(Continued
from the news
page. For older news,
pre-2005,
please go to pre
2005 news).
LATEST NEWS IS NOW ON A NEW SITE - CLICK HERE TO ACCESS IT
Coming soon ...
Updates to the site have been rather erratic recently - I don't want to
bore or
annoy readers with computer issues, but I've been trying to migrate web
page
maintenance from my main Windows-based system to one of another 2
operating
systems. Apart from problems in trying to keep track of where the most
up to
date versions of the files are located in this transition stage, I have
not been
able to find a web page editor that is in the same league as the one I
currently
use on Windows, and the aggravation this has caused has discouraged me
from
updating the web pages as often as usual.
This year's end of year report should appear soon after Christmas, and in addition to the general review of the folder scene there will be updates on the reports of all the bikes I have used over the year. [07/12/2004]
Origami Christmas Ride
This coming Saturday, 11th December, is the second Saturday of the
month, so there will be an Origami ride, and as it is December, our
mid-day stop will be for (optional) Christmas lunch. We will meet from
10:30 at the Tearooms in Meriden for a ride starting at 11:00, and will
follow a less than direct route to Hampton in Arden where we stop for
lunch. I don't expect it will affect many people, but it appears from
the train timetables that there
are engineering works between Wolverhampton and Birmingham, so anyone
planning to join a train at any of these stations will have to use a
bus instead, with an increased journey time. Other trains which
normally use that stretch of line may also take slightly longer than
usual, so
please check the timetables. [07/12/2004]
Folding Trailers
We sometimes get enquiries about folding or collapsible trailers, or
trailers which are suitable for use with small-wheeled bikes. If you
are on the look-out for such a thing, take a look at the Carry Freedom
range (http://www.carryfreedom.co.uk)
[07/12/2004]
A new range of "Land
Rover"
bicycles?
A new range of bikes is apparently being marketed under the Land Rover
name - nothing particularly new, I suspect, but badged machines from
other manufacturers (the Land Rover logo is very inconspicuous). The
range includes 2 folders, both of which look as if they might be badged
Dahons. I've been sent a pdf file of the catalogue, but it is rather
large, and I have not managed to locate a web site containing the
information. [07/12/2004]
Origami News
The
Origami Ride at Milton Keynes on 13th
November was blessed
by beautiful weather – a bit chilly, but bright sun, good
visibility and no sign of rain. Organisers Phil and Lorna Wray had
devised an excellent route – quiet, flat and scenic. 13
riders
on a wide variety of folders took part, and thoroughly enjoyed the
day. Many thanks to all who took part, and especially Phil and Lorna.
You can find a full report on the Origami
Ride web pages. During the lunch
stop the programme of rides for
the first part of 2005 was finalised, and you can also find this on
the Origami
Ride web pages.
[14/11/2004]
Classic Moulton poster now
available [Press Release]
After several enquiries
and suggestions from purchasers of The 'classic' Moulton, Paul Grogan
has created a large A3 (420 x 300mm) sized poster based on the rear
cover of the books dust jacket. It depicts all of the 16 different
U.K. produced machines covered in the book.
Although it may be argued that not all the later Series Two machines are shown, the bikes have all been chosen to show a typical cross-sectional representation of the production years from 1963 till 1974. (Should there be sufficient demand in the future, it is possible another poster could be produced covering the later Series Two's and possibly Moultons with Accessories fitted.) The posters are printed in full colour on 170 gsm white gloss art paper and laminated on the front face.
You
can see the finished poster and ordering information on the
Classic Moulton website at: www.theclassicmoulton.co.uk
[12/11/2004]
Origami Ride on 13 November
at Milton Keynes
It will be the second Saturday of
the month on 13th November, so there will be an Origami Ride, open to
all folder enthusiasts, Moultoneers, members of the V-CC, and indeed
anyone interested in cycling. This month we are meeting at Milton
Keynes railway station from about 10:30 for a ride starting at 11:00.
You can find more details about this and other Origami Rides,
including the plans for the December ride, on the Origami
Ride web site. [07/11/2004]
ANOTHER 16 inch tyre?
I'm
indebted to Dave Minter
for the following, which comes from
the September/October Newsletter of Greenspeed, one of the leading
manufacturers of recumbent trikes, some of whose models use the 16
inch 349 tyre:
"We
are getting some new tyres made which we have designed
especially for our trikes. These will be in a new size of 40-349 or
16" x 1 1/2" to give a better ride than the current 16"
x 1 3/8" tyres. The 1st samples of the new tyres have been
received, and were shown at Interbike. Testing on our rolling
resistance machine indicates a better rolling resistance at 100 psi
than any commercial tyre. We will be doing more testing as we receive
more samples in different versions of this tyre. The tyre will be
known as the "Scorcher", and will be available by the end
of the year.
We are also looking at a tubeless version of this
tyre which should have even lower rolling resistance, and will be
more puncture resistant than belted tyres."
This would be an interesting development - not just another tyre in this Brompton/Micro/Airframe etc size, but one which takes a rather different approach to design - wider rather than narrower to achieve good rolling resistance. The main problem I can see is that the miniscule mudguard clearance of the Brompton would probably rule out fitting it to some folders. [02/11/2004]
Mezzo d9 test report -
at last!
We have finally released
our
test report on the very interesting Mezzo d9 folder. It's quite a long
report, and it is avaialble on the web pages here.
[17/11/2005]
Press Release -"New
folding bicycle
technology offers compact folding for full-sized bicycles"
We have recently
received the
following press release from Mark Sanders:
"New
folding bicycle
technology offers compact folding for full-sized bicycles
Ming
Cycle, one of the top 10 global bicycle
manufacturers, and MAS Design, UK based Engineering and Design company,
have entered a technology transfer agreement. Ming Cycle take over the
ownership of a revolutionary new folding bicycle technology, which
includes extensive IPR and know-how. The technology allows bicycles
with full sized wheels to be folded very quickly, without tools or
dismantling, into very compact and portable sizes. Bicycles, with this
technology will be launched in 2006."
Mark is of course the designer of the Strida. There are no pictures of the new bikes yet - the launch will apparently be at the Taipei Cycle Show, March 2006. You can read the full press release here (pdf format). [15/11/2005]
Folding Society changes
The
new team has now taken over the
running of The Folding Society, and these web pages. The new, improved,
'news' section should go live fairly soon, and the web pages are now
actually at a new location, though the addresses are unchanged. As far
was we can tell, the move has gone smoothly (apart from some of the
special interest group sections, which were very out of date anyway,
and the value of which is being critically assessed), but please let us
know if you find any problems accessing any parts of the site.
[06/11/2005]
Dahon
Jetstream P8/Rohloff hub report update
Earlier this year we
reported
on the 2005 version of the Dahon Jetstream P8, modified to
use a
Rohloff 14-speed hub gear. The only serious problem
we had
with the bike was with the headset. Happily that problem has finally
been solved, and the report has been updated - you can find it here.
[06/11/2005]
A folder holiday on
Jersey
Regular
readers of the Folding Society web
pages will know that a small group of us go away for a weeknd together
with our folders once or twice a year. This year Dave Minter and Susan
Barlow arranged a trip to Jersey, only a few weeks before they returned
to Australia. Most of the regulars on these trips took part, along with
some newcomers. You
can read about the trip
in the report by Rosemary Hadland.
[06/11/2005]
Stolen - Birdy Blue
One
year old Birdy Blue taken from
garage in South Croydon overnight 3 October 2005. Characteristics:
1. CR2 0LB - 29 painted on the underside of the cross bar, in
the
triangle
2. All Birdy transfers removed
3. Alloy pedals and toeclips in place of standard pedals
4. Comfort stem, rear carrier, lights, mudguards
5. Replacement rear mudflap bolted on to mudguard
6. Non standard handlebar grips and (cracked) mirrycle
offside
rear view mirror
Any information, please contact information removed [04/11/2005]
STOLEN BROMPTONS - our
police are doing
their best. And a caution against eBay
Here is an email I just
received from the Islington police force (they also took the trouble to
telephone me about this):
To
whom it may concern,
I am an officer with Islington Police Intelligence unit, we recently
recovered a haul of five Brompton bikes when we executed a warrant re
stolen property. We have restored three of them but have two
outstanding ones, would you be willing to put the details below on your
website to assist us in our enquires and potentially restore
these
to there rightful owners.
One is green with a s/n of 197880 the second is blue with a s/n of
197680. We would of course require further verification.
Many thanks
Andy
Reeder
The telephone number to ring is 020 77421 0244. Many I thank Andy Reader, and the rest of the force, for tackling this problem, and I hope that itf they have apprehended a thief, then the courts will take a sufficiently serious view of the crime - for many of us, our folder is essential to our earning a living and being able to survive. Anyone who takes away these rights for their own profit should be subject to appropriate punishment.
More contentiously, one of the people who recently reported the loss of a Brompton tells me she is all but sure that this bike is now being sold on eBay. I find this all too likely - eBay, and car boot sales, are used by many entirely legitimately, but they are also a very convenient way for thiefs to dispose of stolen goods. I've never bought or sold anything via either eBay or a car boot sale, at least partly because I believe that at least some of the transactions relate to illegal activities - even if the majority are entirely legal. If you don't like this comment, please note that in less than a week this web site will be in the control of a new group! [26/10/2005]
Changes to The Folding
Society and the
web pages
The new team is in the
process of taking over the running of The Folding Society. The transfer
of control should be completed by the end of October. This is also
resulting the the web pages being moved to a new location (though the
web page address will not change), which may cause some minor
disruption for a few days, and will also mean that there will be less
updates for a few days as well. After that, the format of the news page
will change too - more information on this soon. There will also be
some changes in the structure and content of the web pages, though
these make take a little longer. [26/10/2005]
Recovery
of stolen Bromptons
We recently received an email containing the following news:
From
this week's
Islington Tribune:
Police
find
designer bikes
DESIGNER
bicycles were recovered by police who raided a house in Edwards Park
Mews, Barnsbury, on Saturday, writes Mark Blunden. Five of the
distinctive foldaway Brompton bikes, popular with commuters, were found
by officers from Islington police's intelligence unit. An
American-import, yellow-framed Spicer bike was also recovered. PC Andy
Reeder said: "Islington is shocking for bike theft." One owner has been
traced but officers are appealing for anyone who has had a Brompton
model stolen to contact PC Reeder on 020 7421 0244. A man has been
arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
[26/10/2005]
Stolen Brompton
"Tempest
Blue Titanium model only
three months old taken from corner of Gordon Square and Gordon Street
London WC1. Due to complete incompetence and naivety I don't have the
serial number but the bike was an M-type with Ti seatpost and frames
and pedal axle, 6 speed. Its only unique feature was a "Mint Sauce"
transfer of a mountain-biking sheep (from the regular cartoon feature
in Mountain Biking UK) which was on the cross bar just beyond the
Brompton logo (no doubt they've scratched this off now anyway). They
cut clean through my Bikehut padlock and left the remains there to let
me see what a complete twat I was to rely on a totally inadequate lock.
I mourn my beautiful machine but don't expect to see it again...... If
anyone should spot it however PLEASE CONTACT ME AT
m.e.percival@ntlworld.com or 07801948129. Thank you." [21/10/2005]
Brompton
S2L-X
The new super lightweight Bromptons have created quite a lot of
interest, though information is still a bit limited - Brompton's own
web site STILL does not seem to have details of the new product range,
including the super lightweights, many months after their launch. We
don't have details her on the foldsoc web site either - because
Brompton haven't sent us the information thye promised (more than one)
to supply. Whatever the shortcomings of the communications process,
there is no doubting that the new models are very appealing, although
there is naturally a price to be paid to have on of the super light
version with titanium forks etc. A price perhaps, but Bromptons hold
their value well, so perhaps the COST of ownership, given the
advantages both when riding and when carrying the folded bike, is not
so great. We have already featured a report from an owner of one of the
more conventionally specified machines, but a lot of us found the new
two-speed super lightweight an attractive proposition for commuting.
The question on this model has to be whether at this price, the
limiations in terms of other types of riding are acceptable. We now
have an owner's report on the S2L-X model, which may help to answer the
question - read
the report here. [14/10/2005]
Yet
ANOTHER wet Origami Ride!
After
wet rides in August and
September, we thought we were due for a dry day. Everything went well
in terms of weather until lunch time, but it was very wet for
the
return ride to Leamington Spa from Kenilworth (where we had a good
lunch). The Aussies ducked (sorry!) out at this stage, taking a taxi,
but our New Zealand contingent were more accustomed to such conditions,
and coped admirably. 16 enthusiasts started out, with the usual strong
representation of Bromptons and Moultons, plus a couple of Dahons, a
Birdy Red and an Airnimal Rhino. I suppose the fact that 3 of the bikes
had Rohloff hubs is an indicator that the ride attracts enthusiasts!
The person who seemed most pleased by the weather was Paul Evans -
though only because it proved that it was not the fact that he had been
leading the last two rides which was the reason for the rain then! Our
leader this time was John Hall, who found a splendid route, and we
really can't blame him for the weather (any more than we blame Paul for
wet August and September rides). On the basis that things go in threes,
we hope that the next ride, starting from Milton Keynes, will be
blessed with better weather. [14/10/2005]
Above: The ride started at the Pump Rooms at Leamington Spa. Note the Airnimal Rhino in the centre of the picture ...
Above: Left - the Rhino featured this device (with handlebar-mounted control) for adjusting the front suspension stiffness while riding! Right Despite the rain, the smiles show that we really enjoyed ourselves (organiser John Hall in foreground left).
Stolen
Brompton
Black
Brompton T5 (bought Feb 1999)
frame number 147441 with front pannier block, folding pedal, Schwalbe
Marathons, handlebar reinforcing rod, and rear LED/reflector under
saddle. Stolen from outside the Narrowboat pub on Baldwin Terrace in
Islington on the evening of Thursday 15 September 2005. Email to
dot@dotat.at or phone 07970 401 426. [16/09/2005]
More
on the Pashley Moulton TSR
BikeBiz has more
information
on the new Pashley Moulton TSR, which has been launched at the IFMA
Show - see http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=5970. In particular, the
models which will be
available are listed, with UK prices:
The
TSR30
(£1450 RRP) features Campagnolo Veloce 3x10
transmission
The TSR27 (£1095) is equipped with SRAM DualDrive 3x9
transmission
The TSR8 city bike (£995) is equipped with a Sturmey Archer
Phoenix 8 hub gear
(£100 less in each case for the non-separable frame versions)
The Campag equipped model will presumably be aimed at the sports rider: despite the large number of gears, Campag usually means quite high gears and closely spaced ratios, though if, as I've been told, non-Campag chainrings are used, some useful low gears will be available as well. Personally I'd like to hve seen a 9-speed Shimano derailleur equipped model, using a Megarange cassette, and a Rohloff 14-speed hub geared model in the range. [16/09/2005]
Folders,
and MORE folders, in the New York Times
Following
an article on folders and
their owners in the business section of the NYT on 11 September,
today's issue carries another article, this time under the 'Physical
Culture' banner, and specifically dealing with higher performance
lightweight folders. Folders do at last seem to be attracting positive
mainstream media attention, which has to be good news. [15/09/2005]
The
Pashley Moulton TSR
This
is the replacement for what was
known as the Moulton APB (All Purpose Bicycle). Apparently more news is
going to be available on 17th September at http://www.tsr.uk.com/
. I'm not
sure what if anything it will add to the information given in the
latest issue of The Moultoneer. One bike was on show briefly at the
Moulton Bradford on Avon Weekend at the beginning of the month, but was
not available for riding. It looks a very interesing machine.
[15/09/2005]
Swindon
Smallwheels - no ride on 17th September
Please note that there
will
be no Swindon Smallwheels Ride on Saturday 17th September. Normal
service should be resumed in October. [13/09/2005]
Another
wet Origami Ride
Generally the weather is kind for us on the monthly Origami rides, but,
following a very wet event in August, the weather was poor again for
the September ride. Unlike last month, it was raining quite hard when
the start time, 11:00am, was reached, so we delayed leaving the
Tearooms at Meriden, and we also decided a shorter ride than originally
planned was in order. Organiser Paul Evans quickly worked out an
alternative route, so when we left about twenty minutes later, we made
our way via Maxstoke and Coleshill to the National Motorcycle Museum at
Bickenhill. Much of this was on roads we hadn't used before, but this
turned out to be an inspired choice of route - quiet roads and pleasant
surroundings; the rain was fairly light until the very final stages of
the outward journey, when it became harder, and we were glad to reach
the museum and retire to the resaurant for lunch. Most of the group
made a visit to the shop in the museum, though we didn't actually go
into the museum itself on this visit. Fraom the restaurant we could see
that it was still wet outside, but eventually we braved the weather for
the short return journey. At Hampton in Arden the majority turned left
to make their way back to Meriden, while Paul Evans and myself went
right, and as Paul did not feel he had ridden far enough, we rode all
the way back to Birmingham.
Probably because of the weather, our numbers were down to 10 at the start of this month's ride, of whom one did not actually take part in the ride. There were 5 Bromptons of various kinds, a Moulton Stowaway, a Bridgestone Moulton, and the Mezzo d9 which I am testing, plus a conventional large wheeled non-folder. Despite the weather, we all enjoyed the day, and particular thanks are due to Paul for working out such an excellent alternative route at short notice - it might well be worth doing this again in better weather. [11/09/2005]
CycleFeast
2005 footnote
Rather
belatedly, I've now put a
very low resolution version of the video I made of the visit to Holy
Island during CycleFeast on the web. Despite the low resolution and a
very small image size, it is a 10M download, so don't try to access it
unless you have broadband. You can download the movie, which is in
Quicktime format, from the 'File Download' section on http://homepage.mac.com/mikehessey.
[08/09/2005]
Bike
Friday New World Tourist stolen
An American who is
travelling in London has had her silver mid
1990's Bike Friday stolen from outside the Holiday Inn King's Cross
Bloomsbury near Farringdon and King's Cross late night on September 5
in central London. The owner is looking to recover the bike if possible
and is offering a substantial reward, no questions asked. The Bike is a
Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bike. It is a mid
1990's
model.
It has no seat/seatpost, it has the caliper dia-compe brakes instead of
the v-brakes, and it is a silver color (almost a ball burnished
aluminum color though it is a cromoly frame). It has a
Shimano
Exage
crank and Sachs 5 derailleurs, with a front and rear racks. The serial
number is thought to be 2141. A picture can be found
at http://community.webshots.com/photo/443193576/443236400dsQqPm.
If
anybody finds or sees this bike please send me an email to
wendyfisc...@hotmail.com or call (mobile) at 919-699-9915
(INTERNATIONAL THOUGH). [07/09/2005]
Watching
the Tour de France by Brompton
Susan
Barlow and Dave Minter went to
France a few weeks ago to watch part of the Tour de France, using their
bikes to get around, which in Susan's case meant her faithful modified
Brompton T5. Susan has now sent us a report and pictures of the trip -
you can read it on here
on the web site.
[05/09/2005]
Mezzo
d9 full report Real Soon Now -
UPDATED 01/09/2005
Since
I first
posted a few very preliminary comments on the Mezzo here, ATB Sales
have contacted me regarding a few points. As a result I have made a
couple of alterations, so if you read the original please take another
look now.
My apologies for the fact that the full report on this very interesting new folder has still not been produced. I'm still suffering the after effects of a cold, and frankly my cycling motivation has been very negatively affected by ongoing headset problems with another bike - unfortunately one I bought, rather than a test bike! I've managed to let several other people try the Mezzo, so when the report does appear, it should be quite substantial. If you are impatient, here are a few very brief initial reactions:
1. The bike
looks
extremely well made and robust.
2. I haven't done any weighing yet, but I'd guess it might be just a
shade lighter than a Brompton, but not a lot. However, I find it much
easier to carry when folded, as the balance is better, and the pedal
does not dig into my leg while carrying it, as it does with a Brompton.
I tested this impression by carrying the bike off the train at Platform
1 at Birmingham New Street, up the stairs, and along to the top of the
stairs for Platform 12 without having to put the bike down - with the
Brompton I would have had to stop at least twice. It is also easier to
carry when unfolded, as a very robust catch prevents the rear triangle
dropping when the bike is lifted - it's very easy to release the catch
when folding though.
3. The folded size is quite compact, though larger than a Brompton. To
get a reasonably riding position, I have to reverse the seat post in
order to move the saddle back (even though I am very short), and this
increases the folded size - like the Brompton.
4. The first stage of the fold can be to park the bike on the (very
solid) rear carrier, again like the Brompton, which is convenient just
for parking the bike, though not very stable in this position.
5. Folding is reasonably easy and convenient, though the extra step to
flip the front wheel under means that the Brompton wins in this respect.
6. Unfolding is slightly more awkward - when flipping the front wheel
out, it tends
to catch on
the quick release skewer, and quite
a bit of fiddling is
necessary to lock the front wheel in place - at least on the test bike.
The QR skewer is not only
used to hold the wheel in the forks (it is also
a
safety catch to hold the front wheel flipping catch - very important) -
to get the front wheel out, you have to remove two small allen bolts.
No key is provided, and nor is there a pump or anywhere to mount one,
so perhaps owners aren't expected to fix their own punctures!
7. The odd steerer/handlebar arrangement means that a Brompton-style
front bag cannot be fitted. At the back the large carrier will take the
rather narrow, upright Carradice bag designed for folders, but of
course it must be removed when parking or folding. I doubt that the
Velcro used to secure this particular bag would stand up to frequent
use in this way. I believe Mezzo are looking at some form of quick
release luggage.
8. On the road, everyone is hugely impressed by the stability - by far
the best 16 inch wheeled bike in terms of neutral handling, and better
than many 20 inch wheeled machines ...
9. BUT, although the low-pressure tyres give a reasonably comfortable
ride, they feel as though they have very high rolling resistance,
resulting in quite a sluggish feel. Mudguard clearances are very
slender - Scorcher tyres would not fit, though
Schwalbe
Marathons, Brompton, Stelvio and Primo tyres are
OK.
The rear brake is very poor
- a change of shoes might help, but I think
the rim surface finish may be a contributor - ATB Sales are not
aware of any
problem in this respect, so I must investigate further.
The bike
is
incredibly low geared, though not
as low (numerically) as I at first thought, as apparently a 52-tooth
chainring is now being used instead of the original 48-tooth referred
to in early specifications -
top gear is about 71 inches,
which
is distinctly
low - even
by my standards (and I am an elderly, weak
rider who likes to have his bike a bit low geared). Bottom gear at 31.5
inches is fine, though the sluggish tyres mean that you do need to make
more use of the lower gears than you might expect. Using a larger
chainring
(if
you could get one)
would raise the overall gearing, though it is a pity to lose the low
gears in the process. The root of the problem
is that the 9-speed rear cassette is a 12-27. The 9 gears are far too
close - when you need to change gear, you will almost always need to
change 2 or even 3 times. The bike uses a Shimano Capreo rear mech and
changer on the bars (an unusual combination of a rapid-fire-style lever
to change down, and a button to change up). Capreo is intended for
small wheeled bikes - but it is usually
the cassette, with 9-26 or 9-28 teeth,
which make it particularly suitable for the small-wheels (the 9 tooth
cog raises the highest gear to compensate for the wheel size). Yet
Mezzo fit a non-Capreo cassette, and don't even choose the far more
suitable 11-32 or even 11-34 used by most other folder manufacturers -
these clusters provide a slightly higher top gear, and a wider range.
On the face of it, the choice seems inexplicable. However, it's worth
noting that in top gear, the chain runs very close to the chainstays,
and although
the 11 tooth
sprocket would clear, I am told,
it's possible that in fact a 9
tooth Capreo cluster could not be used for this reason (I have not had an
opportunity to test
this).
Initial impressions are that the bike has some good points, and shows promise, but also has some significant shortcomings at present. However, please wait for the full report, and/or try it yourself, before coming to definite conclusions. I hope to have the full report available within a couple of weeks, though if I'm able to hang onto it for longer, I may later add an extended report after that.
ATB Sales have discussed the gearing with me at length, and are emphatic that the choice of ratios was given a great deal of thought, and was chosen specifically to suit the target market. Furthermore, the rear cluster could relatively easily be changed to meet the needs of an individual owner - eg 11-32, giving gears of 25 - 77 inches. Personally, and those who have tried the bike seem to feel as I do, I still think the gearing is on the low side, and actually I am infamous for preferring gears on the low side. ATB also state that the Capreo cluster was deliberately not used as the alternative gear choices would not then be available (Capreo is normally only 9-26 or 9-28), and furthermore it is a unique system, so spares etc might be more of a problem in the future. I can only accept that this is indeed a deliberate, planned, choice, but it isn't one that I think is the most appropriate for a bike of this kind and it's intended market, and others who have tried the bike while I've had it seem to have felt as I do. I think we just have to agree to differ on the question of the gear range and spacing, and prospective owners must come to their own conclusions. After talking to ATB Sales I plan to try fitting some different tyres, and also investigating alternative brake blocks - I hope to do this and produce a final report within the next 2 weeks.
Original report posted 29/08/2005. Additions/changes in blue made on 01/09/2005.
Odds
and ends ...
The
photograph on the right was
sent by Dave
Mytton, who
spotted this location in London.
Trevor Batchelor spotted a review of a large-wheeled bike with couplings on an American web site - you can see it if you are interested at http://roadbikerider.com/producttests.htm.
Bike Friday have a very low resolution monochrome picture of their new recumbent folding bicycle, which replaces the SatRday, on their web site - try looking in the section by Fred the office parakeet! Little can be learned from this picture, and it seems likely that it will be at least a couple of months before it is launched.
According to Bikebiz.com, Dahon are set to launch some new models at the show in early September. Their 2006 catalogue seems to include even more models than there have been in the past, with some eye catching innovations. It's worth bearing in mind that, based on past expereince, the 2006 models will not become available until well into that year, and probably not until the middle of 2006 in the UK, so I would not put off buying any current products. [26/08/2005]
CycleFeast
2006 - 14th-21st July 2006
The inaugural CycleFeast in
2005 was a great success, and the
dates have already been set for 2006. Visit their web site
for all the latest
information.
News of a completely
redesigned Pashley
Moulton
Issue 75 of The Moultoneer arrived today. The most exciting news is
that Pashley are introducing the
Pashley Moulton TSR, a replacement for the machines which used
to
be
known as APBs. This is FAR more than a name change - in fact almost
every feature of the bike seems to have been changed. We hope to have
more information later. [24/08/2005]
ANOTHER
Brompton stolen in London
Silver L6 Brompton stolen from Rosebery Av London N1 on 22 Aug 2005.
New rear rim, mudguard and suspension pivot bolts. Raleigh Record (f),
Marathon (r), stainless spokes. Most distinctive items (if still
present):
- PLUM coloured front mudflap and ugly bodge securing
left-hand
mudguard stay to fork.
- In-line skate wheels replace plastic rollers.
- Custom Al bracket on seatpost with tow ball.
Stolen with steel-framed front touring pannier containing silver laptop
called RUBY, papers, books, tools, 2 pieces of 3/4"x3/4"x1/8" thick Al
channel, c 6" long.
Good reward available. Please contact David, both via
dcd@soi.city.ac.uk or 020 7040 8445 and via ljonesuk@yahoo.com or 079
4426 8705. [23/08/2005]
Sturmey-Archer
web site updates, a disc brake version of the 8-speed hub and a new hub
brake dynamo
Velovision
reports that
Sturmey-Archer at last have a new web site, with interesting news of a
disc brake version of their 8-speed hub gear and a new hub braked
dynamo. The link to the Velovision story is
http://www.velovision.co.uk/cgi-bin/show_comments.pl?storynum=731.
[22/08/2005]
Swindon
Smallwheels ride 20 August 2005
I'm afraid I
don't manage to get
to the Swindon
ride all that often, due to the time and stress of travelling more than
anything else. However, having made the journey for the August ride, it
was very satisfying to find it so well supported. There were 14 riders
present, and it was particularly good to see that not only were there
10 adults, but 4 small children as well. Two of these were riding their
own bikes - and very creditably they performed too - another was
strictly a passenger in a child seat on the back of a (large-wheeled!)
solo bike, while the last was on a trailer bike (also behind a
large-wheeled bike). This did mean that the ride was of modest length,
and at a very gentle pace, but it was no less enjoyable for this. The
range of folders/small-wheelers was fairly normal, with Bromptons,
Moultons etc, but Chris Dent had his very new Dahon Jetstream XP, and I
took the Mezzo test bike. A number of people took the opportunity to
try the Mezzo, so their comments will be included in the test report
which I hope to put on the web site in the next 10 days or so - let's
say that so far the opinions are mixed. While Chris was trying the
Mezzo, I was able to ride his Jetstream XP - I own one myself, but
haven't had it out for a few weeks, and it reinforced my view that it
is a really excellent machine (in contrast to my Jetstream P8, which is
about to be scrapped due to the headset - a problem which I think, or
hope, is specific to my particular example, and not common to all these
models.). The weather was glorious, and
there were no mechanical problems with any of the bikes, so it was a
thoroughly enjoyable day. Swindon Smallwheel rides take place on the
third Saturday of every month, meeting at the Designer Outlet Centre in
Swindon for a ride starting around 11:00am, so if you can manage to get
there, I can thoroughly recommend them. Many thanks go to Mike Roberts
for having created this excellent ride. [22/08/2005]
Stolen
Airnimal Chameleon
Taken from bike stand on
Upper Street (Islington), London. Bright blue (Joey colour scheme, but
it's the Chameleon 105 model). Straight handle bars with bar ends,
missing saddle (the only bit I have left!). Shimano 105 gear set. New
Pasela tyres. Taken on the evening of Thursday 18th August, 2005.
Contact gabriel.gilson@bbc.co.uk with any details.
[22/08/2005]
Travelling
by air with a folder
Lee Dembart
recently emailed the
following interesting comments on carrying his Brompton on scheduled
air flights in the USA, along with the two pictures shown below.
I carry my Brompton onto commercial flights, where it fits in the overhead compartment. I thought you might be interested in the attached pictures of my Brompton in the terminal and in the overhead compartment of the plane. The key picture, of course, is the overhead compartment, where my folded Brompton just fits.
The Brompton goes through the security X-ray machine without any trouble, though the security people, who aren't used to seeing bicycles coming through, always ask what it is. One agent rang the bicycle's bell. Because one isn't allowed to take pictures in the security area, I can't show the Brompton going into the X-ray machine.
I live in Los Angeles, but I'm working on a project temporarily in Las Vegas, 300 miles away, and I commute weekly between the two. As it happens, in each city, I am able to bicycle to the airport, fold up my Brompton and carry it on the plane, and then bicycle home in the other city.
If
the folded-up
bicycle package were any larger, it wouldn't fit in the overhead
compartment, and I'd have to check the bike as baggage.
[22/08/2005]
Watch
the Birdy
News
is just coming out of a
significant change to the Birddy range from r&m. The main frame
is
completely changed, now having a Y-shape, though the suspension and
folding method are unchanged. The models now have descriptive names,
rather than being named by colour. They will be available in Germany in
November. More information is available in English and German at http://www.birdy-freunde.de/birdy/newbirdy.html.
[21/08/2005]
9-speed
Mezzo test
I've just got hold of a
9-speed Mezzo for testing. I hope to have first impressions available
here soon, but unfortunately I've just started a cold as well, and I'm
feeling very miserable, so it may be a few days before I have more news
of the Mezzo. [16/08/2005]
CycleFeast
2005 report update
As mentioned yesterday,
I have posted a
combined report on some of the bikes at CycleFeast and my latest
experience with the Dahon Jetstream P8 on the web site here.
Unfortunately, there isn't space to
make my final slideshow on the web (over 40M for the full
slideshow, and over 1G for the video!). I've now put simplified picutre
reports on the web, divided by day as follows:
Day
1 - Arrival and a
fairly gentle ride to Berwick-upon-Tweed
Day
2 - A ride to Etal and
Ford
Day
3 - A ride to Holy
Island
Day
4 - Another visit for
Fenton, for a display of birds of prey
Day
5 - A long, fast ride
to St Abbs
Even these smaller photo reports have taken me to the limit of my web space, so they may have to be removed quite soon. [15/08/2005]
Folders
in a REAL Mini
A
potential folder owner recently
contacted me regarding a folder suitable for use in an original
(Issigonis/Moulton Mini - not one of these modern BMW things ...). I've
owned Minis in the rather distant past, but I found it difficult to
give a good response to the enquiry (I'm not sure that ANY current
folders were in production when I last owned a Mini). If you have one
of these splendid machines (that is, the cars, not bikes), I'd welcome
any
advice regarding a folder to suit - the enquirer wanted to put the bike
in the front seat space, but with the front seat still in place; I
think a 'stick' folder might be the best solution. Airframe commented
some while back that they had made the front wheel as a QR removeable
to fit a Mini, but I think they were referring to one of the modern
things. By the way, I don't intend to get into a long car discussion
here ... [14/08/2005]
Dahon
Jetstream P8/Rohloff hub report update, and more on Cyclefeast 2005
As mentioned a few days ago, there is an excellent report on Cyclefeast
in general by Sue Archer on the Velovision
web site, so there is no
point in me writing anything here on that subject. However, there are
some things I would like to add on the cycles in general, folders in
particular, and especially the two machines I took to the event - the
Dahon Jetstream P8 with Rohloff-hub, and the Moulton fx8 (with double
chainring and 9-speed cassette, so really it might be better to refer
to it as an fx18). Rather than write several overlapping reports, I'm
going to put all of this in one place, the long term
report on the Dahon Jetstream P8.
You can access this combined
report here.
[14/08/2005]
A
memorable Origami Ride
Our
August Origami Ride was held on 13th of that month. Despite it being
the holiday season, and a very bad weather forecast for the day, 13
people turned up (11 signed the register, there was certainly one other
present, and I have a feeling there was one more too). There were 3
Moultons and 1 Dahon, the rest being Bromptons. Remarkably, everyone
was using a hub gear, though Susan Barlow did slightly spoil the
unanimity by having a double chainring and front derailleur mechanism
on her Brompton as well as the rear hub. Three of the hubs were
Rohloffs, Mike Roberts had a brand new Sturmey-Archer 8-speed hub on
his very smart Stowaway, and the rest were older S-As. I took the
Dahon Jetstream P8 with Rohloff hub, partly because many people seem
keen to see and try it, and partly because I like it so much.
I had planned to cycle into Birmingham to catch the train, but a few spots of rain at the crucial time persuaded me to go instead to my nearest station, Tipton, to go by train to Birmingham, where I changed to a train for Birmingham International. Due to engineering works, trains weren't running on to Hampton in Arden - usually I prefer the extra ride anyway, but at the end of the ride this was to be less welcome.
After the usual refreshments at the Tearooms at Meriden, we set off in dry conditions. Paul Evans, who kindly took on the organisation of the ride at very short notice, had found a new route and destination for us at Pinwall, just beyond Atherstone. Just over half way there it started to rain, and this was almost continuous for the rest of the day. The lunch stop was at the Red Lion at Pinwall, and most were glad to escape the rain, though I opted to add some distance by riding around the area - very flat here, though we had encountered some hills on the way there.
Mike Roberts had been struggling to grip the gear change twist grip on his barely tested S-A 8-speed equipped Stowaway on the way out, so, always keen to try something different, I swapped bikes with him for the return journey. Due to the weather, and other reasons, a lot of people bailed out at lunch time, and only 6 hardy souls rode back to Meriden in the very wet conditions. We all got back safely, though we were all soaked to the skin I think (I certainly was).
A few comments on the two bikes I used: The Dahon and Rohloff performed very well for me on the outward journey. On the way back the Stowaway and Sturmey 8 were interesting. Mike had not had time to test the bike after fitting the new hub, and it clearly was in need of some adjustment. It would be unfair to comment in detail in view of this, so I'll just say at this stage that, in the condition I rode it, I did not risk using all the gears, and was not very impressed (my comments at the time were rather stronger!). Mike seemed to like the Dahon and Rohloff, but he found the suspension hard (so has everyone else who has ridden it, and I take the same view). I certainly found the suspension of his Stowaway far more compliant on the return journey. Mike also found the headset of the Dahon stiff - more on this subject in the update to the long term test report on the bike coming very soon.
At the end of the ride our organiser, Paul Evans, claimed this was probably the longest of our rides from Meriden, had involved more hill climbing and was also the wettest. I'm not sure that any of these claims were actually true - I can remember on Origami when only Pinky and I turned up, and we just rode back to his place to do some work on his computer. Certainly in terms of rain it was still well short of the conditions on the infamous Moulton Bicycle Club Raunds sub-aqua ride some years ago! The main ride was rather over 30 miles (50Km), though I managed about 87Km due to the distance ridden to get there, and the additional distance I did at lunchtime.
Many thanks to all who braved the conditions to make this a memorable (and enjoyable in most ways) ride, and especially to Paul for organising the ride at short notice, and finding a route which would have been superb in rather better weather conditions. [14/08/2005]
CycleFeast
2005 report
There
is a good general report on
the recent CycleFeast event by Sue Archer on the Velovision web site (http://www.velovision.co.uk).
I've now completed my full photo report of the event, plus a video, but
the slideshow requires some 40M space, so I'm not too sure how to
proceed in making it available! Add on the video, and it's about 1.3G.
As there is already such a good report
available on the event in general, any further article I might write on
the subject will relate only to the folders at the event, and the
performance of the two machines I took with me - the Dahon Jetstream P8
with Rohloff hub, and the Moulton fx8 (actually with a double ring and
9-speed cassette). [12/08/2005]
ANOTHER
Brompton stolen in London
Red
L3, in good condition, around a
year and five months old - so built in early 2004. It was stolen from
outside a restaurant (Strada, in Islington Upper Street) on the night
of August 11), between 7.30pm and 9pm. It had some superficial chips to
the top of the frame, where the seat post enters and slides down when
folded. It also had a front bag mounting block and a tiny bell on the
left side of the handlebars. Sadly, the frame number is not known. But
if anyone comes across it, they should call Martin Talbot on 07802
277528. [12/08/2005]
CycleFeast
2005 taster
It will take a while to
get
the full photo report on CycleFeast together, but here is a taster, based on just the
first day.
[09/08/2005]
Stolen
Bromptons
While
I was at Cyclefeast, reports were emailed to me of two stolen
Bromptons. Here, slightly delayed, are the details:
Red Brompton L3, frame number 166426 was stolen from a garage in Hampsted between 0715 and 0745 on Monday 25th July. It was manufactured in 2001. We still have the front bag and other bits and pieces as the thief did not seem to have found them. It has a black leather Brooks seat and a Brixton Cycles "BC" logo on a transparent sticker near the seat pillar. Any news, please contact Francis Norton, email francis at redrice dot com, or 07710 864 775.
New orange Brompton L6 (plus standard front bag) stolen from outside a shop on Shirland Road, London W9. Had the new frame hinge. In Brompton's brightest orange. Very sad. Contact Rob Cope, 07941 633663
[09/08/2005]
CYCLEFEAST
2005
The
first CycleFeast event took
place 3-8 August 2005. There were 57 people there - rather more cycles,
as some of us took more than one. This event was an outstanding
success; it was a very relaxed atmosphere, and the available ride
options changed overnight, plus the fact that Jason's distances needed
to be interpreted as +50%, -0%! There were plenty of folders
present, lots of recumbent tricycles, and even a good number
of
very conventional machines too. I'll post a more detailed report, and
also a photo report, later - watch this space ... In the meantime, I'd
like to thank Jason, Phil, Ken, Paul and all the other who planned and
ran the event for a very enjoyable week. [08/08/2005]
10
days with a titanium Brompton
Member
Mike
Smithson has supplied
a report on the new super lightweight Brompton, with titanium
forks etc, based on his first 10 days with the bike. You can read it here.
[28/07/2005]
Wandering
Winchester Way
Led by Bob West, this
Saturday 6 August
ride departs from central Winchester and will be exploring country
lanes in this lovely chalk downland area of central Hampshire. Coffee
and pub lunch stops en route. Open to Moultoneers, Bromptoneers or
other
small-wheeled folk. Meet at 10.00 for 10.30 departure. For details of
parking and directions to start point which is a short distance
from Winchester Station, contact Zeffy or Linda Maayan on
07949924087 or email: maayansuk@yahoo.co.uk
[27/07/2005]
Dahon
Jetstream P8/Rohloff hub update
The
report on
this bike and the Rohloff hub has now been updated after another 120Km
today. [21/07/2005]
Stolen
Brompton
"Stolen from Great Suffolk St, London SE1 during the night of 19 July
2005 where it was left unlocked outside my house. 5-speed.
Reconditioned with newish back wheel. Painted black with no 'Brompton'
transfer on frame - originally red. Paintwork scratched so
that
red frame visible esp near saddle. Back carrier. My name (R
Jordan) and telephone number are written on the frame in security pen
(only visible under special light). If found please contact
rjordan@serlecourt.co.uk." [21/07/2005]
An
early folder?
While
helping out at the excellent
Black
Country Living Museum
earlier today, I came across a few very old
cycling magazines, one of which contained the following advertisement:
The magazine was published on 11th May 1897 (though this particular page carries the date 1 May). What a pity there was no picture, and no mention of the machine in the body of the magazine. [20/07/2005]
The
Dahon Jetstream P8 and a Rohloff hub
The first stage of the
report
on the Dahon Jetstream P8, and the Rohloff hub which I've just had
fitted to it, is now available. At this point there are no photos, but
I'll be updating the report on a regular basis over the next few days
and weeks. You can follow the report here.
[19/07/2005]
An interesting weekend's cycling ... Swindon Smallwheels Ride, the Redditch 100Km, first impressions of a Rohloff 14-speed hub and the Dahon Jetstream P8 (or perhaps it should be SP14?) all in a few days!
A lot of subjects, and you will have to wait for more detailed reports on some of them! Dealing with the Dahon Jetstream and the Rohloff first, I got interested in trying a modern hub gear system a few weeks ago. At the time, my thoughts were focussed on the new Sturmey-Archer 8-speed, which, like many, I had been hoping to see in a Brompton by now. However, the earlier examples of this hub seem to have had a few problems, and the pictures on the Velovision web site of the way in which one failed were, to say the least, worrying. On top of that, a careful look at the ratios suggested they really would not suit me - the overall range is not bad, though well short of a Megarange derailleur and triple chainring, but the big gaps between not only the bottom two gears, but also, I guess inevitably, the top two as well, really would not work out for me. To get sensible lower two gears would result in a tolerable top gear, but a 7th gear which would be painfully low. The Shimano 8-speed would probably suit me better, but the overall range falls short of meeting all my needs (as does the the S-A). Inevitably, thoughts then turn to the Rohloff 14-speed. It's horrendously expensive, and from reports requires running in, and the lower 7 gears are much less efficient than the top 7, with 7th particularly poor. Anyway, I decided to try one. First I thought of getting an SP Brompton with Rohloff, but after talking to Steve Parry, I was prompted to think of fitting a Rohloff to a 20 inch wheeled Dahon - a simpler and cheaper option, and more suited to my needs. Next I thought of fitting the Rohloff to my 2004 Dahon Jetstream XP, and getting a 2005 version of this bike as an ultra-light day bike. Unfortunately, the 2005 XP isn't being brought into this country, and as I was unwilling to convert the existing XP without a direct replacement, I decided to get a 2005 model Jetstream P8 instead, with a view to converting that to a Rohloff. I got the bike about 3 weeks ago, and rode about 170Km on it, but for financial reasons the conversion to Rohloff wasn't planned to take place immediately. The bike is certainly much less refined than the 2004 XP, and the headset was impossibly tight when delivered, but although slackening it made it possible to rotate the steering, this seemed to result in slack in a rocking sense. At the Origami Ride at Malvern at the beginning of August, I mentioned the plan to convert the bike to a Rohloff to Steve Parry, and as he was very interested, I agreed to send the bike to him for conversion. Through the good offices of Chris Dent, I sent the bike (via Chris) on Tuesday 12th July, Steve received the bike and did the conversion on 13th, but was unhappy with the headset. I contacted Dahon's agents in the UK, and as a result they commendably quickly sent me the headset parts, and I met Chris and the bike at Swindon on 16th, where we tried to resolve the headset issue. We weren't entirely happy with the results, but I rode the bike with Chris and Mike Roberts that day. A very enjoyable ride, though very hot. What a pity it is that this excellent monthly ride is not better supported by the owners of small-wheelers.
For Sunday 17th, I had planned to ride the Brevet Populaire 100Km from Redditch, billed as 'undemanding'. A look at a map seemed to indicated that, despite the official description, there were quite a lot of contour lines, so my first plan, which was to ride three BPs in three weekends on three different Moultons (fx8 and an old APB for the first 2, and the old AM7 on this last one) was shelved, and I had been thinking of using the best Audax folder, the Airnimal Chameleon, this time. However, with the P8 (or should it now be an SP14?) available, I decided I MUST use the new bike and see how it performed. A full report on both the Dahon Jetstream P8 and the Rohloff will follow in the not too distant future, but, as it is generally agreed that the Rohloff needs 1000 miles or more of running in, don't hold your breath. As far as the ride goes, the description was very accurate, and the route was brilliantly chosen, so that although the map showed contour lines, there were very few serious hills (I think I only remember two, and both were short), though a few gentle, longer climbs. 5t was a hot day - tolerable up to about 12:30, but, like the Upton Magna ride the previous weekend, very hot, with almost no cooling breeze, after that. The route sheet was about average - a few concerns, and I went 1Km off course before correcting the error, but no serious problems. Apart from the map holder I had fitted working loose, I had no problems. Despite some remaining concerns about the headset, nothing was perceptible in normal riding. The suspension felt quite stiff, but was good for a ride of this kind, absorbing shocks, but not absorbing riding effort. The hub was great in the the top 7 gears, but was pretty horrendous in the lower 7; people who have these hubs assure me they improve with running in, which takes 1000 miles plus, but at present my advice would be that if you are looking purely for a fast, audax-only bike, a double or triple ring derailleur system is likelier to be better (the Airnimal Chameleon in this form remains my first choice), but if you intend to use a Rohloff, like me, for more general use, then it is worth considering not only the top and bottom gears when choosing the overall gear range, but also where the 7-8 change will occur; you wan the bottom 7 ratios only to come into play when reasonably serious climbing is involved, which will probably mean sacrificing something at the high end, a view also expressed on the web site of SJS Cycles, who are Rohloff enthusiasts.
I hope to have more on the Rohloff, and the P8/SP14, after riding the bike a bit more, and at least completing running in of the gears. [18/07/2005]
Discovering
Brompton
James
Langdon is new to Bromptons,
but is evidently completely converted. He got his first, and L3, not
long before the new lightweight models were launched, and has now added
one of the new models. You can read his interesting comments on the
bikes, especially the new lightweight, here
on the web pages. [13/07/2005]
Two
weekends, two 100Km rides
For a change, the latest two 100Km Brevet Populaires I've done have
been on Moultons - a fairly recent Pashley Moulton fx8 (with double
chainring and 11-34 9-speed cassette) and a very early APB (with 3x7
gearing). In view of the choice of bike, the (very
brief) report
on these rides can be found in the news section of the Moulton Bicycle
Club web site.
[13/07/2005]
Stolen
- green Brompton
Traditional Green Brompton stolen from Wardour Street, London W1 -
16:00hrs on 05/07/2005. Three-speed Sturmley-Archer hub, extended
seatpost. Distinguishing features - Stubby Bar Ends, handlebar brace,
black bell, black vented saddle, red & silver 'Wellgo'
SPD
pedals, red 'Wellgo' sticker on frame and 'cyclecare - bike shop'
sticker on frame. Information/reward: simon.smith.06@bbc.co.uk.
[06/07/2005]
Can
a camel outpace a Brompton?
Read Andrew Hague's
thoughts
on this interesting idea in a new article here on
our web pages! [04/07/2005]
CYCLFEAST
2005
Less
than a month to go until
Cyclefeast - for more details see http://www.cyclefeast.com.
[04/07/2005]
A
folding recumbent
There aren't many folding recumbent bicycles or tricycles available,
especially
since Bike Friday discontinued the SatRDay. A welcome addition is
the Radnabel mentioned in June issue
of Velovision
(Issue 18, page 35).
There is some more information on the Radnabel web site at http://www.radnabel.de
- in German.
[29/06/2005]
The
Upper Thames Trundle
Tony
Hadland of The Moulton Bicycle Club organised a ride under the name
"The Upper Thames Trundle" for 18th June, and as this coincided with a
Swindon Smallwheels Ride date, and many Folder enthusiasts are
Moultoneers as well, Swindon Smallwheels moved its ride to combine with
The Trundle. The weather was superb that day - in fact perhaps almost
too hot, so a leisurely pace and plenty of stops were very much in
order. 21 people turned up for the ride, and as well as Moultons of
most types, there were Bromptons and a Micro. Steve Parry had both his
Bridegestone Moulton and Ferrari-red SP-Brompton, both with Rohloff
hubs, hydraulic disc brakes and 16 inch wheels. Two Moultons were also
sporting Sturmey-Archer 8-speed hubs. More details and pictures can be
found on the news
section of the MBC web site.
[24/06/2005]
ERIC
WATSON - MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY OF THE MOULTON BICYCLE CLUB
It was a great shock to receive the news that the MBC's Membership
Secretary died suddenly on the morning of Monday 20th June. Our deepest
sympathy is extended to his family.
We are working to update our web pages, but regrettably the process of identifying all the links is not straightforward. [Updated 23/06/2005]
Cotswold
Outing ride report
As promised, a longer report on the Cotswold Outing ride of Sunday 12th
June is now available - you can read it here.
[16/06/2005]
Swindon
Smallwheels June Ride
The Swindon Smallwheels ride this month is NOT at Swindon - instead,
the ride will be joining Tony Hadland's 'Upper Thames Trundle' a few
miles
further east. You can find more information about the 'Thames Trundle'
on the Moulton Bicycle Club web site in the events
section.
[13/06/2005]
Two
great rides in two days
Saturday
11th June saw the monthly
Origami Ride start further north than usual, at Hucknall, near
Nottingham. The location made it possible for David and Janette Edge to
join us, though a few of the regulars could not get there due to the
location or other engagements. Nevertheless, we had a respectable turn
out with 11 riders - 8 Bromptons of various kinds, 2 Birdys and one
conventional mountain bike. The Birmingham/Tamworth contingent (Paul
Evans, Dave Minter, Susan Barlow and myself) managed to
sample
the new Nottingham tram system as well as the train on the way there
and back, and were most impressed. The ride took us through some very
pleasant countryside, almost all off main roads, and indeed quite a lot
of it off-road. Though some of the riding was off-road, the Bromptons
coped adequately (even my SP with a Stelvio rear tyre), though it has
to be said that of the folders the Birdys were the most
suitable,
and I think that Susan and I were glad of our SP suspension handebar
stems. Many thanks go to the organiser, Jenny Palmer, for arranging
such an enjoyable ride.
On Sunday 12th the Birmingham/Tamworth brigade were joined by Dick Hanson and Tony Hadland for the 100Km 'Cotswold Outing' Brevet Populaire. For this ride Dave switched from the previous day's Brompton to a single speed, fixed wheel, Moulton Stowaway (to make it more interesting), and Paul also switched to a Moulton - in this case a very early APB, converted to 3x7 gearing (the famous APB serial no 32). Dick was using a Moulton AM7, while Tony had his 451-wheeled APB with one of the latest Sturmey-Archer 8-speed hubs. Susan chose to use her regular Brompton, and I retained the SP-Brompton I had used on Saturday. Dave rode to the start to make the ride a bit longer (and we could not fit 3 bikes and 3 people into my Smart!). As Susan and I drove up in the Smart, a number of people expressed surprise that we had managed to get a bike in it - when they realised there was not just one bike but two, they were even more taken aback!
Above: The group before Dick left with the main bunch, and before Dave arrived, having riden from Tamworth; left to right, Paul on the 3x7 APB, Dick with his AM7, Susan with the Brompton, Tony with the APB and Fred with the infernal combustion engine. Below: The first control - Dick had sprinted on ahead: he and Dave didn't actually meet on this ride, so, unless I resort to dubious practise with Photoshop, we need two photos to have all the (foldsoc) participants in the event pictured (and cunning choice of camera angle to almost eliminate a lycra-clad rider of a conventional bike in the background of the second photo)!
The bikes all performed admirably, and Paul deserves special praise, as this was the first BP he had done, and he was using an unfamiliar bike. We must also thank the organisers of the event - this was exceptionally well organised, and with a really good route, even by the usual high standards of Audax UK events.
After the event we changed the transport arrangements, and the Smart managed to accept both the SP-Brompton and a Moulton APB, though the front part of the APB travelled in the front seat space instead of a passenger.
I'll probably produce a rather longer report on this ride in the next few days. [13/06/2005]
Longer
rides
With
another 100Km ride due this
weekend - 6 folder enthusiasts are planning to take part in the
Cotswold Outing Brevet Populaire from Cheswick Green - I realise that I
haven't got around to writing up the Elgar's Wheeltrack ride which I
did a few weeks back, so here, belatedly, is
a very brief report. [07/06/2005]
Cyclefeast
2005
Cyclefeast is a new event being held for the first time from 3 to 8
August this year, so there are now just 2 months to go. If you haven't
booked for the event already, don't delay. For full details, see the
Cyclefeast web site at http://www.cyclefeast.com.
[03/06/2005]
Upgrading
a Brompton to 14-speed Rohloff hub gears and V-brakes
Regular
readers will be well aware of
the superb SP folders made by Steve Parry, which are (mostly) based on
Brompton frames. Steve's favoured mod at present is to fit the 14-speed
Rohloff hub gear and disc brakes. Users of this mighty, but admittedly
expensive, hub gear system seem very enthusiastic about it. However,
Steve is not the only one to have managed to fit a Rohloff to a
Brompton, as enthusiast Andrew
Hague describes here
on our web pages. Please be
aware that the modification is
extremely complicated, and requires considerable knowledge, skills and
equipment that most of us do not have. If you like the idea of the
Rohloff in what is essentially a Brompton frame, and with better gears,
approaching Steve Parry to buy an SP to that specification is the route
most of us will take. [03/06/2005]
June
Origami Ride
This
month's regular Origami Ride will
be taking place a bit further north than usual, so those of you who
have wanted to join us, but have in the past considered our meetings
are a bit too far to the south, may be able to come along this time. We
are meeting on Saturday 11th June at Hucknall railway station, near
Nottingham, from about 10:30am for a ride starting at 11:00. Regulars,
and those living further to the south, can of course take advantage of
the opportunity to see some different countryside. We look forward to
seeing you on 11th. [03/06/2005]
Stolen - Birdy Blue
P80001825
Stolen - R&M Birdy Blue (model circa 2000) Frame Number
P80001825 on 12th May from outside Oxford Brookes University Gipsy Lane
Campus. Please contact Tim Jones at senojmit@hotmail.com or telephone
0776 4482646 or contact Cowley Road Police Station Oxford quoting
reference BG9263041/05. [01/06/2005]
Brompton
models and
options
As we mentioned a couple of days ago, details of the new Brompton model
range and the new options are very hard to come by. Happily, Kinetics
now have the full
range
of bikes listed on their web site, and on top of this there is an 'a la
carte' form showing all the options available if you want to
order
a bike to your own specification, complete with prices. Many thanks to Martin Giddings
for bringing this
to our attention. You can find the Kinetics web site at http://www.kinetics.org.uk.
[26/05/2005]
Dahon
Matrix test
report update
At one time Dahons were not very common here in the UK, but over the
last 2-3 years they have become much more popular, and indeed their
owners are amongst our most regular contributors. We have a number of
test reports on Dahons on the web pages, as well as a special interest
section for Dahon owners. Geoff Dabbs
has just sent us an update on his experiences with the Dahon Matrix,
and this has now been added to his original
report. [26/05/2005]
Choosing
and using a
Di Blasi
Although Di Blasi has been making folders for very many years, we don't
hear a lot about them, at least here in the UK. Enthusiastic owner Robert Martin
seeks to correct that
situation with a report on his new machine, which you can read here on our web pages.
Many thanks to Robert
for this report - we are always delighted to receive information from
owners, especially in the case of the less common makes and models.
[26/05/2005]
Buying
a new lightweight Brompton
Readers may be wondering why we have not yet provided more details on
the range and options available for the new lightweight Bromptons. The
reason is that we are still awaiting information and pictures from
Brompton. In the meantime, all is made much clearer by an article
kindly provided by Folding Society member Mike Smithson,
who has recently ordered one. You can read his article HERE.
We hope that when Mike has his new Brompton we may get a report from
him on how it performs. Many thanks to Mike for providing the article.
If anyone else has further information on the new Bromptons (or any
other folders), do please let us
know.
[24/05/2005]
Airnimal
Rhino News
Reports
on the Airnimal Rhino (full
suspension folder intended mainly for off-road use, with 20in 406
wheels) are quite rare, so James Mildenhall's web log about his machine
is very welcome. You can access it here.
[19/05/2005]
A
new tyre for AM Moultons
Marco Schutt has send some information about a new 17in tyre for AM
Moultons. The manufacturer is IRC, and the tyre is apparently already
available in Japan, and is expected to reach the UK in due course.
Information is rather limited, but it appears to be a high-performance
road tyre, with very low rolling resistance, put possibly not as
robust. It will also be fairly expensive. We will provide more
information here if/when we get it. If it performs like the IRC
Roadlite which I had in 451 form on my Pocket Rocket, it will be very
good - this was the most free-runnin g tyre I have ever used,
and
was
also pretty good in terms of wear, resistance to punctures and handling
light off-road riding. [12/05/2005]
Moulton
Bicycle Club
web site problems
It seems that the MBC web pages are not available at present via the
older
web site address - http://www.moultoneers.net. The more recent site
address, http://www.moultoneers.org.uk, has been reset to point to
another service provider. We hope to get the original site operational
again, but we do suggest that you use the newer address (ie the .org.uk
one), as this can more readily be altered if there are problems. Moving
temporarily to another isp location does mean that it is quite possible
that some links etc will not operate as they should until the problem
has been fixed - apologies for this. [05/05/2005]
Origami Ride on 14th
May/Birdy Special,
and Vintage Bicycle Day at the BCLM on 15th
It's still over a week until our next Origami Ride, which starts this
month from out 'home' base of Meriden. However, I'm reminding readers a
bit earlier than I might otherwise, and including it on the home page,
because we have designated this particular ride as a 'Birdy Special'.
Of course, anyone is welcome to come, with any bike (including
non-folders), but we are hoping for a particularly large number of
Birdys. When we last had a Birdy Special ride, a couple of years ago,
we got an excellent turnout. Origami regulars who are on the mailing
list will get more details in the usual way in a few days time, but the
important facts are - meet at The Tearooms in Meriden from about
10:30am for a ride starting at 11:00. We usually ride about
20-25
miles, at a pace to suit the slowest rider. More information can be
found on the Origami Ride web site at http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/index.html.
I see that there is a Vintage Bicycle Day at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley the next day, Sunday 15th, for those who are interested (unlikely to be any folding cycles there though). I expect I shall go, as it's very easy for me to get there, and also I'm a Friend of the BCLM. For more information about the BCLM (though the events section is not up to date, and there is nothing about this event there) visit http://www.bclm.co.uk. Incidentally, there is apparently also a gathering of organ grinders in period costume at the BCLM that weekend as well. [03/05/2005]
Exploding tyres - or
What spares do you carry on a
ride?
I'm
afraid the folder I used
yesterday did not acquit itself very well. The journey by train and
bike to the university was pretty uneventful - the guard on the Virgin
train was most interested in the bike, though: he was familiar with
Bromptons, but not with this folder. As I was able to get away very
early, and the weather was superb, I decided to take the long route
home, taking a ride out to Kingsbury Water Park, and then back
to
Birmingham International station. This was a most enjoyable ride,
though the chain came off 4 times in (or was it 5 - I lost count) in
about 50 miles; this is always a problem with this bike, and the
frequency is often even worse on the dreadful Coventry urban roads,
though usually not quite this bad on longer rides. The train was
delayed at Birmingham International waiting for a delayed Virgin train
to pass, and the result was that we were able to see the Wolverhampton
train departing from New Street just as we arrived. In view of this I
decided to ride the towpath to Tipton (another frustrated traveller
opted for the tram). Half way on this section of the ride there was a
loud explosion, and the front tyre went down instantly. I suppose I
might consider myself fortunate, as I was going slowly, I did not end
up in the canal, and I was close to the train line, unlike earlier in
the ride. An investigation showed a huge split in the tube and tyre,
the latter making a replacement of the tube (I had 2 spares)
irrelevant. I was about half way between Smethwick Galton Bridge and
Sandwell & Dudley, so had to walk on to Sandwell, inevitably
arriving just after a train to Tipton had left, so there was a
half-hour wait for the next train. Then it was a 1.5 mile walk home
pushing the bike. I suppose I might add that this completely messed up
my arrangements for the rest of the day, which left me even less happy.
This was a Schwalbe Stelvio tyre, 406 (20 inch) size, running at 110psi (rated for 120psi) - I had checked the pressure only the evening before. Both the tyre and tube (also a Schwalbe, specifically intended for this tyre) are now scrap, and had done less than 1000 miles. I'm not very pleased with Schwalbe at present - when checking my Moulton Stowaway for the Jubilee Ride last weekend (see below) I found the barely used front tube had an air leak in the valve, which removal of the valve core showed to be due to a very damaged internal seating. To look on the bright side, I have now taken the valve core from the scrap 406 tube and fitted it to the 16 inch version, so at least that should be useable.
Had this fault occurred during the Kingsbury leg of my ride, I would have had a VERY long walk indeed - always supposing that the failure hadn't resulted in an accident which meant that I could not walk at all. Anyway, assuming that there was no accident, is it practical to carry spares to allow you to recover from this sort of incident? Regular readers will know that earlier this year I was rendered completely immobile by a simple puncture (many thanks again to Phil Griffiths for coming out in his car to rescue me) - I had a spare tube and puncture repair outfit, but the pump failed. I now carry 2 pumps, but this did not help this time. Now I do sometimes carry a spare tyre on a Brevet, and on our Midlands Group weekend rides we usually take a spare tyre to be 'shared' amongst us, but carrying a spare tyre on a regular basis is, at the very least, an inconvenience. I guess that in the case of Stelvios, though, I will now carry a spare tyre as a routine matter in future. But it isn't necessarily only high-performance, light, tyres like the Stelvio which might fail in this way - a recent Origami Ride was enlivened by the explosion of 2 Brompton tyres (on the same bike), and later another bike of the same (new) production batch also suffered a tyre explosion. All these failures immobilised the bike. So, it's not necessarily just a problem related to weight/rolling resistance fanatics like myself who opt for high-performance, but fragile, tyres. At least with the Stelvio it is possible to get folding versions, so that it is more feasible to carry a spare.
The Brompton tyre failure (not my bike) was apparently related to a problem with the machinery used to fit the tyre at the factory - now fixed. Other tyre issues I've experienced myself relatively recently include:
[30/04/2005]
The Veteran-Cycle Club
Golden Jubilee
Memorial Ride
The V-CC Memorial Ride
is
always one of the highlights of my
cycling year, and this year was no exception. Folders were rather
under-represented this year - in fact I didn't see a single one - but
Moultons (separable and non-separable) were present in higher numbers
than in recent years. You can read an illustrated report
here.
[25/04/2005]
Stolen - Charcoal
Moulton APB Frame
Number: APB 3838 LR
Componentry:
Wheels DV16.
Handlebars: Easton EA70
Stem: ITM Black
Headset: Shimano 105
Gears: Sachs 3x7
Brakes: Shimano XT
Pedals: Grey / smoke alloy with clips.
Security: DataTag
Oddities: Front suspension grommet on rear suspension ball.
Bike stolen on Lambs Conduit Street on 21 April 05, London.
Please contact Mark Greene (mark@msg67.demon.co.uk) or Holborn Police
with
details (and quoting ref: 2314752/05) [22/04/2005]
Brompton 2005 range
prices, and an
8-speed Airframe
I
see that the A to B price guide
on their web site, at http://www.atob.org.uk/price_tag.html,
has a lot more information on prices of the new Brompton models.
A lot of notable personages from the cycling world were at the Brompton launch event, including Mike Burrows, Mark Bickerton of Cyclemotion, the UK distributors of Dahon, Grahame Herbert of Airframe, Richard Loke of Airnimal, David and Jane Henshaw of A to B (plus son Alexander, who has grown a lot since I last saw him), Peter Eland of Velovision and lots of dealers - particular thanks to Phil Wray of Harwood Cycles for his detailed briefing of the afternoon events, and Phil Carney of Peddlers of Worcester for the cup of coffee (I did promise him a plug here in return!!!). The surprise absence was Gary Lovell - I have subsequently heard that he is in China, but I'm not sure that this is an excuse for failing to attend such an important event! In talking to Grahame Herbert, he enthused over the new Sturmey-Archer 8-speed hub, which is now apparently available on the Airframe (though not yet mentioned on their web site). A subsequent call to Avon Valley Cyclery confirmed that the reference on their web site to a 7-speed Nexus is not correct, and that the 8-speed Sturmey is now being fitted. [21/04/2005]
A to B Issue 47 -
tests of the new
Bromptons and the Mezzo
Issue
47 of A to B is due to be
posted to subscribers on 21st April, and contains test reports on the
new Bromptons, and also the new Mezzo in 4-speed form. I expect there
will be some more information on the Brompton model range and options
as well. I am sure that most readers of these pages already subscribe
to A to B - you can find out more about this excellent publication (no
connection!) at http://www.atob.org.uk.
I'm eagerly awaiting my copy to get some impressions of how the changes
perform on the road (and train!). [21/04/2005]
The 2005 Bromptons -
how accurate were
our predictions?
A few days before the
launch
I discussed what changes I thought were desirable and likely (not
necessarily the same thing - you can re-read this here.
So how good
were my predictions? Well, I was right on the fact that there is no
8-speed, that there would be weight reductions through the use of some
titanium assemblies (but not the main frame), and that single and
2-speed versions would be
launched. I also got it right on the handlebar options. The things I
thought wouldn't happen also turned out to be right - no improved
mudguard clearances, and no hook to retain the rear triangle when
lifting the unfolded bike. Incidentally, on this last point, a member
pointed out that Spa Cycles
have just such a hook available for
£4 (plus what seems a slightly excessive £2 postage
and
packing). It's a very useful item, but unfortunately it doesn't fit my
old (serial number in the 2000's) T5 - it's just a shade too wide,
which is a great disappointment. I could probably get it in if I filed
away part of the frame (not a very essential part), but while it is
seasy to remove material from the frame, it is impossible to put it
back, so it's something I avoid doing). Of course there were some
things I did
not get right in the predictions, but by and large I think I got quite
close. [21/04/2005]
Brompton 2005 Model
Range Launch
(Photos now added)
When Brompton sent out
invitations a few weeks ago for an event in
London to launch their 2005 model range, there was great excitement.
Brompton have never held such an event before (they did have an event
to celebrate the opening of their new factory, but this was not linked
to product changes). There has been intense speculation since then as
to what new models and changes might be forthcoming. Brompton have been
very effective at maintaining secrecy regarding what was to be
expected, and only those working for Brompton seem to have been in the
know. At last the launch event has been held, and we know the basics of
what the new
range involves.
Firstly I should explain
that I was
invited to the evening party - many thanks, Brompton - but although
bikes were on display and some features were expalined, there was no
detailed technical information on the range available. Apparently
dealers had a much more detailed briefing earlier, which included the
various models and options. Several commented to me that the range is
now very complicated, so I think there is some excuse for the fact that
I am hazy at this stage about precisely what models are available. As
the situation becomes clearer, more details will be published here.
The key points, as I understand it, are:
1. The announcements relate to new ADDITIONAL models and options - the basic bikes remain more or less as they were, and will continue to represent most of the sales.
2. The new models and options are aimed at enthusiasts and/or those with a larger budget. Of course, Folding Society members are generally enthusiasts (though not necessarily equipped with a larger budget!), so the announcements are of great interest.
3. The new S range name
is linked with
the use of titanium for the extremeties, but NOT the main frame.
Apparently tests confirmed that a titanium main frame significantly
reduced the stiffness of the bike, so steel is retained for that.
However, the super lightweight S range has titanium rear triangle,
front forks and seat tube. A weight reduction of 2Kg
(around 4 pounds) is claimed, though I'm not sure if this is comparing
exactly equivalent standard and super-lightweight models. But there is
no doubt that if you lift the equivalent steel and titanium parts, the
latter are much, much lighter. The titanium forks are also reported to
give a better ride.
4. The P model(s?) are
more aimed at
tourists.
5. From a range of 5 models, the model range has been expanded to be almost infinite, as apparently you can order virtually any combination of features and fittings - little wonder that I found it confusing, and dealers were rather concerend too. Obviously this is likely to mean that unless you want one of the standard modles (in effect, the existing/old range), you will probably have to order it specially, and wait for it to be built. It sounds rather a nightmare for dealers, and quite a challenge for Brompton and their planning system. Of course this only affects the new models - the majority of customers, who buy from the old standard range, should not be directly affected.
6. There will be a new 2-speed model, with a Brompton design/specification hub which takes two sprockets and operates like the derailleur part of the current 6-speed; there will also be a single speed. In super light form, these are incredibly light, and for a fast, flat commute would be superb - a bit expensive and a bit limited though for more general use.
7. There is no other news on gearing - a disappointment for those hoping for an 8-speed. The information I have (unofficially from other sources) is that the Sturmey-Archer 8-speed is still not considered by some some in the trade to be quite ready to go into standard production bikes, and given that Brompton are extremely careful to test anything before launching it on customers, I think that it is not surprising that there is no 8-speed yet. I am sure that Brompton are aware of the problem of the gear range of their bikes, and are working to solve this, but we will have to wait a while for this.
8. A new optional more
stylish saddle,
significantly incorporating a much more positive mounting clamp.
9. An option hub dynamo - I don't have a price, but a dealer commented that it is expensive.
10. New colours - I must say I was not terribly taken with most of these - see the market note below though.
11. A new frame logo with the name Brompton in much smaller, evenly spaced, letters, inside an oval. I wasn't particularly taken with this either, but it isn't something that worries me.
12. A choice of
handlebars - the existing
design, a completely flat, ultra-light one (mainly for the super
lightweight models, and a very novle new design which incorporates two
horizontal sections, with the controls on the upper one. This looks
very odd, but could be very effective, offering a high and low riding
position, a bit like having drops.
13. A new front bag - smaller and not as tall as the current version - this is really for use with the flat bars, as with these the handle of the standard bag interferes with steering.
14. One of the sample bikes was fitted with the Schwalbe Stelvio Light tyre - this would be useful on super light machines as it both reduces weight and reduces rolling resistance.
15. I don't have detailed price information, but the most expensive super lightweight is reported to cost £1225.
16. Availability - it is apparently hoped to start shipping the new models before the end of May, though this is still to be confirmed.
17. Brompton have a well-established market, but it is probably mainly male, and over 30. They wish to appeal more to both younger, and female, buyers.
The layout and presentation of the bikes at the London Transport Museum was visually attractive, but dreadful photographically. I will post a few rough photos tomorrow (Thursday 21st), but I hope to have some better pictures from Brompton themselves very soon, and will then put these on the web page.
Some very quick reactions - I may revise these after more time to think about it:
1. The basic Brompton remains more or less unchanged (no bad thing!!) - these changes are for enthusiasts only, and will be a small proportion of sales.
2. Brompton have created a horribly complicated range of models and options, which must surely make life difficult for dealers (except that of course the average punter will only be interested in the more standard existing models anyway), and indeed for their own manufacturing team.
3. The weight reductions are very worthwhile.
4. The other changes, particularly handlebar options, are also very useful improvements for enthusiasts.
I'm very attracted by the new lightweight models (it's well known that I am obsessive about weight!). However, at the moment finances don't permit it (for some as yet unexplained reason, the university has not paid me for two months). Also, though I understand and accept the reason for not solving the problem yet, I really would like a wider gear range. Now, if SP would do a relatively basic mod to a super-lightweight to give an 8-speed 11-34 Megarange derailleur (no other exotic mods please), perhaps with the option of a double chainring, we really would be getting close to the ideal.
The London Transport Museum made a good setting for the launch in most respects, but not in photographic terms. Backgrounds were cluttered, and the light was poor, so I apologise for the quality of the pictures below. I hope that Brompton will supply some publicity shots shortly, and we will make these available when we have them.
Above: Left - some of the crowd at the evening party. Right - new frame logo
Above: The titanium front forks, only available in the 'natural' colour
Above: Two new patterns of handlebar join the traditional one. The flat bars are exceptionally light, while the more unusual design allows both an upright and a lower riding position
Above: The new saddle and clamping system. Though this view does not show it, the saddle is actually moderately wide, at least at the back
Above: Left - handlebar stems. Right: The new 2-speed hub
Above: Left - the colour range (the lighting conditions mean this is a poor representation of the colours). Titanium parts are finished in a more or less natural colour. Right - Andrew Ritchie delivering his speech
More to follow in the next few days, I hope, including some better pictures. [20/04/2005; photos added 21/04/2005]
NEW BROMPTONS
The
launch of the new 2005 Brompton
models is
not due until 6:30pm today, 20th April, but A to B magazine's web site
has some brief information now (it must be an advantage to work for, or
have worked for, Brompton!). We will have a full report later tonight
or in the early hours of tomorrow morning, but according to A to B
there will be an S-type - a family of super lightweight machines based
around titanium frames, and a P-type, which will be a well-equipped
tourer. I shall be leaving for London shortly, so no more news until I
get back! [13:35, 20/04/2005]
The Staffordshire
Lanes ride
Occasionally a few folder enthusiasts take part in rides organised by Audax UK
- these are rides from
about 50Km to over 1200Km. 100Km Brevet Populaires are probably the
most popular with us (well, anthing more than that is too much for
me!), and we have reported on these in the past (most recently the
Snowdrop Express ride from Hartlebury in February. Three of us took
part in the 102Km Staffordshire Lanes ride from Shenstone on Sunday.
You can read a brief report on how we, and our folders, fared on the
web site here.
[18/04/2005]
Brompton Launch Event
- only a few
days to go
Brompton
have been keeping details
of what will go on show at this event very secret, and the only people
with definite information seem to be those employed by Brompton, and
they aren't talking. If anything definite emerges before the formal
launch event on the evening of Wednesday 20th, we will of course report
it. Otherwise, expect our coverage of the event to appear here on the
wb pages between 11:00pm on Wednesday and 01:00am on
Thursday. In
the meantime, you can read some speculation on what may happen here.
[18/04/2005]
Brompton Launch Event
A major subject of conversation at the Origami Ride (see below) was
what will
emerge at Brompton's 2005 model launch event on 20th April. We will
just have to
wait and see, but we'll discuss some of the possibilities, and our
planned
coverage of the event, in a few day's time. [10/04/2005]
April Origami Ride
The April Origami Ride was on new ground for most of us - Hereford. An
unusually
high proportion of the 15 or so riders were on Bromptons, and 6 of
these and one
Dahon arrived by train. The rail system did result in the start having
to be
delayed by 20 minutes, due to a train from Tamworth being terminated at
Birmingham New Street instead of running through to Hereford, resulting
in a one
hour delay for four of us. You can read the full report and see the
pictures on
the Origami
Ride web site here.
Many thanks to all who took part, and especially to Mark Singleton who
organised
this very successful ride. Please note that the May ride, which will
start from
Meriden, has been designated as a 'Bridy Special' - as always, everyone
is
welcome, but we would particularly like to get a good turn out of
Birdys. When
we last did this, a couple of years ago, we got a very large flock (?)
of Birdys
at the event. [10/04/2005]
Steve Parry's latest
creation
Enthusiast Steve Parry is well known
for his excellent Brompton upgrades, and he has also modified other
bikes in the past, as well as producing his own designs. The latest
bike to receive his attention is a Bridgestone Moulton. Steve is an
enthusiast for the Rohloff 14-speed hub gear and disc brakes, so it is
no surprise to find these amongst the features of his modified
Bridgestone Moulton. The bike was on show at the Bristol folder meeting
on 2 April, and we are indebted to Mike
Roberts for both the
information about the bike and the
pictures. Mike reports:
"Steve Parry
demonstrated his latest
creation at the Bristol Docks ride today. He has modified a Bridgestone
Moulton this time (rather than his more usual Brompton upgrades).
First of all, he has fitted 16-inch (349) wheels, as per the original
classic Moultons. This allows a far greater range of tyres, and
importantly, it increases the mudguard clearance. It should even be
possible to fit some of the newer low rolling resistance
‘fat’ tyres.
Changing the wheel size would cause brake fitment problems, but Steve
has solved this by fitting Hope hydraulic disc brakes front and rear.
The front brake is powerful enough to stand the bike on end! The rear
hydraulic line is not separable at present, although it is possible to
get a line connector.
A standard Hope hub is used at the front, and at the rear a Rohloff hub
is used. The 14-speed hub thus solves any gearing problems. Both
existing cable splitters are used for the gear change – the
two
connectors move up and down in opposite directions like little cable
cars.
Steve raised the rear suspension slightly to compensate for the smaller
wheel size, and he stiffened the front suspension slightly for his own
weight.
There are many other SP touches, the result is a very pleasant, easy
riding bike that is comfortable and will do anything and go anywhere."
It seems at least possible that the bike may also feature in a future issue of The Moultoneer (the Moulton Bicycle Club's newsletter). [02/04/2005]
Stolen Brompton
Brompton
L6 folding bicycle,
standard green: Frame No 196283, Serial No. 0403024156, fitted with
Brompton luggage bracket to steering head. Just a year old. Distinctive
features: kevlar tyres, green leather Brooks titanium saddle; reflector
missing from left-hand folding pedal; yellow 'Cyclists Touring Club'
sticker on main frame; blue 'Tandem Club' sticker on steering tube;
rear battery lamp under saddle; front lamp bracket on
left-hand
handlebar; steel clamp (Steve Parry) on rear suspension buffer; Spa
Cycles clip on seat-tube clamp-bolt. If you have any information,
please contact Graham Brown, Tel: 01525-402861, email:
grbrown@btinternet.com. [02/04/2005]
Whatever happened to
April Fools
Day?
I
approached the various web sites I
visit with great care this morning, but was dismayed to find no timely
spoofs at all. Later, a couple of sites in the USA had amusing
articles, but otherwise, no one seemed to have noticed the date.
Perhaps they (we) are all too worried about litigation if we attempt
something humerous. I've only done it once on the Folding Society
pages, and once in a Moulton Flyer, and both times I hoped that I'd
dropped plenty of hints, though in the case of the later, Folding
Society, item, about the New Series Bromton, a few people were still
taken in. I didn't try it this year, partly because of the concern
about litigation, and partly because the stories I could think of were
rather feeble (a REAL folding Safari, though not by Moulton,
availability of mudguards for B* F* in the UK, some remarkable new
tyres, etc). Still, April the First isn't the same without some April
Fool's Day stories. Oh for the days when The Grauniad published a large
supplement on the imaginary island of Sans Serif. [01/04/2005]
CTC Magazine
The CTC magazine, Cycle,
has
plenty of interest for folder enthusiasts in the latest issue (dated
April/May 2005). There is a Brompton on the front cover (a similar
picture, but smaller and featuring a Birdy, also appears in the Annual
Report), an owner writes in praise
of the Airnimal Joey, and one of the cyclists featured in the article
on
"Why I bike to work ..." is Rob Brock and his Brompton. Included with
this issue is a glossy catalog for the CTC Shop, running to 68 pages,
and including Brompton, Trek, Specialized and Dahon folders.
[29/03/2005]
Brompton 2005 models
Brompton is holding a
launch
event in the second part of April for "the 2005 model range". We shall
have to wait and see if this means some changes/new models. [24/03/2005]
Updating an older
folder
Major upgrade projects
based on the Raleigh Twenty of the 1970's have attracted a number of
people in the USA in the past, but are quite rare here in the UK.
Member Huw Gwillam has completed just such a project, and the spec
makes interesting reading:
Original Parts used:
Frame
Frame
Bolt;
Rear
Rack (Sprayed with matt-black 'barbecue paint')
Handlebars
Better still, you can
look at some pictures at
http://212.67.202.78/~littlepixel/twenty/index.htm.
Apparently since
the pictures were taken the second chainring has been eliminated, and
some minor changes have been made to the fron end geometry. It's
certainly an attractive looking conversion, and Huw reports that it
rides well. [24/03/2005]
Lancaster Small
Wheels Ride
UPDATE -
THIS SHOULD HAVE GONE ON THE
WEB PAGES ON MONDAY 21st, BUT DUE TO THE WONDERS OF COMPUTERS,
APPARENTLY IT
DIDN'T. HERE IT IS AT LAST, WITH SOME UPDATES. MORE (OFF TOPIC)
THOUGHTS ON
COMPUTERS ON MY WEB PAGES SHORTLY - http://www.mikehessey.co.uk.
The Lancaster Small Wheels Ride on Sunday 21 March was a great success.
I was a little doubtful whether I would be in a fit state to go there,
having rather over done it with gardening a couple of days earlier, but
fortunately the back was somewhat recovered on the day. Train travel
being impractical/impossible on a Sunday to get there in time, I
resorted to the car to transport myself and the Dahon Jetstream XP.
About 30 riders took part (and a dog - see the photos), on a very wide
range of bikes - recumbent bicycles, a half-recumbent/half-conventional
tandem, a recumbent tricycle, Birdys, Bromptons, Dahons and a
particularly large number of Moultons of various types. Oh, and there
were a couple of conventional, large-wheeled mountain bikes as well.
The weather was excellent throughout the ride, which was a fairly
gentle affair in terms
of distance and speed. A bit of bike swapping took place at lunch time,
giving people a chance to try something different. This was a very
enjoyable ride, and thanks go to organisers John Bradshaw and Pat
Douglass. [22/03/2005]
Above: A dog accompanied us, travelling in style! Jon Coulson rode the rare Burrows 2D which he and Ann bought to celbrate their recent 25th anniversary (hence the logo on the bike).
Below: The official group photo.
Above: Gertrud is given a test ride by Pat during the lunch stop.
Below: Just to prove the dog really did make the whole journey with us (VERY hard work for the owner though!)
Above: Two different slightly different versions of F-Frame Moulton recumbents - left, by John Bradshaw, and right, by Ian Bradshaw.
Below: It was rather nice to see others out on folders - these are three smart Ridgeback (re-badged Dahon) folders which a family were riding in Morecambe.
Accessing
old news
This web page
carries our news items for the most recent 4 weeks or so,
and the link at the bottom of this page allows you to access older
news. However, as those of you without broadband access will know, the
page containing older news has got very big, so we've made a change to
the organisation of the older news. Now when you go to the 'more news'
link on this page, it will show you older items on these pages which
have appeared since the beginning of 2005, and the news from before
that is available from a link on the 'more news' page. This should make
it much faster to access. [17/03/2005]
10
of the best in
The Independent
An
emailed press release from Carry
Freedom tells us that:
"Carry Freedom's City Trailer will feature as one of The Independent newspaper's "10 of the Best" this Thursday (17th) when they look at bags available for bikes. The City is a folding suitcase that can tow behind a bike. See more at http://www.CarryFreedom.com."
Sounds potentially interesting. [17/03/2005]
Velo
Vision Issue 17
Issue 17 of Velo Vision
has
now been published. As always, it is an excellent publication, and well
worth subscribing to. There is perhaps not as much on foolders as is
sometimes the case, but still penty of interesting materialo to ride.
There are p[ictures and some information on a 9Kg carbon fibre folder
by Zed Cycles, using 24in wheels (the same size as the Airnimal
Chameleon and Joey). At around £3000 it will be beyond most
of us
though. For more information about Velo Vision, visit their web site at
http://www.velovision.co.uk.
[15/03/2005]
Has
anyone had a
red Moulton AM Jubilee stolen?
A Folding Society member reports seeing a red Moulton AM Jubilee for
sale at
Brick Lane this morning (13th March). This is a location which has
apparently gained a reputation for being a place where stolen bicycles
are sold. If any member has had such a machine stolen, please
contact
us,
and we may
be able to re-unite you with the bike. [13/03/2005]
"A
Novel
Concept in Adventure Tour Packaging: Sail on a Yacht; Take Home a Dahon
Folding Bike as a Souvenir"
This is the title of a press release we just received from Dahon. It
sounds as though it was fun - wish we had heard of it before. There is
a video clip at http:www.dahon.com/turkey.htm,
and you can access the full press release, in pdf form, here.
[10/03/2005]
Renting
a folder in York
Yorkbikerental is a new company which is offering folders - Dahons -
for hire in York. The bikes are delivered to and subsequently retrieved
from hotels or any other accommodation, making this convenient for
tourists. York is of course a cycle-friendly place, so it should be an
attractive way for visitors to get around. The company has a web site
and is taking orders now, although it won't actually start hiring out
the bikes until April. For more information, see their web site at http://www.yorkbikerental.co.uk
Tel: 0790 337 6612. [10/03/2005]
Stolen
Brompton
A Brompton bike was stolen
from the guards van of the 17:23
Waterloo to Basingstoke train on the 2nd March 2005.
Brompton Model T5 Frame number 149427
Colour: Blue main frame, silver forks and handlebar tube, silver rear
triangle
Non standard features:
Contact:
Nigel White 01256 461874,
email:
brompton@nandcwhite.free-online.co.uk
[08/03/2005]
Stolen
Birdy Blue
Birdy Blue stolen in
Central
London on Thursday 13th January (unlucky for some). The gear
with
which this bike is fitted makes it extremely identifiable:
If you have any
information, pleas
contact Paul McNally at email: paul@seriouspictures.com
[07/03/2005]
More
on the Mezzo
Member
Mike
Roberts reported seeing a
couple of hub-geared Mezzos at Avon Valley Cyclery in Bath a few days
ago, and this Saturday, 5th March, he was in Bristol for the monthly
folder ride, as a result of which he reports:
"Bristol
Docks today
- a very large crowd for coffee, but not all cycling. It was a very
cold day, so 2 cycled to Wetherspoons and 4 cycled to Ashton Court
(plus 1 by Smart).
After the ride I took a look around the cycle shops and was surprised to find more Mezzo's at 'Bike' in the Clifton area of Bristol (top of the hill near the university and museum).
This time I was shown the folding, and was able to confirm that the tyre clearance is very tight. This is partly to do with the brake clearance as on the Moulton NS.
'Bike' are agents for the Whyte suspension mountain bike, so are no doubt favoured. This is a new venture for them, as 2 other shops in Bristol are Brompton agents, and they have only been able to offer a Ridgeback badged folder in the past. They have already sold one and have about 4 or 5 left (hub gears).
The fold has been tested against a Brompton and is quicker. The joints do click together nicely. There is a spring clip to hold the bike together when folded. There is a small Safety catch on the stem release, but the basic mechanism is the same as the rear one. There is a stop on the steering, so that you cannot get it 'in-a-twist' or spin it all the way round. When the rear folds under, it is offset (like the birdy) to allow room for the front wheel.
They predict that the anodised finish will be the best seller because they have found it to be very hard wearing on the large wheeled Whyte."
[06/03/2005]
Good
news - stolen
Moulton APB recovered
We
are glad to be able to report that one of the stolen Moultons which
have been listed here - the orange APB - has now been recovered. It
seems that this was probably the result of a recent operation in which
a number of small wheeled bikes were recovered following some detective
work by a victim of a theft. [04/03/2005]
Dahon Matrix-V
Geoff Dabbs provides a very favourable report on the Dahon Matrix-V - a
26 inch wheeled folder. Read all about it here.
[01/03/2005]
A new lightweight
Brompton??
I've
now heard stories from 2
different sources of a new lightweight Brompton being developed (by
Brompton themselves). It is reported to have a titanium frame, which
not surprisingly means that the new model would be substantially more
expensive than the existing models, and would't therefore replace them.
Weight is one of the very few areas in which the Brompton could do with
some improvement, though just how much weight would be saved we do not
know. Now, with some weight reduction and more gears (eg the
Sturmey-Archer 8), this would be a VERY attractive machine. Personally,
I still find such a possible move surprising, and although the sources
seem reliable, we have no firm information. If we hear any more, it
will of course be reported in due course. [01/03/2005]
Stolen Brompton
Red/black
L3 Frame No: 189503
stolen on Thursday 24th Feb 2005 from APU, East Road, Cambridge. Email:
abrar@jawaid.fsworld.co.uk. [27/02/2005]
Stolen Bromptons (and
others) -
some encouraging news
Bikebiz has an article
reporting that someone whose Brompton was recently stolen had been
following up a regular advertiser of such machines on ebay, and that
this has resulted in some stolen machines being reunited with their
owners. Anyone who has had a Brompton stolen in the last 6 months in
London (or possibly further afield) is advised to contact Kensington
and Chelsea police station on 020 8246 9253. You can read the article at
http://bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=5282.
[25/02/2005]
Mezzo web site now
available (News
updated
25/02/2005)
I see that the web site
for
the new Mezzo now seems fully live -
http://www.mezzobikes.com.
Rather than repeat what you can read there,
I'd just suggest you visit the
site.
Unfortunately I have still not had
any information from them direct, despite my efforts. An oddity I
noticed on the spec on the web pages is that the general blurb on the
d9 (9-speed derailleur model) refers to the use of the Capreo gears,
specifically intended for small wheelers, but the detailed spec lists a
Capreo shifter and an SRAM 11-32 cassette - the Capreo cassette would
have been 9-26 or 9-28 I think, the small cogs being the ones which are
particularly relevant with small wheels. If I get any more information,
it will be put on the web site without delay [Originally posted here on
23/02/2005]. Update:
If you
download the detailed spec as a pdf, the d9 is referred to as having a
12-26 cluster, with the consequent overall gear range of 64 in to 33 in
(if you're not into these sorts of figures, 64 in is a staggeringly low
value for top gear, while 33in is lowish, without being exceptional).
Dave Minter has pointed out that,
according to the spec, the bottom bracket height is also exceptionally
large, at least for a bike of this type. I'm sorry to report that I
have still not received any information myself from ATB Sales about the
bike. [25/02/2005]
Stolen
Brompton
Stolen
between 9.15 a.m and
4pm today, 18th February 2005,
from APU. East Road, Cambridge. Frame number not known, unfortunately.
Black , with front carrier & rear rack, broken front light,
non-functioning dynamo system, damaged pedal. email
jo.plumstead@virgin.net [18/02/2005]
Official launch of
the Mezzo next
week
A
couple of members have emailed
me that they have seen Mezzos in dealers. I have made every effort to
follow this up, and, as I understand it now, the official launch is
next week. I'm hoping to be able to get more information on Monday (I
already re-arranged my Friday activities in the hope of getting
details, and have now altered my plans for Monday). It's potentially
one of the most interesting folders to appear, and might even offer
serious competition to the Brompton(?!). As soon as I can get any more
information (hopefully Monday, or at worst later in the week), it will
be posted here. [18/02/2005]
Do you remember Folding Society News?
Those
who have been with us for a
while may remember that at one time we emailed to members every week or
so a newsletter named "Folding Society News". All the back numbers are
still currently the web page, but web space is becoming a bit limited,
so I'm intending to remove these back numbers in the next few weeks.
So, if you want to read any of this old material, do so now, and/or
download a copy. I'm afraid that removing the material may result in a
few broken links - let me know if you see any when the time comes, and
I'll try to fix them. [13/02/2005]
February Origami Ride
The
February Origami Ride, on Saturday 12th, was a great success. 18 people
did the ride, plus one other at the start and lunch stop, who was
unable to do the ride. The vast majority of the bikes were Bromptons
(10) and Moultons (1 NS, 1 Bridgestone, 2 fx's and 2 Stowaways), with
just one Birdy and one V-CC standard wheeled machine (absent from the
above photograph, though I'm not sure why). After
last Saturday's very wet Brevet ride, this was a mercifully dry day,
but on the other hand there was a strong wind, which I am very glad
that we did not have last week. Happily the wind was behind us, or we
were sheltered from it, for the vast majority of the ride, and
temperatures were quite mild. We followed a circuitous route to
Catherine de Barnes, where we partook of an excellent lunch, before a
short ride back to the start for the majority, or, for a minoirty like
myself, a ride straight home or to the station. Leader Dave Minter
found a very flat route for us - good news for me, as I was on my 'new'
2-speed Stowaway. Many thanks to all who took part - we had riders from
as far afield as Bristol, Cheltenham, Preston, Manchester and Adstock -
and especially to Dave Minter who provided an VERY enjoyable route. The
only downside was the absence of Susan Barlow - we hope you will be
feeling better soon Susan. [13/02/2005]
Arrivée
Number 87
Issue 87 of Arrivée (dated Winter 2005) - the excellent
magazine of Audax UK (http://www.audax.uk.net).
arrived today. It includes a 4-page report on a 1000Km ride which was
part of
the Trafalgar-Trafalgar route by George Hanna and Jan Christiansen,
both of whom
were riding Airnimal Cahmeleons. As one would expect in this magazine,
most of
the article is about the ride, rather than the bikes, but evidently
both
Chameleons performed very well on this arduous journey. There is also a
picture
elsewhere in the same issue of that well-known folder and Moulton
character Dave
Minter - but unfortunately he is riding a conventional non-folding
large wheeled
contraption in this photograph! [11/02/2005]
Stolen - Black
Moulton APB12 (frame number APB
602)
Fitted wiith Campagnolo brakes, and chainset, rear carrier, black
Wright's saddle, chunky black BMX tyres and a pretty rusty seatpost. It
also had mounts for a Cateye front light and cycle computer, and also
an old
Ever Ready beige rear light (although these may be removed if it's seen
again). It's in well used condition with the usual scrapes and odd
knocks to the frame.
It was stolen from Cheshunt Station (north of London) platform at some
point today (between 8.15am and 8pm) by someone cutting through the
Kryptonite lock (there was no trace of lock or bike frame on the
ground). As Cheshunt is on the Cambridge-Liverpool Street line, and the
bike was locked in the cycle shed on the Cambridge-bound platform, I
presume that the thief has probably taken it to Cambridge to sell it.
If anyone spots it either in Cambridge or London, please either email chris.wright@harpercollins.co.uk,
or call on 0794 111 4554.
[10/02/2005]
Better late than
never ...
Or perhaps not! My long overdue report on my cycling year 2004 is at
last
completed. Not only is it long overdue, but it is also long, and
probably
boring, so don't bother to read it unless you want something to help
you to get
to sleep. You can access it here.
[09/02/2005]
Dahon range for 2005
I commented recently in a brief paragraph on the 2005 models from
various
manufacturers (see below, dated 01/02/2005). Since then Josh Hon of
Dahon has
emailed me giving a lot more details of the substantial improvements to
various
models, including the Jetstream XP which I own, and have reported on
here in the
past. The changes are quite significant from the point of view of
performance,
and include, for example (depending on the model), stiffer frames,
stiffer
handlebar stems, changes to the geometry to improve handling, etc. In
my earlier
report I referred to "a case of relatively
minor refinements this year", which in the light of these changes is
rather
misleading. It was really a case of poor choice of words on my part - I
didn't
actually mean that the improvements weren't significant, but that they
were not
radical departures from the existing basic design, and that the range
retained
much the same model names. Regular readers will know that I have been
impressed
by my experience with a couple of Dahons over the last year, and the
improvements should make them even better. The market for folders is
certainly
becoming very competitive now, and there is now a good choice of
excellent
machines available from various manufacturers. [06/02/2005]
Snowdrop Ride
Several folder enthusiasts took part in the Snowdrop 113Km Brevet
Populaire from
Hartlebury on Saturday 5th February. One of our original entrants
unfortunately
had to withdraw with a knee injury following an accident, but four of
use did
take part. The very wet weather was unpleasant, but the well-chosen
route and
good organisation compensated for this, and there were few hills, and
not much
wind, which certainly helped. Dave Minter and Susan Barlow on their
Bromptons,
and Paul Stobbs, on a Micro, successfully completed the course, but I
failed,
due to ineptitude on my part. [06/02/2005]
UK availability of
the new Greenspeed Scorcher 349 (16 inch)
tyre
Westcountry Recumbents, who are the UK distributors for Greenspeed,
report that
they expect supplies of the new tyre to be available here in the UK
later this
month. The price has not been finalised, but will be around
£20 plus £3-£4
for postage from Australia. Please see the news item date 03/02/2005
for more
comments on this tyre. [06/02/2005]
Special Edition Birdy
-
UPDATED
We have just received news from Marco Shütt of a special
limited edition Birdy:
Riese und Müller made a special edition version of the Birdy to his 10th birthday. Only 100 bikes will be available as "Race Machine" with 20" Wheels, Shimano 105 Komponents, Race or Montainbar. It weight 9.9 kg and cost 1899 and 1999 Euro.
[pd-f/pdl] Vor 10 Jahren kam das Birdy auf den Markt - das JubilŠum wird im Mai in Darmstadt gefeiert. Passend dazu gibt es im FrŸhjahr ein Sondermodell: Das schnellste Birdy aller Zeiten. Im Gegensatz zu den Serienmodellen, die auf 18-Zoll-Reifen daherkommen, rollt das Sondermodell auf 20-Zoll-Rennreifen. Dazu wurde der Serienrahmen modifiziert. Die Ausstattung umfasst die Shimano 105-Rennradgruppe mit entsprechender †bersetzung. Gesteuert wird wahlweise mit einem Renn- oder Mountainbikelenker.
Schon hŠufig wurde das Birdy von seinen Fahrern auch sportlich eingesetzt: Ob HEW Cyclassics oder das 550 km lange Traditionsrennen Trondheim-Oslo, "das Birdy ist auch auf den schnellen Pisten zuhause", so riese und mŸller-FirmengrŸnder und GeschŠftsfŸhrer Heiko MŸller. "Da ist es nur konsequent, einmal ein Renn-Birdy auf die RŠder zu stellen: Das "Birdy 10 Jahre" ist das sportlichste und schnellste Birdy aller Zeiten.", sagte MŸller weiter. Das Sondermodell wiegt nur 9,9 kg und ist ab Mai 2005 zum Preis von Euro 1.899 (Mountainbikelenker) bzw. Euro 1.999 (Rennradlenker) im Fachhandel erhŠltlich. Wermutstropfen: Die Auflage ist auf 100 StŸck limitiert. Bereits heute liegen Bestellungen vor - auch aus dem Ausland. So wird das Modell schon vor der Auslieferung zum Sammlerobjekt.
The transfer of the original email text from an Apple to a PC has resulted in some special characters getting garbled - apologies for this. Marco included a picture, and very nice it looks too, but I'm not sure about copyright, so I'm not reproducing it here. I can't see any information about the machine on the http://www.r-m.de web site yet though. It sounds an exceptionally good machine - it would also be interesting to see some of its features on more 'standard production' bikes (multiple chainrings, 20 inch tyres).
Update: Information is also available on the Velovision web site, or visit the appropriate part of the Riese und Muller web site for details. [03/02/2005]
The new Greenspeed
Scorcher 349 (16 inch)
tyre
The excellent Velovision web site (http://www.velovision.co.uk)
contains a press release from Greenspeed on their new 349, 16 inch
tyre. News of
this tyre has appeared before, but apparently supplies are now
available at
dealers, including Westcountry
Recumbents
here in the UK (Phone 0870 7401227, email: sales@wrhpv.com).
The Scorcher (as it is known) is said to have exceptionally low rolling
resistance, and a comfortable ride, due in part to their extra width
(no
pressure is mentioned in the press release). The dimensions are 40-349,
or 16 x
1 1/2 inches. The 349 bead diameter means that it fits rims such as
those used
on the Brompton, Micro, F-frame Moultons etc. The thing you need to be
aware of,
however, is that the overall diameter is quoted as 17 inches, and the
width is
1.5 inches, which means that mudguard clearance could prevent them
being used on
some folders - Brompton mudguard clearances are too tight already, so I
would
have thought the tyre would not fit (I haven't tried it though). If you
hope to
use these tyres, you will need to check there is sufficient clearance
to fit
them. [03/2/2005]
NEW FOLDERS FOR 2005
Both Bike Friday and Dahon now have information about their product
ranges for
2005. You can access the Bike Friday catalog at http://www.bikefriday.com/DocumentLibrary/BFcatalog_web.pdf
- a pdf file. This is very nicely presented, although nothing
startlingly new
that I could see, and no mention yet of a replacement for the SatRDay
recumbent.
Dahon have their 2005 range on their USA web site - http://www.dahon.com,
though the UK web site is not yet updated (http://www.dahon.co.uk).
Based on the information on the USA web site, it seems a case of
relatively
minor refinements this year, plus VERY attractive prices, rather than
the major
upgrades of the last couple of years (after he previous big
improvements, there
is of course not the need for such radical changes this year) [See
update above dated 06/02/2005].
A couple of shop
web sites are giving a lot more details of the new Whyte-designed Mezzo
folder,
though the company web site at http://www.mezzobikes.com
is still an interim one. I was promised a bike to test when I saw them
at the
show late last year, but I haven't heard anything since - it still
looks a very
interesting machine though, and a serious contender for the compact
folder
market. Brompton announced some minor upgrades in December, as
mentioned
previously, though still no news yet of an 8-speed model, which many of
us are
eagerly awaiting (I would guess that if it happens, it will be at least
3 months
off). Brompton are at http://bromptonbicycle.co.uk.
[01/02/2005]
CTC Magazine 'Cycle'
Feb/Mar
The latest issue of the CTC mag reached me today. Quite a good read,
though not
terribly exciting - the highlights for me were the review of a Thorn
(non-folder) with Rohloff hub, and the advert on p 75 for the Banana
Guard -
which apparently overcomes the problem of your banana getting squashed!
I'm not
a particular banana fan myself, though I do sometimes take them on BP
rides - I
may see if I can arrange for all folders on the Snowdrop Express Ride
(see
below) to be suitably equipped! [26/01/2005]
Rescued by car - oh,
the humiliation!
A number of local (and not so
local) folder enthusiasts are planning to
do the Snowdrop Express 113Km ride from Hartlebury on 5th February. I'm
very out
of condition, so I have been intending to do a few modest rides to get
back into
fitness for the ride. Today I planned to use the canal towpaths from
Tipton to
Wolverhampton and beyond, then join the Staffs and Worcs towpath to
take me back
via Stourbridge. In view of the rough terrain, and possibly muddy
conditions, I
decided to use the fully suspended, but non-folding, Marin East Peak,
equipped
with heavy duty Schwalbe Marathon road tyres. All went well until a few
miles
along the Staffs & Worcs, when I met two mini tractors doing
mechanical
hedge trimming. I commented to the drivers that I might expect
punctures as a
result. I got another couple of miles further to Bratch Locks, where I
encountered a bike rider from Birmingham fixing what he told me was his
third
puncture. I got another couple of miles myself, then the front tyre
went down.
While I was patching the tyre my earlier acquaintance passed, and
offered his
condolences. Soon after that, I discovered that the pump would not work
(details
not especially relevant, but be assured that I dismantled it and tried
various
things to fix it), so two spare tubes and two puncture repair outfits
were
useless! Sometimes I carry a second pump for just this reason, but
unfortunately
not today.
Ignominiously I was reduced to telephoning a (cycling) friend and asking him if he could drive out and rescue me - as I was on a non-folder, I didn't have the option of trying to find a bus service which might take me in the right direction (serves me right for riding a non-folder - a very rare occurrence). Many thanks Phil for rescuing me, and interrupting his work on the house to do so. I've never been reduced to this before.
So:
1. Don't cycle along the Staffs and Worcs canal towpath for a few weeks, until other cyclists have picked up all the thorns.
2. Check your pump every time you go out/use a Blackburn rather than a Zefal pump/carry two pumps
Apart from the pump problem, I found another 2 thorns in the front tyre when I got home, so that makes 4 punctures so far this year (1 on the New World Tourist last week). [26/01/2005]
Stolen - Apple Green
Brompton
Apple Green (bright green) Brompton T6. There can't be hundreds of
these. Stolen between 2.30 and 5.00pm on Saturday 22/01/05 from outside
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Fulham Road London. Frame no. 203510.
email:
Nicholas.tims@gmail.com
[25/01/2005]
Temporary loss of
service
Apologies for the fact that this site was unavailable for a while
today, 21
January 2005. The web address was registered through freenetname, and
for many
years they have provided it free of charge. However, I failed to log in
to their
system for 35 days (I did maintenance via ftp from another service
provider with
whom I have a fixed price broadband connection), and as a result my
account was
suspended. I wish they had warned me first, but otherwise I can't
complain after
a free service for such a long time. I'm now paying to keep the site
active, but
I would urge everyone to switch to the alternative web address http://www.foldsoc.co.uk
- at present this simply points to the old address, but at some point
in the
future it will be moved to my main service provider, so that I can save
the
additional charge of keeping foldsoc.co.uk. Please
change your we page address for The Folding Society to http://www.foldsoc.co.uk
NOW! I'd like to thank John
Shackford for bringing the problem to my
attention so quickly. [21/01/2005]
January Origami Ride
Report, and other news
The first Origami Ride of the year was held last Saturday (8th), and
attracted a
good turn out on what was a pleasantly sunny day. Further details of
the ride
are available on the Origami web pages, which you will find here.
Above: Phil Wray carries out running repairs on Paul Evans's Brompton after the toggle chain for the rear hub broke.
On another subject, I'm currently doing a major reorganisation of all the digital photos I have ever taken, plus all the conventional film photos I have scanned in the past. I hope that I am nearing the half way point, but it is very time consuming, and some of the reports that I had planned to post here are being delayed until I can get that out of the way. Updates to the S&L list and any urgent news will still be processed immediately. [10/01/2005]
Avon Valley Cyclery
update their web pages
AVC have completely redesigned their folding bikes web pages - the new
version
is at http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk.
This is a big improvement over the previous version, and contains a lot
more
information, though there seems to be a lack of details of accessories
etc,
except for Bromptons. There are a few surprises as well - the new
Mezzo, seen at
the Cycle Show late last year, is listed (though looking at Mezzo's own
web site
today, there is only preliminary information available), and the
Airframe is
listed as having a 7-speed Shimano Nexus hub gear - Airframe's own web
site
still only refers to the 4-speed version, though a prototype with an
8-speed
Sturmey-Archer hub was at the Cycle Show last year. [07/01/2005]
Stolen Brompton
Stolen from bike racks outside Manchester Central Library, 30/11/04,
about 5pm.. Red L3, rear triangle originally black, hand painted with
red hammerite. Steel Wheels. Brompton transfers painted over, PEDROS
transfer on frame. Mark I, frame no 600. One of rear balance wheels
broken off..Obviously it may be disguised now, but some hints will
remain. Please contact
Peter Crossley, cycpc@talk21.com,
contact Manchester police, crime no 320970W/04. Reward £100
on successful return.
[02/01/2005]
OLDER NEWS - for pre-2005 news, please go here.
If you have any news for inclusion on these pages, please contact us.
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Copyright
(C)2005 Ferrets Anonymous
Last updated: PGE 16 August 2021