kamotE trails

After my Schwalbe Citizen stock rear tire wore out, I decided to get a new pair of tires.  I have heard many good things about Schwalbe Kojak in the local forums so I decided that this would by my next commuter tires. I got a pair of 20" Kojaks for 1800 pesos from a local bike store in Pasay City.  Both the tires were installed and the still good Schwalbe Citizen tire was set aside for the rainy days. The Kojaks were slick tires. They don't have any treads or knobs. I was worried that it would lose traction on wet roads but they held up pretty well.  I tried these tires from light rains to heavy downpour and the grip on the slightly suffered. I just have to be extra careful on those man hole covers and metal gratings. Schwalbe rates this tire with a Race Guard 4 level of protection.  So far, I have less punctures with these tires compared to the Schwalbe Citizen. I got these tires because of the advertised lesser rolling resistance.  They definite...

Specs: Weight: 135 grams Material: Aluminum Diameter: 25.4mm Sweep: 5 degrees Length: 580mm Color: silver Pros: If you want to go lightweight without breaking the bank on carbon bars, this is the handlebar for you. It's made of aluminum but still super lightweight compared to other aluminum bars out there. Cons: Scratches and streaks are easy to spot on the silver/raw aluminum color. You just need to keep it clean from grease smudges and its good.

Since I was having a lot of punctures lately, I decided to give the tire patch thing a try. I usually bring an extra tube during daily commute to work and just swap out the punctured tube whenever I have flat tires. I didn't want to use those cheap patch kits because the last time I used it, the patch didn't even stick to the tube.  Luckily, I chanced upon this patch kit from Birzman. The kit includes 3 patches, 1 tire boot and a carrying case with a built in scraping tool.  I also got extra patches to have spares in case I use up the patches from the kit. Patch Kit with 1 patch used The patches already have an adhesive backing. You just need to locate the puncture then rough up the surface with the scraping tool and apply the patch. The tire boot is supposed to be used when you tear your tire. Failures I've used the patch with varying chances of success. I've had a snakebite puncture and I used 1 patch for this. After a few weeks, air leaked out. It seems ...

I've been using White Lightning's Epic Ride for a while now for my daily commuter bike and my weekend mountain bike. I've nearly emptied the bottle so I think I can give a better assessment of its performance. The lube is meant to be somewhere in between a wet and a dry lube. It's advertised to stay on longer while keeping the chain relevantly clean. On my commuter folding bike, which I use 4 times a week, it performs good enough for daily use. It can last a 4 rides or more without me having to clean the chain and reapply lube. Rain Going through rain is another matter. The lube stays on for my 20 km ride during heavy rain but you need to clean the chain and reapply lube after the ride since most road mud and grit have stuck to the chain. Compared to the Orange dry lube I was using which washed away after just 5 km of rain, the Epic Ride lived up to its name. It stayed on during the rain. The lube was slightly washed away but not to the point that you can fe...

Specs: Weight: 338 grams Color: Titanium Length: 600mm Cost: 1200php I replaced the stock seatpost of my Tern D8 with this Litepro Seatpost.  I also replaced the stock metal shim with the Litepro plastic shim. Pros: It's very light compared to the stock seatpost. The surface is ribbed which is good since it prevents the post from slipping down while riding. Saddle adjustment uses 2 allen bolts compared to the single bolt adjustment of the stock seatpost.  The seatpost has height labels so it's easier to setup from the folding position. saddle clamping mechanism Cons: The seatpost can twist even when the seatclamp is overly tight. This can be due to the ribbed surface which is parallel to the twisting movement. A simple nudge can bring back the seat to its proper alignment. There's also this annoying noise it makes when you move the seatpost in and out of the clamp when folding. The ribbed surface rubs against the shim producing the noise. height label...

If you're a cyclist from the south of the metro, you probably have heard of this biker haven in the south. They serve rich lomi for the tired and hungry bikers coming from Nuvali and Calamba. It's a perfect reward for a tiring trail ride. Lomi: heart stopping goodness Lomi is a noodle dish that is popular in the Batangas area. It has thick noodles in a thick soup base. It's flavour is further enhanced by crushed chicharon (pork rinds) and served usually with pork and egg toppings garnished with spring onions and/or garlic bits. Ariel's Lomi Haus offer's a 40, 50 and 60 pesos serving for their lomis. 60 being the largest bowl. Most of us are dead full after eating that 60 pesos bowl. Better get the small one if you're just sampling it. Waiting for that Lomi Mountain bikers from Nuvali usually go through an off road track to reach a baranggay in Calamba where the lomi haus is located. A bit of trail and 70% road is in store for you if you wish to v...