LBS: R.O.X.

R.O.X. (short for Recreational Outdoor Exchange) is supposedly the biggest outdoor shop in South East Asia. It has stuff for camping, running, backpacking, and other kinds of adventure travel. It carries brands like The North Face, Columbia, Salomon, Keen and Mountain Hardwear. Nevertheless, I'm featuring R.O.X. on my blog as an LBS because it has one whole floor dedicated to bicycles, including folding bikes.

R.O.X. has a lot of bikes. They have mountain bikes and road bikes like any LBS. But they also carry non-conventional bikes like beach cruisers, tandems, high-end commuters, children's bikes, and yes, folding bikes. For the latter, they carry Giant and Dahon.

If you find it difficult to find and get to my local bike shops like BTC, Sabak, Lifecycle and Tryon, then R.O.X. is for you. It is located right smack in the center of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It's Building 1 of Bonifacio High Street. You CANNOT miss it.

Of course since R.O.X. is in a prime location expect to pay more. Unlike in an LBS where you can haggle with the owner to get a 10% or 20% discount, you cannot do the same in R.O.X. Also, although R.O.X. has a resident bike mechanic, don't expect your bike to be fully serviced like at an LBS.

Still, I frequent R.O.X. because sometimes it has bike related products that my LBS does not have like Giant and Trek parts & accessories, and Columbia and Habagat clothes & shoes.

Vincita SL01 Leather Saddle

I was fortunate enough to receive a special Christmas present from the folks over at Vincita in Thailand. They sent me the SL01 Sport Leather Saddle!

It's a pretty neat leather saddle. The SL01 closely resembles the Brooks B-17. I must say, at first touch the saddle feels a bit tough and hard. But I guess, after applying Proofide and a few kilometers riding on it, it'll eventually soften up. I have to confess, though, I haven't actually ridden on it. I'm too lazy to replace the existing saddle on my Brompton. Maybe first thing in 2013, as one of my new year's resolutions! Hahaha! It is cheaper than the Brooks B-17, I can tell you that. It retails for only THB 2,590.00 (or US$84.00 / PHP3,450.00).

The SL01 came with its own rain cover. When not in use, it folds into this small pouch, which will fit a standard size saddle bag. Cool.

I'll share my full review of this product as soon as I've tested it. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, everyone!

Review: Vincita B-500B Brompton Cover

My Brompton Cover had seen better days. It has a lot of holes due to wear and tear. It has gotten so bad that I had to cover the holes up with duct tape so they wouldn't worsen.

I really had to replace them.

Enter Vincita's B-500B folding bike cover! It does the same thing as the Brompton's--only much better and cheaper.

The cover comes with its own bag, which you can attach to your saddle. Like the Brompton Cover, the Vincita B-500B is made of sturdy nylon material and protects your bike from dust and water. It's black which means you can use it to conceal the bike and confidently bring it with you inside restaurants, banks and shopping malls.

There are two things why I like this cover compared to the original. First, at its bottom, Mr. Yingsak and his team replaced the extremely irritating nylon cord with a velcro strap. It does the same job of securing the bottom, and looks cleaner as well.

Second, the B-500B's pouch is integrated in the cover itself. It's sown on the inside of the cover. How neat is that?!

Did I mention that it's cheaper? While the Brompton Cover retails for $45.00 over at NYCeWheels, it's only $17.00 at Vincita.

Review: Ortlieb Mini O-Bag

I told myself not to buy another bag for my Brompton (I already have the T Bag), but an opportunity came up that I could not refuse. My pal Abel bought a white Ortlieb Mini O-Bag that he later decided not to use, so he posted it on our group's facebook page. It's white. And it's an Ortlieb. How can I not get it?

Now I know my friend Diane already has a own review of this product. It's pretty extensive. But just the same, here's mine.

The Mini O-Bag is the Brompton version of the Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic handlebar bag. It is made of a PVC-coated polyester cover making it waterproof. No need for a separate rain cover like the T-Bag. As for capacity, well, it pales in comparison to the T-Bag's 21 liters, but the Mini O-Bag's 7 liters provides enough space for the essentials.

Here you can see the Mini O-Bag can fit a shirt, arm sleeves, an eco bag, an innertube, saddle cover, cycle cap, front light, fibre flare light, a multi-tool, wallet and sunglasses. I can even squeeze in some power bars, an apple and my rain jacket if I wanted to. Like I said, enough room for a whole day long bike ride.

The Mini O-Bag attaches to the front carrier block just like any Brompton bag. But, it opens from its back for easy access from the handlebar.

I can imagine using the Mini O-Bag for quick trips to the supermarket--use it as a mini-shopping cart like this.

Look at that. The white Mini O Bag perfectly matches my white Brompton! How could I have not bought it?! Incidentally, the Mini O-Bag retails for $143.00 on NyceWheels. As of the moment, it only comes in two colors (Blue and White).

FBP Christmas Party 2012

A few days ago, Folding Bike Pilipinas (FBP) celebrated its 2nd Christmas Party. It was held at the Guevarra residence in Quezon City. Sobrang dami ng pumunta. Lampas 60. Every affiliate bike club sent their representatives: Polkit, VeloPH, Cainta MTBikers, and BCP, among others.

I had a grand time. It was so nice to have caught up with my folding bike friends. Dinner was sumptuous and filling! I had lechon, sisig and beer! Incidentally, it was the birthday of one of us, Atty. Lucio Binalla. Belated Happy Birthday, Pañero!

 

And throughout the night, the organizers (Abel, Al, Geraldine, Ruth, et al.) raffled off all sorts of prizes, including shirts, lights, handlebar grips, and other bike parts and accessories. I won a sling bag courtesy of Yadu bags. Thanks, Nitya and to all the other sponsors!

 

FBP had a great year as a bike club. We went on numerous bike rides and even organized a very successful folding bike festival last June! I'm sure 2013 will be another epic year for FBP.

 

Merry Christmas, FBPeeps!

Video: Brompton Tool Kit

Can't wait for the Brompton tool kit to come to Asia.