Sunday, November 13, 2011
City Ride
I'd missed the City Ride with LCSG a week ago as it was Hari Raya Haji, and this was a ride I really wanted to try, so I checked out the route map on Taiwoon's blog and had a relaxing morning ride with my brother. I rode on the Brompton M2L and brought the Dahon MuP8 for my brother. All pics are taken with the iPhone using the Camera+ app.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
YBike and Strider - Impressions
My boy received a Ybike for his second birthday, and my nephew has a Strider, so I had this opportunity to make some comparisons.
The Ybike
The first thing about the Ybike is that it is a fixed design - there will be no adjustments made on this bike, whether it's the handles or the seat.
The child also sits quite low and there is some distance from the seat to the handles. A smaller child will need to reach forward quite a bit.
The bike is also rather wide, which you will see in subsequent photos. During initial rides, my son's heel will often clip the plastic frame, but he has automatically adjusted his movement to counter for that.
You can see the width of the bike in this photo, and how my son adopts a wider stance. You can also see my wife who is 36 weeks pregnant and rocking the LCSG shirt.
Back to business: In only three proper rides (meaning, in the park or playground, where there is some space), he has progressed tremendously and shows development of confidence and balance.
In terms of sizing, i feel that this bike is suitable for children who are at least 0.8 m tall. Here you see my nephew who is around that height. My boy is approaching 0.9m.
The Strider
From the photo above, you can probably tell that the Strider is designed more like a regular bike. The key differences between the Strider and the Ybike would be the frame geometry, wheels and adjustable seatpost.
In this respect, I feel that it will be easier for a child to start out on the Ybike due to the broader wheels. However, the design of the Strider also lends itself to familiarising the child with the feel of a 'regular' bike.
I found my boy transferring his 'skills' to the Strider with no problem, as you can see here, happily going down a slope.
In conclusion, I feel that either bike will help your child to develop his / her sense of balance. It is up to you to provide the situation for that to happen: practice makes perfect. Overall, I feel that the Strider will be a better investment due to its adjustability, and its form which is much closer to a regular bike.
The Ybike
The child also sits quite low and there is some distance from the seat to the handles. A smaller child will need to reach forward quite a bit.
The bike is also rather wide, which you will see in subsequent photos. During initial rides, my son's heel will often clip the plastic frame, but he has automatically adjusted his movement to counter for that.
You can see the width of the bike in this photo, and how my son adopts a wider stance. You can also see my wife who is 36 weeks pregnant and rocking the LCSG shirt.
Back to business: In only three proper rides (meaning, in the park or playground, where there is some space), he has progressed tremendously and shows development of confidence and balance.
In terms of sizing, i feel that this bike is suitable for children who are at least 0.8 m tall. Here you see my nephew who is around that height. My boy is approaching 0.9m.
The Strider
From the photo above, you can probably tell that the Strider is designed more like a regular bike. The key differences between the Strider and the Ybike would be the frame geometry, wheels and adjustable seatpost.
In this respect, I feel that it will be easier for a child to start out on the Ybike due to the broader wheels. However, the design of the Strider also lends itself to familiarising the child with the feel of a 'regular' bike.
I found my boy transferring his 'skills' to the Strider with no problem, as you can see here, happily going down a slope.
In conclusion, I feel that either bike will help your child to develop his / her sense of balance. It is up to you to provide the situation for that to happen: practice makes perfect. Overall, I feel that the Strider will be a better investment due to its adjustability, and its form which is much closer to a regular bike.
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| My 4 yr old nephew - downslope |
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| A friendly race |
Friday, November 4, 2011
Video Rig Test
Testing my video rig. Cut short due to impending rain, but more to come, with details.
Meantime, enjoy!
Meantime, enjoy!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
LCSG Sunday Ride 30102011
This was my second ride with LovecyclingSG, and another good one! The ride was led by Boo, and the planned route was ECP - Changi Village - Monster Gun! - Changi Chapel - Tampines / Simei / ECP.
For a few of the members, it was their first anniversary ride. On a sad note, we also observed a minute's silence for fellow rider Henry who has been called to God.
You can check out Taiwoon's account of the ride here, and also his photoset.
For this ride, I had chosen to go on the Dahon, and what a good decision it was! This is also the first long-ish ride for the Dahon, and I wanted to put it to the test.
This Dahon is an 8-speed bike, and proved to be really useful when tackling the seemingly endless Changi Coastal Road, and also the killer slope up to Old Changi Hospital. I would have suffered a lot more on my 2-speed Brompton.
The Dahon developed some worrying creaking when going up slope once we hit Changi and I couldn't really figure out where it was coming from, but definitely around the stem / front fork area. On a more positive note, after dismantling the wheels / mudguard / chains and giving it a good clean, the creaking seems to have disappeared. Will continue to monitor in the time being.
The highlight for me though, was this:
Our friend Israwi came for the ride on his handbuilt cargo bike! It is still in the works, now only single-speed, but very promising and impressive! Really looking forward to see how it develops.
If you are interested in cycling, do join the Sunday rides. As you can see, all bikes are welcome!
For a few of the members, it was their first anniversary ride. On a sad note, we also observed a minute's silence for fellow rider Henry who has been called to God.
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| Sunrise at ECP |
You can check out Taiwoon's account of the ride here, and also his photoset.
For this ride, I had chosen to go on the Dahon, and what a good decision it was! This is also the first long-ish ride for the Dahon, and I wanted to put it to the test.
 |
| At Changi Boardwalk |
This Dahon is an 8-speed bike, and proved to be really useful when tackling the seemingly endless Changi Coastal Road, and also the killer slope up to Old Changi Hospital. I would have suffered a lot more on my 2-speed Brompton.
The Dahon developed some worrying creaking when going up slope once we hit Changi and I couldn't really figure out where it was coming from, but definitely around the stem / front fork area. On a more positive note, after dismantling the wheels / mudguard / chains and giving it a good clean, the creaking seems to have disappeared. Will continue to monitor in the time being.
The highlight for me though, was this:
 |
| LCSG rider Israwi Eshak - photo by Woon Taiwoon |
Our friend Israwi came for the ride on his handbuilt cargo bike! It is still in the works, now only single-speed, but very promising and impressive! Really looking forward to see how it develops.
If you are interested in cycling, do join the Sunday rides. As you can see, all bikes are welcome!
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