NEWS: STREET RUBBER
A BIKEZILLA MASS RIDE WITH URBAN WHEELS 2018 – SPONSORED BY SINGAPORE LIFE X NSR BIKES X SPEED HUNTER
Our collaboration with Urban Wheels 2018 gave us the opportunity to organize our first Bikezilla Mass Ride Street! And with the support from our sponsors Singapore Life, NSR Bikes, Speed Hunter, Tiong Hin and Cyclogy, we went ahead to prepare what we felt would be a fitting lead-up event, and a memorable outreach programme for the local cycling community. And thanks to the awesome participants, the event was a blast. If you were with us that evening, read on for what this event meant to us. If you missed this big street party, check out what you've missed.
THE STREETS' OUR PLAYGROUND
Video edit by Seth Tan – GoPro Family Ambassador
Street riding – from riding 20" Street BMX to 26" street bikes to full sus freeride/downhill bikes – has always been the riding discipline we regard as the most spontaneous and carefree. As folks living in a concrete jungle, we spend most of our time in a built-up environment. (Ed: As much as we love to go the the trails regularly, the time spent at a trail is far less than when we are in the city.) What better way to make full use of the city and make it our playground? While the authorities and cautious pedestrians may frown on this statement, we wish to add that we advocate responsible street riding. That is, play hard but be mindful and considerate of the people, traffic and public property while we are at it.
Anyway, without digressing too much, we just want to emphasize that as the city grows bigger, the more fun street riding would become. A street ride event has always been on Bikezilla's bucket list. We may not have ticked all our street riding objective boxes but the recent Mass Ride with Urban Wheels 2018 certainly gave us the opportunity for this first big step forward.
WHAT WE SAW
Our first mass ride street happened on 5th January 2018. Starting off from Kallang McDonald's (Stadium Boulevard), the group covered a familiar street ride route covering Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore Flyer, Esplanade, National Heritage Museum, Orchard Road and eventually ending at *SCAPE Orchard.
The turnout for the evening was great. With such a big group riding together, the lead riders had to be extra vigilant about safety for the participants. Luckily, there were many experienced riders in the ride group who helped watch over the younger or less experienced riders.
The stopover at Singapore Flyer saw some local homies showing off their stuff. We may have seen them performing their street tricks countless times but we never get bored watching them doing it. And we saw them putting their skills to good use in our mini games. That definitely was one of the highlights of the evening.
The mini games were just an ice breaker to get all the riders to mingle, especially the new participants. Worked well from what we saw.There were no aggressive competitive mood in the air, no teaming up in small niche groups to hide insecurity, just plain uninhibited fun for all. At the end of the games, all we wanted were a good laugh at our friends.
As there was no real aggressive competitions, the prizes for the games were also more of an "orderly toss plus lucky draw" for all who participated.
It was a night of chillout fun and bonding. Bikezilla felt very motivated.
WHAT ALL THESE MEAN TO US
The Bikezilla Mass Ride Street meant a couple of things to us. It is our way of showing to all who cares that street riding is fun and we can co-exist with the rest of the city. It also reinforces our advocacy that street riding could be done in a safe and responsible way. With that, we hope that more parents would support and approve their children picking up cycling as their hobby and sport.
OUR SPONSORS
We would like to thank our co-organiser Mediacorp OOH Media, and sponsors Singapore Life, NSR Bikes, Speed Hunter, Tiong Hin and Cyclogy for the support they have given us. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to make this memorable street ride with lots of laughter, lots of happy faces (and prizes) a reality!
SPOTLIGHTS
While we can single out many expert riders, we think we would zero in on some fresh faces and her what they have to say about Bikezilla Mass Rides.
Video edit by Abd Rahim
Photo by Abd Rahim
"Rides with Bikezilla has always been pretty cool .Riding along side those energetic youngsters make me feel like a teenager again! For my kid though, its a whole different thing…. he's in awe and inspired when he sees all the "kor kor" hop about here and there , popping wheelies and a whole lot of other cool stuffs…"
Siti Mariam
"The mass ride was awesome, and there were so many freebies from the sponsors! My favorite part is seeing so many bikes from all the different disciplines coming together, what a sight! Hope to see more games in the future mass rides, for example a small obstacle course."
Louis Ang
"My son, Akid was in awe and so envious watching and observing the big boys did their thang. He got so fascinated or, should I say, inspired by them that he wants to learn more bike tricks. It was pleasing to see Akid not being afraid or shy amongst the older boys. One of the boys must have observed and approached Akid where he then shared some tips with him. I honestly felt the boys were friendly, genuinely nice and funny. I'm an Aunty (hahaha) and felt a little younger when riding with you guys. It was actually more to support my 10-year old and to give him more exposure. Undeniably I love riding but not as skillful as my friends whom I'm truly amazed with. Anyways, my family had a great night. Riding from Jurong to be with Bikezilla wasn't a waste. We thank you for the experience. We hope to see you guys again. I would like to share these 2 videos. One of them was the conversation between Akid and that friendly rider. The other one captured Akid's awe when he watched the riders doing their tricks."
Ratna Kasmidi
Video by Ratna Kasmidi
Video by Ratna Kasmidi
"This is my 4th time joining Bikezilla Mass Ride. It's been really fun and getting to know more riders widen my social circle. Riding with Bikezilla has always been safe since we are always taken care of, and they made sure no one is left behind."
Mariane Huang
PHOTOS! AND SEE YOU IN URBAN WHEELS 2018
It is not easy to shoot in the dark. And it is even more difficult if you take into consideration the moving participants, the difference in lighting at the various locations we were riding in. All in all, kudos to our videographers and photographers for riding and shooting tirelessly throughout the whole ride. (Ed: Buy them a drink the next time you see them) Photos are collected in these folders at Bikezilla Bikers Singapore. See you at Urban Wheels 2018 on 20 – 21 January 2018!
LIKE and FOLLOW us: Bikezilla Facebook Page • Bikezilla Bikers Singapore Group Page • BikezillaSG Instagram • Bikezilla STRAVA
All photos by Bikezilla, Abd Rahim and Ratna Kasmidi​
Videos by Seth Tan, Abd Rahim and Ratna Kasmidi
Quick Link to our sponsors:
Singapore Life: www.singlife.com
NSR Bikes: www.nsrbikes.com.sg
Speed Hunter: https://speedhunter.com.sg
Tiong Hin: www.facebook.com/pg/tionghincotyre
Cyclogy: www.facebook.com/The-Cyclogy
Mediacorp OOH Media: www.mediacorp.sg
Join Urban Wheels 2018 NOW!
