Just bought the Merida 903 frm Pedalsport Sri Petaling today. Have not ride a bicycle for more than 10 years, and even then, it was a mountain bike. Shaking my head.. Carbon Fibre Fork!!? could i get killed if this this cracks, was what i thought.

Immediately took it out from bkt jalil to Puchong n back in around 50 minutes. Bone jarring+ some internal organs rearranging themselves. More reassured about the carbon fibre fork though, even thought some phobias about racing bike remain.

But anyway, this is the tool for me to try my first ever triathlon.



Walue.. really kau kau training. 1 hour 34 minutes for swim+cycling+run ?? Can i ask, does anyone take care of the bikes at the transition area? Wondering if it could get stolen. Thanks.


I'd be happy just to finish the PD one with my lacklustre training.

Oh, anything interesting about me??. Well RM29xx lor for bike, stand, rear ilumenox light, pedals, bottle cage and plastic bottle. RM2xx for the Met crossover helmet that has some round light behind it. Not sure if this package is fairly priced, cheap or otherwise?

That's a relief. Thanks.

Just Noob thinking that some joker can come in with a rm600 bike, swim like mad to reach shore and take off with a RM 15K bike, detour off and never be seen again. Maybe they number the bike stands with the same number given to each participant.

Hm.. the tri event paid by credit card online, so yea agree lah, still high chances of tracing a competitor.
Cheaper cars maybe easier to steal, easier to sell.

Well, maybe because I bought it at the same time as the bike so could be a 'package' price. For now, I have the front visor removed.



Today was too late to join the Pedalsport Sri Petaling ride. Reached the branch at around 8.35 and no cyclist sighted; should have made a phone call earlier. Anyway, I remembered seeing 3 cyclists at the Kesas junction bus stop before that, so I decided to head back there to join the Kesas towards Shah Alam.

A few others passed by and by the time i reached Summit junction, there were 2 groups of cyclists there. I made a U turn there and proceeded back to SP. Yea,.. that padded shorts made a good difference

COol to both. 1st time biking on Kesas so no worries, I could pick my own pace and enjoyed the ride. Next Wed will try to call pedalsport before nighttime.

600, 700!!?? walaue. Mostly wearing yellow or black?? haha.


Orait, thanks for the info. Also, they place the speed bump signage just BESIDE the speed bump?? Darn.. they should place it a few meters before it so that riders have time to slow down.

I'd better train up with more cycling before I join in the group, even though I can run 55 mins non stop, both run/cycle seem to stress different muscle groups. Of course some muscles usage overlap between those two. For now, probably can't cycle in the 30's and sustain it.


Didn't think about that. I just prefer less loose bits on anything traveling at speeds. Even when i run, i wrap my keys in a plastic bag and use the last bit of the bag to tie it up into a quiet bunch. That way, I 'don't jingle all the way' haha.

Saw a green Bianchi rider as i exit the kesas @ bukit jalil this morning around 9am.

ic ic.
just FYI, I bought a maxxis size 700 (93grams) spare tube last weekend for RM15. I did shop around and the tube prices vary from that to RM20, RM26 or higher. Maybe the pricier one's are lighter or higher quality?

This post has been edited by nlik: May 22 2012, 11:09 PM

Yea, u r right, it's the welter weight class. Coincides with my own body weight class. haha

Managed to make it to the Sri Petaling pedalsport group ride tonight. more than 16riders. Had a nice time and met new persons.

There was 1 super Saiyan rider on a MTB, he kept pace with the road bikes all the way. On some parts, he becomes Gokou Super Saiyan and burst speeds fast enough to overtake a few road bikes in 1 go. He has my respects.

So MTB yes . Some high tech carbon bikes were also seen at the Summit meeting place.

Yea.. there was a girl yesterday on MTB. But I think our group left her way behind, I only saw here at the start.

I get what u mean. Malays would label an area 'Keras' if it is well known to have some extra non human activities. Jungle law is that you don't curse vulgar language (have good manners la), don't openly challenge and talk big, Before you pee/ take a piss into the bushes kindly ask for permission, don't shine your torchlight up into the trees and just continue moving when you smell jasmine or odours.

To me , I'm more worried about the stray stones on the road we can't always see. Yesterday, one of the riders hit something and jarred his bike so hard, the shifters itself shifted out of position causing cable tension and the brakes to continuously rub the rims. Stopped to help out , and luckily we could continue riding after that.

..And whether to bunny hop those plastic damn irritating speedbumps or not.

Yup. Correct. Work Stress/pressure and Food as well.

This post has been edited by nlik: May 24 2012, 11:13 PM

I guess PD tri can do drafting. I don't see any clause in the rules & regulations stating otherwise.




Watched a few foreign tri videos and i see the guys are in wetsuits during the swim, which they strip off to reveal their cycling attire inside. So is this the same for the Malaysian events? even if it is just the sprint?

Will everyone be using those clipless pedals? or is the old school simple pedal acceptable, if not embarrassing? haha

COol. I'll stick to swim in traditional trunks, transition area dry off and slip into the cycling shorts with a shirt and head off.


The old school Strap pedals look dangerous to me, as in the time it takes to release the feet from the pedals. Looks like a rider might get stuck.

Hmm.. one video has the shoe clipped on to the pedals already and as he get on the bike, he slips his foot in. While the bike is moving, he tightens the straps. But another guy mentioned it's a small matter to swap shoes, he can make up the time during the actual cycling or running stint so it's not worth that hassle.

Well, Got to ask those Kenyan's whether they run better with or without footwear. But anyway I have tried barefoot running on and off, the difference is which area of your foot that strikes the ground. With shoes it's generally the heel and with barefoot it is more to the front, away from the heels. It is however torturous if the running path has loose stones and sharp pebbles. Running barefoot around a basketball court is usually safer if anyone wants to try it.

I also run barefooted contacting the ground near the "ball of the foot" area, which actually gives your feet a natural suspension/shock absorbing kind of movement. Contacting the ground with the heels is obviously sending the shock directly right up to the runner's ankles, knees and legs.


Anyway, tonight the Pedalsport group tacked the MEX highway to Putrajaya and u turned at the first toll. Continuous undulating hills was a 1st time challenge for me but it is good training. 1 bottle of water not enough for MEX. Made mistakes with the gear shifting and selection. In a group I saw the difference it made to be in the right gear at the right time. The 10k run yesterday had some slight effects on me tonight as well.

Yesterday night disaster. all was good from bkt jalil to putrajaya via sri kembangan.

But suffered a puncture while hanging around in Putrajaya. Due to a sharp end of a broke "Lok Lok" stick piercing through the tyres. Did the inner tube change on the sidewalk that went well. Handpump can't fill up the tyres to optimum but i was glad I could get moving again.

Went off to the Petronas station to try and fill up the tyres , but even with the adapter, The petrol station air pump didn't fit on to tyre valve. So just continued with the journey.

Gps led me to Bangi, then SILK highway, and to sungei besi heading towards Mines wonderland. Again I felt the rear tyre vibrations + drag so Stopped and this time the tyres were deflating fast.

I think over a span of a few hundred meters, I repumped in the air , cycled a little before it deflated again. Which I repeated to pump in air. End up I gave up since the plastic adapter broke into 2. So at past midnight, took the long walk from mines back to bukit jalil.

So. question.. is this Maxxis brand of tyres and inner tubes really that unreliable??! So fragile that it could fail twice in a span of hours.

What replacement tyres should be recommended?? But I will claim warranty for this today.

IC. I'd usually put the blame on luck as the last resort. Prefer to search out other explanations, with hopes to discover why and plan for prevention next time. But in yesterday's case I'd have to concede it's as u mentioned , luck la. What are the chances a tiny prick is at the right place at the wrong time on such a narrow tyre. But from now on, i'll be wary of night markets as there is a higher chance of more Lok Lok sticks strewn on the ground.

But anyway, sent the bike to the shop, had the tube changed, rims straightened. Now I'm good to go again.

Person helping me at the shop while changing the tube emphasized on one particular step. When re-inserting the tube, constantly hold the Presta valve 1/2 way protruding towards the inside of tyre until all of the tube has been mounted onto the rims. Fully insert the valve and lock it to the rim ONLY when the tube has been fully mounted. Otherwise the area around the tube may rip apart when you re-inflate the tyres. I guess that's what happened to me on the spare tube change and maybe that is why we non-mechanics get our DIY mount spare tubes so easily ripped. Just sharing, and touch wood hope that none of us would have to ever get this inconvenience.

Relief to have a trouble and puncture free ride from Bkt Jalil to Port Dickson and back again. Started on Tuesday at 7.30am bkt jalil, and arrived at Bayu beach resort PD at around 12 noon. stayed there the next day and back on Thursday.

Dusty, hot, lorries passing by inches away, burning thighs and groins. Glad and thankful to make the whole trip safely.

ic ic. I can't wake up at 3 something man.. But I guess you will enjoy a more peaceful and less hazardous ride.

Well, Not alone, there were 2 of us that went together. However he was on a Mountain bike. We pedal power back to Bukit Jalil as well.

The journey back was : PD -> B5-> B48-> Lost in Sg. Merab (forced to use GPS fulltime) ->E18 silk -> Bandar Baru Bangi -> Sungei Besi Expressway -> Jalan Utama (pass by South City plaza) -> Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil (last torturing uphill to TPM) . To get to PD, just reverse this order. We used Garmin GPS ,set shortest route.



By the way, PD triathlon participants, I can tell you that Port Dickson sea water is Filthy!! I started itching moderately after 1 hour fully immersed in that contaminated water. Lodging/ manufacturing/ industries/ businesses and other activities channel their waste untreated into PD Seas . You have been warned.

Please refer to this Academic journal OR search for Microbiological Study in Coastal Water of Port Dickson

Today went to my Panel Clinic to get some skin cream which I am regularly applying on the itchy spots. Also taking 2 types of tablets to be safe.

This post has been edited by nlik: Jun 22 2012, 09:56 PM

Yea. sad news.

Older news http://www.mmail.com.my/story/make-roads-safer

This post has been edited by nlik: Jun 26 2012, 09:21 PM

i think i got lucky. me 178cm height and very happy with the merida 903 SM frame. geometries . Seat height is like set to '80', and it took several adjustments of the seat height , front and back till it felt just right.


Tonight the group attacked Kesas from bkt jalil to Glenmarie and back.

walaue. Tour de Peninsular

Team Bandung.. wow.. haha. If you want ladies with minimal biking attire, try to find pics of gals who biked in a swimsuit at the PD Tri??



I'm considering TIME RXS clipless pedals, so any shops to recommend?

But we all can buy Tissot/Certina Titanium watches for less than RM2000.


I also think 170 is expensive for this, if we're comparing Penang bridge full marathon which only costs RM80. But then.. that's a half marathon split between a bike ride. I think it's gonna hurt after transition from bike to the 2nd run! I'll skip this


On a different topic, Shimano Tiagra brake pads are not effective enough especially in the wet/rain. Did Shimano think that Tiagra users won't reach xxx km/h and hence fitted it will less grippy pads?

This post has been edited by nlik: Jul 22 2012, 11:35 PM

I guess during the event, it helps to prevent muscles and fats from jiggling around haha.. less muscle vibration could mean less fatigue??