Cycling in Malaysia [Archive]

shea2812

02-07-07, 12:19 AM

Hi... Been reading this forum for quite awhile. Just like to start a thread fer those riders in Malaysia. Cycling is relatively new over here. Its been there quite awhile actually but not in a big way. These days I am seeing more bikes on the road. those who cannot afford a roadie ride their MTB fitted with skinny tires. Due to relatively hi cost of road bike, it may become a trend to run MTB on tarmac. Cost is still prohibitive for some to own a decent bike.... we really need a bigger market to enable prices to come down to a bearable level. It is just a matter of market size.

rollin

02-07-07, 12:33 AM

Salamat from Singapore!

I've mostly only mountain biked in Malaysia, mainly Johor - I hear what you are saying.

Another forum member told me that the scene in Malaysia is picking up.

I've been watching the Tour de Langkawi this week and would love to try some of those routes. I did cycle around Genting a couple of years ago and it almost killed me - I am a flatlander at heart!

I hope you do get a Malaysia group, I would love to come over and join you.

rollin

02-07-07, 12:36 AM

I got this from Scrapyy (don't know if he's still around)

"I've cycled up to malaysia quite a few times though, to Desaru a couple of times, and to Kukup and Malacca on separate occasions. Desaru's pretty popular among cyclists because much of the route there is undulating, quite unlike what you can find in Singapore. To Kukup and Malacca though the route I took was along the old coastal highway, which is as flat as any road you'll ride. There's generally a fair amount of space on road shoulders for riding, and even if there isn't, Malaysian drivers don't usually squeeze past you like Singaporean drivers do.

Weather there is even hotter than Singapore's though, if that's possible :P "

shea2812

02-09-07, 02:19 AM

there are lots of small groups everywhere but most do short rides on weekends. I suppose it is a good start. Sourcing of bike parts is still a bit of problem. Hopefully in a couple of years there'll be a lot more bikes on our road. The better quality ones will definitely follow later. Fer now we just need to see the culture to take off the ground

cyclezealot

02-09-07, 02:53 AM

I have been there. As a motorist the roads seem pretty hectic. Saw hardly any cyclists. The few I saw were up in the highlands. that appeared to be some pretty nifty scenery. Climate sort of hot and humid!.

rollin

02-22-07, 06:44 PM

Genting Climb rated number 5 climb in the world by procycling magazine in their top 50!

I get tired driving up those roads! - I'm going to try riding it this year.

gbcb

02-22-07, 08:20 PM

I did a bike tour once in Sabah about seven or eight years ago. It was beautiful, but I couldn't believe the heat. I'd love to go back and try again now that I know something about bikes -- I was riding an MTB with knobbies :rolleyes:. Also, I was pretty out of shape!

shea2812

03-01-07, 09:50 PM

Hot & humid... Suggestions to tackle that is most welcome...

ostar7

07-19-07, 09:28 AM

I have started commuting by bike for a couple of months now... 2-3 time a week.. I work in kuala lumpur.. the distance is about 30km round trip.

well most of you sure got it right about the heat... plus it is so humid here that you'll sweat in no time if you exert a little effort... lucky that I can take a shower at the office.

it appears that not many adults here use bicycle as a mode of transportation... most use bicycle for sport and fitness.. I can count less than ten cyclist on my way to work everyday.. this includes a guy whos riding a fixie or a ss (could not find out from him since he way to fast for me and I could not catch him)...

It would take a lot longer before bicycle become a prefered alternative transportation mode here... perhaps if the law is much stricter against those with DUI there maybe a few more takers on the commuting part..

nasser11

07-24-07, 04:09 AM

Hi,

I will be visiting KL soon and would like to find a good bike shop with verities and reasonable price. Can any body help?. Are there such shops in KL?

ostar7

07-26-07, 01:22 AM

Hi,

There are a couple of good bicycle shop in KL. here is the link (http://bicyclebuysell.com/).. the shops are the the advertiser banner on top of the page.... one is Bikepro and another one is KSH. Bikepro cater more towards road, xc and trailbike while KSH cater more towards mountain bike scene overall focusing on trailbike and "freeride" scene... however, both do cater to other forms of cycling as well... not that they are too specialised... they also do group rides if I'm not mistaken, never been to any of their rides though...

here are a couple of links to Malaysian cycling sites:
http://way2ride.com/forum/portal.php
http://groups.msn.com/malaysiamtbdownhill
http://fakawitribe.com/

enjoy your visit!:)

jebejava

08-18-07, 01:39 AM

What a find to see this sub-forum on cycling in Malaysia!

From the very first post - I wouldn't say that cycling is "relatively new". There is a long tradition of cycling for basic transportation, for recreation and for utilitarian purposes. There is even a history of road racing stretching back to the late 1950's. As far back as the early 1960's, there was even a stage race , maybe not held yearly nor having lasted long, but if my memory serves, covering the distance from KL to Kedah with a round island stage in Penang.

There was a small but fairly active road racing community in Penang of which I was part of as a teenager. The driving force behind the Penang Cycling Association was one Adris Ahiari who was coach, organiser and everything in between. The lessons he taught are still with me and as useful as ever.

Bicycle use has a long history and I dare say the vast majority of households had at least one bicycle. In my opinion, the popularity of the bicycle was first eclipsed by the emergence of the Honda Cub.
It was very encouraging to see the beginning of the Tour Langkawi and it's present status as an internationally respected race.

I think what is minimal in the history of the bicycle in Malaysia is bicycle touring, probably due to climatic conditions. For that reason, I don't think it will ever gain much popularity. If there are increasing numbers of recreational groups riding, all the better for the continued growth of cycling!

shea2812

10-05-07, 09:59 AM

yeah... people are getting sterile these days... sun is the source of life..

retro

11-29-07, 12:56 AM

there are quite a number of cycling groups here in malaysia right now. the club i ride with, PCC organizes weekly rides for both road and mountain bikers. For road, there are also short weekly rides on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays.

apart from those weekly rides, they also organize cycling events annually like the presidantial ride (mtb) and the interstate (road), which, as the name suggests, takes you through two or three states in malaysia over three days. this is held during the merdeka day weekend. this year, our trip went from ipoh to penang.

apart from that, there are smaller groups who have rides weekly. another group i ride with, a bunch of triathletes training for ironman, goes on long (150km+) rides every saturday.

if you need any info on any of these rides, let me know and i'll hook you up.

jebejava

12-02-07, 05:53 PM

Hello retro, what is the "PCC"?

retro

12-03-07, 01:16 AM

PCC is one of the local cycling clubs here in Malaysia, catering to both roadies and mounties.

retro

12-03-07, 01:57 AM

Oh... and it stands for Pedalphiles Cycling Club.

manxkiwi

12-03-07, 02:09 AM

My pal and I rode loaded from Sandakan to Kuching last year. We first rode from Singapore to KLIA to get acclimatised. Although we are ancient, we're very fit, and managed the heat and humidity fairly well.
Accommodation and food was well spaced. The secret was a papaya for breakfast each morning, and a large beer in the evenings. The roads were generally excellent, and drivers well behaved towards cyclists, not that we saw many local ones.
I would like to organise an annual town to town cycle event to encourage Malaysians to get into long-distance cycling. If you are interested, Email me for further details and discussion.

retro

12-03-07, 02:17 AM

I would like to organise an annual town to town cycle event to encourage Malaysians to get into long-distance cycling. If you are interested, Email me for further details and discussion.

The PCC hosts an annual ride at the end of August called the Interstate. It's a 3-day ride covering >300km and crosses 2 - 3 different states.

I'm planning to organise one day long-distance (250+km) town-to-town cycling event next year as well. One is planned for Labour Day (May 1) and the other on Merdeka Day (Aug 31). We hope to to turn that into an annual event. If you're interested, PM me and maybe we can hook-up.

manxkiwi

12-04-07, 02:48 AM

Hi Retro,
I've been keeping an eye on the Interstate rides. They certainly indicate that Malaysia's road riders are there in numbers (at least in the KL area). There are some local town events in Sabah and Sarawak, but mainly for MTB's.
Your event sounds like a fast roadies timed event, which isn't really my scene anymore (sudah tua).
What I have in mind is a Yo-yo bike ride day, when people from each town form groups heading towards surrounding towns. When they meet a group coming the other way, each rider has the option of turning back then, or continuing until they choose to turn back. That means it can be a half-day, a one-day, or a two-day or more event, whatever you and your group want to do. It would be an excellent occasion to celebrate Merdeka Day, when you ride out to meet your fellow Malaysians and visit their communities.

princeofdarknes

02-25-08, 06:30 PM

hye all..i'm very new with this stuff...but i'm dying luv it since the day i bought that bike..i'm tryin to set up a club among my friend(all newbie)..but got a problem to find a cycling suit...does anybody know where to order a suit with our label/logo on it..kindly plss inform me..couldnt find it in my small town...batu pahat...wish u friend could help me

*sorry for my broken english..:o

princeofdarknes

02-25-08, 06:32 PM

manxkiwi

03-27-08, 12:46 AM

I'm glad you are enjoying cycling.
A small order of designed cycling shirts would be very expensive, and unnecessary.
Any baju made from vented polyesther is just fine. Get one with long sleeves and a high collar to avoid sunburn. Bright colours are best for safety, but soon get dirty.

manxkiwi

03-27-08, 01:17 AM

I had hashed in Malaysia from 1977 to 1981, but never thought of cycling there until a few years ago.
A friend had done a cycling tour in Vietnam, and I asked him how he coped with the climate. He said that at about 12 kph you generate your own wind, so that's when I started to plan our Singapore/KL and Sandakan/Kuching trip.
Though we are over 65, we are fit and used to 160 Km days. The first few days were tough. Within a week we were getting used to it, and were having only short lunch breaks. We only had one day off (at Bintulu/Niah).
Malaya seemed hotter than Borneo, probably because there is generally less tree shade on the road.
I'd like to hear from anyone regarding non-competitive cycling in Malaysia - Ed (edaustinatxtra.co.nz).

retro

03-27-08, 01:30 AM

I just got back from Sabah, climbing Mt. Kinabalu. There are some nice roads to ride there with some good climbs, especially on the way to Kinabalu Park.

With regards to non-competitive cycling, PCC has just started registration for their annual Interstate Ride. It's a 3-day ride, go as fast or as slow as you want type ride for only RM350, including accomodation and some meals. This year we head from Kajang to Kuantan, covering four states: Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Pahang.

BEEBUBS

04-03-08, 10:51 PM

retro

04-03-08, 10:55 PM

HI Mate.. Great news about the interstate ride.. Do you have more info on this? any links etc??? really intersted :).. thanks mate..

Hi beebubs,

the pcc website is here: http://pcc-cycling.freeservers.com/index.htmlhttp://pcc-cycling.freeservers.com/index.html

scroll down and you'll find details for the ride. hurry though, they're only taking 150 riders this year due to logistics, and i think there are about 20 slots left.

BEEBUBS

04-07-08, 04:54 AM

Hi Mate... have tried your link, but invalid... do you have their hompage etc??? Sorry for being a pain..

retro

04-07-08, 05:47 AM

beebubs, that was their homepage. i just clicked on it and it works. let me try again.
http://pcc-cycling.freeservers.com/index.html

anyway, i think all slots have been filled but you can still try your luck. also, you can subscribe to their newsletter to get information on weekly rides, etc.

MidwestGirl

07-07-08, 10:32 AM

retro

07-07-08, 11:22 AM

I'm moving to Kuantan from the states and looking for a local bike shop. I'm triathlete, but also want to get into moutain biking. I'd also like to find a shop to ship my bike too, since I'm over the airline's luggage limit.

Not sure about an LBS in Kuantan, I live in KL and that's a good 3 hour drive away. If you're looking for a bike shop to ship your bike too, there are a few in KL that i you can probably ship to. The one I normally go to is Joo Ngan Son or The Bike Boutique. I'll try and get their email addresses for you if you want.

shea2812

07-21-08, 12:41 AM

kinda like your idea. i am just not sure whether many can afford the time these days. most seems so busy with their lives. i live in Kajang. where are U located by the way. i very much like to explore your idea

shea2812

07-21-08, 12:51 AM

A decent bike needs very little major maintenance work. Most LBS in other states refuse to do maintenance work on bikes. To those small shops in small towns, their solutions to many problems are changing faulty or out of adjustment parts. Me, I try to salvage anything that I can. Nothing is thrown away unless they are truly beyond repair. I myself an old cro-moly Marin 7speed MTB. Bought it almost a junk from an "exchange&mart" equivalent just because i like the frame. spent some bucks changing major parts making it whole again. now it runs very sweet on tarmac with 1.50 Panaracer rubbers. in fact it is now my commuting bike which clocks on average 35km/day. when I do go for that ride to Putrajaya I do a total of 70-80 km in one day of use.

shea2812

07-21-08, 12:57 AM

one suggestion to those new to cycling, get an old frame, preferably a LeRun or equivalent and have a bike built from that utilising 7-speed shimano freehubs, decent crankset + sealed bearings BB and a good chain. The ride using those components is a breeze without having to break the bank. The total outlay should be a lot less that RM1k inclusive of a set of decent rubbers.