Bike lane

I've been biking for 12 years now.  Yeah, I started in 2009.  At that time, there were no bike lanes yet in Metro Manila except in Marikina City. 

Most road users despise bikers being on the road, as they are considered hazards.  In return, bikers are clamoring to "share the road".

Then, last year, the pandemic came into the picture, which resulted to difficulty in traveling due to no or limited public transportation.  Commuters resorted to bike commuting and their number has increased a thousandfold.

The government has responded by designating bike lanes in most major and some secondary roads.

To date, the overall length of the bike lanes in the entire Metro Manila is 313 kilometers with a width of 1.5 to 3 meters based on the road's configuration.  In Quezon City alone, where I usually bike, the length is 93 kilometers.

Despite the lanes, sadly, some motorists and pedestrians still don't respect them.  You can still see vehicles parked or waiting on them, motor cylists use them too to overtake, and pedestrians think they're sidewalks and waiting lanes for transport.  In some lanes, there are barricades, fixed and movable, to prevent non-bikers to use them.

I'm a bike commuter to work too.  And, I benefit from the bike lanes.  They make my ride a breeze, easier and safer.  My route is Novaliches to Makati (via Commonwealth - Quezon Ave. - EDSA - Buendia Ave. and v.v.  The distance is about about 28 kms. with a travel time of 2 hours, one way.  I either use my On One 29er mountain bike or the Dahon Speed Uno folding bike.  The building allows bike parking at the basement for free.  So, if I bike commute, I save about P250.00.

I am just a biker!

I'm a biker.  Just a biker, plain and simple!

I don't call myself a mountain biker albeit I go and bike to the mountains and trails.  Nor, a road biker despite I also ride on the paved road.

I shun races and other competitive biking.  I don't do stunts or tricks, like, jumps, wheelies, bunny hops, manuals, endos, stoppies, etc.  Though, when I was new to biking, I tried practicing these tricks but didn't pick them up.

I'm a weekend warrior.  I ride late, usually at around 8:00 am, and ride for a duration of 6 to 10 hours.  My average speed is 15 kph only.

Most of the time, I ride solo or with my son.  If I join a group ride, it will be a small group only.

Currently, my 2 bikes are On One 29er and a Dahon Speed Uno folding.  Both are single speed and rigid.  I christened them SStellaR (Single Speed, Steel, Rigid) and DaSSie (Dahon Single Speed), respectively.

On weekends or holidays, I usually ride SStellaR for a longer ride.  DaSSie is mostly used for weekday rides, for errands and for bike commute to work.

Brew, brew, my world is brewed . . .

I just picked my order of whole coffee beans from my supplier.  It's a kilo of medium roast Bukidnon origin.    And, the beans were freshly roasted - yesterday only.

Most of the time, especially during this pandemic, I purchase my coffee beans online, mainly from AELI Brews. It offers ten origins, both imported and local.  Currently, I only buy the 3 least expensive - the other 2 are Brazil and Colombia.

My orders are either delivered or picked up.  I usually do the latter to save on the delivery cost of P100.  But, how much is my pick-up cost?  It's practically free, because I do the pick up riding my bike, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes away from our place in Novaliches.

Milling the beans with my manual grinder is fun and a little bit of exercise, which I do every 2 days, while watching a movie or listening to an audio book or doing something else.

I consume 67 grams daily, give or take a few grams = 13.5 g x 2 for espresso + 15 g for pour over + 25 g for cold brew,  Thus, a kilo lasts for 2 weeks.

I brew and drink my 1st espresso when I wake up in the morning, and the 2nd as my nightcap.  The black pour over and the ice cold brew, any time in between.  Mostly, the ice cold brew is my energy drink during my bike ride.

My next project is to buy green beans and roast them.  And, who knows, I may be planting, growing and harvesting my own coffee someday.