Rolling in the 3T Orbis II Wheels

It has been 5 months since I was on the all new 3T Cycling Orbis II C50 wheels and had plenty of amazing rides with it. As a 3T ambassador, being one of the first few in Malaysia to get to test this wheels, I was totally excited. First go was to test it on the TT bike, the BMC TM02, before moving it to the road bike BMC SL01.

The roll on these wheels are amazing thanks to the 3T technology design behind it. It maintains the aero momentum well enough to thank my hard work by rewarding it with a continuous smooth spin. The expected aero help came in at about 30kph and was well rewarded there. And at 25mm wide, the wheels handles really well when paired with some Continental Ultra Sport 2 tyres.

And when it comes to climbing, I did not feel the lag that everyone talks about with high profile wheels. The C50 was light and stiff enough to make the high gradient climbs needed. Took it over to the steeps climbs of Genting Sempah from Gombak town without much of a problem and in fact, PB my best times too.

Coming downhill was a little hesitant on the stopping. Nonetheless, when the confidence built up, it actually could stop really well. Added to that, I paired it with some thinner (due to the limited space in the integrated rear brakes) SwissStop Black Prince brake pads which essentially made the braking so much better and confident from the already confident braking of the 3T pads.

What's more. They look stealthy and fantastic too!! Certainly a set of wheels to consider. I got them direct from 3T mailorder but you could get them at store near you.

Specifications of the 3T Orbis II C50 Team:

Rim Size: ETRTO 622 x 17C, (28”/700c), 25 mm wide, 50 mm deep
Rim Spec: clincher, full carbon, high temperature braking surface, double angle drilling
Spokes: straight pull, stainless steel, black finish, double butted aero, Pillar 1425, 20F/24R
Nipples: light alloy, inverted, spherical washer
Hubs: light alloy hub bodies, spindles and freewheel body – black anodized
Rear Hub Compatibility:10/11s Shimano/SRAM type cassette*
Quick Release:alloy lever and nut, steel rod
Weight:1591g**





Some pics of the wheels (Taken with my trusty Samsung Note 3).

The subtle stickers on the OrbisII. Doesn't make it too colorful.



All that you need (except tyres of course) came with the wheels - Skewer, rim tape, brake pads, adapter for tube valve, adapter rings for 10sp.



How the wheels look like on the bike. Looks pretty are there on the BMC TimeMachine?

Would love to hear what you think of the wheels at the comments below.

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Update 20160501:  Had a chance to ride the wheels in the wet over a heavy downpour. In a 1km steep downhill stretch of Balik Pulau, Penang, it braked well and sufficiently enough. My confidence on the wheels was certainly there and no hairy moments. Pass!

#3Tcycling #3TorbisII #3Teverywhere #yourbikedeserves3T

PDIT 2015 - Swim Bike Run Repeated!

They say to do it once is a dream. To do it again, and again and again is reality.

Here I am again in the Port Dickson International Triathlon 2015 at the Admiral Marina Cove Resort hotel in the this beach town in Negeri Sembilan on 11 October 2015. Coming back to where I did my first triathlon event. Last year I was hit with a really bad food poisoning a day before the race and was suffering throughout the race. Very disappointing then after all that training.

BMC all set

This year, I trained hard but didn't put in as much time as I wanted in the pool due to the hazy weather. And with the haze, trainings were limited to indoors but never underestimate the work one can do on the stationary bicycle, treadmill, free weights and weight machines.

I had a simple goal. To break the 3 hours for the Olympics distance of 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. Seems easy for strong runners but I crap at running. Nonetheless, I trained with this in mind and focused on my weakness.

The swim leg was good. Got in, everything in order but indeed I felt the lack of swim training compared to last year but arms and shoulders were ok, thanks to the weights work. Caught up with the earlier groups too. Pull strong and kick less and got out the water including T1 at 33:10. It's a good feeling when you see tons of bicycles at T1.

Cycling was nice and most importantly, had to make sure my bike works fine throughout. A good service before and testing all component to make sure it works. Of course, did a long ride before the event just to ensure all systems is a go. Never change something last minute! Completed the 40km in 1:18:18, slower than I expected but I had that in mind to save for the run.

Came the run and it was much better than I did before. Felt more comfortable. Started to cramp up in the beginning but that slowly went away and I could maintain my pace doing a 1:07:06

Started in group 5 mins after gun

And indeed I met my goal by 1.5 minutes. You see, common to most runners, we get bored after a while and the pace slows down. I saw my watch on the last 2 kms and I was coming close to 3 hours. Picked up the pace and mathematically counted that if I maintained 6+ min/km, I will reach my goal. And I came in at 2:58:34!

I was told that the run distance may have been shorter. Some recorded 10km, some 8.5km. But not forgetting that the back part of the run was on beach sand. Quite challenging but at least it did not have the mangrove run like what we had last year!

Already set my goal for PDIT next year. Doing both Sprint the day before and Olympics the next day.

Now, looking forward to the next race. A sprint duathalon event. Stay tuned.

Official race results can be found here.

**Picture taken by various photographers and all rights belong to them respectively.

Hulu Langat Batu 18 Cycling Sprint

This video was taken by a friend of the last 1km of the cycling sprint from Genting Peras to Batu 18, Hulu Langat.



Here you see me in my roadbike BMC SL01 whooping Ryan in his Wilier Izoard to the finishing line. It wasn't a competition but was done in good friendly, fun manner with loads of laughter after that. That's why the cycling camaraderie is for.

To those who have not ridden Genting Peras before from Batu 18, it has a very nice road with minimal traffic and a lot of cyclists (road bikes, mountain bikes, foldies, fixes etc) go there during the weekend. The road condition is pretty good too and provide a challenging route. From here, you may branch out to many other locations, routes and loops eg. Titi, Broga etc.

And not forgetting the famous Nam Wah restaurant at Batu 18 where most would go for some food and drinks before and after rides.

If you see me there, say hi!