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Tips on Upgrading your Mountain Bike

So you’ve bought your first bike and tried out mountain biking. You got to experience the trails, learned to climb and descend, and had the time of your life with your new found buddies on that astig gnarly killer epic bike ride to some never before explored majestic waterfalls and carinderia and bulalohan in the middle of nowhere.

But regretfully, you also caught that debilitating biker’s disease called upgraditis. You look at your bike, shake your head, and feel something just ain’t right. You visit bike shops and leave drool puddles on the floor while looking at that shiny new groupset, those blinged out wheels that sound mayaman, and that fork with those golden stanchions costing half your son’s pang-tuition. You are certain that if only you could have them, the magic will return.

And since you’re not exactly a porked-up senator or Janet Napoles with bathtubs full of filthy cash, you need to decide which part (or parts) of your bike make the upgrade shortlist. So here are a few tips to consider before you go to the bike shop and part with your hard-earned cash. Read more [+]

Timberland’s Blue Zone

September 30, 2013 Outside Slacker Comments off

Blue Zone Timberland, Mountain Biking in the Philippines

Crossing a stream in Timberland’s Blue Zone trail

All Terra Cyclery and Timberland Corp really need to be commended for setting up the bike trail systems in the hills of San Mateo. These guys are taking mountain biking in Metro Manila to the next level.

Last Saturday, a brief respite from the rains allowed me to again explore Timberland’s Blue Zone. I got slathered in mud, whipped by the berms, scared shitless of the fast twisty descents, and had a hell of a good time figuring out how I was supposed to maneuver my bike through this roller coaster of a trail. Read more [+]

Epic Biking to Puray Falls

September 17, 2013 Outside Slacker 7 comments

Biking to Puray Falls, Mountain Biking in the Philippines

Getting to Puray Falls means numerous river crossings

Puray Falls is definitely one of the most epic mountain biking rides I’ve done. Riding to this postcard pretty cascade in the mountains of Rodriguez, Rizal already busts lungs and cramps legs on a normal day. But throw in Habagat-like downpours, plus 90% cluelessness on how to get there, and you have the recipe for an adventure.

I’d been to Rodriguez/Montalban several times before, but those were trips to Wawa Dam on rock climbing excursions. I had yet to explore Montalban on a mountain bike. And while Wawa has kick ass climbing cliffs and an awesome boulder-strewn river, it has no waterfalls.

Lately, I had been hearing a lot about Puray. Supposedly, it was accessible via a half day ride on a mountain bike. I looked at the photos online, and was instantly hooked. This one was without doubt a bucket lister for any Manila weekend warrior. Read more [+]

Timberland’s The Wall… for Beginners

September 7, 2013 Outside Slacker 30 comments

I keep mentioning Timberland and The Wall in this blog, that I sometimes forget that not everyone knows what I’m talking about. When you’re a long time biker, it’s easy to treat it as common knowledge. But I’ve been learning recently that a lot of visitors to this blog are newbies, as evidenced by the most popular article on this site.

So for anyone and everyone who has ever wondered, here’s the lowdown on Timberland and The Wall. Read more [+]

At the Camp Aguinaldo Bike Trail

August 16, 2013 Outside Slacker 10 comments

While trying out Camp Aguinaldo’s bike trail, I thought about zombies.

Yes, I love zombie apocalypse films and TV series. I am having serious withdrawal symptoms right now with the next season of the Walking Dead not set to air for several more months. I need my regular zombie flick fix where survivors are constantly on the move evading the undead, hunting for supplies, and fighting off other survivors who seem to be worse than flesh eating ghouls. As sickeningly antisocial as it may sound, survival in this scenario seems like the greatest adventure one can ever have.

I revisited the Camp Aguinaldo bike trail on Saturday last week, just before supertyphoon Labuyo slammed into the Philippines. While biking through the section of the trail where old, rusting, abandoned military vehicles were dumped, I was reminded of scenes from The Walking Dead. It’s part of what makes the place special. Read more [+]

Biking in Mayon

July 26, 2013 Outside Slacker 3 comments

Mountain biker riding to Mayon lava wall

Daragang Magayon, please show your face to us!

Mt. Mayon–this may just be the most badass place anyone can bike or run in the Philippines. At over 8000 feet high, Mayon towers over the landscape of Albay province like a fiery Olympus. The fact that it is the most active volcano in the country further adds to the awe that takes over when you behold its almost perfect contours. Yes, this is an awesome lava churning monster that dares bikers to go extreme. If there’s ever going to be a cradle of Kaijus in the Philippines, Mayon would have to be it.

As a kid, I had always dreamed of getting close to Mayon. Last week, I finally did just that. I was part of a group of bloggers invited by Biggs Diner on a tour of Bicolandia. I saw my chance to finally get to bike Mayon and I took it. Read more [+]

Biking in La Mesa

July 12, 2013 Outside Slacker 22 comments

Biker at one of the bridges in the La Mesa Nature Reserve

It’s tricky to descend into and then climb out of these bridges. Photo courtesy of Bong Madriaga

The first time I came to La Mesa several years ago, I couldn’t believe that there was such a place right inside Metro Manila. I had heard a lot about the place, about the beauty of its trails, and the postcard (or is it Instagram?) perfect scenery you get to enjoy while biking there. But nothing compares to seeing it for yourself.

Let’s just get something out of the way first. The biking destination I am talking about is the La Mesa Nature Reserve, not the La Mesa Ecopark. The former has kilometers upon kilometers of well-maintained fire roads and singletrack which can take you a whole day to explore. The latter (the Ecopark) is a smaller park which features boating, paintball, and a few kilometers of biking. It’s more suited for family picnics instead of mountain biking. It’s easy to confuse the two parks because both are maintained by ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan. Read more [+]

King of the Mountain 2013

July 4, 2013 Outside Slacker 6 comments

Mountain bikers race towards the sun and the hills at the All Terra King of the Mountain 2013

The philosopher Nietzsche had a lot of strange ideas. ‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,’ is one of his more popular quotes. For no reason at all, this thought struck me out of the blue while I was ascending The Wall in Timberland last Saturday in All Terra’s King of the Mountain bike race.

I was with more than a hundred other bikers who were struggling up the steepest part of the dreaded Wall, drawing heavy breaths, gritting their teeth, grinding their cranks, giving everything their legs could possibly give, but I was also wondering: will I get stronger after this or will I simply drop dead? While marinating in gallons of my own sweat, the outcome seemed more like the latter. But I kept two fingers crossed while I held on to my handlebars. Read more [+]

Biking and Running in UP Diliman

June 28, 2013 Outside Slacker 23 comments

For running and biking, the U.P. Diliman campus is the best destination in Metro Manila

If New York City has its Central Park, Metro Manila has the UP Diliman campus. No disrespect to Luneta and the QC circle, but in terms of wide and green open spaces, the 493 hectare flagship campus of the State University is unmatched in Metro Manila. The campus is a gigantic garden with tree-lined avenues and wide grassy areas where all sorts of outdoor activities can be held. I am not sure if there’s a place that can compare to it in the Metro.

Bonifacio Global City may have lots of runnable and bikeable pavement, but its small trees hardly provide any shade. Luneta and Roxas Boulevard meanwhile have deteriorated a lot, as evidenced by the seemingly uncollectable trash along the baywalk. If you’re sick of breathing in the brown, oily halitosis of Metro Manila while running or biking, UP Diliman is the best place to go inside the Metro. Read more [+]

Biking Gear and Tips for Rainy Days

June 21, 2013 Outside Slacker 8 comments

Summer’s over, but the biking shouldn’t stop

Summer in the Philippines is now officially over. The rains have become an everyday phenomenon and the evening news is now saturated with reports of floods, traffic jams, landslides, government officials looking stupid and making excuses, and a whole litany of other depressing stuff. This doesn’t mean though that you should stay indoors, sleep all day and start to complain that there’s too much rain

Biking in the rain is actually quite fun. Like I said in an earlier post, the rains take away some of the bite from the tropical heat. The hills come alive with a fresh wardrobe of green. And finally, the trails become a mess of mud and puddles that will put your bike skills to the test. But biking in the rain requires some adjustment, and a few extra gear. Here are some of them. Read more [+]

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