Village Focus Bike Race

Alvin Lee sent us this report of a race on 16 Dec 2006 at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. He was the only rider on a folder, but seems to have enjoyed himself! The report is in PDF format (ie Adobe Acrobat Reader).

ICE Trice Q and T upgrade

Inspired Cycle Engineering are now offering hydraulic disk brakes on the 2007 Trice Q and T models. More information on the updated web site

2007 ICE Product Update

• Hydraulic Disc brake option on Trice Q & T.
• Optional hard shell seat with airflow cushion on Trice Q & T.
• Trice S discontinued, QNT now fills the role of the Trice S as it now has hard shell seat option and similar range of adjustment to the S.
• Seat positioning accessories to increase range of adjustment or improve traction for off road riding in certain cases.
• Re designed rear frame with more adjustment options on rear suspension elastomer positions. Main rear frame tube also longer to allow QNT or T to take the hard shell seat at full reclined angles.
• New brake levers with reach and pull rate adjust for drum brakes.
• Parking brake now velcro strap on brake levers.

Downtube IX FS tested (and other tests soon)

At last the test on the Downtube IX FS is available on the web site - you can read it here. In general we were very favourably impressed, though it's not an ideal machine for a daily train-assisted commute.

Now that this report has finally been completed I hope to finish the reports on the Birdy Touring (2006 model) and Strida Real Soon Now.

Bike Valves Explained

This Handy Video shown on the CTC email 15.12.2006 explains about the different tube valves

IKEA Offer Staff a Bonus of a Folding Bike

First heard on Radio Two News today. IKEA have given staff some 9000 IKEA branded folding bikes to encourage their staff to cycle more. Read these links to the Manchester Evening News and the Glasgow Evening Times

Update 1, on Bike Biz - Raleigh Bikes sourced from Poland.

Update 2, Thank you to Larry Lagarde for making contact with the Folding Society. Larry is interested in the fact that IKEA have also offered their staff 15% subsidised travel tickets to (commute to work by bike & mass transit). Look at Larry's Web Site for full details.

A new web site on bikesthatfold

We have been told of a new web site on the subject of folding bikes - bikesthat fold, which is at http://www.bikesthatfold.eu. As a new site there is not a great deal there yet, but no doubt that will change, and we wish them well.

.citycycling on folders

The latest issue of .citycycling is now available on the internet (you can download a pdf) at http://www.citycycling.co.uk, and includes an article on folders, where the Folding Society gets good coverage.

Christmas Origami Ride

A Grand Day Out. Irene Batchelor in suitable seasonal attire on her Trice QNT, Trevor temporarily on a Dahon, while another rider enjoys the QNT, a new rider Nigel, on a rather unusual F-Frame Moulton (purchased recently on E-Bay), Hazel Hanson on a Brompton, and Phil Wray on a Micro.
The December Origami Ride is always designated as our 'Christmas Special', which usually means a shorter ride and a longer lunch stop, and this year was no exception. As in some previous years, we also gave it a theme of 'unusual folders'. Some 20 enthusiasts turned up for the event, though health problems meant that 3 of them did not actually do the ride, although they joined us again for lunch. We had a varied collection of cycles, though perhaps not as many 'unusual' machines as were expected. Trevor and Irene had their Trice QNTs, which proved very popular with other riders, and we hope we may have converted some more people to recumbent trikes! I decided my current Strida qualified as an unusual folder (I think only one other Strida has completed an Origami Ride in the history of the event), and anyway it was much easier to get it on the train than my QNT! Paul Evans brought along an early Strida and an RSW folder ('the only folder that is bigger when folded than when it is unfolded'), though these were strictly for trying during the lunch stop, and he rode one of his Bromptons. We had an excellent ride before lunch, and had a good lunch at The Bulls Head in Meriden; as the weather looked rather threatening, the original plan for an optional second loop after lunch was abandoned.
A good time was had by all, and many thanks to those who attended, and especially Paul who organised the ride.

Notes from All Over

In Canada, the Edmonton Sun has an item on Xavier Rudd, an Aussie songwriter and performer who takes a folding bike with him on tour.

The Economic Times notes the growing resurgence in leisure cycling in India, quoting a cyclist who also commutes on a folding BSA bicycle (obligatory folder content).

A little closer to Britain is this Times Online article about a mobile tech-support company. The interesting part is that the "Geek Squad" look likely to get to their customers around London by using a combination of public transport and folding bike.

An intriguing option for cycle commuters forms part of a retrospective by the 'The Engineer' magazine. The author notes that folding bikes were often issued to Allied paratroopers during World War 2. Unfortunately, there appears to be little evidence that paratroopers actually used them, other than on their bases.