Decathlon Sells Pretty Good Cycling Gear

Posted on April 9, 2024 by alchemyrider

I first encountered a Decathlon store in France in 2002. I had not seen a store selling equipment for multiple sports before. An innovation that founder Michel Leclercq introduced to sports retailing at his first store in Lille in 1976. Today, Decathlon is the largest sporting goods retailer in the world, with 1,700 stores in 70 countries and regions.

Decathlon opened its first store in Malaysia in 2016. There are 16 Decathlon stores in the country today, including the largest Decathlon store in Southeast Asia. That store in Shah Alam has a 2-floor, 5,000 sqm sales area with 230,000 products from 60 sports.

Photographs courtesy of Decathlon Shah Alam

Decathlon was not a brand I associated with high-quality bicycles and cycling gear. I thought of Decathlon as a big-box retailer selling budget bikes. That changed in November 2023 when Decathlon was announced as the co-title sponsor of French WorldTour team AG2R in a five-year deal. The team will be called Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale. Decathlon has also replaced BMC as the team’s bike supplier. The team uses Decathlon’s in-house designed and assembled Van Rysel bikes, the RCR Pro road bike and the XCR time-trial bike.

Photographs courtesy of vanryselcycling.com

Van Rysel developed three new helmets for the Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale team. The RCR, the FCR, and the XCR. Complementing the helmets are the Perf 900 and Perf 900 Light sunglasses.

Photographs courtesy of vanryselcycling.com

I needed a replacement for a Knog Plus light. I clip these lights onto a jersey pocket and sock to make me more noticeable at night. The red one no longer holds a charge. These lights are sold on the KNOG website as a pair for USD34.95 / MYR167 at the current exchange rate.

Photograph courtesy of knog.com

There is a Decathlon store in the city centre. It occupies the entire first floor in Shoppes at Four Seasons Place. Despite the AG2R La Mondiale connection, Decathlon doesn’t immediately come to my mind as a place to buy cycling gear. But having had a good experience with the arm screens I found there, I went to look for reasonably priced clip-on lights.

The Decathlon Malaysia website lists 679 products in its Home > Sports > Cycling section. Among those products are 6 types of bicycles, tools, lubricants, apparel, reflective wear, components, lights, and panniers. The list goes on and on. I suspect most of those items are available in the extensive bicycle section at the Decathlon store in the Shoppes at Four Seasons Place.

The same website shows 24 bicycle lights. Most of those are on display in-store. I wanted a light with flashing patterns and a clip. The Elops LED Front/Rear USB Bike Light CL 900 ticked those boxes. Elops is one of Decathlon’s in-house cycling brands. Others include Btwin, Rockrider, Triban and, of course, Van Rysel.

Photograph courtesy of decathlon.my

The CL 900 has 3 white modes and 2 red modes. I will use the 17-lumen red flash mode. Battery life is a claimed 9 hours in red flash mode. The clip is sturdy and secure. The CL 900 also comes with an elastic fastener to attach the light to a handlebar or other item that needs a looped fastener.

At MYR79 / USD16.65, the CL 900 is a good value. It does what I want, and it does those things well.

I have a new-found respect for Decathlon as a purveyor of bicycles and cycling accessories. Certainly worth considering for clothing and accessories like base layers and jerseys. The prices are certainly competitive.

Photographs courtesy of decathlon.my

The price of this Van Rysel base layer is ¼ of what other cycling apparel brands are asking. The usual cost of this Van Rysel jersey is at least 50% cheaper than other premium brands. The sale price is a steal.

I’ll be checking out Decathlon’s cycling gear offerings from now on.

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Tubed or Tubeless Tyres?

Posted on April 2, 2024 by alchemyrider

When I bought my bicycles in the early to mid-2010s, the only wheel and tire choice was tubular or clincher. Tubular tyres are glued onto the wheel. Clincher tyres have a bead that fits under hooks on the rim to hold the tyre onto the rim. If punctured, the repair of a tubular tyre can be more challenging, and, in many cases, it’s more feasible to replace it. A clincher tyre has an inner tube which is easy to replace.

Graphic courtesy of support.enve.com

Despite the advantages of tubular tyres – lightweight, better ride quality and lower rolling resistance, the choice of tyre for me was a no-brainer. I didn’t want to deal with glueing tyres and carrying a spare tubular tyre when I rode.

In 1999, Mavic introduced the first tubeless tyre for mountain bikes. In 2017, Mavic launched a ‘Road UST’ standard specifying dimensional and pressure requirements. This standard was then used by the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) to develop road tubeless standards that were implemented in 2019.

There are three choices of non-tubular tyre and wheel combinations today. Clincher with tube, tubeless with hooks and tubeless hookless. Hookless rims are the most recent innovation in road cycling wheels. The ETRTO set standards for hookless rims in 2019.

Graphic courtesy of support.enve.com

The debate about whether to go tubeless is a lively one. There is no doubt about the benefits of road tubeless. As compared to tubed clincher tyres, tubeless systems offer:

  • Lower tyre pressures
  • Greatly reduced risk of puncturing
  • Repair options
  • Lower rolling resistance
  • Less weight

Tubeless tyres come with drawbacks as well:

  • Require compatible wheels
  • Can be difficult to install
  • Require sealant
  • Punctures can be messy
  • Require regular maintenance
  • Expensive

I still ride on clinchers. I don’t get many punctures and am happy to change an inner tube when I do. I don’t ride fast enough for lower rolling resistance and weight to make a difference. For me, the disadvantages of road tubeless outweigh the advantages.

Someone switching to road tubeless tyres would require most, if not all, of the items below. I suggest tubeless rather than tubeless-ready wheels. Tubeless wheels do not require rim tape. Choose tyres that are on the wheel manufacturer’s compatible tyre list. An incompatible tyre might roll off the rim, potentially causing injury or even death. A tyre that is the right size for the rim may negate the need for tyre mounting pliers. Seating a tyre in a rim will require a high-pressure pump. Despite sealant in the tyres, pack a spare tube and a high-pressure pump or CO2 inflator in case a puncture is too large for a plug to repair.

What You Need to Run Tubeless Tyres

Apart from the carbon rims (I ride on alloy rims), the items below are the exact items I use to keep my bicycle wheels rolling. The Continental Gatorskins are not the lightest tyres but the PolyX Breaker™ cut and puncture-proof layer is worth the extra 115 grams over the Vectran™ Breaker layer in a Continental Grand Prix 5000 tyre. The only maintenance these tyres need is an occasional top-up of air using my Silca Superpista floor pump.

What You Need to Run Clincher Tyres

A challenge to greater acceptance of road tubeless tyres is the level of confusion around which tyres can be used with which rims. The ETRTO road tubeless standards act as a guideline for rim and tyre manufacturers, but there is no law forcing manufacturers to adhere to these standards. This is especially problematic with hookless rims.

Earlier this month the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) issued a statement stating it is investigating “recent incidents” involving hookless rims and tubeless tyres “as a matter of urgency… in the interest of rider safety” following Thomas De Gendt’s crash at the UAE Tour in March 2024, which saw his 28mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR road tyre blow off a Zipp 353 NSW wheel, which uses hookless rims.

For those wanting the benefits of road tubeless tyres and especially hookless rims, there is hope for the technology to become much more accessible and easier to use as the industry agrees on new standard guidelines. The use of road tubeless tyres may one day match the almost 100% acceptance of tubeless tyres for mountain bikes, where tubeless compatibility is mostly straightforward.

My issue with road tubeless tyres is the hassle sealant brings. Sealant oozing through sidewalls. The potential for spills when pouring sealant into the tyre. Sealant spraying out through a puncture. The need to remove dry sealant from inside the tyre and valve.

Photographs clockwise from top left courtesy of trainerroad.com, bikeradar.com, GCN Tech and slowtwitch.com

There is a new tyre on the market that may address these issues. The Hutchinson Challenger TLR. This tubeless tyre is designed to run without sealant.

Photograph courtesy of cycling.hutchinson.com

Hutchinson’s HARDSHIELD™ technology provides puncture protection. Their AIRSHIELD™ technology ensures the tyre is airtight.

Graphic courtesy of cycling.hutchinson.com

The Challenger TLR is an all-season tyre that apparently offers better ride quality than the Gatorskins I use now. At about €60 / MYR300 the Challenger TLR is not a cheap tyre. Nevertheless, when my clincher tyres need replacing I may take the plunge into the road tubeless world with the Hutchinson Challenger TLRs.

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I Can Carry On Cycling

Posted on March 30, 2024 by alchemyrider
Graphic courtesy of tickettoridehighlands.co.uk

When I started cycling in 2008, my Biker Chick and I agreed that I must pass annual health checkups to continue to cycle.

These checkups included a cardiac stress test. This test helps determine how well your heart responds to physical exertion. The patient is connected to an electrocardiogram (ECG) machine, a blood oxygen level monitor, and a blood pressure cuff. The test starts on a treadmill at a walking pace. The speed and grade of the treadmill increase as the test continues. Vital signs are recorded every three minutes. The test ends when the patient reaches a calculated maximum heart rate or cannot continue because of fatigue, shortness of breath, etc.

Graphic courtesy of my.clevelandclinic.org

My stress test results at subsequent annual health checks continued to be good.

In 2021, I decided to have a cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan and an echocardiogram at the Institut Jantung Negara (National Heart Institute). These tests were part of a Heart Health Package that included blood and urine tests, a chest X-ray, a pelvic ultrasound, spirometry and a breath CO2 test, and a Vascular Ankle Brachial Index.

A cardiac CT scan uses multiple X-ray beams in conjunction with an intravenous contrast dye to produce three-dimensional images of the heart structure and associated blood vessels. A cardiac CT scan generates a coronary calcium scan to reveal any buildup of calcium in the heart arteries. It also evaluates if there is a narrowing or a blockage in the arteries that bring blood to the heart.

Graphic courtesy of my.clevelandclinic.org

My cardiac CT scan revealed a mild to moderate non-calcified atherosclerotic disease in the left anterior descending coronary artery and mild mixed calcified and non-calcified atherosclerotic disease in the right coronary artery.

Graphic courtesy of hopkinsmedicine.org

These blockages would not have been detected by a cardiac stress test. I can pass a cardiac stress test despite the mild to moderate blockages in my heart arteries. The cardiac CT scan detected the blockages early enough that angioplasty or stenting was not needed. The only change to my lifestyle, if it can be called that, is a daily statin tablet.

The echocardiogram uses ultrasound to check the structure and function of the heart valves and chambers. The ultrasound is often combined with Doppler ultrasound and colour Doppler techniques to evaluate blood flow across the heart’s valves.

Graphic courtesy of thoughtco.com

The echocardiogram did not reveal any anomalies. All my heart structures and heart functions are normal.

Since that first visit, I have had semi-annual visits to the IJN. Every visit includes blood and urine tests and a consultation with my usual doctor. I have an echocardiogram every other visit. My most recent echocardiogram was three days ago. My results were excellent, and my ticket to ride is good for the next six months.

Photo courtesy of Nuno Ricardo on Unsplash

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Have Bicycle Prices Shot Up?

Posted on March 26, 2024 by alchemyrider

Paradoxes abound in the cycling press these days. On the one hand, the last twelve months have seen the news about bike brands like WiggleCRC, Planet X, Orange Bikes, and Islabikes going to the wall. Brands, distributors and shops have piles of unsold stock and have resorted to deep discounting, sometimes as much as 50%, to move product.

On the other hand, questions like “Why are modern bikes so expensive?” and “Are bikes more expensive than they used to be?” are being discussed on cycling podcasts.

So which view is the right one? Everyone agrees that the bike industry is in turmoil. Manufacturers with new releases in the pipeline are striving to empty warehouses by selling old stock at cost or even below it. By the same token, as soon as manufacturers get new models, they will bring the prices to more stable levels so they can start making some money again.

One way to look at the price of bicycles over the past ten years or so is to see how closely aligned bike prices are with the inflation rate. In the UK, the inflation rate between 2012 and 2024 was 37%.

Over that period the Giant TCR price went up 50%, from £1,999 to £2,999. The Specialized Tarmac went up 62.5%, £2,000 to £3,250. The Trek Madone, however, went up a whopping 160%, from £3,000 to £10,200. If the price of the Madone had tracked the inflation rate, it would cost £4,106 in 2024.

The Giant TCR and the Specialized Tarmac cost more today than their inflation-adjusted price. Not by much, though. The 2024 price of the Trek Madone, on the other hand, is eye-watering.

Data courtesy of cycling weekly.com
Inflation Calculator courtesy of bankofengland.co.uk

My experience of price drift can be seen in what I paid for the two Ti frames I bought from Alchemy and what they charge for a Ti frame in 2024. I paid $2,400 for a Ti frame with carbon seat and chain stays and an EDGE 2.0 road fork in 2011. In 2015, a Ti frame and ENVE fork cost me $3,750. Alchemy sells its Atlas All Road Ti frame and carbon fork today for $5,500.

Like prices in the UK, Alchemy’s prices for these frames have increased faster than the US inflation rate. The US inflation rate between 2012 and 2024 was 35.2%.

Over that period, the Alchemy Ti frame went up 129%. If the price of the Alchemy Ti frame had tracked the inflation rate, it would cost $3,244 in 2024. It is selling at a premium of $2,256. Interestingly, a 56cm version of the Atlas All Road Ti frame is on sale on the Alchemy website for $3,500.

Inflation Calculator courtesy of usinflationcalculator.com

There is no doubt that bicycles are more expensive to manufacture today than they were in 2012. Raw material and labour costs have increased. Freight and insurance costs have increased. A frame with internal cabling is more expensive to manufacture. Disc brakes are more expensive than rim brakes. Bike components like electronic groupsets cost more than mechanical ones.

It is also clear that manufacturers have significantly increased the prices of their high-end bicycles. The Trek Madone referenced above is one example. These bikes are skilfully marketed. “You too can ride the exact bikes that the best riders in the world use at races like the Tour de France.” These superbikes grab the lion’s share of media coverage. Much more so than lower-spec bikes.

It stands to reason that the average cyclist feels that bike prices are getting out of hand. That is certainly true of the type of bicycle most prominent in the cycling press. The bicycles that Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Vingegaard race on.

A closer look at the full range of bikes from big manufacturers reveals cost-effective options for cyclists who do not want the lightest frames and the latest components. The chart below shows the cheapest offering within each model family. The cheapest bicycle in the Trek Emonda line, for example. There are, of course, better-specced and thus more expensive bikes within each model range.

Price data courtesy of the respective manufacturer’s website

The Giant Contend and the Trek Domane AL 2 Rim are on sale for less than $1,000. These 8-speed bikes are likely to appeal to beginner cyclists only.

The reasonably specced bikes, by which I mean sold with Shimano 105 group sets, start at $1,800 for the Giant TCR Advanced 2 Pro Compact 2 (discounted online from $2,500). At $5,400, you start moving into composite frames, like the Giant Propel Advanced. This bike comes with a SRAM Rival eTap groupset, which makes it a good value.

Of course, the sky is the limit when it comes to superbikes. The Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, and $21,900, is a case in point. You can buy a new car for less than that.

The paradox of deep discounting, including two-for-one offers, existing side-by-side with superbikes costing tens of thousands of dollars, looks to continue. It remains to be seen how long the bike industry will struggle with the post-COVID downturn in demand. It also remains to be seen how long consumers will continue to support ever-increasing prices.

In the meantime, there are bicycles for all budgets.

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BOA® Fit System Lifetime Guarantee

Posted on March 22, 2024 by alchemyrider

The BOA® Fit System was developed in 2001 to improve the fit and performance of snowboard lacing systems. BOA® micro-adjustable dial and cable fastening systems have since found a place on sports and work footwear, cycling helmets and bags, motorsports gloves and pants, and even as lumbar support adjustment on fishing kayaks.

I own several items that have BOA® dials on them. The ones that get the most use are my Shimano S-Phyre shoes. I gave no thought to the durability of the BOA® dials and cables until the cover of one dial came away in my hand as I was loosening the fastening.

With a bit of super glue, the dial was functional again. A few months later, the entire dial, including the cable reel, separated from its base. This looked like a more complicated repair, so I took the shoe to my LBS, The Bike Artisans. I bought the shoes there. The shop mechanic told me that the dials cannot be replaced because they are stitched into the uppers.

I was disappointed to hear that. The shoes are in good condition.

I assume that after four years of regular use, the plastic within the dial had deteriorated to the point of failure. I convinced Melvin to try super glueing the cable reel back onto its base. He was dubious, but he gave it a go.

The super glue worked. The dial spins and ratchets, tightening and loosening the cable. Melvin told me not to pull up on the dial. This means I have lost the quick-release function, but that is a small price to pay to have usable shoes. This is the shoe. The repaired dial is the one on the strap.

Something bothers me about the irreplaceability of the BOA® dials on my shoes. I don’t know how long the repaired dial will last. The other dials will likely fail. I took a look at the BOA® website. BOA offers a lifetime guarantee. There is even a photograph of a broken dial with the base sewn into the upper.

Photograph courtesy of @brenttaylorphoto

The on-line support is extensive. Including a Redeem Repair Kit option.

Screenshot courtesy of boafit.com

According to the website, I need 5 to 10 minutes, a photo of the broken gear and the gear on hand to identify the parts required. It took less than 10 minutes for me to answer the questions, upload a photograph, and for the system to determine the correct parts for my shoe.

BOA® has just confirmed receipt of my order. A free repair kit with one right-side and one left-side dial should reach me in seven days. The downside is the replacement dials are black.

I can order dials that match the ones on my shoes online from a local supplier. The cost is MYR144 (USD31) for a pair of right-side or left-side dials. I can live with a free black dial.

Update

The warranty replacement dial kit has arrived from BOA®. The blue set is for the left shoe, and the red set is for the right. Included is a small torx screwdriver for the screw that holds the cable reel to the dial base.

The glue repair is still holding. I am ready for when it fails.

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How Many Road Bikes Do You Own?

Posted on March 20, 2024 by alchemyrider

I subscribe to a weekly e-newsletter from Road Bike Rider. Each issue closes with a Question of the Week. These were the options for a recent poll:

  • Just my one road bike
  • 2 road bikes
  • 3 road bikes
  • 4 road bikes
  • 5 or more road bikes because you can never have too many

This is the result of that poll:

I am among the 26.81% of 1,854 respondents who own three road bikes. Over 85% own more than one road bike. Perhaps not surprising given that the respondents are readers of a cycling publication.

How did I come to own three bicycles?

I bought my first road bike in 2010. My steel Alchemy. 

By 2011 I was living in The Netherlands, riding a lot, and wanting a frame that was stiffer than my steel frame. Alchemy built a titanium + carbon bike for me. These two bikes came home with me to Kuala Lumpur in 2012.

In 2013, I made plans to ride the BP MS150 and the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour in Texas and New York, respectively. I needed a bike that was easy to travel with. I bought a Ti Ritchey Break-Away.

I made another trip to the US in 2015 for a cycling vacation. Alchemy Bicycle Company had by then relocated from Austin, Texas, to Golden, Colorado. My cycling vacation was based 40 km away from Golden, in Boulder. Convenient, as I could order another bike from Alchemy, pick it up when I arrived and ride it on my Cognoscenti adventure. That would be much more fun than travelling with my Break-Away.

To make room for my new Alchemy Eros, I sold my two other Alchemy bikes. The steel bike went to a friend in KL, and the Ti bike went to a colleague who took it with him when he returned to Canada.

I bought the steel bike back in 2019. The friend I sold it to only rode it a few times in five years. After a conversation with my Biker Chick, we agreed that I should buy it back for sentimental reasons if nothing else. 

I ride all three bikes. To get a view of use over the bicycles’ lifetimes, I dug into my Strava data, and this is the result: 

The graph shows the three road bikes I own now and the Ti bike I sold in 2015.

The Eros is by far the bike I ride the most. It is the one that is most comfortable for any ride longer than 50 kilometres. 

That historical 1:1 ratio of the number of rides on the Eros versus the total number of rides on the steel and Break-Away bikes holds today. So far in 2024, I have ridden the Eros sixteen times and the steel bike and the Break-Away a combined total of seventeen times. I do enjoy alternating between them all.

There is an old joke among cyclists. Ask the question, “How many bikes do you need?” and the answer is, “Well, if N is the number of bikes you have, N+1 is the number of bikes you need.”

I don’t need three bicycles, let alone four or more. I can do without the Break-Away. The last time I packed that bike into its case for travel was in 2018. Despite its sentimental value, I could part with the steel bike. 

I do like the three bikes that I own, though. I will keep them for as long as I can.

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Cycling in the Centre of Kuala Lumpur

Posted on March 5, 2024 by alchemyrider

I came home to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in 2012. A city of 8.8 million people spread over 243km2. I have lived in the city centre since then. First, where the orange star to the right is, and now where the second star is. The pink compass rose marks the geographic centre of KL. The shaded grey area is the Central Business District and the city’s main shopping and nightlife district. I have ridden many kilometres in and around the city centre.

Personal Heatmap courtesy of Strava

Many of my friends are surprised that I ride so much in KL city centre traffic. “Isn’t it dangerous?” they ask.

The answer is “Yes, you need to be careful.” But not because it is in the city centre. You need to always have your wits about you because of the way some people people drive. Some drivers are impatient. Some drivers misjudge the speed at which cyclists are travelling. Some drivers are distracted by their mobile phones. These behaviours present dangers to cyclists no matter where they are riding.

I will give you some examples. This is a common occurrence. I am within 50 metres of an intersection on my left. A vehicle behind me wants to turn left (1).

What should happen is the vehicle slows down, waits for me to ride past the intersection, and makes the left turn behind me (2).

What often happens is the vehicle overtakes and immediately turns left in front of me. There have been several instances where I have been forced to swerve left to avoid hitting the vehicle turning in front of me (3).

A similar thing often happens with buses approaching a bus stop. Instead of waiting behind me until I have ridden past the bus stop (1) and (2), the bus will overtake me and immediately pull into the bus stop (3).

I consider the above examples of driver impatience. The following examples may be because of misjudgement or distraction, as well as impatience.

In this case, a vehicle is waiting to turn from a side road onto the road that I am on. What should happen is the vehicle waits until I have ridden past before making the turn behind me (1) and (2). What sometimes happens is the vehicle pulls out in front of me and forces me to take evasive action (3).

The same thing has happened to me at roundabouts. Instead of waiting for me to pass (1) and (2), the vehicle enters the roundabout right in front of me (3). There is a misapprehension in KL that the vehicle entering a roundabout has the right of way. In fact, vehicles already on the roundabout have the right of way.

Sometimes the driver makes eye contact so I know I have been seen. I can only assume a combination of impatience and misjudging my moving speed is the reason for pulling out in front of me. Even worse, there have also been times when a driver pulled out in front of me without first looking in my direction.

A more egregious example of impatience or inattention has happened to me at a four-way junction. The vehicle wanting to turn right should wait until I have ridden through the intersection before turning (1) and (2). Instead, I have had vehicles make the right turn across my path in front of me, forcing me to swerve left to avoid a collision.

This next situation happens because the drivers are looking at their mobile phones and not at the road. I know this because instead of (1) and (2) happening, I am forced to the right and alongside the vehicle as the driver pulls onto the roadway without looking behind the vehicle first (3). I see the driver looking at their mobile phone as they pull out to the right.

Another example that is almost certainly because drivers are looking at mobile phones is when vehicles weave to the left and right. It’s not much fun when you are beside the vehicle when it starts to weave.

All this makes it seem that it is dangerous to cycle in KL city centre. It certainly is not 100% safe, but I doubt it is any more dangerous than cycling in any other inner city would be. I ride a lot in the evenings. Cycling during rush hour is probably safer than at any other time. The traffic jams mean that no one is moving faster than I am.

I don’t fear for my well-being whenever I venture onto the city streets. That does not mean I cycle with careless abandon. You must ride smart.

  • Activate your front and rear lights.
  • Use hand signals early and make sure the road is clear behind you before making turns or crossing lanes.
  • Comply with traffic lights and road signs.
  • Do not ride in a vehicle’s blind spot.
  • Ride on quieter side streets where possible.
  • Finally, the key to cycling in any city centre is . . .

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The Evolution of How I Carry Things on My Bike

Posted on February 29, 2024 by alchemyrider

Soon after I bought my first bicycle in 2009, I had my first flat. This was when I learned that every cyclist must carry tyre levers, a spare tube and a pump or CO2 inflator whenever they ride. I put those items into a saddlebag, along with house and car keys. I don’t remember how I carried cash.

I went through a variety of saddlebags over the years. All were like these examples from Topeak and Lezyne.

By 2010 I was using a Rapha Tool Roll.

I liked this tool roll because I could cinch it tight under my saddle. This stopped items in the roll from rattling.

The white leather strap was held tight by teeth in the buckle. This worked well until the teeth lost their sharpness due to use and rust, and the leather strap began to fray. After one too many instances of the strap loosening and an inner tube and tools dropping onto the road while riding, I swapped the Rapha for a Silca Seat Roll Premio.

The advantage of the Premio was its BOA closure system. This was a more secure attachment method than the buckle and strap of the Rapha Tool Roll. I used the Premio from 2016 until 2018.

The reason for switching from the Premio to a Specialized KEG Storage Vessel is in this post from February 2018.

I still use the KEG to hold a spare tube, tyre levers, keys, etc.

As I said at the top of this post, I don’t remember how I carried cash and a credit card in my early days of cycling. It would not have been long before I bought my first Rapha Rainproof Essentials case.

Over the next decade, that first Essentials Case was augmented by some others in different colours.

In 2018, I bought a Silca Phone Wallet. I had started doing multi-day credit card touring rides. I needed a waterproof rather than just a water-resistant wallet.

The Phone Wallet had an internal dry bag, making it ideal for protecting my mobile phone and cash. The downside was that the phone wallet was bulky. It only saw use on multi-day rides.

I stopped carrying my Essentials Case in a jersey pocket in 2018. That is when I discovered Cargo Bib Shorts with mesh pockets on the legs. No more struggling to take my wallet out of a jersey pocket while pedalling. And no more unloading a jersey pocket before settling into a chair.

The Rapha Rainproof Essentials cases were my go-to cycling wallets until the end of 2022. That is when I got an iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 was just a tad too long for the Essentials Case. So I ordered a Rainproof Essentials Case – Large. And broke out the Silca Phone Wallet, which is big enough to hold an iPhone 14, while waiting for delivery of the large Essentials Case.

Early this year, I did the Audax Pink Ride 7.0. Each participant was given a clear plastic Cycling Wallet to stop their brevet cards from getting wet.

The pouch is big enough to hold my iPhone 14. I left my large Essentials Case at home and did the Pink Ride with my mobile phone, brevet card, cash and credit card in the Cycling Wallet.

I like not just being able to see my mobile phone screen through the wallet. I can also operate the touch screen through the wallet. No need to take the mobile phone out to use it.

The Audax Randonneurs Malaysia Cycling Wallet has become my method of choice for carrying whatever doesn’t go into my Specialized KEG Storage Vessel.

A new way to carry things on my bike might be around the corner. Evolution never stops.

Graphic courtesy of wildpixel

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μ = Sum of Values ÷ Total Number of Values*

Posted on February 21, 2024 by alchemyrider
Photograph courtesy of Justin Morgan at unsplash.com

I was chatting recently with a friend about bell curves. We were discussing employee performance evaluations. Whether or not to force-fit performance evaluations to a bell curve is a debate that often comes up.

A bell curve is a graphical depiction of a normal distribution. The theory is that the majority of employees should fall into the “Average Performers” category, and 15% to 20% of employees should fall into either the “Low Performers” category or the “High Performers” category.

Graph courtesy of updconsulting.com

This morning, I clicked on a link for a post titled Strava Year In Sport Trend Report: Insights on the World of Exercise. The post summarised average speed and distance data for cycling activities uploaded to Strava between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. I wondered where I fell on the bell curve of cycling performance as tracked by Strava.

The post lists average cycling speed and distance by age.

There is very little difference in average speed across the four age categories. Just half a kilometre per hour separates Gen Z at 20.8 kph and Millennials and Boomers at 20.3 kph. Gen X averaged 20.6 kph.

My average speed in 2023 was 20.8 kph (indicated by the *). Above average as a Boomer.

Interestingly, Boomers had the longest rides, averaging 33.6 km per ride. Millennials had the shortest, at 22.2 km per ride. Perhaps we retired Boomers have more time to devote to cycling.

I am happy that my average distance of 40.2 km (indicated by the *) is above average for not just my Boomers category but for all age categories.

I am on the right-hand side of the bell curve for both average cycling speed and average distance per ride. For the population of cyclists posting on Strava, anyway. As a Boomer, that is a blessing.

* μ (mu) represents the average or mean of a particular sample.

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Home Sweet Home

Posted on February 15, 2024 by alchemyrider

I have lived in several cities. All of which are memorable for one reason or another. As far as road cycling is concerned, I got into the sport in Houston. I saw how a city can be cyclist-friendly in The Hague.

Home, though, is Kuala Lumpur, or ‘KL’. I have lived on and off in KL for almost fifty years, in twelve different homes within a 10-kilometre by 13-kilometre rectangle.

Half of those homes, including the two most recent ones, sit within a 1-kilometre by 3-kilometre rectangle. I am definitely an inner-city dweller.

My Strava history in KL started in October 2012. Since then, I have ridden many kilometres within that 10-kilometre by 13-kilometre rectangle containing all the KL homes I have lived in.

Until recently, I remembered only eleven of those homes. Of those, one has been razed and is now a car park, and three have been replaced by multi-storey buildings. I often ride past five surviving buildings where I lived and past where the four used to be. The only previous home I have not cycled past is the apartment in Taman Bukit Pantai.

What of the forgotten home? I was digging through old documents and came across my original birth certificate. Hand-written in blue pencil on paper so creased it is held together with cellotape.

I have masked some of the details, including “Mother’s usual place of Residence.” A quick check on Google Maps revealed that I regularly cycle within 400 metres of that address.

A few days ago I took that 400 metre detour. The building is still there, sixty-six years after I was brought home to it from Bangsar Hospital.

Getting to this building involves twice merging across multiple lanes on a busy road. So, I am unlikely to ride past it much. It is nice to know it is still standing, though. Which is more than I can say for Bangsar Hospital.

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