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!

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.

Dropped by Flying Ball in Hong Kong

I was in Hong Kong the past weekend for holiday, and I passed by Flying Ball bike shop over at Lai Chi Kok. I wanted to buy a Brompton Tool Kit. Unfortunately, they were out of stock. : (

I asked if they had stock last week or the week before that. The guy at the counter said they've been out of stock for more than a month, and they don't know when the next batch will come in.

Sigh. I guess, that's that.

Anyway, so as not to waste my visit, I bought spare inner tubes (HK$40.00/each).

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.

LBS: Bike King

The next LBS I'd like to feature is Bike King. This bike shop is located at B1, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It is next to Bo's Coffee and a few stores down from R.O.X.

Bike King is the authorized dealer of Orbea bicycles. Most of their bikes are for road, cyclocross and triathlon. They have mountain bikes as well. Sorry, no folding bikes. I drop by Bike King from time to time to check out their parts and accessories. In fact, just the other day, I bought a Knog Boomer USB front light from them. Will review that bike light next time.

 

For more information you can contact Bike King at (02) 8563362.

LBS: Bike Town Cyclery

Today I feature another local bike shop (LBS) I frequent--Bike Town Cyclery. BTC is located at 2240 Chino Roces Ave. (Pasong Tamo Extension) in Makati, right across Lifecycle Makati.

They carry an assortment of bike brands, mostly high end like Ibis, Parlee, Banshee, Moots and Ventana. They do NOT carry folding bikes. So what do I do there? Well, similar to Lifecycle, sometimes I source my bike accessories from them. They sell Brooks and Carradice products. I think I bought Proofide from them before. They also carry Topeak stuff. I procured my Topeak saddle bag from BTC. I remember BTC used to sell Bern helmets. But the last time I checked they were gone.

BTC is known for its bike fitting system and organizing the Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival.

For your inquiries, you can call them up at (02) 3872173 or email at biketowncyclery@gmail.com

LBS: Lifecycle Makati

Lifecycle Bicycle Shop is the authorized dealer of Giant and Trek bikes here in the Philippines. They have two branches. One in Greenhills, San Juan, and the other in Makati.

The one I frequent is the Makati shop. It is located at Unit 9 La Fuerza Plaza, Chino Roces Ave. (also known as Pasong Tamo Extension), Makati City. Contact number is (02) 4005203.

Lifecycle sells mostly full-sized bikes (mountain and road). I bought my Trek Allant from them. They rarely carry folding bikes. I think the only ones they have, if in stock, are the Giant Expressway and FD 806. That being said, I don't visit this LBS for its folding bike parts. Rather, I check it out, from time to time, for generic bike accessories like helmets, lights, water bottles, grips and cyclometers.

Lifecycle Makati is accessible from EDSA and is across Bike Town Cyclery. There are 4 parking spots in front of the store, which is good compared to other bike shops.