Frequent practice/ride creates oneness with bike and the rider

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 28, 2017

For the last two weeks, I have doing at least 3x a week ride and using only road bike.  Constant practice and ride using only one bike unites you with your bike.  Man and machine, bike together.  It is only lately that I have achieved that state of nirvana with my bike.    Your ascent does not take the breath away from you.  You can sprint with minimal effort.  The bike run quietly and silently.   You do not need to shift frequently.  You can ascend the hills on heavy gears.    You can anticipate stops, corner better.  You can ride safely

You must just find time to be able to do this.  Now as semi retired, I can ride longer and more frequently

Are bikers (MTB or roadies) covered by the implementation of RA 10913 or Anti Distracted Driving Law

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 28, 2017

Primer on ADD

Honestly I reacted when there were news that there were apprehension of bikers and MC riders during the first day of the implementation of the ADD.

I researched and found out that yes, bikers and MC riders are covered.   For as long as you are on the road, even if you are on skateboard, or cart, or walking, you are covered.

So fellow riders, if you ride, don't text or answer a phone or make a call (as I see most of our kapadyaks are).  If there is a strict enforcer, you will be caught and fined.

What vehicles are covered by the act?

• It covers ALL public and private vehicles, wheeled agricultural machines (tractors, loaders, etc.), construction equipment, and other vehicles such as bikes, pedicabs, trolleys, habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire), kuliglig (tricycle-for-hire), wagons, carriages, and carts that may be human- or animal-powered. Basically, if it’s on the road and you’re using it, it’s covered (apart from skateboards or feet).

Thanks the Lord, a popular parish church, destination of pilgrim reconsidered its parking policies for bikes

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 28, 2017

Today I biked again to the popular religious pilgrim destination.  Traffic was a little bit slow and there was a big crowd at the church yard this morning (I reached the church in a record time of 35 minutes down from the usual 40 to 45 minutes.)

Lo and behold the bikers could again park anywhere near the entrance of the church.  The parking only at the southern side of church was no longer in force.

What could be the reason?

The bikers whom I found near the entrance advanced the explanation that probably the parish leadership realized the high cost of the bike that could be lost, or stolen, in case the bikers keep their eyes off their bike in the designated areas.  We could not be careful this days.  In this hard times

I had to replace my MTB chainring; I lost the tensioner bolt the second time

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 28, 2017

I had to replace the SAVA crank/chainring set for it lost the tensioner bolt the second time.  I lost the original tensioner bolt and I bought a new one from bike parts/ph in Masinag (c/o Jam) but lost it again 2 days after I replaced it.   It could be that the spline is all ready worn out.

I looked for replacement and settled for Fun Ridge crank at Ciclismo which I got for P2,500.  It had bigger spline and was almost like an octalink (robust construction) and came with its own bottom bracket.

After tightening the crank tensioner and the crank bolts to the max, I do not forsee any more missing problems with this crank in the future

Praise to the bike and biker in today's ride

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 28, 2017

Today I had great ego shots as did my Sunday bike.  I biked to Antipolo then Teresa Morong, Cardona, Binangonan and home.  At Antipolo as I parked the Fuji bike near other MTBs, a biker Mr. Armand of Antipolo suggested that the only heavy object in that Fuji bike is the water bottle.  Another remarked that the bike could cost over P200t (well almost)

Nearing home at LLDA just before Montevideo, ascending the hill, another roadie, named Johnny from Pantok remarked that I am a strong rider for having pushed gravy from a 53 chainring (it was 50) and 17.  He was struggling with 39 x 19 or 21?

These are praises that are ego booster/trip to a biker.

Salamat po for making my day/ride

Riding with Nolite to Teresa yesterday

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 20, 2017


Yesterday, I rode solo going to Morong.  Then all of a sudden Nolite appeared from nowhere he appeared in Morong.   He said he would bike around to Teresa and Antipolo.  I said I would eat at Simples and he went ahead.  That was a mistake because Simple ran out of Lugaw. So I had to chase him.  I was unable to catch up with him because Nolite is much much stronger now.    I caught up with him at Teresa Lugawan.   He was finished eating by the time I arrived. Right after eating we rode again to Teresa and Antipolo

I was ahead during the first part of the ride but after the first turn he was ahead by 5 and then 10 meters.  I did not force myself to chase him because it was first ride to Teresa in say 3 months time.   But he waited for me at Pag ibig.  But I kept pace with him going downhill.  We were home past 8:00 am (8:20)

Now I understand why some bikes and group sets are more expensive than others

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 20 2017

Last Tuesday I rode to Km 53 solo with my Fuji Carbon bike shod with Campy group set and Cosmic wheelset.  For the first time, I appreciated its smooth and silent operations.  As if I was riding a V8 TLC.  No sounds of chain on the sprocket, the wheels were whirring smoothly. I and the bike were one riding the smooth asphalt surface.  I swear I could be faster by say 2 kph vs the other bike I have. Couple with the fact that I relubed the chain with wax.

For an extra one hundred thousand more, experience ride of a life time (ha6 really?)

Be sure that your tensioner bolt is tight if you have outboard/compact crank

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 10, 2017

Yesterday, I got a tensioner bolt at Bike Parts Phil.  I got for Php 300.00 its brand is CNC 20 mm ID.   I lost the tensioner bolt fo the SAVA Mtb and the left arm fell on the road.   This is the second time this happened to me.  That is the weakness of the outboard crank.  The tensioner bolt gets loose and you lose it.  The other time, I had a machine shop make a new one for me at almost the same cost, and much lower quality.

Replacement is available at bike parts ph.

So if you lose your tensioner bolt you are assured you can find a replacement.

N. B.    After nearly a week, I lost the tensioner again.  The crank, a Sava brand must have problems

A throwback, revisiting Bitukang Manok at Atimonan

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 10, 2017

Talks and whispers abound that the next event after Real will be revisiting Atimonan, Bitukang Manok.  Now it does not seem formidable to me anymore.  Thus you see the landing page of the Jorgues Biker featuring Bitukang Manok.

Marami kayang sasama.  Marami kayang mga beterano na hindi uurong?

I got grazed by a motorcycle yesterday in Tayuman

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 10, 2017

As I was biking home yesterday, right in front of the Sacred Heart Parish in Tayuman, I got grazed by a motorcycle overtaking from my left.  Well, it happened that way, because he was overtaking a jeep from the right, and to my right there is another motorcycle trying to overtake me and I was in a squeeze. (tight fix)

I was glad it was just a grazing because had it been closer, I would have broken my wrist and my arm or could have fallen into the path of the other MC to my right overtaking me.   I was sort of chaotic (well as traffic in the morning is chaotic.

This reminds us of the post of Kapadyak Maikenzero Fena who decries accidents after we scrimped for the bike parts, and more that can be done by the government to protect the bikers.

Minsan... di natin masisisi ang mga siklista kung bakit sila NAPAPAMURA,NAGAGALIT O NAKAKAGAWA NG MASAMA kapag o sa tuwing nakakabagsak o nakakabunggo ka ng isang bisikleta sa daan. Bakit nga ba? Dahil bawat pyesa na nakakabit sa kanyang bike eh dugot pawis ang ipinambili doon. Halos minsan ay tinitipid ang sarili maging maganda lamang ang ating mga kaibigang bisikleta upang sa bawat pag arangkada sa daan ay maramdaman ang bilis ng bawat pinaghirapan. Kaya dapat din naman tayong tignan ng pamahalaan para sa ligtas na daanan. Mga siklistang mas pinili ang pag padyak kesa sa bumili ng ipinagbabawal na gamot. Ikaw, kaisa ka ba sa pag padyak???

The post elicited a long thread of comments.

In the case of the grazing of my arm yesterday, the role of the govt was in the licensing, and the bike lane construction.  The licensing could have been tougher and stricter with seminars on safety.  The bike lane is something else.  It involves expenditures for the road marking, enforcement (the traffic enforcers should enforce this) and involvement of bike clubs to educate members on bike lane use.

Much of what would happen on the road, depends much on the individuals, the riders the citizenry and I decry the too much dependence on the role of government which has also limited resources:   money and manpower.  They could do only so much.

The riders the other riders (I could not blame myself for I was the victim) could have much more, higher perspective on road safety and road sharing.  

Most of the riders we and the MC love adventure love the wind rushing by as we speed up on the road, with utter disregard for safety

I missed my ride to Real but not my ride mileage.

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 1, 2017

I did not join the tropa in their Real ride with overnight stay at Baywatch yesterday because of the fear of heat exhaustion.   However this did not prevent me from having long rides yesterday and today.  Yesterday I rode up to Biak na bato or Km 59 for  32 km ride one way or 64 out and back.  Today, I rode near to Jala jala km 72 for 45 km one way or 90 km. That is a total of 154 km solo ride.

Today I did not miss the hot midday sun and the temperature could be around 40s.  I am glad I survived that with plenty of water drinks and stops

Simples Lugawan has been relocated - gone from its former place

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 1, 2017

Simples Lugawan link

                                  It is a joy to me to find out that when I  searched the google for
                                  Simples Lugawan, my pictures and the post came out.  Ha6


If you have been biking to Morong and eating your breakfast at Simples Lugawan, you may be surprised that the lugawan is no longer in front of the house.  It is all ready at the side of the house fronting the road towards Baras.  The DPWH took possession of the location of the former lugawan (including that of the barangay hall to give way to geometric dividers for the highway as beginning from Sec. Singson, the highways have been widened.

So if you bike this week and other week ends, you know where to find the Lugawan.  At the same low low price (Lugaw with egg only P15.00.  Butsi  only P6.00, Mt. Dew  with lots of ice only P14.00