Technically, this is the first road bike I ever owned. Growing up in the kampong, I never had the financial ability to buy my own bike. The first bike I rode was my Grandpa's Raleigh. It was so big I couldn't get on the seat and had to ride it with my right leg through the frame to reach the pedals. Nevertheless, it gave me endless pleasure but grandpa was not pleased coz he was not able to use it. I rode it everywhere; to the provision shop to buy bread for mom and cigarettes for dad and grandpa. I was always ready to buy things for people just so that I could ride the bike and grandpa cannot say no. Later on, a neighbor threw away an old road bike. It was all beaten up, rusty and had a single gear only. I took over the bike from him, bought cheap paint and painted it with a brush. I remember the colour was gold. It had only one brake in front. The crank was the old fashioned cotter pin system and it would come loose after a few rides and you need to whack it with a hammer to tighten it. Still, it was my bike and I was very proud of it. I rode it to school for awhile but gave up awhile coz it was faster to walk up the slope. I remember the front crank had like 56 teeth and the rear freewheel gear was only 13. It was nice on the downhill but going up any incline was a challenge. I remember falling many times coming down the slope coz it had only one brake and in front! My younger brother would steal it for rides and one day, he got into an accident and the bike was completely smashed. Since then, I never owned a road bike. This was when I was in secondary school. When I started working in the Navy, I bought my first mountain bike. It was a KHS Summit, 3x7 speed, steel and heavy as hell. As time passed, I upgraded from the KHS to Bridgestone and ended up with 2 Miyatas which remains with me until today. That was in 1992. In 2014, I bought my first road bike. It was a Klein Quantum, size 52. It belonged to Amos from Juzz4cars. His wife forbid him to ride and I gladly took over the bike without realising that it was too big. Having experienced for a short while the thrill of riding a road bike, I decided to build one. The Raleigh frame was on sale by CRC but size was limited to 50. Going through the tech specs, it seems to be my size. I didn't have much knowledge about road bike set up and went with the Shimano 105 groupset, 2x10 speed. The wheelset was second-hand R-something. After putting the bike together, I went for my first proper road bike ride. I remembered how easy it was to get up to speed but how uncomfortable it was bent over the handlebars. Having ridden MTB all my life, the bike was left untouched for a while. It was not until 2016 that I started riding it again. We had some new friends join our cycling group and they were on road bikes. By then, I have read up a fair bit about road bikes. With tools and wallet in hand, I started upgrading the bike to what it is today. It would have been nice if it was a size 48 or even 45 but you know what, the bike is a blast to ride. It's not something you bring to a race. It's more like a casual bike to ride around the island leisurely and comfortably. I used it on my first NTU round Island ride and had no issues with butt pain or whatever. Looking at it sitting in the living room reminds me of how far I have come in life and my love for bikes and biking. I tell this story to remind myself of my roots. Too often, as we grow older, we forget what we had to go through and what our parents and loved ones had to go through to put up with us. To my dad (in heaven), who couldn't afford to buy me a new bike, mom and everyone else who made an impact in my life, I want to say thank you for sticking around with me. I want you to know how grateful I am for all that you have done and if I ever say something not nice, I seek your forgiveness and patience. Mr Raleigh will be around for as long as I am still around and fit enough to ride it. To think that I almost sold it about a year ago! Thanks for reading this..I get sentimental sometimes.
