2XU Sale at Takashimaya

I bought a 2XU sleeveless shirt that I can use when cycling. It's currently on sale:1 for 19 SGD or 2 for 30 SGD. I bought 2 pieces both color black. Another available color is red. 2XU performance compression top and pants are also on sale. Great fit.

Here's a write-up about 2XU - Compression Clothing for Increased Performance and Improved Recovery. It's a good read.

Front

Back

Front - fitted
Nipple patch required :D

Back - fitted

Know your Bike by riding it Hard.

I did a 13 kilometer ride today on the same route with incline at Thompson road, Chancery lane, Balmoral road and Goodwill road.

This time I tried to push the pace harder but I suddenly felt that the handlebar was shaking. A slight turn will wobble the entire front of the bike. I was a bit worried and had to stop to check what's wrong. I tightened the stem bar clamp. It did eliminate the shaking but the ride is still a bit shaky everytime I pushed it hard on incline. I'm still not sure if the stem bar is really the cause or if this is a known problem/issue on folding bikes. I'll try to ask around and do some research and will update this entry if I get any good findings.

06-27-2012 Ride

Update: I've been following a guy on Instagram and he's a bike enthusiast and we both have the same Dahon Speed P8. I asked him about this problem and confirmed that he experienced the same thing. He advised to tighten the bolt on the handlebar. He even provided a picture to show which bolt to tighten. Awesome guy! It did fix the problem!

Bell Helmet Sold

I just sold my first helmet. I was thinking of keeping it in case I decided to do some wake-boarding or paragliding (yikes!). In the end I don't think I'll have the time for it as I can't even fit training jiu-jitsu for the past two months. I sold it by half of its original price since the helmet was manufactured on September 2011, which I wasn't aware when I bought it, and it has some scratches as I always put it on the floor everytime I'm at the parking lot. But I can guarantee that the helmet is still in good condition.

Bye Pong! Enjoy your new owner. :(

Hydroxycut?

Warning: This post was written while the author is suffering from a major vanity seizure.

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I was at the gym today doing my usual workout. I trained my arms and chest by doing the following:

Dips: 1 x 8 bodyweight; 1 x 8 (10kg); 1 x 8 (20kg); 5 x 5 (30kg); 5 x 1 (40kg)

Dumbbell bench: 5 x 3 (25kg)

Chin-ups: from bodyweight – 20kg - 30kg

Anyway, while I was doing my chin-ups one of my usual nod-gym-mates approached me and asked if I was using Hydroxycut, a supplement used to burn fat. It is usually taken by bodybuilders, models, celebrities or anyone that wants to shed those stubborn belly fats to rip-out their 6 pack abs. I said no and told him that I just started commuting by bicycle for more than a month now. He’s actually the third guy in the gym that told me that I got lean. I lost around 3 kilos in a span of 1 month. My current weight is 68kg. Not sure if that’s a good thing as I wanted to increase my weight so that I’m atleast 10% body fat at 75kg. Well, I’ll just keep on drinking milk/milk chocolate as much as I can. Yay, more food!

Hydorxycut

Another thing, some guys in the gym are asking me about what supplement do I take. I’m not an expert but I believe that supplement shouldn't be a lifter’s first priority neither any workout program. You can have all the program and supplement but if you are not doing compound lift and heavy sets then everything will just go to waste. I’ve been visiting EliteFTS and I read an article that if you train to achieve ‘strength’, everything else will be easier to achieve such as physique. This is the same advice given to me by John, a very strong guy that I met in the gym. He told me to even lower my reps from 5 down to 3 in certain set. I applied this in my squat, deadlift, weighted dips, chip-ups and pull-ups. The thing that impressed me about John is that he had a knee injury that made his left leg paralyzed. After doing a lot of rehabilitation, strengthening and foam-rolling he got back to squatting. For my case, I have herniated disc with sciatica and since I started doing heavier deadlift I was able to strengthen my back. Ofcourse, this is after 1 year and half of therapy, foam-rolling and gradual increase of deadlift weight.

Since we are talking about working out I’m planning to buy an indoor cycling for Lab-lab and a satchel + sunnies. I hope that everything goes well next week at work. Please, please, please!

Here are the supplements that I take in case anyone is interested.

ON Whey protein - 1 scoop morning, 2 scoops after workout, 1 scoop before bed.

Controlled Labs Creatine - 1 scoop 30 minutes before workout. When budget is tight, I don't buy for a month or two. Yes, I'm a stingy person.

Nordic Naturals Fish Oil Omega 3-6-9 - this is a must even for a couch potato!

Multi-vitamins.

The Adobo Workout

There are tons of fad workouts flying around: Insane workout, P90X, Cross-Fit. You name it, they have it.

Well I have my own version of working out that is definitely fun and delicious. It's called 'The Adobo Workout'

I took my bike out tonight to buy some vinegar as I'm planning to cook pork adobo for dinner. Guess what? As I'm about to reach the grocery store I continued to pedal all the way to Thompson Road -> Chancery Lane -> Balmoral Road -> Stevens Rd -> Goodwill Rd.

I ended up riding for an hour with lots of uphill road at Chancery Lane, Balmoral and Goodwill. Yay! On my way home I finally bought the precious vinegar and got in some good workout at the same time.

Variety of vinegar

Pinakurat
Rice Vinegar
Chinkiang (vinegar used for dumplings)

Pork adobo

GIRO Savant

Finally, I got myself a new helmet: GIRO Savant. I bought it for SGD 118.75 after discount of SGD 6.25 at Hup Leong. I also bought a red bottle cage worth SGD 10.

I gave myself two days to decide between Lazer Sphere and GIRO Savant. I opted for GIRO based on the following criteria.

	GIRO Savant	Lazer Sphere
Weight	238 grams	255 grams
Price	SGD 125	SGD 150
Design	Better style, color and outside finishing material that make the helmet visually worth your money.	The glossy external finishing of the helmet make it looks like a low-quality helmet. Note: I’m just talking about the look/design here.
Tightening Technology	Roc Loc 5 system - very light material used. A great modification from their original Roc Loc system.	Rollsys Retention Fit System: This is the thing that I like. It tightens the helmet all-around your head instead of pulling it backward.

The guy who assisted me at Hup Leong fitted the GIRO Savant first on my head. After that he put on the GIRO Aeon and I was shocked on how light and well ventilated it is. You know that it is on your head but you can’t really feel that its there; it is surreal! Unfortunately, the 300+ price tag is way beyond my budget. It’s not practical for me as I’m just a simple bike commuter not a professional racer/touring.

I was able to use it on my ride home and the ventilation on this helmet is really great compared to my previous Bell helmet which is something like a skateboarder will use. I was never tempted to remove it and wipe my head dry while waiting on a red traffic light. I always do that with my enclosed Bell helmet.

Side

Back

Inside

Note: The comparison made above between GIRO and Lazer is just my personal opinion (a simple bike commuter). I believe that Lazer is a great helmet; I just based my decision on the price and weight. I'm not an expert/professional. As long as you like your helmet then it’s the best lid in the world. Buy and wear your helmet.

Fast pace = Attentiveness + Agility

After working-out in the gym I went back to the office to get my bicycle. My normal bike ride is 33 - 35 minutes. But this time I pushed the pace faster; I was able to hit 21 minutes. I don’t think I’ll always do this since speed requires more attentiveness and agility. It’s still better to ride at a normal speed which will allow you to enjoy the view.

Based on Endomondo I'm burning around 120 - 155 calories per ride. This is an estimated total of 300 calories per day by bike. I don't think it matters as I eat a lot. :D

Another lesson that I learned from riding for a short time is to buy a lighter helmet that allows more air-flow. My helmet is really hot and heavy which is like a skateboarder’s lid. I'm saving money for GIRO helmet. I read a lot of good reviews about this helmet from both road and off-road bike riders.

Giro Aeon

Orchard to Home

From Wheelock Place, Orchard to home. Rode to buy Garrets popcorn for my lab-lab. I miss you baby.



View Tanglin Orchard - To Home in a larger map

Premium Rush

How's this for a side job? :D

Brush and Lube

I drop-by at Hup Leong shop without any intention of buying anything because of my tight budget. I just wanted to check what they have in stock and to see the Crank Brothers tool that they carry. Anyway, I ended up buying cleaning brush and lube grease. The bike shop is awesome and if I’m not mistaken their price is a bit cheaper. I’m not 100% sure about this as I only compared a couple of things that I bought from other shops and noticed that the price is cheaper by 2 SGD. But don’t take my word for those major parts/items; it might be just the same with other shops. They also gave me discount without asking for it ;)

Finish Line multi-purpose brush
and
Park Tool Poly Lube 1000 Grease

the Queen of comfort

I'm hopping back on my bicycle this Thursday, excited! After nursing my perineum injury for more than one week I think I'm ready to cycle again to and from work (just a total of 16km). I did a short ride to the market last Sunday using my Rido R2 saddle and Pearl Izumi inner pants and I can totally feel the comfort on my perineum. The cushion inside the pants really help my perineum not to hit the side of the saddle which a bit hard and tend to feel sharp when you're pedaling for some time. Rido R2 also provided additional comfort by making sure that I'm well elevated.

Conclusion: Rido R2 + Pearl Izumi inner pants = COMFORT.

Anyway, I was watching videos on YouTube and suddenly bump into Queen’s bicycle race video. I grew-up listening to Queen as my daddy will buy tons of Queen’s cassette tape; I think we have atleast 10 copies of the same album. Same goes for Abba, Beegees, Beachboys, Star on 45, Jim Croce etc. I always loved Freddie Mercury; very talented musician, performer and lyrical genius. One thing I really like about him is he doesn’t care what he looks like on stage. Unlike most musicians/performers nowadays trying to hypnotize their fans that fashion or looks makes great music. Ugh!

Enjoy this R18 video. Warning! You might see your mom or grandma naked in this video. :D

Chillin' with friends

Meet-up with good friends at Newton Hawker Center. We ordered chili crabs, stingray, satay, rice and rice cake and fruit juice drinks. I love sugar cane!

We talked about their Euro tour trip, workout, protein shakes and bisaya words for three hours.

R, J, Lab-lab and I
at Newton Hawker Center

Chili crab with bread and stingray.
Newton Hawker Center

Chocolates from J.
Thank you!

Mandola. Yum!

Key Chains from J.
Thanks a lot!

Pearl Izumi Inner Pants

I just bought Pearl Izumi inner pants with padding at LifeCycle. I like the feel of the fabric which is quite breathable. I also love the design, just like those boxer briefs made in Philippines by a popular clothing store, Bench/. The padding covers my entire perineum area which is a good start. I like the fact that it is an inner pants which serve as your brief rather than the usual cycling shorts worn by other cyclist/PRO. That way I can still put on some casual shorts on top of it.

I hope this will help me avoid getting my perineum re-injured. I'm planning to hop back on my bicycle tomorrow to go to the nearest market. I'll provide update if it really helps even on a short ride.

I really like LifeCycle store; the staff are very friendly and they have cool items that you need for your bicycle. Also, i find their store elegant like those small shops in Paris (wink wink Lab-lab). Tour de France, here we come! Haha!

Pearl Izumi
(outside)
65 SGD

Pearl Izumi
(inside with front and back padding)

Pearl Izumi
(inside back padding)

Pearl Izumi
(inside front padding)

WeatherLah and Endomondo

Weather Lah is a great weather forecaster application for your iPhone. It provide weather forecast in different areas in Singapore which is important since here it can be pouring at one place but hot like a desert at another; such as raining at Boong Keng but sunny at Raffles.

http://www.weatherlah.com/

Another iPhone application I'm using is Endomondo. This will track your sport activity such as cycling: transport or competition. It's very basic and easy to understand. http://www.endomondo.com/login

Give it a try.