My New Year’s Resolution this year is to do more cardio. In the past year I’ve done some swimming and some running but I haven’t been very consistent in it. What I’ve been quite consistent in doing is golf. While I think golf is exercise (and some people would debate that), one thing clear is that it’s not cardio.
I tried running and I kinda found it boring and people always say it’s bad for the knees. So I decided to try cycling. I’ve always loved cycling as a kid, heck maybe I could reignite that passion. So a couple of weeks ago I went out and bought myself a bicycle. I named my new bicycle, Fat Fighter
I’ve only cycled twice so far but I’ve already learned quite a number of things that I never knew about cycling. I thought it would be interesting to share… for general knowledge sake.
1) There are two main types of bicycles for serious cyclists.
The road bike and the mountain bike. The road bike is like what Lance Armstrong rides. It has a thinner wheel which minimizes the traction on the ground so that the bike moves faster.
The mountain bike has a thicker wheel with deep grooves on its tyres so it can grip the ground a lot better. It’s more stable on the road and off terrain. I ended up buying a road bike because a lot of my friends were riding it.
2) Bicycles are really expensive
When I grew up I used to write really simple bikes. Then one day my Dad bought my brother and I a mountain bike each and it cost a few hundred bucks. It didn’t have that many gears but it had some… and I naively already thought that’s among the best of bicycles.
So I was really surprised when I went to a bicycle shop a few weeks ago to buy a bike I learned that bicycles whether road or mountain bikes cost in the thousands. The budget models cost RM2,000 and the higher end ones can go all the way up to RM40,000. What the heck…. who knew bicycles could be so expensive.
3) There are specific purposes of clothing for cyclists
Especially when it comes to road bikes, I used to wonder why everyone I see riding a road bike really decks himself out in the whole spandex outfit. I thought it was just because all road bikers are serious. Then I recently learned why.
Clothing for cycling is spandex and tight because it’s supposed to minimize drag against the wind. That’s common sense. What I didn’t know was that cyclists’ pants had a special feature. Right below the crotch area there is a lot of padding. So much padding till it’s almost like a pillow. The padding is to protect the riders’ balls from the hard triangle seat. If you ride without those pants…. lets just say you’ll have two triangles, as opposed to two balls by the end of your ride.
4) The Cycling Community is very friendly
When I was riding up Genting Sempah this morning I noticed a lot of fellow riders who passed me greeted me with a “Good morning”. At first I was surprised and I didn’t know how to react. Then I realized that the community of riders in Malaysia come from all races and they’re all friendly. On my way down the hill this morning I greeted everyone I passed and they mostly acknowledged it or greeted us back.
5) Mobile Apps has made cycling more fun
From my very first ride my friend Jeremy got me to download and track my ride with an app called Strava.
I learned that there are many more of these apps where you can track on a map where you rode, the distance you traveled, average speed and more. Then you can also follow your friends to see where they have been riding. It makes cycling a lot more fun.
I just started cycling but I’m loving it so far. I hope I keep up with it. The one other thing I enjoyed about today’s cycling adventure was the breakfast we had right after at Imbi market. Was so much fun.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space