China brought Bike Sharing to a whole new level

A traditional bike station in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Normally, bike sharing programs use bike docks or stations. If you want to rent a bike, you have to go to a bike station and get one there. When you get to your destination, you have to look for a bike station to lock and leave the bike. Think Velib in Paris, Boris Bikes in London, and Bixi in Montreal. This way, bike share operators ensure the safekeeping of their bikes.

It started the same way in China (particularly in Beijing and Shanghai). But this past year it metamorphosized and China brought bike sharing to a whole new level. 

OFO Bikes

Because of stiff competition, bike share operators in China have done away with bike docks or stations! They now allow users to pick up and leave bikes wherever they  please.

Blue Gogo

Bikes are literally everywhere. They're parked on every street corner. Different colors, different designs. 

MoBike

There's OFO Bikes, Blue Gogo, Mobike (the most popular) and a dozen other bike share providers. It's insane.

You just download the app, register, and deposit a consumable downpayment fee (300 RMB for Mobike).

Then you look for a bike and scan its QR code. It unlocks, and you're good to go! 

Once you complete your trip, just park the bike on the curb, lock and leave it. No need to find a bike dock or station! So convenient!

They even have them in electric bikes!!! How wicked is that?!

But how about security? Well, the program is not fool proof. Some bikes do get stolen. In fact, an official in Jiangsu province told me as much as 10,000 bikes get broken, lost or stolen each day! So I don't know if this business model will keep bike share providers afloat.

Another issue is sidewalk bike-clogging. An official in Shanghai told me that parked rental bikes are clogging the sidewalks, blocking the way of pedestrians. Shanghai is crafting a policy that would assign specific parking areas for these kinds of bikes.

On a final note, these Chinese bike sharing operators are branching out to other countries! Blue Gogo will be in the US, while Mobike is already in Singapore! I wonder if the Philippines is in their radar.

VIDEO: How To Speak Brompton

It's been quite some time since Brompton hit the Philippine/South East Asian market already (probably 3-4 years), but if you're late on the boat, this video will explain the different letters and numbers that make up the Brompton models. You'll understand what S, M, P, H, E, R, L, 1, 2, 3, and 6 each mean.

Happy viewing!

VIDEO: A Day in the Life of a Brompton Owner

A Singaporean Bikes to Work

Photo owned by Kieren Soh.

Sharing this blog post about a cyclist who bikes to work in Singapore. His post is an inspiration, and I wish to blog about my bike to work experience soon.

Video: BUC QC 2016

Here is the official video of the Brompton Urban Challenge - Quezon City 2016. It was made by Memoris Lensworks.

Brompton Urban Challenge - Quezon City 2016

Last 29 May 2016, Brompton Philippines organized the the first Brompton Urban Challenge (or BUC) in South East Asia. BUC is Brompton’s version of an alleycat race, where teams of four Bromptoneers bike around town on a treasure hunt doing all sorts of challenges and taking photos of objects or landmarks (it’s like a local Amazing Race on folding bikes).

B-Tols getting ready for the race.

The event was held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. A total of 18 teams showed up at A/S Parking Lot, 7am that Sunday for what was going to be a morning of adventure and excitement. I joined BUC-QC 2016 with three of my Brompton riding friends, Dr. Arman Lee, Eugene Buenaventura, and Larry Ronquillo. We called ourselves the B-Tols (a play on the name Beatles with B standing for Brompton and 'tols' as a shortcut for utol—never mind, it’s a corny name).

Anyway, the lead marshal of the event, Brian Rivera, called us in at 7:15am to explain to us the mechanics of the race. He then gave all teams the race cards containing the instructions, clues and challenges. Arman, Eugene, Larry and I reviewed the race card and planned out our route. The race started precisely at 7:30am.

Our chosen first task was to ride on a UP IKOT jeepney. Eugene did this task. 

I split from the group and dropped by the International Center to do another challenge. I had to count the number of flagpoles at the IC. 14. 

I then caught up with my teammates at the UP Shopping Center. Our third task was to find as many Brompton stickers around the SC. It was so difficult. The stickers were so small. It was going to take us forever if we stayed, so we decided to go on to the next task, which was to look for a Brompton item at the Bahay ng Alumni. 

We found a Brompton book in the display case of Art Cafe. We took a group photo and hurriedly left.

dOur fifth task was to go to the Carillon and take another group photo in front of it. It was just across the Bahay ng Alumni, so we were done in minutes.

We then proceeded to Quezon Hall where the Oblation statue was situated. We did three tasks there.

We took a track stand photo in front of the statue, we taught a stranger how to fold and unfold a Brompton, and we crammed our Brompton bikes in a tiny e-tricycle. 

From Quezon Hall, we biked around the UP oval to the Sunken Garden. We carried our bikes to the center and posed for another group photo. This time in front of the UP standees.

Team B-Tols then rushed back to the A/S Parking Lot. Our final task was to answer trivia questions about Brompton the company. Silly me, I didn’t read the instructions thoroughly. It said to log on to a blog for the answers. Instead, we searched for the answers using Google. After we filled it up, we biked straight to the finish line.

Doc Arman, Eugene, Larry, and yours truly.

We were the first one in! We clocked in at 52:58.

However, when the checkers reviewed our race card, they penalized us an extra 5 minutes for the wrong answer as to the number of Brompton stickers in SC, and another 5 minutes for not following instructions on the trivia questions. So our official time was 1:02:58.

I was so nervous. I thought for sure I cost the team the win.

While we waited for the others, we refreshed ourselves with drinks from Pocari Sweat and Gold Leaf Tea. We also got our loot bags, which contained a BUC-QC 2016 dri-fit shirt, a cotton shirt, a Camelbak water bottle, Edlee arm socks, some drinks, and bread. Not bad! Not bad at all! (The registration fee was PhP600/member)

Brompton slowest race

Brompton Philippines also organized other contests such as fastest folder, fastest one armed folder, a relay race, and a slowest race. 

At around 11 the organizers announced the winners from fifth to first place. Believe it or not, 10 minute penalty notwithstanding, Team B-Tols won the first Brompton Urban Challenge in the Philippines!!!

First prize were Suunto Ambit 3 Sport HR watches for each of us!!! How awesome is that?!?!

Photo courtesy of Brompton Philippines

Thank you Brompton Philippines, Suunto, Pocari Sweat, Gold Leaf, Edlee Designs, other sponsors, Brompton Club of the Philippines and BUC-QC 2016 volunteers! I had a blast! Can’t wait for next year’s BUC!!!

O Tukso Layuan Mo Ako

Oh my God, Brompton just launched its newest luggage collection. I'm such a sucker for Brompton products. I first got a folding basket. Then when the T-Bag became available, I snagged that one too. Later, I picked me up one of them Mini-O Bags. 

And now this! A new line of Brompton luggage!!!

They have a new line called 'Modern'. There's a tote bag, a roll top shoulder bag, a regular shoulder bag, and a saddle pouch. Of these, I fell in love with the brown waxed cotton roll top shoulder bag (shown above). It retails for £100 (or PhP6,650.00).

Brompton kept their 'Classic' line, but made minor improvements, and introduced new color trims and finishes. They also still have their 'Premium' line, but I didn't even care to browse them because they're all prohibitively expensive!

I'm really setting my sights on that brown waxed cotton roll top shoulder bag. Damn you, Will Butler Adams!

Comments on Trinx and Atomic Bikes?

Photo not mine. Grabbed from Trinx website.

Hi, all! It's been a while. When I started riding folding bikes in 2009 there were only a few brands available in the Philippines like Giant, Dahon, Peerless, Doppelganger, and Strida. Today, 2016, there are more than a dozen brands being marketed to bicycle enthusiasts. Among them are Trinx and Atomic. I have seen quite a number of their bikes on the streets of Manila and I have no idea how they perform. So I'd like to ask for reader feedback. Do you own a Trink or Atomic folding bike? How is it? Does it give value for money? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Photo not mine. Grabbed from the OLX website.

Bike Tour Wish List: Taichung, Taiwan

Photo is owned by David Niddrie

Awhile back I went on many bike tours both here and abroad. I've travelled with my folding bike to Hong Kong, Vietnam, New Zealand, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Laguna, Cavite, Albay and Camarines Sur. But for one thing or another I stopped going on bike tours. This recent article by David Niddrie for Momentum Mag has resparked my interest in the activity.

Niddrie wrote about his experience bike touring around Sun Moon Lake in Taichung, Taiwan--the country's largest lake. The pictures of the tour look fantastic, and total length sounds a reasonable 30 kms. 

I will research more on this and see if I can invite some friends to go along and join me on a bike tour.

Bike Commuting in the US; Using Boston's Hubway Bike Sharing Program

Hubway Bike Station at Harvard Kennedy School

I went to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend a short course last July 2015, and I got a chance to try their bike sharing program. They call theirs Hubway and it works very similar to other bike sharing systems. You can be an annual member or a pay-as-you-go customer. Since I was in Boston for less than a month, I chose to be the latter.

Photo grabbed from Boston Herald.

For pay-as-you-go (or short-term access), Hubway offers two options--1-day pass or 3-day pass. Here are the steps to rent a Hubway bike:

  1. Insert your credit card at the kiosk of the bike station.

  2. Choose between the 1-day pass or the 3-day pass on the touch screen.

  3. Then choose if you will rent 1 bike or 2 bikes.

  4. Enter an area code and telephone number (just encode the local area code 

      and your hotel's telephone number, you'll be alright)

  5. The kiosk will print your 5-digit passcode.

  6. Go to any terminal with a bike, and key in the passcode within 5 minutes.

  7. The bike will unlock and you are ready to go.

From Hubway website

I found the pricing reasonable. It costs $6 for the 1-day pass, while it's $12 for the 3-day pass. And as long as each trip is less than 30 minutes, they you can ride as much as you can--meaning, you can take multiple trips at no extra cost! (See banner above)

Hubway Bike Station at Soldiers Field Park

I used the Hubway bikes to commute between Soldiers Field Park (where my accommodation was) and Harvard Kennedy School (where I had my classes). The bikes were sturdy; the seats were adjustable; the 3-gears were adequate for the city; and the front rack accommodates most backpacks. I found the system appealing and wished we had the same back home. 

However, from my experience, I found out that bike sharing programs also have their share of problems and challenges. First, on software issues. The Hubway touch screens sometimes did not work, which meant I couldn't rent a bike. On those occasions, I had to run to school. Second, on bike availability. There were times when a bike station didn't have a single bike available--so I couldn't rent, and there were times when a bike station was full and didn't have space for parking--which meant I had to go to another location to park a bike. 

I didn't use Hubway bikes just for commutes between school and home. I also rode the bikes to go to the mall and tour the city. Cambridge and Boston roads generally have marked bike lanes, which most vehicles respect. And the Metro Boston area has quite a good number and equal distribution of bike stations. Overall, I had a positive experience of the Boston Hubway Bike Sharing System.

VIDEO: Brompton Urban Challenge Rotterdam 2015

I like this new video because it showcases that part of the world more famous for its use of city bikes--The Netherlands. The language is Dutch so I didn't understand a single word, but the views of the City of Rotterdam were astonishing. I look forward to bike my Brompton there.

VIDEO: McBike. Mcdonald's Take-away Pack for Cyclists.

This is cool! I hope the McBike take-away pack hits Philippine shores soon! It looks awesome!

VIDEO: Fake Brompton

Strida and Brompton Folding Bikes and FAKES from Mark Sanders on Vimeo.

This video, taken from a BBC program, shares Andrew Ritchie's unsuccessful story of establishing a Brompton Asian manufacturing facility (much like Vespa's in Vietnam) and how it morphed into a legal battle over the Brompton patent.

VIDEO: The New Brompton Black Edition

I haven't done upgrades to my Brompton in a long time. For Brompton users here in the Philippines, the rage is all about replacing stock parts with titanium counterparts--everything and anything to make the bike lighter. From seat posts to handle bars to hinge clamps. I have to confess, I haven't installed a single titanium replacement on my Brompton. Yes, I like it to be lighter, but I find the parts and accessories too expensive for my blood. May be next time. 

Anyway, back in London, Brompton unveiled its new Black Edition folding bike. If you prefer a one time big time upgrade from your standard Brompton, may be this is the upgrade for you! 

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!