to arrive at this checkpoint.
I reminded the cyclists that in order to access other parts of the cities in and around the Klang Valley, this route remained as an important facility. 

Cycling out of Brickfields

The scenic route

Blocked entry at the bike lane near Brickfields

Murphy's Law and Plan B
Sometimes, things don't always work out the way you plan it.
We had to make a detour to connect with the bike lane and proceed with caution towards Angkasapuri off Jalan Syed Putra.
Another group was waiting at the Seri Setia KTM Komuter station. 
The plan was to link-up there and we clocked-in with a really good timing.
Half-way through, the underpass at Jalan Templer was submerged underwater.
We made a short detour and continued again with the ride.

The group who rode from KL

The flooded underpass

At Seri Setia station, we linked-up with the other cyclists.
That brought the number to well about 20 people.
From there, we continued towards Batu Tiga in Shah Alam where we took a short break for refilling water as well as answering nature calls.

Pre-World Car Free Day

Leading up to World Car Free Day...
I must be mad guy on a small bike.
While most people braved the morning traffic to work today, I rode out.
My mission was to cycle to work and try to raise awareness on the World Car Free Day.
I did this last year on my off day.

The MyVi gets left behind today

The plan
I must say that my financial resources was exhausted. 
Its been nothing but a fucked-up month. So many expenses.
With a bike, I save a lot of money.
So, I timed it in such a way, I can get to work in less-than two hours.
Prior to the ride, I sent out a global message to all the workers in the company. None responded. Seems that nobody gives a fuck about cycling.
That said, the only guys who were keen were two of my colleagues.
I made plans to rendezvous with them at Sungai Way. That is roughly about 7km to Menara Star in Section 16, Petaling Jaya. Its a real short ride.
As for me, I will set out from USJ26 and meet the guys at Tukang Basikal Fook Sang. 
At the same time, I received a Tern Link P9 folding bike from K2 Asia. 
This was for an evaluation and review on my column in BaikBike.
I've done it before with the Eclipse S11i, which is to my surprise, remained unsold after I gave it a decent write-up.
And I find it really strange that some cyclists here are so caught up with getting themselves the uppety Brompton and splurge on Ori Bicycles which I think are junk.
Anyways, after rigging up the Link P9 with my Garmin EDGE800 GPS, a pair of Cateye Rapid-1 lights and the surviving Sigma PowerLED pro, we are in business.

At the bike lane off the Federal Highway

Eddie and his Tern Link 24h

Riding towards Section 16

The Terns in action!

Some road action
I made it to Sungai Way in about an hour.
By the time I got to the Bike Shop, one of the Yong brothers was seen setting up his bikestore.
Along came his parents, the elder Yong and his wife, a great lady who can put any yuppie bikestore to shame.
I also learned from Yong that one of his old cycling kakis was prohibited by his new boss to ride with the 'Jalan-jalan cari makan' group. This is really sad.
These are the same arrogant people who I saw in Penang. Add another prick-like bicycle techie from Three-Two Square in Section 19, the picture is complete.
Anyways, Eddie arrived as scheduled. We waited for another guy who didn't show up, so, we decided to roll out.
The ride was really smooth and as we reached Section 13, we stopped by for breakfast.

Eddie, arriving at the office

Work, work, work
I had to put the paper out.
And at the same time, file in a story about the World Car Free Day and our ride experience. 
For this, I was given a slot on page 8 on Starmetro's Central edition.
Its been a while since I had filed-in any deadline stories. This one was a breeze. 
Took me 30minutes tops to close the deal. And with pictures too. 
One shot in particular, I set it on self-timer and placed my Canon Powershot G1X on a table top tripod. 
It captured Eddie and I cycling our Terns. And the results were really pleasing.
After I was done with the story, I sent it into the Editor's queue for the publishing process.
Then, time to close my pages for tomorrow. I did this with much ease as I had targeted 6pm as the latest time to leave the office.

Someone called 'Mongo'
Yeah, I have way with names and for normal people who behave like retards, I call them "Mongo".
So, this Mongo dude made a comment on a picture I posted on Facebook, it was me next to the Tern Link P9 at my work desk. Beside it was Jake, my colleague.
His comment: " Samuel Tan I can see your colleague is hinting you that you stink :p LOL"
After reading this, I gave him a piece of my mind.
I never met this guy before and from his profile, he's some Public Relations dude. 
Man, this guy blows!
Well, after my day was done, I rode back home. 
Took me about one and a-half hours to get back to USJ 26

The stink picture

Despite a light shower, I pushed on to reach home in a decent time.
The thing on my mind was to get some rest and prepare for a ride on Saturday.
This one is gonna be really interesting as its the actual "Car Free Day" ride..

Hitting a home-run

The distance covered...

Hands-on: Tern Link P9

Finally, an up-close and personal session! 

The Tern Link P9

My 2011 Jetstream EX needs a tune-up badly. 
So, I sent it for service at Rodalink and the guy who have been looking after our Jetstreams really well is Fadhli, the head guy at Precinct 15 in Putrajaya.
The bike had a loosened transmission cable.
So, there I was, minding my own business and lo and behold! The Tern Link P9.
This is their latest shipment to hit our shores and I had some quality time checking it out.


First contact
I saw the Link P9 four months ago during its product launch.
Since the K2 Asia guys are so fucking stingy, I never had a chance to examine it up close.
I asked Fadhli if I could check it out, he was obliging.
So, I took it out for a short spin. Handles very well, stable and the notorious locking latch on the Tern's Physis handlebar was no longer an apparent issue. Tern had fixed this.

White Knight: The Link P9

Nice clean lines

Now, available in 9-speed!

Love the integrated rear blinker

SRAM's new 9-speed gripshift, one handed operation on the go

Improved: The notorious Physis stem and handlebar latch

Now, if you had ridden the Dahon Speed P8, the Tern Link P9 is a forward evolution of the successful Speed platform.
This bike is clean, sleek and solid.
Its one notch higher than the Tern Link D8 and it seems that Tern had a beautiful colour scheme for all their 'P'-series bikes. 
White and Red seems befitting on this frame. But its definitely not the colour of my choice as it gets really dirty in our environment.
What made it appealing, is the white rims.


The possibilities are endless
I believe the Link P9 has plenty of potential as a 'go anywhere' bike.
It folds well, has a lightweight frame (now, aluminium) and is pretty compact.
This means, you can stow the bike when not in use and Tern has a range of accessories to go with it.
Its also a simple no-frills design and if you take good care of it, it will give you years of fun on the trail and the road.


Likes

• Clean lines
• Nice colour scheme, would be better if they have it in black!
• Solid folding lattice hinge
• Able to take accessories for touring and commuting rides
• Pretty light for its class 
• Comfortable and also pretty fast on the road

Dislikes

• Pretty expensive

Top Three Bikes at the Tern Tea Party

Best of the best..
There's no doubt that Tern Bikes are going to take on the mid-range and high-end market for folding bikes here in Malaysia.
They may be a bit pricey, but if you take a closer look at the quality, fit and finish, you will appreciate the overall built and components used on the bikes.
Even on the mid-range bikes, I can see the tremendous improvements.


Samo's top 3 bikes
I am rating this in terms of price and quality.
Now, being Malaysians, we often associate expensive bikes with performance.
That's not always the case. 
Why? Some dumbass traders out there took advantage of the folding bike hype with rediculous pricing.
Way I look at it, what you pay is what you get.
In the case of Tern Bikes, I must say that they are easily 20% pricier than the Dahons.
But if you want reliability and put your life on it, I'd say that the Terns are the way to go. 
Upon close scrutiny and examination, I narrowed down three bikes that I would deem as 'Best Buys'.
Now, I didn't ride them. The K2 guys are too fucking stingy to loan one. If I want to do a full-review, I might as well purchase all three of them, but I don't mint money. I am not Bruce Wayne.

Speed reborn: The Tern Link P9

Tern Link P9
Everything that I had wanted on a Speed P8 - all the improvements - you will find it on the Tern Link P9.
This bike has an improved handlebar stem, a single piece and with no moving parts, the ride would be smoother. Not twitchy.
The standard 8-speed cassette you find on a Dahon Speed P8 is non-existant on the Link P9. This is a 9-speed bike, capable of taking on any short, medium and long-distance commute.
Pricing at RM2.8K is a tad too steep. But if you factor in the quality you are getting, I'd say spending a wee bit more will give you years of fun riding the Link.
On the Samo-scale, the Link P9 scores 8 out of 10

Verge P18 
While some of the Verges were basking in its full-glory, one bike was set on the side, seemingly neglected.
It was overshadowed by the Verge X30h, X20 and X10.
Some of the guests at the Tern Tea Party didn't even bother taking a look at this poor little bike.
Here's my take: With an 18-speed drivetrain and at a price of RM3.8K, it would say that this is the most affordable day-to-day commuting folding bike from the Verge platform.
And you can expect this bike to perform.
BUT - I don't like the handlebar as it is now at a fixed length. If any modifications were made, I'd love to see a black Andros stem on it.
The double chainring and 9-speed transmission will see to it that you are able to tackle any undulating terrain.
I'd say that the Verge P18 is one bike that remains underrated, and if you seek performance at the budget, this IS the one for you.
This bike rates at 7.5 out of 10 on the Samo-scale!

Eclipse S11i
Few 24" folding bikes out there actually tickled my fancy.
I must say that the Eurobike 2011 award-winning design from Tern is a head-terner at the Malaysia launch.
This bike has an internal hub gear, which is basically maintenance free. The biologic freedrive chain cover adds class to it and at the same time, keeps it practical to ride in any conditions.
A pair of mechanical disk brakes - now, this yields plenty of stopping power.
I love the colour scheme, which gave it a vintage touch on this classy bike.
The thing that I appreciate the most on the Eclipse S11i, is the Andros stem and the built-in Valo light.
Its powered by a hub dynamo and you can disengage it to give the hubs a smoother glide.
With a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple 'balloon' tires, you can virtually go anywhere with it.
I don't see fuss in other foldie riders who condemned the Big Apple. 
Basically, they reeked and smelled like retards when they go touring with a thin set of tires.
Pricing at RM7.8K, I would say that only the ones that know what they want would appreciate the Eclipse S11i. In short, this is not your average everyday bike.
On the Samo-scale, I would rate it at a perfect 10

Conclusion
I think Tern Bikes has addressed the need for a 'transportation machine' at every level. You can get an affordable bike at RM1.4K with the Link C7 (I think Senor El Cheapo would agree), mid-range performance bikes for the everyday Joe like you and me and of course, high-performance foldies for the discerning cyclist (as well as some ass-clowns who collects them). So, before you slam-dunk the K2 guys for their absurd pricing, think of the quality you are getting. Don't be so quick to judge a product by reading one-sided reviews on the net (like mine.. hahahah!) and listening to some jackass mechanic and salesman from a rival bike store. Head out to the dealer and see for yourself.
And lastly, don't waste your precious time on talking about getting a good bike, but ending up with nothing...