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 LED Pant Leg Strap

When Vincita was here during the Thai Trade Fair held last month in SMX, I got myself a pant leg strap to replace my old Giant strap. This one's better because it's neon orange in color and lights up. I used it in my Makati commute recently and it works like a charm. It cost a reasonable P300. ($7.00)

Review: Totobobo Air Filter Mask

Biking the streets of Manila can be hazardous to a person's health on the account of all the air pollution coming from the buses, jeepneys, taxis and tricycles.

I know this for a fact because whenever I bike on a busy thoroughfare, like let's say EDSA or Roxas Blvd., not only do I see the black smoke coming out of mufflers of cars, I also get to taste and smell it.

I wouldn't be caught dead wearing these while biking.

I've tried wearing ordinary face masks (the ones you can get at the local hardware store or bike shop), but I don't think they do the job because I still smell the dirty air. Plus, they're odd looking.

Then my friend Al Castillo introduced me to the Totobobo air filter mask, after he visited Singapore last July. It's supposed to be a customizable, reusable, stylish, thin, light and compact mask with an air filtration efficiency of up to 96%.

He bought a Super Cool model, so I asked him to get me one as well. It costs US$25.00 (or PhP 1,100.00). Pretty expensive for my taste, but if it works the way it proclaims it to be then the price shouldn't be an issue, right?

The mask itself is made of a transparent elastromer (whatever that means). So it's not plastic and not rubber. There's supposed to be "anti-virus" agent infused in the mask to prevent bacteria and other viruses from building up.

Anyway, unlike other face masks, the Totobobo mask has filters that can be replaced. And there at least 4 different kinds of filters. For more about the Totobobo Mask, check out  the Totobobo Blog. 

One of the unique features of this kind of mask is that it can be shaped to follow the contours of your face. When I wore mine for the first time the top edge hit the skin under my nose, which was irritating. So I cut some part off with a pair of scissors. Now it doesn't hurt as much.

On the other hand, the lower part of  mask didn't exactly hug my chin and left a gap, so I also trimmed it a bit. Now I wouldn't say that the mask is sealed tight, but it does fit better than other face masks.

The tight strap makes my cheeks look bigger!

After weeks on the shelf (I usually ride on weekends when there are less cars on the road), I finally got to test the Totobobo Super Cool Mask in Manila's polluted roads.

I joined the World Car Free Day 2011 Bike Ride of the Firefly Brigade last Friday and we rode from Pasong Tamo in Makati to Cubao X in Quezon City.

I wore the Totobobo Mask all through out the 15 kilometer journey. I breathed through it while passing the jeepneys in Pasong Tamo, the cars stuck in traffic on Makati Ave., and the smoke-belching buses on EDSA.

First things first, breathing through my mouth and exhaling through my nose takes some time to get used to. But not that long. After about 5 minutes of breathing that way, I got the hang of it.

Wearing the Totobobo Mask during the World Car Free Day bike ride.

Next is the effectivity of the mask. I only got to test the mask once, so don't take this review as a comprehensive one.  I followed the instructions and breathed the proper way, but in some parts of the ride I still smelled the air pollution (you know, the smell of smoke coming from a motor vehicle). Now I don't know if smell is separate from dirt/soot, but I associate the two as one and the same. I could be wrong though. It's possible that the dirt/soot stayed out and only the smell went through, I don't know. But I guess I expected to breath fresh clean air through the Totobobo filter.

Anyway, after the ride, I checked the filter and I did notice it turned a little grey in the middle. So I guess it worked. That was the dirt/soot that did not end up in my lungs.

In summary, the Totobobo Super Cool Mask is a different kind of air filter mask compared to the ones available in the market. It looks cooler than traditional face masks. It is customizable and can be shaped to conform to the contours of one's face. However, it is a tad expensive. And as to the effectiveness and capability of the mask to protect the user from air pollutants, I believe I haven' used the product enough times to make a bloggable conclusion.

I will definitely continue testing this product and will write my thoughts about it in another entry.

Preview: Totobobo air filter mask

My friend Al went to Singapore last month and purchased a Totobobo "anti-pollution" mask.

He told me about it and I asked him to get me one pair also. The mask I got, the SuperCool, costs $25 (or PhP1,100.00). It is supposed to filter air 135 fold. Meaning to say, if you use the mask here in Metro Manila, the Totobobo mask will allow you to breath all the polluted air coming from smoke-belching motor vehicles without worry because the air is going to be cleaned down to 0.3 micron!

I plan to use my Totobobo SuperCool mask next week. I will share my product review soon. For more information about this air filter mask, check out http://totobobo.com/.

Video: Levi's Commuter Jeans

First, it was Brompton's Oratory Jacket. Now comes Levi's with its Commuter Jeans designed for cyclists. It features a utility waist band where you can hang your U-lock. It's supposed to be water resistant using Nanosphere technology. And its got 3M Scotchlite reflective tape on the interior cuff of the pants that when you fold it, will provide high level of visibility.

Ang tanong, eh, magkano kaya ito? (the question is, how much will this product cost?)

Here's the TV commercial:

Finally got my TSP Jersey!!!

Finally got my TSP Jersey the other day!  The shirt design was spearheaded by our leaders Pio Fortuno and Froi Guevarra.  The jerseys were produced/manufactured by Edlee Designs.

The shirt has a mountain-bike cut.  It features a moisture wicking fabric that is supposedly breathable and wrinkle resistant. It cost P1,000.00.

The over-all look of the shirt is a black suit jacket with a white shirt and a necktie showing the national colors.

There is a small TSP logo over the left breast pocket.

What's cool about what Edlee did was to place the zipper right in the middle of the necktie, in between the color blue and red, so that when zipped up, you wouldn't notice it.  Genius!

The sleeves are cool too because they feature different kinds of folding bikes and drawings of how they fold.  For example, the sleeve above shows the fold of a Dahon and a Strida.

The other sleeve shows the fold of a Brompton.  

The shirt is not without its flaws.  Take a look at my shirt.  Notice the difference in shade of the sleeve and the main shirt.  The sleeve has a lighter, faded black.  But it's all good.  Can't be too picky!

The back design looks like this.  It has a big TSP logo on top.  And the words, "Share the Road" below it.

Like all bike jerseys, there are three pockets at the bottom for your spare inner tube, water bottle, wallet, energy bar, and what not.

Here's how it looks on me.  Not too shabby, eh, mate?  

I chose a size L--not to tight, so that I can still wear it inside the mall and not look like a frustrated superhero.


Super thanks again to the TSP officers and Mr. Edwin Lee for making this bike jersey a reality!  Now our group has a uniform to wear in the next CMR!

TSP Jersey

Our group, Tiklop Society of the Philippines (or TSP), will be coming out with our very own cycling jersey soon.  The short-sleeve polyester shirt is designed to look like a tuxedo jacket, but instead of a black bow tie, the designer put a necktie with the Philippine flag printed on it.  On the front and back there's a TSP logo, and at the back there's text which reads, "SHARE THE ROAD."  The jerseys will be made by Edlee Designs.


Image downloaded from TSP Facebook page

I can't wait to get my jersey!  I hope size Medium fits me just right.  I don't want it to be too tight.