Bike Test: @muliawardhana's United FRP

Wuddup free riders!!

Allow me to present you my first bike review :D Well it's not really a bike review as mentioned, coz i'm just borrowing an article from my good buddy @muliawardhana from http://goingfasttonowhere.wordpress.com/

My buddy here is a huge fan of dirt-biking, most notably free riding and dirt jumping. With this opportunity, i would like to introduce you to his free-ride bike: the United FRP.



Kindly proceed to the blog-page address below for the full review, thanks.

http://goingfasttonowhere.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/long-term-test-bike-united-frp/

So what y'all think? Pretty gnarly, right? If you're planning to build one in the near future, talk to @muliawardhana for some sound advisory on what you'll be requiring. If you ask him nicely, who knows he'll take you along on a free-riding journey you won't soon forget :)

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder

Bike Shop: B-Knee

Wuddup Pedallers!!

Allow me to introduce you to B-Knee bike shop, located at Jln.H Salim 2 No.14A in the Radio Dalam area, South Jakarta. I got reffered to come to this shop by my good cycling buddy @haka_1109, not long after he built a couple of bikes for his wife and himself.



I like this shop. It sells mid-to-low end parts and frames for people like me, basically. I don't need a Rp.20 million bike because i'm not an athlete. Nobody is sponsoring me :p

What i need is a good frame, good parts, and a good workshop for servicing so i can go on cycling worry free. So i went here one day and saw a white original VISP TRX790 frame. After checking out some details and asking permission from my wife, i decided to get that frame and transfer components from my old bike. There are other frames, such as a PCO, but my mind's made up on the VISP. Word is, B-Knee is the unnoficial number one source of VISP and PCO frames in South Jakarta. They have the sizes and color variations to suit you also.



Price was reasonable and the bike-building process (including parts transfer) went like a breeze, Everything was according to budget, so i didn't mind getting a new Sugino crankshaft to match the performance :) Anyway below's the bike, 90% done.



Let's have a look at the interior of the shop.. It's not as cozy or air conditioned like the other bike shops, but the hospitality and great service are certainly plus points.









So if you're looking for original VISP or PCO frames, if you're looking for low-to-mid end parts, if you're looking to do minor-to-major servicings for your bike and fixed gears, come to this place.

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder

Trooper Speeder a.k.a VISP TRX790 Series track bike

Wuddup riders!

Time to upgrade my bike into a speed demon!! *thunder & lightning*

No lah, i'm kidding. But i was thinking of upgrading my bike to a more advanced, newer frame at some point and my choice fell to the VISP TRX790 track bike.

I got my original VISP TRX790 track bike from B-Knee, a bike shop in the Radio Dalam area (i'll be doing a shop review on them later on, stay tuned). I had to bold the word "original" because lately there have been cases of "custom" or "local" VISP bikes being sold in Kaskus. Custom here means fake, btw :p

Right, on to the specs..

• Frame & Fork material: Aluminium 6061 T6 (Fork steer 1-1/8' Hiten-steel)
• Rear-end Dropout: Forged steel
• Size 700C x 52 cm (from bottom bracket center to seat tube top end)
• Fork ends space: 100 mm
  
• Frame rear dropout space: 115-120mm
• Bottom bracket shell: 68mm, English thread (suggest to use 106-108 mm axle bottom bracket parts)
• Chainwheel Gear Capacity: 0-60T
• Seat post size request diameter: 27.2 mm
• Weight: 700C x 480-580 mm frame 1934 gr. (including frame + drop out + bolt)
• Weight: fork 750 gr.
• Weight: headset 126 gr.

I will update you again on the parts currently being used on the bike soon, coz i can't remember each one :)

I cannibalized parts off my old bike. The good news is that most of the parts were reusable. I only have to get a new over-sized seatpost and a new Sugino crankset with a 46t.



For color i chose white because it looks fast, neat and sleek. And being a huge fan of Star Wars
the Original Trilogy, i gave it a Storm Trooper and Speeder Bike theme. Hence the name: Trooper Speeder.



Here's the link to my FB photo album if you want to take a closer look at the bike..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=318179&id=562981410

This is how it is now. I have added white bar tapes recently, will update you with pics soon.



Nice, right? Thank you, and thanks for reading :)

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder


ACHTUNG!! BE CAREFUL OF FAKE, IMMITATION VISP FRAMES.

Below are a few examples of custom/local/fake/immitation frames, modelled after the VISP TRX790 frame set. Consider this a public service announcement, so you don't end up getting fooled by sellers. Design piracy ain't cool.





Well you get the point, right..

Bike Shop: Velodome

Wuddup bikers!

Found a great fixed gear shop when i was working around Jakarta's Panglima Polim area. I probably discovered this cave of wonders pretty late, but i like this shop and i thought why not write something nice about it, right?

The shop's name is Velodome, located at Jl. Panglima Polim V No. 36, Kebayoran, South Jakarta.

Here's a documentary of the shop's opening night that i borrowed heavily from Cyclonesia - much respect to Mr. Irfan Wahyudi a.k.a Ippe :)

http://cyclonesia.com/2010/03/07/the-opening-of-velodome-jakarta-050310/

Velodome is a probably more of a boutique than a shop, selling branded fixed gear components such as:

• Mavic open sport, Velocity deep V, AeroHead, and Araya rims
• Phil wood, Miche, and Suzue hubs
• Miche and Kaloy seatposts
• Sugino messenger, aeromighty and ASD cranksets
• Nitto riser and NJPRO handlebars and stems
• Izumi chains
• Keirin brakes
• Panaracer and Vittoria tyres
• Yoshida and Oury grips

I like the guys working there, they're friendly and taught me how to add air into a flat CST tyre.. totally useful to know in case of emergency, right?? :p

If you're into old school track and race bikes like Eddie Merckx, Colnago, Bridgestone etc and you understand these brands and their histories, then this is your heaven. But if you're a punk born in the very late 80s or early 90s, then forget it.. you'll be better off building a trick bike. You wouldn't appreciate these brands and their histories, even if you have the money.

Check out the pictures below to get a closer sniff of the place..











Very nice place, very knowledgeable, very hip. That's what you'll think of Velodome after your visit there, so off you go.. go and get there :)

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder

Bike Shop: B-Bike Fatmawati

Wuddup riders!

I went really far and wide on my search to find my first ideal fixed-gear bike, such as snooping around Kaskus and going around Jakarta looking at bikes. Doesn't sound bad, right? I got to meet nice guys with nice bikes, exchanged pleasentaries, and all that.. but then i grew tired of looking. Lucky for me @muliawardhana took me to this place called B-Bike.

B-Bike is located at Jl. RS. Fatmawati No.2a, Cilandak Barat, Jakarta. Position to be exact is next to Bank BCA Fatmawati and Boloo2 Restaurant. Their phone number is (021) 7590 3122.

At one time they specialize in Mountain Bikes only and didn't have a lot to brag about when talking about fixed gears. They did however, have a couple of fixed gear selections available. You can see in my previous post http://pedal2infinity.blogspot.com/2011/02/telor-asin-aka-salty-egg-my-first-fixed.html

I hear now they have a new section in the shop that specializes in fixed gear bikes. Who could blame them, it's the IN thing right now. FYI i don't consider biking as a fashion statement, it's a sport and will always be one no matter how trendy or fashionable it can get :)
Overall, this shop is top notch! Whether you're looking to build a MTB from scratch or getting a full bike, there's a lot of stuff here you can get to suit your budget. They have the parts for you, regardless of your riding style and preferences (MTB, downhill, XC, DJ, etc). The shop interior is cozy, and surrounded by culinary spots to suit your appetite.

Check it out for yourself, or check out the pics below..

















So there you go. Have fun shopping. But most importantly: happy riding!

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder

Telor Asin a.k.a "Salty Egg", my first fixed-gear :)

Wuddup pedal pushers!

Even when I didn't have the time to go to the mountains anymore, my love of cycling was never put to rest. I mean, come on! Who has the time to go pack, travel the distance, and go cycling in this day and age?? If you are still able to do this, then you are blessed, my friend. But not me.

My weekdays are long and tiresome. When weekend comes, all I desire is a bit more sleep than the usual meazly hours that I usually get. So no, I don't wanna wakeup early to go to the mountains anymore. I mean, let's face it. The real jungle is out there: THE URBAN JUNGLE.

Which made me to think.. I need something more suitable to squeeze myself around traffic with. So why not try a fixie? What's a fixie in the first place. Here's a definition from Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-gear_bicycle

So after some searching, i wound up at B-Bike, a bike shop specializing in mountain bikes and dirt-jumping bikes. Please bear in mind that i'm still learning the fixed game here, so i thought any bike shop sells or understands fixie.

..and my choice fell to this baby right here:



What is it? It's a Deki Bycicle size 27/700c old school race bike.

Unlike other fixed gear bikes with no brakes, i choose to have brakes on mine. I'm still sane, mind you.. Why people wanna ride brakeless in Jakarta traffic is beyond me. Maybe they got great insurance. But then again you have to get hit or hit something first before you can claim anything right? Right. And that's a risk I don't wanna take.

The first time i use it was to get to work. Ride & handling was nice, even though totally different from the MTB i was used to. Sadly I blew up my front tire on my way home because my front brake tore up the wall. Through this experience, my wonderful relationship with fixed gear bikes began :)

Over some time i added new parts which i believed would enhance performance and appearance *who wouldn't want these, right?*



Check out the ETRTO (European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization) rim on the front. Yeeaahhh it looks good! But unfortunately i only have money to buy one first :) A lot of people mistake this for a brand. Well it's not. And check out my raw-looking dropbar!! ..i call it "raw" when in reality i didn't know where to go to give it a decent bar tape :p

Over a period of time, my knowledge and handling of fixed-gear grew. So i gave it one more performance-enhancing cosmetic to complete the circle..



So there you go. Please go to my Facebook page link below to see a lovely pictorial gallery of this wonderful bike :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=297183&id=562981410

Anyways, I'm planning a special comeback for this bike. Watch this space coz it's gonna be oh so awesome. Cheers mates.

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder

My Retro Bike: '90 Marin Hawk Hill downhill racer

Wuddup Pedal Pushers!

Been a while since I last posted on this blog. Let's keep it alive, shall we? Just wanna share with y'all my first MTB. I'm not that young, so this bike is pretty old. How old?? Try 20+ years.

It's a 1990 Marin Hawk Hill. An original, made in Marin County, California. That's in the USA :) Believe me, back then NOTHING was made in China. So you can pretty much see the quality and build.. this was from way back when Marin was still small and haven't mass-produced.



This was one of the best XC bike they ever made, with quality parts all-around. The Shimano group & crank set were all made in Japan, the aluminium frame and fork were all made by Marin in the USA and still rides well to this day. I can safely say that I don't mind racing this side-by-side against ANY of the latest Polygon of the same specs :)

Check the bike here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=267329&id=562981410

One notable performance-enhancing component that they included back then was the Grip Shift. It's a shifting technology that didn't require us to use those annoying shifters, unlike other bikes of that era. It was a breakthrough back then, and it is still being used on high-end bikes until now. It gives riders easy shifting without thinking too much on shifting while riding.



The only additional components I added from back then were Zoom bar ends. These are original Zoom components, unlike the ones that you can get from Rodalink today. Those are a bit shady :)

Minor fixes were made over the past couple of years to keep it in riding condition, such as changed new tires and tubes, re-adjusting spokes, oiling and servicing.

The bike still handles remarkably well until now, but then again I don't take it to the mountains anymore coz I don't have the time to go there anymore. But on the streets it still grips firmly to the ground and realistically agile for its age. Oh yeah, at 12kg, it was considered light back then :) Anything else lighter than this would've been made of titanium.

Next up is the rejuvenation project, where i'll be changing stem & head unit together with suspension fork and new rims. Wish me luck.

Regards,
Donny a.k.a Speeder