Most of the parts on this rebuild were either frugally bought in the used market (Bike Swap Meets, Craigslist & eBay) or spares that I have from past acquisitions that were either cannibalized from a bike or singularly bought for a later build. When I do buy new stuff, it is researched with only one thought in mind; it’s got to be the cheapest and the most functional item that I can find.
I admit it, I’m a bike junkie; I buy them, ride them, and sell them to maintain the habit.
Here’s where I started, from one of the original masters of mountain biking; Gary Fisher’s Hoo Koo E Koo (circa 1996). It’s a tig welded double butted frame standing on 26″ wheels, powered by a 21 speed Shimano SLX drivetrain.
Photo on Craigslist by former owner
I originally wanted to convert it to a John Tomac kind of ride by replacing the handlebars to drops and that would be the end of it.
John Tomac
But the numerous conversations (about a year’s worth of chatter) with Em; a fellow rider who is a mountaineer, I decided that this would be a great candidate for bikepacking. Here’s how it evolved.
Shimano XT Drivetrain, 42/32/22 cranksetXTR Hubset / 11-34 9 speed cassetteSpank Oozy pedalsShimano Bar End shifters / Specialized Al-6061 Drops bars / Stem extender / Tektro brake levers / Handle bar bag / Sleeping bagSLK Canti brakes / Double Butted steel fork / Ritchey Speedmax tiresModed in two water bottle cages and pouches for extra storage.There’s a provision for a bolt at the bottom of the fork and I added a spacer to give some separation. A plastic clamp at the top part of the cage is secured with a bolt and nut.I collect pouches, tin cans and all types of small containers that has useful possibilities. I have a pair of these and it used to house portable reading lamps.I looped the handle around the brake bosses and secured it with a zip tie. The zipper for the main compartment was secured with a key chain hardware on the handle.A velcro strap on the body stops it from going to the spokes.A simple twisty prevents the zipper on the small bottom compartment from accidental opening. It also pulls the pouch away from the spokes.Changed the seat, added a large saddle bag and a rack which wedged the sleeping pad in place with the help of bungee cords. I’m definitely not going to win any aerodynamic efficiency awards with this setup, but maybe it will help stop the bike a little faster.A frame bag added more storage and I was able to secure the poles of my tent on the bottom tube of the frame with two water bottle cage modifications (see the mod below).Water bottle cage # 1Easy cutting with a coping sawRough edges smoothed out with a drum sander attachment on the dremel.Secured with velcroWater bottle # 2Same MO; cut.Same MO; smooth and file the rough edges. Note that I used the large piece with the holes for bolts.An inner tube is inserted at the ends for easy strapping.The aluminum was curled at the bottom with some gentle persuasion. Zip tie secures the bottom of the cage.One last velcro strap for additional security.All dressed up with a place to go. The bike is 25 lbs and the load is 22 lbs. The bike is closely carrying its own weight.The Re Evolution of Gary Fisher’s Hoo Koo E Koo.
If you’ve never heard of a ride named after a traditional chinese dimsum dish, well, this is it; the Siomai Ride by Fat Bike Philippines.
When I first heard about it from my nephew Andrew (a core member of FBP) my mouth watered before my legs wanted to pedal; food to me will always be one of the main motivating ingredients to ride the bike.
I had the opportunity to be a part of two Siomai rides back to back within two years during my visits to my home country, and both of them were delish in all of its aspects; the views, the camaraderie and of course the siomai.
From our Quezon City digs, we would usually meet up with a few riders at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and from there another meet point is at Dexter’s Bakery in White Plains to huddle up with the rest of the gang; a short prayer (to say thanks and for our safety) commences and initiated by FBP’s big kahuna Raymond.
The route to the siomai mother lode circumnavigates a good portion of the Pasig River and landmarks like the Malacanang Palace (our version of the White House), Luneta Park, Intramuros, Quiapo church are all part of our sights and sounds.
Below are photos of two Siomai rides, mixed and mashed together in a basket; I rode Andrew’s Surly Moonlander fat bike on the first ride (2016) then my Bike Friday on the second (2017). Both rides on a Sunday.
Starting point / University of the Philippines in DilimanThe road in front of Malacanang Palace
Luneta Park. In front of the Jose Rizal (our national hero) monument.The Cathedral ChurchThe cobblestones of Intramuros. Note the guard on the top left dressed up in period clothing.Chinatown. Always a must for a group photo. Thanks Raymond for the shot (tip of his shoes are in the foreground)Finally! Siomai time.Plenty more where that came from.On the road again.Quiapo marketQuiapo churchTaho (sweet tofu drink) pitstop on Roxas boulevardAnother pitstopThe city is always growingRaymond leading the way with heavy camera gear in his pannier.Buko (coconut) juice pitstop at White Plains.Group shot in the meadow.
The ride is essentially a tour of Metro Manila, and in more ways than one, a very good way to reconnect and acquainted to the Mother Land.
Thank you FBP for the Siomai rides. Bukas ulit (Tomorrow again)!
My two brothers, Jing-Jing and Ritoy, teased me about my ears when I was a kid; they claimed adamantly that they were as big as the radars in Mount Santo Tomas, the highest point in Baguio City.
We spent most of our summers in Baguio (considered as one of the vacation capitals of the Philippines) and as my ears grew proportionally to my body through the years, my curiosity grew as well on what those radars look like up close. Then the idea disappeared entirely as I went about with life in the US until I saw a facebook post from my nephew Andrew last year with pictures of him and Sean on their bikes near the radars. I told him to take me along the next time he goes up there.
Months later we rode our bikes to the radars and beyond; Andrew on a fat bike and me on a folder. Here’s the ride.
Stations of the Cross at Mt. Santo Tomas.
They were not as big as my ears after all.The seascape of La Union below. Wind chill was off the charts here. We were beyond the radars at this point.The end of the road.
There were three things going for us on this ride; the weather, I was healthy and able, and it was broccoli harvest time.
After watching Sausage Party the night before, these babies are going with us to the Promised Land.A side trip on our way down to Santo Tomas Reservoir.Plenty of “buko” juice on the way home.
The next day we did a recovery ride and toured the city. The 2017 Miss Universe pageant was there but we didn’t get a glimpse of them.
The Mansion / President’s home while in BaguioA plastic cup full of strawberry taho. Sugar and Tofu rush baby!@ Omai Khan Restaurant
Many thanks again to Andrew for an epic road trip; a ride that I no longer have to wonder about. Not to mention the nursing attention Andrew and Kat (Andrew’s wife) had to do to get me back on track before the ride. Thanks to Eric, my schoolmate, for cooking for us, a lot of food went to their final destination bro. And thanks as well to Hailey, my grand-niece, for being cute and adorable; your presence made me heal faster. Thanks also to Mina, Hailey’s friend, your quiet ways entertained us.
As a long time subscriber to Bicycling Magazine since the 80s, I had a dream that one day my photos would be part of its contents.
After sending bicycle related promotional pieces to the mag’s creative department I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I was about to call to do my usual pitch, and to my surprise the Art Director of the mag called me and asked if I’d like to do some work for them. That was too easy; probably the easiest sell of them all! This scenario doesn’t happen all the time, I had countless rejections from submissions to other prospects before this but it makes one wonder if somebody else had a hand on it. Perhaps this is divine intervention, pure luck or a case of 90/10 percent perspiration/inspiration rule?
I was alone in my studio at the time when I got the phone call. The AD said he liked my work and went right down to business with information about their budget for photos, a deadline, and that he’d be sending the products over to my studio. And oh yeah, he was wondering if I was available. There was a pause on my end; I was trying to contain myself and process this bit of news that was rocking my world. To regain my composure, I told the AD that I need to put him on hold while I check my schedule. I remember putting the palm of my hand on the mic end of the phone’s receiver, catching my breath and telling myself to calm down. As further pretense, I shuffled some papers on my desk in case there’s a byte of audio going through.
Then I took my palm off the receiver and as professional as I can I said, “Yes, I happen to be open on those dates.” We said our goodbyes, and I thanked him for giving me the work.
As soon as I hung up, I jumped up and down like a kid, and shouted, “YES, YES, YES….” repeatedly pumping my arms in the air while I shouted with so much gusto I could have choked. I pretended that there was another person in the room in front of me, and I asked him, “Please pinch me and tell me this is not a dream.” I switched over to the other guy’s spot (who looks like me by the way), and reached out with a pinching motion to my other self and said, “There feel that.” “OUCH!”
When I gained a semblance of real awareness, I started processing what just happened, and the recurring thought was I couldn’t believe my luck. I immediately called my wife and left a message that I have a new account, that I’d tell her all about it later. This was the third account (PC Computing & MacWorld were the other two) that we both hoped and wished for so I can breath a little easier in regards to the studio’s overhead.
I shot three photos for the October 1999 issue of Bicycling Magazine. One was a two page spread (a centerfold) of the new XTR mountain bike crank, a Fox Vanilla rear shock and a Cinelli handle bar tape.
To top it off, the cherry on the sundae so to speak, the cover of the October issue was a photo of Lance Armstrong doing his own arm pumping celebration for his first Tour De France victory. Oh, and did I mention that October is my birth month? What are the chances of that?
At that very moment I really understood why some people, athletes in particular, thank God after a win. I have to admit I don’t go to church, I mean I pray outside HIS house and sometimes I do have doubts if he really does exist, but you got to give credit to an external power that is beyond yourself when good things happen to you. And chances are you begin to believe that God does exist and that he really likes you, he really, really does. “I would like to thank God………”
Shooting for Bicycling Magazine was a great gig while it lasted. They were the perfect absentee client; nobody hovering behind my shoulders during shoots and they pay on time. The only thing they ask for is to make the products look good, to shoot it with my own style.
It’s sad that Lance Armstrong, a seven time Tour De France winner, was stripped of all of his titles and banned for life from the world of competitive cycling because of illegal use and trafficking of performance enhancing drugs. That kind of news puts anybody back down to earth.
Here are some of the other shots that I would like to showcase.
I bagged the account after sending a series of promotional post cards specifically targeted to the cycling industry, then after sending the third (give or take a few days for the snail mail to arrive) I followed up with a call. It was one of those perfect timing kind of calls when the prospect was looking and I was hustling.
Promo Card 1Promo Card 2Promo Card 3
This was the Tour De France of shoots for me that year. The project took about two weeks of constant chaos; a shoot marathon that tested my patience and resilience. A lot of the products like suspension forks were so new they trickled in like celebrities on a red carpet.
I documented the chaos.
Mechanic’s assembly setup #1 at the entrance to the studio.Mechanic’s assembly setup #2 in the kitchen. We cleared the dining table.A completely built bike waiting in line.
All available space was oozing with bikes, parts and shipping boxes.
Lounge area covered with goods.Entrance to the shoot areaThe office became the decal application area.Digital was still in its infancy, we shot polaroids before we went to film.
We had one basic setup for the mainstream catalog shots, a smaller setup for detail shots of the higher end models and a beauty shot (in black & white) setup on the last day, to be used for ads in various cycling magazines.
My assistant and I were so busy I couldn’t hear straight. This was apparent one day when the owner of Marin Bikes stopped by the studio to see how things were going. We began to chat about this and that, and I was trying my best to stay calm despite the endless chatter in the studio and around the set by Marin’s crew. The owner said something, and then I paused, probably with a puzzled look on my face because I didn’t quite understand one of the words that came out of the his mouth. I thought he said something about a Yak, (an animal?) so I asked him what a Yak was.
He said, “You know, it’s a vessel that floats on water.”
“Oh a Yacht,” I acknowledged. That last bit of miscomprehension pretty much ended any further conversations between us that day.
The Marin crew consisted of three bike mechanics, a production manager and the art director. They were rowdy, loud, a rambunctious group of guys, and for an encore they stuck Marin decals on the studio’s windows, I assume to make a territorial statement of their presence.
After the shoot, I felt like I could do anything. This was definitely a dream come true; a cycling shoot highlight of my career. I was on top of the world baby!
All bikes were shot with a Cambo SCII view camera in both 4×5 and 6×9 color film formats. Lighting was a combination of tungsten and strobe illumination.
Mountain biking was my first love and for my first post it is second nature to me to show you some dirt. This post also initiates the Ride Recap page.
September 2015, three Fat bike rides in the Philippines in six days. They were all epic, brutal and an experience I would never forget. I rode on pavement thru the gnarliest knots of traffic in the city, in the heat and in the rain, thru deep mud in heavy tropical vegetation in a section of the Sierra Madre Mountains that surrounded the well-acclaimed residential area of Timberland.
I didn’t know what to expect on the first ride. But I had a feeling that it had a lot of climbing since Andrew (my nephew), who was prepping the bikes for the ride, asked me if I do any hills during my rides in the US. I said yes, of course, I do some. I didn’t really mind his question since it was purely exploratory; he was just gauging my abilities as a rider and factoring in my age and,….and uh factoring,….my age. I think he was worried about me going home to his Auntie in a casket due to a massive heart attack.
What really ticked me off was that he told me that I can swap the heavy Surly Moonlander (the bike he was lending me) with his lighter Specialized bike when I start feeling the pedals getting heavy. I fumed at this degrading and somewhat sympathetic suggestion, then balled my hands to a fist, looked at Andrew in the eyes and motioned my hands and down at my body and said, “Will you look at this lean body, do you think this is a body that would need help?”
Before he could say anything I said, “DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME!” As a result of my short outburst, Andrew used the phrase, “don’t underestimate me” at every chance he got towards me when it was appropriate.
I don’t think I’ve recovered from the jet lag two days ago when I arrived (a good excuse I thought just in case) since my sleep habits consisted of quick cat nap intervals. I woke up two hours early the next day, the day of our first ride. I raided my Dad’s fridge and found one of the huge siopaos (pork bun) from MaMonLuk that I bought the other day and ate it fast and furious. Not content, I ate some pan de sal with butter and cheese and downed everything with a pitcher of coconut juice and ate the coconut meat for dessert. Still not content, I topped it off with a banana and a Cliff bar. “Okay, I’m ready for anything”, I told myself.
I met up with Andrew all dressed up in cycling clothes and carrying a packed bag with an extra change of clothes. When he saw me he asked me what’s in the bag. I told him. He said, “You don’t need all that stuff we’re starting the ride from here.”
We rode the streets of Manila weaving thru Sunday traffic to Raymond’s place of business (Dexter’s Bakery) in White Plains. Andrew showed me one of Raymond’s cake creations on the window. A bride and a groom with a mountain bike on the background. Raymond said everything was edible except the spokes on the wheels.
I also met Boy, who was repositioning the shifters on Raymond’s new bike. Sean, my nephew’s cousin, was also with us. Before we took off I was caught off guard that all four of them bowed down their heads and started a prayer of thanks and safe travels to the Lord above. I did the same.
We saw a group of folders huddled in a corner of a major intersection. The bikes were mostly Dahon; there was a Bike Friday silk with disc brakes.
A mural near Camp AguinaldoRiding thru University of the Philippines (my alma mater)
Overall, riding in traffic is not as bad as I thought knowing how Filipino’s drive. In fact maybe that’s it, that I know how Filipino’s drive…..organized chaos. I did observe that common folks haven’t seen bikes with fat tires; even cyclists are impressed and would stare. So riding around in urban roads gives you special attention, you are noticed. Kids are in awe with jaw dropping fascination and would shout that they haven’t seen a bike with big fat tires like that before. Most of the kids in the rural areas walking against our flow would extend their hand palm out so we can low five them. “Apir” (Up here) they would say.
“Mt.Sinai”, the Tablet; our first ride destination from Timberland. From what I was told, and if I remember correctly, the Philippine government (who owns the land) had an agreement with one of the residents to make something out of the area, which had an old landfill in the ravine behind the tablet that was no longer in use.
The resident was a very religious person and built “The Tablet” and a small eatery nearby to attract attention in his locale and improve its economy. Well, it worked and “Mt. Sinai” became one of the main GoTo places, an eco-mtb mecca if you will, when you want to get dirty on two wheels.
Three Tapsilogs (beef, fried rice and eggs), two noodle soups and lots of home brewed coffee.Fat bikes were made to roll through mud without a hitch.Timberland is a playground for crawlers as well.
The dirt road on the ascents and descents are gnarly with gouges and small rocks collect in the large cracks that seem to be a constant occurrence in areas where rain water passes.
@ The “Table Top”
After the ride and back at the parking lot, bikes were washed thoroughly (chain and all) by these boys for 50 pesos ($1.07) per bike. Behind is a makeshift shower stall which was part of the package deal at the lot and we used it to shower up before the car ride home.
My nephew is a beast on a Fat bike. I was impressed and proud of him and felt lucky that he took up a sport that we can bond on. I also met some of the core members of Fat Bike Philippines, and they were all pedalers of the good kind.
@ Dexter’s Bakery
During ascents, for the most part, I went with the flow of the rhythm just enough to show my nephew that his Unc can climb. Not many words were exchanged except for the occasional “feeling cocky huh” during efforts but I knew I got some respect from the young bull, but I always suffered in the end, and barely hanging on at times.
I love riding a Fat bike! I miss getting dirty and I did get fat, literally, on the belly; five pounds worth from binge eating traditional Filipino dishes with rice on every meal. I had too much fun in the Philippines.
Thanks Andrew, and Fat Bike Philippines for showing me a good time.
I Ride Therefore I Am 