Monthly Archives: December 2009

Taiwan North Coast Cruising

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The North Coast is rewarding ride around the north coast of the island. Easily reachable from Taipei or Keelung, and making a nice loop if wanted it offers sea views and quietish roads.

I start this ride in Sijhir and head west through Donghu then on to Shilin and Danshui. The first section from my house to there is the usual city stuff, but in the morning it is quiet enough. The roads are still busy as there are very few alternative routes when travelling to Danshui from the city.

Sometime before Danshui the No. 2 heads off Northwards over a few rolling hills, nothing very steep. These can be avoided by instead continuing to Danshui and sticking to the coast more, however Danshui is fairly busy most of the time. The last time I tried this alternative and stuck to the coast I got slightly lost, but managed to find my way back to the No. 2 in the end, just head northish.

The road continues with only slight rolling hills, there’s usually very little wind and when summer comes around that little wind would certainly be appreciated. It’s at this part where you will start to see the groups of university students out on their scooters. Unlike the middle Taiwan scooter hooligans, these groups are mostly guys on their scooters with their girlfriends on the back. There’s a good chance you will bump into the same groups a few times as they pass ahead, stop to enjoy a site where you’ll pass them, and then they’ll pass you later as you continue onward. I’ve managed a maximum of three leapfrogs in this manner.

When you hit the most Northern part you can see the sea, which, after being stuck in the city, is nice in itself. There is an area for kite-flying, or so is depicted on the large painting on the wall holding back the mountain and landslides. There’s a large rock with a big hole in the middle that I noticed for the first time on this ride, I’ll take a picture next time.

The riding from here is pleasant until you read Wanli.

The section from Wanli to Taipei is not very nice. There are lots of cars, lots of motorbikes and would be considered only slightly more pleasant than inner-city riding. Weekends might be different, but during the morning rush it’s pretty busy. There is an alternative, which I’ve read is really good, to go over the mountain from Wanli to Sijhir which I’ve never tried, but could save you the headache of going through Keelung. I at least know the last part of that alternative is a really quite road for the most part.

This is certainly my favorite metric-century ride and is a nice loop. Nice views, pleasant weather and generally flat riding.

Here’s a map of the ride.

View Ride (102 km) – Taiwan North Coast in a larger map

How to Repair Shimano Cycling Shoes

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My Shimano cycling shoes have taken quite a beating over the years. A month or so ago the hard, plastic sole started breaking from the leather uppers.

I was a little disheartened, but decided that the simplest fix would probably be the best. I had some electrical tape wrapped around my shoes for a few days to stop further separation.

Here’s the steps I took:

  1. Buy shoe glue. The type I bought simply had a picture of a shoe on it, so I just bought it. This glue was KS Brand and labelled as “Chloroprene“.
  2. Open up the areas to be glued as much as possible. I don’t recommend opening parts that are still firmly glued.
  3. Dust off the surfaces. Wipe with a paper towel, or in my case I just used my finger to wipe off dust and dirt.
  4. Apply glue to both surfaces (keep them apart for now) then allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.
  5. Carefully align surfaces then press together firmly for a minute or two.
  6. Leave for a few hours to fully dry. Use heavy objects to continue to apply pressure to those spots that need it.

I went on a 100km ride the morning after fixing these, so a long cure time is not really necessary. So far they are holding out, there are no obvious signs of further separation.

You’ve just saved yourself a bundle of cash and extended the life of your beloved shoes.

Next step: go ride your bike. Cheers.

Cateye Cordless 2 Bike Computer

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Cateye Cordless 2 Bike Computer

There are some products that I just can’t help but endorse. The oldest stuff on my bike are usually those parts that have served me so well that there is no need to replace them.

After a decade of use, my Cateye Cordless 2 bike computer is still going pretty strong.

Now it doesn’t include the huge variety offered in newer computers, but it does have these:

  • Current speed
  • Odometer
  • Max speed
  • Trip average speed
  • Trip distance
  • Trip time
  • Clock
  • Two wheel size settings

When I first got this bike computer the best part was doing away with the cables that had always been a hassle when cleaning my bike or taking things apart. Instead of having to deal with the cables, I could just remove the sensor or computer as necessary.

I was originally worried about how well the wireless would work out as it was pretty new at the time. I never had any problems, except near powerful electric fields, so things might go wonky under power lines. Despite this it was still less sensitive to interference than my Polar heart rate monitor.

The computer also stores the odometer reading in non-volatile memory. The total speed is saved on the computer and does not reset when the battery is removed or replaced. That in itself was a godsend at the time, when my other bike computer (also a Cateye) would just lose that precious data. Now, with many online recording methods I don’t feel so bad to lose that data, but it does feel good to see those numbers tick up slowly. I still remember how I savored the day when it turned over from 9,999 to 10,000… sweet memories.

After more than a decade of use there have been some problems.

The range between the sensor and the computer is very limited. As a tall rider with long legs and short arms (think T-Rex, but not so extreme) my handlebars are set very high. At this height the sensor has to be placed high on the forks go get any information to pass to the computer, I’ve even changed the placement of the computer because the handlebars between it and the sensor messes up the signal a bit.

The batteries need regular replacement and have solved any occasional issues with no signal. I would rather set and forget, but over time it’s been worth it.

So although it doesn’t do all the fancy-pants stuff a high-specced Garmin or other computer can do, it has served me well and performed awesome for the task it was designed for.

Cargo Bikes

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While stumbling around the Internet, looking for interesting cycling stuff I stumbled upon this blog here.

The blog is about a family in the US who completely gave up their car and attempted to live with bicycles as their sole form of transport. A pretty lofty goal in a country which is not particularly designed for that lifestyle, unlike Amsterdam and other such European countries.

One of their big helpers was the cargo bike.

What is a cargo bike?

Yuba Mundo 21-Speed Cargo Bike

A cargo bike is designed to carry a whole lot of stuff. It is designed from the start to support very heavy and very big loads.

The Yuba Mundo shown above is designed to carry up to 200kgs. The whole rear triangle is stretched backward to provide greater stability with increased load. The large rack is a part of the frame and it comes with a double-kickstand, perfect for loading on a few bags of cement. The folks from the blog mentioned above moved a washing machine and drier on one bike so it can take a fair bit of strain.

The other kind of load  when dealing with a family is kids.

Yuba Mundo Cargo Bike with Two Kid Seats

The bike featured above is strong enough and long enough to take two bike seats, so you can drag two little mites with. With Christina and Christopher I have my eye on this bike. Christopher at only 6 months is probably still a little young to go for a ride, but this makes a nice getaway vehicle for when he gets a little older.

Great for shopping and carting

I am very impressed with this bike. The model shown above costs USD$1,100 which is still expensive but much cheaper than any other bike in the same category. The kid seats are USD$150 each.

The utility of this bike makes a lot of sense. Here in Taiwan, long distances are never an issue, with most things being within a few kilometers of home. The only issues is the extreme summer heat and making sure a unique bike like this stays locked up.

If I had enough money to spare I might actually go for one of these. I would have to admit I’d put the money into my own bike stuff first, but this would make a great extra bike and perhaps when the kids are a year older it will look that much more appealing.