September was a bad month for haze in peninsular Malaysia. Outdoor events had been cancelled in the weeks leading up to this ride. The haze lifted enough for the ride to proceed, albeit over a shortened distance.
In the next instalment – the seven rides we squeezed into the fourth quarter of 2019.
We are in December 2017. Many bikes had bearings serviced after the wet wet wet wet days in Southern Thailand. In time for the following weekend’s trip to Simpang Pulai.
2017 ended with a small group riding on Friday from Tampin to Melaka for a guided food tour courtesy of AA. Saturday took us to Port Dickson. Then back to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, together with four other R@SKLs whom we met at Morib.
Another ride from Kota Kemuning to Morib to start this set of rides. The R@SKLs joined the Bangsar Cycling Group for this ride. More than forty of us in all.
Fraser’s Hill in style. A ride in a brand new INFINITI car to Kuala Kubu Bharu and back. Support vehicles and an ambulance accompanying us on the climb to the Fraser’s Hill clock tower. Brunch in the Shahzan Inn. Very nice.
Essentially confined to barracks for the duration of the current lockdown, I have entertained myself by looking at my previous blog posts. A lot of those posts are about rides with the R@SKLs. Here are summaries of those rides, with photographs and links to the relevant posts.
HCL introduced me to his R@SKL friends after the 2016 Campaign for a Lane ride in Penang. A meeting I will remember for the “lost pedal” incident.
My first ride with the R@SKLs was in October that year. The Melaka Century ride had been cancelled at the last minute. Our hotel bookings were non-refundable. We decided to go to Melaka anyway and ride from there to Muar and back.
Note: I do get asked if my blog is about cycling or about food. The photograph above may understate the importance the R@SKLs put on good food and drink relative to cycling 😄.
A couple of the R@SKLs worked for CIMB, a leading ASEAN universal bank headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Probably why we agreed to drive 120km to the start, ride 120km and drive 120km home.
The closest I get to cycling during this latest total lockdown is looking at photographs. I came across this set of snaps from a ride to Paya Indah Wetlands.
The Paya Indah Wetlands – Paya Indah means Beautiful Swamp – is a man-made wetlands area that was created on land heavily degraded by tin mining and sand dredging activities. The excavations left by the mining works were converted into lakes which are now home to fish, lotus plants and water lilies, and some other more exotic species. More on those in a minute.
The R@SKLs rode to the wetlands just after the first Movement Control Order was lifted in May 2020. We couldn’t get in at the time because public parks, including Paya Indah, were still not open to the public. Paya Indah opened in June 2020, and we rode there again to see those exotic species.
On our way from Rimbayu.
As is so often the case on R@SKLs rides, the first order of business upon arrival is food and drink.
Here is one of the exotic species I mentioned.
Baby and Lily are the stars of the show at Paya Indah Wetlands. They are a gift from the government of Botswana.
Geetha drove there with her very excited children.
The kids loved the hippos.
And the crocs.
After viewing the fauna we explored the park. We found this lookout tower.
We convinced JS to clamber up the tower.
Then it was time to ride back to Rimbayu.
I fear it will be a while yet before we can do a similar 65km cross-district ride.
To many cyclists, “bicycle parts” means components like bars, saddles, cassettes, chainrings and wheels. Small parts do not tend to come to mind. Until something goes wrong with one.
Cable end caps are a good example. These ferrules are usually aluminium and crimped into place over the ends of shifter and brake cables. Their purpose is to keep the individual wires that make up a cable from fraying. Frayed cables can impair shifting and braking performance. The sharp wires can also give a cyclist a nasty scratch.
Cable end caps can add a little extra flair to your ride. Cable ends caps come in a multitude of colours to match any paint scheme.
Cable end caps rarely fall off. One may get knocked off in a crash. Not having cable end caps installed is more likely the fault of an inattentive mechanic who forgot to crimp them on after replacing cables.
Photograph courtesy of wolftoothcomponents.com
Bar-end plugs fit into the open ends of handlebars. These plugs are installed to prevent serious injury in the case of a fall. Open-ended handlebars can puncture the abdomen in a crash, with deadly results.
Bar-end plugs fix the ends of bar tape to the bar. Bar-end plugs are usually replaced every time new bar tape is installed. Cheaper bar tape usually comes with friction fit plugs. These are held in place by a series of ribs.
Friction fit plugs can be dislodged when bars rub against something. For example, when bikes are moved into and out of car boots.
More expensive bar tapes come with expanding plugs. These are locked into place by tightening the screw on the face of the plugs. This makes them more secure.
Custom bar-end plugs are available in many colours and with any graphic imaginable to personalise your ride.
Photograph courtesy of mtbdirct.com.au
You could ride with frayed cables and no bar-end plugs. You wouldn’t want to cycle far without at last one bottle of water or other drink on your bike. Bottle cages are held onto the bike by M5 bolts. These are 5 mm in diameter.
These bolts do loosen over time, so they are worth checking occasionally. You will probably notice a loose bottle cage mid-ride. Hopefully, before one or more bolts have fallen out.
Loose or missing bottle cage bolts won’t hurt you. The rattling may bother you, though. As might carrying a bidon in your jersey pocket if a bottle cage falls off.
Bottle cages do not come with bolts. The M5 bolts are usually pre-installed when you buy a frame.
Bottle cage bolts can be another source of bling. They come in many colours and bolt head shapes. There are even Ti versions for the weight-obsessed.
Photograph courtesy of sram.com
Finding replacement cable end caps, bar-end plugs, and bottle cage bolts is easy. Much more difficult to replace are the quick-release levers on SRAM Red Aero Link brakes. These levers open the brake calipers, so the wheel can be removed. I gave no thought to these levers until I snapped one in a crash.
I needed a replacement because that brake caliper was almost impossible to open without the lever.
A brake quick-release lever comes in a set identified as SRAM part number 11.5118.000.000. The set has all the parts needed to replace the barrel adjustment assembly. And impossible to find in Malaysia. To my eternal gratitude, my good friend HCP was able to get a set from Taiwan.
The following two items on my list are not bicycle parts per se. They are parts of accessories essential to me, though.
This is the Garmin Varia 500 front light. It put out up to 600 lumens and was controllable by my Garmin Edge bike computer. I was happy with this light until a design flaw came to light (I couldn’t resist!)
The on/off switch was covered with a rubbery material that deteriorated over time. Once that cracked off, it became difficult to turn the light on and off. My light was, Sod’s Law, out of warranty and discontinued. Not that it mattered. The local Garmin distributor did not stock the replacement black case section.
I now use a Garmin UT800. This light puts out up to 800 lumens, is controlled from my Garmin Edge, and has a redesigned on/off switch, which looks much more robust.
More bad press for Garmin. I have not experienced this failure – yet – but it has happened to a friend. One or both of the tabs on the back of the Edge 100 and Edge 1030 cycling computers can snap off. These tabs engage with the notches on the bike mount and lock the device into place. If a tab snaps during a ride, an expensive cycling computer can fall and be damaged or lost.
Fortunately this is a part the can be replaced by the local distributor.
Photograph courtesy of roadbikeaction.com
Back to SRAM for my last entry. I like their electronic Red eTap shifting system a lot. Including the convenience of easily swappable batteries.
Those batteries have a tab that fits into a slot on each derailleur body. A latch at the top then snaps into place to lock the battery onto the derailleur body.
Until the tab on the battery snaps, as has happened to me. I suspect this happens because of a combination of the plastic becoming brittle and not lifting the tab clear of the slot before tilting the battery away from the derailleur.
These are not ride-ending issues like a snapped derailleur hanger or a cracked rim is. Nevertheless, they are annoying when they happen.
You may have heard the phrase, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” In this case, the small stuff may make you sweat.
The ban on outdoor cycling goes on. Here are more things that are always in plain sight, which I only noticed on my walks around the neighbourhood.
Courtesy of Google Maps
1
The row of dance clubs at the end of Jalan Doraisamy are closed. No more bhangra music until late on weekends. The mural on the Maccal Luxe Club wall remains, though.
2 & 3
These are the Ali and Muthu murals on the wall of the Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock Dang Wangi outlet.
4
The last time I walked there, The waterfall in front of the KL Forest Eco Park dominated my attention. The next time I saw the various leaf imprints on the pavement.
5
I now know that pavement is part of the Urban Forest Trail. The manhole covers date from when the Eco Park was known as the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. Nanas being the Bahasa Malaysia word for “pineapple.”
6
The roadside electrical cabinets on Jalan Ampang near the Malaysian Tourism Centre sport city scenes. What a nice change from the usual dull grey.
7
The hoarding surrounding the empty lot next to the W Kuala Lumpur is a 225 metres / 740 feet long mural featuring Malaysian plant and animal life.
8
Jubilation IIis by the Malaysian artist Eng Tay. Cast in 2009, it is his ode to the simple joys in life. This installation is in front of Marc Residence on Jalan Pinang.
9
Next door is the Ascott Residence, where this little fountain lives.
10
The next buildings along are the Etiqa Twins. The two towers are set back from the road, so I missed the Bentley showroom the first time past. After I took this photograph, I noticed the Aston Martin showroom in the other tower.
11
Across the road is the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and another fountain.
12
The Ruma is hard to miss from a bicycle. It wasn’t until I walked past that I realised the windowed box on the mezzanine level looks into the ATAS Modern Malaysia Eatery.
Executive Chef Tyson G sometimes rides with us. He serves up a delicious menu featuring fresh interpretations of local favourites featuring local herbs and produce.
13
Kuala Lumpur City Hall procured a range of posters commemorating World Children’s Day 2018. The magic of Google Map’s Street View reveals that in November 2018, the backdrop at this bus stop across from the Concorde Hotel on Jalan Sultan Ismail had the tagline Education, #For EveryChild in Malaysia.
Then it changed to #For EveryChild, the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Now the message is about safety. The child on a bicycle is an appropriate way to close this post.
One of my friends regularly cycles along a particular road. It was only when he walked the same route that he noticed the Telecoms Museum.
Like my friend, I walk now as cycling is not allowed during the Movement Control Order. Similarly, I am noticing details that I was blind to when I cycled those roads. This just goes to show how much I have to focus on the road when I ride.
My walks have been around my immediate neighbourhood, with a few taking me further afield. The numbers on the map show the locations of sights I probably looked at but did not consciously see when I cycled by.
1
Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock is a kopitiam chain. One outlet opened within a stone’s throw of where I live. This is on the side of the building housing the café. Ali and Muthu have their own murals.
2
There are two signs like this identifying The Row of renovated shophouses. I’ve been up and down Jalan Doraisamy for years now. I didn’t notice the other sign until a week ago.
3
This mural is on the outside wall at the rear of Gavel café. This photograph is a mashup of two images. The quote is actually separate and a few feet away from the waiter.
4
This mermaid is on the side wall of Woo Pin Fish Head Noodle House.
5
This building was the sales gallery for the apartment block where I live. After the sales push ended, the gallery was refurbished. I assume these wings were painted as part of that refurbishment. There is no indication of what the building will be used for in future.
6
“Where to next?” My list is long. But who knows when the owner of this mural, MS Star Travel Agencies, will be booking tourist travel again?
7
This combined actual and painted waterfall is part of the KL Forest Eco Park. It sits at the T-junction where Jalan Dang Wangi intersects Jalan Ampang. I ride to that T-junction every time I cycle from home. I haven’t noticed it because when I turn left, my attention is on a bump and a grating at the corner. When I turn right, I am looking over my shoulder while I cross two lanes.
8
The coloured spotlights lit the KL Tower as dusk fell while I finished my loops of the neighbourhood.
9
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is a one-way street. This mural is visible only when facing the flow of traffic.
There are two of these chrome red bears in front of Star Residences. I believe they are a references to Sleepy Bear Sdn. Bhd., the former name of the company managing this property.
12
I last saw this pink food truck three years ago at the TAPAK Urban Street Dining lot on the corner of Jalan Ampang and Persiaran Hampshire. It caught my eye because my late father hailed from Bera in the state of Pahang. In the 1970s, Kuala Bera was a tiny kampung with no electricity or running water, accessible only by laterite roads and a series of ferries. Now it is a town with hotels, supermarkets and fast-food restaurants. And at least one pizza-serving pink food truck.
This truck is now parked outside a restaurant on Jalan Liew Weng Chee that serves Pahang specialities. No doubt waiting, like the rest of us, for the resumption of sit-down dining.
The cycling ban has been extended to 28th June. I have lots more time to spot what I missed from the saddle.
As for what you see in the image at the start of this post. Pillars or men?
Old Roots, New Routes 