For most of 2008 I hadn’t been on the bike much, January saw me moving to Beirut in the Lebanon, and there’s not much chance of riding a bike out there! It would be a lovely place to ride, but the fact that no one rides a bike out there means that no one is expecting to see a bike. Everyone wants a Mercedes in Lebanon, and for a tiny country you would be amazed at the number of cars there, I guess it affords you a level of protection from bullets that a bike can’t provide.
Anyway, the job in Beirut wasn’t that great, so when I got offered a new post in Singapore, I jumped at the chance.
I had never been to Asia until I arrived in Singapore, but it was pretty much as I expected. Everything goes up, and it’s damn humid. However, it is flat, so I boxed up the fixed wheel and had it shipped from London. It arrived intact (thanks Excess Baggage Company!), so I quickly built it back up and headed out for a spin.
The first thing you have to realize about Singapore is that it’s damn hot, all the time. The temperature is a pretty constant 30 degrees, occasionally dipping to 28, and rising to 35 or so every now and then. It rains most days, real downpours, but it clears up quite quickly and the roads dry out fast.
But it’s the humidity that kills you, there is no relief, it’s always humid. Every ride, even a quick spin ‘round the block’, I come home drenched in sweat. I’m still sweating after a cold shower, so the only solution is to spend 10-15 minutes in the pool after a ride. I’m normally still a bit hot, but no longer pouring sweat.This also means riding in minimal clothing. I’m still not up for the full lycra look, I brought all the kit out here, but something is stopping me, possibly the fact that I’m using ‘trainer’ style SPDs, and they just don’t look good with lycra, so I’ll have to invest in a new pair of SPD shoes! So for the meantime I’m the guy powering around Singapore in a ‘wife-beater’ vest, a pair of beach shorts and some rugby socks…
In many ways Singapore is great for cycling. It’s mostly flat and the roads are great, well maintained, wide and well signposted. As with most places in the world, it’s the drivers that are the problem. This is mostly their own fault, but it’s also Singapore cyclists’ fault, because most of them never exceed 3mph, and the drivers expect this of everyone on a bike.
In Singapore, ‘might is right’. If you’ve got a bigger car, you should have priority, you ought not to be impeded by someone on a bike or in a Toyota Starlet if you’ve invested thousands in a big BMW. It’s understandable in one way. Singapore, being tiny, attempts to discourage car use/ownership. You pay twice as much as anywhere else in the world to buy a car here thanks to a strict tax system. You are only entitled to own a car for 5 or 10 years, then you have to buy a new one. And you have to pay road tolls all over the place. Singaporean drivers burn through cash as fast as they eat their noodles, and as a result they really do think they own the road. But this just means it’s even more satisfying when you overtake one in the jams on Eu Tong Sen street!!!
Many drivers to treat you badly, but it’s no worse than any big city, and the majority treat you quite well. There are always idiots out there!
Off for a ride. Will write more another day, if I live to see it!
Anyway, the job in Beirut wasn’t that great, so when I got offered a new post in Singapore, I jumped at the chance.
I had never been to Asia until I arrived in Singapore, but it was pretty much as I expected. Everything goes up, and it’s damn humid. However, it is flat, so I boxed up the fixed wheel and had it shipped from London. It arrived intact (thanks Excess Baggage Company!), so I quickly built it back up and headed out for a spin.
The first thing you have to realize about Singapore is that it’s damn hot, all the time. The temperature is a pretty constant 30 degrees, occasionally dipping to 28, and rising to 35 or so every now and then. It rains most days, real downpours, but it clears up quite quickly and the roads dry out fast.
But it’s the humidity that kills you, there is no relief, it’s always humid. Every ride, even a quick spin ‘round the block’, I come home drenched in sweat. I’m still sweating after a cold shower, so the only solution is to spend 10-15 minutes in the pool after a ride. I’m normally still a bit hot, but no longer pouring sweat.This also means riding in minimal clothing. I’m still not up for the full lycra look, I brought all the kit out here, but something is stopping me, possibly the fact that I’m using ‘trainer’ style SPDs, and they just don’t look good with lycra, so I’ll have to invest in a new pair of SPD shoes! So for the meantime I’m the guy powering around Singapore in a ‘wife-beater’ vest, a pair of beach shorts and some rugby socks…
In many ways Singapore is great for cycling. It’s mostly flat and the roads are great, well maintained, wide and well signposted. As with most places in the world, it’s the drivers that are the problem. This is mostly their own fault, but it’s also Singapore cyclists’ fault, because most of them never exceed 3mph, and the drivers expect this of everyone on a bike.
In Singapore, ‘might is right’. If you’ve got a bigger car, you should have priority, you ought not to be impeded by someone on a bike or in a Toyota Starlet if you’ve invested thousands in a big BMW. It’s understandable in one way. Singapore, being tiny, attempts to discourage car use/ownership. You pay twice as much as anywhere else in the world to buy a car here thanks to a strict tax system. You are only entitled to own a car for 5 or 10 years, then you have to buy a new one. And you have to pay road tolls all over the place. Singaporean drivers burn through cash as fast as they eat their noodles, and as a result they really do think they own the road. But this just means it’s even more satisfying when you overtake one in the jams on Eu Tong Sen street!!!
Many drivers to treat you badly, but it’s no worse than any big city, and the majority treat you quite well. There are always idiots out there!
Off for a ride. Will write more another day, if I live to see it!
