Using the Gears in your 6 speed Brompton

I remember when I first used my M6L I couldn't figure out how the gears worked. It was weird and confusing. Glad that Brompton came out with this basic tutorial on how to change gears on a 6 speed Brompton.

Brompton Saddle Height Insert

I use a permanent marker to fix the height of my saddle, but the marking gets erased and I eventually have to guess the correct height. With this new insert from Brompton, you won't have to worry pulling up your saddle as it will lock at the correct height.

The 2nd Manila Folding Bike Festival

This is a super late post. Last June 21, Folding Bike Pilipinas (FBP) and other bike clubs around the Metro held the 2nd Manila Folding Bike Festival at Tiendesitas mall in Pasig City.

There were many retailers selling bike related products like helmets, jerseys, shirts, bike parts and leather accessories.

But the main draw of the festival was the bike show. There were different categories of all wheel sizes, from as small as 14 inches up to 26 inches. For some weird reason, there were a lot of Brompton entries. 

Photo courtesy of Tonnette Jacinto.

As an FBP member, I volunteered for the festival and got assigned to guard the bike show entries. Not much work really, just made sure the bikes were properly entered at the registration booth and they were set-up on the right place.

Photo courtesy of Tonnette Jacinto

The festival ran the whole day that Saturday, but I wasn't able to stay 'til the end because I had another activity with my family. Anyway, aside from the bike show and the trade booths, FBP also also ran a raffle, giving away all sorts of prizes. 

Congratulations to the event's organizers. You know who you are! Job well done, and can't wait for the next folding bike festival scheduled for 2016!

VIDEO: How to bike with a skirt without exposing yourself

Don't let wearing a skirt stop you from riding a bike. Put a penny in your pants to avoid exposing yourself! 

Video from Treehugger and Vimeo.

Brompton Urban Challenge in London

We should organize something like this in the Philippines. Best place siguro would be Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

It's back! The 2nd Manila Folding Bike Festival is on June 21, 2014!

The 2nd Manila Folding Bike Festival will be held next month (June 21, 2014) at Tiendesitas Mall, Pasig, Metro Manila. If you are new to folding bikes or are interested on buying one, then this is the perfect activity for you. You can meet other folding bike enthusiasts and join a club. You can also see the different kinds of folding bikes out there. I know some bike shops who sell folding bikes will have their own booths there, and you can buy from them directly.

There will also be a bike contest. If you want to enter your folding bike, here are the rules:

1. Participant is allowed to enter a maximum of five (5) bikes.

2. The categories are:

• Best 12" wheel size folding bike
• Best 14" wheel size folding bike
• Best 16" wheel size folding bike
• Best 18" wheel size folding bike
• Best 20" wheel size folding bike
• Best 24" or 26" wheel size folding bike
• Best Off-size folding bike
• Best Brompton folding bike

3. Early registration fee is P250.00 per bike, until June 16, 2014. On-site registration on the day of the event is P300.00 per bike.

Deposit payment to:
Account Name: Jose Ma. Kanlapan
Account No.: 380172577

4. Email a copy of the deposit slip as proof of payment to foldingbikepilipinas@gmail.com along with the following details: 

• Name
• Address
• Contact numbers
• Bike Category
• Bike brand
• Bike model
• Bike color
• Year manufactured

5. In the alternative, you can click on this link to register on-line.

6. Bring your bike to Tiendesitas on June 21, 2014, at 8:00am, and look for event organizers from FBP. Bring your deposit slip and one government issued ID.

Winners will win prizes. I don't know what they are yet, but I'll update this entry when I find out. This activity is organized by our friends from Folding Bike Pilipinas (FBP).

For those of you  who are curious, the first folding bike fair was held back in 2012 at The Collective in Makati City. 

See you in Tiendesitas! Save the date! June 21, 2014!

Boy, has BCP grown!

Photo by Al Castillo

We started out with less than a dozen members back in September 2011. Today, less than three years later, Brompton Club of the Philippines has reached more than 200 members!

With Tonette and Stephen.

Last April 12, 2014, the club organized a meet and greet at Bonifacio Global City and a whopping 100 members were able to attend. That's a lot of Bromptons. The sudden surge in membership is attributable to the opening of dealerships in the country this year. I think we'll reach 300 by the end of 2014, if not earlier.

Meet and greets are great because I get a chance to get back in touch with friends and get introduced to new ones. And it's cool to meet a new member who bought a Brompton and joined the club because of this blog. May katuturan din pala yung pagsulat ko dito. Hehehe. 

This April Meet and Greet was made even better because this time, self-trained Brompton experts like Lucio Binalla here, got to share their knowledge and teach new members how to maintain their bikes, and particularly on this photo, how to change the challenging rear tire.

Here's to more members, more meet and greets, and more rides! Hopefully, if we reach a dlarge enough membership, we can pressure local governments and private establishments to recognize folding bikes as legitimate forms of transportation, and protect our rights as commuters. Onto 300!

Brompton Game Bag

I'm a sucker for anything Brompton. I have the Brompton Took Kit. For bags, I started with the Brompton Folding Basket. Then I traded that for a Brompton T Bag. Later on, I also got myself the Brompton Ortleib Mini-O Bag. So when Brompton came out with the Game Bag recently, it got me excited. And who wouldn't be? It's a nice looking bag that attaches to my front carrier block!

But the price. Naman! US$400! Sure, it's hand-made, using quality materials, in England, but come on! That's the price of a decent Dahon folding bike already. $200 pwede pa sana.

I'm a Brompton fan, but the Game Bag is too rich for my blood. 

Brompton is finally coming to the Philippines

After years of having to travel abroad just to procure Brompton parts and accessories, the UK-made folding bicycle is finally coming to the Philippines! The guys at Buzzwheel Marketing Corp. recently snagged the local distributorship and will soon supply the following bike dealers with Bromptons, spare parts and accessories:

Quezon City:
Iron Bike
Cool stuff 168

Makati:
BPM
Bike Town Cyclery

Pasay:
Paulinas (Cartimar)
Paulinas (MOA) [coming soon]

Alabang:
Grantrail Cycle

Marikina:
John Wilkie

For more information, visit the company's FB page at www.facebook.com/bromptonphilippines.

Hay salamat, di na kelangan pumunta pa ng Hong Kong o Singapore para bumili ng spare parts, bags, saddles, carriers, fenders at iba pang accessories.

Road to BWC 2014

The road to the Brompton World Championship 2014 (July 26, Goodwood Motor Circuit) starts now. National championships will be held at Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and USA.

I've owned a Brompton for years now, but have not been able to attend the BWC in the UK due to work and studies, plus it's too far from the Philippines. I wish the BWC will be taken around the world just like the Olympics. Given that the bike has already attained global status, other places can host the BWC. Like, for example, next year's BWC could be in Europe, the following year it could be in Asia. Isn't it eventually going to get boring if the BWC is held in the same country every year?

A Sidecar in the US! Hahaha!

Photo from bikecommuters.com

I always thought it was weird that we were the only country using sidecars for bikes. Glad a fellow Filipino has brought a sidecar to the US. Read up on how he did it and how it went at Sidecar Update on Bike Commuters