West Malaysia loop ride

So after six months of riding, I am itching to go on a really nice long riding trip. Well, there is no better time to start than now. So I am setting up this page to share my plans, thoughts, tips, photographs and everything else about this adventure.

Come join me on the ride online!

The dates

The top reason preventing many people from going on long rides is the failure to fix a departure date. This sounds ridiculous but it is true. After all, there are many things to plan for and many reasons why a departure date is difficult to set. So I have set the date for this trip. I will depart Singapore on 7 March 2010 (Sunday) and return on 13 March 2010 (Saturday)…or a day after that. This gives me enough time to complete each of the legs comfortably and affords time to rest and enjoy the stops.

The route

The route will loop the entire West Malaysian peninsular starting in Johor Bahru (Woodlands checkpoint) and ending at Kampung Ladang (Tuas checkpoint). More interestingly, this route avoids the use of major expressways. The route will make use of many of the older trunk roads including Routes 1, 3, 4 and 5.

The gang

Some people like to ride alone, some people like to ride in big groups. I enjoy both actually…but for a long ride like this, I think a small group of riders makes the most sense. Joining me on this ride are Tony, Dan and Alex (more on them here). I think four is the right number for a ride of this duration…it would make us more visible on the roads…and provide for a simply buddy system to take care of each other.

The bikes

It was clear at the onset that this would be a relaxing ride that would avoid the major expressways as much as possible. While going on such a long trip can be tough on the bikes of our choice, I believe this also shows what an adventurous spirit can achieve with seemingly ungainly tools. See the bikes we are bringing along and you will know what I mean.

The gear

Obviously such a trip that covers so many kilometers across some of the remote areas is very different from a ride around the Singapore island. Take a look at the gear that we will be bringing along and let us know if you feel we have missed something important.