Our Couple Welcomes a New Member of the Family

I'm talking about the comfort road bike that my wife and I bought from a bike shop in Marikina yesterday. The bike is our couple's home-grown solution to beat the vehicular traffic that caused me to suffer with my work schedule since we moved to our new home in Pasig. The bike is being realized through my earnings of Google Adsense as well as other monetization of my web site, poll donors, and loans from a few friends. It costed more than an average underbone motorcycle but at least I will not feed gasoline for it to be able to transport me to my work area and back home.

The bike is capable of a lifetime service. It has a stable geometry and fitted for a middle-aged man that I will soon become. The mechanics used two large stacks of spacers in the head tube so I can ride it just as upright and comfortable.

This bike weighed exactly the same as top of the line bicycles - 14 pounds (6.35 kilograms) excluding the pedals, bottle cage, and computer. It only differs from the high-ends in terms of price range and material composition. My bike is lower in price if compared against expensive models. My bike used mostly aluminum parts and components while the very advance models are now using carbon fibers.

I need not enumerate the detailed specifications of the bike here but let me just tell you how the bike characterizes in itself and how it will serve me best in my daily routine.

• It is an entry-level road bike using Frame Scott Addict R1 Frame 2009 ultra-light aluminum frame
• head post and oversized fork are Kristel Group brand
• 8-speed Shimano drivetrain and STI brake lever and shifter
• alloy cranks; alloy wheels with 36 spokes for rigidity and a Schrader valve compatible rim for simplicity and ease of use
• Ideal for morning commutes or casual city riding

I was on a tight budget

I was on a tight budget that some of the specifications very significant to me were not realized. For example, I wanted a sealed bearing type freehub cassette for the rear and a sealed bearing hub for the front wheel but end up with the standard freewheel cup-and-cone hub for the rear and a standard cup-and-cone hub for the front. It's good that I was able to bargain for a sealed bearing bottom bracket. The reason I badly desired for sealed bearing hubs and sealed bearing bottom bracket is because of its durability and maintenance-free feature. You don't need to repack it with grease once you put it in. With standard hub and bottom bracket, you need to lubricate it at periodic intervals. (Please see the difference between cup-and-cone and sealed bearing type here.)

I also aspired for a chromoly frame which is even better at absorbing ground vibration thus the smoothest ride possible. Aluminum has the reputation of stiff rides on rough surfaces. Also, while aluminum wouldn't rust, it will corrode over time and it can be argued that corroded aluminum is much more risky than rusted steel. But I found out chromoly frame to be so expensive that I settled to an aluminum frame.

The STI lever that I desired so much was realized though.

The photos were taken using my Samsung mobile phone camera. Next time, I'll post a more decent photos of this road bike using decent camera. (Click the photo to see more).

Test Drive

If tomorrow's weather condition will be on my favor, I'll probably would test drive my new road bike on my appointment to Quezon City. My planned route is to take C-5 road northward from Libis going to Katipunan Road. Then I'd make a U-turn going to Loyola Heights until I'll reach Kamias Road and off to Timog Avenue for my meeting. After the meeting, I'll take EDSA to go to work in Shaw Blvd. Pasig. Yes, I know it's a long weekend tomorrow for us Filipinos but as for me, I still have to report to work.

My friend MJ added that I should also buy a raincoat. That's a pretty good suggestion. But as for my preference, I like it best when I'll soaked with rain when riding my bicycle. When I was a kid, we used to go out biking under the rain despite of the unpleasant weather condition and I was just very very much happy that way. For me, it was like communion with nature. Right now, I'm just thinking how I may protect my laptop and other electronic devices such as cellphone from the elements. Probably, a waterproof backpack if I can find one. I'll match raincoat to a motorcycle if I get one.

Kibitz, Kibitz

Marikina is really a place of bicycle enthusiasts. These individuals simply validate the claim that Marikina is really a bicycle-friendly city. As my bike was being assembled in the shop, several of them gathered around and started to notice the parts used. One commented that I should have bought only the cheapest one since the bike that I'd buy is "takaw-nakaw" or prone to theft. Another commented in a passive manner, saying that if I ride alone, I should stay away from places I'm not familiar with to avoid being mugged. The bike mechanics confirmed though that there really cases that an unsuspecting bicycle commuter was being stopped by thieves in dimly lit areas and the bicycle was forcefully taken from him. Never heard of such cases yet but have heard about cars, motorcycles, scooters, and cellphones forcibly taken by robbers.

When I arrived home together with my new bike, a few of the neighbors that I often engage in casual talk warned me against thieves in the neighboorhood. There were also unsolved cases of bicycle theft in our place especially in the market, I was told. I was advised to secure our doors with double lock as the door knob is easily broken. So, my wife and I just did it this morning. We went to Handyman in Robinson's Galleria to buy a barrel lock to double the door knob inside and a door hasp with padlock to double with the door knob outside.

I'd like to thank those concerned individuals who warned me against possible bicycle theft. If I'll not take extra caution, it can happen to me again. My last bike, a low-end one, is gone from the bike rack of Gaisano mall in Lapaz, Iloilo City. Then, I was using a combination lock that disappeared with the bike. It could be that the thief was able to decipher the numeric combination of the lock. Another case in Iloilo that I knew is that a bolt cutter was used to break the chain that bind a bike.

I'll end up here and let's see what will come up next for my adventure.