The Return to Cycling

I do believe that the main reasons I did not consider cycling or owning a bike for the longest time, either consciously or subconsciously, are these two things:

1. I had grown accustomed to cycling as a purely leisure activity (in Singapore, as I had been cycle-commuting in Melbourne).

2. There is no space to properly store a bike at home.

I find it amusing now, that up till last year, I had been blind to the existence of the foldable bicycle. I guess this is also something that happens when you drive all the time. You are (and rightly so) occupied with the demands of driving, that aside from the necessary attention you are giving to the road / traffic / pedestrians, you are cut off from the world.

By chance, whilst sitting in my office, being frustrated at how dormant my lifestyle had become, I chanced upon an article in a magazine about cycle-commuting. It featured an interview with mrbrown and also some bikes like the Brompton, Dahon Curve and Strida.

After much scouting and deliberation, I got myself the Brompton. The first ride was a pain-in-the-butt, but oh-so-magical at the same time. The feeling of human-powered motion, liberation, independence, the wind against my face... It had been a long time since I experienced a feeling so child-like. I knew that cycling is here to stay.

I have plenty to say about cycling at this point, but I will save that for another post. For now, the foldable bike has negated the two points that I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

1. Cycling is now a very practical choice for me, and I believe it can be for most people. Here is my set-up for errands. The Touring bag easily holds a 1.8kg tin of milk for my boy, take-away lunch for me and my wife and other miscellaneous items.

2. Foldable bikes are the perfect choice for apartment-dwellers. As you can see below, two Bromptons take up less space than a double-stroller. We are making use of the dead-space under our bookshelf.

If you are thinking about cycling and are having the same concerns, why not consider a foldable bike?

A Tale of Two CarryMe(s)

Those who turned up for the Earth Hour Promo Ride with LCSG would have noticed that I wasn't on my Dahon MuP8 or Brompton... but rather the Pacific Cycles CarryMe!

It seems that many other folks have also taken an interest to these bikes, as you can see in the pic below.

It is somewhat of a coincidence along with the rising popularity of this particularly dinky bicycle, but I had in fact been eyeing it for a while, having also read Taiwoon's account, and trying out his bike during the LCSG Lelong at West Coast Park.

The main considerations are typical of any cyclist who is trying to justify another purchase: I know I don't really need this bike, but I like it, I can see some reasons for having it... and the list goes on.

Aesthetically, it is also a really weird bike, very comical but also very cute. So extremely uncool that it becomes cool at the same time. However, if there's one thing that won me over is that it's really quirky, and screams non-seriousness at any given time. If you ride this bike, no one will bother to race you and will probably be a little to kinder to your silly self riding on wheels smaller than your face.

Luckily for me, there came a very good (or good enough reason) to purchase this bike: Get a pair to commemorate our fourth wedding anniversary (smart right?!). The two bikes would also be a celebration of our two lovely boys :) What a way to sell the idea to your partner huh? (It works!)

In any case, she loves the bike! Here we are at Marina Bay Sands.

We also wanted to do a multi-modal test of the bikes, so what we did was loaded them up in the passenger area of our car. Two folded CarryMe bikes will fit in the space of one folded-up seat of a Honda Fit / Jazz. We still had the front seat free, two rear seats free and the whole boot!

We parked at Lavender and joined the group ride through the city to Orchard Road. We couldn't join the group for lunch as we had to pick up our boys, and to save some time, on the way back we took the train from Somerset to Lavender.

Though I love my Brompton as a complete all-around bike, after this episode, I really feel that the CarryMe might just be the perfect multi-modal bike, something for that first and last mile-or-two. Folding is non-complicated, takes up less space than a typical umbrella-fold stroller, light enough to lift using one hand, easy to roll.

I guess the best part is, at the end of it all, my wife really loves the bike.

And she has started browsing for cycling accessories.

Here is a pic of my wife with our younger boy when we picked him up after the ride. Our two bikes which you can't see, is actually on her right side. Really wonderful space-savers. Will try and grab a picture at the next opportunity.

In short, we are really enjoying these bikes. At the end of the day, it is a purchase, not really a need, but times that we get to spend together like this are priceless, especially after having our two boys.

Here's a video of the ride where you'll  get to see the CarryMe and many other wonderful bikes in action.


Earth Hour Promo Ride with LoveCyclingSG from Khairul Rahim on Vimeo.

Video Rig Test

Testing my video rig. Cut short due to impending rain, but more to come, with details.

Meantime, enjoy!

Childhood Neighbourhood - Photo Essay

The weather was fantastic today so I got on the Dahon to visit the neighbourhod where I grew up.

En route from Tampines central

Our first family flat. Stayed here during my Kindergarten and Primary School Days

The Econ Minimart is now a bike shop.

No more sand at the playground. After playing, we used to buy ice lollies from the makcik on the third floor.

We used to play table-tennis here, but the tables are gone. We didn't have paddles all the time, so we used anything we could, even Tat Sing slippers!

Even the Mama Shop is gone.

The NTUC is still here, but now open 24 hrs.

A pinoy store? Integrated!

The video rental store is now half its size. And can handle your laundry.

I used to walk this long stretch many times, most of the time to buy our favourite chicken rice. The stall has long disappeared.

My primary school. Looks so grand now.

No more Dragon playground, but I guess the kids can now play when it's raining.

On the way back, grabbed some chicken rice from Afghanistan, one of the oldest and most popular food joints in Tampines.

Much has changed, some remain.

Family Cycling

One of the most important things about cycling is that I get to do it as a family. After trawling the Internet, I came to the conclusion that fellow local cyclist Matt Chia has found a reasonable solution. I first read it on an older post but he has an updated one you can check out here.

Fixing up is easy and quick, 5 mins max. All you need is an allen key. This is how / where you attach the clamp to the seatpost.

Then you slot in the seat rails.

My wife rides the Brompton, me and son on the Dahon.

Making bubbles in the park.

The child seat is a Bellelli which I purchased from My Bike Shop. It is rated to carry a child up to 22 kg.

First LCSG Ride

This marks my first ride with LovecyclingSG.

Even before reaching the meeting point at Vivo, I'd already made some friends at Seah Im carpark. It's quite simple really; you see someone with a bike, and give a knowing smile or nod. Turns out it was their first ride too.

Meeting point at Vivo, ready to roll.

I was warmly greeted by Taiwoon, and walked around the group, checked out the variety of bicycles and had some small chats.

After a safety brief, we went off towards Keppel Bay. It was a first for me, riding in such a big group. There were probably 40 or so cyclists, age ranging from primary school children to retirees (my estimation) and all sorts of bicycles - road, foldies, mountain, recumbent, market...

Keppel Bay

Keppel Bay

It was really interesting going to places which I would probably never experience, and to places that I haven't been to in a long, long time.

Labrador Park - photographer's finger cameo appearance

My Ride went to Hell and back, unscathed

We went from Vivo - Keppel Bay - Labrador Park - Telok Blangah (breakfast) - Hort Park (plus killer slope!) - Haw Par Villa - Vivo. Something like that.

I didn't take many pictures as I was simply focusing on enjoying the ride, but photography is definitely in the plan for future rides. Did I say future? Yes, I will definitely join this group for more rides for a variety of reasons:

Inclusivity - anyone with any type of ride is welcome. There are fast rider groups and slow rider groups. Pick yours.

Fun - the group is not too serious. There are bike experts and there are noobs like me and all sorts in between. It's ok.

Food - do I need explain?

Adventure - How much of Singapore have you seen? You cannot say there's nothing to do and nowhere to go in Singapore.

If you want to find out more about the group you can check out the forum or facebook group.

Brompton and Dahon Folded View Comparison

Brompton LH

Brompton RH

As you can see, the folded package is very neat, with minimal protruding parts. Most importantly, the chain is not exposed on either side, which I feel adds to the friendliness of this bike should you carry it in public transport. There is little risk of another commuter getting grease from the bike.

Dahon LH

Dahon RH

The fold of the Dahon is not as elegant, and you have to be mindful of the exposed chain. Another thing to note is that I found the Brompton to be more stable in its folded state than the Dahon - when in a moving vehicle such as the MRT.