Biking is a great step to save the earth, to stave off global warming

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 26, 2018

Biking is one of the first concrete steps we can to save the earth.  To anticipate the loss of fossil fuel (gas diesel) in 30 years. It will help us save our fuel import bill, make for clean air (less pollution from vehicle fumes)

Time to get serious.  If they can do this in Europe, our resolve can make this happen

More BTW scheme... More  adherents to the movement:

More enlightenment needed on OEM carbon frames

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 17, 2018

I this post continues  to post opportunities for many readers and followers to continue enjoying their biking by way of cheap affordable carbon frame dream bikes, many are  still not sold nor convinced about the efficacy of carbon bike frames made in Taiwan or China.  The post does not invite buyers for the picturesof the bikes so posted.  It is for them to make a choice

We still talk about fakes and orig.

It was earlier posted that 95% of bikes world wide are made in China and Taiwan. Even high end bikes.   - name it:  Colnago, Bianchi, Pinarello, S works etc are made in China and Taiwan.  These two countries own the equipment and technology to make top end carbon frames (now T1100) for every select buyers worldwide.   They now have their own brands:  Seraph, Toseek. Rockbros

When a famous local store in posh Pasig district had a sale of European bikes, the bikes that were delivered to my friends had stickers that said these R...bikes are made in China.  Is then a fake? Did the store get fake bikes from China and delivered them as orig

The Pinarello that I saw at the local store had a sticker that says it is Made In Italy?   Is it orig?

Also it is not about  bikes:  org or legit;   It is about your knees and fitness.  Two Sundays ago, I rode alongside a biker who was on "Orig" Madone and hated every bit of the  Venge Vias I was riding on (an OEM)  He arrived five minutes  later at the lugawan.

Many are now convinced that "Orig" legit bikes are really made  in Taiwan and/or China.  Search for You Tube video about Chinarello bikes and even carbon wheel set made in China.  Take note that  high tech companies like FSA and SRAM have their HQ in Taiwan.

Zipp, the leading edge company in carbon wheelset is now  owned by SRAM based in Taiwan.  Are SRAM or Zipp fake brands.  That they are made in Taiwan does not prevent any  one to make a carbon copy of a carbon item.

More and more discriminating elite bike buyers now elect to buy OEM bikes.  For the price of one they could have 3 or more bikes.... (Di pa nakokopya GS.  Soon makokopya na din yan)  Lahat ng technology nakokopya.   Name these professionals:   doctors, engineers, govt officials, OFW are now electing to go OEM.   Many posts made by this post gather several k at a time.

If you go to AWST bikes site, AlieExpress or DH gate, you will find out many China Taiwan branded carbon frames come with two year warranty.  So OEM talaga.  Many pundits will miss the boat and the opportunity from Ivory legalistic mindset.

May mga nasty unenlightened comments pa rin.  The new understanding about worldwide manufacturing and marketing does not seem to register.  May be those who bought the orig envy those who got same stuff at 1/5 the price.   And regret it... And could only afford to destroy the OEM as a vengeance....

Hindi umaasenso pag iisip ng iba kaya hindi umaasenso...pati bansa natin.  Ang masabi. Wasabe

                                                  Look at the UCI sticker

                                            Naka ceramic bearings ang BB

Does owning a pricey bike causes one to ride faster and harder?

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 14, 2018

Does owning a new carbon fiber bike make one ride faster because of psychological (yabang) reasons or because the bike really rides faster?  I wonder

But ever since I got this S works super bikes, I noticed that I often am tired and had to spend a great deal of time sleeping (fatigued or part of growing old)  I noticed too that I ride faster and harder.

1.  In the bike ride yesterday, though my kapadyak had a carbon frame bike (which I sold to  him) en route to the blessing, I still was ahead of him (he is much younger than me) and even overtook him after I stopped /waited for him.

2.  Today, a MTB overtook me and we took turns in overtaking each other:   at Montevideo, at Callahan, and Namay.   He must be only 20+.  That was hard riding.  Was it because the Venge Vias is a fast bike, or pride egged me on to get ahead of him?

What do you think?

Why do owners of high end bike stores visit Taiwan often?

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 13, 2018

Sometime two months ago I conversed with a top officer of a prestigious bike company.   I heard him say that we meets with Taiwanese supplier and/or he flies to Taiwan often.

Which makes one think.  That their outfit supplies high end bikes, from Europe,and that some of the bikes which they put on sale are branded as made in Taiwan.... One wonder if it was really worth debating about orig or legit bikes,  because we do not know whether there are orig/legit bikes anymore.  All else, even high end bikes are made in China/Taiwan

Some or many bikes look similar but are only branded and hyped differently

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 12, 2018

Based on the humble observation of this post, some bikes, mostly aero have the same shapes especially the aero bikes:

       1.  Scott Foil

       2.  Merida Reacto

       3.  Cippolini  NKIK

       4.  Specialized Venge Vias

       5.  Giant Defy Advanced

       6. Kuota  Kiral

       7.  Factor bikes  (latest from Celeste)

Please see.  Observe the following:

        1.  The head tube  bulk

        2.  The seat tube stay, the curved tube for the wheel

        3.  The rear tube stays

        4.  The offset between the top tube  and rear tube stays (mas lower)

Same design?  Different brand, different pricing?   How come we are falling for this?

     

                                                              Cippolini NK1K

                                                          Merida Reacto

                                                                          Scott Foil

                                                       Giant Defy 3

                                                                 Kuota Kiral


More or less we get a good picture of MO of bike manufacturing. To save on tool and die, manufacturers use same dies for their bikes;  they just brand the bikes differently.  To save costs

Seen - S works Shiv, the best TT bike

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 12, 2018

On the way home I saw a bike that looked familiar:  an S works bike and it was a Shiv.  Riding it was a triathlon athelete from Pasig and said he had it since 2012. It was a red Shiv and its bar is at level with the top tube.

It looked very similar to S works Venge Vias  my bike.  A close relative.  A progeny

                                                      Best TT bike in the world

                                                Except for the built in brakes, it looks like a Venge

Nabili na Bianchi, ano pamalit? Pinarello F10 kulay black with blue streaks

Wheels of Happiness

Maganda bang pamalit sa Bianchi Oltre?   What do

Nangopya ba ng Islaw ang PRB from Sky Team or Pinarello

Wheels of Happiness

Tingnan ang toro ng PRB at ng Team Sky/Pinarello.  Sino ang nangopya?










Dehins orig image ni Islaw?

Pros and Cons of Vias Venge

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 4, 2018

For every new bike that you buy, every upgrades, there are positive (PROS) and negative features (CONS)
that  you observe... For instance with regards to Vias Venge S works that I acquired.  I experienced both pride and regrets.

Pros:

1.  It is a handsome show bike;  it is loaded with Peter Sagan imagery and performance;
2.  It looked sharp and fast

Cons:

1.  It is heavy;
2.  Its ride is harsh
3. The assembly especially with regards to the cabling was challenging.  The mechanic had 3 tries all ready to get it perfect:  first on May 1, and then yesterday, May 3.   As of today, the front brake is not working.

I was not joking when I saw a Colnago Concept bike carbon frame that  sold for P25 k.  I would have taken than instead.  I could have assembled this myself... It had BB 30 frameshell on it.  

Happiness is sharp and smart shifting with SRAM red

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 3, 2018

The SRAM red GS I bought from an owner of  repair shop of luxury cars who lives in a village in Pasig, stayed in a box for nearly 5 months, and was advertised for sale for 3 months.  It was installed in an S works bike I bought and its RD shift functioned 100%. And oh it worked like a dream.  Especially for  downshifts (going to lower number of cogs).  The clicks are shorter crispier and smarter.  And the change of gears were more silent....There was no chain rub even for a 34 x 12 combination.

That is why SRAM owners swear by their groupsets?

Did I get used to it at once.  Oh yes...

S works Vias Venge: from Dreamworks to Assembly/Realityworks

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 1, 2018

                                                   Ayos ba upgrade, change?

                                                      Pang d/p lang sa S works

                                      At P24.5 K murang mura, pang DP lang sa frameset ng
                                                S works

                                      S 105 GS which currently sells at P16K panalo na buyer.
                                      Add the cost of frame and the RS 10 wheelset

                                               Ito kapalit na bike pero naka SRAM red

This post dreamt of having an S works after seeing the younger brother bring out two S works Tarmac bike: one in Vigan and one in Marinduque, and after Peter Sagan won the Roubaix Paris race on a Sworks Roubaix. After meeting Mr. Ronald Santos (Dianor FB account) with a fellow Recyclist Engineer Francisco regarding his purchase of   carbon frame bike, he suggested that I buy a 2nd hand slightly used S works for undisclosed low price.  And I agreed.

We had a deal with the  seller for an undisclosed amount that would equal the selling price of Mosso that I sold and I would add some more.   It was to be given to him last April 28, and he would deliver to me the frame on May I. I would give him the  DP (the proceeds of the Mosso bike) provided the bike is BB30 ready.  (It was after some guessing and after being surprised today. The mechanic and Mr. Santos also did not know hahaha)

The assembly took almost 5 hours.  And some bikers waiting for services of the mechanic: Alex had to leave. It was a big challenge to install the cables

     1   The cables are hidden in the handle bar and passes through the stem;
     2.  And to the head post. One had to pass through the head post expander.
     3.  The 3 other cables had to be inserted through the head post shell
     4.  Alex had to repeat the process, because he missed inserting some of head post parts  It took
          him another hour.

And since we were outdoors, we perspired and were dehydrated. I had to buy him and Mr. Santos several bottles of coke and mineral water.


Finally at 5 pm, the dream works on S works was all ready a reality... I had took a jeep from Sta Lucia to home and paid another P25.00 for the fare back to Angono.  Romeo B and  Mr. Long Henson saw the bike frame.  A Peter Sagan bike.

As I rode the jeep, I had the opportunity to feel and observe the bike frame.  It is all about aero dynamics (and speed).  No cables to obstruct air flow. No brakes.   The handle bar was blade shaped. The down tube is huge and aero too. The seatpost is aero.  The seat stay are thin and aero. Everything is aero. But is heavy. The SRAM made the whole set up lighter.  

I have an issue with the seat post which would not accept my seat.

I have installed the bar tape.   And the  water cage (Zefal) lang.

What really is BB 30? The mechanic and the bike trader were surprised

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
May 1, 2018

                                               The  circlip and the bearing

                               The circlip being fitted with a special plier into the BB30 shell groove
                                The bearing at the top right pics will rest/be stopped by the circlip

A bike trader and I had an agreement to buy and sell an S works bike frame today, provided:   it had a BB 30 shell ready for installation of SRAM BB 30 Red Crank (which was very light at less than 600 grams).  When I arrived at the appointed time and place the  frameset had a BB30 adapter for a Shimano Ultegra spindle. It did not have a BB30,  for SRAM and so we thought.

I brought out the SRAM crankset spindle and trying to insert this into the adapter  it wont, nor trying to find out if the spindle would protrude out of the adopter.  It wont.

I called up Bikezilla and said they dont have any adapter.   They will have one in a month's time. The trader was blaming me for not agreeing to let him provide/order the BB 30.   And so I requested that the BB30 adapter be removed so that he can have ready for the next order. I paid the DP as agreed upon, and I requested that the BB adapter be removed (It was done with a drift)

As the mechanic was readying the bike, I noticed that the  shell had the familiar groove for the circlip (where the 30 mm ID bearing would set flush.  And Eureka, I said the BB 30 bearing and circlip I had were the BB 30 parts.   The mechanic and the trader did not know. We do not have to buy nor wait for the BB 30 because it was right here.  They had no idea.  I had no idea.  Iyon pala BB 30.  Hahaha

Now the mechanic the trader, and I increased in the  technical knowledge about the actual BB30. Now we know


The SRAM red BB30 crankset finally found the  home. Am I glad nobody bought it after a 3 months  post at a famous social media site.

                                               Light at less than 600 grams (the  BB 30 especially)

                                             30 mm outside diameter, 30 mm ID ng bearing -
                                                   kaya nga BB30 eh. 41 mm ang OD ng bearing

                              The gray and black graphics of the SRAM matched the same color of
                                                           S works frameset

                                                  I am so glad no one bought you

                                                            Ito mismo ang BB 30 parts!!!