Bike Maintenance Check: Brake Pad Replacement

Bike Maintenance Check: Brake Pad Replacement

“It’s time to replace the brake pad.”

Such decision didn’t come just out of a whim; it came, instead, from regular inspection of the brake pad wear. As general rule of thumb, for disk brakes, the pad needs replacement once the thickness gets below 1 mm; or, to maximize usage, just when the pad sits flush with the spring.

Continue reading

2020: A Year End Reflection

2020: A Year End Reflection

Let’s admit it: 2020 didn’t go the way we had expected.

What started as a passing news from foreign land—pieces of story we quickly scrolled through without much attention—quickly spread across the globe and affected our life in a way we had never imagined. People fell ill, businesses dwindled, jobs lost—I was one among those affected financially, and was forced to slow down. It’s compelling to say 2020 was disastrous.

Yet, I realized, it had its own gift, too.

Continue reading

Petungkriyono: A Quick Cycling Getaway in Pekalongan

Petungkriyono: A Quick Cycling Getaway in Pekalongan

“You should try riding to Petungkriyono.”

It’s been years since my Dad said it to me for the first time. Located 40 km to the south from Pekalongan city center—the coastal hometown of my parents—the region sat on the northern slope of North Serayu Mountainrange, and is home to Pekalongan’s finest natural tourism attractions—mostly waterfalls. It wasn’t the tourism spots that lured me there, however; it was, instead, the promise of smooth winding road surrounded by forest so pristine one could easily see monkeys jumping around the tree canopy.

Continue reading

Jayagiri Moss Alley: A Weekend Leisure Ride

Jayagiri Moss Alley: A Weekend Leisure Ride

Hike-a-bike isn’t my cup of coffee.

It was, however, inseparable part of the cycling trip to Moss Alley—a small attraction spot in the middle of Jayagiri forest, at the southern slope of the infamous Mount Tangkubanparahu. It was @kerangkerungs who invited me to the ride, and I was intrigued; a short weekend ride to nearby forest with few fellow cyclists seemed like a nice idea. So there we were, a group of four, climbed to the north of the city on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Continue reading

Bandung All Terrain Challenge 2020: Another Lesson on Gravel Endurance Ride

Bandung All Terrain Challenge 2020: Another Lesson on Gravel Endurance Ride

“See? We meet again.”

@asep_hadian’s words were as daunting as classic movie’s bad guy’s, when he passed me by on Pacet climb, km 56 of the ride. Held by @audaxrandonesia and @dirtxclouds, the 200k 2020 Bandung All Terrain Challenge started from @bikesystem.id and began with flattish, uneventful ride to Ciparay, the first checkpoint, at km 49. Starting at 5.00 a.m., I was one among the firsts to arrive. There was confusion among participants about the exact checkpoint location, until @storyonsaddle showed up carrying the barcode to scan. He reminded me not to stop too long, but I took my time regardless—snacking and drinking, while watching others passed me by.

Continue reading

Kamojang Pass: A Ride of Nostalgia

Kamojang Pass: A Ride of Nostalgia

Kamojang Pass has been calling for a while, and I must finally go.

It began as a whisper; seeing @bayuwhy on the first day of Palintang Pass Double Weekend Ride brought back the memory of him taking me to the arduous climb of the pass. I promised myself to return to Kamojang Pass since then, but it had remained a mere wish; that was, until flurry of follow-up calls came one after another: @dwisl’s ride photos, @fixedonyourflow’s (cancelled) endurance ride plan, and @hndrsyam’s ride log—as if Kamojang Pass was reminding me of the promise I had made.

Continue reading

Satset.CC Ortap Seat Pack: A Review

Satset.CC Ortap Seat Pack: A Review

“Don’t worry, you can still buy your favorite coffee.”

Such was @Satset.CC’s statement when it announced the Ortap Seat Pack prototype—the statement that came back to me, as I looked at the pricetag when it was officially released. Was there a mistake? Have I been living inside a cave for too long, that I’ve lost track of general price inflation? “No” was the answer to both questions. So came another one: what is it about the seat pack that justifies its higher-than-average pricetag?

Continue reading

Pruride 2020 – Gran Fondo Virtual Ride

Pruride 2020 – Gran Fondo Virtual Ride

Five a.m., August 20th, I walked my bike out of the garage, turned on the lights, and began riding to the west. It was the first of four-days time limit of Pruride 2020 Virtual Ride event, and I planned to finish the 135k gran fondo route in one day.

I had never been interested in organized cycling event before.

Continue reading

200k Bandung Audax - A Trial

200k Bandung Audax – A Trial

“Why am I doing this?” I asked myself. @derryfa and I were sitting on the roadside, staring at seemingly endless climb under scorching sun ahead—our only way back home. Our legs seemed to refuse to cooperate already—so did our spirit.

The trip was indeed something different than I usually do—a strict quest of distance and time instead of view and general pleasure. It started with @edmundjeds’ invitation to join him to ride along Bandung 300 km Audax in the mid of the month—something both @derryfa and I were unsure to accept, since I knew what such a long ride entails; my last year’s 200 km ride to Pangandaran proved to be a torture, despite the fact that I was already familiar with 100km++ ride.

Continue reading

Cisanti Loop - A Sunday Gravel Fest

Cisanti Loop – A Sunday Gravel Fest

It’s been a while since last time I had such a fun ride.

Sunday, August 2nd of 2020, 5.45 a.m., four cyclists who had never ridden together—or even didn’t know each other before—gathered in Alfamart in Gedebage. It all started with a direct message from @xtoredy asking me to ride with him while he was in Bandung. Once the plan was set, he invited his friend @anggawis to join the ride; likewise, I invited fellow Bandung cyclist @derryfa to join, too. So there we were, four cyclists who had never ridden together, brought together for a Sunday gravel fest.

Continue reading