Public Bicycle Parking Facility? Let's copy!

The Mauá bicycle station located near the train station is Latin America’s largest 24-hour bicycle parking facility. It was started by Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (São Paulo Metropolitan Train Company) in collaboration with ASCOBIKE, a bicycle riders association.

For R$10.00 (approximately US$5.00) a month members can park their bicycles without fear of them getting stolen and where they can leave their bikes for repair or buy parts and accessories at discounted rates. It is also a place where they can take a break as they have access to showers and restrooms or have refreshment, like cold water or hot coffee before they continue on their journey by train.

It is also a place for their social well being as there are social workers there to provide legal services, insurance plans or provide loans for members to have their bicycles repaired or serviced if their safety riding their bicycles becomes a concern.

 

Can we see this happening in Malaysia?  It is very possible as I read that The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) has helped to develop the bike parking station.

ITDP is a US-based non-governmental non-profit organization that provides technical assistance to cities and local advocacy groups on sustainable transportation development throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 

Why should we consider working towards developing bike parking station like this in our country?  Take a look at this chart created by ITDP and you will see the picture.

Let's share this information and hope that the relevant authorities will pick this idea up.

Clattering sound when cycling?

If you hear a clattering sound when you are cycling but don't see anything stuck on your chainrings, that could cause the noise when you checked, it is likely the sound of your chain rubbing against your derailleur.

To verify if that is the cause, check where your gears are at when the noise starts.  Is your chain sitting on the larger chainring while the other end is sitting on the largest ring of your cassette?  If it is, look at your rear derailleur.  You will notice that it is stretched way forward.

If your chain is sitting on the smallest chainring while the other is sitting on the smallest ring of your cassette you will noticed that the rear derailleur is stretched way backward.  That means that you are cycling on extreme gear combinations and the grinding noise you hear is the chain rubbing against your rear derailleur.

This cross chaining process puts the chain at too much of an angle which adds tension and can cause your chain fall off the bike and wears it out faster than it should.

So now you know that you should avoid the following combinations:
Front gear is at 1 while back is at top gear
Front is at 3 while back is on lowest gears

Watch this video and you will have an idea of what I am talking about.

Ride Smoothly with Q20

First, let's remember what is rusting your bicycle parts which creates friction between the moving surfaces and makes your rides not that smooth.  WATER!

If you have been religiously lubricating the moving parts of your bicycle but you are still not happy with the result, it's time to change your lubricant.

I read that a typical lubricant contain 90% base oil and there about 10% of additives.  So, oil being lighter than water will sit on it which explains why metal parts on your bicycle will still be oxidized.  So, what you have to do now is to find one that is heavier than water so that it can dislodge any remaining moisture on your bicycle parts.

And this is what you should be looking for.

Need proof that it works?  Watch this video and promise me that you will not try it at home as I need you to keep coming back to my shop.

DO IT YOURSELF FOR REBATES

Watch this video and learn how to change your own bicycle tyre or tube.

 

Why? If you fix your puncture personally, you will get a RM4 rebate off any tyre or tube you purchase at:

Jom Johan Trading and Services
No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana
1/1A Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1 43000
Kajang, Selangor
Malaysia

Some points to note:

1) Before removing your current tube, pump in some air to see if it can be inflated.
2) Before you install the new tube, inflate it a little to check the surface for any defects.
3) Check your rim to see if there are any protruding spoke that could puncture your tube again. Ask the staff at Jom Johan to show you how to create a rim tape if it is required.
4) Check the outer and inner casing of your tyre to remove any embedded sharp object, such as, glass or nails.
5) Before you finish up by inflating the tube, make sure that it is fully inserted into the tyre and not sticking out of the rim.
6) Do not over inflate the tube as it can burst up like a balloon. Good for shop owner but not for your pocket.

Use the proper tools to remove and install tyres and tubes to prevent scratching or damaging the rims of the wheel or even puncturing the new inner tube you are installing.

This is one of the bicycle tool kits you can consider using as it comes with metal tyre levers.

If you would like to borrow tools available at the shop, be nice to the owner by telling how much you

Jom Johan

 on FaceBook.

Punctured your tube?

Watch this video and learn

1) how to remove and re-install your rear wheels off your bicycle
2) about the convenience of getting rear wheel quick release for your bicycle
3) how to remove tyre and inner tube off the rim
4) about the convenience of using the right tyre levers
5) how to fix a punctured bicycle tube with a cold patch

 

You can get this

at 

Jom Johan Trading and Services

No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana 1/1A

Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1

43000 KajangSelangor

Malaysia

Unfolding your Doppelgänger

If you bought yourself the Doppelgänger folding bicycle from Japan like this model,...

...you need to learn the special safety mechanism it has to unfold one.

  

Yes, they also have full suspension foldable bikes running on 26" wheels.




I know, because they are selling at:

Jom Johan Trading and Services
No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana 1/1A
Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1
43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: 03-87369398 / 012-3867558

Stay safe. Lights up!

If you are out riding your bicycle at night, make sure that you can be seen by fellow road users.

You should have a tail light or rear bike light like the following which comes with a USB adaptor for recharging the Lithium polymer battery.  It has two types of mount so that you can decide if you would like to locate it at the saddle or seat post.

You will also require a headlight or front bike light.  

There are models that also come with helmet mount.  What is the point of mounting your headlight on your helmet?  Without moving your bicycle, you can shine the light in the direction you are looking at.  

Kids' bikes are here

Just received these.  Cute for age 4-5.

Sweet for the young lady in the house with basket and carrier installed.

Not forgetting the boys looking for the sporty bike.

See anything you like?

Going electric on your bike is...

Going electric on your bike is going to be easy once Rubbee, a rechargeable electric drive, is in the market. At 6.5 kg (14 lbs), it is definitely light for a conversation kit.

So, what if you do not have any skills in electronics and mechanics to mount it? Will it be possible to have it mounted on your bicycle "in just a few seconds", as claimed?

Watch this video and decide for yourself.

 

 So, what is its limitation? I can't see any as long as the throttle is connected.

 

 Rubbee is a KickStarter project with 17 days left to reach their goal of raising £63,000 to get it moving.

Bicycle tales boring? No way!

Who in the world rides bicycles?

Just anyone.  Good...

...or bad.

Anything goes.

Some like to do it with no hands.

Just remember to wear your helmet or you will be (s)creaming your brains out.

With some help from Threadless writing about bicycles is never boring.   

Problem pumping air?

Do you know that most fixies (fixed gear bicycles) have presta valve tyre tube installed? However, most tyre pumps sold in the market are meant for tube with schrader valves. So, what you need to get yourself is a valve adaptor for your tube which will convert your presta into a schrader valve.

Here is a video to show you exactly what I mean.

 


 This tyre tube adaptor

is sold in my shop at

Jom Johan Trading and Services
No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana 1/1A
Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1
43000 KajangSelangor
Tel: 03-87369398

Don't leave your valve adaptor screwed on the tyre tube of your bicycle.  It can go missing on you.

The rear bike rack

I have been warned against selling roof mounted bike carrier.  So, what do I think of rear bike rack?  Let's look at how it is installed to decide.


That looks easy and what I like about it is that you can remove it from the current car and install it on another car.  How do I know?

It's because I am selling rear bike racks for carrying 3 bikes in my shop at...

Jom Johan Trading and Services
No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana 1/1A
Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1
43000 KajangSelangor
Malaysia
Tel: 03-87369398

Roof mounted bike carrier, OK?

A customer was here. He sold his car and wanted to know how to remove the Thule OutRide 561 installed so that he can keep it for his next.

I found this video on YouTube on how to install one, thinking that we can work in reverse to have it removed.

   

In the end? The customer decided to leave it for the new owner.

Following are the disadvantages another customer, who had a roof mounted bike carrier installed, shared with me. He said:

1) roof mounted ones are more expensive, especially if, your car don't have a crossbar already mounted. Not having a crossbar means that you need to buy one with mounts and clips that attach to either the door frame or roof gutters on the car which can end up scratching the roof.

2) some models (like this Thule OutRide 561), need the wheels removed in order to be stored.

3) it is not so easy to manage if your bicycles are heavy and you are not tall or strong enough to lift bikes up the carrier.

His last warning to me was that, if I don't want my customers to hate me, don't sell them roof mounted bike carrier!

Why did he say that?  As the tallest and strongest in the family, he is the only one who is able to lift and store all the bikes after a tiring ride with the family.

A luggage to scoot around

Going on a trip?  Should you bring your scooter along?  Of course! Bring it this way. 

Sharing the best

Working on your computer has tired you out? Take this advise. Set a limit for each usage to half and hour.

So, what should you do when your limit is up?

Watch this video for the answer and pick up more along the way.

 

If you think that this is the best advise from Vodafone that you have ever seen, share it with your friends and mention that there is a bicycle store at this address:

Jom Johan Trading and Services
No 43A, Jalan Prima Saujana 1/1A
Taman Prima Saujana Sek 1
43000 KajangSelangor
Contact: 03-87369398 / 012-3867558

Why?

Because the owner of this shop is always willing to share good tips and offer the best price for her bikes.

Paper pulp helmet? Safe and trendy.

In your efforts to go green, you have decided to join a bike sharing scheme.  So, how green will you go?  When you don't have your own helmet with you, are you willing to share that too?

Stop!  Don't bother cracking your head over that issue.  Tom Gottelier, Bobby Petersen and Ed Thomas has a solution for you with their creation of the "Paper Pulp Helmet".  How safe is that?  Very safe I would say, since it is developed according to the European safety standards.

Will it cost you a bomb?  At £1 each, it is cheap enough to be recycled even after each use so that new ones can be created.  But how fashionable can one be wearing a helmet made out of paper pulp?  Decide for yourself.


Paper Pulp Helmet from Tom Gottelier on Vimeo.

Since this creation helps to clear newspapers discarded in buses and trains, that should make you a trendy green owner of one, that's for sure.

Waiting to print to ride?

What's the bike of the future? The kind that you can print to ride? Let's look forward to that.

Watch this. You wood be inspired.

If you like the shelves we have built at Jom Johan, you "wood" be inspired to create your own watching this video.



Now go look for those wooden pallet.

Earth Day? Not forgotten at Jom Johan.

Earth Day is about saving our natural resources by thinking how we can reduce usage, re-use what is available and recycle what we can so that what is abandoned will not land up in the landfill.

Check out these additional shelves created out of used wooden board taken off a work site.

Great work, Cas.

Ending end-of-life? Possible?

Is ending the expected "end-of-life" of a product possible? Yes! And Skate Guitar is the end product of what would have been skateboards that have reached their optimum usage.

Don't bother asking me how much it cost as, currently, Skate Guitars are only produced at the Galasso Guitars workshop in Buenos Aires Skate by Ezequiel Galasso and pro skateboarder, Gianfranco de Gennaro Gilmour.

You can check out what strumming one is like though.

 

Isn't it interesting to think that one day your collection of damaged skateboards could be music to your ears?

What else can we create? Let me know when you it hits you.

You can read and view more images about Skate Guitar at Gizmag

That's where I picked this story from.

Removing rear wheel?

Don't like dirtying your hands with grease while removing rear wheel of your bicycle? Don't touch the derailleur cage and chain then. If you just called me stupid, it is obvious that you have not heard about Leonard Ashman's bicycle quick release system, "Hubdock". 

Something to look forward to as it is not in the market yet.

Faded Jeans No More

I am on an eco thinking mode again.  What can I do with worn or faded out jeans to make them looking as good as new again?

Gibson gave me an idea.  Let him paint it.  You think I shouldn't?

Check out his work first!

If you run out of ideas of what to paint on your jeans, check out your skateboards for inspirations.

Check out Gibson in his own creation if you don't think you will look good in painted jeans.

If you like to look cool and you are also willing to spend RM200 to RM300 to get your jeans painted, give me a call at 03-87369398.

Coming! More Skateboards

Yes, I have been selling skatebaords in my shop because you asked for it.  

These are now in stock...

...and coming next week, you will see...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OxCJCvFVBpo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

...not the super Mexican talent, Fernan Origel, but...

...and their accessories...