Can't live without this in Seoul

Was on a business trip to Seoul and Busan in Korea, and let me tell you this: if you need good quality, cheap and reliable data connection throughout your trip, you should think about getting this WiFi dongle from Olleh. 

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Upgrade: Scott Spark 29er + Shimano Deore XT = Trail Eating Love

As some may already know, I recently got back into biking and after a long hiatus I decided to put down some cash for a Scott Spark 29 Team mtb. (this bike)

It comes with some pretty sweet accessories and the specs on it are not bad but lately the brakes were not really responsive and I was feeling that the bike was getting sluggish coming down the slopes. I've been trying to tune up the front and rear shocks but didn't really achieve what I desired. All this didn't really concern me though as I really invested in this Scott model for the full sus frame with it's tapered headtube and the adjustable BB height. That gives me a few options to upgrade in the future.

But now the brakes have seized up and a little googling tells me that its a fatal design flaw with the brake pistons. Crap! Seems Avid and all the other models from SRAM have had this design flaw up to a point where people were selling special upgrade kits to fix this. Screw that man, no time and patience for all that nonsense.

So first thing I did was go online and shop for something i've always wanted since seeing it at my local bike shop. The Deore XT brakeset with Ice Tech Rotors and Ice Tech heat pads (to dissipate heat quickly and not boil up the hydraulic fluid)
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Deore XT brakeset. All Mine!

While at it, i couldn't really help myself and saw a good deal for this XTR Cassette from Wiggles UK. I had been reading about the Dyna-Sys technology from Shimano and how it helps with smoother shifting with optimized gear combinations and closer gear ratios. This means out of shape peddlers like me can actually stand a chance at attacking steep climbs and maintain cadence.

I've just sent the bike into the shop for an upgrade and will post more pictures soon of the finished product. Can't wait to hit the trails and see how they perform.

On the horizon, I'll probably look out for a front fork from DT Swiss to pair up with the DT Swiss M210 on my rear sus. Saw a few of these models over at KSH in Taman Tun but all of them were using thru axels. Crap! That means another potential upgrade by having to change the hubs. More money flying away to this new hobby of mine. Hahaha!

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Work trip in Bangkok

Just arrived in Bangkok for a work trip. Awesome stash of titbits found in the room at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Perfect for late night munchies tonight as I go through my presentation slides.

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Happy Birthday Malaysia

Happy birthday Malaysia. It's been a pretty crappy few months with so many tragedies. I really do wonder if this has pulled the country together or drawn us further apart. 
I'm optimistic about the future generations and hope things can only get better from here. Gen X Gen Y and newer millennials all seem to have different views on how they fit in. Let's see where the next few years till 2020 takes us. This blog will be that witness and then some.

Selamat Merdeka!

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