Why cycling?
I had a bicycle (racing bike) which I used to ride to my friends place during my younger years. As time pass, I moved to 4 wheels and forgot about the manual two-wheels called bicycle until I bought I simple bike for my son. The bike was purchased from a hypermarket and is called Aloeca.
I was tempted to get the same brand for myself till I saw the price. With the same amount I can get a "real" bicycle brand or at least look for a brand called Raleigh.
I start looking for shops selling it and I found that buying a bicycle is unlike the old days, where you walk into the shop and buy the bike. Nowadays, the shop hangs the frame, tyre, spoke, etc so that you can choose and pick. This add more confusions such as type of ride you intended the bike for. One of the bicycle shop I when which selling a brand called Orbea and the bicycle cost as much as motorcycle, so I gave it a missed, at least until I seriously back into cycling. So after I took a step back and plan out my strategies, I decided to get a mountain bike as I only planning the bike for exercise/riding in the park. In Singapore, there are adventure track, coastal track, etc (more on that later....)
Which bike?
With the strategy in mind, I look into Raleigh website from International, Singapore and Malaysia. Looking at all the models, I decided on 2 models but the shop I went to only has Diablo Pro. After testing the bike, Diablo is the bike, same as the Diablo game.
About Diablo Pro
1. Raleigh is a known brand and trusted, so nothing can go wrong.... I hope
2. I still learning about the body but the term "hydroformed alloy" sound technological advanced to me but from my researched (wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroforming) means that the body will be light and able to withstand the punishment when I cycle
3. The brakes are disc brakes. This is something new to me and the stopping was good
4. Shifter is from Shimano and also a well known brand in bicycle arena, so should be good
5. Fork is from Suntour - unknown to me but the suspension was good when I ride over hump/bump
6. Tires are big and thick
The full specs can be found at http://gainxs.blogspot.sg/2012/08/my-new-ride.html
My future in cycling
Since I am not a professional cyclist, therefore I am not going to give the expert downside of Diablo Pro or how to really take care of the bike. But I think I must keep my bicycle clean and avoid the bicycle from rusty, so next investment will be on lubricant and lubricate every screw exist and every pivot point on the bike to avoid from getting rusty.
My $0.02 (2 cents)
Now that i have 2 bicycles (actually 3 bicycles), so I can compare my Diablo with my son's Aloeca. I tried both but my son's bike always felt like missing something like gear change/shifting. He always need to peddle more when we were riding together as he exhausted faster even we travel the same distance. If you planning to buy a bicycle, I advise you look into Diablo Pro and you never regrets it.
My newfound cycling track - Singapore Park Connector: North Eastern Riverine Loop
The distance of the loop is about 26KM but I will start slowly like 5-8KM and gradually increase it to the entire loop.
About North Eastern Riverine Loop
Discover the great outdoors on the Park Connector Network (PCN) – an island-wide network of linear open spaces around major residential areas, linking up parks and nature sites. An important part of Singapore’s transformation into a City in a Garden, the PCN brings you through the lush greenery and natural splendor of our island, as well as a wide range of exciting recreational activities.
The 26-kilometre North Eastern Riverine Loop of the PCN follows the natural coastline of Punggol Beach and the river banks of Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. It links four parks:
• Punggol Park
• Punggol Point Park
• Punggol Waterway Park
• Sengkang Riverside Park
Encompassing Buangkok, Sengkang, and Punggol Towns, the loop extends into Hougang Town and also runs into the rustic landscapes of Punggol Jetty, Punggol Promenade and Lorong Halus Wetland. 80% of the route will see you alongside gleaming coastlines and waterways with promises of breathtaking panoramic views and discovery of rich biodiversity. Riding on the distinct character of the Punggol district, the North Eastern Riverine Loop has indisputably some of Singapore’s most scenic corridors in the entire PCN. So go on and enjoy it!
For more information and detailed maps of our park connectors, visit: www.nparks.gov.sg/PCN
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