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.

BCP 2nd Anniversary

BCP in Intramuros, Manila.

Brompton Club of the Philippines (BCP) recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary last September 7, 2013. And my, has the club grown! From merely 11 members back in 2011, BCP now has more than 100 members! It's 10 times the size it was 2 years ago!

I was lucky to be in Manila when the group celebrated this momentous occasion. I took out Brommie Skywalker from its case (haven't ridden it in months), inflated the tires, and took it for a spin around the neighborhood before going to Mall of Asia.

Look at all those Bromptons! Can you find Brommie Skywalker?

We assembled at SM MOA that Saturday morning. When those of us who could make it were complete (I counted 42 attendees), we biked south and headed for Intramuros.

We passed Macapagal Ave., through the CCP complex, then to the Baywalk along Roxas Blvd. Thank God, the weather cooperated that day.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the members. I do have a photo of the Bromptons. :)

We stopped in front of Kilometer 0 at Luneta Park for a group photo op. It was unfortunate that they were repairing the Rizal monument. the group photo would have been better taken there. From the park, BCP proceeded to Intramuros. We stopped in front of the Manila Cathedral for another group photo. And then for another one at the Presidents' Gallery on Sta. Lucia Street before we headed back to the ASEANA complex for lunch.

Here I am with Brommie Skywalker in front of the Pres. Marcos bronze tablet.

It's so nice to see the Brompton community grow bigger in the Philippines. Other than making new friends, when there's more of us riding these folding bikes, it increases the chances for us to be acknowledged on the streets and accepted in establishments. I hope that by this time next year, there will be twice as much, if not more.

Mabuhay ang BCP! May our tribe increase!

New Bike Lane Along The Manila Bay Boardwalk

Yesterday, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, along with some Metro Manila mayors and Ms Earth beauties, inaugurated the first MMDA bike lane in Manila. It starts at Remedios Circle in Malate then flows out to Roxas Blvd. before turning to Quirino Ave. and ending at Paraiso ng Batang Maynila on Adriatico Street. It's just 1.75 kms. It's short, yes, but it makes a bold statement--that Metro Manila finally recognizes bicycles as a major mode of transportation.

The photo above shows the Roxas Blvd. section of the bike lane, which at the time of this blog stretches 700 meters. The lane is fully painted (and not just a line); There are numerous signs informing people and other commuters that it is a bike lane; And there's a bike rack across Raja Sulayman Park. Have I mentioned that it's got a fantastic view of Manila Bay?

Last year, the CCP, with noble intentions, tried to implement a bike network within its compound. But the project was a failure, mainly because all management did was paint a single green line on the side of the road. Naturally, drivers of motor vehicles disregarded it. Soon enough the paint faded away and the bike lane was gone.

I hope the MMDA bike lanes don't suffer the same fate. I hope the MMDA continues to support and protect the cities' thousands of cyclists. I thank all those (there are numerous organizations) who in one way or the other contributed to make this project a reality. I read somewhere that the MMDA is planning to open other bike lanes in Metro Manila. Good!!

Mabuhay po kayo!

Video: FBP on GMA News

Here's an 8-minute segment of GMA News-to-Go, taken Wednesday morning (June 20), featuring folding bikes. Paul and Froi of FBP explain to TV reporter Kara David.

Good job, guys!

Video: Bromptons in Manila

Here is an awesome video of our club here in the Philippines made by the talented John Buno taken during our group ride last June 9. When you visit South East Asia, do drop by Manila. We'll take you around!

Calhoun Cycle hosts 2012 US Brompton Championships

Bikecommuters.com reports that Calhoun Cycle will host the 2012 US Brompton Championship in Minneapolis this Sunday. The article is very informative on how the race is set up. I'll list the pointers down.

 1. Participants must ride a Brompton folding bike.

 2. No aerobars allowed.

 3. Participants must wear a button-up shirt, tie and blazer.

 4. No sponsor logos allowed.

 5. No Lycra exposed.

 6. Participants must wear a helmet.

 7. The course runs for 6 miles (9.6 kms) around a half-mile (800 meter) circuit.

 8. Whoever crosses the finish line first, wins a round-trip ticket to the World Championships
     in Blenheim Palace, England.

 9. Registration fee is $32.00 (PhP1,390.00)

Once our number here increases to more than 50 Brompton-owners (we're about 35 already) I'll propose to organize a Philippine version of the Brompton Championship. For now, we have to settle watching from the sidelines.

1st Manila Folding Bike Festival

On June 23, 2012, we'll be having the 1st Manila Folding Bike Festival. It's going to be held at The Collective on Malugay Street, Makati.

Last year, Paul and Pia spearheaded Kuklos also at The Collective. That event was a bike fair for all  kinds of commuter bikes, including fixies, BMXs, folding bikes, vintage bikes and low-riders.

This year, Nitya, Abel and several other friends wanted to organize a bike show focused on folding bikes. So you'll see Dahons, Stridas, Peerless, Gogos, Giants and, ofcourse, Bromptons. This event is going to be a great time for folding bike enthusiasts to exchange notes and ideas. There will also be retailers/LBS present who'll sell bike parts and accessories. I'm sure the MFBF will be fun!

Hope to see you all on June 23!

Brommie joins the Tour of the Fireflies 2011

Last Sunday, 17 April 2011, I participated in the 13th Tour of the Fireflies.  The Tour is not a cycling race like the Tour de France or the Tour of Luzon.  It is actually a Critical Mass Ride (CMR) advocating the use of the bicycle as an alternative mode of transportation in Metro Manila.

This year's Tour consists of a 42-kilometer bicycle ride around Metro Manila at an easy, controlled pace that allows everyone, including the occasional bike rider, children and senior citizens to participate and have fun.  The pace is set at an easy 15km/h through 6 cities of Metro Manila (Pasig, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon City, Manila and Pasay).

The meeting place/starting point of this year's Tour was at Tiendesitas in Pasig.  I met my Brompton bike buddy, Abel, at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, and together we biked to Tiendesitas via C-5 (yes, C-5 the accident-prone highway).

We got there at 6:00am.  We assembled near the Start Banner together with other members of Tiklop Society of the Philippines (TSP).

Brommie Skywalker getting ready for the 40km Tour.

With Liza, Din and Abel--fellow Tiklopers.

With Geraldyne, wife of Al, with her brand new pink Brompton (partly covered by brand new S-Bag!)!

During the opening program, an Elvis impersonator serenades some Ms. Earth candidates.

Abel wanted to have a photo taken with one of the beauty queens, but he was shy, so this is the closest photo he has with one of them.

The girls rode on locally made electric bikes named Obama.

TSP was positioned behind the Ms. Earth candidates to protect and assist them during the rides.  Hence, the behind photo. (I couldn't get them to face me)

This girl rode on her dad's bike.  Next year, when Bea is 2, I will bring her with me using the iBert seat.

And off we go!  Ethel Fortuno and Din Castillo on their Brompton bikes.

The bikes used by the Ms Earth candidates were heavy and not properly inflated.  Sa simula pa lang nahirapan na silang mag-pedal.  Kawawa naman.

Going up Ortigas Ave., approaching Meralco Theater, a female bike marshal in costume helps a little girl bike up the inclined plane.

Din enjoying her pimped pink Brompton bike!

Folderitis is a disease characterized by the desire to upgrade your folding bike all of the time.

Passing through Mandaluyong and San Juan via Ortigas Ave. 

Tiklop couple Lawrence and Zara.

 With my Brompton bike buddy, Abel, turning into E. Rodriguez Ave. in Quezon City.

Passing Mabuhay/Welcome Rotunda (Quezon Ave. into Espana Blvd.)

Tiklop Lass, Pia, in her Sunday dress.  Now that's Cycle Chic!

 Front of the pack (Firefly bike marshals lead the way in Manila)

Passing by Luneta Park.

At the pit stop in CCP with fellow Tiklopers, Arnel, Ethel, Din and Abel. 

There's a costume contest, and for me, these guys in Bioman/Power Rangers win hands down!

Bikes can be as colorful as the Power Rangers.  White, blue, orange and pink Bromptons!

From CCP, the Tour was supposed to take the same route back to Tiendesitas.  Instead of following the bike peloton, Abel and I decided to bike back to Taguig on our own.  We took Roxas Blvd. to Buendia Ave. in Makati and stopped at the Salcedo Weekend Market.  We had brunch, then proceeded to BGC via Ayala Ave. and EDSA.

It was a successful CMR.  There were a lot of participants.  The organizers expected 10,000 riders, but i'm not sure if that number was attained.  Still, I think it was successful.  Hope the show of force encouraged others to ride their bikes.

Getting ready for the 13th Tour of the Fireflies

I am excited to participate once again in the coming Tour of the Fireflies next Sunday.  I joined for the first time back in April 2009 in the 11th Tour of the Fireflies.  And then last year, I organized the simultaneous ride in Ilocos Norte.  This year, I'm back in the Manila ride and I'll be riding Brommie Skywalker with my friends from the Tiklop Society of the Philippines.

We are going to travel 42 kilometers from Tiendesitas in Pasig City all the way to CCP in Manila to advocate the use of bicycles as an alternative form of transportation.

I registered last month and got myself a jersey, but I will be wearing the TSP uniform on the day itself.  If you haven't registered, there's still time.  Visit the Firefly Brigade's kiosk at Tiendesitas.

See you there!

Top 5 Reasons Why It's Hard to Bike Commute in Manila

5.  The Heat!

With temperatures reaching 90-95 F during the summer, sometimes the weather is too hot to bike commute. For example, the other day I biked to Makati at 2 in the afternoon.  It was so hot and humid that I suffered from heatstroke the next day!  Seriously. 

The only time it's not hot is at night, and that's another problem!

And when it's not summer, it's raining!  Light showers I can take--the Brompton and the Allant both have fenders.  But typhoon-level rain means the bike stays in the garage.

I guess the best time to bike commute in Manila is early in the morning, like 6am. 

4.  No Bike Lanes

Unlike New York, Portland, San Francisco, Davis, London, Taipei, Singapore and other world cities, Manila does not have a bike lane network.  There is no designated lane for us to ride our bikes.  Hence, we have to compete for the same driving space with cars, buses, trucks, jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles and pedicabs!

So the key to biking in Manila is adopt "defensive biking."  A biker has to be fully aware of his surroundings.  He has to assume that there are vehicles on all his sides.

3.  Unruly Public Transport Drivers / Chaotic Traffic System

Traffic laws are generally not followed in the Philippines.  Drivers don't stick to their lanes; they drive against the flow of traffic; beat the red light; and don't yield or give way.  And the worst offenders are drivers of public utility vehicles.  They won't give you space.  They'll drive you off the road if they can.

This is especially true along Epifanio Delos Santos Ave., C-5 and Commonwealth Ave.  Areas that are relatively safe (compared to EDSA) include Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Roxas Blvd. in Manila (because you can use the service road), and Marikina (because they have a bike lane network over there).

Of course, it's a lot safer to ride your bike during the weekends, especially Sundays, since there are less cars on the road.

2.  No Bike Parking

Even if you successfully commute from point A to point B on your bike, the next problem is where to park it.  Chances are there are no bike racks available in the office, the shopping mall or in school.

And if there are, the bike racks would most probably be placed in an obscure place of the building, like in the basement or at the back, which makes it susceptible to being stolen by bike thieves.

In so far as availability of bike racks are concerned, the Firefly Brigade and other similar cause-oriented groups are providing new bike racks to schools, government buildings and offices, so this is good.

But I think it's equally important to inform and educate the building managers that the racks have to be placed near the entrance, where more people can see the bikes.  This way bike thieves will think twice before they steal a bike.  Otherwise, even if there's a rack, but it's at the back of the mall where no one sees it, a biker would rather keep his bike than leave it there.

1. Social Stigma of being Bike Commuter

Let's face it.  Here in the Philippines, the majority look down at people who commute by bike.  This is because most bike commuters here are construction workers and security guards.  People then associate bike commuting to being poor.  The logic being the biker rides a bike because he does not have enough money to use motorized transport.  It's ridiculous, but it's the sad reality.

And when one uses an obviously expensive road/commuter bike, there's still a stigma because then the biker will just be labeled as being crazy for biking the streets of Manila.

My New Bike Buddy

I have a new bike buddy:  My one year old daughter, Bea!

I had trouble convincing her to wear her helmet before, hence I couldn't let her ride.  But somehow, my wife and I were able to convince her it was fashionable.  Once we overcame than, there was no more problem with her enjoying the iBert seat.

In fact, for the 2nd day in a row, she rode with me in buying the newspaper.  She didn't want to get out of her seat when we got home.  I had to take her around the block one more time!

It was great bonding with my daughter!

Bea really does enjoy riding the bike.  She's all smiles.

My friends suggest though, if I take her on longer rides, to put sunblock on her skin.  We don't want her to get sunburn this early.

Dad Kris with one-year old daughter Bea (March 2011)

Bringing my Brompton in the MRT

Commuting by bike is not easy in Metro Manila.  That’s probably why so few people do it.  There are no bike lanes, whether painted, separated or segregated.  We compete for the same space on the road as cars, buses, trucks, tricycles and motorbikes.  So, the name of the game is defensive biking.  We have to be wary of motor vehicles zooming past us on both sides.  Helmets and good brakes are a must!

No bike lanes in Metro Manila.

Then there’s the problem of bike parking.  Very few malls have designated parking facilities for bikes.  And to those with bike parking, the stalls are located at an obscure place (i.e. at the back, down in the basement, etc.) when it should be in view of a lot of people to discourage stealing.  It’s scary to park your P20,000.00 commuter bike or P60,000.00 mountain bike.  One should really invest in two solid bike locks or else face the consequence of losing your bike after a date at Starbucks.  Luckily, Bromptons can be folded and brought in the mall.

We also have to deal with the smoke.  Metro Manila has one of the highest level of pollution in the world.  So, if you don’t wear a face mask, then be prepared to breath in the Manila smog.

As for multi-modal commuting, you can load your folding bike in buses and taxis, it’s no problem.  As far as I’m concerned, bus/cab drivers don’t charge extra.  However, you will have a hard time loading folding bikes in tricycles, pedicabs and jeepneys because of the small space available.

Metro Manila has 3 rail lines.  LRT 1 traverses Baclaran (Pasay) to North EDSA (Quezon City), while LRT 2 serves the Doroteo Jose (Manila) to Santolan (Marikina) route.  Both lines allow folding bikes in their trains.  MRT, which runs along EDSA, sadly does not.  My friends over at Tiklop Society of the Philippines are working, as we speak, for this rule to be overturned.

Yellow Line is LRT 1.  Purple Line is LRT 2.  Blue Line is MRT.

Speaking of the MRT, last Sunday, I had a mini-bike ride scheduled in Greenhills.  So, I biked 8 kms from my place to MRT-Magallanes Station.  Although I knew bikes were still not allowed in MRT, I tried my luck.  I folded my Brompton and covered it with the black nylon cover.  I went up the station and faced the security guard at the entrance.  He asked me what was beneath the cover.  I unzipped it and told him it was a folding bike, nonchalantly.  Well, whadduyahknow, he allowed Brommie Skywalker in!!!!

Brommie Skywalker hiding under his cloak as the MRT train passes by.

I think he didn’t mind because it was 6 in the morning, on a Sunday, and there were a few commuters.

I got off at MRT-Annapolis Station.  Biked to Greenhills Shopping Center and joined the monthly critical mass ride (CMR) of the Firefly Brigade.

From San Juan we biked 11 kilometers to Chinatown in Binondo, Manila.  

Brommie Skywalker with other tiklops in front of San Lorenzo Ruiz Church in Binondo.

My Tiklop buddies and I had brunch in Tasty Dumplings.  Abel suggested pork chop rice. Not a bad deal for P99.00.

Porkchop Rice at Tasty Dumplings in Chinatown.

Tiklops inside Tasty Dumplings.

After eating, the group biked back to San Juan.  I broke away from them and biked 11.5 kms back to Makati via Roxas Blvd.