The old chain was worn and the new one started skipping on the smallest cog. I had no choice but to replace the cassette too. How I wish they sold the cogs of cassettes separately! I think that would save consumers some cost. Wishful thinking on my part.
Replacements made:
After meeting up with Vincent, we proceeded past the customs and on to Plentong. We used Jalan Tebrau, turned right at the junction past Taman Sentosa and headed on to Permas Jaya. The weather was turning bad when we arrived at our destination. We happened to run into Vincent’s friend, David, who was expecting several more riders. We decided to join them and as it turned out, the other riders drove in from Singapore.
The rain lasted almost as long as our breakfast and when we were quite done, the weather was clear and the other riders had arrived. We proceeded with the ride which turned out to be an enjoyable experience. While the terrain was generally mild and not technical (in comparison to the man-made trails in Singapore), the fun came in the form of mud pools, fast single-tracks, scenic views and narrow bridges across various streams.
Mosquitoes were really irritating pests throughout the 30km ride and I almost regretted not covering myself with insect repellent. Without a GPS, it was almost impossible to find your way round (unless you are familiar with that area) – I was reliving the jungles of Brunei, but with a bike this time round!
The pictures of my muddy bike provide a clue to how deep the mud pools we had to traverse were! Just look at the cake of mud on my rear suspension. Certain pleasure came in the form of unpredictability in the depths of the mud pools. Deep and sticky sections threatened to hold us down and there were a couple of times I got caught right in the middle of the pool! Mountain biking in Singapore never got this muddy! =)
My rear brakes have been out of action for several weeks now and all my braking power had to be concentrated on the front. Some of the steep single-tracks required pretty hard braking and after the most major downhill of them all, I found myself without any braking power! The front brakes had failed.
The last few kilometers out to the car-park were not exactly fun. I had no way to stop my bike other than to jab a foot onto the ground. A downward sloping section with a turn saw me desperately grinding my cleats into the ground and I managed to clear the turn since the path ahead of me was clear. However, when I spotted an oncoming scooter on another downward sloping turn, my heart nearly leapt into my mouth. I missed the scooter narrowly, the motorist probably unaware of the predicament I was in. I could only grin weakly.
Back in the relative safety of a sports hall where we could wash our muddy bikes with a hose, I set about dismantling the pads from my front brakes with Vincent’s help. I was horrified to see a gaping section burnt off one of the pads. At the same time, it was pretty interesting because I have never seen such a thing happen before! We were racking brains on how the brakes could be fixed out in the field, minimally the front brakes so that I could get home safely, when Vincent came up with the splendid idea of swapping pads with the non-functioning rear brakes. The idea worked – I got just sufficient power up front to slow the bike.
We found the others at a coffee-shop, thanked them for the ride and headed back to Taman Sentosa. Midway, we stopped at a stall selling tau huay and it was pretty good. The you tiao and hum jin peng went for RM0.60 apiece, very reasonably priced for today’s living standards. Lunch was a welcome relief when we reached Taman Sentosa and we lazed around till 4pm.
As expected, traffic (cars) was pretty heavy at the customs but a bike could easily squeeze through the jams. We found ourselves back on home ground pretty quickly and I pedaled my creaking bike home. =)
Total distance: 30km (off-road), 36km (on-road)
Money spent: RM15.50
Participants: LSH, Vincent
Kah Kiong was already at our meeting point and unfortunately for us, his rear tire went flat right at the Malaysian customs. After clearing the custom booth, we had to change the ruptured inner tube before continuing. A stop at Petronas to pump up his tire pressure proved a waste of time as the pump kiosk was dead – my hand pump was called into action.
The roads were pretty wet but all went well until we hit the area near the roadside cendol stall (Sri Pulai). The skies literally poured upon us and we sought shelter at the stall. The rain would not subside however and we pushed on to Pekan Nanas. In my mind, I was cursing the damn weather – we were cold and the flooded areas proved to be nuisance by jamming up my gears (I had sorted the problem out before the ride but now it was back!). Visibility was definitely very poor and the “wave” of water created by a passing bus smashed into my face, threatening to throw me off my bike. I wonder how much water I drank!
Finally, we pulled into Pekan Nanas and as we stepped into the coffee-shop, all soaked and dripping water, I could feel the many pairs of eyes on us. No doubt, people were wondering where these two cyclists came from and why in hell would people actually cycle in a Category 1 storm. I ignored all the attention. It was a relief to be under shelter. I left the bike partially exposed in the pouring rain. Abuse. =P
We had a good meal consisting chicken rice (RM2.50) and tea (RM1). I went to the nearby “kedai ubat” to get a couple of boxes of Ho Yan Hor, then returned to the relative warmth of the coffee-shop. I was shivering and my teeth were clattering non-stop. It proved difficult to move our butts after awhile but we finally got moving to the bike shop where the uncle said his son’s shop would only open at 10am. We decided to wait.
The weather was finally warming up when the shop opened. We ogled at the bikes, mostly Giant models though there were a few other brands like Wheeler and Raleigh. The prices were just mind boggling on the star bikes (the Trance and Anthem models). Kah Kiong got his inner tubes and after a friendly chat with the owner, we went our way. I am in love with the road from Pekan Nanas to Kulai as it takes us past the foot of Gunung Pulai and a scenic number of pineapple plantations. Traffic was sparse and Kah Kiong was starting to enjoy the ride as well.
I treated myself to the usual nasi lemak and fried chicken (RM2) at Tesco before we made good speed back to Pusat Bandaraya. KFC was in store for us. =) Then came the all too familiar process of clearing the customs. And hearing the agitated honks of Singapore drivers.
Total distance: 120km
Money spent: RM40.50
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong
Alrasvee informed me that my orders from CRC had arrived and many thanks to him, I could collect the new gear last night!
It was past midnight when I had reached home and washed up but that did not deter me from fixing my flat front tire. Patching did not work because the slit was too big, hence I wasted much time but gained some experience, and finally replaced the damaged inner tube with a brand new one.
Reveille was 0430hrs and I grabbed a quick bite. I wasn’t that hungry after last night’s dinner! My first stop was Changi Village where I intended to have zui gui but unfortunately, the stall was not yet open. I had to settle for nasi lemak. My rear was flat and after breakfast, I put in a new tube. Then it was Changi Coastal Road and finally East Coast Park. I took a break at Bedok Jetty before making my way home.
The clouds overhead were ominous looking when I hit Thomson but the skies only opened up when I neared Nee Soon Camp. By the time I passed Chong Pang, I was soaked. The Thor gloves were slightly too warm to wear even in the morning but in the downpour, it was a surprisingly good insulator.
My rear gear cable was acting up again and I had to spend at least a couple of hours maintaining it. The bike should be good to go!
Total distance: 80.4km
Money spent: $2.50
Participants: LSH
I spent the rest of the afternoon resolving drive-train issues – my existing DuraAce/XTR chain was worn and one of the pulley wheels on my RD had a bent tooth. In the end, I swapped the chain for a lesser-utilized Deore LX one from my commuting hybrid and forcefully bent back the misaligned tooth. The “new” chain still skipped under intense pressure (probably due to bent cogs of my cassette) but it was generally roadworthy. I managed to test the bike for 16km today when I went out to get spare tubes ($5 each) from the LBS. Orane Concept had no stock so it was down to BikeLink.
We proceeded to meet Siang Jun at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Road, after which it was the rolling “hills” of Mandai before breakfast at The Prata Place. After a chat over breakfast, we continued to Upper Pierce Reservoir to chill before making another stop at the Lower Pierce Reservoir. The others got a good chance to put their hybrids through a short dirt trail. Cyclo-cross, anyone?
It felt great just to be able to ride slowly, take in the fresh air and admire nature. These days, I have been pushing hard both on-road and off-road and today’s ride was a real relief from my usual pace =)
Total distance: 41km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Siang Jun
Obviously I learnt a lesson or two when the tires slipped without warning but the biggest fall of the day was partly attributed to my rear brakes which had been out of order for nearly a month. I was descending slightly too quickly for the front brakes to slow me down effectively and my front wheel caught a rock, the movement sweeping the front wheel from under me. I skidded down the rocks and a tree trunk halted my progression, at the expense of my shoulder.
Total distance: 23km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Eric, Frankie, Shirley
Frankie showed up soon after and I did my third round. The pace was definitely a lot faster and later, we proceeded to Track 15 and Scorpion. I was getting tired when I took Mandai Road home but in a sense, glad that I was crawling towards better off-road fitness.
Total distance: 29.5km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Frankie, Shirley
I ran 21km on Wednesday. It was just another lazy afternoon but I managed to drag myself out (with Dad along) for a long run. Once again, my respiratory capability seemed restricted but a rest on Thursday aided in my recovery.
Pushing myself on a half-island at 5.30am on Friday morning, I managed to clock 66.3km in about 3 hours or slightly less. I took no breaks, just traffic stops along the way. Considering the climbs along Clementi Road, Mount Faber and Thomson, it was not surprising my already sore muscles felt worse.
Mountain biking this morning was great. Never mind my tired muscles. The pace was comfortable and I really enjoyed the ride with Jeremy and Pan’s bosses.
