A slightly unusual issue this time because we’re overwhelmed with bikes.This has meant squeezing out The Mole (no doubt back on full form for the next issue) and much else has been cropped to make room, but with so much fascinating hardware around, we guessed you’d rather we cut the waffle and made space available.
We continue to live through momentous times. Oil prices have peaked in recent weeks, on the mere suggestion that supplies from Saudi Arabia might be disrupted. And here in the UK, the hint of a few pence on a gallon has brought the threat of another road blockade. Meanwhile, we’ve been branded the fattest, or perhaps it’s the fastest-growing fat nation in Europe (maybe on earth), as we continue to exercise less and drive more…Where will it all end? Whatever’s coming, it’s just as well to be prepared, and that’s what A to B is all about.
I am looking for a lockable secure housing for our bikes which can be bolted to the front of our house. I found a company that sold such objects through your advertisements but can no longer locate the company. Could you help?
We were rather chuffed to find a handy padlock that fits snugly on the ever-faithful Brompton, disappearing inside the frame when the bike is unfolded. It is called Wedlock and is made by Specialized. We bought it here in Switzerland from a mail-order shop called Véloplus (www.veloplus.ch), but it may well be available elsewhere now. It obviously adds a bit of weight to the bike, but we have found it rather nifty. It folds out like a concertina and is great for securing the bike to likely-looking poles when it is not feasible to carry the bike inside (although I am getting quite shameless – my Brompton enjoyed its first trip to the cinema recently, as well as happily shopping in supermarket trolleys, on the strength of A to B’s advice!)
This winter I have been using the Brompton and bus to get to work. At £1, it’s a lot cheaper than the £3.80 rail fare from Redhill to Croydon. The luggage rack could be almost purpose-built for a Brompton. Another advantage is there are no steps up and down from the platform.
I am looking for a good folding bike in the 20-inch size for longer trips (I commute 14 miles every day, plus train, with a Brompton, but the ride is a bit too far some days… I read about a folding bike today that I haven ìt seen or heard about before. It does not appear to be listed in your website Buyer’s Guide or Price List? So, I am wondering if it’s a brand new thing, or is there really nothing new in the biking world? It looks really cool and it is called GoBike. It seems to be Canadian, and can be found at www.legroupego.com
My son has just turned 14, and I am thinking of buying an electric bicycle for him to use to get to school (seven miles of country lanes, including a steep hill both ways); to town (four miles of the same); to after-school sports and to visit friends. I know very little about this form of transport and would appreciate some advice.
Our criteria are safety and reliability, along with the capacity (in terms of both power and space) to carry substantial bags of books/files and/or sports kit (including, if possible, racquets/bats).We also need to know about re-charging the batteries (the school run is six days a week and includes late evenings). Oh yes, and if it looked a bit cool, that would be a bonus! What we really need is a Which? magazine type guide to electric bikes.
“A to B 41 was interesting, as always, but I’m a bit confused by Martin Fillan’s comment (Letters, A to B 40) about grease leaking onto brake drum linings and his suggestion about using a roller brake.What exactly is a roller brake? Is it better than a drum? And is it easier to replace? I can’t find one in the Sturmey catalogue, so whose is it and how much extra will it weigh?”
A little under three years ago, Giant revealed the Lafree Lite, raising the stakes in the electric bicycle world overnight.This quietly understated machine was quite simply Light Years ahead of the opposition. At 22.2kg, it was lighter than almost everything else, yet it was well equipped, and offered a reasonable 20-mile range. Crucially, it was also a really nice bicycle to ride, either assisted or with the motor turned off. A year later, the Lite was joined by the Comfort – £200 more expensive, but complete with decent brakes, automatic halogen lights, front suspension forks and a suspension seatpost.
If you think 23 miles isn’t far, remember we’re riding fast in hilly country. On a more leisurely 30 mile jaunt with Alexander in the child seat, the ST came home with two ‘fuel’ lights still glowing out of five. On the ‘ECO’ setting, we’d say 40 miles would be quite within reach with care.
Not so long ago, the renowned Joe Breeze – inventor of the mountain bike to some – decided to import a line of folding bikes into the States, as part of his Breezer label’s move away from the MTB.Whose products would this giant of the US bicycle world choose as a partner we wondered? Birdy perhaps? Or maybe Brompton – both were looking to improve their US representation at the time.To our enormous surprise, Joe settled on Oyama, a Taiwanese/Chinese manufacturer of crude, toy-like machines from the murky basement world of budget folders.
Owning both a Giant Lafree and a Powabyke I’d always felt they would be ideal for pulling quite a sizeable amount of gear about, and that without a trailer, I was not making best use of them.The Croozer Cargo from Zwei plus zwei seemed to promise a lot (lightweight but reasonably strong construction, easy fixing to most axles, 30kg payload and a reasonably straightforward fold) and at £125 it wasn’t too expensive. Having never even ridden a cycle and trailer combination before I was understandably apprehensive about taking it out and about on West Yorkshire’s often busy roads.
This article dates from June 2004, and the Step-Compo has long since disappeared. It was a brave effort by the Japanese – a lightish, stylish folding electric bike, but it was soon overwhelmed by cheaper Chinese tat
The Honda Step Compo’s nickel-metal hydride battery is genuinely handbag-sized, weighing just 2.2kg.The problem is a capacity of barely 84 Watt/hours.To put that in perspective, the Lafree has a 156Wh battery and the Ezee Forza 314Wh – almost four times the size. Surprise, surprise, the Step’s bijou battery is lighter, but gives barely a quarter of the range. Riding our usual hilly ‘mountain’ course, the Honda managed only 9.7 miles at a modest 11.8mph. Riding exactly the same course on ‘ECO’ yielded a range of 10 miles at 11.6mph. Honda claims a range of 121/2 miles with normal power and 19 miles on ECO.That might be possible in laboratory conditions, but you’d be lucky to achieve anything similar on the road.
As an internet buyer, the experience was simple. I chose, I clicked, I bought, it arrived the next day, I unpacked, unfolded, fitted the seat, and rode. And nearly fell off. But although your first ten seconds on a Strida are bewildering, your brain quickly reprograms your senses. It’s short, rigid, nippy, and surprisingly comfy. My wife at 5′ 7″ thought it was great, because the riding position really is very upright, and the clever adjustable seat slides up and down the rear of the ‘triangle’ (after loosening three bolts), making it comfortable for both the short and the tall (six foot is probably the maximum though).The handlebars are placed very close to your body, which is unnerving at first, but quickly becomes very natural. It’s sort of steering from your stomach – none of this stretched-out-racer-style lark. I imagined I’d be thrown out of the seat upon mounting pavements and bumping over long grass, but the frame changes (see below) must have worked, because it feels far more rigid than a Brilliant Micro on the road, but is still compliant enough to tackle towpaths.
Strida have made several improvements to the third generation bikes, claiming that the new folding handlebar reduces folded dimensions from 45″ x 21″ x 20″ to 45″ x 21″ x 9″, which reduces folded volume from 309 to 139 litres (10.9 to 4.9 cubic feet)!
To find out if it can cut the commuter mustard, I draped a sheet over my 24-speed Dahon, hung up my pannier bag and resigned to cycling my 11-mile round trip commute on the Strida for a week. I (luckily) don’t have to rely on public transport for any part of my journey, so no news there I’m afraid. First morning out, I allowed an extra 20 minutes, but the ride took only four minutes longer than normal, which surprised me. No drama. No stress, and no obvious flexing from the frame. Every morning for the rest of that week the thought of riding it to work became an exciting challenge.The simplicity of the bike – one gear, drum brakes, and not much else – made me feel like a little kid again.
This article was first published in June 2004. Ezee has more or less gone out of business now, and big heavy electric folding bikes like this are very much a thing of the past
Make your dreams come true! Come to the USA and leave with a small fortune.The time-honoured way to do this is to bring a large fortune with you, arrive in Las Vegas and spend a month or so gambling the nights away. If you are lucky, you will leave Las Vegas with a small fortune. If you are unlucky, you won’t have enough money left to buy breakfast.
I know of only one successful electric bike shop in all of the USA. It is in our Pacific Northwest, in the state of Washington.The owner has by far the best American website in the business (www.electricvehiclesnw.com) and even he uses the website for occasional grumbles about the market. How can this lack of interest be explained?