1) Why did you buy a folding bike instead of a conventional mountain or road bike?
Well, I used to own 3 mountain bikes, and all of them got stolen after some time, even though they were locked right below my home!
Thieves nowadays are daring and speedy I tell you... but to cut the long story short, I have always been on the lookout for something convenient to bring around, easy to ride, and something that looks attractive enough for me to want to ride it all the time!
Most folding bikes don't cut it because they get folded and that's the end: you can't push them around! This bike gives me so much flexibility in travelling as well as a leisure utility bicycle!
2) What is it that you like best about your Strida?
Definitely how cool it looks (or cute to some of my friends because the wheels are small -16 inch) as well as how quick and easy it is to fold it up!
I can fold and unfold the Strida in 3-4 seconds now! (excluding the handle bars)
3) Does your Strida have a name?
Well I got a nickname long ago from my friend, and I think it appropriately describes my Strida as well: the MinkHunk. You know how Minks are small little creatures, and the Hunk part is definitely self-explanatory. So for my Strida, I have nicknamed it "The MinkHunk Express". Heh!
4) Where do you cycle to and how often?
I commute to school using my Strida everyday (it's about 5 km from home), but I do take occasional rides to different destinations, depending on where i need to be of course.
Last weekend, I took my MinkHunk Express down to Tanjong Pagar, Tanjong Katong (yes, it's just a coincidence they're both Tanjong!), and each ride was close to 10 km! Took the ride along Singapore River as well as on the Marina Bay a couple of times too!
5) Any funny stories to share of your cycling rides?
The funniest story thus far has to be when my friends and i were playing with the bike in our school concourse area (it's something like citylink mall, shops along an underground walkway).
So my two friends, each of them about 105 kgs, took their turns to ride my Strida up and down the concourse! I was quite afraid my bike will give way due to their gargantuan sizes, but hey it held up!
And the funniest thing? we took videos of these 2 clowns riding around, through crowds of people and they all staring and giving out 'What the *@&%@#$" comments when the bike went past!
I guess it might not sound that funny, but you definitely have to imagine 2 big guys that look somewhat panda-like riding a small triangular bicycle with wheels small in comparison to them that it looks almost like they could eat the bike for breakfast! A priceless moment, but only on the Strida with your bunch of buddies.
6) Do you have a favourite cycling route? Can you recommend some routes to try out?
My favorite route for now is definitely the Singapore River route.
You start from Kim Seng Road, and the route from both banks of the river will take you down all the way to Raffles place and beyond!
I haven't ventured past boat quay area though, but it can continue down towards Bugis! I would definitely recommend this route to people who just want a relaxing ride and to see some upscale restaurants and people all around the Clarke Quay/ Boat Quay/ Raffles Area.
Just make sure you don't go there on a weekend evening or you'll have a tough time squeezing past the hordes of diners!
Also, I cycle to school everyday through Orchard, along the pavement that stretches from Tangs all the way down to the Istana.
A word of advice - don't ride between 11am and 10pm, unless you have plenty of time to burn and wants to improve your balance at low speeds!
7) What do you think is the most important feature of a folding bike?
Folding bikes are created for the reason to make them easy to bring around, and this rule applies mostly to motorists who can stuff their bikes into the trunk!
However, as a student, I would want a folding bike that is easy to bring around WITHOUT the need of a car! And I'm so glad the Strida fits this description perfectly!
8) What do you have on your Strida? Name your zhng accessories?
Well, front light, back warning light, bell, mini pump, chain lock, saddle pouch, tire patch kit, cyclocomputer, a gel seat and a pair of bar mirrors! and of course, I got them all at the Strida shop!
9) Any other comments that you would like to add about your Strida, of cycling in Singapore and cycling park connectors?
I believe that motorists are rather accommodating to cyclists these days. Had a few times where I would be riding on the road because of the lack of a proper pavement to cycle on, and I haven't had any troubles!
But more importantly, you need to be easily seen by others, so I have my lights ready at all times to blink till the drivers notice me!
And also, don't cycle on the double yellow line if you're on the road, and take up about 1/3 of the lane or the motorists will not just try to squeeze past you haphazardly! (this is a tip from my avid road riding friend!)
As for park connectors, I have yet to have time to try any of them yet, but I am looking forward to riding to Buona Vista and taking the park connector all the way up to Bukit Batok! Will definitely post on the Strida forum on my experience once it's over!
10) Now that you have been cycling for about a month now, do you feel cycling is beneficial for health and general well-being?
I think that it always helps to break a sweat, getting your body to wake up from the sitting-down and the lazing that we all have as typical Singaporeans (doesn't apply to fitness buffs of course!).
By treating this not only as my mode of transport but also my wake-up/healthy lifestyle equipment, I feel more refreshed throughout the day after my 20 minutes of biking to uni, and on my occasional long trips of about an hour or so, with some gentle slopes and tough roads to ride, I really feel my body is having a good workout!
So yes, cycling promotes good blood circulation, and definitely a good excuse to have a heartier lunch or dinner!
