My First Road Bike: The Daily Bubble Tea Is All Grownsed Up!

I would normally rather spend a sunny Sunday afternoon riding through Taiwan's hills, dropping through valleys and beating my legs unto useless appendage of throbbing pain.

Normally...

Unless I have the opportunity to shop for bicycles vicariously through others.

This time it was my friend Todd from the Daily Bubble Tea. If you ever have the chance to browse his website, you will see some work by one of the most gifted photographers I have ever met.

Buying bikes can be intimidating and it can be very difficult to transition from the Schwinn Pixie of your youth, to the full-on trappings of a modern road bike. Everything from the drop bars, gear ratios and braking systems can be confusing. Throw in the deliberate marketing nonsense companies propagate to sell bikes, and it can be impossible to feel confident in making the right purchase.

Some simple questions to ask:

• What is my budget? (It is good to be willing to be flexible as to avoid buyer's remorse).
• What kind of rider am I... really?
• What kind of riding do I do now and how is that likely to change in the next few years as I improve?
• How will my bike be used? (utility, commuting, racing, touring, fitness)
• What do I like and what don't I like about my current bike? If you don't have a current bike then take your time to test how bikes feel.
• How long and how often do I expect to use my bike?
• What are my goals for riding?

I recently saw a post on a cycling forum where a guy was asking about ditching his relaxed entry level road bike (triple crank) for another relaxed entry level road bike (triple crank) for use in Time Trials, Criterium Racing and Triathlons. (Wrong tool for the job)

Too often bike shops are too eager to move merchandise and do not listen to the customer. They will dictate to the customer what the customer wants. In many Giant retailers where the sales staff is often relatively new to the sport, I have seen some serious lapses in trying to provide the customer with the bike they are looking for.

Neophytes are also struck by the sticker shock of what a bike costs these days. For a road bike the price can range from NT 18,000 to NT 400,000. A solid, lower budget, lower-end bike for casual fitness and riding should be between NT 25,000 to NT 60,000. That is not to rule out an old iron "ama" bike for really cheap, if it fits your purpose. The level of engineering that goes into modern bicycles is astounding.

Todd went in with a budget of around NT 50,000.

Todd Tries A Small Climb

For Todd, he was coming off a bohemoth of a mountain bike that weighed a ton. The mountain gearing was great for his steep climbs around Wufeng, but the whole set-up was pretty inefficient for longer fitness rides and road touring. Another one of Todd's problems was that he is 193cm tall. Most of the larger bicycles are sent overseas and Taiwan maintains stocks of road frames between 45-54cm. I find this surprising as there are plenty of tall Taiwanese guys out there. I have been told by several retailers that ordering a larger frame from abroad can often take 6 months.

Tester

Michael Turton and I joined Todd on a shopping expedition around Taichung. After starting our day with coffee at Terry's, where we ran into Matthew, an accomplished cyclist in Taichung, we made our way to visit Rocky at T-Mosaic. Rocky properly sized Todd and found a solid set of Kinesis bikes that would fit Todd's size, needs and budget. At the same time Michael tried out the buttery smooth ride and fit of Mosaic's steel TYA branded bikes for shorter people.

We then checked out a few other stores that were closed before checking in with Specialized. Specialized came up with an off-year Tricross and off-year carbon Roubaix Pro within Todd's budget.

After Specialized we hopped in the van and went to Warehouse 185 to visit James Murray and see what he could do. James is also tall and understands the difficulty in finding a bike.

At Warehouse 185, both Michael and I had the pleasure of meeting Philip, a loyal reader of both our blogs. Philip is busy building up a project with the theme of having no logos-- A Stealth Bike weighing 5.9kg.

James introduced Todd to the house brand bike, which is sold abroad under a well-known brand name. It is an alloy frame with carbon stays. It is designed as a good all-rounder. The selling point was that Todd could pick up the bike fully outfitted with SRAM Apex.

Apex has recently swept onto the scene as a viable alternative to the road triple. Apex offers a compact crank (50/34 front chain rings) with a rear cassette offering cogs that range from 11-34 teeth. Although the jumps between cogs are greater, they provide an excellent option for neophytes who wish to climb without the mechanical complexity of having three chainrings. Apex also offers SRAM's patented double tap shifting system, which has received raves.

We took the bike out on a tester, which was a bit small, and had no problems. James explained everything clearly, which gave Todd enough confidence in the ride and the after sale service.

Todd was sold. He even managed to go under budget to save some cash for clipless pedals, cycling shoes and other accessories.

The components are exactly what Todd was looking for and suit his riding. If he ever wants to upgrade, he can easily do so. Apex is an excellent system for all types of bikes and the frame should put Todd in a better position to take advantage of his strengths.

I am happy to see someone get a bike they are happy with. It is always good when someone gets a new bike.

Special thanks to Rocky and especially James for his help.

James at 185 did a fantastic job of working with Todd on getting all set up for a new ride.

James, Michael and Philip watch Todd discover road bikes

Janet Hsieh Wants You To Go East

If Janet of Fun Taiwan wants you to ride the East Coast, you better just do it.

From the CNA:

Cyclists visiting eastern Taiwan to get certificates

02/18/2011 (CNA)

The Tourism Bureau said Friday that it will hold a series of events on the country's east coast to promote eco-friendly traveling and community awareness by presenting certificates to those who visit the area by bicycle.

The campaign will kick off March 26 with two biking tours of 100 km and 200 km, respectively. The routes, starting from Taitung County's Jialulan Recreation Area famous for its driftwood art, the bureau said, will allow cyclists to visit scenic spots such as Sansiantai and the Basian Caves.

Other events to be held April 30, May 14, 21 and 28 will feature travel on Green Island, which lies off the Taitung County coast. The bureau will also hand out certificates to participants who visit the island with their bicycles.

Janet Hsieh, ambassador of the campaign and presenter of Discovery Channel's "Fun Taiwan" program, said the tours appeal to her as they offer both mountain and ocean scenery at the same time "without too much physical exertion."

"It's like you've gone to an island paradise," she said. "And if you think about it, Taiwan is an island and Taitung is a paradise."

Australian Man Bikes Taiwan To Raise Funds For Charity

Andrew Bonello of Melbourne, Australia will embark on a bicycle journey around Taiwan to raise money for The Garden of Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of all kinds of physical and sexual abuse. Sexual and domestic abuse/battery is often under reported in Taiwan in cultural deference to the family, and thus it is even more important to raise awareness for the types of services that are available to victims.

Cycling Taiwan for charity is an excellent way to raise support, awareness and funds for any cause. The Clatterbridge Foundation had a very successful trip earlier in the year to raise money for cancer research. I hope Mr. Bonello can see the same level of outreach.

If anyone is interested in supporting Mr. Bonello or would like to follow him on his ride, you can contact him at his website here.

Itinerary:

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...I will embark on a 2 week journey cycling around this AMAZING country, in the name of a great cause, AND a great adventure!

Saturday FEBRUARY 19th, AT 9am, starting AT Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall - My ride around the island begins.

I hope you will join me if you can, if you feel fit enough, if you feel like having a lot of fun, for an hour, a whole day, a whole week, or even two!

If not, please try to support my chosen charity: The GARDEN OF HOPE foundation; supporting the woman and children of our wonderful world, sadly affected by sexual abuse, trafficking, and domestic violence..
http://www.goh.org.tw/english/
http://www.goh.org.tw/iso/main.asp

MY CYCLE ROUTE PLAN ~ 我的計劃 :

• 19 FEB: 09am Taipei [Chiang Kai Shek Mem. Hall main gate] >>> Hsinchu City
• 台北 [中正紀念堂大門] >>> 新竹市
• 20 FEB: 09am Hsinchu Train Station >>> Miaoli City
• 新竹 [火車站] >>> 苗栗市
• 21 FEB: 09am Miaoli Train Station >>> Changhua City
• 苗栗 [火車站] >>> 彰化市
• 22 FEB: 08am Changhua Train Station >>> Chiayi City
• 彰化 [火車站] >>> 嘉義市
• 23 FEB: 09am Chiayi Train Station >>> Tainan City
• 嘉義 [火車站] >>> 台南市
• 25 FEB: 09am Tainan Train Station >>> Kaohsiung City
• 台南 [火車站] >>> 高雄市
• 26 FEB: 08am Kaohsiung Train Station >>> Fonggang Town
• 高雄 [火車站] >>> 風港
• 27 FEB: 08am Fonggang Station >>> Taitung City
• 風港站 >>> 台東市
• 01 MAR: 09am Taitung City >>> Changbin Town
• 台東 [火車站] >>> 長濱
• 02 MAR: 08am Changbin Station >>> Hualien City
• 長濱站 >>> 花蓮市
• 04 MAR: 09am Hualien City >>> Su-Ao Town
• 花蓮 [火車站] >>> 蘇澳
• 05 MAR: 08am Su-Ao Station >>> Rueifang City
• 蘇澳站 >>> 瑞芳市
• 06 MAR: 09am Rueifang City >>> Taipei [Chiang Kai Shek Mem. Hall main gate]
• 瑞芳 [火車站] >>> 台北 [中正紀念堂大門]

Bike For Taiwan: Taiwanese Exercise Bicycle Diplomacy in Japan

A group of Taiwanese have just embarked on a diplomatic mission to Japan in the hopes of encouraging the Japanese Diet to draft and pass a Japanese Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), similar to the one which was signed into law in the United States following the United States aptly extending full diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China in 1979.

The TRA outlines the position of the United States in regard to Taiwan's security in the face of Chinese aggression.

In the wake of the Chinese military build-up and several provocative moves by China to challenge Japanese claims to sovereignty over the Senkaku Islets and other territorial waters, a Japanese TRA would create a legal link between Japanese security interests and a non-Chinese Taiwan.

The group calling itself, Bike For Taiwan, aims to use cycling to spread their message around Japan.

I will let the group speak for themselves below:

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Website and information here.

Cheer us on, ride for a independent and free Taiwan. Bike for Taiwan takes place in Japan this year!

Description:
The First purpose of Bike for Taiwan this year is to support the normalization of Japan – Taiwan relations. Furthermore we support the creation of a Japanese version of the “US Taiwan Relations Act”. The Taiwan side will be composed of the a Taiwanese cycling team taking it to the streets petitioning the Japanese people support stronger friendship and to push for the normalization of relations between the two nations.The cycling team members will be introduced on Valentines day, February 14th at new Taipei 101 (exact location to be announced) at Lin iHong’s office along with announcements of activities and schedules. For the next two weeks the cycling team will bike all over Japan spreading the message of peace and friendship.

Mission:

First, we welcome and support members of the Japanese diet that are considering the establishment of a Japanese version of the United States’ Taiwan Relations Act. We hope to express the strong support from the Taiwanese people for this bill and have signatures of support from prominent Taiwanese.

Secondly, we hope that this act would result in closer Japan – Taiwan ties and the eventual normalization of relations considering the long peaceful historical and geopolitical ties.

Third, we also hope to bring it to the attention of the Ma administration. The Ma Administrations’ “Flexible Diplomacy” strategy entails flexibly kow-towing China’s demands but seems designed to neglect relations with other nations, thus placing Taiwan’s democratic future solely in China’s hands. We believe actual flexible diplomacy should entail developing relations with everyone especially our neighbors, not just the Chinese government, giving Taiwan the most options for it’s future.

Press Contact:
Chen Shaoting 0935-211012 (If calling from abroad please dial 011-886-935-211-012)

How can you help?

Support and join the ride for Taiwan by buying a commemorative T-shirt.

We need your support, get a special long-sleeved sw

So far the amount fundraised is not enough to cover the entire 14 day trip.

Order the Bike for Taiwan commemorative T-shirt

1) Single commemorative T-shirt is 1,500 NT + 70 NT, available in four sizes; XL, L, M, S.
2) Transfer money to E. Sun Bank, Zhongshan Branch (Branch Code 808), 0417-968-036-281) made out to the Lin party.
3) Transfer by remittance account and fax it to 02-2758-6285 as a check, also e-mail limithong@gmail.com
4) Please email or fax your full name, phone number, shipping address, and appropriate delivery time.
5) We’ll send out the t-shirts as soon as we get them.

You can follow their progress on Facebook

The 137 to Davale and Back (151km)

In preparation for a lengthy post I have in the works, I decided to push my luck with the weather and make a loop through Douliu in Yunlin County.

I started out having to change my inner tube as the patch I had used last week was slowly leaking. I replaced the tube with another lying around... only to discover it was the leaky tube from Thursday (Lesson: get rid of leaky tubes). I changed the flat less than a kilometer from home and continued on my way.

With all the delays I decided to save time at the expense of a little fatigue by going straight up the Highway 74, which does a direct shot over Bagua Shan, in Changhua. My goal was to hook up with Route 137 on the other side and ride down to an area near Er Shui, which had been known as the village of Davale during the period of Dutch colonization and administration.

I found the area I needed to find and met some locals. After an enlightening discussion with several people, I headed out past one of the few recreational bikeways I really like. The Ershui Bikeway is actually a really nice trail that goes around the base of Xiang Shan to Mingjian. It follows the old railroad through some great farm country.

I still had some work to do on my bike-top ethnographical tour and so I headed toward Douliu 斗六.

In Douliu I cut through town and made my way down Taiping Street; a street of restored Japanese era buildings that has been turned into a shopping district with little boutiques and shops.

What I really enjoyed about this street is that it was a restoration and not a project where they replace the originals with a facsimile and then sell tourist goods.

Aside from the uniform signs outside the shops, the facades were painted and restored to give a glimpse of how Douliu may have looked during the 1920's and 1930's.

The most remarkable part is that these old buildings were allowed to continue to function as living retail space and not as tourist kitsch.

For more on the restoration of Japanese Era Taiwan, you can read an earlier post here.

As I left Douliu, I had to investigate another site under the bridge to Dounan. Nearby a work crew was busy harvesting potatoes.

It was soon time to turn into the wind for a long ride up the Highway 1 back home. Despite the effort, the going was slow. I had to just bear down and take the body blows from the headwind.

Closer to Changhua a very light drizzle began to fall making the ride more unpleasant.

With my research done for the day, I crawled through the door a little worse for wear.

Still, I am looking forward to putting this post together. It should be pretty ok.

Bike Links and News

Taiwanese siblings make their own Journey to the West by bicycle.

Their journey was inspired by the novel "Journey to the West," which both of them had read in their childhood. The novel, a fictional account of the legendary journey by famous Chinese monk Hsuan Tsang, is the tale of a group of pilgrims making a strenuous journey from China to India in search of sacred Buddhist texts; it also described their encounters with various monsters and demons along the way.

Taiwan Biking Links:

• Michael at The View From Taiwan has some wonderful photos of his Lunar New Year full of fabulous rides despite the terrible weather. I was fortunate enough to join him on a couple of these rides.
• Cafe Terry tries to kill off some of Taichung's better cycling talent in a freezing and wet ride up to Gu Guan.
• Satin Cesena has a wonderful report on the award winners from the Annual Innovative Products competition in the lead up to the 2011 Taipei Cycle.
• Don't forget to read Bicycle Sidewalk's report from his holiday on the bike. He may have spent more time in the saddle than visiting family. Excellent pictures too.
• Champion of bike helmets takes the helm at Health Bureau.
• Taiwan's Hsieh Yi-jung takes a bronze in cycling at the Asian Cycling Championships.

World Cycling Links:

• Taylor Phinney, the nominated savior of American cycling, is scheduled to make his long awaited professional debut in the upcoming Tour of Oman.
• Bad Blood? Botched transfusion lands Italian Olympian Riccardo Ricco. Apparently Ricco tried to pump his veins full of blood that was way past its expiration date and landed in the hospital.
• Cycling With Eddie looks at the one cycling partner who is always ready for a ride-- PAIN.
• Dave Horton discusses cycling culture.
• Ukiah Blog wants you to talk cycling to a conservative.... You know those guys who love to cut cycling from the transportation grid.

My New Bike Status:

I haven't heard anything in a while. I hope that's good.

The tube tuning is as follows:

Agility: Race Spec.

Drivetrain Stiffness: 8 of 10 (9 is pure racer)

Vertical Compliance: About the same as oversized aluminum

Weight to Performance: In The Sweet Spot

Two Sides Of Central Taiwan: Looping The Banks Of The Wu River (65km)

My wife really wanted to get out on the bike to shake off the New Year malaise. She wanted something flat, easy, and not too busy. I just wanted breakfast.

After a long morning of digging up bike clothing and equipment that had been mislaid during Lunar New Year cleaning, which meant it wasn't just lying around in plain sight, we headed out the door to the Early Bird Diner on Chung-ming South Rd.

With my borrowed bike I am without my usual seat bag and so my pockets were bulging with all the things I like to have handy for a ride: Multitool, tire levers, mini-pump, keys, camera, phone, money... etc. I decided not to bring the extra inner tube as it wouldn't be a long ride and I has meticulously put one in my wife's seat bag when she bought the bike. I could just use hers and the probability of two flats in a 65km ride is pretty slim.

Bike Path

After breakfast I decided it would be easier to roll straight down Chung-ming South Rd. to hook up with the Highway 3 out to Nantou.

There is a lovely bicycle path that runs the length of Chung-ming South Road, which is perfect for small children, leisure 2kph rides in circles and neighborhood entertainment.

It serves as the perfect example for how bike paths are not taken seriously in Taiwan. They are not intended to move bicycles as traffic.

This path follows the raised median on a path made of uneven brick. It unnecessarily zigs and zags. There are concrete traffic pillars every block... and it cuts through a pedestrian green space. This is not the type of thing you would use to commute into the city. It is pretty and great for a little fun if you have fat tires and no place to go... but it is in no way a bicycle viaduct that might encourage leaving the car at home.

Caution... for you or for them?

I had been banking on the idea that maybe the traffic on the Highway 3 might be a little less aggressive as it was a weekday and just before noon, when everyone in Taiwan is scheduled to go out and eat.

I was wrong on that count and regretted not taking the more casual route along the 63 viaduct. The traffic from Taichung to Dali to Wufeng was making Joyce nervous. Lots of aggressive bus drivers and guys trying to show off their penis size by driving fast, wild and loud.

Joyce Waits At The Tricky Bridge

Just after Wufeng the insanity in the traffic subsided and the Highway 3 became a pleasant ride.

Happy Rider

At Nantou I was trying to connect to the Highway 14丁 on the Changhua side of the river, but it was not marked very clearly so we had to cross the big bridge to Nantou and then double back to connect up with our road.

Under The Viaduct To Nantou

Despite all the hassle of getting there, the 14丁 is a fantastic road. It offers an up close glimpse into that rustic side of rural Taiwan. It seems every building is in a state of slow motion collapse.

Bridge Over The Wu River

There are fields, rolling hills and Bagua Shan above.

The Apple of Her Eye?

The 14丁 follows right along side the Wu River and its surrounding wetlands. Suddenly you are in a different Taiwan than the clouds of dust and exhaust from the trucks on the Highway 3 side.

Along The River

We followed the road back toward Changhua and passed one small faming community after another.

Local Riders

The 14丁 ends at the market in Fenyuan where we stopped to hydrate and relax. My legs were still tired from the 160 kilometers the day before and I welcomed the chance to sit down.

Waterworks

We continued to casually spin down the road and I was happy to see my Wednesday night ride illuminated by sunlight.

Roadie

Everything seemed to be going right. Joyce was pacing herself and enjoying the ride. I was up ahead looking for pictures.

Bagua Shan

Then I felt my phone vibrate like a phone call. "Uh oh!", I thought.

Wall Art?

It was Joyce on the other end. "I have a flat tire."

I quickly turned around to change the flat. I knew I had everything ready to make a quick tube change and then we could be on our way to get back in time for a meeting with some good friends. We had a reservation at Puzzle Pizza and therefore could not be late. The pizza is too good to lose a reservation.

When I arrived, I opened her seat bag to pull out the inner tube I had meticulously placed into the bag when we bought the bike. Whoops! Empty. I had not double checked the contents of the bag before leaving. We were in the part of the trip between neither here nor there and so we walked ahead to a wood carver shop. The guy at the shop was enthusiastic to help, so I let him take out his patch set and air hose. Unfortunately, the patches were too old to work.

The guy loaned me his scooter to ride back to the closest bike shop. They were closed.

Finally, Joyce called a taxi to come out and pick her up. If you ever need to call a cab, withhold the information about having a bike. Although a modern bike can easily fit in the back of the average taxi, in the mind of the cab driver it is impossible. Once the driver spends the time driving out to pick you up, the idea of collecting a fare on the trip is a much more attractive proposition.

We loaded everything in the taxi and we all thanked Mr. Zhang at the wood carving shop before heading back.

I pumped up the speed and my legs were searing with muscle burn as I hammered at the 52 tooth chainring. The burn lasted for ten minutes before I settled into a good pace home.

The taxi beat me by less than 10 minutes.

Despite the trouble it was still a fun ride.

Moral: Don't Be Stupid and Check Your Shit Before Leaving The House.

Ugh!