Technology & wealth-being in the new world
Updated: Jun 21, 2020
This article is contributed by guest writer and Pun Hlaing Estate resident Tim Hobin, an avid cyclist and nature lover who cycles 50 kilometre daily inside the golf estate to keep fit and stay healthy
Across the world in Europe & United Kingdom, United States of American, East Asia and Southeast Asia, the new “normal” has arrived and physical distancing is the choice option to stay healthy and protect your family.
Like the rest of the world, our commute is starting to evolve; billions of dollars are being spent on new cyclelane infrastructure to facilitate and ease our journey to the shops and to work.
We all know that our health is our wealth and never has that been truer today.
Small changes in our daily habits and routines can make a huge difference to our well-being, ways to be more efficient and effective at the office while doing our bit in giving back to the planet and in turn preserving our world for our children and next generation.
Every man, woman and child across the globe is having to come to terms with some form of restriction in movement, never before has keeping our distance been so important. This has led to a boom in the cycling industry. Savvy city dwellers have woken up to the joy and freedom that cycling brings.
Conventional bicycle shops are reporting huge increases in sales and even having to turn customers away such is the demand. If you are thinking about getting back out on two wheels, what are the things you should consider - is a mountain bike or a racing bike the best choice for the man or woman about town? Or should you be thinking outside the box? Afterall can you take one of these behemoths on a busy commuter bus or train and what happens when if you lock it up outside the office, will it still be there when you leave?
Fear not, there is a perfect solution … the folding bike. They are more than an evolution, more like a revolution. The leading name in folding bikes is Brompton, my personal favourite for city commute. Brompton bikes are designed to complement our busy lifestyles. I used to be one of those man-about-town deftly folding my new age machine like a transformer robot before I board the underground train and then miraculously jump back on as I reach my destination.
I am aware; and I care about our earth I care about everyone around me.
We all need to find time to exercise and this is the ultimate time friendly inclusive gateway to feeling the vigour of youth. I found myself being creative in my route, a short cut through the park offered a fix of green therapy as I glided past the trees and the grassland swaying in the breeze.
Tokyo has long been seen as the epicentre of innovation and excellence where you will witness everyone from the CEO to the tea lady performing some kind of early morning aerobic exercise ritual after all the body and the mind are not separate.
I remembered the freedom I discovered as a child when I first learned how to ride. Everyday became an adventure with every turn of the pedal; the feeling of possibility and exploration blossomed into life.
Conventional bikes are great for the weekend, but in this brave new world we need to think laterally, we need solutions, we need flexibility, versatility and above all else practicality. These provisos lead us to the world of folding bikes.
Small, neat & compact, ticking all the uber cool boxes, the choices are endless, you can have the strength of steel, the feel of carbon or the space age titanium who knows maybe even unobtainium. If you commute in a hilly area no worries there are electric folding bikes too.
There are manufacturers and bikes to suit all styles and price points. My personal favourite is the Brompton. Hand assembled in London and just like the biro became a bic and the vacuum cleaner a hoover the folding bikes are a Brompton. Clever engineering means they seem to be the brand that folds the smallest and they can be stored in the boot of the car or next to the desk at work. It is the epitome of quality, reliability, beauty and simplicity, a stylish statement.
Even though folding bikes appear small your riding position is the same as on your regular bike, but the smaller wheels carry less inertia meaning you are the first away from the lights and can make lightning fast direction changes as if it's an extension of your will. But what happens when the weather transpires against you or you have a late meeting, a dinner date? No worries leave your trusty steed at the office and catch a cab home.