Author Archives: David Henshaw

BionX Miele Tivoli

The Canadian-made EPS power system was introduced as long ago as 1998, but has only just arrived here in Europe. If it looks familiar, yes, it is the same system shown in A to B once or twice on a bike called the Amigo.The manufacturer is now called Bionx EPS (Energy & Propulsion System, if you hadn’t guessed), but the technology is exactly the same, either in kit form, or fitted to a proprietory bicycle, in this case a Miele Tivoli.

Beneath the surface, the bike is seething with technology, but you would never know, because it’s a more or less conventional- looking machine: the rear hub is slightly larger than normal, there’s a discrete streamlined battery box in the frame, and an instrument pod, but no obvious stray wires or switches.

If you’re one of the many readers totally averse to electric bikes, you really should read on.We’re not suggesting this sort of machine will suit every rider in every eventuality, but if you regularly grind your way up a nagging gradient, only to blow away all that hard-won effort braking down the other side, you might be interested, because this is a regenerative system.Yes, you really can recharge the battery by pedalling if you wish, and you can also recharge it by putting the brakes on. In other words, an EPS-equipped bike will recycle some of the energy you put into accelerating and climbing hills.There are a few complications, both good and bad, but more of that later. Meanwhile, we’ll use the Giant Lafree as a reference point, because the Bionx is the first bike that can seriously claim to be a natural competitor. Price is expected to be around £1,000.

Miele Tivoli

We don’t see many conventional bicycles at A to B, so it’s all rather exotic to us. It may be to you too, because these Canadian bikes are quite rare in Britain. An unusual brand, perhaps, but the Tivoli is the sort of hybrid-style, suspended bicycle that most commuters will recognise. It has an alloy frame, 3 x 7 Shimano Acera gear set, straight handlebars, Suntour CR870 suspension forks, suspended seatpost, mudguards and (to us) enormous 28-inch wheels.

The gear range starts with a nice 28″ ‘near Granny’ gear, and extends to a reasonably high cruise of 96″ – dead conventional in other words. It may be our fault, but we found the Acera change rather noisy and crude. Adjustment is critical, and we were unable to completely tune out the odd grunt and bang from both the front and rear mechanicals. Otherwise, there’s little to report.The frame is rigid, the riding position good, the narrowish 700 x 38C tyres cover ground quite well, and the suspension does a workmanlike job of ironing out the bumps. Rather better than the Lafree Comfort, in fact.

The only thing slightly out of the ordinary is weight.Without the battery, the Bionx- equipped Tivoli tips the scales at 19.7kg, which is a bit heavy for a suspension hybrid, but one of the lightest electric bikes we’ve come across. Only the three-speed Lafree Lite weighs less, but a fairer comparison is the 5-speed Lafree Comfort, which has suspension and more gears, and weighs a couple of kilograms more than the Tivoli.Add batteries (3.9kg for the Lafree, and 4.4kg for the Tivoli) and you hit gross weights of 25.6kg and 24.1kg respectively, so Round One goes to the Canadians.

Power system

The direct-drive motor is 221/2cm in diameter, but only 51/2cm wide

As usual these days, energy comes from a nickel metal-hydride battery, with a claimed capacity, in this case, of 192Wh. At the business end, the hub motor is unusually narrow and large in diameter. Its also a bit special.

If you were to delve inside most electric hubs, you’d find a fast running direct current motor (or its more efficient cousin, the brushless ‘Hall Effect’ motor), driving the hub through gears and a freewheel.The helical gears tend to be noisy and inefficient, but they’re needed to bring the motor speed down to a practical level.The freewheel allows the bicycle to be pedalled normally without pointlessly spinning the motor – some are quiet, but cheaper units can make quite a racket.

…we have a simpler, lighter, quieter and more efficient system…

The Bionx has a Hall Effect motor, but it has been configured to run very slowly, which has allowed the engineers to eliminate those noisy gears and drive the wheel direct.With no gears or brushes, there’s no friction, so the freewheel can go too. With no freewheel, the motor can be programmed to run as a generator, putting power back just as easily as it takes it out.

All brilliant news so far – we have a simpler, lighter, quieter and more efficient system. However, as Professor Pivot likes to point out, the opportunities for regenerating power on a bicycle are rather limited, because most of the power consumed in climbing and accelerating is lost through wind and rolling resistance.The other small problem is that electric motors are never really comfortable running slowly, and when you’re inching up a hill with a system like this, the bicycle wheel (and thus the motor) is revolving very slowly indeed. Anyway, that’s the theory, plus some cautionary small print to stop you getting too excited. How does the Bionx actually perform on the road?

There are four buttons in the handlebar-mounted pod: an on-off switch, another for setting the odometer and other things, and the two power controls: ‘+A’ and ‘-G’.There are four power steps and four regeneration steps, with a neutral position in the middle. Prod the +A button and power increases, press -G and it reduces, or starts to regenerate if you go far enough.The liquid crystal display includes a speedometer (only in kilometres, the swine), a resettable odometer, and a regenerate/power meter. There’s also a very effective backlight and an alarm. Being a pedelec, the Bionx doesn’t have a throttle control, because power comes in only when sensors register pedal effort. Quite right too.

Ever since we began grinding, whining and occasionally smouldering up hills on these machines, we’ve grappled with describing power-assist sensations. In this case, you start to pedal and – without a sound – there’s a gentle push, rather like sitting behind a powerful but silent locomotive.The power meter confirms that something is going on, as the onboard computer matches the assistance to your pedal effort. Just once in a while, it changes it’s mind, and you feel a gentle nudge. Otherwise, you’re only really aware that the ground is moving by more rapidly than normal. In heavy traffic, it’s impossible to tell that the motor is doing its stuff without checking the meter, but on a quiet road, those with excellent hearing may detect a tiny hum at full power. Subtle stuff.

Clever stuff. A metal plate screws to the bottle cage braze- ons, providing a quick release base for the battery, which is locked in place. It can either be charged in situ or removed

On the flat, or gentle gradients up to about 7% (1:15), the bike glides effortlessly up to a maximum of 20mph with just a whisper of power assistance (rate 1 or 2). On steeper hills you need full power (rate 4).This is a useful 480 watts, but you still have to make good use of the gears because the motor is only really chirpy above 12mph, and rapidly wilts below 6mph.Thus a 12% (1:8) hill might need the 2nd chainring, and 17% (1:6) will probably need the 1st. At very low speeds, there’s a gentle vibration from the motor, but it’s still near silent.

Obviously steep hills are not its forte, but to be fair, our test bike is a US/Canadian model, electrically ‘geared’ to give a top speed of 20mph (don’t they have hills?). European production bikes will be reconfigured to assist below 15mph, which should boost hill-climbing torque by nearly a third. Either way, the Lafree’s crank motor wins on gradients.

Regeneration

Stop pedalling, and after a decent interval, the computer silently turns the motor off. If you so wish, you can now turn the motor into a brake by setting one of the four regeneration levels with the -G button, or by touching the front brake lever, which gives a higher braking force. Actually it should be the back brake lever, but we’ve dutifully reversed the cables for British use – the levers will have to be reversed for production. The effect is slightly noisier than power – a gentle vibration, rather like poorly set brake blocks rubbing on the tyre.With a bit of experience, you learn to (for example) dial in a low background braking level on a long descent, then gently touch the brake lever for extra stopping force on the corners.The trick is to avoid using the conventional brakes, and if you enjoy playing these sort of games, ‘driving’ the Bionx is very satisfying. If you don’t, just preset a power level, ride as normal, and the computer will do its best to smooth your progress.With eight buttons and levers to play with, it’s more like piloting a space shuttle than riding a bicycle, but that’s progress. And we should point out that power-assist involves only two buttons… it’s the derailleur that gets us really confused.

Watching power funnel back into the battery is very satisfying, although really high rates tend to be short-lived. Plummet down a 17% gradient with the electric brake full on, and speed will stabilise at about 20mph, at which “…don’t get too point you will be generating 200 watts or more. excited about the perpetual Sadly, 100 watts is more realistic during a typical stop, and at low speed, even though the braking effect might feel quite fierce, the output is actually pitifully low. Don’t get too motion idea. Results depend on the territory, and getting the best from the system is quite an art.You’ll be lucky to salvage 25% of the outgoing power, even under ideal conditions. Still, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick.

…don’t get too excited about the perpetual motion idea…

If you’re feeling really enthusiastic, you can keep the electronic brake lightly engaged on the flat and recharge the battery with your muscles.Why on earth would you want to do that? Bionx craftily claims that this gives your body a better work out, which is true enough if you’re looking for a workout, and more sensible than loading the bike down with weights.We tended to regenerate and pedal on those long, gradual descents that are too shallow to get up any real speed.You know the sort of thing. On the flat, even a modest 50 watts is quite hard work, but serious athletes will no doubt be pounding round the block, putting away enough energy to run the telly for the rest of the evening.

One rather unlikely side effect of this system is that you hardly ever use the brakes, except when coming to a halt in traffic. If you suffer from rim wear and smouldering brake blocks, this characteristic alone might sway you.True, there isn’t enough oomph in the battery to power all the way up that alpine pass, but you won’t need to touch the brakes going down the other side, and the battery will be nearly full again at the bottom.

How are we doing against the Lafree? Well, the Giant has a very efficient motor, but it doesn’t regenerate on descents, so it’s Bionx again.

Range & charging

With so many variables at work, range can be pretty much whatever you want it to be, depending on the level of power, and the amount you’re able (or willing) to regenerate.We’re usually quite brutal in our testing regime, but the Bionx responds best to a gentle touch. so we opted for power rate 1 or 2 where the undulations were generally upward, and regeneration rate 1 or 2 where the going was easier. Hills of 10% and above demand full power to keep momentum up.

As you ride, the power gauge moves down the scale with alarming speed, but the motor continues to run for long after the gauge has given up and gone home. It’s hard to put a precise figure on the range because downhill runs keep restoring the status quo, and the computer gradually turns down the gas, rather than cutting the motor off.

Blast along on full power without a care in the world, and range can be as little as ten miles, but 15 miles is easy with a bit of care, and if you work hard at your regeneration, 22 miles is possible. Obviously, the battery will last all day if you don’t use it much (Bionx claim up to 50 miles), but then you wouldn’t be averaging 14.3mph in hilly country – a respectable rather than blistering pace.

The detuned European model will certainly go further, although quite how much further is hard to judge.We’d hazard a guess that 25 miles should be within reach on our hilly test route, but you might do better.

Charging is satisfactory rather than exciting.Weighing less than 400g, the little charger is almost pocket-size, but still manages to fill the battery in five hours, turning off thereafter, so there’s no point in leaving it connected.

At 7.2p per mile, running costs are almost identical to the Lafree, but we can’t say for sure until the price of the bike and spare batteries has been fixed. Range is about the same, but speed (from this US model at least) is quite a bit higher. Charging time is slowish, but the charger is more portable. Sounds like a draw.

…the prospect of everlasting wheel rims might be tempting too…

Conclusion

We tend to use electric bikes for slogging up steep hills with trailer-fulls of rubbish, so we’d be less likely to opt for a low-key, low-torque machine like the Bionx. On the other hand, if you commute through rolling hills and you want a conventional bike with a subtle boost, this Rolls-Royce system could be for you.The prospect of everlasting wheel rims might be tempting too.

There’s no need to buy the Tivoli, as the Bionx will also be available as a kit, but you’ll need a donor bike with plenty of derailleur gears, because hub gears are incompatible with the motor.There’s no price yet, but we’d guess at around £700, which would put the Bionx kit at the top end of Heinzmann territory. It’s not as powerful, but it’s much, much more sophisticated.

Does it outclass the Lafree? That all depends where you live and how you ride.We only had a chance to show the Bionx to one dedicated Lafree enthusiast, but she was absolutely delighted with the riding position and the quiet, effortless power.There is no distributor in the UK as yet, but the company is open to offers from aspiring importers, and hopes to have direct and/or dealer sales established very soon.

Specification

BionX Miele Tivoli £1,000 approx .Weight Bike 19.7kg Battery 4.4kg Total 24.1kg (53lb) . Gears Shimano Acera 3×7 . Ratios 28″ – 96″ . Batteries NiMH . Capacity192Wh . Range 22 miles Full charge 5 hours . Fuel consumption Overall 12.5Wh/mile . Running costs 7.2p per mile Manufacturer BionX (EPS Inc) www.bionx.ca mailr.guimond@bionx.ca fax +1 819 879 0084 tel +1 819 879 0041 ext. 235

Xerama Folding Pedals

If you read the Oyama Victor test in A to B 44 you may have noticed our brief mention of the Xerama folding pedals (‘similar to, but neater than the better- known VP117’).We rarely have space to say much about accessories in these bike tests, but we were quite impressed with the Xerama. Once upon a time, the Chinese produced heavy, ugly (or even dangerous) copies of Western or Taiwanese products, but the tendency now is to copy foreign ideas, improve them, and still send them round the world at knock-down prices.

The Xerama folding pedal is typical. Pull outwards on a spring-loaded locking tongue in the middle of the pedal, and the platform folds down, leaving a relatively small bearing block protruding. It’s easy to do with gloved hands, or in the dark, even for the terminally mechanically inept, and there’s little risk of slicing a hole in your finger as with some similar designs. Unfolding the pedal is a simple reversal of the procedure, the platform coming back together with a nice satisfying clonk.

The useable pedal area is 95mm x 70mm (about average), the stickey-outey bit when folded 55mm long (average again), and the ratio of folded/unfolded size is 2 to 1 – again, more or less typical. But the Xerama pedals weigh only 205g each, making them the second lightest on the market, and they cost £10 a pair in the UK.When you consider that not so long ago, a pair of nondescript folding pedals cost £30, that really is quite a bargain.

We can’t say how long they’ll last in service, but the pedals have ‘proper’ cup and cone adjustable bearings, and (as far as we can judge) reasonably well engineered components elsewhere. The weak point of this design is usually the sliding tongue:VP produced one a while back and were forced to replace the plastic tongue with aluminium after a few months. This one is plastic, but looks up to the job.

Just to encourage you to buy loads and loads (they must have a container-full), the importer is offering a further £1 discount to A to B subscribers. Now if that isn’t the perfect Christmas stocking filler for a folding bike owner, we don’t know what is.

Xerama folding pedals . £10 per pair (£9 to subscribers) + £2.60 p&p . Bigfoot Bikes 50 Hayes Street, Bromley, Kent BR2 7LD . tel 0208 462 5004 mail bigfootbikes@yahoo.com

Solidlights 1103

Goodness gracious.There we were, getting used to the idea of bicycle lights with three ultra-bright white LEDs, when a single much brighter LED came along (see A to B 43). A few weeks later, and that light has already been overtaken by events, because power has trebled once again.Yes, the future has arrived, and rather more rapidly than we would have dared predict a few months ago.

Why join this candle-power arms race at all? The problem (if you haven’t noticed) is that car lights have become more effective in recent years, while bicycle lights are stuck in the 1970s, thanks in part to archaic regulations, of which more below. Bright lights make it easier to see and be seen, particularly when you’re moving fast and have just been blinded by 200 watts of quartz-halogen.

The Solidlights range are produced and marketed as a cottage industry, so this small British company has been able to gear up to introduce new technology while the big Japanese manufacturers are still bartering over wholesale prices.Two options are currently available – the 1103, with a single three watt LED, and the 1303, with three similar ‘bulbs’ and three times the power output.

We’ve decided to test the smaller 1103, because it’s cheaper, lighter, and more than adequate for most purposes. Unlike the chunky Cateye EL500 tested in A to B 43, the 1103 is tiny, measuring just 40mm square if viewed from the front, by 62mm deep.The mounting bracket (similar to, but incompatible with, the Cateye bracket) more or less doubles the size.

…taste the forbidden fruits of full power, and there’s no going back…

Solidlights has achieved this compact package by putting the battery elsewhere, not that it’s particularly large or heavy. Like the Powabyke on page 20, power comes from Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.The capacity is nominally 16.5 watt/hours, from a pack measuring 90mm by 42mm by 26mm and weighing 130g (Solidlight’s figures are refreshingly accurate). By comparison, a typical set of four ye olde AA NiCd rechargeable batteries weigh only 100g, but deliver a less than devastating three watt/hour punch. Or a set of the very latest, sexiest NiMH AA batteries weigh a similar 100g and can achieve 6.3 watt/hours. So, as a rule of thumb, the Li-ion pack is about five times as effective weight for weight as typical rechargeables, and twice as good as the very best.

Road Testing

The battery is small enough to fix to the handlebars, but you need to avoid loops of cable that could be snagged

How does it work? We haven’t the faintest idea, but you clip the lamp bracket to your handlebars, velcro the battery pack to something suitable (it comes with a non-slip silicon rubber pad) and plug in. Everything is neatly and functionally designed – one long press on the big waterproof switch ignites the LED, and another long press turns it off, which should make it difficult to turn on or off by mistake with frozen fingers.

The lamp has three power settings that can be found in sequence with quick prods at the button.The lowest setting gives the sort of output you might have expected from a cutting edge lamp back in 2003, such as the Cateye EL200. It’s a soft blue light, bright enough to ride by, but not really up to illuminating pot-holes and other nasties.The mid setting is similar to one of those quaint old-fashioned halogen dynamo lamps, or the LED star of last summer, the EL500, but the beam is broader, giving a softer, more even spread of light, without the sharply focussed centre spot.

Those who don’t know any better (poor innocent darlings) could live quite happily with this mid-power setting. But, once you’ve tasted the forbidden fruits of full power, there’s no going back.The beam is completely round in shape, comparatively broad in reach, and of an intensely cold blue-white light. Illumination is good enough to read the road with confidence, and about the same brightness as a pair of halogen lamps.With this sort of light output, ignorant motorists dart for cover, presumably expecting a Kawasaki G-1300 turbo to spring at them out of the dusk.The lack of a central bright spot leaves you a little short on long- range information when riding fast on really dark roads, but for most other purposes, the light is superb. One of the strange quirks of LED lights is that you might not be able to see the road at a great distance, but the lamp will pick out reflective signs far beyond your ability to actually read the small print. Perhaps more importantly, it demands attention from oncoming traffic at a kilometre or more.

…German approval makes them legal in our own sad, forgotten little country…

Up to now, this sort of power meant great big lead-acid batteries, and/or rather limited battery life. But with its LED ‘bulb’ and tiddly, but efficient, Li-ion battery pack, the 1103 is claimed to run for 33/4 hours on full brightness (we did a little better – about four hours), or double that on the middle power setting.When the battery is almost flat, the lamp flashes three times and reverts to low power, giving a further twenty minutes on ‘reserve’.

The charger is equally compact (35mm x 42mm x 90mm), lightweight (230g) and intelligent. It will run from any mains power source worldwide, and gives a full charge in three hours 20 minutes (on Castle Cary voltage, at least), reaching 90% capacity in less than two hours, which is worth knowing.The downside of a separate battery is that everything has to be disconnected and reconnected to charge it.The tiny three-way connector is a bit fiddly, and would be difficult to fit with cold hands.

Conclusion

A compact and powerful front light would suit a folding bike very well, mounted either on the handlebars or bolted permanently above the front brake caliper. Fitted as such to a Brompton, there’s still plenty of room to fold as normal, although whether you’d want to leave something this special on the bike is another matter.The battery lead is only 50cm long, so you have to find somewhere close to the light, but the velcro fixing works well.

If you’re not keen on batteries, we’re told a dynamo-powered kit is on the way.Team this tiny, indestructible lamp with a good hub dynamo and – for a price – you have created one of the toughest and brightest bicycle lights around.

Ah yes, price. As tested, complete with Li-ion battery and charger, the Solidlights 1103 costs £195. If you want to use your own batteries (5 x AA cells should last nearly two hours), the light alone costs £120. It’s difficult to put these sort of figures into perspective. A Schmidt hub dynamo plus B&M halogen headlamp will cost you about £150, but give rather less light.The Cateye EL500 one watt LED costs £45, but lacks a plug-in charger and is similarly lacking in oomph against the 1103.You pays your money and takes your choice.

Incidentally, if you’re one of these annoying people who can’t live without the biggest and best of everything, the triple LED 1303 is bigger, brighter and more expensive. It’s hard to see why anyone would need this sort of power on-road, but boys will be boys.

We should also point out that LED lamps are technically illegal in the UK – well, probably. The Germans, eons ahead of us as usual, are now approving individual products, including the new Trelock LS-600 and the Cateye EL500 (look for the EL500G if you can find it).As far as anyone can tell, German approval makes them legal in our own sad, forgotten little country, provided of course, your local judiciary are Euro-friendly.At three watts, the Solidlights 1103 just scrapes in under the power limit, but it’s still an LED and it hasn’t passed those German tests.Thus, ironically, you could be riding with one of the most eye- catching lamps available, get mown down by a dumb motorist and end up losing all hope of compensation because your front light hadn’t passed some test in Germany, and our own legislators are dithering in the 1950s.Take our advice and go for powerful lights.

Specification

Solidlights 1103 LED Complete kit £195 Lamp only £120 .Weight Lamp 130g Battery 130g Total 260g Battery Lithium-ion . Battery Capacity 16.5Wh . Run time full-power 4 hours . Charge time 3 hours 20 mins . Manufacturer Martin-Jones Technology Ltd mail info@solidlights.co.uk web www.solidlights.co.uk

Powabyke Lithium-ion Shopper

Technological developments often arrive unexpectedly. No offence intended, but we were surprised to see Dahon taking (and still, to date, holding) the honours for lightest production folding bike, and we were equally surprised when a lithium-ion Powabyke Shopper turned up on our doorstep.

For those unfamiliar with such things, Powabyke build reliable, if rather lumbering electric bikes, and the 24-inch Shopper is probably the least exciting of the lot. Lithium- ion batteries were expected to revolutionise traction applications a few years ago, but they didn’t, largely because charging complications made the larger batteries liable to set afire, resulting in some high profile conflagrations. At least one manufacturing plant has burned down, and computers, cameras and electric bikes have exploded – notably the EV Global Mini E-Bike, 2,000 of which were recalled in America.

Without getting too technical, Li-ion batteries don’t like being over-charged, over- discharged or over-heated. Make a mistake (let’s face it, we all make mistakes) and the battery is liable to tip over the abyss into thermal meltdown – the sort of thing that used to happen to the engines on the Star Ship Enterprise. As lithium reacts violently with water, the only course of action at this stage is to run away as fast as possible.

…This is neither the most fashionable nor effective of bicycles…

Problems are rare with individual cells (in digital cameras, for example), but a 36 volt electric bike like the Powabyke needs ten large 3.7 volt lithium cells, and each one must be charged, discharged and monitored for temperature individually.This sort of thing needs a lot of control circuitry, but as usual the Chinese have driven down prices, which are now low enough for Powabyke to offer a Li-ion battery pack and charger as an upgrade option. If all goes well, it will soon be available on new bikes, and the intention is to offer a retrofittable upgrade on older models too.

So why bother? It’s all about energy density, or the amount of energy available in a battery of a given weight. Powabyke uses old-fashioned lead-acid batteries, which deliver around 30 watt/hours (Wh) per kilogram. In the 1990s, nickel-cadmium batteries became available, supplying 50 Wh/kg, and a few years later, nickel-metal hydride did better still, at 70 Wh/kg.Today, lithium- ion batteries with a capacity of 130 Wh/kg are coming on stream. Comparing like with like is a bit difficult, because different types of battery are tested in different ways, and casings, wires and electronics tend to level the playing field a bit, but weight-for-weight, lithium-ion should be at least two or three times as effective as lead-acid.The 36 volt lead-acid battery fitted to the Shopper weighs 14.1kg, and its Li- ion replacement, 6.4kg, despite being assembled into the same heavy casing. As we shall see, it goes further too.

Powabyke Shopper

First a quick look over the Shopper. This is neither the most fashionable, nor effective of bicycles, but it’s cheap (£539 single -speed, or £595 with a basic 6-speed derailleur), well equipped (battery lights, rear rack, front basket and mudguards), and it offers a low step-thru height of 37cm. In other words, it’s just the job for those who’re finding it difficult to get their leg over, but still want to ride to the Post Office and pick up a bit of shopping on the way home. If you can remember where you were when nice Mr Chamberlain met Herr Hitler, you will be in the target audience.

Complete with accessories, the 6-speed Shopper weighs some 25.9kg. Heave the 14.1kg lead/acid battery on board, and you’re looking at 40kg overall, which just happens to be the legal ceiling for electric bikes. Another gram and you’re nicked.

By comparison, the class-leading Lafree weighs from 22.2kg complete with delicately- crafted NiMH battery, and the chunkier Ezee Forza 25-29kg in NiMH form. Equipped with the new lithium-ion battery, the Powabyke still weighs over 32kg.

At 31″ to 62″, gearing is severely limited.That’s a reasonable bottom gear, but 62″ is only good for about 12mph at the top end, so your typical Powabyke Shopper will be passed by just about everything else on two wheels. Speed is not the object with this sort of machine, of course, but the lack of gearing makes it difficult to provide much human input when cruising along under power, because the motor runs up to about 14mph. That’s fine if you don’t want to pedal, but it will have a serious effect on range if you were hoping to. And sitting still in November means dicing with frost-bite, as we can testify.

Generally speaking, progress is noisy and slow. If you pedal with the motor turned off, it makes a loud tick-tick-tick noise like the cheapest sort of freewheel (presumably that’s exactly what it is) – turn the motor on and it whines loudly. Either way, progress is relatively laboured. But we don’t mean to be negative – the Shopper does what it does very well, and is currently Powabyke’s biggest seller.

Charging & Range

The banks of lithium- ion batteries fill barely two-thirds of the standard battery casing.The wiring is hugely complex - each cell having to be monitored individually

Powabyke claims the lithium battery will give a ‘non-pedalling’ range of 25 miles, and they’re dead right, because we managed 25.1 miles at 13mph, which is not half bad. Actually, it’s the furthest we’ve gone without pedalling by a fair margin. It’s a bit difficult to find the pedal-assisted range with a bike like this because long- distance rides are neither pleasant nor practical at 11mph. A reasonable guestimate for a more sensibly-geared bike would be 40 miles or even more.

powabyke-lithium-shopper-battery-charger

The charger is as big as a dinner plate. Note the multicore computer cable and terminal plug for connection to the battery

Hill-climbing is a bit limited on the prototype, because Powabyke has restricted peak power to 250 watts, claiming that hill climbing is unaffected.Well, yes and no.We managed a 7% (1:14) gradient, but were disappointed to fail 10% without pedalling. Of course, the gears are so low that modest pedalling allows you to twiddle up 12% (1:8) or more without too much effort, provided you’re not in a hurry. Actually there’s plenty of grunt available – we’ve tested the lithium battery pack to 650 watts on another bike without meltdown, so it obviously works. And Powabyke promises that whatever output is chosen, hill-climbing will be the same as the conventional bike.

The charger is effectively ten little chargers in one, so it’s as big as a dinner plate, as noisy as a vacuum cleaner, and it weighs 2.6kg – definitely not a portable device. Charging is quite rapid – about 31/2 hours from empty to a full charge.Thereafter the power to the battery is cut off, but don’t leave the charger connected overnight, because the roaring noise doesn’t let up and it consumes an astonishing amount of power on standby. Look at it this way: charging the battery consumes a reasonably modest 600Wh, but leaving the charger plugged in for the rest of the night would add another 1,000Wh.

…at 26kg without a battery, the Shopper might be the wrong machine…

As the capacity of the battery is around 430Wh, charging is clearly a rather inefficient process, but we’ve seen worse, and the chargers are bound to improve.We should also point out that because of the way capacity is measured, those 430 Li-ion watts are much perkier than other types – think of it as a very big battery.

Conclusion

Powabyke expects to sell Lithium-ion versions of its everyday bikes for a premium of less than £150. If they can do this, the technology suddenly looks very attractive, because this battery will not only extend your range but give more charges. Lithium-ion batteries are claimed to recharge 1,000 times, against 300 or so for lead-acid. However, we think lithium-ion batteries only really make sense on a lightweight bike. At 26kg without a battery, the Powabyke Shopper might be the wrong machine to put it on.

The retro-fit battery and charger kit is expected to sell for £200, which makes sense if you want to upgrade a cherished Powabyke. But be warned, for technical reasons the control circuitry on an older bike may not allow the Li-ion battery to discharge fully, so you may not get the full benefit.

Now that the technology has been tamed, it seems inevitable that lithium-ion batteries will start to appear on lighter, smarter bikes (Powabyke clams to have a 25kg model in the pipeline). In theory, at least, this battery would give a really efficient electric bikes a cross-country range of 55 miles, with a recharge time of only 31/2 hours. In all fairness, the Powabyke Shopper is unlikely to be at the vanguard of the coming revolution, but it has broken new ground, nonetheless.

Specification

Powabyke Li-ion Shopper estimated cost £750 . Weight bicycle 25.9kg battery 14.1kg total 40kg Gear System Shimano 6-speed SIS . Gear Ratios 31″ – 62″ .Manufacturer Powabyke tel 01225 443737 mail sales@powabyke.com web www.powabyke.com

Small Tyre Design

The subject of tyre technology comes up rather frequently on these pages, mainly because their inherently higher rolling resistance tends to put small-wheelers at the cutting edge.

In the mid-1990s, small tyres were at a considerable disadvantage against their bigger cousins in terms of rolling efficiency, but this was much reduced with the arrival of the Primo and Brompton tyres, whose paper-thin sidewalls flexed more easily as the tyre rolled, reducing rolling resistance. Ever since, the boffins have been burning the midnight oil searching for further gains, with the primary work being carried out at Greenspeed, the Australian recumbent manufacturer, and Brompton. Folding bikes need small wheels for reasons of folded size, of course, but recumbent designers are showing an interest in the same tyres, primarily looking for a small frontal area and reduced wind resistance. As we saw in A to B 39, Greenspeed is starting to adopt the 16-inch (more correctly 349mm) tyre on its recumbent trikes for just these reasons, and I am indebted to the company for access to its latest research in reducing the already small rolling penalty inherent with these tyres.

The Theory

Why does a tyre experience rolling resistance? Most of the energy is absorbed around the contact patch, the crucial zone where the doughnut-shaped tyre and inner tube mould themselves briefly to the flat road surface. If tyres were 100% springy, this wouldn’t matter (although the rider would probably fly off on the first bump), but rubber exhibits a useful self-damping characteristic known as ‘hysteresis’, which effectively means that not all the deformation energy is recovered when the tyre resumes its shape. This damping effect turns motion into heat, and the process takes place continuously as a tyre rolls. In really bad cases, the tyre will feel warm after a hard ride. Small tyres offer greater resistance than larger ones, because the more sharply curved tyre has to bend more acutely to become flat, and visa-versa when reassuming the curve.

As every cyclist, motorcyclist, and indeed motorist, should be aware, the easiest way to reduce the size of the contact patch, and thus the rolling resistance, is to put more air pressure in the tyres.This seems to work in two ways – firstly by reducing the circumference of the contact patch – the ‘battle front’ of rubber doing the work – and secondly by reducing the angle through which the rubber has to flex when it hits the road. Watch an old chap ride past on a Raleigh Shopper with half-inflated tyres, and you will see all the negative factors at work: a small diameter tyre, large contact patch and extreme angles of flex. One is sometimes tempted to offer a few pump-fulls of air.

There is, however, a limit to the improvement that can be made through air pressure alone, particularly on a bicycle without suspension. Pneumatic rubber tyres have been so very successful because they absorb lumps, bumps and vibrations from the road surface. Inflate a tyre really hard and it begins to act like a rigid disc, which would only be good news if the road were as flat and smooth as a mirror. In practice, roads are more or less corrugated, and a solid tyre will pass these surface irregularities to the vehicle and rider. This is not only uncomfortable, but wasteful, because energy is thrown away as the bike vibrates – effectively lifting and dropping the mass of the bike and rider.

Wider Tyres

Greenspeed 40mm tyres on the Brompton - note the slick tread and very tight clearance around the rear tyre

Tyre shape seems to be worth looking at. Conventional orthodoxy has it that a narrow high-pressure tyre rolls better than a wider low-pressure example.We need only compare the performance of the original Moulton, with its narrow high- pressure tyres, and the frightful Raleigh RSW, equipped with wide low- pressure tyres. Narrow tyres do have advantages – low weight primarily, plus reduced frontal area (and thus wind resistance) – but do they really roll better than wide tyres?

Whatever theoretical disadvantages wide tyres might have, it seems that when we compare like with like (the Raleigh tyres were not only low-pressure, but had heavy, stiff sidewalls) they actually perform rather well. Regular readers may recall my slight disappointment with the narrow high-pressure Schwalbe Stelvio, launched in the 349mm size in early 2003.This 28mm wide tyre rolled slightly worse than the ‘cooking’ 37mm Brompton tyre and gave an inferior ride. In that case, might a wider tyre not roll even better?

Observing that wide tyres, even cheap ones, sometimes rolled better than narrow tyres, Ian Sims of Greenspeed decided to develop his own. Like the Primo and Brompton, the tyre has thin, supple sidewalls, but with a completely slick tread and a width of 40mm (against 37mm).Weight is 280g, against 200-250g for the 37mm tyres.

Greenspeed was kind enough to supply a pair of these new ‘Scorchers’, which I fitted to a Brompton – easy enough on the front, but a rather complex operation on the back, due to the tight clearances. After a period of running-in, the tyres proved surprisingly fast on my standard roll-down test, beating the Primo and Brompton tyres by a small but identifiable margin. Intriguingly, they were also more comfortable than the narrow tyres, under identical conditions.Why?

Some Experiments

At the same pressure and carrying the same load, the contact patches are of near identical length, but the width varies broadly in proportion to the width of the tyre

It is widely assumed that – for a given tyre pressure, loading and wheel diameter – the area of the contact patch will always be the same, irrespective of tyre width: a long and thin patch on a narrow tyre, and a short fat one on a wide tyre. As the crucial dimension is generally assumed to be the patch circumference, it seemed to make sense to aim for a round contact patch, with the shortest possible circumference. Hence the move towards wider tyres.

Perhaps surprisingly, this turns out not to be case, or at least, not with tyres of conventional construction in the 16- inch size. Comparing the 28mm Schwalbe Stelvio, 37mm Primo Comet and 40mm Greenspeed Scorcher, with the same loading and tyre pressure, I found the length of the tyre contact patch to be a function of tyre diameter, irrespective of tyre width. But the width of the contact patch varied according to the tyre width.Thus, the most free rolling 349mm tyres have the greatest contact patch circumference and tyre/road contact area, and those with the highest rolling resistance have the shortest circumference and smallest contact area.

That the wide tyres should be more comfortable seems easy to explain.The extra width is bound to ‘average out’ the pits and bumps in the road, and we now know that the ‘point pressure’ is less with the broader tyres, presumably allowing the tyre to mould itself around obstacles, rather than deflecting. And as all the tyres share the same aspect (ie, height to width) ratio, the broader tyre is also taller, putting a greater expanse of rubber between the road and rim. All these factors might be expected to iron out bumps, but they don’t really explain the improved rolling performance.

Two possible answers spring to mind. Looking again at the illustration, it’s clear that the narrow tyre comes almost to a point at front and rear, suggesting a fairly acute degree of flexure at the front and rear of the contact patch as the tyre assumes the flat shape then springs back. On the wide tyre, the more gently rounded tyre shoulder suggests that the rubber is bending more easily to assume the flat contact patch. As one observer commented on seeing the illustration, the wider tyre displays a ‘cleaner’ ellipse, and this cleaner shape results in lower hysteresis. Presumably too, the improved shock absorption of the wide tyre reduces vibration, and thus rolling resistance.

Whatever the explanation, it looks as though a new generation of small tyres is on the way. Can we expect to see broad, slick designs on everyday bikes? Another widely held belief is that tread somehow improves grip. Obviously, this is true enough on soft or loose surfaces, but on tarmac, a slick tyre can be expected to grip better, roll better, and shrug off debris, reducing punctures, compared to a similar treaded tyre.Whether slicks gain widespread acceptance with the general public remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, most small-wheeled machines are designed for narrow tyres, and weight is important too, so it’s unlikely that wider (and taller) designs will be adopted, unless a considerable performance advantage can be demonstrated. For recumbents, on the other hand, the only downside seems to be the slightly increased frontal area.

Tubeless Tyres

Experimental tubeless tyre - note the cut inner tube protruding around the tyre. This surplus can be trimmed off when inflated

As we have seen with the Primo (see Folders 17 & 18), another solution is to make the tyre sidewalls more flexible, thus reducing the effort needed to overcome rolling resistance without compromising (probably improving) the shock absorbing characteristics of the tyre. But where do we go next? One long overlooked solution is to eliminate the inner-tube.There’s little point in fitting a tyre with paper-thin sidewalls backed up by a stiff, inflexible inner-tube. In practice, most good quality tubes flex quite well, but Greenspeed rig tests have found a reduction in rolling resistance of around 20% by eliminating the tube, so in theory, it’s well worth doing.

State-of-the-art. Running tubeless, the Greenspeed tyre rolls well - better than most 20-inch and some 26-inch tyres

If you want to experiment yourself, simply slice open an old inner-tube around the circumference, splay the tube out flat and fit it to a wheel, followed by a tyre. Inflate as usual (not easy) and trim off any excess tube. Provided the tyre is in good condition (you may need to add some sealing gunge), this home-made solution should work well enough.

Tubeless bicycle tyres are not a new idea, although most designs have required a special rim and/or tyre profile, none of which have caught on.The advantages include easy puncture repair (a soft pencil of rubber can be inserted into a hole from the outside, without disturbing the wheel or tyre), lower weight and lower rolling resistance. On the negative side, tubeless tyres are probably more prone to puncture, more difficult to inflate when off the rim, and they require some sort of sealing system Black Primo Comet around the spoke holes.

But what of the future? Greenspeed is currently fine- tuning the composition of the Scorcher tyre, a process that will no doubt yield another small performance gain.The first production examples should be available early in 2005.

Further information from Greenspeed

Letters – A to B 45

Jaundiced and Amateurish

The consensus here is that you have not done yourself any favours with the recent Birdy Black test (A to B 44).Whilst we know people will form their own opinions, the feel of the test is both jaundiced and amateurish for what is normally a very professional publication.

Our main bone of contention is the tyre issue.You could have brought the bike back, or at least phoned so we could mail you a replacement tyre. According to our mechanics, this is the only incident of a Birdy tyre coming off the rim.With 10,000 Birdies produced a year, I think we would have heard of any large-scale problems.With respect to the test bike, we also tried and failed to seat the troublesome tyre and fitted a new one.We agree that what happened to the test bike is potentially serious, but it doesn’t deserve the bad press.

The other issue is the taller Comfort stem: we equip 90% of our Birdies with Comfort stems, as purchasers are either female or prefer a more upright riding position. In our opinion this adds negligible weight and cost and adds no complication to the folding procedure. As for carrying long, heavy objects under your arm – we would advise using a trailer.We could go on, but we would end up criticising 75% of your test.

Richard and Gary
Avon Valley Cyclery, Bath

Good in Parts

Thanks for the interesting and insightful review of the Birdy Black. Although you have some valid concerns about the tyres, and value-for-money against the competition, there is one feature that I particularly admire on the Birdy that received little attention: the rear suspension protects the rack, as well as the rider, from road bumps.This might seem a strange concern, since groceries don’t usually mind being jostled, but less stress on the cargo also means less stress on the bike. I’ve experienced pinch flats, broken spokes, and even a cracked frame, as a result of heavy loads on the rear rack. Almost all of Riese and Muller’s bikes offer this feature, perhaps most elegantly on the Avenue city bike.

On most full suspension bikes, one could only obtain this advantage by clamping a rack to the seatpost, but that would be marginal for loads heavy enough to make this an issue. The new Tubus Vega rear rack mounts on the suspended portion of the frame, but it only works with bikes that have special mounting points. Several German bike manufacturers are now making bikes with these mounting points, but I haven’t found any outside Germany.

Charlie Sullivan
New Hampshire, USA

Dahon is Better

I’d go along with your comments on the Birdy Black. My commuting problems have been solved with a Dahon – cheaper, better equipped, and with better road tyres. I’m getting a second set of wheels so that I can use it both for the commute (partly towpath in winter) and for fun on the road. It actually handles the towpath very well, and is certainly better than the Birdy on the road, and even at list price it would be cheaper than the Birdy Black (though not the Red). Actually in standard form it makes a lot of Bike Fridays look pretty silly too, at UK prices at least.

Mike Hessey
Dudley,West Midlands

Bascule Crossing

The recent tragic level crossing crash near Newbury lead to my revisiting a personal piece of lateral thinking.Why not treat the at-grade crossing just as you would a waterway crossing, where the road or railway is swung, lifted or slid clear of the boats? On reflection I opted for a ‘lifting’ design, allowing the deck surface to rest on the track foundation.This design would suit most one or two-track high speed lines including those with overhead electrification.The essence is a counterweighted lightweight platform which sits across the line, and has to be powered into the down position, presenting a positive means of ensuring the rail route cannot be occupied by a vehicle when the road is raised. Naturally, the signalling would show ‘line blocked’ until the platforms were in the ‘up’ position (much as the current system indicates if the barriers have failed to lower, or other warnings to activate, by maintaining the rail signal at danger). Swing bridges exist on the A82 and A9 trunk roads and there is a very famous lifting bascule bridge on the A2…Tower Bridge.

Dave Holladay
dave.holladay@ctc.org.uk Glasgow

There are many advantages – cars cannot turn onto the tracks (surprisingly common), small objects will be thrown clear as the bridge lifts, while larger ones will prevent it from lifting, keeping rail signals at danger.Two-wheelers would no longer have to negotiate slippery rails, and the weight of HGVs would be transferred away from the track, reducing maintenance. (Eds)

Another Weighty Problem

After reading about weighty riders in A to B 44, I wonder if I’m unique. Over the space of around six years heavy commuting from Oxford to London, I’ve managed to break almost every bit of my first Brompton, so much so that the company replaced the frame, handlebars (twice), handlebar stem, gear sprocket (three times), gear casing (once), folding pedal…. and I’m not that hefty (88 to 90 kg).

Paul Mylrea
Oxford

Some people break things and others don’t. I weigh 85kg (big bones, you see), but have never broken anything on a Brompton (or anything else) apart from a pair of very old handlebars that gently sagged at the traffic lights (I rode on carefully).That might imply that I’m a heavy but gentle rider, but my 1991 Brompton managed to hold off a large field at Cyclefest a few years back (for half a lap at least), so we can’t be that lethargic. It must come down to riding style. (David Henshaw)

Towing Kayaks

The Innova Safari - an inflatable that can be carried by bike

Just wondering about trailers for a Brompton, as I am about to replace my 1994 bike. Ideally, I’d like a trailer that could carry quite a bit of shopping and also firewood from the local sawmill.

This is probably a crazy idea, but I’ll throw it in anyway! I am going to buy a kayak early in 2005, as I feel the need to work on my upper body as well as the lower half, which benefits from cycling and running. I intend to use it on the Oxford to Banbury canal which is about seven miles away, along a mainly shared-use path. Is there any way I could tow a kayak behind a Brompton, or one of our bigger bikes? They are eight feet long I believe.

David Earley
Oxford

See page 36 for general advice on trailers. As for the kayak, we’d say you have two choices – either an inflatable (it can be carried on a Brompton, see www.geocities.com/amfoldarover/red_rover.html), but you’ll need some puff, or a ‘spine’ trailer, such as the one produced by Bikes at Work in the USA.This useful and adaptable vehicle – see www.bikesatwork.com – can be extended in sections from 50cm (20″) to a maximum length of 295cm (116″) and is suitable for canoes of up to 5.5 metres long and 150lb on weight. At current exchange rates this costs a reasonable £195, plus shipping of £49 (surface mail) or £78 (airmail). Every home should have one. (Eds)

Political Intrigue

Watching the 6 o’clock news on BBC1 on Wednesday 10th November I was distracted from Andrew Marr by a man stepping out of 10 Downing Street carrying a folded green Brompton. Surely he must be an A to B reader? Does anyone know who he is and what he was doing there?

Seamus King
Maltby, South Yorkshire

Several other letters on this momentous event. Sir, you have been unearthed. (Eds)

Trailer Bikes

Regarding the letter ‘Two-Child Transport’ (A to B 44), our children Daisy and Anders are now three and five respectively. From about the age of six months, we used a Rhode Gear carrier on a Dawes Galaxy touring bike.Then when Anders was two we fitted a crossbar seat, with foot rest on the down tube and loops to stop his feet slipping.

Now the children are older, Anders rides a Tag-along trailerbike.We got one without gears for about £100, but you can buy a Trek for £120 which is a lot more like a real bike. I preferred the crossbar seat, as it is great for talking to the child while we are riding, and I can explain when we stop to cross roads, and ask him if it’s clear to proceed. I’m hoping that will be useful for road safety awareness!

Now Daisy can ride with stabilisers, we’ve got a Trail-gator for my wife’s bike.When they both go to school (two miles), we’re planning to get one of those Bike Friday Family Triple tandems.

Adrian L Mills Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

The Bike Friday Family Triple seems to be the favourite solution for carrying older children. (Eds)

On Your Doorstep?

Regarding the letter ‘Utopia’ (Letters, A to B 44), we would recommend Morag jumps on the train to visit Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op at 8 Alvaney Terrace (near Whitehouse Loan). My catalogue is out of date, but they design their own hybrid/town bikes and would certainly advise on a suitable bike for around £200.Their prices are competitive, and they are a workers’ co-operative.

Alex & Val Lawson
Cowes, Isle of Wight

Thanks to those who recommended the Bicycle Co-op.The shop did once supply ‘proper’ bicycles, but it no longer seems to, and has yet to respond to our request for information. (Eds)

Go German!

…has Morag thought of buying German bikes for herself and friends? They could hire a van and bring back ten bikes, complete with dynamo lights, mudguards, propstand, pump etc. The German bikes we saw are slightly lower quality than Dutch bikes, but a lot cheaper, starting at around £200. My German bike (a Goericke Dorada) is the one I ride most in the winter. It is extremely comfortable and the totally dependable back-pedal rear brake works well even in the rain. I don’t think anything similar is available in the UK. I can recommend: www.goericke-rad.de . www.gudereit.de . www.winora.de

Re: ‘An Electrifying Practice’, could I say that the best advice is probably to buy a new moped! We have found over long experience that there are usually only one or two car- free solutions to each transport problem, and if you find one that works, stick to it! I also combine scooter and bicycle transport daily, as we could find no other solution other than to buy a car. I take the kids to school on foot and then have 25 minutes to do nine miles to work, and often have to go back to work in the evening, making 36 miles each day, cross- country.There are no nearer jobs! However, I always try to fit in an hour on the bicycle for shopping and exercise, before fetching the children again. A scooter will, I hate to say, get you further and faster than an electric bike but only costs a quarter as much as a car to buy and run, and doesn’t block up the roads.

And no, we still have not needed to buy a four-wheeled gas guzzler!

Fiona Le Ny
Folkestone

We find the best electric bikes are just adequate for our longest regular cross-country journeys of 18 miles, but the technology is a bit marginal. On the positive side, we have the exercise and all the freedom of a bicycle, without the hassle of helmets, insurance, road tax and so on. (Eds)

Out of Stock…

After your glowing report on the Giant Lafree ST we went out to try and buy one, but everyone must have had the same idea! We checked the Giant website for local stockists, but had to go to Cambridge just to try the 4-speed Comfort, as there were no bikes in Norfolk.We ordered the 5-speed ST, only to get a phone call to say it will be at least March 2005 before any come on stream from Giant. Gosh – do they take that long to make? Or are they not making any at the moment.What’s the problem?

Phyll Hardie Norwich, Norfolk

Giant has had problems persuading cycle shops to stock the Lafree, which caused a shortage when demand inevitably took off. Full marks to those shops that ordered the Lafree in 2002, when we first said it was something special, and commiserations to those who waited until potential customers were queueing out of the door.The bike trade in the UK needs to be more proactive – it’s no use grumbling that big discount stores are selling all the MTBs when you don’t back the specialist products.We hope Giant will favour those who had the faith to order early on. (Eds)

Chargers & Stands

Giant Lafree Stand Some while ago you made a recommendation for a centre stand for the Lafree electric bicycle. Can you please provide the details and, if possible, a retailer (preferably in Dorset)? I have owned a Lafree Comfort for two years and apart from wishing that I had taken your advice and bought the basic model and an extra battery, I have been pretty much satisfied. I only have one gripe and that is the battery charger… I am now on my third one as well as my second battery, the latter I suspect, being changed as it was felt that the charger could not have failed… again.The bike is used daily (Monday to Friday) on a 14-mile round trip to work, as well as numerous lunchtime trips and is an ideal workhorse – comfortable, safe and, apart from the charger, extremely reliable.

I am a tad over 16 stone and carry my Jack Russell in a specially-designed container on the rear carrier, so we’re no light load, which probably explains why I have to charge the battery almost daily. I usually ride on the ‘eco’ setting, deliberately making hard work of it for the sake of exercise, but when I’ve had a bad day I can take it as easy as I like.

All in all, I’m happy having just the one car and the Lafree, and value both the exercise and the economy… I would however, appreciate any comments from other regular users who have also found a problem with the charger as I’m sure that I’m not the only one.

Mick Jarrett
user@mjarrett.freeserve.co.uk
Crossways, Dorset

The stand is a Swiss-made Esge dual-leg device – make sure to ask for the one with long legs (the stand, not the assistant). Some mild adaptation is needed to clear the Lafree motor, but it’s worth all the trouble. If the excellent Dorchester Cycles doesn’t keep these, we’ll be very surprised. (Eds)

Charged in Error

Having suffered the oft-reported failure (Lafree Long-term test, A to B 44) of my 2003 Giant Lafree charger, I ordered a replacement in May and was surprised to receive a different unit made by Metco, which seems much more positive in operation. Charge time is about the same and the LED system similar, but after reaching full charge it turns off, then cycles on and off, staying on for roughly two seconds in every 64.With my old Panasonic unit it was hard to tell if it was trickle charging or not and the cut-out time was always rather vague and variable.

Tony Flecchia
Croydon

If your charger has failed, you’re clearly not alone, but hopefully the problem is now resolved. Giant has confirmed that the Panasonic charger has been replaced. (Eds)

ITchair

ITchair on Brompton In a recent (last 12 months) issue of your excellent magazine you ran a picture of a Brompton with a bar running from the seat post to the front of the frame with a small child seat on it, the child sitting between the arms of the rider. Please could you let me know something more about this device. Is it an official Brompton product or a bit of clever Heath Robinson engineering on the part of the owner? I have a Birdy Blue and would like to try something similar for myself and my five-year-old daughter.

Also, do you know of any trailerbike product or adaptor that would allow me to safely and securely fit a trailerbike to the seat post of my Birdy without compromising the manoeu- vrability of either bit? I have found a Trek unit that fits, but it is a snug fit, and any attempt at shimming it makes the connection too tight to turn effectively.

Richard Marks Oldham, Lancashire

The ITchair was designed in Spain and adopted by the Spanish Brompton distributor Bike-Tech. We’ve heard that production seats should be ready by Christmas.These will be in light alloy, complete with a saddle or baby seat (as shown).We think the ITchair could be adapted to fit the Birdy and other folding bikes. More information at www.itchair.com or info@bike-tech.net (Eds)

The Final Word

In which you get your say… briefly

Top of the pile . Superb in every way . An oasis of good sense . Small, but perfectly formed A beacon of sanity amidst the encroaching madness . Interesting, intelligent and literate A refreshing lack of spin . Important, amazing and informing . Well presented and informative . The only mag for Mr Everyman with an interest in day-to-day cycle usage Excellent, at a time when most decent bike magazines have folded . The ‘Folder’ events are missed! Always read first in this house . The style of writing makes all articles an enjoyable read . I do not like the anti-car attitude: there is a place for bikes and cars Carrying bikes by car should be covered . Don’t be afraid to be ‘in the face’ of car culture! The only magazine about minimalist transport and against government/big business transport policies . More on car-free living, please . More about campaigning and political developments Keep highlighting the widening gap between government targets and reality . Too blinkered in some reviews . Less Brompton bias please . As Brompton owners, we find technical information, improvements and modifications interesting . Brilliant – I’m not that interested in electric and folding bikes, but they’re significant socially [a social scientist] Professor Pivot is right on my wavelength [a scientist] . Inspiring, especially cycle trailers I completely endorse your appeal to reason and sound engineering versus fashion and ‘lifestyle’ . I like the train articles .Any electric folders? What is an electric bike when it runs out of battery? More folding touring and travel would make a fabby read even fabbier A to B remains a crucial read – I still love the humour . Love the slightly eccentric style Reading it is all over too quickly .A cracking good read . I enjoy it all – especially the humour Please publish a list of all bikes! [It’s at www.atob.org.uk – Eds] . Even more please! Bring back Mr Portly . Please bring back Mr Portly . Mr Portly reminds me of an acquaintance, but I have never let him read it . Cheaper than Penthouse . Love it! Great fun – up the Establishment

The ‘Classic’ Moulton – Paul Grogan

We have to admit to a soft-spot for Moulton bicycles. In historical terms, their manufacture spanned a brief era, but what an era! Dr Moulton rethought the bicycle from fundamental principles, creating a unique machine that helped to define the 1960s. Small wheels, suspension, fitted luggage, and one-size-fits- all monotube frame… The Moulton was both radical and practical, and for a brief period it overwhelmed the cumbersome clunkers of the day.

Nasty corporate suits soon conspired to destroy the Moulton, and by the mid-70s it had gone, although the good Doctor still builds a few rarefied models for gentlemen with bottomless wallets.Today, your average punter thinks small wheels are bad news, rather like his dad in the 1950s. And that’s why we keep a candle burning for the ‘classic’ Moulton.

We reviewed the first edition of this book in October 2002 and the hard back reprint is broadly the same – painstaking research, exquisite illustrations, and helpful if rather dry text.This concoction is livened up with a few contemporary advertisements, which are becoming interesting sociological documents in themselves: ‘The smooth one’ (aimed at men), ‘The lookable one’ (aimed, one assumes, at women), ‘a with it move!’, (young people) and so on. The ‘Classic’ Moulton is more a directory than a history book: every model, and every part is identified, enabling us – for example – to pin down Grandpa Henshaw’s Moulton as a Deluxe M2.Wonder what happened to it?

New in this revised edition is a fascinating chapter drawn from rare photographs and factory archives, explaining how the bicycles were made. It’s all priceless stuff for Moulton buffs, historians, and anyone else with a love of nice bicycling things.

The ‘Classic’ Moulton . Paul Grogan . ISBN 0-9543265-0-4 . 80 Pages . Hardback UK price £28.50 Europe £29.50 Elsewhere £33 . Credit card sales 0121 743 8646

A to B 45 Blog, December 2004, Interbike Las Vegas

FIRST PUBLISHED December 2004
Interbike Las Vegas Special

Las Vegas is a decidedly odd venue for a cycle show, as anyone who has attempted to ride a bicycle there will appreciate. American cycle activists, if that is not a contradictory term, have been pushing for the Interbike trade show to become a roving affair, visiting a different metropolis each year and spreading the non-motorised message far and wide. Ah, would that it were so! The organisers have had other ideas, signing up with the Sands Convention Centre in Las Vegas for years to come, or at least until the oil runs out and they are forced to hold it somewhere more sensible.

The city can only really be reached in two ways – driving from Los Angeles (a trifling 300 miles across the desert), or flying in from just about anywhere else. One would think a car something of a hindrance in a small city dedicated to gambling, drinking and other sinful but primarily static pleasures, but this has not prevented car-bound tourists cruising Las Vegas Boulevard by night and day – a pointless activity generating more or less continuous congestion.

Actually, just for the record, cycling from the airport is by no means inconvenient.The only really serious error one can make is to follow the Mole’s example and head east on Interstate 215, a singularly unpleasant highway, necessitating an awkward cross-desert escape manoeuvre. One should, instead, turn left onto Kitty Hawk Way, slip quietly onto the sidewalk east of Paradise (thus avoiding a six- lane one-way cataclysm), and left on the Tropicana sidewalk to Koval Lane, from whence access can be made to most areas in relative safety.

A to B, Interbike Las Vegas, Robert N Broadbent Monorail

The Robert N Broadbent monorail

Until very recently, Amtrak trans-continental trains stopped in Las Vegas, but in one of those bouts of blood-letting to which public transport is periodically exposed in the USA, the trains were withdrawn and the downtown railroad station demolished. Ever since, there have been calls to reinstate the trains, a scheme that would be craftily funded by on-board casinos ready to swing into action as the cars cross the Nevada border. With our own Dear Leader taking an unhealthy interest in gambling and other unwholesome things, it can surely only be a matter of time before some New Labour policy-wonk suggests just such a scheme for subsidy reduction on the crumbling relic formerly known as British Rail. It’s hard to imagine a warm welcome for casinos aboard the 7.47 from Bogworthy Junction, even if they do stay under wraps as far as the Berkshire border.

Generally speaking, Las Vegas tends to be a step or two ahead of Bogworthy in the transport stakes. The city (Vegas, not Bogworthy) boasts no fewer than three private monorails, all of which are free, but oddly enough (or perhaps not) each line stops only at casinos run by a particular mob. This crafty free enterprise system could, of course, be adapted to suit London conditions when the Super Casinos arrive, by building the gambling establishments close to centres of employment. A win-win situation! Or perhaps not.

Las Vegas has tried to alleviate its own transport frightfulness by building a super-slick public monorail, neglecting in its haste to build stations at any of the places people might like to go, such as the airport or the downtown district. For a few weeks last summer, the cars of the Robert N Broadbent monorail dutifully pottered from nowhere to a point several miles distant, until a wheel fell off one train, and a drive-shaft fell off another, these calamities causing the system to be shut down; ‘indefinitely’, say the critics.

Accepting the advance publicity for the monorail at face value, the Mole arrived without a folding bicycle this year, an error soon rectified with a borrowed bike. One or two other brave fellows made good use of their wheels, including Richard ‘cycle everywhere’ Locke, designer of the Airnimal, who proceeded to cycle everywhere as promised. One was particularly impressed to find Richard wearing non-cycle friendly footwear and loaded down with carrier bags at the Designer Discount Mall off Highway 15. Hmm, quite a ride.

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, Prorace

The delightful Bernard Git demonstrates the ProRace

But what of the Interbike show? Brompton, Airnimal and Carradice had cobbled together a little Brit corner (aka the British Pavilion), decorated with a few brave, if slightly moth- eaten, Union flags. Nothing very exciting to offer, but all very British and ‘business as usual’.

…arguing with Bernard Git proves as futile as snail baiting, but entertaining nonetheless…

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, Chilsung Gear

The roller-toothed Chilsung gear

As one might expect, the French gave better value for money, an outfit called Twister Bike marketing the ProRace, an epicyclic-geared bottom bracket device, rather like the Mountain Drive, but with the net result of, er, only one gear. Claimed to require ‘less muscular contractions’ (sic), the ProRace is also said to produce ‘More power for less effort’, resulting in a ‘lower heart rate’. For non-engineering types, the ProRace actually performs the same function as a larger chainring, but at much greater cost, and with added friction. Arguing with the delightfully named Bernard Git, the charming Frenchman behind the ProRace, proves as futile as snail-baiting, but entertaining nonetheless.

Not far away, the equally charming French-Canadian ladies and gentlemen of Bionx (formerly EPS) were demonstrating their gearless, brushless, bionically-powered and braked electric-assist bicycle. Although a bit expensive, this magic device performs the near ‘perpetual motion’ feat of storing cycling puff that would otherwise be blown away on long descents.

So much for Europe. Korean company Bikevalley was exhibiting the TaRa shaft drive, a practical sort of device, that may or may not be genuinely new, as is the way with bicycle innovations. Unlike the bevel gears fitted to most shaft-drive machines, the Chilsung gear developed by Bikevalley uses rollers in place of pinion drive teeth, which reduces friction and eases maintenance. In the company’s own words, ‘…the distinguishing part of the central driving the special toothed shape curve of sprocket adapting a rolling movement friction and rotating the power, emerging from previous traditional chain sprocket and bevel gear and this Chilsung gear using shall change the history of traditional inconvenient chain Bike…’ Eh?

Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they? And watch out – Bikevalley is working on the rather alarming ‘Z-pump black hole’ whatever that might prove to be.

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, Double D Chopper

The monstrous Double D Chopper

Home-brewed US innovation proved altogether sexier, if a little weak in the practicality stakes. The Mole’s favourite was the Double D Chopper, said to be the longest pedal-powered chopper on the market, with a claimed ten-foot wheelbase.This monstrous device is easier to ride than it looks, which is fortunate because it has only one gear, and a single back-pedal brake. One begins to grasp the value of advance stop lines…

Staying with the motorcycle theme, Electrodrive is producing a neat electric bicycle based loosely on the Harley-Davidson, with a battery in each cylinder barrel and chain drive to the rear wheel. Are they serious? Well, they seem to be. Of course, one must bear in mind that the Double D’s, Harley replicas and sumptous Manhattan cruisers are no more likely to venture onto Las Vegas Boulevard in the rush hour than fly to the moon, which explains how they get by without gears or brakes. Still, you have to hand the Yanks full marks for style.

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, Birdy

Birdy looking for roosting sites

Folding bikes were less well represented at Interbike than in previous years. Yet another new Birdy distributor was trying to pick up dealers, with a slight air of desperation. The company has been unlucky in America, with both Jeep and Burley, failing to make a success of the venture. One wishes the current incumbent luck.

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, John Doidge

John Doidge explains why he won’t be selling folders any more

Not far away, the Mole arrives on the Breezer stand just as CEO John Doidge explains to a passing TV crew that the folding bikes concept really is a little passé. Oh, yeah? But then Breezer did adopt the less-than-scintillating Oyama range, which might explain the rumours that the company has decided to pull out of folding bikes altogether. One wonders whether Uncle Joe Breeze might not have done better to take A to B’s advice before getting into the market, but there we are. The Birdy, for example, would have made a lovely Breezer.

A to B magazine, Interbike Las Vegas, Gaitex

The stretchy Giatex

Finally, if you haven’t heard of the Giatex, be prepared for something rather odd. Described as a ‘stretching bike’, the Giatex features a telescopic frame tube that brings the wheels somewhat closer together for storage. It’s actually not quite as daft as it sounds, but hardly compact when folded, or indeed full-size when stretched. As the publicity has it, the Giatex will expand to fit the kids as they grow, which sounds jolly practical. But the time has come to wave a fond farewell to the whopping choppers, expanding frames and useless accessories for yet another year and pedal back up the freeway to the airport. Viva Las Vegas!

A to B 44 – Oddly enough… We’re still laughing!

Anyone renewing their subscription last month should have spotted our survey questions (yes, thanks to all those who pointed out that questions 5 and 7 were exactly the same). Democratic as ever, we’ve published the results on our website in a new page called Feedback, dedicated to your views. Just for the record, folding bike tests remain easily the most popular item in A to B, attracting 29% of the proportional representation votes.The Mole follows with 25%, and Reader’s Letters and Electric Tests both scored more than 20%. Quite coincidentally (we’re not that democratic) this issue is predominantly about folding bikes.

Lack of space is a perennial problem for such a minimalist magazine. Suffice to say that if you were hoping to see something this time and it isn’t here, our apologies. And finally, our ‘bike of the month’ is the Oyama Victor. See what you think.

A to B 44 Contents

Lynne Curry: 1955 – 2004

Most small magazines could offer a list of mentors – people who helped to shape the look and feel of the publication. Somewhere near the top of ours would be Lynne Curry: journalist, linguist and professional car- free person. Lynne enjoyed making fun of our supposedly ‘posh’ southern origins, implying that she came from humble northern stock.Whether this was true, we never knew, but for the last years of her life, Lynne, and husband Martin Whitfield, lived two stops up the railway line in the market town of Frome. Lynne and Martin had restored a derelict mill, creating a uniquely stylish (some would say rather posh) home and business, specialising in ‘green’ transport initiatives.

We first met on a ‘Folding Society’ ride in the summer of 1994, soon after the couple moved to the West Country. Lynne was a rare thing in the bicycle world – seriously glamourous, but tough as hob-nailed boots. She was also generous, kind, anarchically funny and passionate about the use (and mis-use) of the English language.

Years passed, and the enthusiast-based Folder evolved into the slightly more political A to B. Lynne was always there to advise, criticise and generally discuss what worked and what flopped. If it didn’t make her laugh, or make sense, she would always say so.

And – ever the champion of folks north of Watford – any southern bias received swift retribution by email: one of her favourite past-times. An acute and instinctive observer of humankind, Lynne’s conversation and writing could be funny, sarcastic and bitingly satirical (often all at the same time), but never cruel. Diagnosed with cancer just over a year ago, Lynne rarely used the ‘C’ word, never complained, and never let us know how cheated she must have felt. In the last weeks of her life, she slipped quietly from public view, leaving us with only memories of a long and eventful friendship.We hope that just a little of Lynne’s professionalism, insight and humour lives on in A to B.

A to B Blog 44, October 2004, CYCLE 2004

FIRST PUBLISHED October 2004
CYCLE 2004

Show time once again, and The Mole boards the early Bogworthy Flyer for London, already standing in the platform this particular morning, as Network Railtrack – or whatever it was called at the time – had lifted the rails further west without so much as a by-your-leave.

A to B magazine, CYCLE 2004, Charlotte Atkins MP

Charlotte Atkins MP – a petite lady swallowing a microphone

The Sweet Pea, one of Dahon’s 2005 bikes. Finished in slinky pastel shades, the bike is aimed at young women – new folding bike territory

A to B magazine, CYCLE 2004, Grahame Herbert

Grahame Herbert, designer of the Airframe, gets his finger caught in the new 8-speed hub

Rather confusingly – not having travelled up to Town for a while – one discovers that Thames Trains has evolved into something called first Great Western Link. This may or may not be related to first Great Western, for the two appear to share a new murky brown corporate identity, an amalgam, one assumes, of fGW’s previous green, latter-day vile purples, and Thames’ chirpy reds and blues.

…a preponderance of bicycles without wheels linked to television sets…

Apparently ‘one’ is expecting to bid for what will soon be known as Greater Western, which will then no doubt re- emerge as ‘one’ Greater Western, and the sign-writers will start again, and so on and so forth.

The Mole understands that A to B has received angry calls from a ‘one’ executive claiming that this humble organ has been making fun at the expense of the ‘one’ logo. One suspects the only people laughing will be the PR consultants and designer-luvvies who keep coming up with this nonsense.

The good news is that the railways are – bit by bit – being reintegrated into something that might just, one day, work as smoothly and economically as dear old BR used to do. According to the fGW spin-meisters, the newly integrated fGW and fGW Link will share offices adjacent to those of Network Rail (West), thus coming perilously close to recreating Brunel’s magnificent Great Western Railway. Time will tell. Eventually, our train shambles into Paddington, allowing one to wrestle one’s Brompton from the hordes of other Bromptons in the vestibule, and pedal off across the city to Islington for CYCLE 2004.

Marching into the hall, the Mole arrives during one of those nightmarishly Kafkaesque moments, as a petite lady stands on a balcony and attempts to swallow a microphone. It turns out to be petite Transport Minister Charlotte Atkins MP explaining that she used to ride a bicycle, but due to al-Qaeda, traffic conditions, lack of mudguards, nice cumfy limousines, etc, she wouldn’t dream of riding in the capital these days. A nice positive note on which to kick off the proceedings.

Now in its third year, CYCLE is settling down as a professionally run, if rather compact, show. For 2004, there are plenty of manufacturers in evidence, but rather too many mountain bikes, and a preponderance of bicycles without wheels linked to television screens.

Study the catalogue for signs of practical accessories such as pumps, lights (shock, swoon) or mudguards (stunned silence) and you won’t get very far. But should your interests extend to Fi’zi:k Technogel strips, or X-Type chainsets with hollow BB spindles, you will presumably find some sort of satisfaction.

Not that day-to-day cycling was completely neglected. St John Street Cycles had a nice monopoly on luggage, mudguards and dead sensible bikes furnished with bulletproof Rohloff hub gears and lights that actually worked.

A to B magazine, CYCLE 2004, John Whyte, Mezzo

John Whyte and the Mezzo

Just a few stands away, Avon Valley Cyclery was exhibiting a mouth- watering range of Bike Fridays, Airnimals (including the new budget Joey), Birdys and a full range of Dahons, including a few 2005 models. For industry watchers, the thrust seems to be towards full-size folders (notably the neat Cadenza) and low/mid-range 20-inch bikes, such as the Vitesse, none of which is very exciting, but new, nonetheless. Avon Valley was also showing Brompton in a rather low-key way, plus a soon-to-be-launched 8-speed Sturmey version of the Airframe, neither company exhibiting this year. The only real excitement, indeed the only excitement in the folding bike world for some years, is the all-new Mezzo, brain-child of Jon Whyte of ATB Sales. Should you be wondering, Jon’s main business is designing mountain bikes, cruisers and other strange things, for the like of Marin.
A to B, CYCLE 2004, Mezzo Folding Bike
As with the equally innovative Mike Burrows, Jon comes from the world of motor sport (Formula One in this case), and thus rather refreshingly carries no baggage concerning cycle clips, 26-inch wheels, triple chainrings and all the other accepted wisdom of the bicycling establishment.

The Mezzo – aimed directly at the Brompton – has taken several years to develop. ‘I didn’t start with any special respect for [Brompton designer] Andrew Ritchie’, says Whyte, ‘But I soon developed some’.

Like the Brompton, Whyte’s machine features mudguards (shock, swoon, etc), sensible gearing (4-speed hub or multi-speed derailleur), 349mm (16-inch) wheels, and some exquisite engineering.The folding system is part Brompton and part Birdy, with a little bit of Bike Friday thrown in, proving that everything short of inflatable frame tubes has already been used or discarded. Weight is nothing special, but the Mezzo looks to be a rigid and techie machine for the trendier sort of commuter, although without Brompton’s wonderful luggage system.

ATB technical person Ian claims to be able to fold it in eight seconds and unfold it in six, although one suspects mere mortals will take a little longer.

…this year, the really weird stuff had been swept from the halls…

The real surprise is that prices will shadow those of the Brompton ‘T’ type – £595 for the 4-speed hub gear bike, and £625 – £645 for a 9- speed Capreo derailleur.

In its first two years, CYCLE played host to all sorts of weird and wonderful things, but this year the really weird stuff had been swept from the halls, leaving student Matthew Dobson looking a bit lonely, with his delightfully formed but somewhat impractical Flea.

Asked whether he had actually ridden the Flea, Matthew proved somewhat evasive, but who can blame him? Designers really should leave those 6-inch wheels bolted to the wheelie-bin where they belong.

After reaching a crazy wheel-spinning zenith in 2003, electric bikes were virtually absent this year, with just Ebike showing its attractive US machines and late-comer 50Cycles, with a hastily prepared Ezee display.
brompton-bc1
Finally, one is indebted to the cheeky young fellows at Avon Valley Cyclery for the price tag below, displayed on a Brompton ‘C’ Type. Well, really! Making fun of young people wearing sandals (with or without socks) is neither funny nor clever. Incidentally, should anyone be thinking of checking, the website is currently unregistered. Any takers?

Bicycle Design: The Search for the Perfect Machine – Mike Burrows

The sleeve of this book reads like a who’s who of the UK cycling world: written by Mike Burrows, edited by Tony Hadland, first printed in 2000 by Jim McGurn (and now in the safe hands of Bicycling Books), photos by Jason Patient et al, cartoons by Jo Burt and Geoff Apps, foreword by Richard Ballantine, and so on.

Burrows spends 173 pages gleefully debunking the legends and long-held urban myths of the bicycling world, and the result is almost guaranteed to delight. Positioned somewhere between Richard’s Bicycle Book and Bicycling Science, Bicycle Design is technical in parts, but the complicated bits are generally deciphered (and/or debunked) in the most elegant fashion.We reviewed the first edition in A to B 21, but someone seems to have nicked that copy.We’re reliably informed that recumbents get more of a mention this time around and there are some new colour photos.

Bicycle Design 2nd Edition . 2004 . £16.95 . 173 pages . ISBN 0 9520603 2 9 . Pedal Press

The Bicycle Book

Haynes is best known for its car manuals, less so for washing machines, computers, mankind (no really – ‘120,000BC to the Present Day’) and bicycles.The inspiration for The Bike Book came from a keen cyclist at Haynes’ Sparkford factory (just down the road from Castle Cary), and the 1994 volume is now in its 4th incarnation.

Editors and sub-editors tend to know little about bicycles, allowing all sorts of bloopers to get into print, leading novice cycle commuters to buy carbon fibre grunge-inserts, zillions of derailleur gears and flo- yellow skin-tight Lycra.Yes, The Bike Book includes plenty of knobbly tyres and sexed-up racing machines, but it’s a well-written and carefully researched book that covers hub gears and mudguards too.

Most people of modest mechanical ability should be able to change a cable, or adjust most species of brake or gear mechanism using this book. Just for the record, the 4th edition has been updated to include STi and Ergopower combined brake and gear levers, hydraulic discs, suspension forks and those troublesome Aheadset things.There are also a couple of new pages specific to women, presumably following criticism of male-centricity.

In the grumbley department, we can’t agree with the sub-heading, ‘Helmet wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but few bike riders are brave enough to venture on to the roads without one.’ That’s a misleading and one-sided dismissal of a complex debate. We also lament the passing of line drawings, as some of the 800 colour photographs are a bit small and indistinct, but this seems to be a publishing-wide phenomena.

The Bike Book 4th Edition . 2003 . £14.99 . 178 pages . ISBN 1 84425 000 8 . Haynes Publishing

Letters – A to B 44

Spuds at the Ready Lads…

Great idea (Whacky Fringe, letters A to B 43) to let us have a go at scaring the wits out of the media.We need overtaking cameras on bicycles that dish out fines according to a set formula. For example, a gap of two metres between cyclist and passing car, no problem. One and a half to two metres, careless driving = £50 fine; one to one and a half metres, reckless driving =£100 fine; and under one metre, dangerous driving = £500 fine plus disqualification for twelve months and the driver resumes as a learner.Where railway crossing barriers replace gated level crossings, the barriers should be kept down, with motorists paying a toll for them to be opened.That would stop such roads becoming rat runs.

If something isn’t done soon I expect that someone will form the CLA (Cyclists Liberation Army).There’s no need to blow anything up – it’s amazing what a few misplaced traffic cones can do. And I remember seeing a World War Two cartoon in a garage.The mechanic is saying, ‘After we’d got it all apart we found a potato stuck in the exhaust pipe!’

Bill Houlder
Pontefract,West Yorkshire

A Sustrans Member Writes

Peter Henshaw’s letter in A to B 43 describing the Association of British Drivers as ‘a small group of right-wing nutters with a tenuous grasp of reality’ shows that he suffers from a tenuous grasp of truth about us.

We are not connected to any political party and we insist that all speed limits must be obeyed.We want motorway speed limits raised to 80mph in good conditions, but we support 20mph zones near schools, reinforced by speed cameras during school hours. Many of our members are keen cyclists and belong to cycling organisations (Sustrans in my case), and some joined in the London to Brighton ride.

Peter’s proposal to form a cycling organisation wanting to ride in their own lanes on motorways gave me an idea: to form the ARC (Association of Responsible Cyclists).We promise never to ride on pavements, over pedestrian crossings, on the wrong side along one-way streets, through red lights, or after dark without lights.

Now PLEASE don’t tell me only a minority of cyclists commit the offences I’ve mentioned. I see most cyclists doing at least one of these things almost every time I’m out, and I cannot believe Cheltenham has a monopoly on idiotic cyclists.

Colin Rose, member of the Association of British Drivers
Cheltenham

We’re astonished that anyone who regularly rides a bicycle in this country can subscribe to the ABD’s line on speeding. Driving at high speed is never acceptable. Some relatively minor roads near us are lethal for non-motorised users.Why? Because they are within a few miles of the A303 trunk road. After pounding the motorway network at 80mph+, it takes drivers some minutes to drift back to reality, making ordinary roads ‘no-go’ areas for everyone else.

And we’re deeply sceptical about the ABD’s apparent approval of 20mph limits and cameras in front of schools, but only ‘during school hours’.What happens when children move up to college? Or – to use a fatuous, but perfectly realistic example – when children are delayed by extra-curricular activities? And how about the rest of the walking and cycling population – ordinary people cycling to work, OAPs popping out to the shops? The truth, of course, is that the caring stuff about 20mph and schools is pure spin. (Eds)

Utopia

Sensible bikes. Amsterdam, Dunbar? San Francisco actually - an advertising shot for Breezer utility bikes. PHOTO:Mark McLane

Since I use my bike as others would a car, I have become regarded as something of a cycling expert by my friends. Unfortunately this is far from the case, so when people ask me to recommend a bike I am somewhat at a loss. Several of my friends are keen to take up cycling, and are looking to buy a new bike, but are daunted by the choice. I would like to be able to give an actual recommendation, i.e. a make/model and a shop/website. Can you help?

My friends are mostly mums with young children, so haven’t a great desire to go fast, but probably would like to be able to keep up with the kids as they grow up. I can’t imagine that they would be impressed by a typical ‘shopper’ style – it would have to be more fashionable than that. I myself made the mistake of buying a cheap mountain bike when I started out, and though the low gears are useful for pulling a heavy trailer, I’d rather have something with mudguards, lights and a basket/rear rack. Can you suggest a bike which would be suitable for accompanying young children to school, some excursions further afield and day-to-day shopping, and that is unlikely to require much maintenance? I would be embarrassed to recommend something costing much more than £200.

I have high hopes for turning Dunbar into a mini York or Cambridge, where cycling is seen as a way of life.The town is small, so shops and school are within two miles of almost everyone, and although it can be windy here, the land is fairly flat and the weather is dry. I am in the process of forming a ‘safe routes to schools group’ to improve cycle access to the school, and I am hopeful that with a bit of encouragement most of the children will be getting to school under their own steam in a few years. All the mums I have spoken to are keen to cycle more, and kids always want to be on their bikes.

Morag Haddow
Dunbar, East Lothian

Take a look at any similar town in northern Europe and you will see very few cheap MTBs, but plenty of bicycles, generally featuring hub gears, lights, mudguards, chainguards, skirtguards, pumps, sensible tyres and so on.These machines are practical, sensible and fun to ride. It’s a sad fact that in the UK, most people’s experience of cycling involves wobbling around the park on a heavy, energy-sapping, accessory-free £70 ‘mountain-style’ bike.

It’s difficult to get the message across, but buying a cheap bicycle really is a false economy. People who wouldn’t dream of driving a Reliant three-wheeler can be remarkably penny-pinching when it comes to a bicycle. But if you can re-educate your friends to appreciate more ‘sensible’ wheels, Dutch-style roadsters are available from as little as £250. Giant produce several, although few shops are willing to stock them in the UK. At the ‘quality’ end, Cycle Heaven in York (tel: 01904 636578) stock the Gazelle. Otherwise, UK importers www.dutchbike.co.uk are worth a try, or you could even nip across to Amsterdam for a weekend, soak up the relaxed cycling vibes, and come home with a bike, plus a load of practical accessories. Incidentally, we wonder whether it would be cost-effective to buy a £70 Chinese MTB, sell (or more likely, chuck away) most of the components and re-equip it with hub gears, mudguards etc? (Eds)

Instant Convert

I would like to say thank you! Four years back, I was 37 years old, putting on weight, using the car to go everywhere, and feeling very unfit. After finding out about A to B on an electric bike website, I phoned, bought some road tests, and bought a secondhand e-bike.

There are no buses or trains where we live on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, and I was able to use the bike to ride to and from work. People at work (and at home!) take the piss out of me, but knowing through A to B that there are like-minded people out there gave me strength to keep going. Not only am I still cycling 28 miles every day, but I am enjoying every minute of it.

Alan Stribling
Harleston, Norfolk

Excellent. Our friends and family are equally mystified (but generally less rude) about our enthusiasm for electric bikes, yet these machines really are priceless for eliminating awkward car journeys beyond the range of most peoples’ cycling abilities. (Eds)

An Electrifying Practice

I am a fit 43 year old General Practitioner. In recent years I have cycled the four miles to work in the summer and kept a battered old moped at work for home visits during the day. This year my moped has died and I’ve been back to using the car all day, and have missed the exercise.

I’m wondering whether an electric bike would be suitable for the journey to and from work, plus home visits in the day: 75% of my visits are within two miles, 95% within four miles, with 5% up to ten miles away. I average three visits per day.

Time is tight, I live in Penzance, Cornwall so I have hills everywhere, but I want to get around quickly, without missing out on the exercise.What is the fastest, most seamless and most reliable pedalling-plus-electric combo? I saw an advertisement for the Wavecrest Tidalforce and liked the sound of the 20mph, but I’ve got no idea if I could import one.

Mark Russell
Penzance

For obvious reasons, speed and car-style reliability are going to be important to Mark. On paper, the specification is fairly straightforward – largish NiMH battery, regenerative braking to take the edge off those switchback Cornish hills, and a rapid charger, preferably with a second battery pack topped-up and ready to go in the surgery.

In practice, it’s a bit more difficult. Experience suggests that the Giant Lafree is the most reliable and efficient electric bike on the British market. But it isn’t fast, and the small battery puts a definite cap on range at about 20 miles – just enough for those ten-mile house calls, provided a spare battery pack is available at base.

Several faster bikes have come onto the market, and for a doctor on call, something capable of 18-20mph would seem eminently sensible.Yes, they’re technically illegal, but one wonders whether the ‘15mph’ law has much meaning when excessive motoring speed appears to be the norm. Modern Far Eastern bicycles like the Ezee Sprint are quite capable of maintaining 17mph or more even in hilly territory, but their high-geared motors tend to wilt when the going gets tough. On the positive side, the Sprint has a large but reasonably light battery and a fast charger.

As regular readers will know, regenerative braking offers the apparently magical capability of ‘recycling’ effort that would normally be wasted going downhill – useful, one would think, for the valleys and steep hidden coves of Cornwall. On the negative side, only a small proportion of the energy is recovered, and they’re rare beasts:The Tidalforce, designed for the US market, provides regenerative braking and a claimed 20mph cruising speed, but the company has not been forthcoming with technical specification, so beyond the usual optimistic claims, it’s hard to find firm information on its capabilities. Similarly, with the Canadian-made EPS bikes, the technology sounds good, but we have yet to try one in ‘real’ conditions. (Eds)

Badge Engineering

I just saw a Specialized folding bike on a web site. I didn’t know they had one out. I’ve been collecting information on Bike Fridays and Bromptons, and I hope to get a look at a couple of these bikes next week.

Have you got any information on the Specialized model? Will it be reviewed in your magazine any time soon? Should I consider one as an alternative to the above? I’m enjoying A to B, and only wish there was more of an emphasis on bicycle commuting over here!

Glenn Garland
Chapel Hill, New Carolina, USA

Specialized, like Trek, Dawes, Raleigh and most big manufacturers, have their folding bicycles manufactured for them by Dahon. As Dahon is the acknowledged expert, there’s nothing wrong with this, but you will generally pay a premium for the name tag. Bike Friday and Brompton manufacture high quality niche products that generally out-perform the ‘badge engineered’ machines. (Eds)

Who Lets The Lockers Out?

Stratford upon Avon is a small town at the end of a rail line, which runs too few trains to Birmingham and London. Bikes are a popular form of transport in the relatively flat area; most are the rusty old faithful sort ridden by surprisingly fit grey-haired persons.

To cater for this enthusiastic pool of potential customers, the station has proudly installed three metal hoops under a glass cover for six cycles, and a row of six secure cycle lockers (which only take 600mm more platform space than the hoops and covers).

On enquiring about the availability of these lockers, I am told that they are rented out for periods of six months to six persons. My observations suggest that the tenants very rarely use their facility.Thus the train company makes an easy killing on recouping the cost of the lockers whilst the lockers are little used.This does not seem to provide any real benefit to the wider public who might otherwise be tempted to ride to the station.

Is this typical of how secure cycle accommodation is actually used, or is Stratford an anomaly? Information from readers around the country would be of interest.

Robin Sankey
Stratford upon Avon,Warwickshire

According to Gerard Burgess, Communications Manager at Central Trains; ‘The reality is that open cycle lockers invite abuse and vandalism. A few years ago someone actually moved into one of the open cycle lockers at Sleaford! The idea is that renting a locker gives regular commuters the confidence to set off to the station knowing that they have secure storage. By keeping them secured when the bike isn’t there we prevent misuse.’

Take a Ride

An update – infuriating – on trains from Stansted Airport. A long conversation with Diana of One-Railway, which now includes the Stansted Express, concludes that all trains to the airport on a Saturday (September 18th in my case) are Stansted Express trains, none of which take unboxed bikes. So I’ll return from the Pyrenees with no option but to ride from Stansted.What sort of a bl%^&*()dy country are we coming to? I can fly into Gatwick and their trains take bikes, and don’t stink either.

Alan Roblou
Via email

We’re not flavour of the month at ‘one’ right now (see Mole).When we put this query to the company, we received only a sullen silence – rail companies really are their own worst enemies at times. Fortunately, the answer is at hand. Alan need only cycle a few miles to pick up a local train at Stansted Mountfitchet or Bishop’s Stortford. Rather pleasant after being cooped up in a plane for hours. Of course, what he should really do is travel with a folding bike and cut out all that hassle (unless he’s using RyanAir). (Eds)

Tighter Restrictions

South West Trains is carrying out a ‘consultation’ proposing a reduction in the off-peak times when cycles may be taken on trains. Although claimed not to affect those with folding cycles, if implemented, this would reduce further the options for the majority of cyclists to combine train/cycle travel.The proposal also runs counter to the Strategic Rail Authority’s own guidance to train operating companies as highlighted in A to B 42 (p14).

Andrew Croggon
Kingston-upon-Thames

Following the (late) arrival of new stock, South West Trains will be introducing tighter restrictions on bicycles from 11th October 2004 – see our website for details. Folding bikes are currently welcomed on all rail services in the UK and we’re confident that the industry sees sufficient commercial advantage in this to bring errant train operating companies back into line. (Eds)

Weighty Problem

I would like your recommendation on what folding bike to buy. I will use it to commute eight miles to work every day. I weigh 340lbs [155kg or 24 stone], but I need a bike that weighs as little as possible.

Russell Shymansky
Brooklyn, NY, USA

Without, hopefully, being too personal, it isn’t often that a folding bicycle is asked to deal with this sort of weight. Only two manufacturers responded to our query: Brompton, perhaps wisely, felt this was beyond the design parameters of their ‘off-the-peg’ machine, but ‘bespoke’ manufacturer Bike Friday can build just about anything to order.Their heaviest customer to date was a 26-stone farmer from South Dakota.The bike ended up weighing around 13.6kg. (Eds)

Lard with our Learning

Your assertion that ‘rolling resistance rises as wheel diameter decreases’ (A to B 43) might well be disputed by some. Most notable would be Dr Alex Moulton, who has based the whole of his design and production of small-wheeled bicycles on the opposite premise, given that very high pressures can be introduced into the tyres.

Incidentally, am I alone in lamenting the long absence of the redoubtable Mr Portly? I shudder to think what his calorific intake must have been since he last graced the pages of A to B with his pearly prose. It is sad to realise that some regular but recent readers don’t even know of his existence. On the basis that incessant industry and infrequent recreation make Jacqui a miserable citizen, could we have a little lard with our learning, and the occasional appearance of Mr P?

David Price
Derbyshire

Beautifully put.Yes, we should have made it clear that our comment assumed all other factors to be equal. Lightweight sidewall construction and high pressures have transformed the rolling character- istics of small tyres, but they’ve also reduced the rolling resistance of big tyres (although not to the same extent), so small wheels remain at a disadvantage, albeit, a relatively insignificant one.

Mr Portly, our ‘fat nation’ food columnist, has been squeezed from these pages through lack of space, like many other enjoyable, but less factual things.We hope to make amends by either increasing the size of the magazine or becoming less industrious. (Eds)

290 miles in Three Days

May I comment on Peter Bolwell’s letter (‘Which tyre size?’, Letters, A to B 43)? I was in a similar quandary some years ago, eventually buying a Brompton more from faith than conviction. It was the right decision, although I’ve also bought bigger-wheel bikes since.

I’m a senior citizen with no pretensions of super-fitness. But, you can see from www.foldsoc.co.uk (News) how much I enjoyed a 290-mile trip in three days on a Brompton. My view is that mechanical efficiency is relevant, but comfort and state-of-mind are much more important. And, if you’re going for a pleasure ride, a Brompton lets you start and/or finish where you like, before jumping on and off cars, boats, trains, buses and even planes. If I were limited to one bike, it would unquestionably be a Brommie.

Incidentally, I really enjoyed the item on brakes in A to B 42; more of the same, please.

John Burgess
Croydon

100 miles in 8 Hours

I am enjoying reading A to B 43 delivered today. However, with regard to The Mole’s item on Eurotunnel, the company’s latest flyer gives their fares as, Day Return or Single, £16, Standard Return, £32.

Regarding the letter on tyre size, a 16-inch Brompton wheel measures 16-inches, while a 20-inch fitted with a road tyre has a diameter of approximately 18-inches, the 20-inch referring to use with a 2.25in width tyre. I have just returned from France where my Brompton carried me over many of the Vosges ‘ballons’ during the Semaine Federale. Despite long 16km ascents of 9% and shorter ones of 0.3km at 15%, it was not quite necessary to walk! Gearing is ‘reduced’, ie 44-tooth chainring x 13/15 tooth sprockets. On the final day I made a comfortable ride (except for the excessive heat!) of 100 miles in eight and a quarter hours, at an average speed of 14.2mph. I use standard Brompton tyres. This is not my first 100-mile ride, either! I do use a Brooks saddle.

Mark Jacobson
Herne Bay

Metric size (eg 349mm) relates to the rim diameter and guarantees a tyre will fit a particular rim

Imperial size (eg 16-inch) relates to the tyre rolling diameter for a particular tyre width only

Tyre sizes (usually in inches for smaller sizes) refer to a nominal overall tyre diameter that’s rarely correct, because diameter varies with the tyre width.When buying a tyre, it’s best to quote the more consistent ‘bead seat diameter’ ISO figure – 349mm for the 16-inch Brompton and 407mm for most 20-inch machines.There are others, but we won’t bore you. We usually treat the 349mm as having a 17-inch diameter (slicks like the Primo tend to be a little smaller) and the 407mm as 19-inches in diameter, but every tyre is different. (Eds)

Two-Child Transport?

I remember an article in one of your issues about a father who customised a trike to carry his twin infants. I rely heavily on my bike to get me and our two-year-old around and am expecting another child in January. I’m going to upgrade to a trike with child seat but need to find a seat/basket arrangement which would safely carry a new-born baby. If anyone has any ideas, I would be very grateful.

Karen Rodgers, Cambridge
phil@philrodgers.co.uk

Gentle Off-Road Brompton?

My wife and I are – as so aptly described in the pages of your magazine – members of the ‘grey brigade’! Being of sound mind, but not perhaps of body, we wondered if a pair of folders, possibly Bromptons, would be suitable for canal towpaths, cycle paths and the like.

At the moment, I have a typically heavy and unsophisticated mountain bike on loan. I can winkle this beast into our hatchback, but two of them would be a bit of a squeeze. I could fit a bike rack, but that would be too cumbersome. How do Bromptons with Schwalbe tyres perform on paths?

Rod Paul
Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire

The standard Brompton makes quite a good job of forest trails and surprisingly serious off-road stuff, but the stickier sort of mud will bring you to a rapid halt.We don’t often recommend the cheaper Brompton ‘C’ type, but it sounds ideal for your purpose – lightish, compact, low geared, and with slightly treaded Raleigh Record tyres and no mudguards. As for Schwalbe tyres, they don’t seem to grip any better than the old Raleigh Record, and our Readers’ Survey suggests they may be more prone to punctures. (Eds)

Touring Brompton?

Do you have any opinions or experience of touring on a Brompton? I have recently acquired one, and to my surprise find it one of the most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden. However, I fail to see how one can carry much luggage without losing the parking and folding facility, although I suppose you could tow. I would also be interested to hear anecdotal stories of any subscribers experience of touring on a Brompton.

Paul A F Wilson
Worcester

Most people are pleasantly surprised by the Brompton’s rideability, and many A to B readers seem to have attempted long heavily-laden tours. Our advice on luggage is to buy the largest ‘touring’ front pannier bag as your primary luggage carrier.The pannier system can carry big loads without introducing any serious instability – Brompton suggest a maximum of 10kg, but double that is feasible if necessary.You don’t say if you have a rear rack (T-type) or not.The rack is much less useful than it appears because, when loaded, it compromises folding and parking, but it’s useful for carrying a long, heavy object, like a tent. (Eds)

An Appropriate Forum?

There has been considerable debate in A to B recently about the relative fuel efficiency of cars and trains, which has left me a little confused in the end, but what about trams? They are of lighter construction than trains and so should, surely, require less energy to move? And what of the humble bus, or the trolley bus, which can be run on renewable energy?

I’m not sure that A to B is the ideal forum for debating this subject, but I don’t know anywhere more suitable either. It’s something we all need to understand, and plan for intelligently and in time!

Felicity Wright
Redditch

The tram industry has been slow to capitalise on its green credentials. In fact, due to their light weight, low rolling resistance, low speed, and ability to squeeze on standing passengers at peak times, trams are superbly efficient people movers. Energy consumption as low as one kilowatt/hour per kilometre, (around ten miles per gallon) has been claimed. If that’s true, miles per gallon per passenger would run well into four figures at peak times, and it’s difficult to move people more efficiently than that.Technically, any grid-connected transport operator can purchase power from a green source if they wish – something road transport is unlikely to be able to match, for a while yet at any rate. (Eds)

LED plus Dynamo Lighting?

Lots of interesting reading in A to B 43, so here are a couple of queries:Would the small Di Blasi drum brake fit on the front of a Brompton? And what would you think about running a couple of one watt white LED lights from a dynamo?

David Nichol
Symington, Ayrshire

Like most front hubs, the Di Blasi unit is too wide for the Brompton, which is an unusually narrow 75mm between the fork drop-outs. So although the drum itself would fit, the axle would have to be cut down – not impossible, but tricky. If any engineers are looking for work, Brompton-friendly hub brakes would provide steady business.

A pair of one watt LEDs probably could be run in series from a slightly altered dynamo. Not only would this be brighter and more reliable, but it would be relatively easy to incorporate a battery or capacitor-powered front ‘stand-light’ system too. (Eds)

Coldish or Warmish?

I noticed your review of the Cateye EL500 lamp.Was it the cold (bluish) white variety, and was it as good for seeing the road ahead as a 2.4W dynamo lamp?

A two watt input power for one watt of light output means no efficient driver electronics (a small fraction of the £45 price of the Cateye). Incidentally, any readers with access to soldering irons might want to buy the Lumiled LEDs directly from Farnell Electronics (www.farnellinone.co.uk) to make their own auxiliary lamp.The one watt ‘cold white’ LED with heatsink and 10 degree lens is order code 432-5746 (£10.91 + VAT), but a ‘warm white’ (filament bulb coloured) one watt LED and heatsink is order code 490-8971 (lenses are available separately, eg order code 489-4467).

Alan Bradley
Belfast, Northern Ireland

We’re struggling to summarise the performance of a lamp in words.The colour is rather less blue than earlier white LEDs, but distinctly ‘cold’ nonetheless. Light output seems to be broadly similar to a typical halogen dynamo lamp, but not up with the very best. (Eds)

Power-Assist Trike?

The feature on the Di Blasi trike in A to B 43 gave me an idea for transporting my disabled wife. As I do not own a car and normally use a variety of bicycles (including a folder) for getting around, the options for taking my wife along are somewhat limited, as she can only walk short distances and getting in and out of buses is difficult for her.

A tandem is too difficult as she cannot pedal, so a one-passenger trike (an electric- assist trishaw, in fact, but narrower) could fit the bill.

Brian Brett
Nelson, New Zealand

We turned to the experts for this one. Zero, distributor of the Christiania and Nihola trikes, can provide cyclo-style versions of either, suitable for a single adult. Cycles Maximus of Bath no longer produce a single-seater pedicab, concentrating instead on a conventional side-by-side arrangement (see A to B 39).The company suggests that in practice a larger cab is not a great deal more cumbersome, and most people find they need more space than they initially think. (Eds)

Folding While Riding

I’ve been riding a Brompton for five years regularly on a 12-mile stretch of road. Six miles is smooth concrete and asphalt, but the other six miles is a very coarse asphalt, so the bike vibrates noticeably riding over that part. Over the five years, it has happened that at the end of a ride I’ve found the frame clamp looser than at the beginning.

Well this week I was near the end of the rougher stretch of pavement, when I noticed a wobble in the steering.Then it cleared itself up, but it soon came back again. I was trying to look down to see if I had a tyre problem, when the lever on the frame clamp spun free. I lost complete control of the steering, wobbled for about two seconds, and then the bike just collapsed, and I went over the handlebars down onto the road. Landed on an elbow and a shoulder, but fortunately didn’t break anything.

If you’re riding a folding bike over a rough road, just note the position of the clamp at the beginning of the ride, and be aware of it. On a Brompton, that should be enough to catch any loosening of the clamp, and it has to spin around a few turns before it comes off completely.

Peter Nurkse
Santa Cruz, California, USA

We were quite surprised by this, because we’ve ridden tens of thousand of Brompton miles, and have never heard of such a thing. On a dark night (especially after a few gin & tonics), it’s possible to tighten the clamp 90 degrees out of position, causing the hinge to fold instantly, or very quickly. And if the bike is lying down in a car boot or aeroplane hold, the clamps can unscrew, if left loose.The lever is deliberately made with one arm longer and heavier than the other, so it should never open by more than half a turn whilst riding – the lever has to turn three times to open. Even after one turn, the bike feels pretty odd, demonstrating that something is amiss. Possibly your clamp had been fractured or damaged in some way? (Eds)

The Final Word

In which you get your say… briefly

The best magazine I have ever bought . A work of genius! A joy to behold . Singular, unique and one of a kind . Simply the best! Simply perfect . The only magazine worth subscribing to! Informative and fun . A to B has never been so good . A different viewpoint Well written, humorous and good technically . Technical is good, politics and multi-modal stories are great . Good read, bargain price . Never squeeze the Mole out again – Intelligence, wit and good-heartedness makes your mag . Mole in issue 43 was brilliant – witty, but making a serious point or two . Witty, well-written and useful . Joy to read – all other work put on hold when A to B arrives! Well written and edited, but just a little biased at times? Read from cover to cover, but not keen on some of the terminology – eg, ‘cumbersome’ and ‘fuel’ for electric charge . The reviews are pitched just right and in plain English [from a teacher] . I enjoy articles not covered in mainstream cycling magazines More recumbents and family cycling please . More on trike developments please . More on components . More travel stories please – taking the bike on planes, buses, cars, etc More anarchy required – great magazine . The design and format is looking a bit dated [but] 12 issues a year please . Who knows? When I am a bit older (I am only 74 now), I may think about an electric-assist bike . Electric bike tests suddenly very informative since I was knocked off my bike and partially disabled . Keep up the electric bike information Your love affair with the Giant Lafree is often rather too obvious . Thanks for recommending the Lafree – I have been very pleased with the bike for getting to work across London . Human power, not electricity . Totally brilliant, monthly please! A good read, eagerly awaited, don’t go monthly! Independent, reasoned comments on the establishment’s antics . Bring back Mr Portly! More of the young lady with the dark hair please, she has such a lovely smile! Glad you haven’t joined the PC Brigade

Oyama Victor 1.0

Ever get that feeling that the world has become a fast moving and confusing place? Take the world of folding bikes, for example. Not long ago, the Brompton was compact, the Bike Friday was sporty, the Dahon was cheap and cheerful, and almost everything else from the Far East was utter rubbish. In time-honoured fashion, you knew where you were.

Brompton and Bike Friday are still very much with us of course, but badges that were once the butt of innumerable folding bike jokes are fast becoming respectable.We noted the same process in the last issue with the very presentable Ezee electric bikes, and now folder manufacturers are moving the same way.The truth is that the Chinese in particular have done a lot of catching up in a remarkably short space of time. Initially spearheaded by the US and European-inspired Dahon brand, a revolution is underway.

…the Victor 1.0 looks like a Dahon, or – dare we suggest – a Bike Friday…

Oyama

Oyama will be best known to A to B subscribers for copying the Brompton, launching the rather absurd Space Genie on an unsuspecting public in February 2002.We were less than complimentary to the Space Genie then, and laughed all over again the following year, when this and other Oyama bikes were adopted by US distributor Breezer.The Space Genie was an over-priced and ill-conceived attempt to cash in on the success of the Brompton and that – so the orthodoxy went in those far off days – was the best that Chinese and Taiwanese engineers could achieve.

Then in August this year, we discovered a new Oyama bike, and were intrigued.The Victor 1.0 looks like a Dahon Speed, or even – dare we suggest – a Bike Friday, with an aggressively raked monotube frame, straight bars and sporty bar-ends, but it was to be launched at a price of £350 – half the cost of a comparable Dahon and, for all the comparison is worth, a quarter of the price of a Bike Friday.

‘Ah yes’, the experienced folding bike watcher will say, ‘but the Oyama has a wobbly steel frame, crude 5-speed derailleur and weighs 15kg plus’. Not so.To save the bar-room pundits further embarrassment, we can reveal that they are entirely wrong.The Victor has a rigid alloy frame, 406mm (20-inch) wheels, all- up weight of a shade over 12kg, 8-speed Shimano Acera derailleur and numerous other light and delicately crafted bits. Folding bikes traditionally cost 25% to 100% more than their non-folding cousins, but the Victor 1.0 seems to break all the rules – can it really be this good?

The Victor

First impressions are positive.The Victor has clean lines (marred only slightly by a stem raked forward a little too steeply), deeply lustrous metallic paintwork (blue or red) and some snazzy graphics. Just about everything else is either sexy matt black or polished alloy.The frame, handlebars, saddle stem and (daringly) forks are made from aluminium, as are sundry other bits. In fact, the only substantial chunk of steel is the lower stem, and we’re not sure that is strictly necessary, of which more below. Interestingly, the spokes are made from something non-magnetic, which usually means stainless steel, but in this case they’re painted black. Something left over from the Chinese space programme perhaps? Who knows.

…the Victor is a real whopper… high enough to give shorter folk vertigo…

It’s a measure of how things have changed that a bike assembled from Chinese bits can look and feel so good: the Alex alloy rims are nicely machined, the Velo Crossflow saddle is leather (or, perhaps, leatherette), and the Xerama folding pedals (similar, but neater than the better-known VP117) look suitably chunky.

Like us, you may not be familiar with UNO Dimensions bar-ends, HA Speedwheel chainrings, or Chosen hubs, but don’t worry too much – they’re smart-looking and apparently serviceable Chinese facsimiles of quite nice bits and pieces from elsewhere.

A brief spin tells you a little more. Like all mid-range Shimano derailleurs, the Acera changes nice and crisply, with an occasional mild crunch, and the bike goes as well as it looks. But it’s designed for giants.The Chinese certainly seem to have taken on board the early European criticism of their tiny machines, because the Victor is a real whopper.The saddle goes up to a healthy 100cm (a shade more at a pinch), and the bars start at 100cm and climb to 119cm, which is high enough to give shorter folk a degree of vertigo. Oyama really could have saved itself a lot of weight and bother, as Dahon has done on most of its new designs, by eliminating the telescopic handlebar stem altogether, because hardly anyone will make much use of it.

More of a problem is the saddle to bar ‘reach’ which some find quite a stretch.We have a fondness for rather upright bikes at A to B, and immediately put the saddle as far forward as it would go, but still felt like children on the Victor. Larger and more wirily-framed persons, particularly those used to drop handlebars, will be delighted.

Cover a reasonable mileage and you may find yourself grumbling about the saddle, but you can say that about almost any non-recumbent bicycle. Otherwise, the 30″ – 87″ gear range deals with most things.The 32-406mm Kenda tyres are fast-looking, which is half the battle, and inflate to a reasonable 65psi, all of which you’ll need at the rear, unless you’re quite light. At 14.2mph, the roll-down speed on our test hill proved more or less average for this tyre size.The weather was a bit autumnal and the rear hub bearings a little tight, so the Kendas could probably do better on a good day.

The unbranded V-brakes are excellent – quiet, progressive and effective, with power limiters both front and rear.We achieved best stops of .59G from the front, .38G from the rear (with the wheel locked), and a joint effort of .75G without any really scary stuff going on. If you take an interest in this sort of thing, you’ll appreciate that figures like these are more or less state of the art. Generally speaking, the feel of this bike, in terms of acceleration, cornering and braking, is impressively similar to something costing a great deal more.

Accessories

Make no mistake, at this end of the market, the Victor is a well-equipped bike. Mudguards are of the stubby bendy-plastic variety, and look trendy, but perform reasonably well in light rain; the stand does what it’s supposed to; and there are mounting points for a rack and/or proper mudguards should you feel so inclined. Everything feels well set up, and works straight out of the box, except for the bar-ends, which are delivered pointing downwards, but you’d probably want to adjust them for comfort anyway.

Folding

A reasonable folded package

Not ‘alf bad, actually. If they’re not already down, you’ll need to drop the handlebars to their lowest position, then fold them using the stem catch, and carefully fold the frame in half, sandwiching the bars.We choose words with care, because the right-hand bar-end (remember, the bike was delivered with them pointing down) comes very close to snagging on the cables as you fold the bike.To complete the fold, the saddle stem drops with a quick release, and the Xerama pedals fold in (only the right-hand pedal in practice). All being well, the bike comes together in a reasonably compact fashion, measuring 44cm across, 83.5cm long, and 63cm tall.That’s a folded volume of 231 litres or eight cubic feet – not strikingly compact, but typical for a 20-inch machine. Whip out the saddle stem and the height comes down to 57cm, reducing the volume to 209 litres or 7.5 cubic feet.

The chunky mainframe hinge is nicely engineered

Folding can do horrible things to paintwork, and the Victor is vulnerable in this respect, the metallic finish being protected by a thin and rather brittle high gloss lacquer coat. A few weeks knocking about on station platforms and in and out of car boots would play havoc with the beautiful finish, but then you can’t have everything for £350.

…in terms of spec, the Victor is streets ahead of anything else in the £350 zone…

Oyama Victor 1.0 Folding Bike Stem Hinge

The stem hinge may prove to be a weak spot.The pivots tend to twist in the bracket, loosening the hinge

There are no clips to hold the bike in its folded form, but in that respect the Victor is no better or worse than most other 20-inch bikes.The hinges themselves are a mixed bag.The frame hinge is substantially engineered and more or less fail-safe.The stem hinge is equally well-crafted, but the latch is a bit dodgy-looking and we’re concerned that after a bit of use, it might develop enough play to separate. Hard riding put some movement into our handlebars after only a few miles.This is easy to adjust out, but it’s a problem that will return if you habitually pull hard on the bars. If Oyama is listening, this needs re-engineering. If you’re buying one, don’t worry unduly – we’ve seen worse on bikes costing three times as much. Just keep it in mind and watch for movement.

Conclusion

In an effort to gauge what value for money really means in this strange new world, it might be constructive to compare the Victor with the Trek 600 we tried back in April 2004. OK, the Trek has a trendy US badge, but it’s basically engineered by Dahon, whereas the Victor has no obvious track record. Both bikes have 20-inch wheels, both weigh within a shade of 12kg, both have a gear range of around 32″ to 90″, although the Trek has nine, rather than eight gears. Folding is broadly similar, but the lack of bar-ends and mudguards allow the Trek to make a slightly smaller package.They’re both suited to larger people too.

Differences? The Trek is almost certainly stronger, particularly around the hinges, but the Victor is better equipped elsewhere, and dynamically speaking, the bikes do much the same thing.The only serious difference is in price – £350 for the Victor and £750 for the Trek. Not being particularly badge- orientated, we wouldn’t hesitate in picking the new Oyama. Never thought we’d say that.

In terms of spec, the Victor is streets ahead of anything else in that £350 zone.Would you seriously choose a Pashley Fold-it, Di Blasi, or Strida over a bike like this? The Victor even succeeds in putting pressure on mid-range Dahons and Dahon-clones in the £500 – £700 region, which is quite some feat.

If you’re looking for a smart-looking, fun, sporty folder, and pennies count, go Victor. It might not be up to Iron Man Triathlon events, but it looks as if it might.You really are getting quite a nice little bike for the money.

Specification

Oyama Victor 1.0 £350 .Weight 12.1kg (27lb) . Gears Shimano Acera 8-spd . Ratios 33″ – 90″ Folded Dimensions W44cm H63cm L83.5cm . Folded Volume 231 litres (8 cu ft) . Folded Dimensions (saddle stem removed) W44cm H57cm L83.5cm . Folded Volume (saddle stem removed) 209 litres (7.5 cu ft) . Manufacturer Oyama Industrial Company Ltd web www.oyama.com UK Distributor Mission Cycles tel 01622 815615 mail info@missioncycles.co.uk

Brompton SP Trike

I used to ride a bicycle up to 12,000 miles a year – now I would just fall off. I have developed a balance problem and so decided to try a trike. Now, everyone says that trikes are for people with balance problems, but I tried one with two wheels at the back and could not move! Most roads have camber and with two wheels at the back on a slope, you are sitting at an angle and my ears kept telling me that I was falling. So I then tried a trike with two wheels at the front, which was much better, because my eyes could see that both wheels were on the road, passing the message to my brain that we were not, in fact, tipping over.

So I bought a new Newton trike with 700C wheels. It seemed a great idea and the answer to my problem, but it soon left me very annoyed, as it had lots of faults.These ranged from an unfinished braze, through to brakes that jammed on all the time, with lots of problems in between. It was pretty unrideable. I took it to St John Street Cycles in Bridgwater and they eventually spent eight months re-designing and rebuilding the whole front end, producing the superb machine I now own and enjoy.

…Stephen Parry secretly converted a Brompton into a trike for me…

Without Wheels

Not the smallest folding package in the world, but tiny by trike standards

Meanwhile, I was without wheels, so Stephen Parry, designer of the SP Brompton and a friend, secretly converted a Brompton into a two wheels at the front trike for me. He turned up one day with a big smile on his face and asked my husband and myself to visit his workshop as he had something to show us. Initially he was concerned about whether it would be stable enough, but it was fine. I took it for a ride, but was gone for so long that Stephen and my husband got worried, as they thought I may have fallen off. No, I was just enjoying riding the unusual trike and having a wonderful time!

The trike has the usual Brompton 3-speed hub, plus a double chain ring, giving six gears.V-brakes on the front are operated by a twin-cable lever, backed up by the standard rear brake.

The frame folds like any other Brompton and the handlebars fold down onto the top tube. Not super- compact, but easy enough to get into the house for storage – most trikes are such big beasts that it’s impossible to get one through the front door.This one even fits in the back of a car. Folded dimensions are approximately 92cm x 92cm x 66cm high. [558 litres or 20 cubic feet. Eds]

Far Superior

I have now done well over 600 miles on the SP Brompton Trike. My usual route is 26 miles including a 1:6 hill and I rode this route about twice a week for many months. I did manage the hill, but found it difficult with such limited gearing. I considered asking Stephen to put more gears in, but by then, SJS Cycles had rebuilt my Newton trike and as that had 24 gears and a more traditional (less upright) riding position, it was better suited to the longer rides that I wished to do.

One very noticeable difference between the two trikes, was that the SP Brompton, which really was a prototype, was far superior in build quality and functionality (it worked!) to the production Newton trike. But having now spent a total of £3,000 on the Newton, I have decided to keep it, as it is better for longer distances.

The SP Brompton Trike obviously cost money too, although it was only about half the cost of the Newton. I would give it excellent marks for build quality, functionality and foldability/versatility.The only comment I would make, is that if you are going to use it regularly up steep hills, you would want more gears.

Steve Parry, SP Bicycles . tel 01934 516158 . mail spbicycles@btopenworld.com

Giant Lafree Comfort @ 3,600 miles – Long-term test

8.30am in February - another frosty school run

As regular readers will have gathered, we’re quite fond of our Giant Lafree. Other electric bikes have come and gone – some pausing only long enough to expire, explode or disgrace themselves in some other way, but the Lafree goes on and on.

Like all best friends, it’s thrown the odd tantrum and had the occasional sulk, but in two years and 3,600 miles, it’s never let us down. After a few early mods (see Lafree at 2,000 miles, A to B 37), we have hardly touched the bike.Two punctures and two broken valves in the first few months showed up faulty tubes, but the replacements haven’t been disturbed since.The same is true for the Nexus roller brakes, which bedded in during the first weeks, but haven’t been adjusted since, and the chain, which has been oiled only once.

With the arrival of the slightly faster Ezee Sprint in August 2003, we decided to increase the top speed of the Lafree by reducing the sprocket size by one tooth, from 21 to 20.This had the effect of increasing top speed by about one mile per hour in favourable conditions, but reduced the mileage per charge by about 10%. For lighter cyclists this may be a useful mod, but not for those towing trailers and/or tackling steep hills.

…the princely sum of £1. Not bad for two years ‘motoring’, eh?

In October, after a period of prolonged and heavy rain, the handlebar-mounted power switch started misbehaving. Removing the cover showed that water had found its way inside, but a few days drying out with the cover off cured the problem.The switch detente involves a spring and tiny ball-bearing that’s easily lost.When putting the cover back, a blob of grease will keep the ball in place and help to prevent water getting in.We certainly never suffered a recurrence of the problem.

The power switch is vulnerable in very wet conditions, but a blob of grease seals it

Two months later, one of our two batteries appeared to fail, but on inspection, the cells seemed OK.The Lafree charger features a ‘refresh’ button, that very gently drains, then refills, the battery to keep the 20 internal cells in ‘sync’ with each other.We had ignored Giant’s advice to refresh every month, resulting in some cells being empty while others were almost full – a very confused battery.We decided to perform a ‘super- refresh’, by individually draining each cell, then recharging the battery.This really works, and may be worth trying if you suffer similar problems, although the battery remains the weaker of the two. Strangely enough, a mileage test revealed that both were capable of ‘as-new’ performance, but the weaker one sometimes fails in service after seven or eight miles. It may be that these problems stem from over-use of our solar charger, which fills the battery quite slowly, but we have no evidence to prove this, and the gentle charge may even be beneficial..

Battery problems aside, snow and ice did nothing to halt the Lafree in its second winter. In favourable weather, Alexander rides to school on our Brompton trailer-bike, but when it’s too cold or too wet, the Lafree pulls the trailer. It’s on these sort of wet or bitterly cold mornings that a reliable electric bike proves its worth.

In late May, the charger failed, cutting off before the battery was properly charged. Talking to other high-mileage owners, this problem is not unknown, and Giant says a batch were affected and the chargers should now be reliable. In practice, with our reduced mileage, the solar panels covered for the broken charger for some weeks.

Since then, all has gone smoothly. In our first year, the playschool run boosted weekly mileage to 40. Over the course of this second year, we’re averaging about 30 miles – mainly short trips to town, and usually with the trailer attached, but a few longer day rides of 30 to 40 miles.The big question will be over battery life – our batteries have reached around 200 charges each, and although the theoretical life is considered to be 1,000 charges, we’re expecting to do a lot less, but time will tell.

The Maxxis tyres are probably good for 5,000 miles, so they’ll soon be due for replacement.We’ll probably do the chain at the same time. Running costs make interesting reading: in 3,600 miles, we’ve used about 29Kw of electricity. More than a third of this has come directly from the sun, at zero environmental or monetary cost, and the rest from the grid, for the princely sum of £1*. Not bad for two years ‘motoring’, eh?

Do we still love the Lafree? You bet. And so does almost everyone who has tried it – two out of three recent visitors going straight home to buy top-of-the-range 5-speed STs, which tells you something about the bike’s pulling power. It’s an A to B classic.

*Putting it another way, we’ve ridden for two years on the energy needed to heat a typical living room for an evening. In petrol terms, it’s the equivalent of just over half a gallon – half the annual consumption of the family mower.

Giant Lafree Comfort £1,099 . For UK stockists, call 0115 9775900

Birdy Black

In a world where Dahon now produces the lightest folders and Oyama can sell a reasonable sports machine for just £350, you’d think the traditional Western manufacturers – Brompton, Birdy and Bike Friday – would be watching their backs. No doubt they are, and we know new products are under development, but the ‘old world’ bikes are starting to look a little jaded.

Why should anyone bother buying a heavier and much more expensive product from Europe or the USA when the Chinese are making similar things for a third of the price? That all depends on what the pricier bikes have to offer.The Brompton is still unbeatably compact and the Bike Friday and Airnimal provide a quality ‘big bike’ feel that would be hard to match, but what of the Birdy? We’ll run through the pros and cons of spending £1,250 on a bike that’s essentially unchanged, after a production run of ten years or so.

Birdy Black

For those unfamiliar with the genre, the Birdy was launched in late 1994 as a competitor to the already long-established Brompton. Designed and marketed by Riese & Müller in Germany, the bikes are manufactured by Pacific in Taiwan – hardly a cut- price producer these days, of course, so all those sea-miles and middle-men add what economists laughingly call ‘value’.To buy our Birdy Black, with a few modest accessories, would cost the innocent consumer no less than £1,323.

Birdy front coil spring and polymer suspension - the whole lot hinges round and back when folded

The Birdy frame is of chunkily-crafted aluminium throughout, and almost everything hung off it is light alloy too, with the exception of nuts and bolts, saddle rails, and a few other bits. It might come as something of a surprise then, to find that our test bike weighs 11.7kg (25.8lb) – almost as much as the Oyama featured on page 20. Admittedly, the Black is fitted with the optional rear rack and mudguards, but it’s also a relatively expensive model and generally considered to be the lightest in the range. By way of comparison, the much cheaper (well, £830) Birdy Red weighed 12kg when we tested it back in December 1999 with much the same accessory pack.The Black weighs a little less than the similarly equipped Brompton ‘T’ type, and probably a little more than a Bike Friday built to this sort of spec. Obviously, it’s no heavyweight, but it wins no special awards in the weight department either.

On the road, the bars are very low, a feature you will either love or hate. More comfortable riding upright bikes, we hated it, but anyone familiar with drop bars and head-down white line chasing will feel right at home. Birdy does offer a taller, height-adjustable ‘comfort’ stem as an option, but it adds weight, cost and folding complication, so if you really don’t like the ‘bum in the air’ position, a Birdy probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, the bike has many loyal converts – mostly occasional rail users who simply can’t live with the more upright Brompton.We suspect you will know very quickly whether the Birdy is for you.

Specification

One of the reasons for the Birdy’s loyal following is the suspension – arguably the cleverest and most effective system fitted to any folding bike. It’s pretty conventional at the rear, with a pivot down by the bottom bracket and polymer suspension bungee, but in place of conventional forks at the front, the Birdy has an odd-looking swinging arm and combined bungee/steel coil spring apparently better than Deore, but arrangement.This suspension is ‘anti-dive’ (unlike suspension forks, the front of the we’re not competent to judge…” bike won’t dip down under braking), but compliant enough to absorb lumps, bumps and even climb small kerbs.

The result of all this sophistication is a smooth ride (we suggest choosing the softest ‘yellow’ rear polymer of the three options) and quite a lot of weight and complication. The rigid frame and compliant suspension make fast cornering safe and secure, although the front end of the bike feels a bit light and lacking in directional stability.This may be entirely a matter of personal preference, but for carrying a long heavy object under your arm, as one does, we prefer the more upright Brompton which puts less weight on your arms. Similarly with hand signals – you may disagree, but we find the Brompton a little less jittery riding one-handed.

Gears vary across the Birdy range, from the cheaper 8-speed Shimano Deore on the Red to £700 worth of 14-speed Rohloff hub on the Grey. Our Black has Deore XT, which is apparently better than Deore, but we’re not competent enough to judge. It all seems to work well enough, giving a slightly low gear range of 30″ – 87″ and a nice reliable change, once you’ve mastered the space-age Meg-9 shifter, which has one lever to go up and another very similar one to go down.The Black is also fitted with Shimano 105 ‘Hollowform’ bottom-bracket and cranks, which are claimed to be stiff yet light, something that, once again, we can’t verify.

Brakes are Avid, which will either make you jump up and down with excitement or not, according to taste.They certainly work well enough, but the Birdy’s rather short 101cm wheelbase makes the bike a bit ‘tail-light’ under braking, reducing the effectiveness of the rear brake. Using our high-tech G-force meter, the best stop proved to be only .34G before the wheel locked up.The front brake works well, provided you have the strength to give it a mighty heave.We managed reliable stops in the region of .6G and even saw .66G on one occasion, but thanks to the short wheelbase and extreme difference in lever pressure required, it’s difficult to improve on this with both brakes. In fact, we never saw .66G again.

Tyre Problems

A nasty bulge. Modern high pressure tyres really shouldn’t do this sort of thing

Riese & Müller has had its share of tyre problems over the years. The 355mm tyres fitted to the Birdy are designated 18-inch, but are actually about 17-inches in diameter, so only marginally bigger than Brompton’s nominally 16-inch 347mm tyre (see Letters, page 14 for more). With such small tyres, the odd millimetre here and there really does matter, but the 18-inch size has always been let down by poor quality.Things have improved a bit – you can now buy a Schwalbe Marathon in this size (not that we rate the Marathon particularly highly), but the bikes are shod as standard with R&M’s own tyre, produced by Maxxis. These look great, but they’re heavy (400g apiece) and distinctly ‘old- tech’ in design.This all conspires to make the Birdy feel more slothful than it looks. On this occasion our Birdy Black failed to complete the roll-down test (see below), but when we last tried a roll-down test with the Maxxis, the bike managed only 11.7mph, which is about as bad as it gets.To put that in perspective, early Bromptons and Bickertons, with historic Raleigh Record tyres, rolled further and faster.The Birdy really does deserve better. More positively, the Birdy is a great convertor of pedal energy into forward motion, so rolling resistance is less significant than it might be.

…The tyre began to distort… bulging far enough to stop the wheel rotating…

The serious stuff involves tyres exploding off the rims, due to poor tolerances. Soon after we inflated our front tyre beyond a modest 60psi (they’re rated at 90psi), the tyre began to distort and lift off the rim, bulging far enough to stop the wheel rotating. Had someone been riding at speed, the result would almost certainly have been an unpleasant over-handlebar incident. Even worse, after releasing the air and repositioning the tyre, we found it had developed a permanent set, so we had to complete our test very gingerly, with less than 30psi in the front tyre to keep the bulge at bay.

We’ve checked with a cross-section of Birdy owners on the A to B database and five have experienced similar failures – four in Germany and one in the UK. Some mentioned the opposite problem; tyres that were too tight on the rims. But loose or tight, we would expect better quality control on a bicycle costing well into four figures. Until it’s fixed, our advice is to limit pressure to 50 or 60psi.

Equipment

The latest Birdy rack is suspended on struts linked to the rear frame. When folding, this pulls the rack down, producing a neat package

The list of options is quite long, but we’ll try to keep it simple. Our bike came with mudguards, a side stand and the latest rear rack. Birdy racks seem to change with the seasons – we think we’ve seen three distinct designs over the years.The latest SL rack is darned clever, suspended on a sort of cantilever, which allows it to hinge down as the wheel folds away, a la Brompton. Unlike the Brompton, the rack doesn’t end up quite under the bike, but it goes far enough for the bike to stand on two little rollers in a part-folded ‘parked’ position. For £36 (if originally equipped), the rack is an extremely useful accessory.

Mudguards have improved a great deal too. Once a flippy-floppy afterthought, the Birdy can now be said to have proper mudguards for an extra £22, sensibly mounted and protected from scuffing by little plastic pads. Our bike was also equipped with a stand, although we’re not sure how useful this is in practice, and don’t forget the extra weight – odd grams here and there can be critical on a folding bike.

Other options include Lowrider clips to fit panniers either side of the front wheel (a neat idea at £29), Expedition Carrier (at £53, a pricey way of fitting rear panniers), lights (dynamo or battery), Pump (should be standard, surely?), Frame Bag (£25 – an expensive way of carrying a toothbrush), and three cover options.The £29 Cover, like the Brompton cover, really only disguises the bike, but for more serious travel, you can specify a Bag for £70, or hard-sided Suitcase at £180.

Folding

The Birdy is a distinctly odd bike to fold, and if you get it wrong you can end up mud wrestling with chains, tyres and other grubby things, while the mudguards get scraped and bashed, hence the plastic pads. Now, we know some people find it easy, but despite being reasonably adept with Dahons, Bike Fridays, Bromptons and Micros, we usually get in a grubby tangle with the Birdy. Our primary problem comes right at the start, because it’s essential to put the left-hand pedal in the down position and the bike in a high gear. Most folding bikes prefer the pedals to be broadly in the right place, but with this Birdy/Brompton style ‘compound’ fold, derailleur gears can cause problems.The Brompton, Birdy Green and Birdy Grey have hub gears, which are fine, but the other Birdys are derailleur. Sorry, but we just could not get used to this. It’s a damn nuisance.

The rear frame unclips, folding down and round, to end up beside the frame, locked in place by the descending seat post.Then the front wheel and unclipped front suspension rotates round and lock into place behind the headset. Unlike the ‘loose’ Brompton rear wheel, both wheels on the Birdy must be unclipped before folding, which is either an advantage or a hindrance, depending on your point of view. Pedals are of a conventional non-folding design, but the folded package is so wide, they do not protrude.

On this occasion, we produced a package measuring 82cm long, 63cm tall and 40cm wide, giving a folded volume of 207 litres or 7.4 cubic feet, which seems pretty typical on past performance.To be honest, it’s a bit disappointing, and broadly similar to much simpler 20-inch designs, such as the Dahon.The other disappointment is that it’s very difficult to fold a Birdy without getting your hands dirty, because there’s really no escape from grappling with the tyres and other grubby bits. Again, you may profoundly disagree, but we think this rules the bike out for the smarter sort of person with nice shapely nails, which is a PC way of saying women and the more effete sort of gentleman.We may be wrong – do let us know.

Conclusion

As we saw in the the last issue with the Dahon Helios SL and in this issue with the Oyama Victor, the mainstream folding bike manufacturers cannot afford to be complacent, because there are some excellent designs starting to arrive from the Far East at extremely competitive prices.

On paper, the Birdy Black, more than most, is in big trouble. It has the sort of price tag that could give elderly Cyclist Touring Club types a heart attack, yet it’s relatively heavy, difficult to fold, and it produces a big cumbersome package.We’re sometimes accused of favouring the Brompton, but (sigh) it really does fold much smaller, much quicker, and the process is generally oil-free. And we could add that a Brompton doesn’t usually try to fling off its front tyre. On the road, the jury is more split, with a sizable minority favouring the Birdy, but the new Mezzo (see News) is likely to take sales here too, and it costs half the price.

As mentioned somewhere or other above, you will know if you are a Birdy person, but if you aren’t you would be well advised to keep that £1,250 (£1,323 in this case) safely in the bank. For commuters, a Brompton or Mezzo is less than half the price, and for leisure riders and tourists making occasional use of public transport, a custom Bike Friday will (or should) fit like a glove and give years of pleasure for about the same price. If you have been seduced by the Birdy’s undoubted qualities, we’d suggest starting with the Red, which is almost as good as the Black, but leaves you with £400 in your wallet.

Specification

Birdy Black £1,250 . Weight (as tested) 11.7kg (25.7lb) . Folded size W40cm H63cm L82cm Folded volume 207 litres (7.4cu ft) . Gears Shimano Deore XT 9-spd derailleur .Ratios 30″- 87″ Manufacturer Riese & Müller web www.r-m.de mail team@r-m.de tel +49 6151 366860

Brompton ‘B’ Bag

If you regularly fly with a folding bike, you will know all about baggage handlers, the meticulously trained gorillas employed by airlines to heave your precious possessions from tarmac to hold and vice versa.

With a full-size bike, air-carriage may be expensive and time- consuming, but you can at least be confident that something so evidently fragile won’t get lobbed around too much. For folding bikes like the Brompton – that look much like other bit of luggage, but are both heavier and more fragile – it’s a different story.

Brompton has produced a bike cover for many years, but it’s more about disguise than protection, and there’s a coherent argument for leaving the cover off, in the hope that the handling-gorillas will show a little compassion.

The only real alternative is a conventional hard case – we usually suggest marching into a luggage shop with your Brompton and choosing a size that will comfortably take the bike, plus a few pairs of knickers and classic lightweight trousers tucked in where space permits.This will protect the bike against most eventualities, but makes life mighty difficult at point B. In short, what do you do with the case when you arrive? One option is to throw the whole lot in a taxi, but cycling straight out of the airport is one of the joys of folding bikedom, and you’ll need a better solution if you’re touring. Bike Friday gets around the problem with its patented TravelTrailer – basically a hard case that sprouts wheels and becomes a trailer. But the wheels add extra drag, weight, expense and complication.

The boffins at Brompton think they have come up with a compromise in the form of a padded soft bag, tough enough to give some protection during and after the flight, but light and compact enough to carry away on the bike.This, to avoid confusion with soft bags and hard bags, has been christened the ‘B’ bag. So in this crazy world, you might just find yourself explaining to a ‘one’ booking clerk in Bombay that you need space for a ‘B’ bag in coach C of the 8.20 ‘one’ service to Diss. No room for confusion there, then.

A Brief Description

The ‘B’ is made of a ruggedly woven nylon cordura fabric, padded to a depth of 5mm on the sides, with a solid base of laminated alloy and plastic.The result is very strong, but flexible enough to roll away into a manageable package. At the rear of the bag are two rugged little castors, supported on ball bearings, to give mobility on smooth surfaces. In ‘wheeled suitcase’ mode, you lift the bag with a little strap at the front and it whizzes along beautifully. For tougher customers, there’s also a broad shoulder strap, and a pair of conventional handles.

Weight is 2.3kg – a lot less than a hard case, of course, but rather more than a conventional soft bag. Dimensions when loaded are approximately (the bag is sculpted to some extent around the bike) 24cm wide, 64cm long and 58cm to 67cm tall. Any Brompton will fit, even those without a folding pedal (though we’d strongly recommend getting one) and/or with the longer SP6 seat post.The packed bag is little larger than the bike, but there’s enough space for carefully packed clothes, and even documents in the near (but not quite) A4-size zipped internal pocket. Another clear-fronted pocket just happens to take a copy of your favourite folding bicycle magazine, which may be pure coincidence, but thanks anyway lads.

With quick-releases on the straps, and floor to floor zips, the bag opens right out, so there’s little or no lifting required to load the bike. Ride off, and you’re dealing with a bag measuring 15cm x 25cm x 65cm – relatively cumbersome, but manageable enough, either on your back, strapped to the rack, or even poking out of the ‘Touring’ pannier bag.

In Practice

No doubt, the bag will be used in innumerable different ways.We would suggest carrying the ‘B’ on your back, and packing clothes into several plastic bags stuffed into a touring pannier for the trip to the airport. At the check-in, the bike and clothes go in the ‘B’ as hold luggage, and the Touring pannier plus essentials stays with you as hand luggage, with the packing and unpacking operation reversed at the other end.

Without the bike, the ‘B’ has an 80 litre capacity, although you wouldn’t want to carry too much weight in it. One question we had to answer was whether you can ride a Brompton carrying a second bike in the ‘B’ bag? Well, you can, but it’s not an operation for the faint-hearted, and you wouldn’t want to carry 12kg too far…The other classic use will be for yachting folk – yes, the straps are long enough, and the bike small enough, to dangle down through a 60cm x 60cm hatch. Hopefully, there’s enough padding should you forget the bike’s there and chuck the anchor down after it…

We’ve seen all sorts of travel bags over the years, from the basic (our own lightweight covers), through the cumbersome, to the plain useless (see Trek F600, A to B 41).This new Brompton-specific bag answers most of the criticisms of previous designs, being light enough and small enough to transport, but tough enough to give the bike some real protection. If the handlers drop it three metres off the end of an elevator, the bike will suffer, but it should survive the everyday knocks and bangs of air travel.

Brompton ‘B’ Bag £95 . Weight 2.3kg . Unfolded Dimensions H67cm W24cm L64cm Folded dimensions H15cm W25cm L65cm . Manufacturer Brompton tel 020 8232 8484

A commuter in No-Folderland – Letter from Israel

This story comes from a land where the notion of a folding bicycle is practically unknown, and it has a happy ending:There is a Brompton dealer in Tel-Aviv, as of March 2004, called Ilan’s Bikes, and the shop is within walking distance from where I live. Actually, Ilan (a Brompton owner himself) was cautious about the enterprise. He said let’s wait and see if people do order…

My folder affair began some three years ago, owing mainly to the emerging Israeli train system and the development of the seafront shared-use promenade and Yarkon riverside park.Tel- Aviv is one of the few cities of its magnitude in the world that exists without an underground rail system.

From the days of the Turks and then the British, a railway line followed the coastal plain from Lebanon through Haifa,Tel- Aviv and Gaza, with side routes from Haifa through the plain of Esdraelon to Syria and from Tel- Aviv through Lod and Ramla (a Turkish-built administrative centre) to Jerusalem. After the British left, the system fell into decay – the ‘valley train’ to Lebanon was abandoned, and although the train to Jerusalem survived, it climbed the 700 metre ascent so slowly that it was practically useless.

…I scanned the internet for ‘folding bicycle’… the future turned out to be here already…

The renaissance started five years ago. New stations began to appear in the greater Tel-Aviv and Haifa areas – first Ha-Shalom, then Ha’Hagana near the new central bus station (holding the dubious record of being the biggest bus station in the world, but also one that neither the citizens nor the bus operators needed – aka the Tel-Aviv White Elephant), and University (near the exhibition centre). New suburban rail lines followed, many of the stations being built in the middle of nowhere, but near shopping malls, a policy that, surprisingly, has proved quite successful.The eastern suburban line, leading from the university to Bene Braq (actually, the Ayalon Mall), the Segula mall, Rosh Ha’ain (near an industrial park) and Kefar Sava has been running successfully for two to three years.The newer Rishon Lezion line has been less successful, due to its bad location. More ambitious plans include a completely new line to Jerusalem, and there are proposals to extend this railway as far south as Eilat on the Red Sea.

Cycle Paths

At about the same time as the train improvements, they also paved a contiguous road through the Yarqon river park, which was later joined to the seafront promenade, giving me an off-road route almost all the way to work.With these ground breaking developments, the time was ripe for a folding bicycle.

This was pure inspiration. Actually, I never saw one. (Later I was to learn that there where some half a dozen Bromptons and a score of 16-inch Dahons in Israel, but I had never witnessed any of them.) I recalled seeing in the Discovery Channel’s Tomorrow’s World a part on folding bikes, with this guy halting in front of a supermarket, folding the bike and then proceeding to use it as a supermarket trolley (well, sadly enough, you can’t do this with a Brompton!). So, I scanned the internet for ‘folding bicycle’. Surprisingly, the future turned out to be here already.There was plenty of material, mainly from Britain, including ads and a couple of comparison articles (from A to B magazine, I guess).

The name Brompton came up regularly, as the commonly- accepted standard commuter for my distance hauls, allegedly offering acceptable riding experience and folding small; much more expensive than I had in mind, but still affordable. Other models seemed to be either cheaper but inferior or forbiddingly expensive science fiction pieces. It so happened that I was scheduled to spend a week in London on business at the time, so I made my mind to return home with one.Then, the trip was cancelled at the last moment. Frustrated, I compensated myself by ordering the bike by mail, ignoring the extra cost (from Avon Valley, including the suggested A to B subscription, whatever that meant – let it be!). I agreed to compromise on the colour, so the bike came after a few days in a big carton. I unpacked the contents and learnt from the manual how to fold and unfold it.The next day, we started the on board a train is strictly work schedule we’ve maintained ever since: the bike forbidden here…” carrying me to work and me carrying it upstairs.

Some improvements were called for, though. I upgraded the original three-speed gearing – being too little and too high – to six-speed reduced gearing, which has been doing the job right. Surprisingly, on small wheels one needs fewer speeds to be comfortable. And I always ride with feet firmly strapped to pedals, by either toe-clips or cleats. Being tied to the pedals makes for efficient pedalling, making it practical to ride on rough surfaces and climb steep inclines, such as the infamous Wooden Bridge illustrated, in the park en route to work.

I insisted upon a rack (in addition to the very practical front bag). In no way does it interfere with train commuting; on the contrary, the additional pair of small rubber wheels (which I replaced with bigger ones from an old cabinet!) makes it practical to tow the folded bike on smooth surfaces over medium distances, as in train stations and malls. You hold the folded package with four fingers by the saddle, lifting it a little. (The practicality of this position may depend upon one’s height, though). Needless to say, the original saddle was quickly torn in the process, which turned out for the good – got me a Brooks saddle instead, which is superior for both sitting and towing.

My normal route to work does not start from a station on the map. I live close to the beach, exactly 3.5 km from Hagana station, three from Hashalom station, 3.5 from Central station and six from University. Getting to any of these by public transport in the morning would take around 30 minutes, but getting to Hagana by bike, including folding, takes 13 minutes. Usually I take the long (and pastoral) 10km route – gliding down General Allenby street to the beach, along the seafront and through the riverside park to work, which is near Bene Braq station.When I want to take the short, noisy and polluted 7km route, I climb a few metres up Allenby and glide down King George the 5th Street into the city. Obviously, the British did leave some traces behind…

The railway can be useful too. A nice train station has been built in an industrial park I used to visit on business errands quite often, some 90 kilometres from home, and which – though located on a main road – was virtually unreachable by the bus system.

Carrying bicycles on board a train is strictly forbidden here.The regulations do not mention folding bikes, but I have been delayed only twice (and released after a short inquiry) by overzealous conductors.Thorough baggage checking is routine here on entrance to train stations and other buildings. So, arriving at the gate with the folded and covered package may cause unnecessary delay. (‘What is inside?’ ‘A folded bicycle.’ ‘What?’) On the other hand, once in the station, the folded bike had better look like an ordinary bag, just in case the conductor gets over-excited.The trick is to glide nonchalantly up to within a few metres of the security officers to catch their attention (but not too close to become an annoyance), spend 20 seconds laboriously folding the bike and covering it, then march to the guard saying ‘it’s the bike, remember?’

… The police were already on their their way… the ‘suspicious bag’ was my innocent bicycle…

The bicycle cover is handy once boarding, as shown by the following anecdote, (incidentally demonstrating how little known the concept of a folding bicycle is here). In the Jerusalem central bus station, I once left the folded bike, in its thin default cover, in the line for a bus, asked someone to watch it and left for the toilet.When I returned, the safe keeper was gone and a crowd had gathered at a safe distance. As I approached, I was signalled to keep away from the suspicious bag.The police were already on their way.The ‘suspicious bag’ was, of course, my innocent bicycle, albeit thinly covered, with the rack and rear lights clearly protruding from below. Even as I took it by the hand, I was advised never to leave my ‘bag’ this way again.Then, the bike went aboard the bus’s baggage area, and remained an anonymous bag all the way to Tel-Aviv.

Living in no-folder-land is by means bad. People respond well to the idea as soon as they see it. Positive comments on the practicality of the technology are common. However, they find it harder to accept the price.These people can appreciate why they should pay over $2000 for a full-suspension MTB, weekend mountain biking being a widespread sport here. However, they find it harder to appreciate the price for something that delivers the first impression of a child’s machine. (The 16-inch revolution of the 1960s has never reached these parts).

Let us hope that this situation changes, because Israel – especially the coastal plain – is ideal territory for folding bikes. Infrastructure is getting better: the rail network is developing, two underground lines are planned (on paper at least) and sporadically, bicycle tracks make an appearance (leading from nowhere to nowhere, but sure, it’s a start). Oh, and Ilan is reporting some folding bike sales.