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!

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!

FBP Christmas Party 2012

A few days ago, Folding Bike Pilipinas (FBP) celebrated its 2nd Christmas Party. It was held at the Guevarra residence in Quezon City. Sobrang dami ng pumunta. Lampas 60. Every affiliate bike club sent their representatives: Polkit, VeloPH, Cainta MTBikers, and BCP, among others.

I had a grand time. It was so nice to have caught up with my folding bike friends. Dinner was sumptuous and filling! I had lechon, sisig and beer! Incidentally, it was the birthday of one of us, Atty. Lucio Binalla. Belated Happy Birthday, Pañero!

 

And throughout the night, the organizers (Abel, Al, Geraldine, Ruth, et al.) raffled off all sorts of prizes, including shirts, lights, handlebar grips, and other bike parts and accessories. I won a sling bag courtesy of Yadu bags. Thanks, Nitya and to all the other sponsors!

 

FBP had a great year as a bike club. We went on numerous bike rides and even organized a very successful folding bike festival last June! I'm sure 2013 will be another epic year for FBP.

 

Merry Christmas, FBPeeps!

2012 Tour of the Fireflies with Bea

Last Sunday, I participated in my fourth Tour of the Fireflies (my first time was in 2009). For the second year in a row I rode my Brompton (In 2009 I used the Allant, and in 2010 the Valencia). What's special with this TOF was that I rode it with my daughter Bea. That's her in the pink long sleeve and blue-green leggings sitting on her Bromp-upuan.

This is officially the 14th TOF, the theme being "Bicycles for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation" or BEST. It was the first time that the tour was held on a November. In the past, TOF was always organized in April. It was originally rescheduled to September. But then it got pushed back to November. Not a big deal. Better late than next year is what I say. 

My family woke up very early that Sunday morning (November 18). Got to fit the Brompton, the bike trailer, the Bromp-upuan and 2 helmets easily at the back of the car.

We proceeded to the meeting place at Ortigas Home Depot along Julia Vargas Ave. in Pasig City. Met up with my friends from BCP and FBP.  

I also got to convince my best friend Barnett, who also owns a Brompton, to come with us. He, in turn, brought along his wife, Jes, with him. She rode a Tern folding bike.

From Ortigas Home Depot, the FBP and BCP group rode down Julia Vargas Ave. to Tiendesitas at the assembly area.

When we got to Tiendesitas they still had a program. We waited for another 30 minutes for it to finish.

The tour officially started at 7:45am. There were a lot of cyclists this year--definitely more than any tour I've participated in. Reports estimate it to 14,000 bikers.

Coming down Ortigas Ave.

Anyway, from Tiendesitas we cycled to Ortigas Ave. and then turned left on C-5. We rode north on C-5 passing Libis and Eastwood. Bea was fine and was enjoying the ride. Our pace was an easy 10 km/h.

When the peloton hit Blue Ridge, we turned right into Marikina City.

That's my 2 1/2 daughter Bea with her shades on. Thanks to Doc Arman Lee for this cute picture.

This photo grabbed from Firefly Brigade Facebook Page

The tour made a stop at Patio del Zapatero. There was a mini-program. At the time we crossed the stage, Mayor Del De Guzman was giving a speech. Bea and I rested with FBP and BCP friends on the side of the road. She drank lots of water.

After a few minutes, we rode again. This time we headed back to Quezon City. 

It was getting hot and Bea told me she was tired already. So I phoned Ria to meet us at Ateneo.

We cycled up the hill towards Aurora Blvd. and then turned right on Katipunan Ave. Bea gave me moral support by shouting, "Go,go, go, Daddy! Go, go, go!"

When we got to Katipunan Ave., Ria met us at Gate 2 of Ateneo. Bea and I called it a day as it was getting very hot (it was about 10am already). We had biked 16 kilometers, or half the length of the tour. The rest of the participants continued biking another 17 kilometers going to UP, then QC Circle, then New Manila,  before returning to Tiendesitas via Ortigas Ave. Total length was approximately 35 kms.

Barnett and Jessica also called it a day. We loaded 2 Bromptons, 1 Tern and the bike trailer (that I chose not to use) in the back of my car. No problem. They all fit. I love folding bikes.

For the next Tour of the Fireflies, my goal is to teach Bea to ride a bike and cycle together.

Congratulations to the Firefly Brigade for staging a successful critical mass ride that is the 14th Tour of the Fireflies! May it have sent a message to policymakers and government officials that bicyclists are here to stay and that they should recognize us as valid commuters and stakeholders in the public transport sector.

Folding Bike Pilipinas turns 1!

Last November 11, Folding Bike Pilipinas (or FBP) turned 1. To celebrate our first year anniversary, we organized a short bike ride, lunch and a program.

Photo courtesy of Eric Los Banos

Around 60 of us assembled at the Jetti Gas Station-ASEANA that Sunday morning. Some  met up in Greenhills earlier and then biked to Makati where they joined other FBPeeps before proceeding to Pasay. I biked on my own from Paranaque.

When everyone who could attend came (friends from Polkit, VeloPH and Red Phoenix also joined the bike ride), we set out for the Cultural Center of the Philippines. We cycled around the Mall of Asia and then took a detour behind the GSIS/Senate, avoiding the Macapagal Highway. Here's a photo of beautiful Manila Bay with the SM Jetty Terminal on the left.

We reached CCP after cycling for 5 kms. It really just was a short bike ride (this Sunday on the other hand, at the Tour of the Fireflies, we'll be covering more than 30 kms!) 

Photo courtesy of Alexander Chua

At the CCP, members posed for a souvenir photo.

Here's the route we took.

From CCP, the bike club then transferred to nearby Inggo's Grill in Harbour Centre for lunch and the anniversary program.

The program was hosted by Abel and Koei. We had a raffle with lots of prizes. I won an FBP collared shirt (Thanks, Ms Ruth!).

We posed for another set of group photos. This one was for those in FBP neon green shirts.

At 12nn I had to leave to be with my family. Others stayed to continue the celebration.

Happy 1st Year Anniversary, FBP! To cycling and friendship!