But there is a story behind this purchase.
About 6 months ago, son number 1 (nearly 40, father of three), indulged in his childhood fantasy of becoming a cyborg by having an RFID chip implanted on the back of his right hand.
One thing he has done with it, is to programme his chip to lock/unlock his electronic garage door with a wave of his hand, handy as he cycle commutes more than he drives or bus.
I wonder if you can programme it to read people's credit card details from their pockets as I've seen metal sleeves being sold to protect your card from such an occurrance.
Anyway, one day his garage door was left open and his bicycle got stolen. I suspected a wayward motion of his hand unlocked his door, but he denied this.
So he got a new bike - a Canadian designed Cervelo, which, we suppose, was made in Taiwan as the majority of the world's bicycles are.
I had a ride on that, and ever since had a hankering for a high tech carbon fibre bike.
For the last month, I've been scouring the web for specials on carbon fibre bikes, missed a couple of bargains as i waited too long, but finally found one for a good price.
I ordered it online last week. It was a Belgian bike, made in Taiwan, from a shop in Sydney and depending on which local shop I go to here in Perth, varied from being $450 to $750 cheaper.
Yesterday a big box arrived.
I had wondered which parcel would arrive first, as the UK shop has very fast service.
Online tracking shows the pedals had left Singapore and arrived in Perth yesterday.
Today, the pedals were delivered to me and I've just returned from my first ride.
I had debated with myself as to the wisdom of purchasing a carbon fibre bike, for I can't really provide the engine power that the chassis deserves.
But what the heck, at my age I need all the help a lightweight bike can give me!
Good on you mate! but I didn't know that someone would come up to your garage and stole your stuff even in a place like Perth ( or is Yanchep?).
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Even in this paradise there is a lot of crime!
DeleteAs for the power, perhaps you may need to fit in a battery one day.
ReplyDeleteThat's a thought. Hopefully that is still far away!
DeleteAwesome looking bike. It's the current craze here...bicycles and cycling...and then, there are the big bikers. Not for me, of course, thank you.
ReplyDeleteGee!!! That is interesting! A chip in the hand... Reminds me of my steel plate and six screws in my arm - would set off the alarm everything I walk past security at the airport. LOL!!!
Cycling is in fashion these days, but I have been cycling all my adult life, commuting to work both in Singapore and here. I don't think it's wise to insert foreign bodies unnecessarily into your flesh, but what can I do?
DeleteAt least it's not a tattoo or, more hideously, a ring in the nose or lip.
You must have had a bad accident, with all that metal in you.
It was sheer bad luck. I went to this theme park in KL, it was raining and the steps were slippery. I just slid off the edge and sat down - it was not even a real fall, no rumble tumble. I think my elbow must have hit the upper step and the not very humorous humorus or whatever the bone in the upper arm is called, broke into two.
DeleteIt did not join after two months in a plaster cast so I had to go for surgery. It was all right, no problem at all since but I was pissed off by the fact that the theme park offered me RM200 compensation and 10 free tickets - I spent over RM1000, hospital expenses alone when I went to Kuching for the surgery.
Very bad luck. I wonder if this happened some time ago or recently. If recent, it might be worthwhile getting bone density checked as in later age one can suffer from osteoporosis.
DeleteIn the 90's. My girl was still very small then. Had to take her to all these theme parks every school holiday for her to enjoy - after that incident, she never wanted to set foot on any ever again. No, it wasn't osteoporosis. I was taking calcium then...till my nails got too hard to even cut. :D
DeleteThat's a nice looking hi-tech bike and saw a feature on TV earlier this week showing a Singaporean-owned local assembly which tailor-fit to user-specifications . Biking activity is picking up in Singapore as gardens and more park-connectors are being added across the island. Many more hours of breathing the breeze, enjoying the scenery and smelling the roses.
ReplyDeleteBikes custom built to your personal body size is the height of luxury. There are a few custom builders here but you have to pay for the privilege.
DeleteOne of the wisest sayings I've heard comes from the cycling fraternity, but it is applicable to all walks of life: "Fly when you can, crawl when you must".
Curious to know how that electronic implant in the hand works. How is the signal to open/close sent to the gadget on the door? Waving the hand is too unstable and prone to errors. Does he have to press the implant just below the skin - some kind of toggle action?
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen him in action, but suppose the wave would have to be in fairly close proximity. I don't think he has to press the implant to switch it on. Wikipedia might help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification
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