RadNomad
Senior Retro Guru
Hi, just thought i’d share this. I just finished a nine day cycle tour of Borneo (East Malaysia and Brunei areas). My Malaysian friend rode a nearly new Fuji steel touring bike with Rohoff hub gears, i rode my ‘95 Cinder Cone, almost standard, a few basic conversions. We cycled 970km from Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah, down through Sabah, across the independent state of Brunei, then through the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the main city of Kuching. In addition to cycled distance we used pickup trucks for about 300km, a speedboat for 75km, a bus for a few kms and several ferries across rivers. We carried a waterproof and bugproof Hennessy hammock each, cooking gear, two sets of cycle clothing, bike spares and tools, plus a few other bits and bobs.
We stayed in jungle, people’s backyards, traditional wooden village houses and a couple of nights in hotels. We experienced the culture, kindness and wonderful hospitality of the rural Malaysian communities and saw a lot of the country. A fabulous experience.
My Cinder Cone was standard, then the following mods done to optimise for touring:
- Magura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes
- Syncros stem for more rise, less reach
- Tri bars for more riding positions (hand / back relief)
- Purple ano bar ends from my ‘93 Marin Pine Mountain
- Brookes Imperial B17 saddle
- Arundel bottle cages
- Topeak rear rack and top case with Altura panniers
- Handbuilt wheels borrowed from my Hei Hei but using the Cinder Cone 8 speed cassette (11-32)
This Cinder Cone cost me a couple of hundred quid on ebay a few years ago plus some money to improve it’s condition (thread can be found in my sig). Best value holiday!
We stayed in jungle, people’s backyards, traditional wooden village houses and a couple of nights in hotels. We experienced the culture, kindness and wonderful hospitality of the rural Malaysian communities and saw a lot of the country. A fabulous experience.
My Cinder Cone was standard, then the following mods done to optimise for touring:
- Magura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes
- Syncros stem for more rise, less reach
- Tri bars for more riding positions (hand / back relief)
- Purple ano bar ends from my ‘93 Marin Pine Mountain
- Brookes Imperial B17 saddle
- Arundel bottle cages
- Topeak rear rack and top case with Altura panniers
- Handbuilt wheels borrowed from my Hei Hei but using the Cinder Cone 8 speed cassette (11-32)
This Cinder Cone cost me a couple of hundred quid on ebay a few years ago plus some money to improve it’s condition (thread can be found in my sig). Best value holiday!
