Bike Advocacy: The Lighten Up Project at MacArthur Highway

Last April 25, 2018 a handful of local cycling advocates showed up for the Lighten Up Project at MacArthur Highway, Angeles City. Late afternoon found us on a busy section of MacArthur Highway at Balibago, stopping cyclist commuters as they pass by. They are what we call invisible bikers, those from the blue collar working class who choose to bike mainly to save money on transportation. Nearly all of them do not have blinkers, reflective vests or helmets, as these cost extra money that they barely have.

So why were we stopping them? We had a handful of reflective vests and blinkers on hand, and we wanted the bikers to have them so that they would be safer in their journey home. By waves they came, their faces stoic as they pedaled the kilometers away. Most of them shunned us as we called out to them, slaloming away in traffic to escape from us. We were after all strangers and they might be thinking that this might be some sort of trickery. The few that did stop were skeptical at first, but were all smiles when they found out the gear really was for free.

There was a painter, a security guard, several construction workers, a balut vendor. They all left glad for the safety gear they just had, though I suspect that they were happier with the thought that in this harsh world, there are still strangers that  reach out to others to lend a helping hand. Let's all make this world a better place by doing kind random acts to people we don't know :)

Thanks to those who helped out in this activity!

Bike Commuting: The Case of the Blown Tire

On a run to Marikina earlier to get leather stuff, my trusty Xootr suddenly developed a strange rhythmic thump, as if the road had a small hump. The rear wheel started to sway with each thump, and the bike bucked slightly as if it were a bit drunk. Alam ko na ito, this has happened to me several times in the past. I stopped and inspected the rear wheel, and saw this 2+ inch tear in the tire casing, the high tire pressure making the tire bulge in this area. This was causing the thumping sound. I walked the bike to the nearest bike shop, which was almost 2 kilometers away.The Schwalbe Kojaks that I had on were decent tires, but had several thousands of kilometers on it, so I guess they were ripe for replacement.And what a time for it to be replaced! It was hot, nearly noontime, I was sweaty, but it could have been much worse if the tire blew while I was at speed.

Things to consider:

1) Always check your tires. I haven't checked my tires for a long time, maybe I could have caught something if I did. I think this tear started off as a tire cut by broken glass.

2) Lower your pressure a bit. Summer is upon us, so if you run your tire pressure at max before you go out tthe door, chances are your tires will gain some 10 psi due to the heat Compensate this by lowering your pressure a bit.

3) If you hear or feel something from your bike that isn't natural, stop and investigate.

4) Always carry some money with you. In this case, I had to shell out some 250 pesos for a replacement tire. The other option, if I didn't have money, was to take a long walk home.

Be safe everyone!

Teaching People How To Bike: Two Great Friends, Aireen and Edna

Last week found my wife Ethel and me in the suburbs of Angeles City; we were there to promote bicycle use as a way of life, and one of our strategies is to teach people how to bike. While children are obvious students, you would be surprised that there are a handful of adults who do not know how to bike. Which leads us to believe, that there is no age limit in learning how to bike, only a time limit, and that time is now! To put things in perspective, Ethel's oldest student was 78 years old.

Our good friend Ms. Aireen asked us to teach her young kids to bike, particularly her youngest one, but he was suffering from a toothache so Ethel ended up teaching her instead. After Aireen's session, another good friend, Edna, was up next.

How do you teach someone to bike? Our preferred method is to take off the pedals first. While this may sound counter-intuitive, what it does is that it actually lets the student concentrate on balancing the bike first. With a lowered seatpost to the point that she can stand on the road while seated, she can propel herself by pushing off the road with her feet.

The next thing to do was to make sure the helmet was worn properly. We are very particular with safety, and donning a helmet properly is paramount. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET WHEN YOU BIKE. This simple act can prevent serious injuries in case of a spill. 

So the pedals are off, the helmet is worn, and we are in a private subdivision with no cars running around, so off we go to the teaching phase. Ethel crouches behind her student and supports her as she tries to coast and balance on the bike. At first she runs along with the bike, holding it steady by the saddle. Later on Aireen got the hang of it, and soon she was coasting for 10 meters or so with her feet off the road.

So she knows how to balance now. The next step was to attach the pedals. The seatpost was kept at present height so that when she loses her balance and begins to topple over, all she has to do is put down her feet.

And off Aireen went! After a few wobbly meters, she steadied up as she gathered speed. The next hour was spent exploring the subdivision, with her 2 kids in tow. Even though the sun was blazing hot and bearing down on us, it was a really fine day indeed.

The next day, we had a good friend Edna as Ethel's student. Edna is our partner in Angeles City when we organize bike advocacy events in the area. As proprietor of AdCentral Consulting, a dynamic marketing company, she is highly dedicated to her job. Perhaps a bit too much as she works too hard and forgets to relax at times. Biking is a sure way to relieve stress and to have a bit of cardio-vascular activity, but first one must know how to bike!

It all starts the same way, with the pedals taken off and the helmet properly fitted. And then off they go, Edna propelling the bike with her feet with Ethel running after her to help steady her ride.

Ethel stays close behind to help Edna keep her balance. Before long, she was able to glide a few meters on her own.

With each try, Edna was able to go coast on her own, getting farther and farther from her teacher.

And on and on Edna went, and after long she got the hang of balancing. Her hand though was hurting due to a previous injury, so we had to shelve the next lesson, pedaling, for another session.

This is by no means the end of their bike lessons, but only the beginning as they explore a new world. Up next are safety lessons, road positioning, how to ride in urban settings - there is a whole lot of stuff to experience.


Points to remember when teaching people how to bike:

     1) While any bike will do, our bike of choice are folding bikes. This is because they have smaller wheels and are less intimidating to newbies. The seatpost can be lowered more than any other type of bike, and this is important as it allows the student to plant his/her feet firmly on the ground when wanted. Folding bikes can also accommodate a wide range of people, height-wise.

     2) Choose a place where the roads are smooth and relatively free of cars.

     3) Student should wear a helmet properly, and wear comfortable closed shoes. No sandals please as they give little protection to the feet.

     4) Take off the pedals so the student will learn to balance.

     5) Once the student knows how to balance on the bike, put the pedals back on so he/she can learn to pedal while biking.

About The Bike: The bike we used for teaching is the Bickerton Pilot 1407. It has 16 inch wheels which makes it look less intimidating than other bikes with taller wheels. Don't let the small, cute size deceive you - I took this bike all around Clark Freeport Zone on a night ride, and explored downtown Angeles City the next day. It pedals easily, though not as fast as my other bikes, and with its rear rack I was able to carry some groceries back home.