BUTCH Velasco of Dagupan City is my guest writer today. His piece:
IT is called “Cycle City,” a place about something that keeps you on the move. It is host to a poetry in motion.
Welcome to the world of motorcycles, the adrenaline-pumping inventions that jump in a snap, and whirr into action with a flick of the finger.
Cycle City sits right at the lobby of ADDESSA Galleria in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, which has been attracting droves of riders since its inception some months back.
At the lobby, your eyes are immediately glued to a majestic red Ducati mounted on a rotating platform. A sight to behold!
Two pretty ladies, all smiles, would usher you in to not only a slew of motorcycles, but also to an array of the latest gadgets, gear, and apparel in the motorbike business.
Cycle City has everything a motorcycle rider needs, whether one is riding a big bike or not.
Once inside, you can feel the “Star Wars” effect, with shining, well-lit shelves featuring imported helmets adorning the walls. The motif depicts the Star Wars movie featuring a long line of helmets for Dark Vader’s army.
There’s also a gallery of top-of-the-line imported brands: AGV, imported from Italy; LS2 from Spain; and, HJC helmets from South Korea.
If you want to go big, grab the HJC RPA1 Limited Edition selling for a little more than P50,000 apiece. But the bargain hunter can bag a quality helmet for a song at P4,000 per. It’s not the price, guys, it’s the excitement—and the thrill of owning a thing of beauty.
A death-defying saga helped trigger the birth of Cycle City.
Just a month before Cycle City opened in February this year, Aries Calix suffered a motorcycle crash on his way to Baguio.
“What saved my life were my gear and gadgets, specifically my helmet and my air vest jacket,” said Aries Calix, the son of the store owner.
His helmet protected his cranium from serious injuries, thanks to the thick foam stuffed on the inside. His Helite jacket, equipped with a back protector, was auto inflated in a second after he was thrown off his superbike at breakneck speed.
Aries Calix merely sustained a broken clavicle. His doctors said he was saved from life-threatening wounds by his top-level protective gear.
Other gadgets at Cycle City include Freedconn R1 Pro, or the Freedconn Tmax S Pro. Attached to a rider’s helmet, it has a noise-suppression feature, a built-in camera, and a Bluetooth-powered communicator system that allows three pairs of riders to converse when they are on the road.
There is also the pricier, Japan-made Cardo Packtalk Edge, which utilizes a Dynamic Mesh Communication system that allows riders to stream music direct from their smartphone and can be used by a duo or a group of up to 15 riders while driving in the fast lane.
Other protective items from head-to-toe are all made in France, not to mention Philippine-made Parak-branded jerseys, and LS2 jeans made from Spain.
Ilocos clients need not go to Manila anymore to avail of Cycle City’s “style and safety” gadgets and gears, which can also be had online. Already, customers have come from as far as Zamboanga City.
(Disclosure: The author is the kid brother of Dante Velasco, my bosom buddy who was the Transportation Undersecretary of Ping de Jesus during the presidential term of the late Noynoy Aquino. Dante is the cousin of ADDESSA owner Fernando dela Cruz, the father of Aries Calix.)
PEE STOP The famous Toyota Road Trek, kayoed by the pandemic for four years, will have its grand comeback shortly. I will not trade it for even a trip to Jupiter or Mars.