::Tank Fobia - Wheelset Upgrade::

Hmmm... Actually, since getting the Tank frame.. It was like being bitten by the upgrade bug. Not long after getting the Tank Fobia built, I'm now upgrading the wheelset. Quite honestly, when the bike came back with the squeaking rear disc brakes. I was already looking out for a new wheelset, was looking for Tank Lights disc hubs + Mavic 223. Asked for them at BikePro, but sadly he wasn't keen on selling me the Tank Lights hubs. Instead was pushing me to get the Mavic CrossRide wheelset, which is at an affordable price..

Basically, I've given up on looking for a wheelset.. What more with the lost of that after ride joy. Then thankfully, CS dropped me a msg on MSNmsger.. There was a guy selling off his wheelset, Tank Lights hubs + Mavic 317 + DT Swiss spokes. Cool parts ya.. But that is not the end of it yet. In my email response with the seller, found out that the rims were RED color ! Thus arranged to meet on Saturday afternoon, in front of Jusco Bukit Raja.

Come Saturday (27/10/2007) afternoon, we headed down to Klang for a complete wholesome meal of famous Klang bah kut teh. Sorry to the Muslims viewing this now. But then, we just couldn't resist the temptation...

When we finally met the seller, a Chinese guy who goes by the name of Pat. When I saw the rims were in fact RED color, very very nice.. It was really a good added bonus to the ever wanted hubs. This guy, Pat was very nice. We (CS, Keat and myself) spent at least a solid 30mins TCSS with him. He knows his stuffs.. Got some good advice from him also, on what bike parts to buy and especially what not. It was like exchanging of ideas and experience.. Of course, inspecting and playing with the wheelset while all the talks were going on. Only thing about the wheelset was that it didn't come with the original QR / skewers.. But Pat was nice enough to pass me a new Mavic skewer, which he has stashed up somewhere in his store..

Still... without the skewers, it won't stop me from changing the wheelset ! Went back to Subang, took the bike.. Keat had to run off to settle other stuffs. Dragged Jin along coz he needed a seatpost. Also CS brought along the SRAM cog, which was suppose to be on my current wheelset, which is sold to Jackson.

We headed to Project Maheez, after dropping by at Bike Pro.. Just wanted to kill some time, cause when I called Armin - they were out for lunch.

It was fun at Project Maheez, joking and laughing all the way. No point for me to tell the jokes again, cause it is the type that you've gotto be there to know it type.. Since Armin was busy with another bike, myself and CS got busy and helped ourselves to the tools. Hehehehe.. Change wheelset only mar. Quite the easy job.. Except for the cog, which was so tight that it could not be removed ! In fact, it broke the cassette remover tool thingy. The chain whip was the one that putus, what more it was XTR @ Durex chain.. Sigh.. Shy only..

So no choice lor, the SRAM cog which was suppose to for Jackson. Will have no choice but to go on the new wheelset for my Tank Fobia. Sorry Jackson.. Also hor, changed to Tank Morpheus flat handlebar. Which was also purchased 2nd hand, in a very very good condition - scratchless..

Here is how the bike (currently) looks like..

Nice ??? Can just see how the red rims go with the frame's color scheme ? Sweet !

~ Some close up shots for your viewing pleasure ~

With a few more minor adjustments to the RD, then the bike was done. All in all, we spent more time in Project Maheez chit chatting, joking and laughing. Basically it was down right FUN. Oh.. I almost forgot about the Tank Morpheus flat handlebar !

Now that everything is fixed liow, time for it go on the scale again.. So the current weight of the Tank Fobia is...

This is actually about 2lbs lighter from the MERIDA Matts Pro set up. But just 1lbs lighter after the wheelset change..

I guess with that, it is the end of my blog liow (finally !).. Just now waiting for the weekend so that can test out the whole bike ! Need a bit more tuning adjustment for the FD also, nothing CS can't help me with.. Basically the bike is ready, now just waiting for the owner / rider only. =(

I'm gonna leave you with 1 more photo.. Enjoy !

~Speaks a 1000 words, doen't it ?~

~::NK the wOOfer::~

Evolution of Kiara

Thx to Penghulu, Casper and those who had maintain Kiara for years.



:::CS @ Major:::

TANK Race Team frame (Part 2)

~:: Don't actually know how to start this post ::~

Jumping right into it...

Here it is...


To continue from where I stopped in Part 1.. As it was posted, I entrusted Project Maheez in building my Tank Fobia (YUP ! For obvious reasons, I'm gonna name it Tank Fobia). Took quite awhile actually for Jason to complete building my bike. Sigh...

When I went to Project Maheez to collect the bike, sorry to say but then Jason didn't do quite a good job in building my Tank Fobia. 1st up, he didn't straighten out my rims. Though just alittle bit bengkok only, but thought that since bike already in. Better just get it done lor. Secondly, my rear disc was giving so much squeaking ! As if got a rat stuck in between the pads. :( Really sad.. Actually it is the rotor that is rubbing against the brake housing / calipers. Go when u brake, the vibration travels all the way to the seat - gives a funny sensation to your ass and balls.. But anyway... After some tweaking from Jason Tan, he managed to solve the squeaking disc brakes - temporarily.

Coming out of Project Maheez, I got myself a new seatpost clamp - Salsa.. Good, easier to close than the previous one I was using.

Also... On my right, in the RED corner, weighing in at 28.34lbs.. The newly built, newly fixed and like that lar.. Tank Fobia !!

Now... remember I mentioned that the squeaking rear disc was just temporary fixed. The moment I put the bike on the ground, started to pedal and as you have guessed it. The squeaking sounds came back !! ARGHH !!! Also hor.. bottom bracket also making sound. Sigh... Thankfully, CS managed to solve my rear disc problem. A matter of adding thicker washer to the brake calipers..

Have I tested the bike ? YES ! And the result ? Easton tubing is FLEXY ! No joke man... Last time CS told me that flex frame is quite hard to handle, didn't believe him until I actually rode one myself. Can consider power lost.. Coz during uphill climb, though pedaled hard, but then like not moving much. It was kind of exhausting reaching to the Steroid Junction.

But tell you, downhill time.. Very different ! I know the rear stay (or the whole rear triangle) is flexing, so at certain speed, at certain terrain.. The rear disc gives out squeaks, which indicates that the calipers / housing are touching the rotor. Flexing lar !
Also... When I was on the MERIDA Matts Pro, after very drop.. I'll have to anticipate a loud thump when the rear wheel drops. With the Tank Fobia (Easton tubing).. No such thing, rear landing is smooth...

Lastly.. Got myself a new saddle also. Actually, the new saddle and my current saddle, there is no difference in terms of the design. But then the new saddle is more comfortable. Noticable difference.. The cover material used, current saddle is some rough material, NEW saddle is like leather (PVC probably). Also I suppose the base or core of the NEW saddle is made of carbon, as it is written on the saddle. Now.. the railing for the NEW saddle is also much errr higher.. Provides extra plushness i think.

Do in actual fact, I think the overall weight of Tank Fobia would have been reduce by maybe 10 - 30grams. Doesn't really matter to me, cause me ain't a Weight Weenie ! Oh yes, upcoming also.. NEW wheelset.. Hope that the deal goes through with the seller.

Looking forward to the next ride.. Wanna feel that nice flexy downhill. But (more importantly) I have to overcome my phobia of using clipless pedal... Thus the name, Tank Fobia..

~> Lost that after ride joy <~

~::NK the wOOfer::~

::Something every guy must know::

No one can deny that body language plays a crucial role in catching girls’ attention–and keeping it. Nearly *75%* of signals women send is through body language--so you're not going to find out if she's into you from words alone!

Unfortunately, many men miss out on these signals, and thus miss out on the great girls. The good news is, if you CAN read a girl's signals, you stand out from the rest of guys, and make yourself all the more attractive! With that said, here are 6 signs that she's not into you, and 10 signs that she is!

BAD BODY LANGUAGE
1. Not making eye contact with you—looking around, eyeing her friends, looking anywhere but at you
2. Legs crossed—always a bad sign. This means she’s closing herself off to you
3. Arms crossed—This can convey annoyance and impatience. Definitely a bad sign.
4. Hands on her hips—This can also convey impatience. Not looking good.
5. Leaning backwards—It’s much better when a woman is leaning towards you. If you notice her leaning away from you, keeping her distance, it means you’ve gotten too close for her comfort and she’s not that into you, at least at this point.
6. A weak handshake—Do you shake a girl’s hands when you meet her? If you do and notice that hers is weak and she is quick to take back her hand, then she’s not very impressed.

GOOD BODY LANGUAGE
1. She looks down when you see her and smiles–A very good sign. She’s shy but wants you to come over to talk to her.
2. She’s twirling her hair around–Definitely into you.
3. Licks her lips–unless you can tell she’s screwing with you, this is a very good sign!
4. Open legs–Open legs, open mind. She’s open to hearing more from you–and who knows what else.
5. Sideways glance–The classic Hollywood flirtation, this is a coy, seductive way of showing her interest
6. Fondling a cylindrical object (cigarette, glass, etc.)–VERY good sign! And a hint of what she may have in mind for later on in the evening…
7. Fondling her shoe (shoe is slight off her foot, twisting her foot in circles)–This is that classic shy signal that girls use to display interest.
8. The "leg twine"–one leg pressed hard against the other to give the appearance of high muscle tone–very good sign
9. The head toss–If she tosses her hair back over her shoulders, this is definitely a good gesture.
10. Exposed wrists–If she’s interested in you, she will gradually display the smooth, soft skin of her wrists to a guy she’s interested in. Wrists are actually considered one of the more erotic areas of the body–so if she’s showing you this sexual area–go for it!

Note : The above article was extracted from, http://herbodylanguage.blogspot.com/

Ride @ Kiara - 21.01.2007

This weekend, 2 rides back to back... Here are the photos, from the Sunday ride.






~Can someone tell me what are these for ?? What are they doing in Kiara ?!~


~Are they gonna install those intelligent toilets ? Or Guard house ? Toll booth ?~

~::NK the wOOfer::~

Ride @ FRIM - 20.01.2007

Ladies (if there are EVER any visiting this blog) and Gentlemen,

Here are the photos from that morning's ride. View them below in chronological order...

















A picture speaks a THOUSAND words... So the photos pretty much tells the story. Nothing much for me to say liow.

OVER and OUT

How To Conquer Switchbacks by Roland Green

Few months ago, there is a series of clips from bikeskills show about this. Somehow, by just looking at the clips is just not enough. After some searching from internet, i had found the top 1o tips to clear the switchbacks. Here it go:

BREATHE DEEP: About 10-20 feet before the switchback, take four or five deep breaths to get your body ready for increased effort.

SHIFT FOR SPIN AND TORQUE: You want a gear that's small enough to let you spin easily, yet large enough to let you apply intense power to accelerate to ride up through the turn. Try a combo that feels slightly harder than you'd normally pick--small chainring/third-from-largest cog works for most of us. Bonus: You're less likely to catch a pedal because you make fewer pedal strokes.

EYE THE EXIT: For smoother steering and better balance, your eyes should travel along your line before your bike does. Start from your front wheel, trace your planned line around the turn, then focus on an exit point 3-10 feet beyond the switchback.
Common goof: Fixating on your front wheel, or even the next 2-3 feet; it's hard to avoid on slow turns. Take your vision all the way around the switchback and out.

TAKE THE WIDE LINE: Don't follow the classic turn pattern (enter wide, go inside, exit wide)--that's the number-one reason riders bite it. Your entire line should be in the outer half of the turn. The farther out, the better your traction. And the steeper the switchback, the farther out you should ride.

RELAX: A lot of us tense up and stall at this point. Straight arms = tense boy. Flex your elbows. Breathe. Compare and contrast particle physics and string theory.

SWIVEL YOUR HIPS: To change direction without ratcheting the bar sideways, keep your butt on the saddle, your head centered, and use your hips to steer your bike through the turn. Make an arc with your hips and torso that follows the turn's curve: Start with your weight on the inside of the turn, then swing out and finally back in to finish the direction change. Confused? On a right-hand turn, your hips will trace a letter C as they move. For a left-hand turn, you'll trace a backward C.

DIP YOUR SHOULDER: Dip your inside shoulder a couple inches into the turn to pull your bike into the turn. With your head slightly behind the axle, look through the exit and up the trail another 20 feet.

SLIDE BUTT FORWARD: Just past the apex, scootch forward on the saddle and bend closer to the bar. Shift your weight to the front wheel to compensate for the grade increase--but don't stand. Staying in contact with the saddle preserves the rear wheel's traction.

TURN FOR TRACTION: Once you've gotten the bike around the turn, you can turn the bar to avoid loose terrain or get more traction.

LEAN TORSO: To maintain traction, the angle of your lean over your bike should become sharper--from about 60 degrees to 45. As you climb the steep section after the turn, your nose should be over the stem.

Quoted from Roland Green - XC Pro from Trek!!

:::CS @ Major:::

13th January 2006

After 3 months never touch Kiara's mud, finally i make it today. Special thanks to Stanley who brought me to there.

Today, wake up quite early and reach kiara about 6:30am. Wow, the sky still dark man. The ride start about 7am, since we wait for some other friends. It is about 6 or 7 of us. As usual, we had to climb the blardee tarmac. Reach to the x-road and i feel half die. After all, 3 months I never been to Kiara. My power and energy hide somewhere. I can't spell it out.

First, go down to 2k. Oops... a lot more slower than before. Not stabil at all and it still a bit dark and can't really see the trail. After come out from 2k, we wait for Pat's gang and Andrew. Then we climb to twin peak. By the time i reach to Janice's Junction, everyone was there waiting for me already. By the way, Andrew didn't follow us, and Pat's gang went 4k.

After some rest and some cog chat, Stanley decided to go Kampung loop. As i said, i already half dead. So i just do reverse. Until the muddy place there, met Andrew again. So we climb again and go Shriner's Convention. We only did half of it. Then climb all the way back to X-road. Then we go down 2k. This time a lot more better. Feel more stabil this time and more confident.

After come out from 2k, i had exchange bike with Andrew. Try out how's the Meta 5 feel. Oops.. Quite nice, still not my cup of coffee. Reach to X-road again, met Melvin and Leenya. Then we climb to the Shriner's Convention entrance, and go all the way down to carnival, then the park. Had a small little accident and the saddle hit on my stomach. Oops, that's pain. But nothing serious.

After the ride, then go yam cha, TCSS, then finish the ride.

Overall:
Condition: Wet but not slippery
Route: X-road>2k>TwinPeak>Reverse>Shriner's Convention> X-road> 2k> Shriner's Convention> TCSS
Satisfaction: 4/5
Cycling Quota: 4/5
Riders: Scottusa, ThunderCog, CogQueen, Cs, ButtRuff, Leenya, Shawn, Jason, Soon, Melvin, etc (a lot more..cannot remeber)

:::Cs @ Major:::

Next stage in the Hardtail'ers design

We have received an update design for our Hardtail'ers t-shirt design..

Basically the guy has done most of the comments that we have mentioned.. This is not the final design, there are some other changes that needs to be done. So have a look and let us know what you think..



Constructive comments are most welcome ! Can either post it on the chatbox here or at our Hardtail'ers Forum thread...

Thank you thank you... We hope to get this design finalized ASAP !

~::NK the wOOfer::~