Cycling in Singapore

Triathlon Forum
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Hi guys

In July, I’m going over to Singapore for 10 month to finish up my MBA. And of course, I want to do a few races (Singapore 70.3, Phuket, maybe a few races in Aussie-Land) down there.
But I don’t know what to do with my bike. Which one should I bring?
My racing bike: carbon tt-frame pimped for the long distanceMy training bike: normal road bikeHow are the street conditions in Singapore? Is it possible to ride the bike for longer distances too?
Is it wise to bring my good bike (my baby) into this humid conditions?
Usually, I ride my carbon bike only under good weather conditions. So I’m pretty picky, I reckon :slight_smile:
Please post any insider-information you have…

Thx a lot, alex

2

Hi Alex,

Don’t hesitate to bring 'em both. There is a pretty good tri-community in Singapore with at least 2 or 3 clubs, some really nice races (no cold water !), professional coaching (check out Tribob), and I cannot count the number of olympic size swimming pools (just around my work there are 4 olympic pools). There are also a couple of good tri-specialized shops (TheBikeBoutique, BikeHaus) selling everything gear you need to pimp out.

There is also a couple of good biking groups (check out anzacycling or cycleworx) with daily rides @ 5:30 in the morning and long weekend rides.

Street conditions are OK and it is easy to ride at night (lights everywhere …) the only problem is you have to be really careful about the drivers (sorry if I insult any singaporeans but generally when they get into a car they transform from gentle, nice and courteous to absolute axxxoles …) …

There are a couple of “classic” bike loops for 60 km (Kranji), 90 km (Changhi), and 120 km (both) and if you really want to do long distance you can take a boat over to Malaysia (Desaru) and get in an easy 180 km … OK, for sure you lack in diversity and it is pretty hard to find a respectable hill out here (sometimes I get pretty tired about banging around Kranji for the umpteenth time …but it is better when I am out training with the club and you can set up some brick sessions or time trials. There is also a great park to run in (MacRitchie) with a nice 11 km loop in the jungle and you can extend it easily out to 22 km by heading out to Rifle Range Road.

Tribob organizes some long rides in Malaysia, Bali and Thailand if you are itching for 4 or 5 days of hard riding.

There is even a couple of good mountain bike loops (Bukit Timah) and Malaysia is great for mountain biking (just avoid the cobras and other strange creepy crawlies) … place is mud lovers paradise.

There are a number of really good races; OSIM (OD), Desaru (Long), Langwaki (IM), Bintan (OD), Hanoi (OD), Powerman, Oakley (Duathlon), TAS Biathlon, Busselton (half), … most are really well managed in fantastic hotel resorts. The local bike organization (SACA) organizes some individual and team time trials and every once in a while a crit.

Change out all the screws on your bike to something that doesn’t rust (shimano components are immune but everything bar and stem related seems to choose cheap screws) … and you sweat like crazy (about 3 months to adapt to the humidity and heat … ).

With all the tri-community and number of Cervelos, Planet X, QR, Felts, Scotts, the number of fanatics with Zipp wheels… if you don’t bring your tri bike your gonna regret it.

Anyway, hope my feedback gave you some ideas about the tri-community in Singapore.

Best

pdg

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Upgrade your bolts to titanium, its lighter, wont rust and nothing has more bling.

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Upgrade your bolts to titanium, its lighter, wont rust and nothing has more bling.
.

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Thanks pdg.
Your information is very usefull. I definitely should upgrade all my bolts…

I’m doing my MBA at the Nanyang Business School (Nanyang Technical University) and we (a mate and I) are still on the hunt for accommodation. Any hints?
Would be cool to be near training facilities.

Bringing two bikes is not possible. But I think about bringing my racing bike and two sets of wheels…

Any further insights and hints about Singapore are very welcomed.
I’m arriving at Jul-20 and stay until April.

Thanks guys, you’re great…
alex

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Hi there I do believe NTU provides accomodation for graduate students you may want to check it out.

The grounds around NTU are also very good for training. Lots of hills and you do see a number of cyclists training here on the weekends.

And if you’re bored, you can always go to Lim Chu Kang/Kranji/Neo Tiew just outside school. As pdg said, these roads are classic cycling routes and most groups do their rounds in these areas.

Just a word of caution though, the roads in Singapore can be quite congested. On weekdays there are a number of cycling groups like cycleworx that start their rides out very early in the morning (530-6am) to avoid traffic. Any later than that you will see yourself stuck in the morning jam especially along Mandai and West Coast Rd. Riding at night is also a good option as the roads are well-lit.

Because of our crowded roads, there is bound to be some “incidents” between cyclists and motorists. Most motorists will let you have your way on the road but there are a minor few that just don’t give a damn. Be on the look out for taxi/bus drivers who drive like they own the whole road.

There is a closely-knit local triathlon group called Triathlon Family that trains together often. They have a forum http://www.triathlonfamily.com/forum/.

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NTU is a training ground. when i’m in town i frequently do circuit hills there although to be fair the hills are short and you don’t need anything smaller than 39/23 in any of the hills.

plenty of cyclists and triathletes ride round NTU as part of their medium-long rides on weekend mornings.

And it’s also very good for running in the evenings too!

honestly, re accomodation you should just stay in the campus accomodation as it’s much more convenient in terms of access to the swimming pool, track, etc etc.

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I second what’s been said. Singapore’s a great place to ride… very smooth roads. I’m a Singaporean myself, and since moving over to Boston for my undergrad education, I’ve missed the smooth roads back in Singapore.

There’s a nice fast paced ride every Sunday at 8am (or is it 8:30am? I’ve forgotten) starting somewhere in the middle of Singapore. Ask any good LBS… they’ll tell you about it. It’s called the Thomson Ride, and can get up to almost race pace at certain portions.

If you’re gonna do tris, and you can only bring one bike, I suggest just a normal road bike with aero bars, and perhaps a fast-forward seatpost. for when you’re in your tri position. Singapore 70.3 is gonna be good (see you there! I’ll be doing it when I go home this summer…), and cos it’s gonna be a pretty windey (i.e. lots of turns) course, you might do better with a road bike.

Contrary to what some Singaporeans might think, Singapore does not have any hills. The “hills” that have been mentioned to be around NTU are merely rollers. I made the same mistake, and was promptly humbled by the actual hills I rode in the US. It’s a place for the flatland cyclist. (=