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!!!

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.

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!

Brompton Toolkit

This entry is delayed by more than four months since I got the Brompton Toolkit early this year. My apologies for this late post.

The Brompton Toolkit

In the past I carried my tools in the nylon saddle bag which came with the Brompton cover. As convenient as it is, the saddle bag did not fit well with the elegant design of a folded Brompton. To be honest, that bag was ugly.

So I was delighted when Brompton announce that it was coming out with a toolkit that fit inside the bike's main frame. How awesome was that?! So, just for the sake of having a toolkit concealable within the bike, I had to get one. Never mind if dozens of users complained about the flimsiness of the tire levers, nothing was going to stop me from owning this work of art.

As luck would have it a fellow BCP member bought extra from the U.S. He raffled them off in one of our rides last February. Unfortunately, I did not win the right to buy it. But fortunately, one of the winners noticed my disappointment and he offered his place. (Thanks, Eric!) I bought it for PhP 4,000 (approx. US$95.00). Nycewheels sells it for US$79.00.

The toolkit comes with the basic tools a cyclist needs: patches, sand paper, and a ratchet handle with phillips & flat head screwdrivers, as well as allen wrenches. I've used the screwdriver to install my rear light and the allen wrench to adjust my Brooks saddle.

The ratchet handle doubles as a socket wrench. Useful when you want to unscrew a wheel nut.

Finally, the toolkit comes with tire levers. Now I haven't had a flat since I bought the toolkit so I haven't used them, but there are reports and complaints that these levers are easily breakable. In fact according to Nycewheels, Brompton acknowledge this flaw and has suspended the sale of the toolkit until the company can strengthen the design of the tire lever. Anyway, the tire levers looked flimsy from the get-go. I wouldn't have used them if I had to. 

I still like the toolkit. I get to use the wrenches and the screwdrivers, so it's still useful to me. Plus, the design! It's beautiful! I don't regret buying this.

Uh-oh. Our folding bikes are no longer safe from bike thieves

This is the latest from GMA News. Apparently, the cat is out of the bag. More and more people now know how expensive folding bikes can be. And as veteran newscaster Mike Enriquez reports, these bikes are now more prone to theft. So we all have to be extra careful.

I guess we can no longer use, "Two-Five," as an answer to a question regarding the price of our bikes. Hehe.

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!

Another Year Cycling With My Daughter

Bea and I celebrated another year of cycling together--well, at least with her as my passenger. Hehe.

Around this time last year, we biked for the first time outside our neighborhood. We joined my FBP friends on an evening bike ride around Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, and she enjoyed the experience.

After that, our father-daughter bike rides became more frequent. Bea would accompany me to buy the newspaper and pandesal in the morning. What's heartwarming was each time I'd invite her to come bike with me she never turned me down.

It was during our bike rides that I got to teach her her first words. I taught her "house" after pointing at all the houses on our street. She also learned "cat," "dog," "tricycle," "car," "mailbox," and "tree" while on the bike.

Bea likes to play with the handlebars. She rings the bell, presses on the cyclometer, and even tries to steer the bike. I swear, if she didn't have puny arms, she'd be the one taking control of the Brompton. 

We've experimented with different ways of riding together. First with the iBert seat on the Allant. Then using the Bromp-upuan with the Brompton. And then we also tried the InStep Bike Trailer. Our favorite would have to be the Bromp-upuan because she's in front of me, I can see her, and we get to talk.

Last week we joined the Tour of the Fireflies. I had no trouble waking her up at 5:30 in the morning. I whispered, "Bea, let's go biking na" to her ear and she opened her eyes and said, "Biking?!" No complaints. No crying. She stood up and got ready. At the Tour, when we were on the road with the rest of the participants, Bea did not hesitate to salute and hi-5 (or wave) to all those who greeted her. 

I sincerely believe my daughter enjoys riding. And I am thankful for that.

I fear, however, that she may outgrow this fondness with biking. I hope I'm wrong. I wish she continues to enjoy biking. Next year, I want her to learn how to pedal. Start with a tricycle. Then the following year learn to balance herself on two wheels. And hopefully, by 2014 when we join the Tour of the Fireflies, Bea's no longer just a passenger, but a cyclist herself as well.

But I get ahead of myself. For now I am extremely happy that my daughter and I cycle together.

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.

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

Bike Tourism for Small Towns

In this video, Laura of Path Less Pedalled talks about the potential economic benefits of bike tourism for small towns in the US. She makes sense. Let's take for example a trip from Saud in Pagudpud to Laoag City. If you travel by car, you'd probably just make one stop--in Pasuquin, for some Biscocho for merienda. That's it. 

But if you travel or tour by bike (like I've done a couple of times before) between the same two points, you'll make more stops, which would lead you to rest and take meriendas in Bangui, Burgos, Brgy. Davila in North Pasuquin and Bacarra. You'll meet more people along the way, buy more goods, and this would somehow help improve the local economy.   

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.