noel alanguilan

since i read about administrative order 254 formulating a national environmentally sustainable transport strategy and how it favors non-motorized transport (walking, cycling)  i’ve been thinking of how bicycles can be a large part of this strategy and what kind of bicycle is juan de la cruz using to commute.

i walk a lot these days and i get to notice that a lot of bicycle commuters use mountain bikes (mtb) modified for city use. these bicycles have thinner city tires rather than the knobby, fat ones commonly seen on them. recently i’ve noticed that bike owners would take out the front and rear derailleurs and just use the bike as a single speed just like the one in the photo. all you have to worry about are the brakes. life is made a little simpler.

i also see people moving about on bmx bikes but not as much as mtbs. occasionally, i get to see the japanese easy riders and banana bikes. i seldom see people commuting on a racer. the only time i get to see a lot of racer bikes on the road is on weekends. full disclosure: i ride a racer and i was a bike commuter for about a year or two. on weekdays you’d only see me on the road early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

it also got me wondering, how cheap can you get a mountain bike that can be used for cummuting? well, i asked around a bit and apparently, you can get a decent commuter mountain bike for around php 2,500.00. cheap. of course its made of steel and parts are not of high quality but good enough for a beater. just try to keep it out of the water for the next few years.

related posts (maybe)

• the wedding car
• fireworks in black and white
• tropical
• time
• kikay 04

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