Monday, October 1, 2012

Accessories #3 - Shoes, Bandanna & Personalized Stickers

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                     AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures                  
MY BIKE - ACCESSORIES #3
(Disclaimer - all prices mentioned are approximate prices and rounded up. For more accurate pricing please contact the relevant people. This blog is not a review, it's more on my foray in purchasing accessories for my 2nd Foldie)

I had had got some basic accessories for my new Dahon Dash P18 (see Accessories #2), and like most bikers I was itching to add on some more to make my riding more enjoyable, safe and perhaps more showy Heh! Heh!


1, Riding Jersey & Pants


First I have to get rid of that Ah Pek (Old Man) look, time to get a proper riding jersey (but seriously it was more in line with proper biking to have a jersey). I got this nice white & blue jersey for just RM170-00, a very reasonable price.
The one I have is L-size, but one have to be careful though as different manufacturer's sizing may differ - it's always better to try it on for fit. It came with three back pockets for the jersey, and the crotch area of the pants are gel padded (for obvious protection).
Oops! Do I see a tummy bulge here, perhaps the size is to small. Naawww... just have to do more riding to slim down.


2. Riding Shoes


There was this poster advertising a sale at one of the warehouse nearby for sporting goods - from sporting bags, shirts, shorts, shoe etc. So I popped in, jostled with the sweaty-smelling crowd in the humid, hot weather (just so that you know my discomfort in attending such sales) and got the following two pairs of shoes for riding.


They were having an offer of buy one get one free, pricing based on the more expensive of the two. The scrooge in me just could not resist such a deal. The bright green colors of this pair of low ankle Nike "Dunk Low-Pro" attracted me. The price was RM350-00.
It was about half a size to big, but egoistic me wanting that color just went for it. But I have my regrets now, a right size shoe is always more comfortable. Also it does not breath well, as it don't seem to have any ventilation slots around. So after about an hour of riding, my feet gets hot and prickly. Perhaps they were made for colder regions.
Two lessons learnt here - right size shoes, and shoes must have good ventilation. So I wear it now for short rides only.


Now this mid-ankle Nike shoe is one of my favorites to wear. Right fit and breaths fairly well. The mid-ankle height also gives better protection, only thing is not to tie the laces too tight at the ankle position so as to allow easier feet movement while cycling.
Priced at RM250-00, so I paid RM350-00 based on the more expensive shoe and averaging out at RM175-00 per pair; not a bad deal after all.


3. Bandanas


Though looking cool, a bandanna is not a fashion item. It's not one of those copy the easy Harley bikers thing. Seriously, wearing a bandanna helps as it sucks in the forehead sweat that comes about especially when riding in hot tropical countries. Sweat getting into the eyes are not only a discomfort, they will be a distraction too!
This one was given to me by my friend Sin Tai Lim, Thanks Sin!


4. Helmet Rear-view Mirror


A rear view mirror is helpful, especially when turning. But bear in mind, still turn around to ensure traffic is clear before making your move.
I got this fix-on-helmet mirror to ease my difficulty of turning my body around as I still have not got the hang of it. Whenever I turn around, my cycling gets wobbly.
It helps, but the field of vision is just too limited as one cannot see what is directly behind and it is just too small. Still it helps.


5. Personalized Stickers


What can be better than personalizing you things.
We have this smaller group of six of us, calling ourselves "Kaki Foldies" (meaning Foldies Enthusiasts) and my friend Nash Abraham made this sticker with our initials for us. I stuck one onto my bike. Thanks Nash!


And another to the back of my helmet.


Well, that's it for the moment but you can bet that I will be hunting for more as there are a few needed accessories that I have not got yet.


Happy Riding!


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