Salty

Ahh, winter. This winter has been cold and snowy, as expected, but also extra salty. I do appreciate that the extra attention paid to roads has made them safer to ride and drive, but it takes a toll on the machines that ride and drive on them.

Bicycles don't require a ton of regular maintenance. I didn't say they require NO maintenance, just a little bit. If you've been riding through this winter, there are two things you should do.

One- LUBE YOUR CHAIN.

I've gone over this before, but to review:

                   1. Coat the entire length of the chain with a bicycle-specific chain lube. We're using Pedro's in the shop these days.
                   2. Back pedal a bit to let the lube work itself into the chain. Or let it sit for a while (15min- 1hr). Or both.
                   3. Wipe off the extra with a rag.

Two- WIPE DOWN THE FRAME.

Bikes made of all types of materials are subject to corrosion. The chemicals used to treat winter roads speeds up that corrosion. You want to get that stuff off your bike.

A bike specific cleaner would be best- something that's going to be safe on all of the parts of the bike (we use Green Fizz in the shop). If you don't have that handy, a couple drops of mild dish soap in warm water will work. Either way- be careful around brakes and braking surfaces. No bike cleaner, and you don't like soap? At the very least, brush the salt off when it dries with a dry rag.

  

Just doing those two things, should take 10-15 minutes, tops, and will make your ride last longer, and pedal smoother.

Slacking

I'm having a great time. Which explains the lack of Winter Sabbatical blogging. Sorry. I have been keeping up Instagram.

Check it out if you feel so inclined.

Bukit Timah

I managed a successful MTB trip today. (I tried to go yesterday, but forgot to bring a map and got hopeless lost.) I rode over to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, where there's a nice purpose-built mountain bike loop. It seemed to me to be Singapore's Cutler Park- not super technical, well-loved (read: well-worn), and close enough to the city center.

The loop is well marked with just a few smaller loops that branch off the big guy. A friendly local showed me which trail would avoid a staircase of 12" (or 30.48cm since I'm a metric country). Some of the scenery was breath taking. I had my head down in concentration for a short but very steep climb, when I raised it,this:

Pretty alright.

On my way back to town I stopped in at Byx (newly opened in this location as of three weeks ago), located at the entrance of the park, and talked with Sylvia about the state of mountain biking in Singapore. She said there had been tons of rain in November and December, that did a number on the trails. During the rebuild process they sterilized some of the trails and took some of the challenge out. I could definitely see that, but still had a great ride. She also tipped me off to the Kent Ridge trail, which is supposed to have a flowy Super D trail in the mix. Yes, please. I'm going to check that out tomorrow (if I don't get lost).

Singapore

After surviving a monumentally long flight in a window seat, I'm in Singapore! It's like being inside a mouth here- hot and humid. I've already been on a number of adventures, only one of which involves bicycles (so far).  I've been eating and drinking my way through the city. And have done a ton of walking, including a stroll around MacRitchie Resivoir. I saw my first monkey in the 'wild'. 'Wild' in the same way that squirrels eating from the trash cans at your favorite state park are wild.

They don't like it when you make eye contact. I've heard.

My bicycle related adventure was to find a 6mm Allen wrench. Somehow I forgot to bring one, and my seat clamp bolt is a 6, so I thought I'd head to Wheeler's Yard to get one.

Wheeler's yard is a very slick shop/cafe located in a neighborhood I don't know the name of. The shop is located in a warehouse, with the cafe part sectioned off and air-conditioned (necessary). They have their own line of frames- all single speed, all with nice, clean lines. 

I thought this lugged, double top and down tube frame looks especially slick. 

I can't tell you how the cafe is because I accidentally over caffeinated earlier in the day, but I did overhear some other patrons talking about the delicious coffee.

Turns out they don't have multi tools for sale. The mechanic was nice enough to offer to tighten the bolt, but I didn't have the bike with me. Mission not completed, but totally worth the trip.

Weekend at Ray's

Last year's sabatical took me to Ray's MTB in Cleveland. This year I thought I'd check out their Milwaukee location, and I brought Erich along to peer pressure me into trying more stuff. 

This Ray's was much like the one in Cleveland- although more big box store, less industrial warehouse. It has a few XC skills sections- beginner, sport and expert, as well as a park/jump section all connected by XC 'trail' that runs through the whole place.

Here's the start of the Sport section:

 

Here's Erich reflecting on how rad he's just gotten at the finish of the Sport section:

 

 

The place is designed to allow you to challenge yourself without huge risk. Many of the most challenging lines have (relatively) safe bail out options. Don't get me wrong, you could definitely do some serious damage to yourself if you wanted to, but if you've got your noggin in the right place there's no reason you'd get hurt.

This time around I wanted to challenge myself to get my wheels off the ground. The Micro Rhythm section was perfect- a series of table top jumps long enough to work up a rhythm (eh? get it?), but not so long that it was intimidating or exhausting.

Here's a video of me riding this very section. My favorite part is the tiny child riding this better than me.

It's Reflection Time

I'm writing to you from deep inside the Winter Sabbatical. So far it's been a lot of family time. A lot. Lots. Of family time. ... And some time for wrapping up the years loose ends, and a few fun projects.

I'm sure you've seen a boatload of 'year end' lists and wrap-ups floating around. I've come across a few interesting (IMHO) stats from this year in Hub Bicycle history.

We did 1009 flat fixes, replaced 387 brake cables and installed 227 RiBMo tires (the shop fav). The crew suffered 2 broken bones (bicycle related) in 2013. But on a more positive note, Team Monster Truck had a great inaugural season with a number of folks completing their first CX races.

Monster Trrrrruck!

Enjoy the last bits of 2013. And here's to 1010+ flat fixes in 2014.

Radical Sabbatical

We've got one week to go until it's time for the radical sabbatical. Thant means you have until Saturday to get those last minute gifts and whatnot. We'll be CLOSED December 22 and will RE-OPEN on January 27.

What are we going to be up to? Erich and I are going to take a field trip to Milwaukee after the new year to hit Ray's MTB. Sound familiar? I went to Ray's CLE last year and had a blast. We'll report back on how much shredding is accomplished.

After Milwaukee I'm going to head to Singapore to thaw out for a while. I've packed a bike- thanks to the S&S couplers Mr. Paul Carson installed for me.

These couplers un-thread and allow the bike to split in half. Then it can be packed in (an oversized, but manageable) backpack.

I'll also report back here about any/all riding adventure/shenanigans happen.

In the final week of this sabbatical Hub will be the site of a basic and advanced fit clinic from SICI. What does that mean to you? Well,s two things- 1). if you need us Jan 21-25, we'll be available for evening appointments. Contact us here. 2) We'll be able to offer basic fit services at Hub. In the future, when we pass the course (fingers crossed!).

Anyway. That's the plan. And don't forget we're here this week to make all of your winter bicycle dreams come true.