Whose very light bike is this?

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
January 20, 2018

                                                                   Sino may ari nito?  Si Amang?

This morning, I decided I will go on a long weekend ride instead of tomorrow (pupunta daw kami sa Ridley sale sa Eastwood) and all of a sudden, I said I will ride on the Fuji.

Since it was one of the rare occasions that I brought the Fuji, the fellow kapadyak were asking me questions?

              1.  Is it true I was selling the whole stuff for P30,000.  Ipangungutang daw nila?
              2.  Huhulugan daw nila?
              3.  Super gaan daw?  Bakit hindi ko ginagamit.

It is true I aspired for other bikes, Scott CR 1, Bianchi Oltre. But here I had one of the lightest bike around town.  Even a rider from  Taytay said so.

Let us compute for the weight:

                               Frame                          -                            800 grams
                               Fork                                                          400 grams
                               Wheelset    Cosmic Carbon                   1,400 grams
                               Campy Rekord                                       2,000 grams
                               Tires Conti  GP 4000                               400 grams
                               Seat post Ritchey carbon                         250 grams
                                Saddle San Marco Selle                          200 grams
                                Drop bar ITM  3k                                    300 grams
                                Stem   ITM carbon 3k                             250 grams
                                Pedal Exustar                                            88 grams
                                                        TOTAL                        6,088  grams

                                                                                            13.39 lbs

Sub 7 kg bike;  hindi papasa sa UCI, o sa TDF

Dapat bang ibenta o hindi?

                                                                   3k Carbon fork

                                                        Cosmic 40 mm rim width

                                                   Carbon fiber shift lever, Campy Record

                                                    ITM drop bar, and stem

                                Ritchey light carbon  seatpost and San Marco Selle light saddle

                                            FSA carbon fiber crank, and Exustar 88 gm a pair pedal

                                                   Zero gravity Campy brake (sorry marumi galing
                                                       ng long ride from Jalajala)

                                                        Campy Cog  12 - 25

                                            Grand Prix 4000 a true racing tire, 400 gms a pair

Great achievements for the day - fixing and cleaning the bikes

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
February 20, 2016

I felt on top of the world because I did several great things maintaining my bikes:

1.  Cleaning and repairing the headset.  Without resorting to buying a new integrated headset, I overhauled the SARS headset, cleaned it, sandpapered it to remove the rust, and removed the play/looseness.

2.  Cleaning/polishing the bikes  including the MTB with MC, cleaning the chains with kerosene and wiping the grime away.

3.  Replacing the pedal of the Mosso with Exustar so that it is easier to pedal.  The present pedal, a SPD  is painful to the feet.

Would you feel great if you were in my place too.

What is my experience in using the #Exustarcarbonfiberpedals.

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines   |  November 24, 2014

Well it is light and since it is expensive (P6,350) I can only praise the new pedals to high heavens.  It is easy to engage and disengage unlike the much cheaper ones (Shimano and Exustar).

Since it is light, it stays on a neutral position and therefore quite easy for the feet to find the position to engage and insert.  The heavy pedals have to kicked so that the correct surface can be engaged.  It does not happen with Exustar carbon fiber.

Furthermore, I notice that I can time trial (ride at constant high speed) without getting tired legs at once.

I would say it is an excellent pedal.  Engr June Francisco would not buy this pedal and dispose off his Look pedal.  So gaya gaya ako kay Engineer for making such a wise choice

Exustar Keo Carbon Ti Pedals

Wheels of Happiness

From Merlin Cycles

From Bike Discount



Jun Francisco showed off his Exustar Keo Carbon Ti Pedals which set him back by P6,700.00 which he bought from a  bike shop in  Antipolo City.  It is available at Marauders, owned by Mike HInd, an American from Arizona.  He ride a  mountain bike.  It is located at ML Quezon Avenue at Mahabang Parang, after Maia Alta, before Mission Hills.   Their contact numbers are

    02 650 2930

    0905 666 5608

I bought the pedal today, November 10, 2014.  Mike and company biked to Boso boso Antipolo so I had to wait for a while, and he gave me a 3.5% discount for the pedal (which comes with the cleats) and 6 sets of SS cables and missing link.

The specs are impressive, although the pedals are limited to riders 85 kg in weight.  But each weigh 88 grams.  That is very light.

We must invest in parts that lessen fatigue on the drive train like shoes and cleats



Here are the specs:

EXUSTAR Pedals E-PR200CKTi Titan Carbon – Exustar

The 200 series has a larger surface/cleat contact area ensuring greater power and stability. The wider body also enables easier cleat engagement. The SR200 features a weather and dust resistant closed mechanism, a tension gauge and is available in a wide range of material configurations.

• Extremely lightweight 
• Injected carbon fiber body & binding, tension adjustable
• Tension gauge Body Injected carbon fiber
• Axle CNC-machined titanium axle, DLC coated (cartridge)
• Bearings LSL bushing & sealed
• Cleats E-ARC11 
• Size: 86 x 89 mm 
• Weight: 176 gr / pair
• Max. rider weight: 85 Kg

Some new ideas for your bike - from Engr June Francisco

Wheels of Happiness

Angono, Rizal  Philippines  | October 20, 2014

                       The Exustar carbon fiber pedal (I have an Exustar in my Fuji CF but only the alloy one)

                          VMs Durace pedal

Eng June is a manager at a famous car aircon company in Canlubang Laguna. He is very well versed in TPS, Kaizen and innovation in all things mechanical (he is a mechanical engineer)

And his bike bear stamps of innovativeness and his engineering background.



He has installed an Exustar carbon fiber pedal (which he claims is superior to his current Look pedal which he sold for only P1t to Secx Noe - I should have known last week) which he bought from Marauders (a new bike shop in town, near his place in Antipolo. The new pedal he said,

     1.  weighs only 85 grams
     2.  has titanium shaft (that means it is very strong even in crashes it wont bend)

     Wow, and costs only P6t+

 He also had SS PVC coated shift cable which cost P150 each.  That means to say no more broke shift cable from rusting.

Maybe you should install one in your bike....

The matter with cleats

Real Cyclists

Angono, Rizal  PHL     | July 7, 2013

My Shimano cleats on Scott carbon cycling shoes has gone kaput and has begged for replacement. I had it temporarily replaced with hard plastic Exustar (which works well only with Exustar pedals). 

Some observations on Shimano cleats:

l. Its price has gone up from P500.00 a pair to P680.00 as per my canvass in bikeshops last Wednesday in Cainta.

2.  While it is  one of the best:  easy to engage and disengage, it seems to wear out easily if you walk too much with your biking shoes on.

3.  My conversation with others showed that the left cleats usually fail:  it gets misaligned or breaks.;  not the right cleats.  Why.  Because when you ride you engage first your right shoe then followed by the left shoe.   As you engage the left shoe and you are not looking or as you pedal, the shoe and cleats hit the wrong places and and wears out.  (Perhaps engage the left shoe first)

4. You have to clean it regularly especially after walking through sand, soil or grass.  Dirt can fill the gaps in the cleans and can make this malfunction.

5. Oil or put Armor all so that the cleats can slide in and out of the pedal easily.

6.  Tighten, or check the screws before every ride;  they can turn loose and the cleats may malfunction

I had a crash this morning, I avoided a Lola and my cleats wont loosen!

Real Cyclists

Morong Rizal  PHL   June 16, 2013

I crashed in Morong Rizal, near the area of the church.

It was because of my new cleats.  I replaced the Shimano cleats with Exustar which is interchangeable with Shimano.  When I left, I made sure that I loosened the pedal tightening screws.

However in Morong, a lola appeared in the middle of the church apparently came from mass, however, she continued into my path and I had to brake very very hard.  I tried to desperately disengage the cleats but it wont and so I had to take the fall.

I loosened the screw some more and sprayed WD 40 today.

So those who use the new cleats, be extra careful