Bye Bye Colorado Springs

Hi everyone,

I have finally completed all my courses at BBI. The last 3 days were spent learning how to take apart suspension forks from the major manufacturers and service them. It was a messy affair as most modern suspension forks have oil in them. However, it was interesting, as I got to see the internals of suspension forks and understand how they work.

It's now ten o'clock at night in Colorado Springs. I have just finished packing my bags for my flight back tomorrow morning at six. Can't believe how heavy and "full" my bags are!...........just hope they hold up!

I've had a wonderful time here the last few weeks. In fact, this is the longest I have ever been away from home. I think it was good for me to be away from everything for a while, and really spend some time alone on my own to reflect on my life in general. Hope I am now ready for the new year and the challenges ahead.

Well, I have a regret leaving this place. That is, I never got to mountain bike on the trails here. The trails here are really different from the ones in Singapore which are steeper and more technical. Here, I feel that I can get a good aerobic workout in on a bike without worrying about falling off the bike (I have really bad bike handling skills:). If God willing, I hope to have the opportunity to come here again sometime with Emily to explore the beautiful trails here.

Thanks for reading......See you in Singapore! Take care

Long Run

Hi everyone,

I had a good long run today. I ran around 1.5 hours in total, my longest run since I arrived here. It was really nice being out on the trail alone. It was much easier running on the snow today as it was been a while since snow had fallen, and most of it has been compacted by people walking on the trail. I took it easy, making sure I take in the scenery...........will be leaving this place in 4 days time, not sure when I will ever be back here again, so I just ran as much as I safely could. In addition to my usual loop, I also followed a trail that took me to the bottom of the canyon. It was really beautiful out here today! I felt really blessed to have a healthy body and the opportunity to be out here enjoying nature.

A beautiful song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVAYuK7YE0&feature=related

Thanks for reading!:)

Sunny Colorado

Nice sunny day.......hey! I cut my hair on Friday night.

Was a bit worried that the shaver would stop halway into the cut
because I did not bring the charger and the last time I charged it was 2 weeks ago.

Thankfully that didnt happen:)

All the buses in Colorado Springs have a bike rack in front

of them. Makes it convenient for bicycle commuters to

ride-park-ride.

I had to go back to the window display
..........they are just soooo cute:)

BRO Class of December 2007

My instructors and coursemates

From left: John Barnett, the founder of the school,
Jenny, Cat and John.
After almost 13 years as an instructor at BBI, Jenny
will be leaving soon to start her own Pilates practice

Not an expert mechanic yet......this cert just provides
me with the foundation to work with bikes

Hi everyone,
last Friday marked the end of my 2 week Bicycle Repair and Overhaul class. It was a time to say goodbye to some of my coursemates as they were not staying for the 3 day Suspension Service and Tuning (SST) course. I've had the opportunity to work with each and every one of them during the labs and I have to say that they are a great bunch of people. A lot of them are more experienced than me in servicing bikes and I really appreciate the patience they showed me when I was slow or just blurr :) Not sure when I will ever see them again, but all the best to their future endeavours!

So....what am I going to do with this certificate?? Well, this course has provided me with an indepth knowledge of the inner workings of a bicycle. As with every skill that you pick up, there is a need to practice it, otherwise, you might lose it in no time. Well, the first step would be to start working on my own bikes. For those who ride with me, they know that my bikes are in a constant state of filth. I hardly clean or maintain them.I will need to keep my chain clean and make sure that the gears are running properly from now on. I will also buy a mechanic toolkit and start taking apart my bike and overhauling them. I might also volunteer my services at a bike shop on Saturdays (once I clear my driving test) so that I work with different kinds of bikes.

The time spent in the BRO course has been a very fruitful one. When I first started the course, I was a bit "butter-fingers"; my fine motor skills were just not there. My fingers just felt weird trying to grasp the small bike parts. But over the span of the course, holding a wrench or a screw driver has become more comfortable to me. BBI treats bicycle mechanics as both a science as well as an art. Hence, the use of torque wrenches when tightening things and digital callipers to make sure things fit. The procedures that I learnt have been written down in a precise manner by John Barnett, so that anyone can follow it and have the exact result everytime.

Well, I've got 3 days of SST and then I will be flying back on Thursday morning. Really missing you all....can't wait to see you all again.

Take care and thanks for reading:)

Running in the snow

Trying to catch my breath

The view from the top

That's Brad. He works at a Trek bike store in

Georgia, Atlanta

Face to face with a deer

Not just one.......eight!!

Hi everyone,

class ended early at four instead of the usual four-thiry. So Brad and myself decided to go for a run on the trails just behind the hotel. I have been looking forward to running on the trails as I have gotten sick of running on the treadmill, but have not been able to do so due to the snow. But the weather this evening was fine; still plenty of the snow on the ground, but no wind.......great for running.

From our hotel, we followed a trail that climbed continuously for almost twenty minutes. It was different running on the snow. It was really difficult to find a stable platform to push off with your toes as the feet would just sink into the snow and that just makes the running more difficult...... as if the altitude was not bad enough. There were some sections of the trail where there was thicker snow, and it was really very energy sapping trying to run on those sections. It was also cold out there. I felt it a lot on my face. In fact, my face was numbed by the cold that it was a bit difficult to speak properly!

Luckily, I brought my camera along for the run and managed to find some nice spots to take photos and at the same time, get some much needed rest. As we were looping back to the base of the trail, we saw a herd of deer just grazing up the road. I quickly took out my camera,wanting to take some pics of them. But they were too fast, and had moved away. However, one deer remained......less than 10m away from me and I managed to get a good shot of it.

I really enjoyed my run,all 45 mins of it! If only there was no snow.......that trail would definitely be great for mountain biking!!

Thanks for reading......take care :)

Cold.....very cold

Snow and more snow

John, one of my instructors, demonstrating how
to align a dropout

Me and Teak

Hi everyone,
ever since last Friday, when it started snowing, the temperature has been getting colder and colder. The temperature drops to -0 degrees celsius once night falls, so there is basically nothing to do except stay in the room and keep warm.

The last 3 days have been quite busy for me. The topics covered during the last few days concern the drivetrain, which is basically the heart and soul of the bicycle. The efficiency of the drivetrain will determine whether you have a great ride or a lousy one. The key to getting the drivetrain to be as efficient as possible involves finetuning the front and rear derailleurs so that everytime you press your shift levers, you get smooth, accurate and crisp shifting. I was determined to get this right because to me, the mark of a good mechanic is one who is able to get the shifting right.

I was pretty stressed up initially because I was a bit lost during my first practice. However, I made some effort to practice during the free time and realised that it wasn't that difficult after all.....all I had to do was just follow the instructions outlined in my lab book.

However, I was still a bit worried last night as I was going to have my drivetrain test. In fact, I was going through my notes last night, trying to visualise every step. Thankfully, during the test this afternoon, I did not have any problems and managed to get my bike to shift right. Plus, I did not finish last! :)

Thanks for reading........more to come

I went swimming today!

It was good to be in the water today:)

Hi everyone,

I managed to swim in a pool today. Although there is a pool at the Travelodge that I am staying at, it is a miserable, tiny pool that I probably can reach the opposite end with just 3 strokes. This morning, I woke up real early at 6:20am and went with my course mates, Justin and Brad to a pool that was 5 minutes drive away from the hotel. It was not a very big pool, just 25m long, but I managed to get a workout in. The first few laps felt fine, the water was warm; it was a heated pool. But then my arms just started getting heavy and the breathing became laboured. I guess it is due to the altitude and the fact that I have not swum since I left Singapore. I took it easy; alternated between swimming laps and doing drills. Still, I managed about 50 minutes in the water.

As I rested in between some laps, I looked over two lanes to my right and there was Justin doing his own workout. Justin is a professional triathlete who just did a 8:40 at Ironman Florida. In the short time that I have known him, I think that he is a very disciplined athlete. In fact, almost every day during lunch, when I would be pigging out at Saigon Stars Restaurant, he would be running out on the trails behind the bike school. He is so unassuming that if you did not probe him, you will never ever know that he is a triathlete, and one of the best in the world! Very unlike some of the Singaporean athletes that I have come across. Certainly a good role model for me.

Keep reading.....more to come

........

Hey Mrs Lawrence Ng, here are some of the tops that I bought for you.
Don't you feel yourself being loved:) Hope that they fit you and that you will like them

A little bit of Colorado Springs for you

Pet shop's cute window display

Hi everyone,

1 week down, 2 more to go:) I am just looking forward to being back home with you all.

Have a nice weekend. I might try running in the snow tomorrow :)

It's snowing over here

The view I woke up to this morning. This is the

first time I am seeing snow in my life

At the hotel parking lot

Eating at the Citadel, a huge shopping complex

Me and Park on a bus

Hi everyone,

it is snowing over here in Colorado Springs. It was kind of expected as it has been quite gloomy the last 2 days. It was nice waking up late today for a change. I managed to sleep till nine, then woke up to run 35 mins in the gym. Today, I went out with Park to the Citadel, which is a mega shopping complex. There were so many things to see and buy. I managed to buy some T-shirts for myself and some clothes for Emily at Old Navy and Hollister. I also bought a pair of Levi's jeans for US$30.........it is about time I change my wardrobe!:) There was also a pet shop in the complex. They actually put puppies as part of the window display, really felt like bringing one home.The complex was so huge that I really did not have time to finish exploring it. I will definitely be back there again.

If you are wondering whether it is very cold here, I have to say that it really isn't as cold as I thought it would be. In fact, I was walking about just now without gloves. I guess it might be because there isn't any wind now, but it might be a different story if the wind picks up.

Really wish that you all are here with me. If only we can have some fun in the snow together.

Thanks for reading!

Steep learning curves

Can you see the yellow pin that represents me, from Singapore?
(click on the pic to expand)

Wow! So many graduates from the USA

This is our lecture cum demo room. Look at all the hardware!
The lady in the pink top is Jennifer Skorcx, one of the instructors.
In fact, 2 out of the 3 instructors are women. You'll be amazed by the
depth of bicycle knowledge that these women have!


Here is mechanic wannabe Lawrence Ng :)
I was learning to make a hub adjustment

The Asian in the picture is Park. He is a bike shop
owner from Korea. http://www.mtbtaso.co.kr/
He is now my meal buddy. We have been going out for
lunch and dinner together.

Hi everyone,
the last 2 days have been quite busy for me. In addition to the lessons during the day, I also have to do some reading and finish some assignments in the evening. I've also had 2 tests already; the first on headset adjustment and the second on hub adjustment. I think I fared ok for the 2 tests. Honestly, I think I was the last to finish the tasks but it's ok, there is plenty of room for improvment! :) It has been a steep learning curve for me especially since I never had any wrenching experience before. But the instructors have been most helpful and patient. We are guided step by step in performing the different procedures. For example, today I learnt to lace a wheel from scratch using a 3x pattern. Tomorrow, I will be learning to true and hopefully, finish building it!

Thankfully, I still have energy to fit in my runs. In fact, I managed to run twice yesterday; in the gym in the morning and around the neighbourhood in the evening. Other than the harrassment from the barking dogs, I had a wonderful time exploring the neighbourhood. Found out that there was a stable and a cemetery very near my hotel. And guess what, I actually ran past a deer that was in the cemetery!

Ok, am going to take a rest and then do some reading later.
Thanks for reading. Take care

I put Singapore on the BBI World Map!

(the sky was literally orange when I stepped out from class just now.
You will see a bald head at the bottom of the second pic. That 's the head of John Barnett, the founder of the school:))

Hi everyone,
I have just completed Day 1 of my training here at Barnett Bicycle Institute. Honestly, I did not sleep well at all last night. I had mixed feelings about the first day at school. On one hand, I was excited about the course and all the things I would learn and how I can make use of the knowledge gained. On the other hand, I was worried that I would not be able to handle the learning, that it would be too tough for me as I have never really worked on a bike my whole life. I was also worried that the students would be unfriendly, that they would be the "rough" type of people. Thankfully, none of my fears turned out to be true!

I did have a brief scare though. When I went in through the door, one of the staff greeted me and handed me a pin. I had this crazy thought that maybe they wanted to prick my finger and do a blood test to check if I was on drugs or maybe check what was my lactate threshold level! Luckily, he pointed me to a map on the wall and asked me to place the pin on whichever part of the world I came from. Of course I found Singapore easily and became the first Singaporean to place my pin on the BBI world map. There were many other pins on the world map as well; pins of other mechanics who have been trained here since the school started and I felt proud and privilleged to be here.

Well, the class has a good mix of people from those who own bike shops, work as mechanics to people who want to start their own shops, to people who race and want to know how to maintain their bikes and lastly to myself, who simply wants to know more. There was also another Asian attending the course. He is a Korean by the name Park. He has his own bike shop, and was complaining to me that he had been eating from the same Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant since he arrived. So after this, I am bringing him out to a nearby restaurant to eat some Japanese food :)

My learning progress has been quite good. I would say I understand completely 85% of the things taught and are able to carry out the procedures satisfactorily. First, we covered the use of torque wrenches, then moved on to adjustable bottom brackets, then cartridge bottom brackets. After lunch, we learnt how to install, adjust and dismantle threadless headsets. The pace has been good, with time split between watching the instructor demo, and time to practice in pairs. Not only are the instructors experts in their field, but they were also to teach clearly.

I did not manage to take any pictures at the school today. I was "paiseh", plus no one took out any camera and I didn't want to be the odd one. I will try to take some tomorrow, especially the one with my pin on the map.

Thanks for reading!

Up and running

The view from my room......hotel at base of some mountain range

Just walking around

The pained look.........it's cold you know

Beautiful!!!

That's a canyon below

Hi everyone, this is already my third day in Colorado Springs. I am coping well with the cold weather. So far, it has not been as bad as I thought it would be. The temperature during the day is around 7-10 degrees celsius, while at night it can drop to minus five. However, it is still comfortable moving around during the day time, just got to bring extra gear just in case weather turns bad. The night time temperature does not really bother me as I am usually tucked into my heated room watching TV and doing my advance readings.

I managed to go into the town centre yesterday. Travelling is not very convenient, especially for myself, as I do not drive. I had to read the bus schedule beforehand so that I do not have to spend too much time waiting out in the cold. In fact, I feel a bit handicapped as I cannot move around as and when I want, like in Singapore; every trip that I make takes substantial planning. I hope things change when the course starts so that I can "lompang" my course mates' cars.

If you are expecting the town centre to be something like Orchard Rd, be in for some disappointment, like I was. There wasn't really much things to see or buy. However, I managed to get myself some running clothes; a windproof outer shell, a beanie, a base layer, gloves and running pants. Although I did a thirty minute run in gym yesterday, nothing beats being out there and feeling the road move underneath your feet!

+++++++++++
This morning, I woke up at seven and went out for a run in my new running clothes. There was no one to show me around, but I had seen a map of the area and also looked at the area from Google Earth, and decided to explore it myself. I managed to find a trail around five hundred metres from the hotel and followed it. Surprisingly, I felt ok running in the cold. The only thing that bothered me were my hands; they felt cold despite the gloves. The view was beautiful! I felt so at peace with myself running on the trail, accompanied only by the sound of my breathing and the sound of my feet hitting the ground. I ran for around fifteen minutes before I decided to turn back; did not want to push it because I was not sure how my body would respond to the cold and running at altitude (>2000m). But I will definitely be back .........soon!!

++++++++++
I have been keeping abreast of Singapore events by reading the Straits Times online using my school a/c. It is really sad reading how the price increases has affected the less well-off among us. I really want to thank God for giving me the opportunities in life. I really feel privilleged that I can go to some faraway country to do a course in something that I am interested in. I also want to thank him for providing me with a healthy body that I can go out there to experience nature.

Ok, that's it for today. Thanks for reading. Miss you all!

Greetings from Colorado Springs

Hi everyone,

I have finally arrived in Colorado Springs after almost 24 hrs of travelling. I think I fared pretty well; not suffering from any backache or sore butt despite sitting on the plane for more than 17 hours. Thankfully, I did not encounter any problems at the immigration control, though the officer did give my spanking clean and new passport a second look. It was a bit boring travelling alone but I kept myself occupied by watching movies "Evan Almighty" and "Transformers", and doing the advance readings for my course.

I am now writing into this blog from the comfort of my hotel room due to the free wi-fi access available. The above picture was taken when I went out for my dinner just now. I tried to be adventurous; went out for a twenty minute walk around the hotel, looking for a cheap and reasonable food outlet to go to, but was just not able to find any food that I liked. Thankfully, just outside my hotel was this restaurant that serves Vietnamese and Chinese food. I went in and ordered chicken with brocoli served with rice. As you can see, it was quite a big serving! Plus, it was delicious and there was rice! It cost US$8.55, which is around S$14. I think the price is quite reasonable. In fact, before I left the restaurant, I told the owner to expect to see me everyday for the next 20 days :)

Thanks for reading. Will write again tomorrow.

Restarted

Hi everyone,

It's the school holidays again and with plenty of time to kill for the time being, I have decided to restart my blog. In a week's time, I will be travelling to the States to learn bicycle mechanics at the Barnett Bicycle Institute. I hope that this blog, with the ability to upload pics and video, will allow me to stay connected with my family and friends as I spend three weeks in Colorado Springs.