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!