Cycling UK Forum

Hi Glueman

Bike Club is still very much in its infancy right now. The finer details are still being worked out regarding exactly how it will work, and when more tangible information is ready, it will be made widely available.

We've got high hopes for Bike Club, based largely on the very real success of the Cycle Champions programme. This scheme has seen literally thousands of people given the chance to ride bikes who may otherwise not have been able to do so. Thousands of real people riding real bikes - much more than a mere photo opportunity. Encouraging more people into cycling is something that many of us believe is a good thing.

The parade of logos and 'partners' may not be your kind of thing (I understand entirely), but the fact is that it is funding from organisations such as this that enables us to do this kind of work.

So, watch and see what takes shape under Bike Club. It's very likely there will be something to focus the energies of your son, and other children who may not be fortunate enough to have cycling parents.

Clive
Bike Club

Sorry to have kept you on tenterhooks, UrbanManc!

I've owned by EBC trailer for about a year. It's very closely based on the Bob Yak, but by no means identical.

Until last month, I'd only ever used it for short trips - camping, picnics and beach barbecues. Our trip to Wales was the first time I'd used it on a proper tour.

The trailer has a frame of square-section steel tube which can be flat-packed when not in use. A single rear wheel attaches via a quick release. On the bike, a replacement rear quick-release skewer has wide stubs that receive the hooks which extend from the main trailer body. A nearly-waterproof fitted dry(ish) bag fits into the trailer and a flag completes the package.

We traveled from Brighton to Llanelli by train, which was the first challenge for the trailer. Negotiating our way onto trains was made easier by co-operative rail staff, but was by no means easy. Our journey involved two changes of train. The first platform change (at Fratton) forced me to separate the trailer and carry it separately up to staircases - not fun.

Thankfully, the passenger lifts at Cardiff are large enough to receive a bike and trailer without having to disconnect. Our final train was a very crowded two-car rural affair. Our fellow passengers were very understanding and helped a nightmare become tolerable.

Once in Wales, we hitched up and set off, me towing the heavily packed trailer behind a hardtail cross-country race mountain bike.



I won't deny the trailer takes a little getting used to, but compared to the two-wheeled trailers I've used, it's fantastic. The trailer's wheel tracks the bike's rear wheel almost exactly, making it a good choice for off-road riding. Climbing hills is no more difficult than doing so with chunky panniers - maybe even easier. And fast cornering is absolutely fine - really confidence-inspiring. The only times I feel uneasy with the trailer are during fast lane-changes on quick roads. A simple sideways movement between lanes can sometimes lead to a kind of snaking sensation. Not enough to cause a real problem, but worth being aware of.

And so we continued for 250km - mostly on narrow country lanes, with a few off-road sections and some occasional larger roads. The trailer behaved very well, and its load continued to grow as items of my girlfriend's kit began to migrate mysteriously into my trailer bag.

After a particularly difficult off-road section we suffered a spate of punctures, but it would be unfair to blame this on the trailer's design - just one of those things.

The large orange bag, though it looks waterproof, is not, and I learnt to keep my clothes in plastic bags while riding through the wet Welsh weather. This may have been less of a problem had I not omitted to add the mudguard that came with the trailer. And if the end of the world had not fallen from the sky as we rode back through Llanelli on day 7...

The journey home featured larger, less crowded trains, so was less stressful. We arrived back into London Paddington late at night and opted to ride to Waterloo and take one last train to Putney, our final destination.

It was as we left Putney station, with only a mile left to ride, that the trailer developed the only real issue of the trip. After carrying it up the stairs, I couldn't seem to reconnect the hooks to the stubs mounted on the bike. After fiddling with it for a while, I had to turn the trailer upside down to locate the problem.

The 'hooks' which locate onto the bike's axle stubs are in fact each made from two steel plates with a space between them. This gap accommodates a smaller hook, which rotates with the aid of a small fiddly button in order to lock the trailer to the bike. One of the outer steel plates had bent inward a small amount, preventing the inner hook from rotating forward and performing its purpose. The problem was cured by jamming a large screwdriver into the gap and prising the plates apart.

To be fair, this problem was probably the result of my clumsy attachment and re-attachment technique, dropping the trailer into concrete floors while steadying my bike with my spare hand. If I'd been more careful or more gentle, I'm sure this minor damage wouldn't have happened.

I'm looking forward to using the trailer again, but will take more care with the attachment mechanism, and might even fit the mudguard next time.

Wow.

Amazed to see how this thread has grown and grown - obviously a topic of interest to many people.

Of the points that have been made, I think one of the most valuable is the observation that the opinions of women who already cycle are maybe not as relevant to this as the opinions of women who don't currently cycle.

To be fair, none of us are seeing this through the eyes of the people we're discussing - non-cycling women. And we may find it silly to worry about 'helmet hair' or perceived sweatiness, but if those ideas are on the minds of people who don't cycle, then they should be taken seriously.

(And PaulB - I'm not sure if cycling is really seen as a 'working class' activity these days. Very possibly the opposite.)

I've just returned from a camping holiday in south west Wales, towing an Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op Cargo trailer behind my bike.

It was absolutely great, with only a couple of very minor problems. I'll write more when I have time, but if you'd like to know more (or even a test ride if you're in the Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire/London area) then give me a shout at clive.andrews@ctc.org.uk

Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op Cargo Trailer

In partial, but not total, agreement, CJ.

On one hand...

I agree that images of female cyclists looking 'normal' is the way forward.

In fact, I was browsing through a female friend's Grazia the other day (I didn't buy it - honest!) and there were annotated photos of the likes of Aygnes Deyn and Cindy Crawford riding around London dressed normally - as normally as supermodels dress, I suppose. The article even described where you could buy the same bikes as the celebs, and pointed out the co-ordinated accessories (HOW much for that tartan saddlebag?).

There's a guy on Flickr who (almost obsessively) photographs attractive bicycling ladies on the streets of Copenhagen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16nine/set ... 400316816/

On the other hand...

Don't forget the enormous power of aspirational images in advertising, like the Rebecca Romero one for the Powerade ad. These photographs are never intended to be taken at all literally. Maybe the sight of Rebecca Romero in the buff gives a powerful message that counters a stereotype: "Female cyclists aren't always sweaty hippies with bad hair - it is possible to be a cyclist and to be attractive."

'Painkiller' by Turin Brakes

Summer rain
Dripping down your face again
Summer rain
Praying someone feels the same
Take the painkiller:
Cycle on your bicycle
And leave all this misery behind

Thanks for suggestions and quality feedback, all.

After considering the options, and a handy test-ride or two at AVC in Bath, I've decided to go for the Airnimal Joey Explore.

Mostly for the reasons above. My commute is rarely sardine territory, but a folder is still needed to get me onto all the trains.

The larger wheels will be more versatile for the gentle off-road at Alice Holt Forest, and the Explore has wider tyres and a full spread of gears.

So thanks for your help, everyone, and if you want a test-ride, come and see me at East Hampshire Cycling for All

Thanks everyone.

How about Airnimal? Do any of their models sound suitable for my needs?

I need to choose a folding bike and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas.

I'm familiar with Bromptons, but I know that there are other options out there. Maybe something else would suit me better.

I need something:

- To be used every day for a few miles. Something reliable and sturdy.
- Suitable mostly for the road but for short distances on gentle unsurfaced paths (I do mean gentle - forest roads. This does not need to be a mountain bike!)
- I'm 6'2" so something which is OK for a tallish chap.
- To be used for rail commuting, so needs to be a genuine folder - no allen key fettling, thank you.

I've noticed the Birdy Touring - http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/birdy_touring.htm - and I'm wondering how this might go with off-road tyres...

Anyone have any opinions?