Why so late? What went wrong at Pinugay Sierra Madre climb

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.18.2021

This post went on a bike ride to Garden Cottages and Sierra Madre last Saturday.  However, our anticipated timeline went awry.   The estimated distance to Garden Cottage was only 28 km via Pinugay.   We left at 6:30 and were on schedule despite  rides that can be classified as wall climbing:   2 steep hills at Pinugay and 1 very steep hill at Paenan.  We lost our way for 30 minutes going back to Cogeo

We were at Garden Cottages by 11 am.   However the Garden Cottage sojourn took us 3 hours 

      2 hours climb the 46 to 47 km.   

      1 hour lunch

The distance from Garden Cottage was estimated to be only 10 km turned out to be 18 km with  three challenging climbs,     km 52, km 62 and thereafter  until Sierra Madre.

Then it rained at Sampaloc, one got lost, at about 7:30 pm, and and at 8:30 it rained in Cardona.   

Side pull FD technology - more efficient and less obstruction with the rear wheel; however adapter is hard to find

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines 

7.12.2021

I just got the latest xt FD however i cant use this nor install this because of the lack of this adapter.

The cable comes out of `1/8 of the slope tube.   It is supposed to be more efficient.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/technologies/component/details/side-swing-front-derailleur.html

                                                    Hard to find

Rotor disc bending when the brake lever is actuated?

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.12.2021

Somebody inquired in a gc why the disc rotor bends when the brake lever is actuated?

This is most likely to occur in mechanical disc brake because only one of the calipers move I think on the right side.  The piston bumps the rotor on one side and the other non drive side is non moving.   So the rotor moves.  It moves less when the disc is centered. 

It does not happen in a hydraulic brake set up.  Because both of the piston move evenly and is self adjusting.   It is scary to see the disc bending as you brake.   Most disfiguremenet of disc occur in mechanical brakes.

Sometime the disc warp because 1.  After hard use/braking somebody poured water on it.  The uneven cooling of hot disc will cause it to warp.   2.  Or wrong tightening.  It has to be tightened in star pattern.  As I found.  

Debate on rim brakes vs hydraulic brakes - which onef is better?

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.12.2021

There is an on going  debate between disc brake and rim brakes   Who is the winner

For the rim brakes:

1.  Lighter

2.  Cheaper to maintain

3.  More mechanically efficient (since the force is applied further from the center)

For the disc brake

1.  Better when conditions are wet;

2.  Less chance of mechanical failure

3.  Thus more reliable

However maintenance for disc brake is more expensive and tedious.  If you do not use this it may get stuck up and you need a lot of skill centering the brake and you change the pads more often.  Then there is the fluid and the bleeding.   It can give you head ache.

I have seen both system.

I favor the hydraulic brake.  Especially the xt system which employs only single finger force.  The hydraulic btake, the Pascal's law and the physics behind this is reassuring.  

Struggling to keep up with young riders despite new bike and bike upgrades

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.12.2021

Des[ote having a lighter bike, with new WS and XT gs,  I find it hard keeping up with young riders who climb hills effortlessly.   While my lungs seem to blow up and thighs on fire, they pedal like the hill was nothing.  

However we see also groups of riders from far away places resting like birds on flight after a long climb at noon time.

Seems like I am getting old am really old or the riders I am with are getting stronger

Investing in good braking system

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.12.2021

While a famous TDF champion said that "when you brake you do not win" it does not mean we should

be able to brake safely

In Mahabang Parang, a rider overshot the dog leg and nearly fell into the ravine (and died probably)

In Tanay, a container van lost brakes hit several motorists and caused several posts to fall

I noticed that in a cycling group, the members do not mind if they bike and have defective or non functioning brakes.  They will invest in something that will beautify them, but not in brakes.  

Every rider must think of his/her safety above all others  and therefore must mind his/her brakes

LIghtening the Twitter Carbon Fiber MTB

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.06.2021

In order to excite yourself, you find ways to make your bike ride better and experience rise to higher level.  My pursuit is to make my twitter  carbon fiber MTB even lighter

           Reported original weight                                                                         12.7 kg

              Item                          Price                    Weight reduced

              Saddle                      P900.00                        100.

              XT group set         16.500.00                   `1,000 grams

                                            Crank set  500

                                            Cogs         200

                                            Brakeset   300

          Wheelset and tires    5,000.00   

                                           Hubs        200 grams

                                           Rimset     200 grams

                                           Tires            ---                 400

         I found out that even with those fancy sounding tires, rims and hubs, the savings is very minimal

         The tires and interior make them heavy.  I guess MTB are designed that way to be stable and 

         reliable.  and the penalty is being heavy

           Total savings                                                1,500 grams         

            Total cost  -    P22,400/1,500  =   `P150.00 gram     

                                                                             Net weight                    11.2 kg.      

    Is this a good weight for a cf MTB.   Other MTB weigh 20 kg.   Off shelf MTB weigh around

    15 - 17 kg even those that are alloy  

      The only way you can radically reduce weight is:

               Shift to  Rigid fork even  carbon      P4,500       `1,600 grams 

                                         P2.81 gram

              Carbon fiber wheelset =    P45,000.00   -    1 kg =   P45.00 gram

     

                                                                

Poor quality MTB editions from the mainland

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines

7.4 2021

Two months ago a fellow rider bought a brandnew MTB from a LBS.  It was brandnew.  Initially priced at P10,000 the bike was sold for mere P8,500.

However in a span of two months the following broke:

1.  The rear derailleur

2.  The shifter

3.   The head set (as if someone chewed it)  Had to pay up P700.00

4.    And just yesterday, the cog, 7 speed China broke the rider can't pedal because the pawl will not engage.   Had to pay P730.00 labor was free;

5.  The brake was not centered and making a lot of noise.  I volunteered to center the brake and clean the pads to remove the noise;

This confirms my bias to always buy bikes or place parts that are made in Japan, except for the mainland.  This is bad for the image of the China company and the LBS. Since this is owned by a relative I had to inform him of the defects of his supplier.