kamotE trails

I got the Cateye saddle rail mount from an online seller.  I need a tail light mount that will be compatible with the folding bike.  Conventional tail light mounts grab on to the seat post. The seat post goes all the way down when you fold the bike so a regular mount will hinder the folding process. The Cateye saddle rail mount attaches directly to your saddle. It does not come in the way of the seat post when you fold the bike. with Cateye Rapid 5 It's a bit heavy. Almost the same weight as my Cateye Rapid 5 tail light. clearance when seatpost is all the way down. Performance The mount held well on my commute to the office. Did not shake or move. The only thing is I destroyed the teeth that locks the angle of the light when I accidentally grabbed it instead of the saddle to lift my bike. It still holds even if the teeth is broken. The lock teeth is made of plastic so its easy to damage if you apply a decent force to it. The joint bolt just need to be ti...

A brake lever upgrade is a cheap way to improve braking and handling for your bike. I purchased this Shimano Deore brake levers to replace the stock brake lever of my Tern Link D8.  The advantage of the new lever is its ability to take I-spec shifters which will be my next project for this bike. The weight savings is minimal but it is definitely a plus in the looks department. Before Remove the grips and stock levers The challenge when removing the grips is how to pull it out of the handle bar. The grips are made of rubber and pulling it off without the proper technique would require very big muscles. I removed mine with the following technique: Stick a flat tipped screwdriver at the end of the grip. Pry it a little bit then spray some WD-40 inside. Try to work WD-40 into the grips by twisting it a bit. Twist the grips while adding a pulling force until it comes off the handle bar. Alternatively, if you will not use the grips or reinstall it again, you can ge...

In preparation for changing the shifter of my foldie to an I-spec type, I need to change the brake lever to be able to use the I-spec shifters.  Luckily, Shimano updated their V-brake levers to the I-spec technology. I like I-spec for a couple of reasons. The handle bar looks neat and clean. Supposedly lighter since the shifter clamp is eliminated. No shifter display window. I don't normally look at this so it's just an added weight. BL - T610 I have yet to install it on my Tern Link D8.  Installation will be a chore since the grips are not lock-on type and I need more elbow grease to pull it out of the handle bar.  The grip shifters are also there to add difficulty in getting the old lever out. I would get a lock-on grip to replace the old grips in the future. I-spec compatible levers. The new levers have clamps that can fully open to facilitate easy installation. reach adjuster It has a nice reach adjuster. Not the usual screw...

I've been reading a lot of praises for this beer so I decided to give it a taste. It's a Belgian Wheat Beer that is unfiltered. It has a cloudy appearance and a decent amount of froth when I poured it on my glass. Taste It's very flavourful. You can taste the spices they put in the beer. It is spiced with coriander and orange peel according to wikipedia. The bitterness kicks in after you taste the spices. It's nice to drink this super cold. If you're looking for something light and easy on the taste, this beer is not for you. But if you're in for some beer tasting and appreciation, you're in for a treat with Hoegaarden. It's a bit pricey here in the Philippines. I got it on the supermarket for more than Php 100. Go give it a try when you see some.

Got this pedal for almost a year. It held up pretty well up to now. I'm still using it on my Merida bike. I got the black pedal as opposed to the red. Its packaged in a box. It's definitely barebones. Simple, light and effective. Nice I like the thin profile of this pedal. At 11mm, its pretty thin and slick. It is designed to be close to the crank. There is a bit of play with the pedal that is held by an internal spring. The thinness of the pedal and its construction gave it a light weight. Weighing at 343 grams for the pair, it's reasonably light compared to other pedals. It uses sealed bearings so it can take a beating on the trails. The pedal is very grippy. You will never slip on these pedals, I guarantee it. The pins dig into your shoes like nails. It's wide enough to accommodate regular sneakers. I noticed a slight discoloration on the pedals. It looked more like a blueish black. After all the abuse and wear, I expected much more fading than thi...

I'm starting this series of bike commuting tips to give newbies information on how to get from point A to point B safely with their bikes. With the worsening traffic conditions, you can laugh at the people stuck in traffic while you breeze with your bike. don't you wish you're on a bike? I've been riding my bike to work on an average of 3 times a week. My daily route takes me 1 hour for a 20km ride from home to office. I'm faced with the usual Philippine traffic scene where jeepneys try to take you to the gutter or suffocate you with their super black exhaust.  Motorcycles cut your path and cars pass you with less than half a meter of clearance. What do you need to take on the wild Manila roads? You need guts, gears and skills. Your life is in your hands. Safety is the utmost importance so here are some things you need to know about bike safety. Spyder Shox Always wear a helmet. Be sure to wear it properly. Make sure to fasten all the straps an...

Faced with my usual merienda dilemma on what to eat before my commute home, I decided to go for the usual place just below our office. McDonald's has this new item in their menu. Mc Pork Ribs is a pork patty dressed with a smoky barbecue sauce and topped with onions and pickles. Priced at Php 129 with small fries and drink, I decided to give it a try. The sandwich came in a box which is nice since all the drippings would make a mess if they just wrapped it in paper.  On first bite, I immediately got the smoky barbecue flavor. Sweet, smoky with a bite of spice at the end. Very nice. The patty is a bit bland. The sauce is the one carrying all the taste. After finishing half of it. The flavour gets old, you get to look for the taste from the patty but end up disappointed. I like to put fries in my sandwiches. This meal is filling. The sandwich is heavy and good for a heavy meal like lunch or dinner. Overall, the sandwich is a 6 out of 10 for me. I would not expect the b...

Here is the specs of my mountain bike. I started with a bike with 26" Mosso frame 2 years ago then changed most of the components. Now, it's a like a completely different bike. Before: yeah. checkout the bottle! Frame: Mosso 2608 size 17 Fork: Suntour XCR MLO Wheels: Hubs: Shimano Non-series Rims: Alex Rims DP20 Spokes: Stainless (unbranded) Tires: Kenda SB8 26" 2.0 Groupset: Alivio CockPit: All Mosso Grips: Dabomb Holy Shit Grips Saddle: Standard Seats from LBS Pedal: Mosso alloy Misc: Bottle Cage Bottle Zefal Mudguards (not pictured) Now: Frame: Merida Big Seven Lite 1000 (Medium) Fork: Suntour Epicon 120mm Wheels: Rims: Mavic 319 650b  Spokes: Generic stainless spokes Front Hubs: Turner Rear Hubs: DaBomb Rotate 12x142 Thru Axle Tires: Maxxis Crossmark 650b Skewer: Rear: Dabomb TA skewer Front: Aerozine titanium skewer Rotors: Rear: Ashima Airotor 160mm Front: Alligator 180mm Groupset Shifters: XT Ispec Brak...

I got this Mountain Peak Pedal to replace the stock plastic folding pedal on my Tern D8. It came in a box. Nicely packaged. I bought it in the weekend bike tiangge at Daang Reyna. Its has sealed bearings for durability. Weighs 260 grams for the pair according to its box. A bit lighter than the stock pedals. I don't have a scale to actually measure the stock pedal's weight but by hand, it seems heavier than the new pedals. Nice solid feel and smooth bearings. It's also a breeze to install. Properly labeled left and right pedals.

We currently have 3 mice in our house and my wife freaks out whenever she sees them. They also leave mouse poops all over the place when we wake up in the morning. We tried rat baits but they still increase their numbers. I looked around for a cheaper ultrasonic mouse pester similar to the one they sell at ACE hardware which is overpriced at 1,000++ Php. I found this on Lazada . Priced at 599 Php, it's cheap enough to give it a shot.  It comes with an AC adaptor. Looking behind the unit, I saw a battery cover. It seems that you can run this with AA batteries. Turned it ON and waited for something to happen. A cockroach entered our room and brought chaos. Don't know if it was because of the device. It says that it can ward off ants, roaches and mosquitoes. It also claims to have a 30 sqm effective area. So far, my mom says that she didn't see any mouse poops this morning. Usually, the mouse poops are all over the place. Effective? I need to catch a mouse and ...

We always pass by this Japanese Cheese Cake kiosk in Alabang Town Center.  We've never really had Japanese cheese cake before and it's also my mom's birthday so we decided to buy her one. The packaging was nice. It has this thin cover to protect the cake from hitting the box. The cake looks like an oversized mamon.  It's soft and light.  It melts in your mouth. Creamy and has a slight cream cheese taste. Not overly sweet, just light enough so you can eat the whole box without having that "umay" feeling. This is definitely a nice cake.

Pizza Hut now serves breakfast. I was going to buy detergent at the Wellcome store when I passed by Pizza Hut. Since the grocery opens at 8 and I'm 10 minutes too early, I decided to try out one of the breakfast item from Pizza Hut. it's actually big The calzone came in a box with iced tea. You can choose coffee or soda. It was still hot when I tried it so the crust was still in its best state, chewy and soft.  The filling is egg lightly mixed in with some tomato based sauce and italian seasoning while still retaining the eggy taste. The ham was the standard pizza ham. Nothing much to say about that. I was looking for the cheese while eating the calzone. It seems that the cheese part is the one on top of the calzone. I was expecting some mozarella cheese filling but was disappointed to learn that cheese part is the one outside. Maybe cheddar or some other processed cheese. All in all, the calzone was good. If you're looking for some filling and heavy breakfas...

In my quest to brew my own beer, I'm sampling different beers that are available here.  I got this one since its one of the cheaper imported beers I found on the grocery shelf.  The label says that it's made in Belgium. The bottle comes with a label wrapped around the top of the bottle. This made the beer look premium. The beer is lager. The bitterness was similar to Tiger Beer but toned down 2 notches. The beer was smooth and light. Carbonation is light. I did not notice any hint of spices. Much like a SMB Light Beer with the smell of Pale Pilsen. It's priced at 70 to 80 php. Won't be getting anymore of this. Too pricey for its taste.