Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Blog

  • A Dirty Weekend in Hong Kong

    2010 was the Chinese Year of the Mountain Bike, starting it in style on two wheels in Hong Kong, taking in some of Taiwan’s best riding, and ending up recently with a new bike to call my own.  After proving the intra-Asian transport options over new year, I cashed-in some air miles that were burning a hole in my pocket and decided to fly to see Sam, plus Michael and Tanja before their wee one arrives on the scene.

    An ambitious two day itinerary was set for the riding; the Taimoshan trail only being pieced back together after seven months of trying to find it again after new year.  The weather held, and we were left with two lovely days of sunshine, eating, drinking and riding.  Intense, but just the thing to kick off a good Autumn of fun and frolics.  I am now in fact considering a week of mountain biking in New Zealand for Chinese New Year 2011.  Just need to book those flights!

    On the way to the ferry terminal – riding in HK is a different beast to Taiwan; no scooters ironically makes it less bike-friendly, and the boisterous buses were not pleasant riding companions.

    On the ferry out to Lantau island … makes for a pleasant change from riding for 35 minutes through Taipei traffic!

    Stopping for a photo at the infamous ‘Refrigerator’ rock – well framed, don’t you agree!

    The weather on the first day got to all of us – it was bloody hot and humid.  This didn’t seem to effect the fellow mountain bikers on the boat back, who scoffed at our meagre efforts; the higher proportion of bankers in the HK expat population definitely equates to more wankers.  Such is the order of things.

    Very happy to make it to 7-11 at the end of the ride … I have never drunk so much Gatorade for such a sustained period of time.

    Some more waiting around for the guys to finish work on Michael’s bike – some mechanicals that needed to be sorted out (and free replacement brakes, no less!).

    So, the end of Day 1 of riding … day 2 saw zero photos; we were too busy riding!  You can however see the photos from earlier in the year if you want to see what Taimoshan looks like.

    Hanging out with the ladies – was amazing to see Tanja, and Tony’s fiancee was in town to sort out wedding docs.

    Sunset over Kowloon.

    Obligatory shot of wires.

    Good luck next month guys!  It was simply wonderful to see you!

  • New Rig

    I love mountain biking.  It’s ‘my sport’.

    At 13 years old, I remember looking with fascination at my neighbour’s bike when I went round to feed the cats – a guy called Paul. Mountain biking seemed glamorous and Californian, and the shiny metal and the expensive parts no doubt contributed to my eventual selection of Industrial Design as a career. I don’t quite remember the turn of events, but somehow I was lucky enough to be bought that very bike – an 18 speed Holdsworth Montana, featuring first-generation Shimano Deore XT shifters and a mud-sucking U-Brake.  Clearly, it attracted my Dad too, as he picked up a trashed Saracen Tufftrax frame and built up his own bike.

    And so the riding started. Dad and I jaunted off along local lanes, up into the French Alps and all the way to the home of mountain biking in Marin, California.

    I upgraded that bike as far as I could, but managed to save up enough money at age 16 to buy myself an Orange Clockwork – featuring 21 speeds from Shimano XT II, Zoom components and tasty Dia-Comp cantilever brakes. That bike, finished in matte black with orange decals was my love affair for endless summers, and was the steed of choice for Britain’s amateur cross-country racers. Indeed, I still ride that bike when I return to the UK – it might even be appreciating in value, based on it’s retro parts.

    Then University happened, and while I did ride when I was home, I decided other things took priority while studying. It’s a shame, as there is no doubt that more riding in Scotland would have been fantastic, but you can’t have it all.

    It was landing in Taiwan that ignited the flame again. Home of global, high-end bike production, it was inevitable that I would buy something for exploring the hills. I ended up with a Giant NRS, finished in matte black again, and furnished with all the components that I could afford. Most of the guys I was riding with had various descriptions of NRS, and serious skill-building commenced. The rocks and roots and slippery, off-camber cornering call for a certain style of riding, and the NRS gave me a good start – and trip to hospital with a broken wrist. 80mm of travel initially did not fit with my philosophical ‘ideal’ of completely rigid bikes, but the terrain called for shock absorption – and starting off on rigid bikes probably helped my skills, vision and ability to pick lines.

    But 80mm was not enough. When the opportunity came along to pick up a Giant Trance 0 at cost (direct from the R&D Director of Giant, no less), I jumped at the offer. Decked in XTR and XT, and with a 100mm Fox fork it provided a great platform for more adventurous riding, and I soon upgraded the fork to an adjustable 100-140 Fox Talas unit. Serious fun.

    But the market for 4″ trail bikes was being usurped by competitors, finding a ‘sweet spot’ of 5″ bikes; companies like Santa Cruz refining bikes that really can ‘do it all’.

    And this is what I just bought myself.

    The arc of my story just delivered 140mm front and back. Full XTR. Fox Talas. 26.5 lb. This baby is going to form the basis of the next few years of entertainment for myself. It’s the bike way above my abilities, if the Trance wasn’t already.  It’s had several excursions into the hills and mountains, and getting better every ride.  What I am really looking forward to, though, is a weekend of mountain biking in HK in August … still some time to tune and fettle before I leave!

    Yum!

  • Taipei Plastic Surgery

    Tasteful plastic surgery adverts on display in Taipei … Plastic surgery is fun!

    Taipei Plastic Surgery

  • Maokong Gondola

    Nikki and I made a run for the city limits, and opted to test-out the newly restarted Maokong Gondola up into the hills.  I had attempted twice before to use the service, but prior to the landslide that began to undermine one of the pylons the crowds were simply too big.  Now?  Well, no-one wants to ride it, which is fine in my book as the queues are close to zero.

    Taipei is closer to nature than pretty much any other city that I can think of, and it’s nice to have access that does not involve hour-long climbs on the mountain bike.  A lovely way to spend a late afternoon, and fantastic to go and throw some hot water on some tea leaves and soak in the lovely sunset.  Wonderful.

    Widescreen.

    Shooting into the sky.

    Pensive, while pouring tea.

    Our sunshine account is running into the red.

    Lovely Bugatti blue seats on the underground back to the city centre.

  • Stonedeer Trail 2

    Stonedeer Trail 2

    Well here it is folks; day three on our Taiwan mountain biking bender … the Stonedeer Trail (also known as Syakaro or 石鹿古道) .  The last time we rode the trail in 2007, it dished up a bewildering series of large landslides, leaving us ragged and exhausted by the end.  This time, we aimed to hit the trailhead early, and get the opening section of the ride cleared, ready for the tiring and dangerous hike-a-bike across the rock fields (and building up credit for the sublime singletrack descending).

    Logistics are the trickiest aspect of riding Stonedeer; you first need to get deep into the mountains of Hsinchu County, and then work out a way to get from there back to your car, or to Taipei (an option I would like to try next time).  Last time, we rented a van for the day to do the dirty work for us, but this year instead found a local willing to drive Mark’s car to the end of the trail.

    Enough with the car.  Kicking off from the trailhead, we slowly made our way up the long climb to the highest point on the trail, some 4km away.  Naturally, our memories all conveniently deleted the climb, and we huffed and puffed our way to the top – we did it in good time, however, and conditions were close to perfect.

    I don’t remember it being like this!

    Please stop taking photos.

    A sight for sore eyes – the saddle.  In my head this was the peak; but sadly there was a little more work to do yet.

    Breaking through the ‘saddle’ of the climb is always is always a good feeling, but in this case the architects that built this trail really knew what they were doing, drowning a gap in the trees in fabulous light, and signalling the start of the (mostly) downhill.  Time to munch on one more energy bar, strap down our shoes, clean our glasses, and hunker down for some of the finest mountain biking this island has to offer.  Yes, kilometres and kilometres of pristine single-track, divinely laid-out for us by the gods of mountain biking.

    You can even see Mark’s grin at speed.

    Pumpin’

    Yes, one more thumbs-up from Carlos, to the trail!

    But once again, we did not have it all our own way.  Time saved on the climb and opening sections were lost when we met the first of the bridges over one of the multiple streams and rivers.  Untreated wood, humidity, rain and the odd rock-fall meant they were in a sorry state of repair, and in stark contrast to the conditions from last time.  Each crossing took a group of us to pass the bikes from one side to the other, but this is the stuff that teams are made for, eh.

    Less than ideal conditions.

    Team building!

    I am sure there is a thumbs-up somewhere in the background.

    Some then whizzed across the scary suspension bridge…

    … and some walked it.  I don’t blame you , Mark.

    But the guys who rode in 2007 knew what was coming.  Landslides – and lots of them.  The condition of the bridges was not boding well, and really we had time to be making up time if we expected to get people to the airport in the evening.  So, with a hearts pumping from the steep drop to the river below, we started the first climb.  Thankfully, new ladders had been installed, which aided climbing to a large degree.  However, I did not really trust the steps when completely new, and I shudder to think of the consequences should the wood break, but never-the-less we made it to the top, bikes slung over our shoulders and eager to press-on.  Phew.

    Yes – that is the river down below!

    Our fears for the integrity of the rest of the trail were well-founded, but the trail-builders had been working hard in the last few years; despite the heavy rain of recent weeks, reasonably navigable tracks had been cut into the landsides, and bridges had been installed in a couple of places.  This made for a far more pleasant preparation to the final kilometres of singletrack!

    Contrast with the last attempt was stark, and welcome.  Last time saw us disassembling the bikes, descending straight down in two trips to gather wheels and frames, straight up the other side twice more, and reassembling the bikes on the other side.

    The final section of trail was as sublime as ever, and Mark locked-on to my back wheel and pushed me to the limit, the speeds getting ever higher.  His attempts to pass me through the (very attractive – but no time for photos this time!) glades of bamboo were repeatedly met with aggressive lines from yours-truly, but I had met my match that day, and an unforced error saw me sliding along the trail as I hit a helpfully-positioned, diagonally-orientated trunk of bamboo lying across the path.  I was exhausted, and Mark disappeared as my legs went into screen-saver mode.  Tired, sweaty, bloody, muddy and numb from nettles, we arrived at the end of the trail, grins on our faces, and triumphant.

    Bikes – intact.

    Bodies – mostly intact.

    Stonedeer, we salute you!

    Information

    Peace & Ride – Stonedeer Trail

    Forestry Information – Stonedeer Trail

    Stonedeer Map

  • Shuili Festival

    Enjoying a quick ciggie at a festival in Shuili, central Taiwan, honouring the God of Construction Workers

  • Puli Mountain Biking

    Mark works it.

    Day two on our little adventure was supposed to have started by waking up in a tent, halfway up a mountain.  Sadly, that did not quite happen as planned, and instead we found ourselves in the tourist honeypot of Sun Moon Lake (although 日月潭 is actually a reservoir) staying overnight.  There were plenty of good hills in the local area to keep us entertained, so we asked around and made a bee-line for some trails near Shueli and Puli.

    Our fortune during the trip regarding mechanical issues with the bicycles (or the people for that matter) was not matched by the stamina of Mark’s van.  Frustratingly, we blew a tyre on the way out to the trailhead, and wasted a precious hour or two working out the best way to get it fixed.  All I can say is, at least it didn’t happen on the way back the previous day – the puncture’s vicinity to a tyre repair place and helpful policeman saved the day.

    Strike the standard ‘shit I have a puncture’ pose.

    Finding trails in Taiwan at the best of times is hard work, but vague instructions, poor maps and increasingly scary roads as we gained altitude did not really help proceedings.  No matter, we were happy to arrive at the forestry rangers station, and they pointed us up the hill, which seemed to have been marked with hiking association flags, heading off through the trees.  This was going to be a hike-a-bike climb, but some awesome, technical descending.  Our guess was, this was the first time that bikes had ever been on this trail.

    Don’t worry Mum, we didn’t ride down this section.

    Climbing up through the trees, we couldn’t resist spinning the bikes around every once in a while, and attacking the odd set of corners.  The guys that used to live in Taiwan were in there element here; it was like all the best bits from our regular Graveyard and Helens runs, all wrapped up into one run.  The disappointment of the morning was turning into a mild sense of amazement that we had found these trails – and when we couldn’t easily climb any more, we stuffed some food in our mouths, and started a wicked descent.

    So wicked, in fact, that in a moment of super-human skill, I overcooked it through a set of steep, off-camber rooted turns.  I knew several metres before the trail dropped that I needed to shed some speed, and I elegantly locked-up my wheels, sending me sliding across a field of roots and kindly leaving it to my head to do the final speed retardation.  With a tree.  Cracking sounds turned out to be my helmet splitting; my ego a little bruised, I packed up my Superman suit and kept riding.

    The descending begins…

    Observing progress

    Thumbs-up from Carlos!

    Picking lines through the trees.

    Single-track heaven.

    Emerging at the end – mostly unscathed!

    Considering this was his first time mountain biking, he looks like a natural cross-country racer, don’t you think?!

    Team Giant (and one Specialized) give their approval!

    So, day 2 dished up some surprises, but in some ways was the most memorable day (despite the bashed noggin!).  A 30 minute high-speed on-road descent to the bottom certainly did not hurt our moods one little bit, though our disk brakes were certainly screaming in pain.

    Information

    It’s a bit difficult to give much in the way of information, as we barely knew where we were … but here is a map for your viewing pleasure!

    Puli MTB

  • Nenggao Mountain Biking – 能高越嶺古道

    Nenggao Mountain Biking – 能高越嶺古道

    Riding the ridge of mountains that comprise the spine of Taiwan has long been an ambition of the myself and the riding group.  After some significant effort, Mark put together some days of riding; day 1 of the plan was to attack the infamous Nenggao trail system (能高越嶺古道), which was built by the Japanese in an attempt to control the unruly locals.  Comprising a day of climbing, an overnight camp, and a day of blissful high-speed descending, this was set to be an epic one.  We were joined by Taiwan mountain biking alumni, flying in from Shanghai, Hong Kong and – would you believe it – Mexico.  While several of us had bikes, the majority were going to be renting, or buying new rigs; luckily, we found a place north of Taipei run by Giant that was renting pretty decent machinery, and we were good to go.

    Staying overnight in a hot spring hotel near Renai (仁愛) , we mentally prepared by hanging out way past curfew in the hot tub, and quaffing hand-imported Patron ‘Añejo’ Tequila.  As the first results from the football World Cup beamed in Mr. Patron accompanied us, assisting in the respective celebrations and commiserations.

    Perhaps as a result of said Tequila, the day got off to a somewhat more leisurely start than we initially planned, but we were climbing up to the trail-head proper within no time.  The weeks of precipitation, namely the ‘Plum Rain‘, seemed to have receded in time for the ride, and we were climbing in cool, if humid, weather.

    Crossing the bridge one the way to the up, while the weather was still behaving.

    Negotiating one of the waterfalls – you can see how fragile the earth underneath is.

    One of the landside sections – just before we opted to turn around.

    Weeks of rain had clearly taken their toll, however, and large landslides blocked our path on several occasions.  Our steely resolve to press on to the camp ground was tested, when finally the heavens opened, breaking promises of safe conditions, and we opted to get the hell off the hill, as soon as we saw rivulets of water dragging rocks and debris down the landslide area.  It was not worth the significant risk, and we were all shivering insider our rain jackets, soaked in sweat, rain and humidity.

    So, off the mountain we went, and the six of us made a rapid bee-line for the trail-head, some six kilometres in the other direction.  The hours of climbing compressed into minutes of descending, naturally, but we were energised and warmed-up once more; it’s amazing what a little adrenalin can do.

    Greeting each other after a slightly hairy descent!

    Sweat, rain, relief.  In that order.

    Team photo. Thumbs-up from Carlos!

    Reaching the van, and caked in landslide, Craig found a pipe gushing water, and we took it in turns to wash the bikes and ourselves.  He maintains that the pipe was broken when he found it, but we feared a village was missing its evening shower as a result of our group cleansing activities.  One thing is for sure; we will be back in November, when the park officials have had some time to repair the trail, and the weather will hopefully be in our favour.

    Games with the water pipe …


    Information

    Map

    Enjoy!

  • Enjoying Taipei’s Weather

    A local pauses to enjoy the lovely weather we are having at the moment.

  • Rain, Rain Go Away