Hahaha!!!! Kesian... Don't let that shiny Moulton intimidate you.. Its probably brought out for parade on social rides.. hahaha!!! BTW, the owner, Finty, he started with a Dahon Speed P8.

Setia Alam is orang kaya township la bro, so, Van cycles also very smart in placing their store there.. Strategic... You will meet people where "money is no object", but with Orang Kaya in this case, they would only go for social rides la.. Tayang basikal.. hahaha! Anything more than that, too "hard" for them la..

People who really ride their foldies, tak kira specs and class. They don't even have time to lepak in bike shops, and all they crave is the "next big adventure", so, that said, jangan kecik hati, keep on riding!



Ride you foldie in good health!

Sam

Yup

Sam

Alamak...



Well, Finty is one of those guys who are very humble... Even after all these years, he never lagak sombong.. A true gem among the Brommie and Moultonists in Malaysia..

SAm

If I read you correctly, your headset's stem connector may be loose. All you need to do, is to tighten the bolt connecting your stem to the headset. When the stem is loose, it tends to wobble and flex, this is caused by wear and tear..



This picture shows how the headset and stem is connected.

Sam

Ahhhh... Okay, your telescopic stem's clamp.. I get it..

Well, this is a pain when it comes to older Dahon bikes with telescopic stems. You will have to to adjust the nut on the "turtleneck" clamp to get a good grip. Do not overtighten it as you may damage the collar used to fasten the turtleneck clamp.

Also, there is a "red dot" to indicate the telescopic stem's maximum height, do not fasten the stem beyond the recommended height as it will twist.

With stems using this adjustable height system, the handlebar tends to sway from left to right due to loosening.

One way to overcome this is to have a fixed stem. Handling is also much better with it..



I've been using my Dahon Speed P8 for five years, and the clamp tension on the handlebar's telescopic stem is something I check from time-to-time..

Sam

That one is a Topeak flashstand for MTBs.. Very useful for bikes without kickstand..



This is a more "elegant" flashstand which is meant for road bikes..



Hahaha!!! My "other" hobby is collecting folding knives..

Sam

Riding light? Fully loaded?

Here's my "average":

Speed P8 empty - 17km/h

Speed P8 fully loaded with panniers on both sides (average 20kgs extra weight) - 9 - 13km/h

Jetstream EX - empty on road - 15km/h

Jetstream EX - empty offroad - 8km/h

Eclipse X20 - empty/road - 25km/h



Speed P8 full loaded...



Touring ride from Slim River to Sungkai, Perak..



Riding only with a trunk bag from Kota Tinggi - Sg Rengit, Johor...



Offroading in Kampar, Perak, with our Jetstreams..



Riding from Rawang - Sekinchan - about 75km one-way offroad..



Cruising along an abandoned Tin mine near Bestari Jaya, Selangor..



Our favourite 20" bike, cranked to the max at 25km/h...

Moral of the story: the fitter you are, the better your average top-speed...

Sam

Its a very simple explanation on gear ratio...

For bikes with small wheels, a large chainring (50 - 52T) would give enough power transfer to the cogwheels to propel your bike.

That way, you won't lose any energy when pedaling your bike. On larger wheels (700cc, 29", 26") the bike doesn't need a large chainring (52-55T) to rotate the wheels.

On the average, you get a 50T chainring on a road bike and 46T on a mountain bike.. The only road bikes using large chainrings are Time Trial (TT) bikes..

Hope this helps..

Sam

That's roughly about 20-25mins non-stop...



Last I checked, about RM180 at Rodalink..



Invest on a Cateye.. Knogs are useless...



I use this for data logging..



All the ride stats can be uploaded for further analysis..



Well, if you have the cycling prowess of Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins & Chris Froome, can sapu any road bike and MTBs.. Hahahaha!!!!

Sam

Easy on the newbie la bro.. hahahah!!



If you are a seasoned rider, you can go on and on and on and on.. doing flats.. Running out of breath means that your heart is not properly conditioned to the physical strain..

That said, if you really want to test your average on climbing, cruising and speedworks, you should go to Genting Peras in Hulu Langat, Genting Sempah or KKB - Fraser's Hill...



Hill climbs is the fastest way to get fit..

Sam

Dude, you seriously need to lay off your computer screen and go out to cycle more.. Haaahhaahaha!!!

That cyclist in the picture is my wife, she did the climb with a 9-speed bike...



For hillworks, develop your cadence and once you get the rhythm right, no mountain will be high enough..

Sam

Depends on their bike usage..

If all they want is speed, can always get UCI license and take part in road races.. That way, can justify with a record and some medals on the wall as motivation..

There's always leisure cycling and other aspects of cycling that are not speed-related.. Try bikepacking, bikecamping and touring..

Sam

Hahaha!!! New riders la.. Haven't found their niche yet..

Changing tires, wheelset, groupset, add crank and chainring as big as a scooter wheel to climb coconut trees, put everything carbon fibre on the folding bike, won't change anything if you are an unfit cyclist.

Folding bikes are for people who want to take things easy. Some bikes are made to perform and go "fast", but how fast? Well, the bike is as good as the cyclist la..

Based on experience, most newcomer who gets a folding bike and wanted to go fast, overtake road bikes, superbikes, buses, trains and jet fighters would usually end up on a road bike or give up cycling entirely.. Macam tu la..





You are looking at the wrong places la.. Pedalspot near Taman Megah in SS2 carries Java Fit. Try www.pedalspot.com.my where you can get more information..

Pedalspot is the distributor, they cannot match their dealers in terms of lowering their prices la...

Why Java Fit?

Sam

If you enjoy cycling, and when speedwork is not a big issue, you will see yourself in this aspect of the sport on a long-term basis..

Insecurity happens when people start to compare what they have with others.. That's where cycling is no more fun and becomes a plain ego-stroking thing..

Sam

The HASA minimax is a decent choice.. Better than Java in many ways.. hahahah!!!!

Sam

Well, just go with what you have..

Sam

The Malaysian Culture is to see and read. So, a dedicated folding bike forum can hardly attract regular contributors.

I do post in the Tern Forums, Bike Forums and Photo Malaysia. Mostly sharing my journey and photos.

Here in LYN, I see that there are more people asking about "which bike to buy?", "how to upgrade?". Lucky there are people like H2D and Etigge who are knowledgeable. I stumbled upon this place when I saw my wife's old photo posted. I was looking for Lego toys.. hahah!



Alamak, kesian.. Johnny is alone all the time, he is usually bogged-down with customers and when he's free, there are usually some "regulars" as well as MBS sponsored cyclists at the shop hanging out.

So, in his defense, it was rather unfortunate that you got "left out", but let me assure you that if you ask Johnny, he will be glad to assist you.

And for the record, MBS is one of the best service outlet for folding bicycles in the Klang Valley.

Talk about other basikal shops, I had a similar experience in Van Urban Cycle sometime back.. I went there to ask about a KHS folding bike, and the tech guy actually gave me fart face and told me off. To sum it up, I was not the only person who experienced the same treatment..




Hahah!! Where got easy la? The answer to your question is regular training and conditioning. Get used to climbing, strengthen your heart and your legs will follow.. We are going back to Penang on Sept 08 to do the round island ride.. It will be our third outing..

Sam

This post has been edited by samosaurus: Aug 21 2013, 10:33 AM

Wah.. you go so much free time ah! Which trail are you riding at?

Sam

Hahaha!!!!! When you are ready, you can try this route:



The road to Kuala Gandah..







Sam