Trail: Sungai Ara Off Road

This blog is another off road trails in Sungai Ara. This place is amazing as it has endless trails to explore week after week. We started off at Cherry Blossom -> Banana Trail -> Quarry -> Tun Sardon -> Bungalows & Villas -> Metropolitan Park -> Lee Rubber -> Paya Terubong -> Farlim -> Tai Ka Lok -> off Kukus -> finished off at University Science Malaysia (USM). Total distance for the day was ~33km.

The only trail that was familiar to me was part of Cherry Blossom, Quarry and a very short distance of Tun Sardon. This route covered about 60% off road and 40% paved road (cemented/tar). To many Penangnites, single track cemented road is considered off road but what I meant above is non-paved roads. I wouldn’t say it is difficult at all as long as you have some experience in off road riding. So, be prepared if this is not what you are up to.

Our 1^st hill was to ride up to the Bungalows & Villas thru all the routes that I mentioned above and that was also the highest elevation we rode for the day with 325m. The view was superb, as it was over looking at the Penang 2nd Bridge at Southeast part. And here, you can still see lots of green in Penang. That’s why I love this place so much.

Banana Trail

   

Some part of the trails was unmark and just grass.

Quarry

Bungalows & Villas – You can see the gate from Jalan Tun Sardon

 

From the bungalows & Villas we headed down to Relau cutting thru Sg. Ara trails again. And, it lead us to Metropolitan Park. There were quite a number of people during that day as it was Malaysia Day (Sabah and Sarawak joined into then Malaya).

Going into Lee Rubber is where everyone suffered as the trail was wet and filled with moss. The average gradient here I think is about 15-20 degree and that caused spinning tires. Also, it couples with narrow single track trail made matter worse.

Just to add a fun part of it, we did a short burst of 20 degree climb at Paya Terubong. There isn’t much a view as it is just flats.

Our last climb was Tai Ka Lok and going thru Farlim. After going thru ~3 hills, I was exhausted to climb any further but still manageable. The last part to the Tai Ka Lok hut is a bit tougher as the path is narrow and steep. And, the weather didn’t help as it started to get hot and humid. Again, we got another beautiful view and it was 1st Penang Bridge.

   

Coming down from Tai Ka Lok to USM was a big challenge. Parts of the trails were covered with weeds as tall as me and fallen trees. We had to carry our bikes over it. That was not it as the trails were covered with moss and the recent rains helped it to grow further. It was a long narrow and 20-30 degree gradient slope. I tell you all of our adrenaline was running high. I wasn’t prepared for that as my rear tire was smooth and doesn’t give me much traction as I was like playing drifting. Sorry not much pics for this as I was trying to stay alive. At the end of the trails led to a housing construction in Gelugor.

Overall, I would give this route 7 of 10 as we covered lots of off road but lesser technical. Just need the muscle strength and technic not to spin the wheels.

Review: Nanoo-12 Folding Bike

I never thought that I can see myself on a foldie but this was my 2^nd occasion riding a foldie (1^st ride was in Genting Sempah). Nanoo is an Italian design but made in Taiwan. Well, who doesn’t make in Taiwan nowadays.

The distributor in Malaysia has brought in 2 models; Nanoo-12 and Nanoo-14 which is a 12.5” and 14” wheel respectively. The Nanoo-14 has larger wheels and comes with disc brakes. What I am reviewing today is the Nanoo-12 and it comes with 7 colors.

This bike is made with 1 or 2 purpose. It is easy for people who use it for commuting or recreational riding. Why? It is light, small and easy to assemble. I can assemble the bike within 25s (took me 22s to fold back) and that was my 2^nd attempt doing that. I’ll bet that anyone can reduce the time to half when they mastered it. I have tried to assemble a conventional type of folding bikes and it will take at least a minute. Also, those are not easy for you to carry around or up and down from a bus or commuter train. Nanoo-12 weighs about 12kg but it doesn’t feel heavy when carrying it or you can just wheel them around like a shopping cart by just holding the handlebar grips.

 

Assembling the bike is easy. It only takes 4 steps.

Step 1 – Release the handlebar latch and extend out the handlebar. Then lock the latch.

Step 2 – Push out the seat post away from the bottom chainstay (middle pic).

Step 3 – Slowly extend down the bottom chainstay and then tighten the nut.

Step 4 – Just extend out the pedal. (The pictures below are showing how to store the pedal when it is not in use. Just pressed pedal towards the crank and then turn 90 degree to store)

Bike Specifications

Frame:         Aluminum

Crankset:    56T 5-Arm Full Alloy

Rear Derailleur:   Shimano Tourney

Cassette:     7 speed, 11-24T

Brake:          V-brake

Wheelset:   12” aluminum wheels

Tires:           12.5×2.25

Weight:       ~12.5kg

Price:           MYR1988 (retail price)

In terms of the frame design they are nothing like the conventional bicycle with the 2 triangles. They break every rules of a bike design but it is still stiff and comfortable bike to ride around. It has internal cable routing that routes the brake and gear cable through the top tube.

The front chainring is nonstandard and it is huge. It is even bigger than a standard road bike chainring but coupled with the 11-24T sprockets it is still ride able for speed and climb.

Shimano Tourney is probably one of the lowest ranges of group set and this is good enough for non-avid riders. I had a few miss shifting and that could be probably due to new cable was installed. That can easily solve by tighten up the cable.

It is using a normal V-brake but it does get a good grip when coming downhill fast.

Riding

I have tested this bike in 3 conditions:-

• Recreational ride
• Climbing – Pearl Hill
• Distance Coverage – to Teluk Bahang

Recreational Ride

I find this bike fit in this category very well for a few reasons.

#1, I can fold the bike and bring into any cafe without any problem. It is small and it can stand by itself without taking much space. Some cafés do not mind bringing in the bike to the shop.

#2, joining fun ride with bunch of foldies group or charity event. On my recent tripped to KL, I joined a foldie group called Elite Cycling Team and it was a fun ride. Basically, they rode slowly, stopped for photos and regrouped. Normally, this event involves 50 or more people. So, no point bringing roadbike (RB) or mountain bike (MTB) for the ride.

#3, riding with your child/children. I brought this bike to cycle with my daughter and she was on her 24” MTB. We did ~17km in 1hr with an average speed of ~15km/h. Throughout the whole ride, I don’t feel tired and it was a pleasant riding for me. The max speed was ~25km/h and I think it can still push faster if I wanted to.

During the ride with my daughter, I was not wearing my cycling pants and I can ride for an hour with no butt sore. I guess this bike is truly meant for commuting as you are probably dressed up nicely in a slack or jeans without the padding.

If I brought my 29er to any this ride, it will be overkilled and ended up I will be bored. So, this bike suits for this type of riding.

Climb

I thought I will be doom when doing a 5-10 degree gradient climb with such a big chainring but I was surprised that couple with the 11-24 sprockets it can still climb easily. I managed to climb Pearl Hill in ~13 mins which I normally took ~10.5 mins with my 29er. So, small wheels don’t mean a lot slower.

Coming down from a hill is a bit challenging due to its small wheels but it is not that cannot managing at all. This is partly due to the short handlebar also. I just had to slow down a bit to gain better control.

Distance Coverage

This is the last test to see how far I can go with such a small wheels and will I be totally worn out after the ride. So, I went all the way to Teluk Bahang and covered ~32km with rolling.

I was surprised the overall time taken was about the same as I did on my MTB. It was only 15 mins slower for this bike. The average speed I did today was 22.7km/h and managed to clock 55.4km/h during downhill.

The ride was quite pleasant as the 2.25” tires helped to absorb pretty much all the uneven roads vibration and soft saddle helps too. I wasn’t tired at all when I got home but today weather was exceptionally nice and cool also.

One thing for sure is the bike is capturing all the attention pretty much from all the cars that past by me. They slowed down and either looked at me or the bike. One way or the other. 🙂

Conclusion

At this price range, you may be seeing Brompton, KHS, Java or may be Dahon. If you are looking for practicability to do your commuting, in and out from a subway or bus, then Nanoo is the bike that you need.

If you want a bike to grab attention, then Nanoo is also the most unique among all. It has very small wheels and unique frame design. When I was riding at Pearl Hill, again people were staring at me and the bike (maybe I was too big on a small bike). But, I did hear people were saying it was a cute and small bike.

You want to easily fold them and transport in your car, then this can be done within 20sec.

But… if you are any taller than 172cm (5’7”) I would not recommend as the handling is getting tougher. Although, they mentioned it can support up to 100kg and 200 cm (6’6”) tall person. The top tube of this bike is very short so it is not suitable for taller or larger person as the handling can be quite clumsy. I had asked a friend of mine who is 181cm (5’11”) tall and having him to cycle the bike was a bit funny. But this bike is definitely looking cute on petite size girls who want differentiation and stylish bike.

If you are an avid cyclists or looking for extreme exercise then it is better to get a RB or MTB.

So, where to get them? I have Googled a bit and looks like Nanoo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd is the exclusive distributor for Nanoo Folding Bicycle in Malaysia. The showroom is in 3 floor of Midlands Park Center, Penang. Contact # is 012-558-0680 (Philip Chan).

Trail: Foldie Ride in Putrajaya

This blog is all about a foldie group that rides around Kuala Lumpur. They are Elite Cycling Team and I believe they ride in Putrajaya on every Wednesday night. They will start assemble at around 8pm and roll off at 8.30pm in Putra Mosque, Putrajaya.

Elite Cycling Team is a very big group as I heard that it has ~50-60 riders at any time. They normally ride around the lake and the Putrajaya International Convention Center which covers ~20km ride.

This is definitely a fun ride and if you are looking for a bicycle riding partner or soul partner then this is a place. Some of the riders were pretty fast and some maybe slow but never to worry that you are left behind. There will be a sweeper behind you all the time and a guide in the front as well.

Here, the riders can show off their bling-bling foldies, highly modified bike with Hope or Chris King hubs and Shimano Ultegra group set. Some of these bikes cost up to MYR4k-5k!

If you are an impatient person or wanted to finish quickly and go home, then this is not the group for you. Due to its size, there will always be regroup, taking pictures or resting time. By the time it finishes the ride will be past 11pm and it may take another 45-60 mins to go home. The biggest problem is you will have to work next day.

You can find this group in Facebook and you can add and join them. Have fun!

Trails: Mount Kiara (Bukit Kiara) Ride – Kampong

I was in KL again this week and I had 2 rides. Somehow I didn’t really enjoy both of the rides this time. This blog I am writing about is Kampong Trail.

Today was a wet ride as it was raining for the whole night and part of the morning but we continued with the ride. Right from the starts I had a few skids already and eventually fell. Well, I wish I can solely blame on my tires which I had Maxxis Crossmark on and it is not meant for wet condition. Also, the rear tire is getting bald. Actually, the #1 reason is I wasn’t mentally prepared for it as I was not concentrating. #2, I have not ridden on technical off road for quite some time so I am a bit out of touch. Lastly, I have not ridden on the wet since long ago.

Kampong Trail

A new route was added into our riding today and it was Kampong Trail but we didn’t really manage to complete it. We managed to get it to half way and we got lost after that. So, at 1 point we were carrying our bike down the slope (not ride able) and back up again. Then back down again until we hit a service road. From there, we rode down to the main road where we see a kampong (small villages). And, now I know why they name it Kampong Trail. The place still has those Malay traditional houses right in the heart of KL city and it is a prime area.

After we got lost and back into civilization. 🙂

 

Trails: Genting Sempah

Genting Sempah is like 30-40 mins drive from KL. It is a mountain pass on the border of Pahang and Selangor state in Malaysia. Today, most of the road users here are road bikes, foldies and a few mountain bikers.

This was my 4^th time riding here and this time I did it with a foldie. It was a complete different experience but sometimes we need to slow down life to enjoy the scenery and surrounding. The whole stretch is covered with tress and it was very cooling with the morning dew and breeze.

This place is easily conquered even 85-90kg men riding up here. The highest elevation here is 634m with an average of 2-3 degree gradient climb. Even with the hardest climb is about 3-5 degree and a very short climb only.

Once you see an overpass, which is a sign where you have reached to the top. The total distance to the top is 15.6km from the Orang Asli Museum. It will probably take another 1-2km to ride down to McDonalds to have your breakfast. If you still have energy, I would recommend riding down further to Janda Baik. At this point, the total distance is ~30km and back to the museum is about 61km.

If you proceed down to have McDonalds, coming back you will need to do a hard climb with about 10-12 degree gradient. Or you can push. It is pretty short climb.

There is 1 thing to watch for is speeding cars as some idiots are using it as speedway. There are trucks plowing this route too but they do watch out for you. Anyway, always be alert.

Trails: Penang Bicycle Lane

The Penang government is trying hard to promote cycling. So, they have engaged 5 property developers to build dedicated lanes for bike riding. This is nothing new in countries like US, Taiwan, Amsterdam and many more but definitely a good start for Malaysia. The total distance is 12.5km covering from Queensbay Mall in Bayan Lepas to Komtar in Georgetown. Due to 5 different developers are building this and the completion date is also different but it is expected to complete by mid of 2015.

My daughter and I were managed to cycle part of it and it is 4.83km 1 way. We started somewhere near the Pulau Jerejak Jetty and cycled all the way to Tesco in Tunku Kudin.

  

I believe the other completed part is from Intel plant to Queensbay Mall which I have not tried it yet or know how long it is.

This route that we have tried is very suitable for all ages especially young children. Why? This place is dedicated for bike riding only except there is a short distance where you have to ride on a service road. Since it is a service road, there are hardly any cars going thru here.

2^nd reason is, the road is flat so it is easy for any kids to cycle without wearing them out. Most of the path is covered with trees or building. Therefore, anyone can ride at any time of the day without feeling hot or burn out.

 

The bike lane is actually next to the highway and you can ride up to the pedestrian bridge overlooking at the highway.

Lastly, you can enjoy the cool breeze from the sea and a great view of the Penang Bridge.

They have a dedicated jogging track too and it is next to bike lane and a stream.

I really couldn’t wait for it to complete, so that we can cycle for 25km nonstop with no cars or crazy motorbikes riders.

Review: Bike Servicing in Penang – Part 2

This is a follow up blogging from my previous post – Bike Servicing in Penang. The last time I sent my bike in for a full service was more than a year ago but I do wash the sprocket, chainrings and chain every few rides. This time, I need them to take off the crank, the headset and hub bearings to lube again as I don’t have the tools to do it. So, after a long delayed, finally I had my bike sent in for service. This time I picked CCI for a full service.

From the customer service standpoint they are above average but they are pretty bad in commitment. I called them up for an appointment before sending my bike in for service. I sent the bike in at around 11.30 in the morning and I was told to collect the bike before 4pm. It didn’t happen as they missed out my bike and I was told to collect it the next day. Alright…

These are the conditions before sending in the bike:-

And, this is my bike now…

It is sparkling clean and they polished and waxed the bike frame too. It was a superb job. The cost? MYR65 only + MYR15 for a gear cable replacement. If you have a spare bike, or not in a rush for riding, I would definitely recommend this place for bike servicing. Or, get them commit the timeline.

Trails: Malihom Off Road Ride

Sungai Ara, Penang has endless bike trails. I have been riding here for more than 2 years and every now and then I still stumble upon new trails. The excitement is never ended. Last weekend we start off from SP Setia -> Coconut -> Bird House (Money Home) -> short off road -> Malihom – Balik Pulau -> Telekom Tower thru Rapid Bus Station -> Tun Sardon -> Quarry -> Cherrie Blossom.

 

The total trails were about 30km with about 1-2km off roads. The rest are pave cemented roads. From SP Setia to Balik Pulau was an easy ride with wide cemented roads and ranges from 5 to 15 degree gradient climb. Getting up to the Telekom Tower was pretty tough as the gradient is about 10-20 degree. It was single cemented track but covered with moss. So, the tires were just spinning. The view from the Telekom Tower.

Once you reach Malihom, just take a moment to sit and enjoy the cool breeze. Also, enjoy the beautiful view of Penang from 349m off sea level. These are some of the pics taken there:-

A lot of these trails are private property and mostly are fruits orchard. On 1 or 2 of the orchards have lots of dogs. Like Bird House and Telekom Tower. Just beware of the dogs at Bird House as they are cross breed with Pit Bull and they are fierce. I heard that they have bitten some riders before. So, just be very careful or go in groups.

Whoever is interested in riding these trails do drop me an email or message. I can send you my GPX file.