Max Rides Cycling PH (2026)

16/06/2026

Sierra Loop – The Ultimate Training Ride East of Manila

Today's ride was one of the classic routes that nearly every serious cyclist in Metro Manila knows by name: Sierra Loop.

For many riders, Sierra Loop is the benchmark route. It's where people test fitness, prepare for races, build climbing strength, and spend hours in the saddle away from city traffic.

The beauty of Sierra Loop is its simplicity.

You leave the busy streets behind, head toward the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range, tackle several sustained climbs, enjoy incredible views over Rizal Province, and then finish the day with a fast descent and long rolling roads back toward civilization.

It's challenging enough to feel like an achievement, but accessible enough to become a regular training route.

And after riding it again today, it's easy to understand why it remains one of the most popular cycling routes in the Philippines.

Riding Through the Sierra Madre

The route takes riders through the eastern mountains of Rizal, skirting the edge of the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape.

This protected area is one of the last remaining large forest ecosystems close to Metro Manila and serves as an important watershed supplying water to millions of residents.

The roads here wind through rolling hills, forested ridges, small communities, and some of the most scenic mountain roads within riding distance of the capital.

Historically, these mountains have always acted as a natural barrier separating the coastal plains from the interior of Luzon.

Today, they provide something equally valuable for cyclists:
Elevation.
Lots of it.

Climb #1 – Cabading Climb
📏 2.49 km
⬆️ 89 m elevation gain
📈 3.6% average grade
🏔 Category 4

Cabading is the gentle introduction to the day.
Nothing too intimidating.
Just enough climbing to wake up the legs and remind you that the flat roads are over.

The gradients remain friendly throughout, making it the perfect warm-up before the bigger efforts begin.

Many riders make the mistake of pushing too hard here.
The smart move?
Save your legs.
The real work comes later.

Climb #2 – Full Radar Climb
📏 6.18 km
⬆️ 369 m elevation gain
📈 5.1% average grade
🏔 Category 3

This is where Sierra Loop starts getting serious.
The climb steadily gains elevation as the road winds deeper into the mountains.
Unlike short punchy climbs, Full Radar rewards patience.
The gradients aren't extreme, but they're consistent enough to wear riders down if pacing is wrong.

The road snakes through the hills, offering occasional glimpses of the valleys below.

It's a climb that teaches discipline.
Ride within yourself, find a rhythm, and keep turning the pedals.
By the summit, you'll know you've earned it.

Climb #3 – Sta. Ines Road Climb
📏 3.3 km
⬆️ 175 m elevation gain
📈 5.2% average grade
🏔 Category 3

The final major climb of the day.
And arguably the most deceptive.
The numbers don't look intimidating at first glance.
But by the time you reach Sta. Ines, the previous climbs have already taken their toll.
This climb feels steeper than the statistics suggest.

The road twists through the mountains, forcing riders to dig a little deeper for the final effort.

Fortunately, the reward comes quickly.
Because once this climb is done, the hardest work of the day is behind you.

Why Sierra Loop Is Such a Great Training Route
One of the best features of Sierra Loop is its structure.

Almost all of the meaningful climbing happens in the first half of the ride.

That means you can focus on your efforts early, manage your pacing, and then enjoy the second half without worrying about another major mountain waiting around the corner.

After the final climb, the route transforms.
The road opens up.
The views become spectacular.
And the long descent begins.
Fast corners.
Flowing roads.
Mountain scenery.
Cooler air.

Everything a cyclist wants after a morning of climbing.

The final kilometers are much flatter and allow riders to spin the legs, recover, and simply enjoy being on the bike.

More Than Just a Training Route

Sierra Loop has become something of a rite of passage among cyclists in Metro Manila.

Ask local riders about their first big ride, first century ride, or first serious climbing experience, and Sierra Loop often enters the conversation.

It's challenging but not overwhelming.
Scenic but still practical.

A route that can be ridden for fitness, adventure, or simply for the joy of spending a day on two wheels.

That's why thousands of cyclists return here again and again.

And after today's ride, it's easy to understand why.
Great climbs.
Great roads.
Great views.
Exactly what a training ride should be.

🚴‍♂️⛰️🇵🇭

15/06/2026

Dalton Pass & Malico Ride – One of the Most Spectacular Cycling Routes in Northern Luzon

Last weekend, a group of 29 riders took on one of the most iconic routes in Northern Luzon: Dalton Pass and Malico Road.

First of all, a huge thank you to RCC for organizing this ride. Everything was executed flawlessly—from logistics to rider support. Events like this look easy from the outside, but a lot of work happens behind the scenes, and it showed.

Special thanks as well to Bikes & Coffee Manila for supporting the event, and to Rideout Manila for providing vehicle support throughout the day. Having a support vehicle carrying water, food, tools, spare parts, and everything riders might need made the experience incredibly comfortable. It allowed everyone to focus on riding, enjoying the scenery, and spending time with fellow cyclists instead of worrying about logistics.

And what a ride it turned out to be.

A Route That Has Everything

The Dalton–Malico route is one of those rare rides that combines history, challenging climbs, breathtaking scenery, and long stretches of quiet roads.

The route covers roughly 150 km with nearly 2,000 meters of elevation gain, but numbers alone don't tell the full story.

This ride offers:
✔ Endless rice field landscapes
✔ Historic mountain roads
✔ Two major climbs
✔ Fast flowing descents
✔ Cool mountain air
✔ Panoramic viewpoints
✔ Some of the best scenery you'll find anywhere on Luzon

Perhaps the best part is that the route is suitable for almost any bicycle. Road bikes, gravel bikes, endurance bikes, and fitness bikes can all comfortably handle the terrain. The roads are generally in good condition, and while the distance is significant, the gradients remain manageable for most trained cyclists.

Dalton Pass – A Road Through History
Dalton Pass is much more than just a mountain road.
Located on the border between Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, it serves as one of the most important transportation corridors connecting Central Luzon to the Cagayan Valley.

The pass is named after General Dalton, who was killed during the fierce fighting that took place here in 1945 during the final stages of World War II in the Philippines.

At the time, Dalton Pass was considered one of the most strategic locations in Northern Luzon. Control of the pass meant control of the route north. Some of the fiercest battles of the liberation campaign were fought on these very slopes.

Today, most motorists simply drive through without giving it much thought.

Cyclists, however, experience the pass differently. Climbing at bicycle speed allows you to appreciate the terrain, the scale of the mountains, and understand why this location played such an important role in history.

Climb #1 – Dalton Climb (San Jose Side)
📏 7.63 km
⬆️ 334 m elevation gain
📈 4.4% average gradient

The first major climb of the day starts from the San Jose side and serves as the gateway into the mountains.

On paper, it looks relatively straightforward.

And it is.

The gradients are steady and manageable, making it more of a sustained effort than a brutal challenge. However, one thing immediately stands out: the trucks.

Lots of trucks.

Dalton Pass is a vital economic artery linking the agricultural heartland of Central Luzon with the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Cagayan. Every day, countless trucks use this route to transport:

Rice and corn
Vegetables from the mountain provinces
Construction materials
Fuel and consumer goods
Products moving between Manila and Northern Luzon

As riders, we spent much of the climb sharing the road with these heavy vehicles slowly working their way uphill.

Fortunately, the road is wide enough in most places, and the views quickly begin to distract you from the traffic.

Into the Mountains
After Dalton Pass, the ride continues through increasingly beautiful terrain.

The scenery changes gradually but dramatically.
The heat begins to fade.
The air gets cooler.
The mountains grow larger.
Every few kilometers another panoramic view opens up.

It quickly became one of those rides where everyone keeps stopping for photos.

And honestly, nobody could blame them.

The landscapes here feel very different from what many people expect when they think of cycling in the Philippines.

There are moments where the road, the forests, and the mountain ridges feel more like something from Taiwan or northern Thailand than Luzon.

Climb #2 – Santa Fe to Malico Viewpoint
📏 16.74 km
⬆️ 758 m elevation gain
📈 4.4% average gradient
If Dalton Pass is the warm-up, the climb to Malico is the main event.

This climb is long.
Really long.
But what makes it special is its character.

Instead of punishing double-digit gradients, the road climbs steadily through forests, valleys, and mountain slopes. It allows you to settle into a rhythm and simply enjoy the experience.

Every corner reveals another incredible view.

Every switchback gains a little more elevation and opens another section of the valley below.

This is the kind of climb that reminds you why you ride a bicycle in the first place.

Not because it is easy.

But because the journey itself becomes unforgettable.

The Reward

And then comes the payoff.

After all the climbing, Malico delivers one of the most spectacular descents I have ever experienced in the Philippines.

The route reaches approximately 1,250–1,300 meters above sea level, and shortly afterward begins an enormous drop back toward the valley.

Over the next section, the road loses well over 1,000 meters of elevation.

Corner after corner.
Mountain after mountain.
Viewpoint after viewpoint.
This is easily the most scenic part of the entire ride.

The road snakes along mountain ridges with endless views stretching toward the horizon.
You can see layers of mountains disappearing into the distance.
Clouds drift below some of the peaks.
The descent feels almost endless.

And every meter of climbing suddenly feels completely worth it.

If there is a better reward for a cyclist than a long mountain descent after hours of climbing, I haven't found it yet.

Why You Should Ride Dalton & Malico

There are many famous cycling routes in the Philippines.

But Dalton Pass and Malico Road deserve far more attention than they receive.

This route combines:
Historical significance
Excellent mountain roads
Challenging but achievable climbs
Incredible scenery
Minimal urban traffic
A true sense of adventure

It doesn't feel like another training ride.

It feels like a journey.

The kind of ride that stays with you long after you've uploaded the photos and saved the GPX file.

A huge thank you again to Rapha, Bikes & Coffee Manila, Rideout Manila, and all 29 riders who shared this unforgettable experience.

The photos that follow will tell the rest of the story far better than words ever could.

🚴‍♂️⛰️🇵🇭

06/06/2026

🚴‍♂️ Sampaloc Climb — The Hidden Gem of Tagaytay

Today I decided to start the day a little differently. Instead of riding straight from Manila, I loaded the bike into the car and headed south toward Nuvali. One of the things I really appreciate about riding in this area is how easy it is to reach. Thanks to SLEX, the drive takes only around 45 minutes, and before you know it you're already surrounded by quieter roads, cooler air, and scenery that feels very different from Metro Manila.

Huge thanks to RCC Manila for organizing another fantastic ride and for the warm company throughout the day. Special thanks to our ride leader Norman De Villa , who did a great job guiding the group and keeping everything running smoothly.

📍 Why this route stands out
This wasn't just another Tagaytay ride.
What makes this route special is that it combines several completely different riding experiences into one day:
smooth roads around Nuvali
panoramic Tagaytay ridge views
the long descent toward Taal Lake
the legendary Sampaloc climb
fast rolling roads back toward Nuvali

The route constantly changes character and never becomes repetitive.

🌋 Riding along Tagaytay Ridge
For me, this is the true highlight of the area. Tagaytay Ridge is one of the most scenic cycling roads in the Philippines.

For kilometers you ride along the edge of the ridge with:
views of Taal Lake
views of Taal Volcano
open countryside
cool mountain air
countless cafés and viewpoints

Unlike many popular cycling destinations, the road here feels relaxed.

The traffic is manageable.
The temperatures are noticeably cooler.
The atmosphere is much calmer than what most cyclists experience around Metro Manila.

And everywhere you look there are cyclists.
Road bikes.
Gravel bikes.
Weekend riders.
Training groups.
You immediately feel that this is one of the country's true cycling destinations.

⛰ The descent to Sampaloc
After enjoying the ridge, the route suddenly changes.
The road begins dropping toward the lake through a series of sweeping bends.
The views become even more dramatic.

You can see:
Taal Lake below
forest-covered slopes
small villages
agricultural areas
quiet provincial roads

The further down you go, the more it feels like you're leaving the city behind.
At this point many riders are smiling.
Mostly because they know what's coming later...

🔥 Sampaloc Climb FULL
The climb is the centerpiece of the entire route.

According to the Strava segment:
📏 Distance: 12.05 km
⬆️ Elevation Gain: 599 m
📈 Average Gradient: 5%
🏔 Highest Elevation: 614 m

What makes Sampaloc special is that the numbers don't tell the whole story.

At first glance, 5% average gradient doesn't sound intimidating.
But this climb is long.
Very long.

And unlike many climbs that settle into a rhythm, Sampaloc constantly changes:
short ramps
flatter sections
false flats
steeper pitches
rolling transitions

You never fully switch off.
The profile keeps asking questions.
Can you push a little harder?
Can you stay patient?
Can you save enough energy for the next ramp?

🚴 How the climb feels
The lower section allows you to find your rhythm.
The middle section starts becoming more demanding.
Then, instead of a straightforward finish, the road keeps unfolding ahead of you.
Every corner reveals more climbing.
Every ridge suggests the summit is close.
And then you discover there is still more road above.
It is not a brutal climb.
It is a psychological climb.
One that rewards patience much more than aggression.

🌿 What you'll see on the climb
One of the reasons Sampaloc is so enjoyable is the scenery.

Unlike many urban climbs, this road passes through:
forests
rural communities
open viewpoints
farmland
mountain landscapes

There are long stretches where the only sounds are:
birds
the wind
freehub clicks from riders around you
It's surprisingly peaceful.

⚡ Tagaytay Ridge – Sta. Rosa Heights
The ride finishes with another favorite section of mine.
After all the climbing, the route eventually reconnects with the ridge and begins heading back toward Nuvali.
This is where the famous Tagaytay Ridge – Sta. Rosa Heights section comes into play.

It's not a climb.
It's the reward.

A long, flowing descent with a nearly continuous negative gradient that allows you to carry speed effortlessly.

This is the kind of road where:
momentum does most of the work
speeds build naturally
the bike feels alive underneath you

The pavement is generally good, visibility is excellent, and the road invites you to simply enjoy riding.
After the effort of Sampaloc, this section feels like a victory lap.

☕ Tourist perspective
Even if you aren't a cyclist, this area is worth visiting.

Nearby you'll find:
Taal Volcano viewpoints
Tagaytay cafés
local restaurants
fruit stands
mountain resorts
lakeside communities

The combination of cool weather, nature, and accessibility explains why Tagaytay remains one of the most popular weekend destinations in the Philippines.

🚲 Bike choice
This route works well on almost anything:
road bike → fastest option
endurance bike → probably ideal
gravel bike → extra comfort
MTB → perfectly manageable

I rode it on my 3T Racemax, and it felt right at home.

🚲 Final impression
Some rides impress with huge mountains.
Some rides impress with epic distances.
This ride impressed me with balance.

You get:
✅ beautiful scenery
✅ long climbs
✅ fast descents
✅ quiet roads
✅ cool weather
✅ excellent company

And the further I ride around the Philippines, the more I realize that Sampaloc Climb is one of the most underrated climbs near Manila.

Definitely a route I'll be coming back to.

03/06/2026

🚴‍♂️ Teresa Loop — One of the Best Mid-Week Training Routes Near Manila

📍 Location: Antipolo • Teresa • Morong • Cardona • Binangonan
🚴 Distance: 64.95 km
⛰ Elevation Gain: 468 m

Some routes are all about suffering.

Some are all about scenery.

Teresa Loop manages to combine both training value and beautiful roads into one compact ride that easily fits into a weekday morning.

If you're based in Metro Manila and want a route that offers climbing, fast sections, quiet provincial roads and great views without turning into an all-day adventure, this is one of the best options around.

📍 The Route
The ride starts with the familiar approach toward Antipolo via Ortigas Extension.

After the city traffic gradually fades away, the route begins to reveal why Rizal remains one of the most popular cycling destinations in the Philippines.

You quickly move from urban roads into greener surroundings, climbing steadily toward Antipolo before heading deeper into the hills around Teresa.

From there, the route forms a beautiful loop through:
📍 Teresa
📍 Morong
📍 Cardona
📍 Binangonan

before returning toward Metro Manila.

What makes this route special is the constant change of scenery.
One moment you're riding above the city with views stretching toward Metro Manila.
A few kilometers later you're surrounded by rice fields, small villages and quiet provincial roads.

Then suddenly Laguna de Bay appears beside you.

⛰ The Climbs
This is not a route with one massive mountain.

Instead, it delivers several very different climbs that keep the ride interesting from start to finish.

🔥 Ortigas Extension / Tikling Climb
The classic gateway into Antipolo.

A steady climb that serves as the warm-up for the day.

Nothing extreme, but enough to get the legs working and the heart rate moving.

Most Manila cyclists know this climb by heart.

🌄 Antipolo to Teresa Ridge
This is the defining section of the route.

After reaching Antipolo, the road rolls across the ridge before descending toward Teresa.

Beautiful views, cooler air and flowing roads make this one of the most enjoyable cycling areas near Manila.

This section rewards riders with some of the best panoramas in Rizal.

⛰ Cardona Rollers
Many riders underestimate this part.

The elevation profile looks easy on paper, but the repeated short climbs around Cardona and Binangonan gradually accumulate fatigue.

Nothing steep enough to force you into survival mode.

Just enough to make you work.

Perfect endurance terrain.

⚡ Morong Return Climb
The final notable climb appears after the flatter lakeside sections.

By this point the legs have already spent a couple of hours working.

The gradients remain manageable, but they provide a nice final effort before heading back toward the city.

🌅 Views & Highlights
One reason Teresa Loop remains so popular is the variety.

During a single ride you'll experience:
✔ mountain roads
✔ city viewpoints
✔ quiet barangay sections
✔ provincial scenery
✔ Laguna de Bay views
✔ rolling countryside roads

without ever needing to travel far from Manila.

The transition from urban Metro Manila into rural Rizal happens surprisingly quickly.

That's part of the route's charm.

🚴 Training Value
This is where Teresa Loop really shines.

It's one of those rare routes that works for almost every type of workout.

You can use it for:
✅ endurance rides
✅ tempo sessions
✅ sweet spot intervals
✅ group rides
✅ recovery pace exploration

The climbs are long enough to hold power.

The descents provide recovery.

The flatter roads allow pacing work.

And the total distance fits perfectly into a weekday morning schedule.

🚲 Bike Choice
Another advantage of Teresa Loop:
almost any bike works here.
Road bike → fastest option
Gravel bike → excellent balance of comfort and speed
MTB → perfectly rideable, especially for relaxed pacing

🌴 Why I Keep Coming Back
Rizal has dozens of famous routes.
But Teresa Loop remains one of the most balanced.

Not too long.
Not too hard.
Not too flat.
Not too steep.

Just enough climbing to feel like a real ride, enough scenery to stay interesting, and enough fast sections to keep it fun.

For riders looking for a reliable weekday training route close to Manila, it's hard to go wrong with this one.

Fast. Scenic. Efficient.

Exactly the kind of route that makes you want to ride again tomorrow.

01/06/2026

Rapha FAR 01 – Laguna–Quezon
130 km of endurance, community, and some of the best roads I've ridden in the Philippines

Date: May 30, 2026
Event: Rapha FAR 01 – Laguna–Quezon
Distance: 130 km
Elevation Gain: 2 000 m

Organizer: RCC Global/ Bikes & Coffee Manila

What is FAR?
For those unfamiliar, FAR is a global Rapha RCC event where clubhouses around the world organize large-scale endurance rides on the same day.

This year's FAR 01 Laguna–Quezon brought together roughly 90 riders from different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces for a full day of riding through Laguna and Quezon.

And it quickly became obvious that this wasn't just another weekend ride.

Organization that lets you focus on riding

One thing that immediately stood out was the level of organization.

Multiple support vehicles were deployed along the route.

Several official checkpoints were established in advance, where riders could:
refill bottles
grab food and snacks
regroup with their pace groups
receive mechanical assistance if needed

Because of that, there was very little stress throughout the day.

No constant worries about where to buy water.
No concerns about food availability.
No need to plan every stop yourself.

Everything was already taken care of.

All you had to do was ride.

And honestly, that's exactly how a large endurance event should feel.

A route built for enjoyment, not suffering

The route itself was one of the strongest parts of the event:
quiet provincial roads
small villages
rolling countryside
forested sections
mountain scenery
remote roads with almost no traffic

There were long stretches where the only sounds were freewheels, birds, and conversations between riders.

For anyone who usually rides around Metro Manila traffic, the contrast was incredible.
Fresh air.
Open roads.
Beautiful scenery.

The kind of riding that reminds you why you started cycling in the first place.

Climbs for everyone
With nearly 2 000 meters of elevation gain, the route definitely wasn't flat.
But what made it accessible was the way the climbing was designed.

Instead of brutal walls and ridiculous gradients, the route featured:
long rolling climbs
steady mountain roads
manageable gradients
plenty of opportunities to find your rhythm

The climbs demanded endurance rather than explosive power.

That made the event approachable for a much wider range of riders.

Whether you were an experienced endurance cyclist or tackling one of your longest rides of the year, the terrain felt challenging without becoming intimidating.

Groups for every pace
Another thing I really appreciated was the pacing structure.

Riders could choose between:
full-distance options
shorter-distance options

And within those options there were multiple groups led by experienced ride leaders riding at different speeds.

This allowed everyone to find a group that matched:
fitness level
experience
riding style

Instead of trying to survive someone else's pace.

For a large event, this makes an enormous difference.

Community on the road

One of the best parts of FAR wasn't the route.
It was the people.

Throughout the day there were riders from different backgrounds, different clubs, and different experience levels sharing the same roads.

At every checkpoint there were conversations, stories, photos, and plenty of laughs.

That's really what FAR is about.

Not racing.

Not chasing KOMs.

Just sharing a memorable ride with a large cycling community.

The finish

After nearly 130 km, everyone rolled back into the finish area where the atmosphere felt more like a celebration than the end of a ride.

And yes...

There was lechon.

And yes...

There was beer.

After a long day in the saddle, both tasted exceptionally good.

It was also great to catch up with many familiar faces, exchange stories from the route, and enjoy the feeling of finishing something substantial together.

Final thoughts

Rapha FAR 01 Laguna–Quezon delivered exactly what an endurance event should:
✅ Beautiful roads
✅ Excellent organization
✅ Strong community atmosphere
✅ Multiple pace options
✅ Reliable support throughout the route
✅ Challenging but accessible climbing
✅ Fantastic post-ride celebration

This wasn't a race.

It was a shared endurance experience.

And sometimes those become the rides you remember the longest.

See you at the next FAR. 🚴‍♂️

29/05/2026

🚴‍♂️ Grace Hill Café Ride — One of the Steepest Coffee Stops Around Manila
Some café rides are relaxed.
This one definitely wasn’t 😄

Today’s ride to Grace Hill Café was done together with RCC — huge thanks to the group for another great weekend ride, and special thanks for the organization and ride leadership throughout the route.

📍 The route
The ride gradually transitions from busy city roads into quieter Rizal mountain roads, eventually reaching the steep hills above Binangonan overlooking Laguna Lake.

The closer you get to Grace Hill Café,
the more dramatic the terrain becomes.

At first:
rolling roads
manageable gradients
relaxed pacing
Then suddenly…

the road tilts upward HARD.

⛰ The Grace Hill climb
This is what makes the place famous among cyclists.

The final ramps toward the café are absolutely brutal:

repeated gradients above 20%
concrete sections that feel almost vertical
and reported peak gradients reaching around 28–32% depending on the exact approach line

The kind of climb where:
cadence disappears
traction starts mattering
and everyone suddenly gets very quiet 😄

Even experienced riders usually remember this climb.

🌄 But the reward…

At the top:
wide open views over Laguna Lake
Sierra Madre in the distance
cool mountain air
and one of the most scenic café locations near Manila

Grace Hill isn’t just a coffee stop —
it feels more like a viewpoint hidden above Rizal.

The atmosphere is surprisingly peaceful considering how hard the approach is.

☕ About Grace Hill Café
The café itself has quickly become popular because of:
the 360° views
sunset scenery
relaxed mountain atmosphere
and the challenge of getting there by bike or motorcycle

And yes —
after those gradients,
coffee somehow tastes significantly better.

🚲 Bike choice
This route actually works on almost any bike:

road bike → hardest but fastest
gravel bike → probably the sweet spot
MTB → easiest on the steep concrete ramps

I rode it on my 3T Racemax,
which honestly felt ideal for this kind of mixed Rizal terrain.

The wider tires definitely help once gradients go completely insane.

🔥 What makes this ride special

Not the distance.
Not even the elevation.

It’s the contrast.

You start with normal rolling Rizal roads…
and end on one of the steepest café approaches around Manila.

A proper “earned coffee stop”.

Final impression?

Beautiful.
Painful.
Absolutely worth it.

And yes —
I’d definitely ride it again 🚴‍♂️

28/05/2026

Today I had the chance to attend a very interesting CeramicSpeed seminar at Bikes and Coffee Manila, organized by RCC — and honestly, it was one of those events that reminds you how deep bicycle engineering can actually go.

For those unfamiliar, CeramicSpeed is a Danish company specializing in high-precision bearings, drivetrain optimization, and friction reduction technologies. What makes them especially interesting is that their technology is used not only in professional cycling, but also in aerospace, industrial machinery, and other high-performance applications where efficiency and durability are critical.

A big part of the seminar focused on their famous ceramic bearings. One of the most interesting things I learned is that most CeramicSpeed products actually use hybrid bearings: ceramic balls made from silicon nitride combined with hardened steel races. The idea is to reduce friction, improve smoothness under load, and increase durability over time.

They also explained their Coated Bearings technology — specially treated bearing races with an ultra-hard metallic coating designed to improve wear resistance and corrosion protection. These are the products backed by their famous lifetime warranty, which was another major topic during the presentation.

The discussion about bottom brackets was especially interesting for gravel and endurance riders. CeramicSpeed talked a lot about sealing systems, contamination resistance, and maintaining efficiency in harsh riding conditions. In places with humidity, rain, dust, and long-distance riding — like the Philippines — longevity and reliability become just as important as raw speed.

Another highlight was the OSPW systems (Oversized Pulley Wheel Systems). These oversized derailleur cages use larger pulley wheels with ceramic bearings and optimized cage geometry to reduce drivetrain friction and improve chain articulation. Beyond the claimed efficiency gains, what really stood out in person was the level of machining, engineering detail, and overall build quality. The newer gravel-oriented versions for SRAM XPLR look particularly impressive and clearly focus not only on marginal gains, but also on durability for real-world riding.

Personally, the most fascinating part of the seminar was the section about chain preparation, cleaning, and hot wax lubrication using their UFO products. They went deep into the importance of completely removing factory grease before waxing, proper degreasing methods, contamination control, and the entire immersion waxing process.

It was interesting to hear that even the most expensive bearings and drivetrain upgrades won’t perform properly if the chain itself is dirty or poorly maintained. That’s why CeramicSpeed puts so much focus on drivetrain cleanliness and their UFO wax systems — from ultra-low-friction race-oriented formulas to more durable solutions for long-distance and mixed-condition riding.

They also demonstrated the actual chain waxing process using immersion wax pots and specialized chain holders. It honestly looked like a small laboratory setup for cyclists — and as someone who enjoys the technical side of bikes, that was incredibly cool to see.

Events like this really change the way you look at modern bicycles. They are no longer just frames and wheels — they’re highly engineered systems where every small detail can influence efficiency, durability, and overall ride feel.

Huge thanks to Bikes and Coffee Manila and RCC for organizing such a great event, the welcoming atmosphere, excellent discussions, and the amazing food and refreshments afterward. This is exactly the kind of event that keeps the cycling community passionate and connected.

e

Max Rides Cycling PH

16/06/2026

15/06/2026

06/06/2026

03/06/2026

01/06/2026

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share