Singapore - There Is PSI, And Then There Is PSI

A short lesson on bicycle maintenance. 

The quick yet proper list of items to double check on your bike is summed up easily as A, B, C. Before you go for a ride, check the Air in your tubes, that the Brakes are functioning properly, and that your Chain is in working condition. Check your ABC's and go out for a spin.

Now, I used to be a air pressure aficionado. Anyone will tell you that freshly pumped air in your bicycle tubes improves a tire's response to quick turns and quicker reflexs, an imperative necessity before testing San Francisco city buses and potholed streets. I know; I have been hauled away by the bright lights and boisterous bells of ambulances before.

I used to care. Back home I bought a special bike tire pump that included a pressure per square inch (PSI) gauge and even had a separate stand alone gauge. If the recommended level for a pair of thin racing  tires was 110 PSI, bet your bottom dollar that I would fill my tires to 115; it was done as much to break limits as much as it was for performance, high pressure tires made for fast cycling. 

However like so many other things on this trip, the low pressure tire tubes I have been cycling with are a very constant reminder that things will not always be as they were. The Universe is impertinent my friends, things change, and my tires are never more at their ideal PSI. 

However, while the PSI in my tires may contribute to less than ideal conditions, another type of PSI more seriously threatens the safety of a good bicycle ride that remains outside the cute ABC mnuminic reminder. That is, today is my fourth day in Singapore and all eyes obsessively watch the public meter indicating the national PSI, or Pollution Standard Index. 

The view before entering the Helix Bridge. On a clear day, more buildings would be visible in the background. That Ferris ("observatory") wheel, in the background is the largest in the World. 

The pollution haze is one consequence of brush and agricultural fires occurring in Southern Sumatra blown all over the region, including Singapore. I don't have to stress that the haze and health hazards brought with it are sources of tension between the two governments.

Not fog, smog, not mist. This is thick, dense smoke during one the more clearer day we experienced. The skyline became less visible as the haze enveloped more of the city; usually, we are told, the sky is quite clear. 

On apollution scale that deems anything past 300 particles of pollution per square meter "hazardous", bikes were ridden down the clean and well lit Singaporian streets at a comfortable 400 psi. That's sarcasm, it was not comfortable. The haze dried out the eyes and inflamed the lungs but probably no more or at least equal to the amount of sulfur exposed to during one of our early morning volcanic treks, diluted across the entire city. Bad, not life threatening despite the psi record breaking day. 

I can only imagine the beauty of this city once the wind clears away this smokey irritation. 

If there were people on the street, you would see how they naturally wear masks over their face to shield the haze. Schools were cancelled and some jobs closed. My self declared job, however, is to keep riding my bike. Bring on the low pressured tubes, bring on the smoke.

What's the adage about suffering the body to strengthen the soul? Well maybe. My bike has seen better days and these conditions are less than perfect. Lets not talk about all the suffering I endure as I dine on this large bag of chocolate chip cookies dunked warm soy milk, consumed infront of of a panoramic view of this First Nation economy from behind the double payned window of the thirty fourth floor high rise bachelor pad.

I've got to run, love you all.

-A