Accident do happen

Yesterday, I joined the ride organized by YummyNia.  The route was Novaliches - Pangarap - Macabud - Licao-licao - Ricafort - Novaliches.

The ride was fun and uneventful until I crashed somewhere in Ricarfort.  I was told by my companions that I was unconscious for about 3 minutes.  I didn't remember what happened, why and how I crashed.  My helmet was damaged; and, I had bruises on my knees and elbows.

I was brought to the nearest hospital, where my injuries were treated and my right shoulder x-rayed.  Good, there's no fracture.

I got my cellphone and called my wife to fetch me.  My bike was entrusted by BackRoger to one of the residents nearby.

After a few minutes, wifey arrived with my two kids.   After settling my hospital bills, we went directly to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute for a CT Scan.  Fortunately, the result was negative.

Accident really do happen.  But, we don't know when and where.  So, we should always wear protective gears, especially, the helmet.  My helmet saved me!

Pamulaklakin Forest Trail - Pedal and Push

Finally, I was able to try the Pamulaklakin Forest Trail in Subic Bay Free Port Zone.

Last weekend, we stayed overnight at Subic Homes.  As usual, I brought my bike with us.

Sunday morning, I left the house at about 7:00 am.  I looped first the Binictican Drive then entered the trailhead.

From the trail head up to Pastulan Village is mostly uphills.  And, I was able to use my second gear - pushing.  The distance is about 3 kilometers.

From the village, you could take the paved road down to Tipo.  Or, you could turn right for more trails and steeper uphills.

But, after thinking twice, I decided to go back and enjoyed the downhill back to Binictican.

Guiding a Licao first timer

A PMTB friend, Nestor, requested me to guide him to the trails of Licao, which I gladly accepted. The ride was last January 19.

Congratulations Nestor for conquering some portions of the Licao trails.

Titan saddle

The MOB saddle on my KHS Alite SS rigid 69er was about to retire;  hence, I was thinking of replacing it with a Seagull saddle.

I was at John Wilkie in Concepcion buying inner tubes when I saw on display a red titan saddle, which is similar with Seagull and Tioga.  I asked for the price.  It's P1,200 - a hundred cheaper than Seagull.  Still have extra money, I bought it.

I love how it looks; and, it's half the weight of standard saddle.  After breaking it in, my butt is now comfortable with it.

Licao veterans and Licao newbies meet

I was riding solo.  I woke up earlier and left home by 6:00 am.

But, at the Pangarap gate, I saw two familiar bikers - Ka Leo and Jojo.  They are among the veterans of Licao-licao.  We rode together and proceeded to the trails.

We stopped over at the La Mesa gate as Ka Leo fixed something in his bike.  When its done, we prepared to go on.  Then, a group of young bikers was coming.  Anton (Stoner124) introduced himself and his 3 friends.  They are the newbies of Licao-licao.  Thence, we rode as a group up to the Licao terminal.

15th Tour of the Fireflies

I got this from PMTB Forum.

The Tour of the Fireflies on its 15th year will be held on November 24, 2013 (Sunday).  The tour starts and finishes at Tiendesitas, Pasig City.

Replacing my broken brake

My Deore hydraulic brake lever assembly on my 69er broke.  It's time to upgrade, I thought.  And, I canvassed for a replacement.  An XT hydraulic brake set costs P7,200 while a Deore P4,000 only.
 
I'd like to upgrade to XT; but, the price difference made me think twice and even thrice.

Last Saturday, I was about to buy a Deore but, at the bike shop, I changed my mind.  Anyway, I have a budget for the XT; so, why not buy it.  But, the problem was I didn't carry enough money.  So, I tried to negotiate with the shop owner.  I'd pay P5,000 first and then give the balance on Monday.  He agreed but he'd increase the price from P7,200 to P8,000.  I haggled for no increase considering that I'm a patron of that shop and the balance would be paid in just two days.  He didn't agree.

Yesterday, while at the PMTB Forum, I saw a slightly used SLX hydraulic brake set for sale at P4,200.   I thought it's a good deal. After some considerations, I contacted the seller for a meet-up.

I got the brake set at P3,800 only; and, I saved P3,400.

My brake breaks

I have the front brake only on my bikes. Thus, I always ensure that they are always in good working conditions.

My hydraulic brake set came from a Deore Group set, which I bought about 2 years ago. The left lever assembly / front brake is installed in my 29er, while the right lever assembly / rear converted to front brake is in my 69er/26er.

Unfortunately, bad luck happened. Fortunately, it happened not at the wrong time and wrong place.

After my ride this morning and after cleaning the 69er, I again checked and tested my brake. When I pressed the lever, I heard something fell. I retrieved it and looked where it came from.

It's the part of the assembly that holds the lower pin of the lever that's broken:

 With the broken part:

Without the broken part:

Nonetheless, the brake is still functioning well; but, I won't use it anymore.

Whew! It's time to upgrade! I'm also considering of getting back my rear brakes as emergency brakes.

A Folding 69er - my 3rd bike?

When I converted my KHS Alite 150 26er into a 69er, I'm left with the following:

1.  WTB 29er rim
2.  Venzo 29er rim tape
3.  Alex 26er rim
4.  Generic 26er spokes
5.  Kenda Nevegal 26er tire
6.  Hubs - front (Deore) and rear (Formula).

Selling them may be an option.  But, I'm keeping them for another project - a folding 69er, rigid, and single speed.  I'm just waiting for a Montague frameset to arrive.

I just made some calculations.  Even with these parts available, the estimated expenses to build this project is about P60,000. Whew!

Anyway, it's still in the drawing board.

Frustrated ride at Subic

We went to Subic Freeport Zone last Saturday, where we celebrated wifey's birthday.  We stayed at the Forest View residences, which is near the Pamulaklakin Trails.

I had plans of bringing my bike and experience trail biking.  I also had other options where to ride.  At last, I thought my dream of riding at Subic trails would be fulfilled.

Unfortunately, my plan was frustrated; as, I wasn't able to carry my bike due to lack of space in the car.  I have a bike rack; but, I remove the front wheel and put it inside the car.

So, I'm planning to go back to Subic in the near future for biking purposes only.

My dedicated 69er

After experimenting on my 2 bikes (a 26er and a 29er), I finally decided to make my 26er a DEDICATED 69er.  The ride with a 69er is better than a 26er and 29er.  But, I'm keeping my 29er as it is.

I bought a new front wheel for her to avoid the hassle of borrowing the front wheel of my 29er.

The front wheel:

• Rim - WTB Speed Disc All mountain 36 holes
• Tire - Maxxis Cross Mark 2.1
• Rim tape - from old inner tube
• Spokes - Generic
• Hub - Deore

Some geometry:

• BB height - 310 mm
• Head tube angle - 70 deg.
• Seat tube angle - 72 deg.

Others:

• Frame - 2009 KHS Alite 150
• Fork - Rigid Mosso M3 ATC 440 mm
• Drivetrain - Single speed (Deore Crank 32t, IG51 chain, Surly Cog 17t, Surly Spacers)
• Pedals - Clipless SPD
• Brake - Single / front brake only - Deore hydro - right lever)

Experimenting on 69er

Currently, I have two bikes.  My first is a 26er and the second a 29er.  26er and 29er are breeds of bicycles.  26er has wheels measuring 26 inches in diameter while 29er 29 inches.

There's another breed of bike - a 69er.  Wow! Its wheels must be very big at 69 inches.  I thought it was.

69er wheels are not 69 inches in diameter.  It's a combination of two sizes of wheels - 26" at the rear and 29" at the front.

I was curious about the 69er.  So, I thought on experimenting using my parts from my two bikes.

There's only one thing to do to convert any of my bikes into 69er, i.e., to change one of the wheels.

First, I tried it with my 26er.  I removed the front wheel and replaced it with the front 29er wheel.  By the way, I'm using a rigid fork with 420 mm length from axle to crown.

69er in action: