A little makeover...

Giving the Malaysian Foldies its revamp
I started the Malaysian Foldies Forums in December 2011 to give the folding bike users here a knowledge resource.
On it, there's at least a dozen on sub-forums catered to bike users from different brands that are available in the market.
So far, we have 200 members who have signed-up for the forums.
On Malaysian Foldies, they are free to access the latest information on folding bikes and also keep themselves informed of cycling events.

Logo
Initially, I wanted a simple header for the forum page..
For this, I turned to a minimalist design. Although it was not quite 'there', it served its purpose. 
I rather have a simple graphic and header to identify the forums and set it apart from the rest.

Meeting a designer
To ramp up things a bit, I engaged Lois Loo @ Wonderkitten to design a simple logo for the forums. The theme was a kitten on a bike.
She gave much thought about this and came up with three sets of visuals. One worked and was chosen as the final artwork..

The final artwork chosen for the forums

An alternative version

Comments and criticism
On the whole, the new logo was well-received.
There were some critical individuals who commented on the artwork. 
They wanted more details like a folding hinge and said that the fork was not centrered and bla-bla-bla.
I don't want to argue with such people as talk is cheap.
Getting the job done is another thing.
So, Kudos Lois for doind such a good job for the benefit of others on the forums.

Pedalling around the Peninsula

First of its kind...
You don't find much books written by local authors on bicycle touring.
'Pedalling around the Peninsula' is one such attempt and I must commend the author Sandra Loh for doing so.

The book cover

The low-down
This is a day-by-day account of the author's ride around Peninsular Malaysia.
From Perlis to Tg Piai, Sungai Rengit to Kota Baru, Loh and fellow cyclist Mak Shiau Meng did this feat in 37 days covering more than 2,664km.
The book is well laid-out with detailed maps of the ride and a scrap-book feel to the photos published added a realistic feel to the journey.
Rather than a memoir, this is more like a journal style of writing.
And if you are familiar to crazyguyonabike.com's on-line journals, well, Pedalling Around The Peninsula certainly captured the mood.
From a writer's perspective, it could have been done differently.
This book, priced at RM39.90 - lacked that 'ooomph!' in capturing the essence of a long-duration bicycle touring. Nevertheless, it was a good attempt to chronicle a journey from start to end.

Summary
I ploughed through this book from start to the end and found that the day-to-day account was too boring. Mid-way through, I got bored..
Perhaps I was biased with some really brilliant journals that were coined in crazyguyonabike by more experienced touring cyclists.
I guess the approach of using personal a journal is a set formula in the production of this book that did not exude originality, but then again, the author did it in her best interest.
Perhaps the photos could be better planned in terms of angles and using too much shots that are redundant. The editing is decent, but again, its the usage of photos that made this read a bit mundane.
Since the event took place some three years ago, I guess it must have been a true challenge in piecing up the story together.
All that said and done, Pedalling Around The Penisula can be an inspiring piece for the beginner who is looking for some inspiration in bicycle touring. 
The least I can say is that I paid RM39.90 to support our local author...

Bicycle touring workshop

Labour day ride
A group of cyclists are putting up a workshop in UPM, Serdang on May 1.
Leading the pack is En Akmal who will be sharing his views on bicycle touring.
Details were put up in Baikbike.com, but there are some information that are still sketchy.
From what I gather, a few groups are cycling to the event venue.

Foldies 
A group will leave from KL Sentral to the Serdang Komuter station. 
Then, they will cycle to the UPM.
I don't know exactly the numbers, but their ride leader had clearly indicated that he do not encourage people with ulterior motives to join the event.
Dealers and event organizers are told not to come.

Tourers
Another group of cyclists are leaving from Bukit Bintang to Serdang. 
This, in my humble opinion, is one of the most dangerous routes to the location given. 
Even on a big biycle, the risks are obvious.

Community cyclists
Of the lot, the longest distance would be logged by a group from USJ in Subang Jaya.
They would be cycling from USJ 3 to Serdang. Good luck and ride safe.

Values and networking
I do certainly hope that something good would come out of this meeting as there are mixed expectations. 
One thing is for sure: it will be an eye-opening experience!