Mexicans get fed up of their government; university students build their own bike path

In Guadalajara, Mexico, a group of students from the Tec de Monterrey have built a 2.5-kilometre long bike path all by themselves, because they were fed up with their city's lack of will to build bike paths.

Translation:

Santa Margarita Avenue between Central avenue & Aviacion
10 January 2011

"City for all and other citizens"
Students of the Tec of Monterrey (a private university) and the University of Guadalajara decided to unite and build a cycle lane for workers and students that pass through [there] daily

Guy speaking:
Well since our politicians are not doing anything, [can't make out]

Citizen Cycle Lane

Guy in cap speaking:
At this time we're starting the work that for years our city and government have not given a damn, [can't understand], inaugurate, formally, the start of the first citizen cycle lane in the city of Guadalajara.

[sound of horn!]

Car congestion woes? How about trying cycling.

Bike... and truck. Scary comparison indeed.

Recently, prices for COE have gone through the roof. What was $20,000 is now $50,000+. The most unfortunate thing is that people these days are complaining that COE should be repealed/reduced/changed totally. However, if you think of it, the government would never do that. You have to remember that the chief goal of the government is to control car population, and it'll make whatever money it can along the way.

That said, another greater issue lies in the fact that these days, we're increasingly getting more and more congestion. Yesteryears' large quotas have resulted in there being more and more cars on the road, and only recently did the quotas shrink and most likely, we'll see the improvement in congestion in years to come, but not now.

However, with regards to congestion, a lot can be done today. If you'd ask me, ERP is becoming more and more a revenue source and a way to keep people out of certain roads - and congest others. ERP is not really that effective as a country-wide decongestant. In fact, the best way to fight congestion is to think in terms of transportational efficiency, rather than cost. A lot of Singaporeans who can drive are middle-class, so the cost of a car isn't that big of an issue when compared to the unpleasantness of squeezing with others on overcrowded buses, or having to wait long long for the bus to arrive.

The car is, today, still one of the most attractive ways of transportation because Singapore was designed to be moved around by cars. Roads were designed for nothing but cars and buses. There's absolutely no other alternative if you want to go places quickly, and efficiently. And as a result, having efficiency outstrip cost, it just doesn't make sense for anyone to forgo the car.

But one thing that can be done to make cars less attractive is to put in effort to think about the efficiency of alternatives, especially when it comes to bikes. Middle-class people don't bike much unless it's a hobby of their, and often in my observations, few cycling enthusiasts take their bikes on commuting rides - they're weekend warriors and then they'll take the car on weekdays.

One of the biggest reasons is that Singapore is quite an unfriendly place to cyclists, especially beginners. You gaze out on the street and you see a small guy on two wheels side-by-side a 5-ton truck. You gaze above and see the sun blazing. You hear stories of bike theft.

But the biggest problem to a beginner has to be the unfriendliness of riding on the road. Tackling this is a big challenge, although I believe that the best way to tackle this is to just get on the road and learn-as-you-go. I do, however, consider bike lanes to be one of the more attractive options to get people out of their cars and onto bikes. Bike lanes increases the attractiveness of cycling, by assuaging people's fears of riding next to a big truck. With beginners, 1.5m really matters.

And what most people don't know is that cycling is actually very efficient. But once you start, you'll realise that you can get to places faster than buses do. And you don't need to walk at all, because bikes can get you right to the doorstep of your destination. No parking woes either.

Unfortunately, the LTA has stated that it won't be able to build bike lanes because we don't have enough land. I believe that it's more of a lack of will, and also how large-scale a project such as this will be - to convert a city built on cars as a main mode of transport to something like a hybrid of bikes and cars. But I also believe that anything can happen if there's an impetus, and the proof is in Marina Bay Sands.

When you see a lycra-clad cyclist on the road with a fancy Pinarello, heading into the city. People should not think, "wahlau, get off the road lah". Instead, it is a good sign because the person who's riding a bike is not in a car. One less car on the road - imagine if more people cycled.

The Ugly Truth

 

Unfortunately, this is how we feel but it's often just anger expressed at nobody. Thieves are going to be around for as long as you have a bike.

Via http://www.notablyfortunate.com/

Breaking News: Seven nabbed for spate of bicycle thefts

July 25, 2011

A MAN and six teenagers, believed to be responsible for a spate of bicycle thefts in Jurong East, have been arrested.

Police officers who were making their rounds in the wee hours of Sunday got suspicious after they spotted three teenagers hanging out near a bicycle at Block 312 Jurong East Street 32.
They then waited and saw one of them try to unlock the bicycle chain.

The officers arrested two of them, but the third managed to run away. He was eventually arrested near Block 420 Jurong West Street 42, along with four other accomplices.

The seven are believed to have stolen at least two bicycles in the area.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Brings tears to my eyes every time I see a report like this.

Source: Straits Times

Chan Chun Seng on Vision 2030

What is Vision 2030? It's like Wawasan 2020, except it will work.

Yes, that's Chan Chung Seng giving a thumbs-up

Vision 2030 is a new thing that...err... Chan Chun Seng has up his sleeves that intends to popularise sports in Singapore. The goal of this is to ensure that the whole of Singapore will one day embrace sports as a lifestyle and help tackle some of the challenges, as reported by the Straits Times.


I do not know about all these grand goals but I do know about cycling, and I believe that one of the best areas in which Mr. Chan can look into is cycling. He can ride on a wave of upward growth in what is one of the easiest sports to adopt.

Cycling is probably the easiest to adopt because,

1. You can do it alone
2. It is as expensive as you want it to be
3. It has many different areas to explore
4. It is utilitarian

Already, one of the biggest surges in cycling has occurred in the new millennium, ever since the introduction of efforts such as the OCBC Cycle and the development of more thorough park connectors. Recreational cyclists have seen growth numbers that have never been seen in the 90s. And you know road cyclists are also growing in numbers because... the Straits Times is publishing a lot more Drivers-vs-Cyclist articles.

And then there's the benefits of cycling. A cycle commuter makes very efficient use of his time, and avoids other ills such as wasting time at the bus stop, cramming into an overloaded train, having to suck up price increases with no recourse other than to complain and whine, and also other less obvious benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, burning fat, and a general feeling of greater healthiness, all while doing the 40-minute commute to work, and back.

On the other hand, a serious cyclist - the weekend MAMIL or MTBer also makes great use of his time. Inherently energy demanding and heart-pumping, weekend rides on Coastal is a great way to make friends and bond with other cyclists, all while burning hours' worth of calories. I know for a fact that my recreational rides are generally less fat-burning than people in the Coastal or Lim Chu Kang peloton doing 40km/h.

Vision 2030 can ride on this increasing wave of cycling to achieve quite a lot of its goals. The fact that cycling saw a popular growth with little governmental agency showed that with a little nudge, it will see an unmistakable boom. So more pertinently, I won't beat around the bush without answering the question. According to Mr. Chan, here are some points of discussion:

Generation Z: How can sports engage and develop youth?

Named Gen Z probably because they Zzzz a lot and play video games thereafter, the video games generation is probably one of the biggest problems which anyone seeking to push sports as a lifestyle option will face.

The issue with Gen Z, and some Gen Y, is that parents today are generally more protective of their children, and often a times, it seems that the safer but unhealthier alternative is often considered to be more ideal. Yes, you can get pretty beat up if you cycle with little experience. Yesssss, you can get killed. However, these are rare occurrences and these are not challenges that are insuperable nor are they risks that are impossible to mitigate.

To totally disallow a child to play sports is akin to totally destroy the best part of life. Video games are fun but they are... just not as thrilling as the possibilities that sports offer. Anecdotally, I find that people who do sports are more interesting, have more friends and have less issues with their emotions. I also know for a fact that if not for cycling, my life would be so restrained and boring.


Spirit of Singapore: How can sports bond the community and inspire the nation?
This I know: stop getting people to win medals for Singapore. We want medals won by Singapore.


However, on a more down-to-earth level, it seems that in cycling, there's an automatic fraternity within cyclists. If you go on the trails and have a problem, you'll find that sooner or later, people will warm up and help you. If you fall on Mount Faber like I did, you'll find that people will try to help you.


By having an interest in cycling, and I suspect it is the same as with any other sports, you'll find that you'll engage with more like-minded people, get to make more friends and enjoy the sport together. If you want an example, just take a look at the LoveCycling group. How many people join their rides on weekend? Tons, and they have lots of pictures to prove it.


So, without an interest in a sport, how would you get to know so many people? eHarmony? Doubt so.



Future ready: How can sports inculcate values and groom future leaders?
Wah lau, so lofty. Sorry, no idea.

Futurescape: What can be done to create more public spaces for sports?
With regards to cycling, this is a bit difficult, because the LTA is hard on bike lanes, and although I suspect that if the LTA/SLA/NParks actually made some bike lanes or some sort of bicycle superhighway, it would be the necessary 'nudge' from the government for put cyclists on their bike.

The park connectors are a great initiative, though unfortunately, they don't go to places where people would bother. They make great superhighways from Marine Parade to Changi Village for you to makan, but they don't get you to work. But then again, in NParks' defense, they weren't designed to.

Organising for success: How can the public, private, and people sectors work together to make Vision 2030 a reality?

I know. Stop having people act like I'm some crazy guy all because I bike commute.

I suspect that cycling will be a ground-level initiative, because I don't really think the government can do much or would really bother. It will be something that spreads virally just like how people got to know the Fun Pack song. One day, your colleague will come in work by bike, everyone will joke and laugh. The next week another weirdo colleague tries it and really enjoys it (confirm). After a while, people stop looking at these two cyclist like jokes.

Then, SBS and SMRT decides that they're gonna raise prices. Secondary school students and JC leavers lose their concessions and decide to get on a bike because of prices. It gets popular in the office, among students and the word spreads.




That's how I believe cycling will spread in Singapore.

And come to think of it. Wasn't Chan Chun Seng so proudly a Major General? What if the military or civil services gave incentives to run/cycle/hike to work? A great nudge.

Why is Armstrong always embroiled in shit?

Of all the scandals in the cycling world, the most undying and durable one is the one regarding Lance Armstrong. He dopes, or does he not? Everybody is asking the question, and everybody is saying his own thing. A few months ago, a program on 60 Minutes had a few of his teammates "out" him, but besides these primary source anecdotes, it seems that the numbers never are against Lance. He's never positive.

The seven-time TdF champion is back and now it seems that his reputation is going up in flames. It seems that some people are heading a smear campaign over Lance, and he's trying to get the courts to disallow feds from talking to the media. Read this article on Bikeradar.com

Armstrong victim of "character assassination"

 Lance Armstrong's newly appointed legal team has filed a motion at the US District Court in Los Angeles claiming that the seven-time Tour de France champion has been the victim of "character assassination". The charge stems from alleged leaks from the federal grand jury investigation into allegations that Armstrong was involved in organized doping during his pro cycling career.

According to the respected Politico news website in the US, Armstrong's legal team, headed by John W. Keker, contends that leaks about Armstrong had "the obvious intent of legitimizing the government's investigation of a national hero, best known for his role in the fight against cancer." The motion suggests that information from the Armstrong investigation has been leaked to the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes. The motion states that, due to the leaks, "even if exonerated and never charged, Armstrong's reputation will have been severely damaged".

 Kinda hard to be the up there where no one else has been, huh.

Bike vs Plane... Guess who won?

Last weekend’s closure of Los Angeles' 405 freeway - dubbed "Carmageddon" because of the predicted ensuing transport chaos in a city famed for its traffic - saw an unlikely showdown between a plane and a group of enthusiastic cyclists

[...]

The challenge was accepted by a group of cyclists calling themselves Wolfpack Hustle, who were given a one-hour head start over the aircraft on account of the time it takes to transit through the airport on domestic flights. And it was the cyclists who easily came out on top, arriving at their destination before the aircraft - which had suffered take-off delays - had even made it into the air.

Taking just 1hr 34mins and averaging 24.4mph, they arrived in Long Beach 1hr 20 ahead of the plane journey, which required a taxi ride from the airport to complete. The plane’s time was also eclipsed, according to Twitter, by a metro/walk combination (1hr 44) and even a girl on roller blades (2hr 40).

Source: BikeRadar netbook games www.netbookist.com

This is probably the biggest joke of all time. Reminds me of flying to Kuala Lumpur. You spend more time on the ground handling your check-in, baggage, eating food and waiting in the plane on the ground. Of course, this 50km stretch that was blocked is a bit different from the 400km to KL...

More info on Tern via an interview

This was three months ago. Biologic booth.

Some quotes from Josh Hon, the new head honcho of Tern, from an interview done by 16incheswestofpeoria that will help elucidate more on the Tern of events a few weeks ago.


Who is Dahon?
There are three Dahon entities: Dahon Global, Dahon China, and Dahon North America. These three companies have always worked together on the Dahon brand. Dahon Global has always handled all sales, marketing, product development and a majority of manufacturing. Dahon China has manufactured a majority of Dahon frames and a minority of complete bikes. In the early days—more than five years ago—it did a lot of the engineering for Dahon bikes. Dahon North America handles distribution for the North American market...


My mother and I together own 100 percent of Dahon Global, a Taiwan-based company. So the press release from Dahon China reporting that I have “left” Dahon is not accurate since I continue to work at Dahon Global, and this company will continue to operate. My father manages Dahon China and Dahon North America. For the global market, we’ve always had five factories assembling Dahon bicycles: one in China (Dahon China), one in the Czech Republic, two in Taiwan, and one in Macau. Going forward, all of these factories, with the exception of Dahon China, will build Tern bicycles. None of the assembly factories will continue working with Dahon China next year. In short, our supply chain is set up and already running.

What's has Tern taken from Dahon?
Tern will have rights to use all the intellectual property owned by Dahon Global. And that includes most of the technology coming out of Dahon within the last five years. That includes a lot of stuff that is either patented, trademarked, or copyrighted. Dahon China will not have rights to use this intellectual property. Tern will not use any intellectual property owned by Dahon China. And Tern has some good new technology to show off. We’ve already filed for eight new technology patents this year.

Family politics?
It’s a very unfortunate situation to be sure. But I think that working in different companies will actually allow us to work things out for the better. I received a very good education because my parents both worked and sacrificed a lot. They don’t drive nice cars, have very few nice things, and don’t even go on vacations unless my wife and I invite them. That’s why I left a good job in Silicon Valley 19 years ago to move to Asia and help out my parents when things were tough.

Will Tern differentiate itself?
We did quite a lot of things well at Dahon. But there were also some things that we didn’t do well enough, and in fact, some things that we did poorly. At Tern, we want to improve on the things we did well. But we’re going to really focus hard on the things that we didn’t do well. The single area that needs the most focus is service.

I think many Dahon dealers would tell you that getting parts for service was pretty difficult and/or slow. We agree wholeheartedly. And that’s why we’re setting up service centers in Europe (Germany), Taiwan and the U.S. These service centers will stock all of the key custom components that are found on our bikes. Dealers who need to service a bike should order parts from the local distributor, but if the distributor doesn’t have the part available for whatever reason, we’ll be able to airfreight parts out within two days from any of the service centers. Service will also be a lot easier because of the streamlined product range. We have a lot fewer SKUs and custom parts. If there is a custom part, it’ll be used across the range. So, for instance, we’ve only got two types of frame joints and handleposts across the entire range, so stocking these parts will be much easier.

It’s the In-N-Out Burger analogy: if you only offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers on your menu, it’s much less likely that you are going to run out of ingredients. As for differentiation, we’re not too concerned with that at this point. Anybody who rides one of the new Tern bikes will know how we are differentiated. We are that confident.
............
Read the whole interview here!

Tern Bicycles to Dahon: Challenge Accepted

“There are things we wanted to do with product, organizationally with philanthropy, being able to take the brand a lot further, and the issues we had within Dahon weren’t allowing us to do those things... rather that getting mired in negativity, we decided, ‘Hey, let’s take the hard road.’ We have an amazing team in place. We hope by taking the hard road at the beginning, it will be an easier, smoother road at the back end.”

Source: Bicycle Retailer

It's good to be a blogger because you can write about whatever is in your mind. And here I have news of the launch event held last weekend in Taipei... about the new folding bike company, Tern Bicycles.
WTF? Why do we need another folding bike company? And why is it that the face of Dahon, Josh Hon (the guy who's trying to sell you Biologic products on Youtube), has seemed to transplant himself from the good ol' Dahon to Tern?


According to him, he enjoyed working in Dahon, but that marked his past, and what he deemed as the future is an entirely new company that has no affliation with Dahon at all, and the strong impetus lied in the differing vision between the management of Dahon and... probably some guy bearing the surname Hon.

But don't worry. If you love Dahon, you'll love the fact that Josh is taking quite a good bit of his army of Dahoners with him, such as the senior manager of product design, Joakim Uimonen. And with 21 new designs, you'll be surprised how they managed it all in eight months.

Why is it if they put a Dahon logo on it, I'd be immediately convinced it's one?

From what I gather, Tern's company vision is to create good commuting bikes as a means to amelioriate the excesses of today's transportational system. Tern is a foldable bike company, and has a range of mostly 20", though spanning out to 24 and 26" foldable bikes. If you are familar with Dahon, you'll be familar with the naming conventions - [Random name] [Componentry grade][Number of gears][Internal hub/misc info].

The bikes will be available to distributors in the fall, and will be exhibited in Interbike and Eurobike. For us mere mortals not in the trade, just watch the video (below) of angmohs riding in Taipei. Yesssss, no disguising the fact that it's filmed in Taiwan despite the numerous tricks - white actors, orderly traffic (it's not normal in Taiwan), lack of scooters all over the place, etc.




And if you're wondering - a tern is a bird, which probably explains the bird origami in the logo. But the question I really want to ask is... how are they going to differentiate themselves from Dahon, because as of right now, Tern seems to be like Dahon's renegade.

The fall in numbers of people cycling

A dog can cycle.



But today, there is a starkingly unmistakable trend these days among people born in the new millenium as well as people born right before that. Increasingly, have the perfect excuse not to ride a bike - "I don't know how to". "I never learnt", etc.

Recently, I met a few people below my age and when I mention cycling, some of them surprisingly say that they don't know how to cycle. The first few times I was a bit taken aback, because I had this impression that cycling was a must-do-to-get-through-youth activity. But it isn't...

One of my previous friends, a lady who is a national volleyballer, has no clue about cycling. She has her excuses - mostly downplaying its benefits when I mention it to her. She has no idea what she's talking about.

The other was the case of 'once bitten, twice shy' parents. Another lady, whose sister got into an accident, got this OBTS syndrome and disallowed her from learning how to ride. In the end, she still enjoyed cycling, albeit behind me, in a tandem. Yet another guy friend never had another bike again after getting into an accident.

It seems that the trend is more apparent in females. Unfortunately, that's a true pity. Imagine if you had a partner that shared your interest. And I know how that feels like, it's great fun, especially when you two ride together on a tandem, going places.

There are many joys to riding, even for leisure. However, modern parents have their reservations about allowing their children the free will to go out and take a few hard knocks. Yes, riding is risky. Yes, letting your children go unmonitored is scary. Yes, accidents can happen.

But more often than not, the empowerment and possibilities with cycling beats the risks of not cycling. Unlike running, cycling can be enjoyed for hours in a healthy, weight-shedding way and you won't feel that pain you get when you were trying to pass your NAPHA or IPPT. And unlike other field-bound sports, cycling can take you to places. The same way that, unlike staying in front of the computer and playing games, cycling offers true dividends.

Not only is a bike a conveyance, it is also a toy. And that's where its magic stems from. It is functional as well as fun. It is a pity that too much protection and misinformation keep kids out of the reach of this splendid pleasure.

Now, take a look at this video to get inspired.

Blog Revamp!

I just revamped the blog's layout for the sake of better design and most of all for my love for big pictures. With such a big space down here, I can put a nice near 1000-pixel sized picture so you don't have to squint.

A picture such as...

Someone see Adi Putera no up...

Metro Transit and Bicycles

In a far, far away land where ang mohs roam, public transport is friendlier to bikes... there are racks for the bikes in both trains and buses and there are... did I see correctly - lockers for bikes?

That's amazing!

What is the Winning Mentality?

The Winning Dance: Spray champagne all over the media.

A lot of times in life, I wonder... "why do some succeed?"


Working part-time in HR, I see a lot of different people. Some the general, some the special and some the successful. Learning the traits of this last group eventually answers my question, which invariably gets answered with something between hardwork, a spark of genius and commitment.

Recently, I upped the ante for Bike Commuting in SG, and I've seen true results! So yes, commitment works!

New York Intersections

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

If you think Singaporean roads are chaotic, take a look at this! This redefines might is right, got-space-just-go and bo cheng hu.

How to Protest Poor Bike Lanes

Take a look at this video, which shows the most interesting way to protest. The producer of this video is probably quite upset that he is getting ticket and went on a crash course with everything in the bike path that obstructs bike path in a means to illustrate his point that riding off the bike path can be safer than tolerating all the obstructions in it.

I find it amusing more so than effective, because, unfortunately, cyclists is a niche group of people whose opinions will always be second to other users of the road. Nonetheless, watch this video and see what you think about it.



Pretty amusing that someone would deliberatly crash around just to illustrate his point. But that's what makes New York special.

Microblogging: Rob Lilwall

Surprisingly, I just watched the last episode of Cycling Home From Siberia and it seems that his bike Elanus or Ellaness, Elanis, Alanis etc. uses an ALIVIO rear derailleur. Whether he changed the dee on his 3-year trip is a question I'd like to ask.

W.T.C.

What. The. Copulate?

And what about motorcycles lane splitting to the same effect?

The Most Off-Topic Post Ever

"At least one forummer saw my pic in that entry and still thought I was a schoolgirl. WIN."

Ahhhh.... ACS Boys
I must agree with Jaywalk on his accurate entry on ACS boys.

* Ang moh buay pai.
* Chinese buay sai.
* Sian char bor sibeh li hai!!

Quite a few 'enlightened' girlfriends of mine have concluded that having an ACS boy on the arm is indeed a trophy.
(Enlightened = Girls who make careful choices about who they go out with, and are able to make appropriate amount of analysis afterwards.)

ACS boys are charming and entertaining to hang out with.
What sets them apart from the rest is that air of self-confidence.

Please do not be mistaken, this is unlike the chip on the SJI shoulder, which is sometimes an act of overcompensation for certain deeply-rooted insecurities.

In a nutshell, ACS boys are suave.

(Of course, there are some socially dysfunctional ACS boys, but because the overwhelming majority displays such consistent standards of suave-ness, that one cannot deny this fact.
I do agree that to a certain extent, the image of the suave ACS boy does give rise to the 'halo effect', giving anything that uniform an edge over other earthlings.)

However,

I must conclude that if you are looking for a life partner, do go for the true-blue RI boy.

They may be crass unsophisticated (in terms of sense of aesthetics and/or bearer of aesthetics), irritatingly corny and sarcastic, and have limited abilities expressing themselves in the most fluent of English, but I believe they are fundamentally true socialists at heart.

And amidst the efficient Rafflesian factory, if you manage to find one with some sense of humility, that will be and has to be the Perfect partner for a true-blue SNGS chick.

小妹妹们
要记得大姐姐的话哦！(Little sisters, mark "my" words!)

I heart RI boys!!!
WOO HOO!!!

 Source: Blinkymummy

This comes from a true-blue St. Nicholas Girls' School woman (yes, that's correct diction) who last stepped into her secondary school school around 15+ years ago. She spent 11 years in SNGS, and is still partying away. From what she said, she likes flawed socialists from top schools over suave and charismatic trophy boyfriends whose angmoh buay pai.

See me no up?

Can't disagree that "school rivalry is deeply-embedded in our consciousness". I feel so bad on not being material for girls looking for trophy boyfriends. My little saving grace is that...

plus i have a soft spot for cat high and maris stella boys.
it's the brother-sister school thing.
purely 'kinship'.

Good to know what a St. Nicks lady would think of me. At least I don't have to be socialist. I'm very practical about my capitalistic ways - which is why I bike commute, duh!

Giant Donates Bikes for Quake Cleanup

Giant Donates Bikes for Quake Cleanup - News | Giant Bicycles | International

Giant Bicycles has donated 1000 special “Emergency Edition” mountain bikes specifically designed to assist emergency crews involved with the recent Japan earthquake disaster.

These hardtail mountain bikes will be used by local emergency organizations and volunteers to navigate rough terrain and damaged roads no longer accessible by vehicles.

The bike itself is a limited production model based on the Giant Rock series of mountain bikes sold in Japan, and is named the “Special Edition Quake Reconstruction” model.

To better highlight its emergency usage, the framesets are painted in high-visibility yellow, and they carry a logo depicting “Emergency Reconstruction Assistance” on the seat tube.

Each bike will be delivered fully assembled and will come equipped with safety features that include front suspension, 26-inch off-road tires, rear luggage rack, and front headlight.

Immediately after the earthquake, Giant altered its standard manufacturing schedules to accommodate timely production of the unique bicycles. They will be delivered to affected areas by late April.

This is so awesome right! I think Giant is doing the world a great deed, and it's true that bicycles can go to a lot of places where even the Hilux - Top Gear's favourite abuse vehicle - cannot. The beauty of bikes is that even if you can't ride it, you still can walk the bike until you reach somewhere rideable. Like, if you wanted to climb a pile of tall rubble, you could lift the bike over and then get yourself over. I guess... no first hand experience, and seriously not interested in having it.

On a more nitpicky note, these look like they have cheap components. No matter anyway, since I have never seen Shimanos break down over a short period.

Tax Me? Ler Ki Si La.

I was flipping through the Road Traffic Act, and guess what!

Exemption from tax on certain descriptions of vehicles
14. No tax shall be chargeable under this Act in respect of vehicles of the following descriptions:

(a) fire engines;

(b) vehicles used solely for the purpose of a fire-fighting service;

(c) ambulances;

(d) road rollers;

(e) vehicles used exclusively on roads which are not repairable at the public expense;

(f) vehicles used solely for industry, mining and agriculture and not intended to be used on any road repairable at the public expense;

(g) invalid carriages; and

(h) bicycles.