Action Cycle: Bikes

Showing posts with label Bikes. Show all posts

Sunday, 24 November 2013

Brompton Accessories #10 -Kamoya Jenny Suspension

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Buying My Bikes & Accessories / Brompton Accessories #10 - Kamoya Jenny Suspension
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

BROMPTON ACCESSORIES #10 - KAMOYA JENNY SUSPENSION

(This blog is not a review, it's more on my foray in purchasing accessories for my 3rd Foldie - a Raw Lacquer Brompton P6R)

While on a cycling trip in Japan recently (... see Cycling Japan 2013 blog), through a close friend I got the Kayoma Jenny Suspension for my Brompton. So what's the advantage of fixing one of this gizmos? Effeciency, beauty? For this refer to Outdoor Explorer's write up (... see OX write up) where there is an elaboration on this.

The Jenny Suspension is made in Japan and came in a zip-lock plastic wrapping. For shipping the whole package is further bubble wrapped.

When opened, the items were the main spring with a black internal tubing, two silicon O-rings with one having a metal capping. The O-Rings protect the two ends of the spring during movement. In a smaller plastic bag were the nuts and washer for installation.

The main stay of the suspension (as in most suspension systems) is the spring. The stiffness of the suspension depends on this spring (i.e. through thinner or thicker coils). The one that I got was HARD, i.e. to take a load of more than 70 kg, in the standard Brompton suspension this is called STIFF.

Into the spiral core of the spring is a tubing that prevents friction between the installation screw and the main spring.

The unit came with installation instructions, unfortunately it is written in Japanese. So one will have to figure out the installation sequence and method bye the diagrammatic photos shown, but it is always easier than shown.

I left it to the experts of Outdoor Xplorer (OX) team to carry out the installation. In capable hands, the installation was carried out quite fast.

The installed Kamoya Jenny Suspension, looking good and strong, matching my Brompton raw lacquer colour.

View of the suspension with the Brompton folded.

A row of Bromptons with the Kamoya Jenny Suspension installed.

How's the ride-bility? Personally, I found the suspension slightly stiffer than the regular Brompton STIFF suspension giving a better push when cycling on smooth roads. I have yet to try it out on real bumpy roads though.

For purchase and installation, try contacting OX Team, they could have some units left.

Monday, 4 November 2013

Accessories #6 - Olympus Tough TG-2 Camera

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Buying My Bikes & Accessories / Accessories #4 - Rear Laser Light
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
MY BIKE - ACCESSORIES #6 - OLYMPUS TOUGH TG-2 CAMERA

(Disclaimer - all prices mentioned are list prices. For more accurate pricing please contact the relevant people. This blog is not a review, it's more on my foray in purchasing accessories for my Foldies)

Between my bicycling and blogging I have to find a good camera to take respectably sharp photos for my biking blogs. And these photos have to be taken while I am on the go, i.e. riding my bicycle. A couple of other features that the camera for biking should have is being tough to take falls, and waterproofed for snapping photos while cycling in the rain.

My first tough, it really took a lot of beating and still continued serving me for six years.

Previously I was using the Olympus Tough 6000 (1st generation model). With 10 megapixels the photos it took was okay but had some noise and as such will tend to be grainy when enlarged. But it suited my use by

- having a sports mode to take photos on the go.

- being tough to take falls from up to 1.5 metres (the above photo shows how much suffering it has gone through) and still be able to function.

- being waterproofed; I have used it to take photos in the rain and also underwater photos.

But it has a big disadvantage; its start up time and wake up time is slow (up to two seconds), and because of this I have missed many photo opportunities, just seeing events as the passed by while my camera was "waking up"!
Despite it's limitation, this camera served me well for over six years until it reached the end of it's useful life.

With my first Tough going kaput, I opted for the Samsung WB150F. I was attracted by it's look, price and most importantly its built in WiFi. It then sold at MYR600+ with a spare battery thrown in and also some other freebies (like personalized calendar and photobook).
Here's a quick rundown on it's features:

- 14.2 Megapixels, quite high for a camera at this price range.

- with a 18X optical zoom, it has one of the highest zoom for it's range.

- WiFi capability allows uploading direct to internet sites like FaceBook, etc. I found this a bit cumbersome to use as the tethering with a wifi site takes a while and at many times turns out to be unsuccessful.

- WiFi connectivity with a Samsung phone, also the same problems on connectivity time.

- WiFI remote control of camera using a Samsung phone, this is a good feature for taking self shots or placing camera in odd places for that perfect angle. Sadly connectivity time is a problem also.

- There is no sports mode for taking action photography. I tried to use their alternative of fast shutter speed but the photos did not turn out well.

Don't get me wrong, this camera takes beautiful photos for a compact camera, but with a sports mode lacking, it was just not suitable to take photos while on the go.

So the Samsung was left for other non-biking photo taking, and the hunt was on again for a suitable action camera. A few of my biking friends had got the latest model Olympus Tough Stylus TG-2, being more careful after the Samsung experience, I decided to borrow and try out their cameras before making the buying plunge. Here's the run down on its features:

Pros:

- Tough! Can take falls of up to 2'1 metres. Operation range as low as -18 degrees Celcius.

- Takes very good action shots under Sports Scene Mode, even with very low lighting.

- Very quick focusing with its CMOS feature.

- Waterproof of up to 15 metres.

- Can take good underwater shots with it's various "Underwater" Modes.

- Fast start up & wake up time of less than 1/2 second.

- comes with a GPS function that indicates nearest attractions. The GPS can also create a track based on a series of photos taken while the GPS is on; this will be useful should one not have one of those cycling GPS gizmo like the Garmin 800.

- Built-in altimeter, barometer and compass; for those who really go to extremes.

Cons:

- Turning on after the auto off, the flash goes into automatic mode. Many a photos, especially action shots in low lighting mode turns up better without the flash.

- low optical 4X zoom.

Taking action shots with the Sports Scene Mode is a breeze with this camera. I took the photo of the above motorcyclist under medium light condition of a shaded road and still the photo came out perfect.

Taking action shots under low lighting conditions were excellent too. The above was taken of a cyclist at night under a street light while I myself was cycling.

It's great for underwater photography too. This photo is taken with the Underwater Action Scene Mode, one of several Underwater modes.

While in the great outdoors, there is always that opportunity to take close up shots; the camera has the Super Macro Mode that allows for this. Wow! A beautiful butterfly.
For those who like food photography, there's even a Food Scene Mode.

Another Super-Macro shot, this one of a blue-bottle fly came out very well.

The Olympus Tough TG-2 is tough and has been designed to look rugged too! Rubber friction pads a strategic location helps the user get a better grip of the camera while taking in adverse conditions (eg. while cycling, jogging or underwater).
On the left side is a protruding bracket that for tying the camera strap, this looks tough too!

Even the camera bag has been designed for those outdoor adventure types, It comes with a self-locking pull cord that ensures that the camera stays tightly in the bag while scaling a cliff or beating around the bush. The bag straps onto a belt or hooks onto a belt loop, etc.

With the GPS turned on, attractions nearby are indicated on the LED screen. There is also a compass at the bottom of the screen. AND it allows tracking of your route, useful if you are jungle trekking or cycling overseas without a dedicated GPS unit or if you phone does not have a data plan. The tracking runs even when the camera is off, so it could drain the battery.
One other thing that I find useful is that the camera has dual time setting, so there is no hassle of resetting the time when back from holidays abroad, just switch back to the home time.

Overall, other than the auto-flash coming on automatically, I find the camera robustly satisfactory for my adventure use. For WiFi, it is FlashAir™ card compatible, install this card which also serves as a memory card and wah...lah!

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Brompton Accessories #8 - Securing The Brompton #2

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Buying My Bikes & Accessories / Brompton Accessories #8 - Securing The Brompton #2
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
BROMPTON ACCESSORIES #8 - SECURING THE BROMPTON #2

This blog is on securing the Brompton while travelling in trains, buses, boats etc.
What if you are allowed to take your Brompton without bagging it? That will be most convenient. Yes, in Malaysia they do sometimes allow the Bromptons in without bagging if the train is quiet empty (i.e. off-peak times). In Singapore, one foldable bike is allowed into a bus at one time.
Wouldn't it be great if your B is secured somewhere and you are free to sit/stand without holding on to it? This would make for a more comfortable ride.

While on a trip down to Pulau Ketam island by the light rail transit, my buddy and me secured our bikes to the steel horizontal bar of the disabled corner (of course making sure that it was not required otherwise).
The good thing about these trains are that they do not brake suddenly, so a one point securing would be adequate.

We secured our bike in different ways - both single point securing.
She used her retractable cable lock to lock her bike in, making sure to minimise the free cable length as much as possible.
I used some Velcro strips (which are conveniently strap round the main horizontal tube as an all purpose tie for what nots)
Both ways are okay, but done this way may not be the best as sometimes the sway of the train may topple the bikes, So it's best to secure the bike at a second point,

Boarding the ferry to get over to the island, we secured our bikes to legs of a wooden bench at the front.

This time round we just used our retractable cable locks, making sure that the cables are as tight as possible. Surprisingly, tying to the vertical legs prevented the bikes from toppling over and at the same time prevented them from sliding forward/backwards.
Lesson learnt, it is better to tie to a vertical post/mast than a horizontal one - a single point securing will do.

THE ELASTIC CABLE STRAP

All this securing got some of us thinking. Is there a better way than using Velcro or cable locks? Why not expand on Uncle Bil's idea, why not lengthen the elastic cable used for holding the rear wheel (... see Securing the Brompton #1) and use it for securing the bike while travelling?
So that's how the elastic cable strap came about. It's a six inch long, 3/16" diameter elastic rubber cable with a 3/4" plastic ball tied on one end. These plastic balls can be bought from hardware stores like ACE hardware.

When pushing the Brompton around with the seat post raised, the handle bar is not locked in - this causes a problem when one meets some stairs/steps and need to do a bit of carrying.
Wrap this cheap and simple gizmo around the handlebar head tube, the main horizontal tube and the rear wheel, then loop the u-end to the plastic ball. Everything is locked in!
This one was given to me by Siew Yung, one of our lady bikers, who made it herself. See, ladies can be nifty with their hands too.

When not in used, just wrap it round the main horizontal tube. And it's on standby.

NOW FOR THE BEST PART -
That's our three Bromptons with the seat posts secured to the vertical post of the train, while we were nonchalantly having a snooze!
(We were on our way back from a nice ride to the Sungai Chiling Fish Sanctuary ...see more.)

More to come...
Ciao!

You may also like :

Brompton Accessories #7 :
"Akslen" Two-bulb 10-Lux Headlights
A headlight that mounts onto the Brompton handlebar post snugly.

Brompton Accessories #6 :
Brass Bells
A cute looking polished brass bell, and it sounds great too.

Brompton Accessories #5 :
Leather Pouch
A nice, rich-looking leather pouch that fits well onto my Brompton handle bar.

Brompton Accessories #4 : Personalizing My Brompton

A simple way to personalize the Brompton - name stickers!

Brompton Accessories #3 :
Bagging The Brompton

Ways of bagging the Brompton, making travelling on trains & planes convenient..

Buying My 3rd Foldie

Looking to ride overseas, why not get a compact bicycle - A Brompton!

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Buying My Bikes & Accessories / Brompton Accessories #8 - Securing The Brompton #2
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
(comments most welcomed below. if you like this pls share via facebook or twitter)