Riding in the city

Locomotive from Geoff Feinberg on Vimeo.

Ouch

What your bike's front tire isn't supposed to look like:

Hydration

This was in my bottle cage while competing at the UPLB Trantados Fun Triathlon held early September.

Red Horse - Official beer.

Godspeed couriers

GODSPEED from California is a place. on Vimeo.

People see what you're doing, they think you're completely nuts. But I know exactly what I'm doing.

Rainy day out

delivery day

Biking Nepal

My heart was literally pounding while watching this video. 3 days up, 1 1/2 hours down in Nepal:


Dawn til Dusk - Mountain Bike Nepal from Gary Thomas on Vimeo.

hands-free biking

Bike courier day, somewhere in Cubao

Decided to give my aching back a rest from my too large frame by letting go of the handlebars. Life is good. :)

Blue nails

Biking with blue nails.

Please don't make fun of my ugly foot.

Poverty

Poverty in Manila. Behind the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Philippine Central Bank) at Agham Road, Quezon City. A fire ravaged a squatter area here a few weeks ago. Because the fire destroyed their homes, families were forced to relocate wherever they could find shelter. In this case, the island separating the North and South lanes:

Tent city

Blurry picture, but here's a man living in his makeshift home:

See him?

Needless to say, this ride drained me.

Vague

I think the summer sun fried my camera.

Ayala Technohub, Commonwealth Ave.

Waiting for deliveries

Essentials for getting around Manila:

Pedala delivery form and Metro Manila Citiatlas to help me get around the city

My nameless pink bike, helmet and lots of water!

Scenes from Pedala

Visayas Ave:

My bike:

Marcos Highway 1:

Marcos Highway 2:

Marcos Highway 3 (LRT alert):

Pedala bike messenger

Things I learned about being a Pedala bike messenger:

1. Having a messenger bag is cool, but always prepare for cases where the package you're delivering won't fit. It helps to bring a small, foldable drawstring sack (thanks, Nature Valley) so at least you can sling it around your back, even when wearing the messenger bag. And when not in use, you can always stuff it in the messenger bag.
2. Have the luxury of using different bikes. By the end of the day of deliveries, you'll be cursing your bike because it's too uncomfortable, too slow, too heavy, too small, too big, any of the above. You'll always find something to complain about and might not want to ride the next day. Having the luxury of using another bike the next day adds variety to your workout and
3. Bring a ballpen.
4. Wear clothes with pockets in them-- to carry your extra change, bike lock key, ballpen, mp3 player, etc.
5. Waterproof your stuff. Might not rain, but the sweat on your back is almost equivalent to rain. The last thing you want are your clients receiving sweaty deliveries. Ew!
6. Use a citiatlas-- works wonders. But don't be afraid to ask for directions from anywhere you can find. tricycle drivers offer the most valuable information, as they can give you the ins and outs of a particular location, especially if inside villages.
7. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! In case you haven't noticed, it's hot in Manila.
8. Always be polite and courteous. A smile on your face even when you're dead tired goes a long way. Plus your deliveries never just end with deliveries. People always want to know more about you.
9. Bring an extra shirt. Or towel. Or both.
10. Brace yourself for Manila's streets: pollution, crazy drivers, crazy cars, crazy animals, crazy streets, crazy pedestrians. It's crazy here in Manila.

Harassment on the road

While biking to work today, I passed a kuya on his bike. I didn't take notice of him since there are plenty who bike on that busy road. Seconds later, I hear him behind me making funny noises. I ignore him, thinking he's reacting to a motorist on the road. Then he's beside me, looking straight at me and moaning. Ugh. I was too shocked and appalled to react, so I pedaled faster, thinking I could get away from him. Due to the morning traffic, no such luck. He was able to keep up with me, looked straight at me and continued to moan. I flipped him the finger, to which he didn't care. He then overtook me, laughing, refusing to let me pass, then decided to hump his seat. Utterly disgusting. Thank God I had to make a right. I made a right turn, heard him laughing and shouting at me, "Teh! San ka pupunta?" I got to my office, shaking in anger, only then realizing what I should have done: spit at him, kick his bike, throw water at him. Ugh. I don't think I've ever felt so violated

hardcore awesome

I cannot get over how awesome this video is. Totally hardcore, but I would love to do this one day. Thanks, National Geographic!

bike commute

Today, I found out that our department's service professional has started biking to work. Yay!

Fixie

While unlocking my bike after a movie in Gateway, saw this at the Farmer's Market bike racks.

Love the flowy polo. Perfect for cool weather biking. Along White Plains.

biker

Biker on the road. Wish I could bike in jeans.

Bluey on the trail

==
Taken at La Mesa Nature Reserve, Jan. 29, Saturday.
Photo by Twylah.

bike racks!

At the UP Shopping Center/ Coop.

Eyes on the prize

My soon to be baby: Merida Juliet.

New for 2011

Happy New Year!

Here's a cute (and probably crazy expensive) folding bike that I saw at the parking lot where I work.

Nice to know more people are biking. :)