How much air should I have in my fixie bike tyres?

Try to maintain the correct inflation pressure in your tube to lower the risk of punctures. Look at the inflation recommendations marked on the sidewall of your tyre and pump your tube to the pressure within that range.

If you are aiming for speed, you can inflate your tube right up to the maximum PSI indicated as that will help to reduce the rolling resistance of the tyre.

For better grip, you can let out some air for a more comfortable ride, especially when it is raining. Remember not go below the minimum PSI range recommended as the inner tube can get pinched between the rim and the tyre which can cause punctures.

If you enjoy riding your fixie downhill, during descents, use your brakes in an on-and-off fashion to prevent the rim from been heated up as that could expand the air in your tube and cause a tyre blow-off. That is a good reason not to over inflate your tube.

If you visit Schwalbe’s website, you will find a tyre pressure chart calculated based on body weight.

Some companies supply their pumps with a PSI chart attached. So, for fixie tyre of size 700x28C, if you can’t read the markings on your tyre, it is safe to pump your tube right up to 73 PSI .

How can I fix my bicycle puncture at home?

Before you remove your tube to replace it, you need to make sure that you have the right spare tube on hand. Following are information on selecting the right tyre and tubes.

Locate the hole on your puncture tube. If the hole is on the inner side (facing the rim) of the tube, especially along its seam and small, it could be manufacturing defect. Bring it back to the shop to see if they will replace it for you.

If it has been punctured by a foreign object, check along the tyre to make sure that the sharp object is not still sticking to the tyre. Look at the size of the hole and decide if you would like to patch it instead of replacing it. There are many kind of patch kits in the market.

If your rim tape need to be replaced, you can buy it or DIY.

Other than tyre levers, you will also need a pump to inflate the replaced tube. Here are some notes on choosing the right pump if you do not have one yet.

It is best to watch a video on how it should be done then experimenting on your own. For a beginner it can be a hassle to change your own tyre or tube. You may not be familiar with using the tyre levers and may pinch your new tube in the process.

I hope that knowing the above facts will ensure that you do not have to perform the same task twice because you have used the wrong size or have the replaced tube punctured again sooner than it should.

Is a folding bike more convenient than a regular bike to carry on board public transit?

Different countries have different regulations about traveling with a bicycle on public transport. I think it is best to know what is acceptable in your country before you make a decision to carry one on board.

A regular alloy 26″ bicycle can weigh 15kg or less while a 20″ alloy folding bike can weigh between 9kg to 12kg. Which of these weights are manageable for you to carry around?

If you travel with a folding bike, once it is folded, it does not intrude the space of fellow passengers. As the pedals can also be folded you do not have to worry about anyone bumping into them or your handlebar and getting hurt.

You can also get a bag for storing your folding bike before boarding a public transport. That way, you can be assured that it does not get scratched by your own carelessness or by passengers bumping into it.

This folding bike bag comes with a storage bag that you can hang on your handlebar when it is not in use. If you leave the folding bike bag at home, you can use the empty storage bag as a handlebar bag.

This is also a bag for folding bike but with wheels attached. It will be easier for you to move your bike around if you do not intend to ride it after alighting from the public transport.

Here are guideline provided by Rapid KL of what you must look out for when traveling on their trains with a foldable or non bicycle in tow.

Provided you are lucky enough to find a friendly bus driver who is willing to accept a token from you to help, most bus company in Malaysia will not allow you to take bikes onboard their buses.  However, if it is a folding bike packed in a bag small enough to store in the bus luggage compartment, the driver will consider it a piece of luggage.

Choosing the right BMX for doing stunts.

If you plan to get a BMX  to learn some tricks with it, first you must find one that is suitable for your height. The top tube length will determine that.

You can find charts online that  provides information on choosing the right bike size based on your height.

Since you are doing stunts on it, choose one that is installed with gyro brake system so that you can make twists and turns without entangling your cables.

Make sure that the chainring have lesser number of teeth on it. This is so that you can start to ride off faster after doing your twists and turns. This photo shows a GT BMX 43T chainring. You should be able to find BMX with 28T (teeth) right up to 48T (teeth) chainring installed.

You can also decide if you want one with sport rims to withstand hard knocks or one with the standard rims with spokes inserted. This model with sport rims have disc brakes and pegs installed on its front and rear wheels so that you can stand on them as you perform your tricks.

While this model installed with V-brake has the standard rims with 68 spokes installed. The more spokes there are, the less likely it will be for you to damage the wheels when your BMX hit the ground during high jumps.

You also have the option to choose BMX with hi-tensile steel frame or chromoly which is lighter but more expensive. Cyclists who have ridden bikes with steel frame and also on chromoly frame find that the later is flexible and more comfortable to ride on.

If you are talking about what brand you should buy, do a search for reviews on the brand you are interested in getting. Since you are learning, it may not be a good idea to buy an expensive model to start.

Maybe you should consider borrowing or getting a used unit that is still in good working condition. After some tries (ouch, ouch), you may decide that doing stunts is not for you.

What is the difference between slim and broad tyres?

Broader tyres used on MTB tend to be knobby. That means the threads on them are cut deeper which is why they have better grip and are suitable for rough terrain rides.

Cyclists who ride for speed or on paved road will prefer slimmer slick tyres with shallow grooves which can roll faster and smoother.  700C slick tyres like this are usually installed on road, touring, hybrids and fixed gear bikes.


Some broader tyres are also supplied slick but you will not be able to find 700C slim tyres with knobby threads.

The width can be seen imprinted on the side of the tyre with its size. It will read like, 27.5x2.1”, 27.5” indicates its diameter and 2.1” is its width.

When cyclists, who ride on MTB with knobby 27.5” tyres, join racing events on paved road, they will replace those tyres with slick ones of narrower width. So, they may consider getting slick tyre in size of 27.5x1.5” to 1.75” in width. They will also need to replace the tubes if the size of their current tubes does not match.

You will find the information here useful if you want to know more about bicycle tyres and tubes, especially if you are considering changing them yourselves.

Air leaks out of tube faster for cyclists who are overweight. While others may need to pump air into their mountain bike tyre at least every two to three weeks, cyclists who are overweight may find that they need to pump their tubes more often. So, it will be less of a hassle for them to ride bikes with broader tyres. Fatbike can be considered as the tyre size is 26X4”.

What are the best options to ship a bicycle internationally?

If you plan to ship your bicycle internationally, check with your local bike shop to see if they can pack your bicycle up for you. 

If you do not want to pay for the service, you can easily find tutorials on YouTube to guide you along. The bike shop you go to regularly will most likely be willing to give you a used box for this purpose if you make a request.

You can also buy a hard case travel bag that is large enough to fit any bike from size of 26″ to 700C, which is about 29″.

If plan to ship a folding bike, this is the luggage size to consider.

If you use a hard case bag with wheels attached, it will be easier for you to move it around to your next destination, once it leaves the airport.

How do I bike on city roads during rainy seasons?

If you plan to cycle everyday through the monsoon season, dress your bicycle for it first. 

Lubricate metal parts of your bicycle to prevent rust and corrosion.


Also use wet lubes on your chains as they are water resistant. This will reduce friction for smoother rides as it runs through the components of your drivetrain.

Have you installed a full set of fenders on your bicycle? If you have not you will definitely be splattered with mud and dirt cycling through puddles.

Also install a waterproof bag or one that has a rain cover provided on your bicycle. How big it is going to be depends on whether you need to shower and change your attire and shoes at your final destination. If you would like to keep yourself warm, also pack a flask of your favourite hot drink or liquor.

A small handlebar bag will do if you only need a towel to dry up or if you prefer wet wipes for a cleanup.

If you need to carry more than one bag or panniers as shown here, you will have to install a rear carrier on your bicycle too.

For better protection against splatters choose fenders that can be fitted closer to the wheels. Rear carrier like this can usually take weight load of 25kg if a bigger size bag or panniers are required.

Be seen while you are cycling on the road in the rain. Install front and rear lights on your bicycle and ensure that the rear lights are blinking very brightly. If you need more information about lights, you can read an article I wrote earlier.

Now we can talk about trying to keep yourself warm and dry as you ride by watching this video. It also provides many tips on how to keep yourself safe while cycling under the rain on the road

Why do bike messengers ride fixies rather than bikes with gears?

The story I heard about the history of fixies when I first started the bike business is that to save time, bicycle messengers often threw their bicycles on the ground on arrival, brake levers on their bicycles soon get broken. If these were never replaced why should they consider getting geared bike which will be more costly to replace and add weight to their load, affecting their speed?

Here is a story that most of you may not be aware of. Messengers speeding on their bicycle without brakes for courier companies look cool to young Asians and that is an American culture that they want to adopt.

Young cyclists deliberately removed the brakes levers and cables on their own bicycle so that they could do 360 degrees twists and turns on their bicycle too. So, manufacturers in China started making fixed gear bicycles with the front brake cable inserted through a hole in the centre of stem and it comes out from the base of the steerer tube to be attached to the brake calipers, as shown in this photo.



This 20" fixed gear bike comes with alloy sport rims installed is suitable for child of six and above.  Due to its designer look, children should be able to ride it till their adulthood just by changing the handlebar.

Do we need an expensive bike light?

Do you need an expensive bike light? That depends on how often you ride at night and how bright you need it to be if there are no street lights where you ride. The higher the lumens (brightness) the more expensive it is going to cost. Just make sure that the lumens of the light you are getting are within the limit acceptable in your own country.

This 300 Lumens front light is USB rechargeable and water resistant.

Then there is the front light and the rear light. Some brands sell them packaged together which tend to be cheaper than if you buy each separately. There are some rear lights that can also shoot laser beams right on the road you cycle. There are also front lights that can beam the contour of the surface you are cycling on.

Older models are cheaper, especially those with PVC casings. They can be a hassle to unscrew the cap or open up to replace AA cells. They usually have on, off and flashing light functions. The brightness depends on the number of batteries required to run it.

The later and better models run on led light and are usually USB rechargeable with its brightness indicated in lumens.

They have more light setting functions, some as many as 6. They tend to be lighter in weight with alloy casing or with silicon covers. Some brands even sell silicon covers in many colours so that you can interchange them. They are usually easier to install and remove.

So, now that you know what is available in the market, it will be easier for you to decide what you are willing to pay for after checking it brightness, the weight, the functions that go with it and its ease to install. If brand name is important to you, then you have to pay for that too.

There is another option for bicycle light that most cyclists missed checking out on. Do you have a mini lightweight torchlight at home or in your car? If you can mount it on a bicycle light holder that you can find in the market, you may prefer to use that over the regular bicycle light. There are torchlight that are supplied with a regular battery and a rechargeable AA battery. They also come with a charger that you can use to recharge other rechargeable AA batteries that you have in your home. One of the functions I like about such torchlight is that you can reduce the size of the light or have it narrowed down to a pinpoint mode so that it shines more brightly in dark corners.

Am I done on this topic? No. If you are talking about making yourself visible with light while you are cycling, there are headlights,…

…lights on wheels that you can change its design digitally for a signature look.

There are lights that you can strap on your body or bag.

There are lights that run on dynamo if you are an eco-hero.

There are lights that you can attach to your handlebar to indicate right or left turn. Lights that can be mounted to the front of your helmet…

…or permanently attached to the rear of your helmet.

The right question to ask is how safe you want to be while out cycling in the dark. The safer you want to be the more expensive it will cost you should you consider installing every gizmo there are in the market to brighten your ride.

Should I do mountain biking, BMX biking, or road biking?

If you love nature, mountain biking is a good choice. 



If you enjoy speeding and bending forward to ride to reduce aerodynamic drag, road biking will be the better choice. 



If you enjoy fully utilising your optimal strength and putting on a show doing twists and turns, a no gear bike like BMX is for you.


This is a video of one of my customers, doing his stuff on his BMX. He is paid to perform at local events.




The best way to choose, if you have not bought any of the above bicycles to experiment with is to watch videos of cyclists doing their stuff on their bike. Do you envision yourself doing the same and enjoying it as much?

How thrilling do you want your ride to be? 

Can you see yourself doing that?  Is fatbike a bicycle that you will now consider?

What are the most bicycle-friendly countries?

Here is a list of "75 Most Bike Friendly Cities In The World".  Read it to discover why each city was chosen as being bicycle friendly in their country.

You can also check out the top 20 cities, listed by COPENHAGENIZE DESIGN COMPANY, a design consultancy based in Copenhagen. They also provide information on what changes can be made for improvement.

Your rear wheel wobbles when you cycle? Here's why.

One of the questions often asked by cyclists when they noticed this wobbling is, if it will affect the gearing system. No, it does not.



The ball bearings retainer will have to be changed if it is damaged.  If it is still in good condition, the worn out or missing ball bearings can be replaced.

The wobble has to do with the machining on the hub shell. If a hub that is machined off centre is installed on rear wheel the wobble is more obvious when there is a cassette or freewheel on it. This videos explains the reason for wobbling very clearly.

What is the best way to lock up your bicycle?

Are you frustrated that the bicycle you kept locked in your house still gets stolen?  Even so, we shouldn't make it easy for someone to take away what we paid for and own!

The first thing that a thief will do when they steal a bike is to make changes to the bicycle so that it is not easily recognized by the owner or his friends. Changing the colour of the body is the easiest way.

So, make it difficult for the thief to make changes to your bicycle should it get stolen. Add stickers that are difficult to remove or make markings on part of the bicycle that is obvious for all to see even if painted over. A thief will be deterred from stealing your bicycle if there is too much work involved because of the lock installed or if it will be a hassle changing its look.

So, if you plan to park your bicycle, especially without a lock installed, make sure that it is within your sight. Make it stands out so that it can be seen from a distance away. You can do that by adding decorations on your bicycle that makes it uniquely yours. Eg, adding strips of self-adhesive reflective tapes in different colours to the rim. That way, if your bicycle is park with many others in a row, you can recognise it right away.

Go to YouTube and do a search for “How To Lock Your Bike” and you will find many videos showing mistakes that one can make when they use locks on their bicycle. Here is one I found that can rectify those mistakes.

At Jom Johan you can find many different types of lock ranging from RM5.00 to RM38.00.  You may not even have to pay for the lock because of the gift voucher you will be getting when you purchase a bicycle from us.

Here is another way to deter thieves from targeting your bicycle. Put this note on your bicycle where it can be seen by any thief; “Reporting Once Stolen at Bike registry”. So saying, make sure that you take down the serial numbers on your bicycle and take enough photo of the bicycle and proceed to register online if it gets stolen.

What can we do with old tyre and punctured tubes?

I have lots of worn out tyres from my bike shop.  I can’t leave them outside for too long because mosquito could breed in them should water accumulate inside its hollow space because of the rain.

I was inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest and manged to tie some up to create a chair.  This is how it turned out.

Raffia strings don’t hold them together too well and after some time, they fell apart.  What will you consider using to tie them up together so that they can last longer?

If the stains on your chair cannot be cleaned, you can cover it up with punctured tyre tubes this way. It can also cover small cracks on chairs so that you fanny will not get pinched.

I also like to consider using punctured tubes as material to explore my creativity.  Here are some of my creations.

This is made with gear cable and tube.

Would the guys wear this?

Here are some tips if you need inspiration to create with waste material you have collected from your bicycles.