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.