Monday, July 31, 2006

More videos!

After the Sinclair A-bike marketing video (see below), you can watch a short promotional video for the Strida HERE (or on an alternate source). Even more interesting is a promotional video for the new Swivelhead (folding full-size mountain bike), designed, like the Strida, by Mark Sanders - the video is HERE (or an alternate source). [Look for the "Day in the life of ..." videos] Our thanks to Mark for bringing these to our attention. It appears that it is likely to be quite a while before the Swivelhead is available in the UK.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Sinclair A-Bike viral marketing

There's a video on Google here showing the A bike being ridden (mostly on the pavement (sidewalk)), but some on-road riding, and an interview with the man himself.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Cyclefeast 2006

Cyclefeast 2006 was a great success - numbers were a bit down on the inaugural event in 2005, but as well as the old familiar faces, there were some very welcome new ones this year. It was HOT weather, so personally I modified my cycling accordingly (ie shorter rides) - but I'm glad I was there, as having returned home I find the heat much more unbearable (there was some light breeze at times as we were further north and nearer the coast).

There were lots of recumbents, folders (and folding recumbents!), and conventional bikes there (one conventional tandem, but no upright trikes). The most common make was the ICE Trice recumbent trike, with Bromptons well represented (and some Brompton owners who had not brought their Bromptons?!), and a good number of Moultons. We will post a link to a photo/report site soon.

Sinclair A-bike test

Monday, July 17, 2006

Supply and Demand

This email from Brompton (courtesy of Kinetics) goes some way to explain why Brompton is having problems keeping up with demand recently.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Sinclair A-bike

More news on the A-bike appears on the BBC site at present - just general reaction really, rather than expert opinion. The A bike web site is at http://www.a-bike.co.uk, where there is a video showing the bike folding and unfolding, technical spec etc. At 5.6Kg (12.6 pounds) it is certainly light, and the folded size is small, but with tyre diameter of just 6 inches it is difficult to imagine that the ride can be acceptable on normal roads (or pavements), and I would imagine the frame might lack some rigidity. The price is given as £199.99. It would be interesting to have a test bike, but I'm not inclined to part with my money to buy one just to be able to comment in more detail.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Brooks Archive Website

The first thing many folding enthusiast do when getting a new bike is to fit a Brooks saddle. Here is an Archive Website managed by Bill Laine offering you the opportunity of looking back at the different types.

Quote;

"Brooksarchives.info is a collection of historical information on Brooks saddles and related bicycle parts and accessories."

Billis looking for contributions to add to their website. Have a look to see if you are able assist with information or photos for the collection. Other wise enjoy the many items already there. Link here

Bill Laine has advised that Brooks' have an archive as well. Thanks Bill.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Forum for French speakers

Emmanuel Delannoy has emailed us to say that he has set up a forum for French-speaking folder enthusiasts. It is at http://velopliant.bbfr.net/index.forum.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

On the Wire

Moultons and various folding bikes get a namecheck in this piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It seems that Lord Sainsbury (British Minister for Science and Innovation) is handing out folding bikes for the "Best Overall Entry for Environmental Issues", according to this article. Some might think that folding bikes are the solution, rather than the prize.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Using GPS when cycling

FS member Ian Hobson has followed up his articles on travelling with an Airnimal Rhino (see below) with an interesting description of how he has recently started using a GPS system as a navigational aid. I ordered a GPS system yesterday, before I was aware of Ian's article, so my own comments on GPS will follow when I've had a chance to try it. You can find Ian's article on his blog at http://hobcot.blogspot.com/2006/07/first-time-gps-experience-with-garmin.html, and if you have comments or questions these can be made via his (moderated) blog.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Update - July 8th Origami ride from Great Malvern

The July Origami ride from Great Malvern railway station has been replanned so that it is basically flat, so that we can cope better with the hot weather. Updated details are here. As ever, all are welcome on this sociable (and now fairly flat !) ride.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Some like it hot(??)

Most of us don't like riding when the temperature is close to, or below, freezing, and/or it is raining. On the other hand, a hot day can make riding very hard work too. Today (Sunday 2 July 2006) 3 of us used folders/separables to take part in the 100Km Brevet Populaire from Catherine de Barnes, organised by the Solihull CTC. Irene Batchelor rode her Moulton fx8, Trevor Batchelor was on his Birdy Red, and I rode my Airnimal Chameleon. My choice of the Airnimal was left to the last minute - the high temperatures in the weather forecast on the day persuaded me to use it rather than the Trice QNT. We all found the temperature a real problem - as did other riders I heard talking at the end. Apart from the excessive temperature (not very strong sunshine, but no wind, hot and humid, which is more tiring) we didn't have any problems - there was a panic with the Chameleon when I loaded into the car, as I noticed the rear tyre (Kenda Koncept) had developed something between a bulge and a very serious distortion, and it had to be replaced (under 2000Km, the front tyre, same make, failed in exactly the same way a few weeks earlier); I hope than the replacement Panaracer tyre will do better. On the ride we made a brief stop to cure a rattling rear mudguard on the fx8 - simply a case of bolts working loose in transit. Fortunately I had done the ride last year, otherwise the right turn onto a cycle path at around 3/4 distance might again have been missed, not just by us, but some people on a tandem who happened to be with us at the time - otherwise the route sheet and general organisation was excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride. All the bikes were folded/separated to get to the event - the Chameleon went (just, passenger seat still in place, but rear compartment separator folded down) into a Smart on its first, very simple, fold, and both the Birdy and Moulton fx8 went into a Renault Clie quite comfortably (rear seats folded). None of us are serious long distance cyclists or cycling club members (in which we differ from a large proportion of the entrants for these events), but we got back inside the minimum time without any great difficulty on our folders/separables. Our thanks go to the organisers for a most enjoyable event.

York Cycle Report

Peter Eland, Velovision, has posted a report on his web site. Read here

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Travelling with a Rhino

Member Ian Hobson has a very detailed report on his blog relating to a recent trip he made with his Airnimal Rhino. The relevant links are:
http://hobcot.blogspot.com
http://hobcot.blogspot.com/2006/06/airnimal-rhino-and-cycling-in-algarve.html
http://hobcot.blogspot.com/2006/06/5-algarve-cycle-rides.html

Vapourware and Opinions

Every now and then, designers try to build a better mousetrap or, more commonly, draw up a new folding bike. Reported in MobileMagazine (Note: popups) is an interesting design that is unlikely to see the light of day.

The BikeForums Folding Bike Forum thread here notes that Consumer Reports (American consumer magazine) has tested and rated 5 types of folding bikes.

Tour de France

The Tour has started, check out the latest results here website