testimonial

1st experience of JZ88

3 Comments

I intended to take a bus to school that day with my bike (JZ88), but on the way while cycling to the bus stop I met a fellow Pastor who’s on her way to a meeting near my school. So she suggested giving me a ride, I agreed and folded the bike into the car boot in less than 5 mins. This surprised her that the bike can go into the boot so well and there is space even for my bag and hers.

She dropped me off at her place of meeting which is about 5 km from my school, I took out the bike and ride it and on the way I felt the tire was soft and stopped at Mobile station to pump it up. It was uneventful the ride, but the usual concern when I was going uphill, the bike’s cranking sound is louder, I guess the weight of my books and myself combined is straining it. (I’ll be putting all my stuff into a locker at school soon and will only take along my mini EEE PC computer and a water bottle.)

I had to go to Pasir Ris for another appointment at night, but somehow I bumped into another Pastor at the school and he agreed to give me a ride down. (You see, Pastors are always obliged to be helpful…hee hee), and I got a ride to my next destination in a car!

After the meeting, I was tired, and it’s ten at night, I sighed at the thought of getting the bike on and off the bus, but to my surprise, the bike’s ability to stand up on its own after I folded it to the smallest size means I don’t need to even hold the weight of it. Then when the bus arrived, I just lift it up like a medium sized bag. I carried it right to the back row of the bus and sat down there. By the time the bus reached Tampinese Bus Interchange from Upper Serangoon Road there were few people on the bus, so I unfolded it quickly before the bus comes to a full stop and could ride off the bus immediately to the surprise of some by-standers at the interchange. (I bet they’ve not seen someone coming down from a bus with a bike!)

Cycling quickly to the Tampines MRT station, I decided to wheel in the bike by bending it by half but keeping the seat post and the handlebar upright, Then trolley like I wheel it in, under the glare of the station master but nobody stopped me. On the MRT I wheeled it to a corner near the other end of the door and since it is about 11pm I had all the seats to myself but didn’t take any. I wheeled the bike out when I came to the stop I wanted and just ride off back home after that. Reached home by 11:10pm!

My family thought I’ll take longer, but I didn’t.

Thanks for the bike, it’s amazing. I may have to put off more weight first cycling long stretches with my racer bike before I can load more weight on that tiny one. But it did accomplish the use it was for.

Oh another thing, the hills that I encountered (they are about 5 stories high at the max) and the incline that it is at, I cannot go up without getting off the bike. It’s ok, no big deal, the ride down was very fast but I felt stable and not wobbly. Good bike.

Yours,
Bill
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Thanks to Bill (Not his real name) for his permission to publish his post in this blog

testimonial

Try the bike!

1 Comment

David Bignold

I have enjoyed my trial of the JZ88, it has shown that it is possible and enjoyable to cycle to the office and to get some exercise. The bike is well built and quite capable both on the roads of Singapore and on the pavements. On the roads, it is capable of quite reasonable speeds as well as being small and maneuverable which helps on the pavements, best of all though it’s nice to be able to get fresh air commuting along the river path rather than being packed into a crowded MRT carriage. I would recommend that anybody try the JZ88.
— David Bignold 2008 Jan

folding bikes

A graphical study of “MRT fit” for popular folding bicycles

10 Comments

Update <2008-12.15>
Since May 2008, the size limited for folding bike dimensions has been enlarged to 114cm X 64cm X 36cm when folded. Practically all the folding bikes listed here can travel on trains all day on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. On weekdays, foldable bikes are allowed on board from 9.30am to 4.30pm, and then from 7.30pm to the end of service.

JZ88 can travel anytime if it is in a bag since it is smaller than the regular luggage size limit (81cm X 58cm X 30cm) when folded.

Jz88 - MRT limit
Brompton - MRT limit
Dahon Curve- MRT limit
Dahon MUSL- MRT limit
Strida- MRT limit

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I was triggered by a recent reply from SMRT regarding the use of folding bike (attached below). It was mentioned that the SMRT luggage size limit is 81x58x30cm. I conducted a graphical study to find out how well are the popular folding bikes fitting this MRT-size-limits.

I put the dimension of the bikes on the top-left corner of each picture, the depth is in italic text. The red dotted box indicates the size limit of 81cm x 58cm. The folded bike pass the test if it fits within the red-box. As can be seen JZ88 and Brompton easily pass the test. Dahon Curve can be consider to pass marginally. Dahon MUSL seems a bit too bulky but I have not tried to bring it into MRT. Strida is clearly too tall. However, I tried once to push the Strida into MRT and nobody stopped me. I was very careful not to cause any hassles to other passengers and the small footprint of the Strida (upright position) is quite acceptable actually, and of cause the SMRT staff were being friendly too 🙂

SMRT replies on bikes and dirty buses
Straits Times Tuesday, December 25 2007, H6 “Forum”
Kuek Chor Ling (Ms), Manager Corporate Marketing and Communications SMRT Corporation

Quote here the part relates to bikes on MRT-
“I REFER to the letters, ‘Allow folded bikes on buses and trains’ by Ms Ng Lai Yien (ST, Dec 17), ‘Allow bikes on trains and build more skate parks’ by Mr Freddie Wee (ST Online Forum, Dec 19) and ‘Study issue carefully before making decision’ by Mr Tan Tuan Khoon (ST Online Forum, Dec 19).
We would like to clarify that large and bulky items such as bicycles are not allowed into our MRT system, as they may cause damage or injury to passengers.
Furthermore, during an emergency where passengers need to be evacuated quickly and safely, the presence of large items could be a possible obstruction.
However, we do allow foldable bicycles without protruding parts during off-peak hours.
The foldable bicycle must be packed in a bag not larger than 81cm by 58cm by 30cm.
Similarly, folded bicycles are allowed on SMRT buses. However, our Service Leaders can use their discretion to stop any passengers carrying bulky items from boarding the bus if they cause discomfort and inconvenience to our passengers.

We thank all the writers for sharing their feedback with us.”

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Other related posts/links:
– How to bring a folding bike into MRT!
– Traveling with folding bike
– Try Jz88 folding bike, 7 days for S$20
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folding bikes

How to bring a folding bike onto MRT?

13 Comments

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Other related posts/links:
– Bicycle? no, it’s a shopping trolley!
– Traveling with folding bike
– Jz88 folding bike home
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I enjoy taking the MRT but hate waiting for buses. However, many places I need to go is just too far away from the MRT stations and require a connection bus service. If I have my bicycle with me I can easily cycle there without waiting. I start to explore the “MRT+Folding Bike” method a few years back and since then helped others to do the same.

Jz88 folding bike on SMRT platform

There are 3 ways you can bring a folding bike onto MRT:

1) In a carrier bag
2) Carry the bike fully collapsed
3) Roll it in as a trolley

Regardless of which method you choose, you may push the bicycle as far as it is acceptable by others to save time and effort. For JZ88 users, this means you may take the escalator (e.g. City Hall MRT, from grand level to B1) with the bike unfolded. Do make sure you and your bike stand on the left hand side, leaving enough clearance for others to pass. You really only need to “transform” the bicycle before entering the ticket concourse.

1) In a carrier bag
Beginners prefer this method.
Advantage: the package does not look like a bike any more, it transformed into a “luggage”. For JZ88 folding bicycle, it becomes a luggage within the size limit of MRT.
The downside is the extra time required to pack and unpack the bike at both end of your MRT journey. You also have to carry the load everywhere you go in the MRT station.

2) Carry the bike fully collapsed
If you start with method (1), sooner or later you will discover it is too much trouble to pack and unpack the bike each time in front of the MRT station. Even though it is just a 20 seconds affair each time.
The disadvantage of carrying the bike “naked” is now the bike is visible to all, including the MRT staffs. However, I never heard anyone got rejected JZ88 into the MRT. Perhaps the “toy like” appearance and the compact size helps. After all, it is still within the size limit set by the MRT.
Tips: lock the saddle with the nose pointing slightly left and use the nose as the handle to carry the bike. Gravity force will help to keep the bike in folded condition.

3) Roll it in as a trolley

This is really for the experienced user, the so called “trolley mode“. The big deal here is the fact that you no longer need to carry the bike.
BONUS: you can use the “trolley” to carry extra load if you have the front pannier attached. And the whole thing is self-standing.
However, the handling does take a bit of training and practice.
Tips 1: when you need to turn, imagine the handle bar is fixed, e.g. swing the whole handle left to turn right. If you turn the handle bar alone, the wheels will jam together or move apart.
Tips 2: the trolley-mode is also “escalator friendly”. I push the trolley to the left hand side and keep the right side of the escalator clear for others to pass.
Tips 3: if you see the train is crowded as it approaches, fold down the handle bar and detach the front pannier (if you have it). Bring the completely folded bike and the pannier separately into the train cabin. stack the pannier on top of the folded bike to reduce foot print.

If the train is really too packed, wait for the next train as you would normally. The fundamental here is to be considerate to other users. Once you put this principle in mind, you will enjoy the best of both world – clean, reliable and efficient of long distance travel by MRT and the ultimate door-to-door personal mobility of folding bicycle.

Curious? Now you can“ try it risk free for 2 weeks”

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Other related posts/links:
– Bicycle? no, it’s a shopping trolley!
– Traveling with folding bike
– Jz88 folding bike home
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Uncategorized

How old are you, really?

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Poodwaddle.com

Have you heard of regular cycling will keep your body ten years younger? I was wondering how? Today, by working through this Real Age clock I discover the effect may be accumulative over a number of factors. Compare my “cycling” lifestyle today and my “driving” years before, I discovered my real age is reduced by many factors:

exercise -1
stress -0.5
sleep -0.5
cholesterol -1
blood pressure -0.5
breakfast -1
happiness -1
depression -0.5
anxiety -0.5
relaxation -1
job satisfaction -1
driving -1

Some of the item may seem unrelated (e.g. job satisfaction), but it’s my subjective feeling. It realling feel that way to me. I think what happen is that being more relax in general help me to cope with work stress better. It’s like a small change in my lifestyle trigger a positive spin and it just keep going that way.

the best folding bike to combine with Singapore MRT