Bike specifications and mods. Future mods?

This is in response to popular demand from some of my biking associates. Btw, on a more informal note, HRP is OVER!!!! All the hard work, unrelenting effort and sacrifice has culminated in a pretty satisfying product....I'm still overwhelmed by the sheer relief of it all. Will blog about it sometime else though. And now...the technical part.

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Original specifications: Stock mountain bike with basic knobbled tyres, standard Shimano gear set on Crestone aluminium frame. Stock straight-bar handlebars with standard gear shifter [knobs]. Standard suspension-mounted synthetic plastic seat. Front wheel suspension.

Modifications:

Aftermarket Trailblaster 160 tyres to replace stock tyres.

Aftermarket handlebars with wide steering and vulcanized rubber grip shifts [grip shifts pwnzorzz if you can master them haha]

Metal holder for water container on lower bar

Leather narrow-bodied bike seat with elongated stand

Results: The Trailblaster tyres are definitely the most significant modification. The enhanced grip squares to the side let you corner like never before. They provide superior grip in conditions that would defeat most standard knobbled tyres and the aluminium rims provide an economical yet reliable solution for getting both weight reduction and strength. Whee! Meanwhile, the grip shifts allow for smoother transition in switching gears in a tight spot. The forward twisting action in infinitely more natural than trying to twiddle some lever on a steep slope. Plus you can change 5 gears on a grip shift in the time needed to change one gear on a lever-operated shift! How pwnage is that.....as for the bike seat, what can I say? The higher you sit, the more powerful your pedaling stroke. That's as long as your feet can touch the pedals though.

a line in the sand

Get this clear. I've got my starting line. My turf. You want to enter it? Challenge me for it. Don't swagger in and expect me to kneel down and hand you the ownership rights. And if you're not up to the task, get lost. Don't curse your bike and whine about bad luck. 'Cos in biking, there ain't no such thing as luck. Your expensive bike isn't gonna get you anywhere either. Because mountain biking isn't about the machine. It's about skill, the ability of the individual. Get real, and piss off, asshole. There isn't gonna be a second chance.

Mountain biking...is it time?

I've been rethinking my biking career in the time I've been laying off competitive biking. Although the East Coast scene is still pretty lively and occasionally challenging, I've realized one thing over the time in my biking career. The very first form of REAL biking I was exposed to was mountain biking-----literally thrown in at the deep end by my uncle on the Bukit Timah track. And since that very day, it's been the X-factor in my burning passion for biking. Even after all that time doing asphalt racing on the ECP circuit, it seems things aren't gonna change. I'm only satisfied nowadays when I'm able to cut corners when going off-road or charge up a hill faster than my adversaries. And when I was told that the first SLC briefing in June would be on a Saturday, I almost lost the plot. Why? Because it clashed with my pre-arranged trip to the Bukit Timah trail. At one point of time, I thought, what the heck, I'll just cart my bike there, take attendance, and skip the whole thing. Who wants to play lame icebreakers anyways. Which just goes to say.....something. In fact, I was only saved from lunacy by my mum who gave me a verbal bashing and compounded my bike. So, all factors considered, am I really following my true calling? Even though I'm enjoying considerable success on the ECP circuit, is it really for me? Am I just in it for the convenience and success? Perhaps it's time to consider a return to the dirt track. Hmmmm.

Withdrawal.

The EastCorezBikerz team was never really hot when it came to membership availability. Now we're feeling the heat. While I'm supposedly injured and on hiatus from competitive biking, I figured my buddy [and the only other member] would still be able to tear it up on the ECP circuit every week. Great news. The smartass went and got himself mixed up in a 5-way biking accident. Apparently he was maxing out his bike speed AND trying to squeeze in between 2 slowpokes who were hogging the lane when another biker decided to try the exact same thing. Problem was, this individual of superior judgement happened to be going in the opposite direction. End result? Major abrasion to the knee, possible ligament damage and chest pain. Conclusion? EastCorezBikerz is officially disappearing from the competitive scene for a while. Well, what can I say. You gotta take a break sometimes. I just didn't realize it would be a compulsory one.

X-country contemplated.

I took some time off biking today to allow the knee some rest. According to some of my buddies, I shouldnt even be on my bike; should actually be wearing a leg brace and a crutch. However, limping around on foot isn't exactly my cup of tea, so I'll pass. Was just going over some schematics of the Bukit Timah bike trail again in preparation for my next trip there, and just happened to get this nostalgic impulse. Reliving the days on the dirt trail, the endless tumbles, the mudbath I landed in, the countless setbacks and the help rendered by the old-timers there then. I recall that back when I was still a kid, my only goal was to reach the end of the damn path so I could turn around and go home. But now, it seems, priorities have to change. What is X-country biking really about anyway? Is it speed? Power? It can't be.....that's for road biking. Looking up at a 70 degrees slope that resembles quicksand after torrential rain really takes the notion of speed out of your mind. You've got to know every cranny, every rock, every fissure of that hill in order to coax your bike up without taking a nasty tumble and a nice long slide to square one. And nowadays, I find my mind is no longer set on the final stretch of the trail; instead, I tend to compartmentalize the course, assessing individual obstacles and surmounting them one at a time instead of trying to mentally conquer them all at once. And when things screw up, or you realize your assumptions were screwed and something goes badly wrong, no raw speed or power is gonna help you. It's a simple matter of possessing the right skills and a calm head so as to be ultimately able to pedal your way out of every situation. It seems that after all those years, I've finally achieved this level of biker's psyche. A gratifying prospect.

Busted. Again.

I realize it's gonna be R & R for me as far as competitive biking is concerned....the damn knee hurts so I can barely walk straight now. My old thigh injury aggravated too....the Bt. Timah track will have to wait I guess. Am contemplating the idea of bringing in my bike for maintenance again....judging from the circuit run done just now, it sounds like there's a substantial amount of sand from the last recce trip fouling the gears. Upon closer observation, I realised that the chain needs to be regreased. How dumb is that?

Btw, for mosta you who dont know, this happens to be a revived blog. It died, what, 2 years back? Whee. Exhumation is fun.....