tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657353167004756152011-11-29T17:32:21.169+08:00A blog about anything and everything BikeTrials by a wannabe biketrial rider, who is almost 47 years old, that was born in Sibu, grew up in Miri, studied in Canada and now settled in Bangi. Yet he is still searching for that something... maybe the Spiders from Mars.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comBlogger1091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-32829464714728579562011-11-29T17:15:00.003+08:002011-11-29T17:32:21.234+08:00

Finally took the time to clear out all the rotten wooden pallets. Now I just have enough pallets to keep myself busy for a while.My next goal to use concrete pipes or v-drain t arrange out a nice training area. Till then cheers!

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-40988162455543558572011-10-01T23:24:00.012+08:002011-10-02T00:21:27.861+08:00

Finally, I am back on trials again. I have been searching for a used 20" trial bike for more than 8 months. I received a call on Tuesday from a friend (Sean), that there was a Monty 219 Kamel on sale in an online classifieds. That afternoon, I got in contact with the owner and bought the bike immediately... LOL.Coincidentally, the previous owner was someone I knew from Biketrials Malaysia (http:/

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-56651880119804556942011-08-18T14:27:00.005+08:002011-08-18T14:42:37.625+08:00

In my last blog post, I wrote that "Something Wicked is Coming This August - Concrete Circus". Well, here it is! Watch this amazing Danny Macaskill video and check out the other urban sports stars on Channel4's Concrete Circus. Also, check out Danny Macaskill's Channel4 profile. Hope you all enjoy watching the video as much as I did. Cheers.

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-83004812748623598692011-07-14T15:23:00.012+08:002011-08-18T14:42:54.850+08:00

Any of you following Danny MacAskill on Twitter? If you are, then you will know that something wicked is coming out in August on Channel 4! First off, Channel 4 is a public television network in the United Kingdom. Next month, as part of their Street Summer series, they will be releasing Concrete Circus, a documentary that brings together the major names of urban sports from biketrials, parkour

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-85443511464594705472011-03-07T13:33:00.004+08:002011-03-07T13:42:15.884+08:00

Chris Akrigg just released another fantastic video of his bike adventures! This time the location is in Spain. The video, titled "A Hill in Spain", has Chris riding a Mongoose Nugget. The ride combined downhill, freeriding and trials all-in-one sweet symphony of bike ballet.I watched it a few times just to make sure I dun miss anything :-)

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-77660738209849189802011-02-12T13:42:00.005+08:002011-03-07T17:07:41.486+08:00

Recently, just after the Chinese New Year holiday, I sold my 26" Echo Pure. And now I do not have a trial bike... :-(I had been trying to sell my ECHO Pure for a while now. I had advertised on several online classifieds and received many enquiries. More often than not, I replied too late as I did not check my email (that I used for classifieds) regularly.Earlier, I had upgraded the rear wheel

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-67016770699036412192010-11-29T21:35:00.001+08:002010-12-09T15:08:48.427+08:00

Went down to Singapore on Nov 27 and bought myself a new set of Magura HS33 rear rim brakes! Paid SGD 160 for it. Based on the advise given, I went for a 4 fingers lever. Suppose to give a better a better braking and performance.Came back to KL on the night of Nov 28 and installed the brake the very next evening... LOL.The old Echo rear rim brakes.The box of the Magura HS33 rear rim brakes.The

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-72667609789512370442010-11-06T21:23:00.015+08:002010-12-09T14:56:33.896+08:00

It had been quite a while since I took a good look at the condition of my 26" Echo Pure trial bike. I had noticed that the bolts were pretty rusted and some parts of the treads on the rear wheel tire were ripped off. I could see the tire's inner lining and reinforcement. Time for some major replacements.The replaced rusted bolts just waiting to cause pain... LOL.The new steel bolts on the front

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-33734183420175572252010-09-05T19:43:00.015+08:002010-09-06T13:25:12.124+08:00

Here are some tips or lessons you will need to know before you take on bike trials. You would have probably learnt it as you go along, but there is no harm to know about it now, to get a head start and cut short the leaning curve... :-)One finger braking is a MUST if you want to take on this sport. Whether you are using hydraulic brakes or cable brakes. It is safer and you will have a better grip

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-85053553565002559452010-07-28T17:26:00.007+08:002010-07-28T18:13:43.096+08:00

For more than two months after I sold my 20" Monty, I have not been riding. Last weekend, I managed to get back to trials again on my 26" Echo. It was extremely tiring and I felt really clumsy handling the 26". All this while, I have been training and riding the 20".In fact, I was trying to sell my Echo 26" for a while now, thinking that I could then focused on riding the 20" Monty. After

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-2274828393883521512010-05-06T22:12:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.415+08:00

Recently I made a few benches out of wood pallets. I published three posts on what I was doing with those benches and why I would go driving around with my pick-up hunting for abandoned wood pallets (Learning to Pedal-hop up a Bench, Homemade BikeTrial Training Park and FRIM, BikeTrials and Snake Bite?: BikeTrial Progress).After riding and training on these wood benches, I strongly feel that they

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-73557093540748661942010-05-02T21:47:00.002+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.420+08:00

I finally managed to learn the Rear Side Hop in the "correct" way... LOL. That is... if I am right footed, I should side hop to the left. Previously I managed to rear side hop as well... but to the right... hahah. After being told my a friend, I decided to stop practicing the side hop all together... so that I could restart and learn all over again... HAHAH.And today, I managed to do it!!! Three

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-30794695345840552572010-04-29T22:55:00.011+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.425+08:00

Managed to get some quality ride time today. Started late in the evening and then heavy rain prevented me from training on my usual wood pallet sections.So I decided to practice pedal-hopping up a narrow bench. Pedal-hopping onto a stack of wood pallets is not a problem, but pedal-hopping onto a narrow wooden bench required more finesse... LOL.Basically, I wanted to be able to do the static

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-86491939521408908262010-04-28T09:03:00.009+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.430+08:00

Every so often I keep asking myself, "What's next?" Do I continue to just practice what little biketrial skills I already know to refine them or should I start learning new skills?I get immense satisfaction from being able to learn a new trial riding skill and then honing that technique until I could do it consistently. But sometimes, it gets monotonous... LOL. Which is why, practice riding a "

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-84536966276640841972010-04-13T20:46:00.003+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.435+08:00

On June 14th 2008, about 4 months into starting and learning BikeTrials, I brought home my first stack of wood pallets after attending the Red Bull Sponsored BikeTrial in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.Soon after that, I started practicing on the wood pallets. I set up some mock sections to learn balancing and pedal hops. Gradually, the sections got bigger as my riding improved. I found more pallets

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-79636214114649606152010-04-03T22:44:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.440+08:00

Came across this video of a group of Canadian riders on YouTube... Stephen Dickin and Jeff Anderson, and this is their very inspiring video documentary, BikeTrials: Regaining Balance.They compete in almost all BikeTrial tournaments throughout the World. They are currently looking for sponsors. Check out their website at http://trialsstars.com.I wish them all the best in their World Championship

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-80001988260314586992010-02-07T14:13:00.017+08:002010-02-19T01:33:15.975+08:00

If you do not know who Kenny Belaey is and you are interested in BikeTrials... you GOTTA be insane!!! LOL. Here is an opportunity for you to find out all you need to know about this eight times BikeTrials World Champion!From what I read from various sources, 3 videos were produced and broadcasted on Extreme Sportschannel in Europe, Africa and UAE from Dec 2009 to Jan 2010I came across the trailer

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-89567042091184367072010-02-07T12:59:00.021+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.445+08:00

So what is this thing about the need for BikeTrial shoes? Recently, a fellow trial rider bought a pair of Monty BikeTrial shoes. I have been thinking about getting one for a while now. The design looked slick and beautiful, and I think probably very light and comfortable. The reason why I have not bought a pair yet, was because the price tag was too steep! (At least for me... LOL. I could buy a

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-79491215272882920022010-02-02T22:05:00.017+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.451+08:00

Yesterday, my wife came out of the blue and said that she wanted to go cycling. I was like, "Er... is something wrong with you today?" Exercises of any sort has never been on her mind... no way! Even getting her to go for a walk around the neighborhood was almost impossible... LOL.And today she wanted to go cycling! In the end I convinced her to try out BikeTrials, or at least just learn the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-53890396503761159702010-01-30T23:12:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.457+08:00

Here is an update on my November 2009 post on "DIY V-brake Roller Chain Tensioner Completed!". Basically, I have added a "cage" to the roller to ensure that the chain stays on. What I discovered while riding was that there is an enormous amount of pressure exerted on the roller chain and the tensioner's roller.Whenever the wheel comes in contact with the wooden pallets or other surfaces, the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-42306984531330439092010-01-26T22:51:00.000+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.464+08:00

I was back at learning the pedal up again last Sunday. This time, I added an additional pallet, bringing the stack to 4 wooden pallets. The previous Sunday, I was training on 3 wooden pallets.This time I was pretty single-minded. I did nothing but the pedal up. At first, it was difficult to get on top of 4 pallets, but once I could get up the first time, it was easier after that.Learning to "

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-84320942549113962312010-01-24T10:40:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.470+08:00

Never thought I would be interested in pallets, let alone those that are made of paper, which I thought was pretty damn cool! I saw an advert on this blog that promoted this company called DeFrazer that made compress paper pallets. They have offices in Malaysia and Singapore.DeFrazer manufactures the Green Pallets, which they described as:"It is with economically light and high strength quality

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-16250773265474513822010-01-20T07:47:00.013+08:002010-08-03T00:55:12.927+08:00

Last Sunday afternoon was a beautiful day. To me, a beautiful day is clear blue sky with partial cloud cover... LOL, but not the thunder storm-type of clouds. Just enough to provide more than an occasional shade from the Sun. In other words, it is a perfect day for BikeTrials!I had not been training the pedal up for a long while now. My plan for that day was to get back to it. Up to now, the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-61272391609304183262010-01-17T12:51:00.002+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.484+08:00

Finally, I managed to get the video done. Read what I wrote about "How to Replace the Hydraulic Fluid with Water on the Magura HS33 Brakes" in the previous post.

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-83440690050236625842010-01-03T22:20:00.018+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.490+08:00

On the 2010 New Year eve, together with my son Joel, I went to Wong Xu's apartment in Puchong to get my Magura HS33 brakes' hydraulic fluid (mineral oil) replaced with water.Wong Xu has been using water instead of mineral oil on his HS33 brakes for the longest time now. It seems water is a popular substitute for mineral oil for HS33 in China. But not all hydraulic brakes can use water instead of

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-81087924789646000192009-12-31T23:57:00.004+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.500+08:00

When I first started out blogging, I never knew that I would be writing so much topics on BikeTrials. Since I started the sports in early 2008, I have been spending a lot of time learning and acquiring BikeTrial skills.So I guess it is high time I focus this blog on BikeTrials and move all non-BikeTrials related topics to another new blog... :-)The new blog is called "A Family and A Fistful of

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-46172879108987313892009-12-30T18:52:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.507+08:00

Yesterday, I had a great time riding in Putrajaya Bike Park with Wong Xu. It was a nice and cool afternoon with sporadic rain showers. We started at about 3:30pm and ended at about 6:00pm. Here are some photos and video of that afternoon.Wong Xu showing me how to pedal hop to drop-off.Wong Xu showing me how to dip and land on the front wheel from a rear wheel hop.Wong Xu showing me a side hop.We

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-19593107101866038102009-12-26T18:53:00.000+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.512+08:00

Finally had the chance to relax and ride some trials. What better day than on Christmas day itself... LOL. I did this in the last Christmas as well... :-)Kids were excited about going to their aunt's place for Christmas dinner. The sky was slightly cloudy... just enough to hide the sun and provide the shade from the heat to make it a perfect day for trials :-) After about 40 minutes into the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-2824450849801788212009-12-23T18:59:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.517+08:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet up with the Malaysian distributor of Monty bikes, Humphrey of Guan Chow Sdn Bhd through Kevin of Tat Seng Bicycle Centre. Guan Chow Sdn Bhd is based in Ipoh, Perak. They are also the manufacturer of the widely available Exitway bicycles.Coincidentally, before I even found out about the sports of BikeTrials, I bought an Exitway to ride cross-country in 2007

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-51085265142218228852009-12-17T11:04:00.004+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.523+08:00

Finally managed to get some time to update my blog today. Been busy running all over the place at work and at home. The kids will be starting school again in a couple of weeks. Me and the wife have been shopping for new school uniforms, shoes, text and work books for the kids.Anyway, just to follow up on my roller chain mishaps, I managed to buy a replacement roller chain on Nov 30th. It was

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-83375855818897889162009-11-30T20:10:00.019+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.535+08:00

After installing the V-brake chain tensioner that I DIY-ed last Thursday, I had been dying to ride my Echo!!! Unfortunately, I had to spend the weekend out of town in Johor Baru.And so today, as soon as I had gotten back from work, I started my warm-up and practice routine on the 26". After about forty minutes, I decided to start on the pedal kick routine. That was when the roller chain snapped

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-5687140114567537972009-11-26T11:40:00.013+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.540+08:00

Today I was on leave. My goal was to go around town hunting for a longer hanger screw that I could use to mount the DIY chain tensioner to my trial bike. In my last post, I wrote about how I made two versions of a roller chain tensioner using V-brake and derailleur parts.Finally, today, I managed to find a screw that fit the hanger and long enough to be tightened securely onto the hanger. Earlier

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-962478174119895792009-11-23T21:08:00.033+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.546+08:00

I feel heavy! I have not been riding trials for 3 weeks already. Heavy rain everyday, broken rear wheel spokes on the 20" and a faulty derailleur on the 26" really put a damper on things!The 20" Monty 221PR had been good to me. I had been training and riding it almost everyday. The problem was that one of the spoke broke. I got it repaired... and before I knew it, more spokes broke. From what I

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-35160169387610008932009-10-25T14:27:00.014+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.552+08:00

Yup... there are seven bikes in my house now... LOL.Back in 2005, we had one bike in the family and the bike belonged to my son, Joel. Then in 2007, I decided to go MTB cross-country cycling and bought myself an el cheapo Exitway. Then I got interested in BikeTrials and bought myself two trial bikes, a 26" Echo Pure and a second-hand 20" Monty 221PR, all for a couple of thousand dollars.And then

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-42458864658251547892009-10-25T12:37:00.021+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.558+08:00

One of the first things I learned when I started BikeTrials was that braking was ultra important, especially the rear brakes. When I first bought the 26" Echo Pure trial bike, I discovered that when I used the rear brakes, the braking does not feel solid and tend to slip.Then I tried grinding the rims, but still on more than a few occasions I fell over backwards a couple of times when I tried the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-4746749462403416202009-10-20T21:46:00.001+08:002009-10-21T11:24:54.947+08:00

Sean Yeap has been talking about converting his old mountain bike into a fixed-gear bike for a while now. Two weeks ago, he got it done. Here are some photos of the bike. On a RM500 budget, he managed to put together this really cool looking bike. Salute!I wonder how it will ride like. The last time I rode a fixed-gear bike was way back in 1970s. I remembered I borrowed someone dad's fixed gear

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-86751360417121041382009-10-14T21:32:00.001+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.564+08:00

Recently, I decided to replace the screw-pins on the Monty platform pedals, which were pretty badly worn out. I took the pedals to a couple of bike shops and none of them sell the replacement screw-pins. Finally, one of them suggested I look for stainless steel screws that fit and use them as replacements. And that was exactly what I did...The worn out screw-pins.The 2.5cm stainless steel screws

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-62083538203061006052009-10-06T21:22:00.022+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.570+08:00

The Round 3 of the Singapore 2009 National BikeTrial Championship was held in Bukit Batok Town Park on Oct 4th. I was there to capture the event on photos and videos. For this round, a couple of things stand out and affected the overall competition; the format and the sections layout. The Format There were a total of 7 sections with all riders required to ride two rounds. All the riders were

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-76572954835875323962009-09-21T21:10:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.576+08:00

You have just got to check out Echo Bikes' newly updated bikes! For one thing, they have consolidated all their trial bikes into the Echo Bikes' website.Adamant, Zoo, Gu and Echo trial bikes are all under one site! Another big surprise (at least for me), was the release of the 24" Urban Street trial bikes!Echo Urban Street 24" trial bike.Adamant Urban Street 24" trial bike (grey).Adamant Urban

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-84601775605742618582009-09-12T23:03:00.017+08:002010-08-03T00:36:13.060+08:00

There is just no easy way to learn the Pedal Up. I have watched countless videos and read various tutorials from forums around the net. This has gotta be one of the most difficult technique for me to learn in BikeTrial.I was quite methodical about it. I had surmised that in order to learn the Pedal Up, one must start with the Zap Tap, then the Touch Up (on a 20"... LOL) and then progress to the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-54674882528291558862009-09-03T17:19:00.018+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.588+08:00

Last Saturday, I went riding trials in the Putrajaya Bike Park with Wong Xu of China. He had only been in Malaysia for about a month. He found my phone number from the BikeTrial Malaysia website and called 2 weekends before. I could only arrange for us to ride last Saturday.We met up at the Cyberia Condos next to MMU and headed to the Putrajaya Bike Park. He told me that he was expecting to find

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-25527732997994771582009-09-01T00:18:00.011+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.594+08:00

It has been hard. After trying to learn the "zap tap" and "pedal kick" for a while now, I decided to up the ante a bit. And so I decided to move the stacks of pallets wider apart and try pedal kicking over the gaps.Felt very scary at first, but after doing it for a few times, I became more confident. And then I got the idea of playing with different camera angles to try make a video "movie" of me

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-50468366714485779542009-06-29T00:19:00.020+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.600+08:00

Last Saturday I decided to reward myself by getting a new pair of 661 shin guards from TTDI's KSH Bike shop. My old shin guards (which I have repaired many times over) have saved me from much agony and I felt that aside from the helmet, they were the most important equipment for learning BikeTrial... :-)My old shin guards, which I have repaired many times.Yeah, the new shin guards. Easy to wear

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-18550216430127024852009-06-25T21:16:00.012+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.606+08:00

Since March this year, Syarul has been telling me about an important BikeTrial event this coming August, the 18th BIU World BikeTrial Championship to be held in Ping Tang, China.I was undecided until I attended the Round 2 of the Singapore 09 National BikeTrial Championship. It was while taking photos and videos of the Singapore event that I realised, I should not miss this opportunity to attend

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-40523270128592103212009-06-17T22:50:00.012+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.612+08:00

In my previous blog post I have been talking about setting up a semi permanent BikeTrial training ground using wooden pallets or any other suitable materials. I have been trying to convey this idea to various friends and riders. Unfortunately, most of them do not feel the same way... LOL. But some of the responses were very supportive... :-)The most common responses I received were that they

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-11206473293853521792009-06-16T21:20:00.018+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.619+08:00

Believe it or not, I planned this trip for the Round 2 of the Singapore 09 National BikeTrial Championship since March, when I participated in Round 1.This time around the competition was held in Toa Payoh Town Park. A beautifully design park right smack in the heart of Singapore. Unlike in Round 1, which was held in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the Toa Payoh Town Park was free of mosquitoes,

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-79430780134581219542009-04-14T22:54:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.625+08:00

I have been trying to learn the "side hop" for the longest time. Ever since Oct 23 last year, I have been trying and trying and trying... to learn this elusive skill.During that time, I basically did what I called the "chicken" side hop... LOL. Basically, I just pulled the handlebar up and backward to pivot back, and then hopped onto the wooden pallet. It looked nothing like the Ryan Leech's Side

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-89119406486460982632009-04-13T18:04:00.015+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.630+08:00

Last Saturday, we spent some time riding at Shah Alam Taman Tasik (Lake Garden). Since 6:00am that morning, Wyatt (aka "The Insomniac") had been riding around his house in Sungai Long, practicing track-stand and hopping. Later he joined Syarul (aka "The Race Boy") in Shah Alam.I joined them later at about 1:30pm. By then, I could see that Wyatt was extremely tired. Man... I had thought that he

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-85460712937214560282009-03-30T21:32:00.015+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.636+08:00

For the longest time, I have been repetitively watching a lot of competition videos from BikeTrials.com and one of my favourites was the Bar-H Bash Competition, where they rode man-made sections. That gave me the idea and the yearning to want to set up a mock section similar to that at home.And so I began collecting wooden pallets, starting with those, which I took from the BikeTrials demo by

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-54939746523922115302009-03-28T17:41:00.015+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.641+08:00

First off, why did I participate in a BikeTrial competition? Firstly, I want to see what it feels like to ride a section other than the ones I setup myself... LOL. Secondly, I can learn so much from so many riders by just watching them ride a section, and then trying myself. Thirdly and most importantly, it is just so much fun!!!!Here is a list of things I learned from participating in the Round

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-966238418712701582009-03-28T16:15:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.647+08:00

Today, 4 Malaysians (Syarul, Helmi, Wyatt and me) got together to share, learn and ride trials. This has got to be the largest gathering of Malaysian BikeTrials riders (with three trial bikes - Echo Pure, Neonbike and Adamant) in the history of Malaysia ever!!! LOL.This is indeed a great start to BikeTrial in Malaysia. Lets hope the community will grow from 4 to the hundreds!!!!Wyatt currently

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-32422138129079123232009-03-27T21:35:00.024+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.652+08:00

It has been more than a year since I started taking an interest in BikeTrials. Personally, I know of less than 10 persons in Malaysia, whom are interested in BikeTrials, and even less if I count those who ride trials. BikeTrials has been around for so many years the World over.It is also a cycling sport that is sanctioned by UCI (International Cycling Union). Our neighbours bordering us,

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-23358312791245040782009-03-26T21:16:00.006+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.657+08:00

Well, there it is, installed... :-)Tried to install the handlebar last night but could not remove the sponge grips. The basketball pump needle, which I used to insert between the grip and the handlebar to inflate/cushion the grip for removal, broke. So, this morning I took the whole bike to a bike shop and borrowed the high-power air pump. The grip was really stucked to the handlebar. The shop

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-46393991799395026042009-03-25T12:45:00.004+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.663+08:00

Hu hu hu. Today, I received a package from Walton of Attitude Bikes, Singapore. I was in desperate need of a new set of v-brake pads for my Monty 221PR. The old pads were worn out and I had some close calls when the pads slipped a tad a couple of times in the past couple of days.I sent my SOS to Walton yesterday and he promised to overnight it over to me (and to pay him later when I see him the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-12361129161402863242009-03-24T23:12:00.002+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.670+08:00

When Sean and I first bought our Echo Pure trial bikes back in Mar 2008, the stems on the bikes were only temporary ones on loan to us, as ours had not arrived yet. A couple of months later, the new stems arrived in Singapore but we could not picked them up. When Syarul was in Singapore last December for the 4th round of the Singapore National BikeTrial competition, he helped to pick them up for

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-52809851716072154112009-03-21T00:32:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.676+08:00

Yesterday... I practiced, trained and practiced. Ever since the tournament in Singapore on March 8th, I have wanted to really step up to the next level. But it is just so difficult! I just have to be Relentless! Right?

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-81407045828027137802009-03-20T21:52:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.682+08:00

Last Saturday, I was riding in Bukit Komanwel Park with Syarul. It was a fantastically hot day at about 2pm, but at 4pm it was raining cats and dogs!!! We had to take shelter at the food stalls.We had never been there before. We found some fantastic steps and ledges to try out. The sun was beating hot and we could not ride long. We found a fantastic place that any biketrial rider could never ever

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-13326650329434042882009-03-19T22:46:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.689+08:00

I have been having major blister problems on the palms of my hands whenever I ride. I have sweaty palms and wearing gloves does not help.Normally, after about 20 minutes of riding, my gloves would be soaked with sweat and the skin on my palms would be soft and wrinkled. That's when the hardened skin of the blisters would get soft and the new blister which had formed underneath the old one would

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-28368650626381170822009-02-24T23:08:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.695+08:00

More than two weekends ago, I went riding in the Putrajaya Bike park trying to learn dirt jumping on my hardtail. I could never make it over the several "pee wee" table-tops to the transitions smoothly, always getting my rear wheel short.Needless to say, after a couple of runs, I crashed on the landing. "Carpet burned" my right elbow and bruised the right hip and thigh. Thanks to the knee and

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-59691146456734399512009-02-21T00:42:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.702+08:00

Ever since Chinese New Year in January this year, I have had my cycling gears and tool all packed up into a nice portable basket. During the New Year holidays, we had to go to Ipoh. I was not going to spend the holidays in Ipoh without my trial bike... and so I packed everything I needed, bike and all... LOL.Coming back from Ipoh.From spare tubes to alan keys, I packed everything I needed into a

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-82221173060044569142009-02-07T13:38:00.030+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.709+08:00

After 14 months of learning and training the basic skills of BikeTrials, I have decided to test myself on a home-made section.The design of the section had to be within my current skill level. I remembered a friend from Singapore telling me that, you only need to master 3 basic BikeTrial skills to be able to compete. And they are track-stand, hopping and pivoting.I dun think I have mastered those

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-34490343289215464452009-01-19T22:13:00.021+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.715+08:00

Since the start of the year, I had been extremely busy with getting the kids ready for their new school.Joel and Jordan were now in Standard 3 and Standard 1 respectively. So, since 5th January, I had been sending them to school before 1:00pm and then picking them up after 7:00pm. By the time I got them home, it would be about 8:30pm. Everything had been so hectic and all of us needed to adapt to

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-4620186740433975032008-12-26T00:01:00.019+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.720+08:00

Earlier this week I received a text message from Syarul to go riding trials on Christmas day. I had to turn him down as I was not mobile due to a bad car accident a few weeks ago that put my pick-up in the workshop.My last biketrial outing was to the Shah Alam Xtreme park and since then, I had only been riding in and around my house. I missed a happening MTB hash in Putrajaya and a BikeTrial

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-89114309631772947942008-11-15T22:34:00.017+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.725+08:00

Today, I had a great day at the Shah Alam Xtreme Bike Park.Actually, my plan for the day was to ride the Elmina-Saujana trails at Sg. Buloh in the morning and later head on to the Shah Alam Lake Garden to ride biketrials. I brought my cross country bike as well as my trial bike... :-)On the way to our meeting point at Restoran Salma in Saujana, I received a call from Jovey and Joe telling me that

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-66798881424819081642008-10-23T22:15:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.730+08:00

What a great day this turned out to be! I think I have made tremendous progress with my biketrial skills. Three days ago, I tried to pedal-kick down a stack of 4 wooden pallets and landed disastrously! It was my first try at this height and I remembered it was quite scary and rightfully so!Basically, when I landed, the rear wheel right brake pad slipped out. That caused the rear wheel to shoot

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-67771675416607526502008-09-22T23:02:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.738+08:00

I have been trying very hard to learn the elusive "pedal kick" for a while now. My balancing on the rear wheel hop is not exactly very consistent, which makes learning the "pedal kick" doubly hard.My arm and back muscles are constantly being pushed to their limits, with hardly enough time for them to recuperate.Today, those muscles felt well enough for me to start practicing and I went at it with

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-74612679257619460942008-09-15T20:35:00.012+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.744+08:00

The past weeks while I was teaching my kids how to ride the bicycle, I was also riding my 20" trial bike with them. A boy about 10 or 11 years old was cycling past and saw me riding the Monty. He could not help it but noticed that the trial bike was without a seat.So he stopped and asked me what bike the Monty was and how one would ride a seat-less bike. I tried explaining in my best Malay that

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-48032813050191328022008-09-12T23:10:00.008+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.749+08:00

Last Sunday on 7th September, I went down to Singapore with a friend to watch the 2008 Singapore BikeTrial Competition - Round 3. I met my friend in Melaka around 1:00am and we left for Singapore at around 2:00 am in morning and arrived at about 6:00 am.We parked in a parking lot in Bishun Park, around Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. Both of us took a nap in the car until 8:30am.When we arrived at the

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-62825335498633266352008-08-24T22:09:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.754+08:00

Yup... went down to Singapore over the weekend and got me a second hand 20" trial bike! This time around, I bought a Monty 221. The bike is way less than perfect, with welds on previous cracks, one next to the bottom bracket and the other on the rear brake bracket... LOL. Well, the important thing is that I can ride it!I have been practising on an Echo 26" these past months and have been

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-5569783260944108442008-08-19T23:26:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.759+08:00

Last Saturday, while on the way back from the KLIA airport after dropping off David and his family, I spotted some discarded wooden pallets in front of a row of shops opposite the Nilai bus station.I stopped and checked out the wooden pallets, which was covered in sacks of rotten onions. There were quite a number of them, but only two were suitable and still intact. I felt a bit foolish, while my

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-36574149188224452162008-08-05T21:33:00.004+08:002009-10-25T13:39:32.412+08:00

I first had problems with my bike's star nut in end July and I had been trying to get it fix for a while without any success.I had also gone to the BikePro bike shop in Taman Megah and they could not help me out either. After talking to fellow biketrial enthusiast about my problem, Sean suggested that I try this old bike shop in Sri Damansara.The very next day, I headed to the Sri Damansara light

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-13178536424626510662008-08-01T20:50:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.764+08:00

So much trouble just to replace a star nut... I am learning... I am learning... LOL.The head lock for downhill bikes.Yesterday, I took the above head lock back to Yong's bike shop and exchanged for a cheap chain tool and a proper star nut.The star nut and the chain tool, which I immediately used to turn some extra chain links into a key chain decoration thingy... LOL...Unfortunately, when I went

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-84885903848485364042008-07-29T23:19:00.017+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.769+08:00

Yesterday, while practicing, I broke the star nut in the Echo Pure headset. After that, the ball bearings at the fork became slightly loose and a tad wobbly. I panicked for a moment as I did not know what had happened... LOL. I removed the star nut and tightened the stem to the fork so that I could continue practicing. The broken star nut. After that, I just tightened the stem to the fork so I

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-48404319899314951582008-07-22T23:05:00.010+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.774+08:00

Yesterday, I realised that there were three things I was doing wrong when I rear wheel hopped. Firstly, I realised that both my wheels were not straight before I take off to the rear wheel.Secondly, once I got on to the rear wheel, my body needed to be further back over the rear wheel to maintain good posture and balance.And lastly, my rear wheel brake needed to be super duper sticky to enable me

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-43602704025956676252008-07-07T19:00:00.010+08:002011-09-24T10:18:31.158+08:00

First off, I am a newbie in BikeTrial. Secondly, I welcome all who want to venture out into this brave new world of BikeTrials.It is not easy. It is a lot of hard work. Once you have mastered the basics, I swear to you on all things good and great in this world that you will not regret one bit of it... LOL. To top it off, I am more than 45 years old and I only started BikeTrial August last year.

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-37185246243021170392008-07-06T16:15:00.022+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.784+08:00

On June 21st 2008, Syarul and I decided that we were going to go down to Singapore to watch the BikeTrial National Championship - Round 2, to be held on 22nd June (Sunday). The event was to take place in the Pasir Ris Town Park on the eastern part of the island.We left my house in Bandar Bukit Mahkota at about 8:00pm and arrived in Johor Baru at around 11:30pm on Saturday night. We spent the

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-65612844987395812752008-07-01T21:39:00.013+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.789+08:00

After setting up the wooden pallets I had gotten from the Seremban Bike Trial event, I have been practicing and trying very hard to ride the mock sections I had constructed. What I realised was that track-stand and balancing are the ultimate basic skills to master before attempting this. I managed to ride across this extremely short section. Another attempt across the same section. A

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-27333418521005590562008-06-27T22:52:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.794+08:00

Last Saturday (21st June) , Syarul and I went down to Singapore to watch the Singapore National BikeTrial Round 2 Competition. It was held in Pasir Ris City Park on the eastern side of the island. Both of us were invited to participate in the competition by Walton, the President of BikeTrial Asia Union/BikeTrial Singapore Union.I was totally not prepared and was in no condition to join. Syarul

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-13509284220378914122008-06-23T13:46:00.014+08:002008-06-23T14:51:27.260+08:00

Last Saturday, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Sri Petaling together with my daughter sheltering from the rain (while waiting for my sons to finish their mental Arimetic classes for the day). I was going to twitter about being caught in the rain when I noticed a Giant mountain bike parked outside the coffee shop as I took a photo of my daughter.The geometry of the bike was interesting to me as

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-11161146957388358672008-06-16T10:22:00.013+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.799+08:00

Last Saturday (14th June), there was a youth and sport event in Komplek Belia dan Sukan (Youth & Sports Complex) in Seremban, Negri Sembilan. The event was organised by the Negri Sembilan State Government.There were a lot of booths showcasing youth related sports activities and career oriented opportunities. Some VIPs were there to give their important two bits on youth culture et al. The RM95

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-45263412619531066042008-06-13T11:12:00.005+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.804+08:00

Back in 2004, I had a crippling spinal problem that left me in bed for 2 weeks. It was not through any physical activity or exercises that I was left in this situation.It was late in the afternoon in the office after a meeting that the problem started. For no apparent reason, my back started to ache. The aching escalated to extreme pain. I could barely drive home that day. Coughing and sneezing

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-75213275908979405852008-06-12T21:50:00.014+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.809+08:00

Since I twisted my left arm more than a month ago while practicing biketrial, I have been waiting for it to heal like forever. (See previous post here on biketrial.wildgeeks.org)I have tried rubbing vicks, nutmeg oil, chinese medicinal ointments and Salonpas plasters. None of those remedies worked. So when I was in Batu Gajah last weekend, I went to see a physician practicing Traditional Chinese

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-72531214158301794192008-06-11T23:04:00.004+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.814+08:00

Just came back 2 hours ago from a biketrial gathering in Kelana Jaya. Syarul, Aaron, Hong, Kenji, Sean and I started out in the badminton hall in front of Kelana Square and ended up riding in front of the Kelana Jaya stadium. After that, we moved to the Kelana Jaya lake park.In all the excitement, I forgot to take photos of the event... sorry... will try to remember the next time... :P I do have

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-16144836954881280872008-05-20T14:26:00.014+08:002008-05-21T09:39:59.423+08:00

After reading a blog post (Facebook bans Google’s Friend Connect) from Garret Rogers' blog, Googling Google, I decided to try my luck and sign-up for a preview of Google Friends.While filling up the sign-up form, I noticed that the form was "Powered by Google Docs". I did not remember Google Docs as having any support for online form creations and it was a pleasant surprise for me. In fact, it

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-9343817774082755372008-05-13T11:59:00.003+08:002008-05-14T14:05:54.656+08:00

Last month, George and I went on a recce trip to Port Dickson/Malacca and the Rachado Lighthouse to scout and plan out the routes and puzzles for a "treasure hunt" for a group of colleagues and friends.A number of mishaps happened along the way. First off, George was supposed to keep his GPS tracking on so that we could refer to it later. Also, he was happily taking geo-tagged photos with his HTC

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-32584294947382727812008-04-29T20:25:00.009+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.819+08:00

These past 4 days, I have been hard at work training on my trial bike. After work, if there is no jam, I would reach home by 6:45pm. During the drive (about 40 minutes), I would visualise how I would be training, especially the rear wheel hop.I am still far from getting my balancing dialed. The hopping and pivoting are coming along, but I still feel that my track-stand really needs work. How the

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-69332787135775910572008-04-23T08:27:00.003+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.824+08:00

It has been two weeks since I last practiced and rode my trial bike. I have been very busy with work and the chores of family. Last Saturday, I managed to go on a hash with a couple of friends to FRIM on my old hard tail. While I was getting my hard tail for the hash, I noticed that the rear wheel of my trial bike had a puncture again. Read More.

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-31541433116540071022008-04-08T13:07:00.000+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.830+08:00

Syarul and I organised a BikeTrial gathering in Shah Alam on April 5th. It was the first biketrial gathering in Malaysia that hoped to get all the riders interested in biketrial to come together and share their experiences and skills. A workshop was also organised to demo and show the techniques and basic skills required to get started in biketrial.Unforfunately, only one person turned up for the

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-32735543861998211582008-03-26T21:32:00.004+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.835+08:00

Today, after 3 days of rest from training trials, I have managed to improve my rear wheel hopping significantly. This is a very important milestone for me. When I first started to learn the rear wheel hop, my target was to be able to reach 10 hops by June this year. And today, I have achieved 9 hops! Yahoooo! 9 hops on the rear wheel!After about 2 hours of trying, I managed to get up to 7

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-24812066039742278972008-03-22T22:33:00.013+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.840+08:00

Yesterday, Syarul came over to my place and gave me some valuable tips and lessons on pedal hopping and rear wheel hops. We went to a construction site to try out some of the moves. Unfortunately, we were not very welcome there and had to find another place to ride. In the end, we went back to my place and hang out. See the following videos for more info. Syarul trying out the Echo Pure to

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-73504067625311905622008-03-15T17:44:00.009+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.845+08:00

Last night, Hor Fun, Peng and Spencer, all trial riders from Singapore, paid a visit to me before heading into KL. They would be leaving for Singapore after paying a visit to KLCC. They stopped by my place in Bandar Bukit Mahkota and we had supper. Mostly we talked about the trial biking communities, techniques and bike tuning.They shared their experiences, tips and tricks on how I can better

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-80610922658064604302008-03-15T01:20:00.003+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.849+08:00

I managed to hop 4 times on the rear wheel! And that is a huge milestone for me. Now different parts of my body are aching. So that's good. It means I am getting somewhere... :-)I shall soon break that record and progress to at least 10 hops... HAHAHA!

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-24884718667695237202008-03-11T22:45:00.001+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.854+08:00

Today is the day I actually got to try out a real trial bike! A beautiful Adamant 20" with Magura brakes and Monty parts. That thing weighs like... nothing! Checking out the bike up close and personal... :-) The bike makes me look good... :-)Today is also the day I actually got to meet up with Syarul Nizam, a Malaysian trial biker and the owner of the above bike, whom have competed in the

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-49149014050860381512008-02-26T22:01:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.860+08:00

After months of training, I am still at square one. Sigh. There is a slight improvement in track-stand, pivoting and hopping. But it is just so so so tiring! Sometimes, I just forget to breath when training. Had to keep telling myself to breath, breath and breath, to get oxygen into my system!The weight of my current bike is 15kg. Is it too heavy for bike trials? I have no idea. But the Echo Pure

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-79225049605625469082008-02-01T15:38:00.001+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.865+08:00

Seems like forever, but my Body Mass Index (BMI) is now 24.6 (down from 26.1) which is just within the "normal weight" weight range. I guess to a certain extend, I have managed to reach my target of loosing weight through cycling, albeit the "fringe" benefits of bruises, cuts and sprained joints from the multiple crashes and mishaps.Throughout all this, my simple mountain bike has evolved to

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-35776662807219502632008-01-09T17:21:00.000+08:002008-03-15T19:02:56.489+08:00

The Wild Geeks Adventure Club: Another Trip to Sg. Pening-Pening

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-20891902570731927482007-12-23T17:17:00.000+08:002008-03-15T19:02:56.489+08:00

The Wild Geeks Adventure Club: Bukit Mahkota Trail in Kajang

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-84894766508617579692007-12-08T21:34:00.001+08:002009-09-13T14:21:48.153+08:00

Well, today I went on the downhill in Bukit Kiara, TTDI with the Wildgeeks and I crashed thrice. Once was not from jumping but from getting my front wheel caught between two rocks and basically, I flew off the bike and the bike cartwheeled and basically landed on me... LOL.The location of my first ever jump!My helmet, goggles, knee and elbow guard protected me real well! And my hydration bag

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-4609623363908677442007-11-18T16:54:00.001+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.870+08:00

A lot of my friends and colleagues are asking, why is Jack so into cycling now? It is supposed to be a simple health and fitness thing. Why this need to go overboard... LOL. What is this BikeTrials?Well, it started off as a health and fitness thing...Since June this year, I have discovered a whole new world of cycling which I had never thought possible. Don't get me wrong, I mean I am well aware

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-2016840428095915082007-11-15T23:15:00.001+08:002010-05-25T23:40:06.875+08:00

I trashed my bike! Injured my knee! Bang up my nose and lips, and bruised my chest! LOL...All set and ready to go until...George, Joe and I decided to follow KC to Melaka yesterday. While he conducted a presentation in Renaissances Hotel, George, Joe and I went mountain biking somewhere behind Puteri resort in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.We parked at the Puteri Resort car park. It was the perfect place to

Jack Hiinoreply@blogger.com0