Guest
MORIB BEACH; 7 & 8 Dec: Dataran Pantai Morib was abuzz with owners of old and classic bicycles who gathered from Kedah, Penang, Malacca, Terengganu and Johor and there was even a visitor each from as far as Indonesia and Holland (the latter being a ‘Fongres’ bicycle collector) throughout this week. After a morning ‘warm up dance’, over 500 participants on various types of bicycles traversed over 10 kilometres around Morib and the surrounding areas and along the way attracted many curious on-lookers with some heading to the site where the bicycles were on show. Some of the vintage bicycles that were abundant in the early days of Malaya were on display at the show, ranging from a Raleigh, Hercules, Robinhood, Phillips, BSA, Sunbeam, Triumph, Hudson and Rudge. There were even a rare 1903 Rover Military, a 1942 BSA Airborne and a 1940 Raleigh Coaster Police bicycle. Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, The Exco of Malay Customs, Rural Development and Traditional Villages, said that the programme is in line with the efforts to uphold heritage and artistry by the state government and also promoting tourism in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. These old and classic bicycles definitely have its own uniqueness and we want this heritage to continue for future generations. “In addition, this programme can also build the bond of unity and healthy interaction towards creating a nation strong in its cultural heritage” he said during the opening speech at the Malayan Classic and Old Bicycles Gathering on Sunday, 8 December. Among the exhibits were utility, service and military bicycles that were more than a century old. One of the participants, Zain Omar from the Army’s fire fighting unit became the talk of town with his vintage fireman’s bike. He said, “the special British-made bicycle was used in the 1880’s. I spend a fortune to refurbish the old bike which was purchased from an antique dealer, few years ago. The fire-fighting equipment which was mounted on the bike was sourced from various antique collectors domestic and foreign.” Many of the proud owners of had invested lots of money to refurbish and maintain these classic bicycles. A fan of classic bicycles, he has over 20 bicycle collections and his oldest collection is over 110 years old. Rietveld and Alex (who hails from Indonesia) also joined the cycling event which began as early as 8am. A team from The Malaysian Book of Records was at hand to witness the function and have officially recorded it into the book and awards were given out for the youngest, oldest, most outstanding and most decorative bicycle.
