How to beat the ERP gantries

There was an announcement in the news yesterday about new ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) gantries that are going to be installed in many roads around Singapore. Transport Minister Raymond Lim said:

"First, not everybody can drive to and from work, it's just not possible. Two, the trade-offs that we face will become sharper. The more cars that we put on the road, the higher your ERP charges will be and the more extensive the ERP coverage will have to be."

There is a way out of it. Cycle to work. Have more bike facilities downtown where you can store your bike or talk to your workplace about storing your bike. Take public transport. Carpool. The lists are endless as to what you can do about this conundrum

I would prefer to cycle to work and I do so sometimes. I do not own a car. I do not see the need for one. The choice is ultimately yours and yours alone. But for a greener environment, I have made my choice

DK BMX stem

There are lots of quality BMX stems on the market. Some are good, some are even better and some in my opinion, are simply the best. DK fits in there with the best. The reason? they have been making quality stems for over 30 years. Now if that is not a track record, I do not know what is. Many professional BMX racers and freestylers back in the day used DK stems because they were , as describe in an advertisement once, "Strong, light, EXCELLENT!" I know this because I use one as well. I do not work for DK if anyone is wondering. I just happen to be a fan of their offerings. DK stems are a worthwhile investment

Another company besides Shadow Conspiracy makes half-link chains

Looks like there is another company besides the Shadow Conspiracy that makes half-link chains. The name of the company is called FORMCO and from the picture, it seems that they make chains in a few sizes too. According to the website:

FormCo, always trying to come up with innovative products for the BMX market, has just released a new chain for the race market. FormCo’s “Half Link Chain” gives riders more options when trying to dial in their chainstay length. Instead of removing what amounts to two links when shortening your chain, you can remove one at a time to further increase the amount of options available in chainstay length, especially when making a gear change.

The ultra light chain features punched side plates and hollow pins to get the optimal strength to weight ratio. Fully tested by FormCo riders like Warwick Stevenson, so you know they’re super strong and built to last.

Check it out here at ActionSportDepot.net

Maybe it is time I retire

I was asked this question today. At first I thought to myself...me? Retire? Can I really afford to do that? I do not mean retiring from work...heavens no. I mean retiring altogether from the active BMX scene and embrace the notion of being an old-school BMX rider. I am no longer the fast BMXer I used to be. I now look forward to hanging out with my old-school friends and re-live the past.

It has been said that the past is like another country - they do things differently there. Maybe it is time I hand it over to the younger generation to take over but I ask myself...can they handle it? It takes a lot of self-sacrifice and determination to fight for what you believe in. BMX neds to come to another level. When I look around, all I see are mountain-bikes and road bikes...very few BMX bikes. It makes me sad sometimes when most riders do not know the roots.

Well, I will mull it over and see how it goes. Right now, I just do not give a toss

Some still do not know what is expected of BMX racing

First of all, someone from the Singapore Sports Council wanted to hold a BMX event in a hotel room to showcase what was expected if Singapore wins the bid to host the Youth Olympics. When told of what was expected, even after we were willing to be flexible if space did not permit, her reply was classic. Very typically expected.

I have replied to Mr XXX that maybe this event is not a good platform to showcase BMX racing
due to the space given. As BMX is one of the selected sports for YOG, there will be other
opportunities to showcase the sport if Singapore wins the bid.

See what I mean? We were willing to be flexible with videos and a talk, even with BMXers dressing up to show what was needed. But the guys from the SSC? To them, all they wanted were stunt bikers which is NOT what the Youth Olympic games was about. So with this kind of mindset, how are we going to make it happen?

Clips are for kids?

Saw this posted on Rich Hetzel's site years ago. Some guy does not think very highly of clipless pedals and posted this up to make a statement. On a sprocket no less! I say, you go man!

The veterans showing how its done

Way back in the day, they had sidehacks in BMX races. this is how it is done, with some old-school veterans like Stu Thomsen participating. Clip is courtesy of BMXActionOnline.com

A good frame for BMX racing?

I get a few questions sometimes in blogs and emails asking what is a good frame for BMX racing. there are many out there but the one that I personally have my eye on would be the FBM Bitchin Camaro. At a weight of 4.2 pounds and a top tube length of up to 21.25 inches, it fits me very well, hence my choice on this frame. You can read up on this wonderful frame, as well as other bikes on FBM's website

Joe kid On A Stingray - The History Of BMX

I think that anyone that wants to know about the history of BMX should get this DVD. I bought it and I love it! To all those who want to know where to get it from, you can check it out at Amazon.com. Buy it and learn about BMX and its history!

New rims from Animal Bikes

Seems that Animal Bikes is making a new rim. Check it out. According to DigBMX where I first learnt about it, "The lower section of the sidewall is angled and drilled (the holes on the final rims will be cleaner looking) and it features spoke cross-lacing." Looks pretty good to us and I must say that I hope these rims come out soon as I am looking for some rims. Will they come out in 24" cruiser size? I do not know but I can only hope

The heat is on!

That was the title of a song sung by Glenn Frey of The Eagles fame way back in 1985. In this instance, I ma reffering to the "heat" being on BMX. Check it out. One person from our local Straits Times wants to know about the BMX scene in Singapore and another person from an event company wants to feature BMX with breakdancers and other hip-hop acts. I have a very funny feeling that much do not know about BMX racing (the girl from the events company had admitted as such) but they want to feel like they are in the know, what with BMX in the Olympics and all. Now do you see why I say the heat is on?

Just came upon this in the Online Edition of the Straits Times. The title was Youth Olympics - It is either Moscow or Singapore. Article is located here. Hmm...this could get interesting. Richard Tan of MCYS, are you reading this?

Pardon me, but do any of you guys know what BMX means?

Forget it, I will tell you. It stands for Bicycle Motocross racing. BMX freestyle like park, dirt-jumping, flatland et al are BMX sports that derived from BMX racing. And incidentally, it is BMX racing that is an Olympic sport. I have been asked to supply some BMXers for an event but the space given to us will not allow us to stage a demonstration race. Seems some of these people just do NOT do their homework at all. OK, for the benefit of some of those who read this blog and do not understand what BMX racing is all about, look at the picture above. THAT is BMX racing and THAT is what is in the Olympics! Capish?

BMX in the Youth Olympics in Singapore seems doomed

You know, I do not know why I even bother sometimes. Trying to get through to this guy Richard Tan is like trying to get through to the US President, and trying to make him understand the dire situation is even harder. As a matter of fact, I am doing him a favour by calling him but as per normal, he has a PA that filters his calls and it seems that the voices of the BMXers in Singapore are just not worth listening to.

Just this morning. I call his office. His PA answers. Seems he is on the phone. Never mind. I leave a message asking him to call me so that we can discuss. No reply. I call him again and this time I am told that he is at a meeting. See the pattern forming here? So I ask his PA (who else?) if he is avoiding my call. She brazenly says that that he called me and left a message. If that is so, then why am I calling to talk to him? There was NO message left on my phone at all! Then I ask the PA about BMX in Singapore. She says that Richard was mentioning about the Tampines BMX track. I asked her if Richard Tan ever got out of the air-conditioned comfort of his car to check the place out before telling everyone that they have the track in Tampines (which is in a bad state of disarray) and can confidently host the Youth Olympics. No answer but the usual perfunctory "yes I will let him know"

See what I mean? That is what is gonna happen in Singapore BMX-wise. The Youth Olympics is gonna be dooomed, all because some people in the MCYS have not been listening, and have not been listening still. We warned them in 2000 and 2001 but they did not listen. Honestly guys, you guys have NOT done your homework.

Liquor Bikes

Came across this new bike company today called Liquor Bikes. I do not know if the company is new or not so if it is not, bite me. The company hails from Austin Texas. From what I can see, their bikes are set up pretty nice! The thing that caught my eye was their bars. The new handlebars they are making have a 29" width and an 8.5" height. Check out their website for more stuff.

Richard Tan of MCYS does not take emails and calls apparently

That is what I did. Called up the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and asked to speak to Mr Richard Tan, who is the Director of Communications and International Relations there. His name was plastered on the Youth Olympics 2010 site. Funnily enough, I seem to remember a time in 2000 or was it 2001 when we tried to send a videotape of BMX to the then Minister of MCYS, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi but we did not have any response from them or him for that matter so I see that in this 7 or 8 years, nothing much as changed communication-wise. Looks like they were not interested then and it seems that they still do not seem interested. Maybe I need to ask the National Olympic Council if they know about this or is BMX featured in the Youth Olympics in 2010. Who knows. I might get an answer faster than I can get from our own authorities.

USA Cycling set to open new BMX training facility in Chula Vista

It says so right here. Why can't we have something like this in Singapore to help prepare BMX riders for the Youth Olympics or even the Olympics. No land I hear you say? Then sacrifice one of those damn golf courses for such a facility! Singapore, for a small island, has too many golf courses and golf clubs. If ever anything can be considered a waste of land, a golf course surely falls into one of those categories!

Ismail's newly restored Diamondback

Ismail is very proud of it and I can see why. It has been very beautifully restored to its former glory with a new paintjob, new decals and pads. The rims on this baby shine like anything since Ismail gives it a daily shine everyday. I mean look at it. If it were yours, you would be proud too!

The new Cyclops stem from Terrible One

Terrible One released their new Cyclops stem that was designed by John Povah and built by Phil Wasson at Super Rat Machine Works. I must say that it is one sweet looking stem! Read it here on the Terrible One site

Lizardskin Lock-On grips by ODI

If you can find them, get a pair of these grips. They are the best grips that money can buy in my opinion. Imagine this...no more twisting grips and no more using compressed air or water to remove grips from your handlebar. These grips slide on and are clamped by two tiny clamps on each end of the grip, hence the term Lock-On.I have these grips on almost all my bikes and I must say that they are a very good investment.

A very productive lunch

Had lunch with a media owner today who seems interested in our BMX scene. Gave her a bit of history about the sport and how it developed. She said that she hopes that some will help her with some input in an article in the media that she is working in. Had a couple of Subway sandwiches too. Have not had a Subway for ages so this seemed like a good reason to get one!

It is looking good again.

Some people just never do enough research when writing articles

I came across this article written to advise people about buying their first bike. The author ofthe article whose name is Grace Tow does not seem to know a damn thing about BMX. According to her, a BMX bike is - "The bikes are designed for stunts and tricks. They are advanced and may be made of strong but lightweight materials like Titanium"

I wonder. Is that all she makes BMX out to be? And she is working in a bike shop! Does she not know that BMX is not all about "stunts and tricks"? BMX started off as bicycle racing! And not all BMX bikes are made of titanium. There are only about three companies that made titanium BMX bikes namely Airborne, Redline and Dialled Bikes. TerribleOne made a prototype one as I wrote in a previous article

My advice to Grace Tow and the rest of the guys at The Bike Boutique is - do more research before writing articles such as this. I'll bet that you guys did not know that BMX is now an Olympic sport right?

Sheesh. You woulda thought that someone working in the bike industry here in Singapore should have known better

Next old-school meetup at Bedok Skatepark 23rd February 2008

We decided to change the venue for the next meetup for the FBM (Fat Bald Men, us of course!) old-schoolers of BMX in Singapore. The next meetup is going to be that the Bedok Skatepark. The details are located in the forums here so bring your bike down and get ready to jam! The last meetup had two new people joining us. What will they bring down? Will Eddy Chan bring down his GT Pro Performer? Will Jerry bring down his Kuwahara Magician? How about Eddy Meng and his Hutch Trickstar or even one of his SE Racing bikes? How will you know unless you are there? And by the way, speaking of FBM, their frames kinda rock...

Bike thieves strike again

You know, it would be great if we can catch bike thieves and string 'em up by their testicles. I really hate them. The reason? I have been asked many a time to look out for such and such a bike that got stolen. Today was no different. Received this plea via email and it is printed here word for word

I need a small favor from you, see someone just stole my bike (whole bike description was given but will not be given here). If you happen to see anyone riding that bike, can you help me ask him if he's willing to sell it? I just want that bike back cuz it's got sentimentle value ...i dont want him arrested or anything. I know it might be too much to ask but in case you see anyone riding it, please do me a favor cuz i really miss my bike so much...

See what I mean? This is what causes heartbreak, seeing the bike you love so much taken from you. If anyone has any news, send me an email.

SINZ stealth aluminium fork

Sinz Racing has done it again. they have come up with a revolutionary new fork that looks like their carbon counterparts, except that these are made of aluminium. It is a very unique design and looks pretty stealthy-looking. I am using their chromoly forks so I know they make good stuff. I would not touch an aluminium fork with a ten-foot barge pole, let alone fix it on my bike but if weight is your thing, and if you do want to shave some pounds off your front end, these may be the forks for you.

BMX racing makes its Olympic debut

Shanaze Reade sits on the low saddle of her white Red Line bike, crash helmet slung casually under her arm. "I don't think anybody sees it as a mess-about sport any more," says the 19-year-old, the world's No 1 female BMX rider, as she tidies her extensions into a neat ponytail that will fly out behind her as she races round the track. "It's on TV, I'm in the papers and so are other riders. I think that the Olympics are the best thing that could ever have happened to our sport and its profile."

More here: http://sport.independent.co.uk/olympics/article3301705.ece

Many shots fired...some hits and some misses

Some lady called me up today. Before this call, it was on an email basis. Basically, what this dear lady wants to know is do I know about bike stunts? Errr...yeah...not to hard to answer that one considering the fact that I am a BMX rider. Second thing was, she said that she is an events company (ah...the plot thickens! Pea soup anyone?) and she was doing an event showcasing a group of graffiti artists and she wanted some bike stunts featured along with some bike clinics. She was going great guns till she mentioned this was about BMX in the Olympics. That is when I had to stop her. I said yes. BMX is an Olympic sport but BMX racing is featured, not bike stunts. I am pretty sure that she was referring to bike trials because she mentioned about seeing a show with these acrobatic guys on bikes pulling off daring moves. I just did not know what to say after that.

But all is not bad. Some lady sends me an email, saying that she likes our site and wants to feature the site in a story. Well dog my cats. There you go people. All is not lost in the world. Have faith and ye shall reap the bountiful...Ok. Enough. In any case, I intend to meet up with her and tell her what BMX is about.

We shall prevail. I am actually thinking of writing a song about that...

More BMX products in Singapore please

OK. I thought that I would go out today and try to do a test as to how BMX-friendly our little island is. After all, we are gunning for the Youth Olympics in 2010 right? BMX is one of the disciplines, whether Singapore likes it or not. So with that in hand, I went shopping.

First of all, I went to Adidas and asked them if they bring in the Eagle Eye Pro BMX glasses. The guy behind the counter did not even know if Adidas made such eyewear. And this was at an Adidas shop here in Singapore. OK. So Adidas Singapore does not have anything for BMX. Next please.

Next place I went to was a bookshop. Lots of magazines to browse through but check this out. Not a single BMX magazine in sight. Sure, they had mountain bike ones and the like but not a single BMX magazine to be found. Zero. Zilch. Nada. So how are people going to read up about this new Olympic sport? On the web I can hear some people say. But that is besides the point. Not everyone has a tablet PC or even web-enabled mobile phone to read information off the web. Hmph. Search not going too well. Next!

Now to bikeshops. Very little BMX stuff to be found. And I am talking about BMX race stuff! No race -specific frames, parts and stuff. Looks like we may and will have to order from overseas! All of a sudden, it is starting to look like a very expensive sport!

So you see, if we do not have BMX support from the grassroots, all I can say to Singapore, good luck with the Youth Olympics 2010. You may want to host it but it is gonna be hard to host the BMX part.

Aftermath of the Singapore Old-School BMX meetup on 5th January 2008

A truly AWESOME night. Met two new friends there and even Black, whom I have not seen for so long, turned up. We had a great time making new friends and at the same time do what we do best during these sessions, reminiscing about the old times. Eddy Meng showed up on a candy-red Hutch Trickstar, Selvam came with his RedLine Prostyler and Maruishi with Shimano DX cranks, just to name a few. I took some pics but since it was night and my camera ain't the best one out there, considering the fact that it is 6 years old, some pics may appear bad. But I will get them and post them up for all to see. Next meeting will be at Bedok skatepark

BMX bikes on MRT trains

Some reporter from the Straits Times asks my reaction to the bike on trains issue. In case some of you do not know, there have been some letters written to the press recently about this kid dismantling a bike, putting it in a bag and bringing it on the train. Seems that he was threatened by the SMRT staff for bringing his bike on a train, even though it was in a bike bag.

All I can say is that there are luggage racks on the train so that people can stow their luggage while taking that train to Changi Airport for example. Now, if the luggage racks are there, why can't a BMX bike folded up in the bike bag (I have one so I know it is about the same size) be allowed on the train? That boy took pains to pack it in a bag so that he could bring it down to Somerset Youth Park. I for one do not think that he is committing a crime that justified the SMRT staff to be rude and threatening to him. SMRT could have been a little bit more tactful. As far as I can see, this is just a storm in a teacup; a mountain made out of a molehill.

SMRT, please spare a thought for us as cyclists. I can understand your displeasure about bikes being brought into the train but a bike in a bike bag? Please.

And they keep coming!

Yep. Looks like someone saw the previous post I made and sent me an email. Its all in the comments below. Thanks guys. But it still leaves me in a whirl. All it took was for BMX to enter the Olympics and all of a sudden, everyone wants a piece of it. Well, it does not hurt. If I did not care about BMX, this site would not even exist; not one iota.

It is only a few days into the year. We may have some BMX plans up our sleeves. Nothingis finalised yet but it looks pretty exciting. It seems that the Animal Box Jump thingy got quite a few people interested in BMX. That is indeed good to hear. BMX is finally getting some recognition intead of being referred to a "kids discipline" by some of the ignorant out there. Pfft.

And the hits just keep on coming Part 2

You know, this is funny. A few years ago, when we wanted to spread the news of BMX, people just smiled politely and did not even bat an eyelid. Now with BMX in the Olympics, it is different story. Just got this email...second email this week.

This is ABCD from DEFG Entertainment. In conjunction with the Youth Olympics 2010 Bid, our company is helping out at an event in a shopping mall to educate the general public about the sports in the Youth Olympics. As cycling is one of the sports featured, we are wondering if it is possible for us to work with your company to bring cycling nearer to the public mass. We are thinking of introducing BMX cycling. (Really now)

The event is a 4 hour event, and we are hoping that we can include a cycling clinic where the public can learn the basic skills of BMX cycling and demonstration by your company. (My company?) We hope to be able to work with your company to promote cycling to the public. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you. :)

There you have it. People are beating down our door. I have replied to them so it looks like BMX is getting the recognition it deserves. Finally something after almost TEN years of trying. But i wonder if they know about the different disciplines of BMX. The racing discipline has made it into the Olympics. If they want to hold this in a shopping mall, hmmm...lets see. Do they have a mall big enough to handle a racetrack? Clinics we can do, but a full all out race? This should be interesting. I'll wait for them to get back to me.

Low Meng Yang aka Zola's bike

Some people did respond to my call for a bike check. As for the rest of you lazy buggers, get off yer ass and give me your bike checks! Here we go:

Frame - Eastern Grim Reaper 20" (color: chrome)
Fork - Eastern Ultraslim (color: chrome)
Headset - Eastern Integrated
Stem - Eastern Deceptikon (color: black)
Handlebar - Eastern Titanium
Grips - Eastern Rib (color: brown)
Brake lever - Odyssey monolever (color: chrome)
Brake cable - Shadow Conspiracy Linear (color: brown)
Rear brake - Demolition Vulcan brake (color: chrome)
Crank - Demolition 175 mm (color: black)
BB - Shadow conspiracy Spanish
Pedals - Eastern Plastic (color: black)
Chainwheel - Eastern Medusa Lite (color: Ti.
finishing)
Seatpost - Eastern Pro
Seat - Eastern TightAss
Rims - Demolition 36-hole (For front and rear, color:
black/chrome)
Front Hub - Demolition Bulimia (color: white)
Rear Hub - Khe Reverse Freecoaster with 9T driver
(color: white)
Spokes - Shadow Consiracy Triple butted (color:
rainbow)
Front tire - Khe
Rear tire - Khe

Bike checks!

A couple of weeks back, someone asked me if I can do bikechecks on this website. I said sure, no problem. Only problem is that no one sent their bikes up for me to post! So I am starting with mine to get the ball rolling. Send your complete bike checks to me at alano@osbmx.com

Frame - Supercross DEVO 24" cruiser chromoly steel
Fork - SINZ 24" chromoly
Headset - Blackspire DH 1-1/8"
Stem - Atomlab GI
Handlebar - GT chromoly (changing to a DK soon)
Grips - Diamondback (changing to ODI soon)
Brake lever - Tektro
Rear brake - Shimano cheap-o
Crank - Redline Proline chromoly 180mm
BB - RedLine American sealed bearing
Pedals - SNAFU platforms (no clips for me!)
Chainwheel - GT 40-tooth (changing soon to a DK)
Seatpost - Thomson
Seat - Bontrager
Rims - Atomlab Trailpimp 24" 36-hole
Hubs - DK 36-hole sealed bearing rubs with 3/8" spindle
Spokes - DT Swiss
Front tire - Kenda K-Rad 24 x 1.95
Rear tire - Maxxis Holy Roller 24 x 1.85

There you have it. My bike check! Keep those emails coming in!

Happy New Year 2008

On behalf of Singapore BMX, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy New Year 2008. Hope the new year will be a better year!