One-star reviews galore as National Cycling Show disappoints on debut; “You’ll never forget your first time” on Leith Walk’s bizarre zig-zag cycle lane; Racing argy-bargy; Hire a Brompton for £1 during rail strikes + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"You'll never forget your first time" on Leith Walk's bizarre zig-zag cycle lane
We’ve been here before…
In April, the City of Edinburgh transport convenor confirmed changes would be made to Leith Walk’s protected cycle lane following criticism. I’m sure some would ask if said ‘changes’ are simply: ripping it up, designing something better, and starting again…
Here’s how it feels to ride it, thanks to Dave McCraw for filming the chaos…
Almost 20 years and £1bn+ in the making, you’ll never forget your first time on the Leith Walk strategic cycle corridor. pic.twitter.com/JGq7FGsgUp
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) June 18, 2022
Or rather, THIS is how it feels to ride it (without camera stabilisation)…
The surface is extremely bumpy, with camera stabilisation turned off: pic.twitter.com/43b2DQBJoZ
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) June 18, 2022
So, what else is wrong with it? (Bar the blatantly obvious)…
You can come out of the supermarket and walk onto the cycle super highway without crossing any tactile paving (!) and visually, it might trick a pedestrian into not realising there’s a cycle track at all due to the weird materials change: pic.twitter.com/rUEV6ZIyNs
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) June 18, 2022
And the pavement is absolutely, OBSCENELY narrow for a boulevard that is wider than the M8 most of the way down… pic.twitter.com/AP5zr9vJhM
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) June 18, 2022
To a backdrop of criticism and social media jibes, transport convenor Lesley Macinnes said: “No-one is happy with the current situation but this is a far from finished part of the overall project. There are clear issues in how the design has been applied during construction and these have been raised as defects.”
I still cannot believe this is actually being built. We really spent limited tax funds on this. Someone was PAID genuine money to create this design and then somehow, thinking people approved it. Was the project remit create accidents and make Edinburgh look moronic? #Edinburgh pic.twitter.com/7jGkWfrJFl
— Allasan Seòras Buc 🦓🌻 (@Airisaiia) April 6, 2022
It’s not finished and I hope it can be improved but the Leith walk cycle path looks terrible, the tactile paving inconsistent, ultiity covers badly placed and the pavement too narrow. This is the 2nd path put in in last few years, very frustrating if it’s inadequate again. https://t.co/DLxz06ndAF pic.twitter.com/rRd2qFLasa
— pete morrison 🇺🇦 (@phabbay) April 7, 2022
Weekend round-up: The new Giant Propel?; Joe Biden's GC challenge in tatters; Angle grinder bike thief tries to steal MP's bike
New bike season is here…
Is this the new Giant Propel? Tony Martin set tongues wagging after posting photos of himself on a mysterious new bike. Elsewhere on road.cc this weekend…
> UCI downgrades RideLondon Classique due to “unacceptable lack of respect” for teams and riders
Joe Biden took a tumble after getting all tangled up in his toe straps when he stopped to greet a crowd of well-wishers while out for a spin in Delaware.
Closer to home, a Labour MP was the victim of an attempted bike theft as a brazen angle grinder-wielding thief in London fled the scene after being approached by staff from a restaurant.
The best bikes and bike gear | road.cc recommends episode 15
One-star reviews galore as National Cycling Show disappoints on debut
The first year of the National Cycling Show, hosted at the N.E.C in Birmingham this weekend, has received a cold reception from attendees who have flooded the event’s Facebook page with one-star reviews and negative comments…
The set up began this morning for the show this weekend… we can’t wait for the doors to open at 9am tomorrow morning!🚴 😃 #nationalcyclingshow pic.twitter.com/ZZoBNM9WyF
— The National Cycling Show (@NatCyclingShow) June 17, 2022
The event was billed as “an immersive retail experience enabling consumers to try and buy everything from bikes to accessories”, with the aim of “normalising” cycling and attracting new audiences.
However, as per some unanimously unimpressed attendee reviews on Facebook, the show failed to deliver, with several calling it a “waste of time”, and others expressing disappointment at the lack of bikes on display and questionable vendor choices.
“You’d be better off nipping down your local bike shop”
One disgruntled visitor said: “You’d be better off nipping down your local bike shop than going to The National Cycle Show, hardly any bikes mostly about gels and hydration.” While another said it was “full of tat”…
“Total waste of time, full of tat. If you want a massage machine or even some hair straighteners (I kid you not) your luck is in. But as for bikes and accessories/parts not much on offer. You even get to pay £16 for parking which, at an event you can easily walk around in an hour, is disgraceful. The only positive is there are some good speakers including Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny but there is no way you can hang around all day just to listen to them. Extremely poor show.”
The event has attracted 13 one-star reviews on Facebook, at the time of writing, as well as a string of negative comments under posts about the event.
One called it a “huge disappointment” before writing: “If you want a cycling show, focus on businesses that have cycling at their heart … not those who tack on cycling as an afterthought. Sorry, but your organisers need to consider cyclists and what they want.”
Another said they had travelled 180 miles to an event they only spent an hour at. “It was mainly supplement-based. Would have wanted to see more bikes and accessories. This event will need to grow before I go back.”
So how did the National Cycling Show reply?
In reply to one, the National Cycling Show responded: “This is our very first event, launched during a pandemic and we did our best to deliver a great experience for you guys. We didn’t have any drop-outs — you can view the list of 135 brands, all of the feature activations and speaker sessions that we had on show here. Believe me we take every comment seriously and to heart. Thank you for taking the time to write to us and hopefully you join us again next year, where the show will be bigger and better.” We have also contacted the organiser for comment, and will update if/when we get one…
Here are some more of the one-star reviews: “Too many irrelevant stands not enough trade and dealer merchandise. Had list of things wanting to buy came away with nothing.”
“More massage guns on display than bikes and a stall with hair straighteners. Not at all like the previous shows that have been there. Very disappointing.”
“The worst cycle show I have ever been to. Absolute rubbish, nothing but a collection of tat vendors and a single bike manufacturer. Pathetic.”
“I was really looking forward to looking at new bikes but it was a disappointment.
The main players were absent from the show, one small hall with more charities, massage stands, food stands than bike-related equipment. Where were Trek, Specialized, Giant, BMC, Cannondale, Scott, Focus, Canyon, Ribble? I am really sorry but the organisers of this event need to rethink their strategy for attracting bike and equipment manufacturers and retailers for next year. I would NOT recommend this event unless you want to increase your contributions to charities, purchase some hair straighteners, some flapjack or brownies. Complete waste of time and money.”
Some positives?
Not everyone commenting on the event’s posts was as disappointed as the reviewers…
One reply said: “Loved everything at the show!!! Great for all the family!!! Can’t wait for next year!!” While someone else said: “We had a good time, it may not have the big brands, but lots of smaller businesses that were passionate about cycling and knew their product and were really helpful.”
Another satisfied visitor replied to a negative comment: “For the record my husband and I really enjoyed The Show. We thought the talks were excellent and we enjoyed talking to the vendors and charities and trusts alike.”
Did you go to the National Cycling Show? What was your experience? Would you consider going again in the future? Let us know in the comments…
Weekend racing round-up: "Hyenas" Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl under fire for hands-on tactics in Baloise Belgium Tour win + G's back
Let’s start with the positive — G’s back winning WorldTour stage races… and with just a fortnight until the Tour de France…
Not bad company 🤣👌 https://t.co/oAsoO65pHT
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 19, 2022
Let’s ignore the fact a third of the field, including Ineos leader Adam Yates and race leader Aleksandr Vlasov, abandoned due to Covid positives or being close contacts of Covid positives…
Say it quietly…could G be hitting form just in time for the big one?
He’ll have to practise his rock paper scissor skills if he wants a second yellow jersey…
Rock, paper, scissors anyone? ✂
Rafaj Majka and Tadej Pogacar take a 1-2 at the Tour of Slovenia… decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors! 😅 pic.twitter.com/YfyujYGMkM
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 18, 2022
Yep, Tadej Pogačar and Rafał Majka continued their Tour of Slovenia domination winning a stage each this weekend as Pog took his home race overall. The pair won 80 per cent of the race’s stages last week…
> Peter Sagan tests positive for Covid-19 – for third time in 18 months
That’s the positive done…Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Yves Lampaert was on the naughty step yesterday, blocking rival Tim Wellens during the Baloise Belgium Tour’s ‘golden kilometre’ — a crucial kilometre with three bonus second sprints — which decided the five-stage race. Lampaert’s teammate Mauro Schmid and Wellens were tied on time going into the final stage when this happened…
This stinks – UCI rules need a clause that leads not only to DSQ for a move like Lampaert’s but also to a penalty for an individual who benefits from unfair actions of a teammate. It’s a team sport. pic.twitter.com/IFFVDFO4cq
— Robbie McEwen AM (@mcewenrobbie) June 19, 2022
GCN+ and Eurosport commentator Carlton Kirby called the celebrating riders, including subsequently disqualified Lampaert, “hyenas”…
Hyenas today sadly… https://t.co/20J27dphcR
— Carlton Kirby (@carltonkirby) June 19, 2022
The women’s Tour de Suisse stage three fills the void without three races a day. Next on the men’s agenda? National champs and the small matter of the Tour de France…
Hire a Brompton for £1 during rail strikes
In response to this week’s rail strikes, Brompton Bike Hire has announced it is offering free bike hire for the strike period. All customers have to do is join as a member (for a quid…so not completely free) and get five days of free hire using the code STRIKE.
The offer ends at 11:59pm on Friday 24th June and hire is £5 per day thereafter. For more info or to sign-up visit Brompton Hire…
The National Cycling Show — your thoughts...
Agreed!! Went on Sunday and slow walked round it in 15 minutes! Oh well, at least the credit card came back intact 🤣🤣
— Carl Taylor (@carlt1969) June 20, 2022
It wasn’t all bad…(although we suspect Dirk might not have actually attended…)
It wasn’t all bad. I bought a new lawnmower and a set of caserole dishes.
— Dirk Kildair (@Dirk_Kildair) June 20, 2022
vthejk commented: “I’ve heard some mixed press about the cycling show from a group I am part of — MTB Colour Collective — who as the name suggests are very keen on getting people of colour and underrepresented Asian, Black British, Afro-Caribbean and Pacific communities, into cycling. The consensus was that it was good to see a wider range of BAME communities represented in the speakers. Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, Kye Whyte, Mildred Locke and Vedangi Kulkarni were notable examples. However, as mentioned there was the waiting around and travelling miles just to see a handful of speakers.
“I reckon the missed opportunity was not backing the excellent range of speakers up by snagging a wider range of quality British cycling brands, spotlighting local grassroots initiatives and making the rest of the stuff a bit more…grounded. Basically — the selection of speakers sends a message of diversity and accessibility, but the rest of the show didn’t at least at face value.”
AlsoSomniloquism added: “The Cycling Show that had been held in Birmingham for the last six years or so moved to Olympia in London. So I expect some people might have thought that was the same one and it wasn’t (although that was shrinking as the 2019 one had less big brands and were in smaller halls with smaller test tracks).
“However, I had free tickets but didn’t go as there didn’t appear to be any bike brands represented at the time. I think Freewheel or another national website stated they were appearing with brands that they represented in the end but still would have been a smattering.”
How you prep for the Tour de France when your name is Mathieu van der Poel
🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel preparing for the Tour de France. 😁 (Instagram @mathieuvdpoel) pic.twitter.com/OSNuUQnFfE
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) June 20, 2022
In fairness, he wasn’t just bombing it down trails. Over on Strava, Van der Poel called this ride: “The only way to make VO2 fun” so it seems he’s doing some proper training. Yes, when I say proper training, I do mean — suffering (not just having fun)…
From the file, we’re seeing: 15 minutes of warming up followed by five big ol’ 30-second efforts with 30 seconds rest between. Oh…and then four five-minute efforts separated by some more resty bits…and almost two hours endurance to finish…’proper’ training…
A glaring omission from our racing round-up
I haven’t checked the comments to see if any of you are throwing tomatoes at me for this….
WE DID IT. GRAZIE SQUADRA. GRAZIE ITALIA. GRAZIE E TUTTI.💗🇮🇹 #PROVEDIT pic.twitter.com/PZcmP5lYXG
— leo (@leohayter) June 18, 2022
Leo Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers pro and Olympic gold medallist Ethan’s little bro) won the ‘Baby Giro’ this weekend. The next big hope of British GC racing? Former winners of the U23 Giro?
UAE Team Emirates’ Spanish prospect Juan Ayuso, Tom Pidcock, Aleksandr Vlasov, Pavel Sivakov, Gilberto Simoni and Marco Pantani. Decent company…but it doesn’t get you out of Father’s Day responsibilities…
Only Father’s Day message I’ve had so far 😂 https://t.co/q3LF9eWaZ7
— tim hayter (@Willowman66) June 19, 2022
'Cycling GK' Ben Foster was fined by former club Watford after "breaking promises" about stopping "utterly wrong" YouTube vlogs
Watford FC’s chairman has spoken out about the club’s now-former goalkeeper Ben Foster, who left the club at the expiry of his contract, saying the veteran shotstopper had “broken promises” about stopping his YouTube vlogs…
“I think some of the videos were disappointing,” Scott Duxbury told the Watford Observer. “Our sporting director, Cristiano Giaretta, met with Ben and asked him to stop. He promised he would, but he didn’t. He was fined. We want a culture of excellence at Watford. Those videos were not that.”
Now we suspect the videos in question may be more football-related, Foster wore a GoPro strapped to his chest during some matches, not his cycling content…
We spoke to Foster in spring 2021 about meeting Tao Geoghegan Hart for a ride, Troy Deeney’s Canyon, Zwift, Dirty Kanza and plenty more…
Los Angeles City Council votes to ban bike repair in public
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Image: Thomas Pintario/Wikimedia Commons
In a preliminary vote passed last Tuesday Los Angeles City Council members approved a ruling to prohibit “the assembly, disassembly, sale, offer of sale, distribution, offer of distribution, or storage of bicycles and bicycle parts on public property”.
It would also ban possession of “five or more bike parts” while on property “owned or managed” by the city. Curbed says the change — which wouldn’t stop people fixing a single bike on the street (provided it’s one bike, and is their own with the “sole purpose of repair” to “restore the bicycle to its operational form” and “resume riding the bicycle”) — is an anti-theft measure against situations where bikes are disassembled and parts sold on the side of the road.
However, Curbed notes the rule could have an “ulterior purpose” and would “target people who are storing or repairing bikes on the street because that’s where they live”.
How about...
How about part of passing a driving test includes having to cycle an hour locally -> to understand what it feels like to be on a bike on busy roads & how to drive in a safe way for cyclists too…
— Prof. Devi Sridhar (@devisridhar) June 19, 2022
Another last-minute addition to the weekend racing round-up
The famous Rás Tailteann — an Irish stage race first contested in the 50s — back for its first edition post-Covid culminated with stage five on Sunday. road.cc Ryan was there on the ground to catch the stage finish and see Daire Feeley win the race overall…
💛💛💛 pic.twitter.com/SIWjEC0yOo
— Daire Feeley (@dairef1996) June 20, 2022
Keep your eyes peeled for Ryan’s colour piece on the race, and the joys of watching a bike race live from your doorstep, in the coming days…
20 June 2022, 08:04
20 June 2022, 08:04
20 June 2022, 08:04
20 June 2022, 08:04
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Latest Comments
I'm glad I had my trousers on. If I hadn't I might have been arrested.
Who was responsible for organising the prizes on Bullseye? Tonight's star prize was a luxury fitted kitchen. How are you supposed to split that between two contestants? Absolutely ridiculous.
Oh sir! sir! Johnnys riding his bike without a helmet, he’s going to die when he falls off!, Yes what a silly boy he is ! Anyway jump in the car we’re going to be late for school and I hope no one gets in my way especially bleeding cyclists!! I wonder if AI will see what fools we are..
It's more about the nomex suit, car helmet and five point harnesses (with HANS), but "reply" ain't what it used to be...
'Gotten' ? The word is 'become', as in, I have become sick of seeing 'gotten'.
OK, all the stuff I said elsewhere on this thread in defence of helmets, I take it all back. I'd sooner be seen as an anti-lidder than be associated with that heap of steaming ordure.
Exactly my thoughts. A real shame, they're amazing bikes, same as Islabikes. Really sad to hear the news. Having said that, we probably didn't do enough to help them. My son had one Islabike and two Frogs, all second hand that we resold for about the same amount.
I couldn't agree more, and when we have all that everywhere I might think about leaving off the helmet, but until then if I have to share the road with huge fast-moving chunks of metal, many of them piloted by persons of limited intelligence and even less self control, I'm going to keep the lid, which even Burt agrees can "probably" offer some protection from injury.
And the irony is that helmet promotion and mandation kills lots of people and they don't reduce the death rate of cyclists. The benefits of cycling vastly outweigh the risks, and helmet promotion and mandation deter cycling (the only proven effect) so those deterred lose those benefits and die earlier.
I see Mont Pythons upper class twits have been replaced by male anti helmet twits who probably ride under 10000 km/year while wearing bike gloves, ladies bib capris, power meters to register the watts they dont produce ,gps because they are easily lost on a tiny island, a mobile phone to call the wifey in case the ride gets too hilly or wet or fast or windy, all while complaining their tushy hurts. They always ask for proof..you could crash a few times on purpose without and with a helmet and send us the pictures. Do pros complain about helmets?..if you rode in a country with sun you would know that styrofoam actually keeps your head cool.. Ps ice hockey players say they dont need mouthguards..ask them to smile
46 thoughts on “One-star reviews galore as National Cycling Show disappoints on debut; “You’ll never forget your first time” on Leith Walk’s bizarre zig-zag cycle lane; Racing argy-bargy; Hire a Brompton for £1 during rail strikes + more on the live blog”
From now on, whenever I get
From now on, whenever I get the inevitable “why don’t you bloody cyclists use the cycle lanes us tax payers spend so much money on?!”, I think I’ll just shown them Dave’s second video.
On behalf of Edinburgh
On behalf of Edinburgh cyclists a big thanks to Dave for taking the time and trouble to highlight so well the complete inadequacies of this cycle lane.
Unfortunately another of our clowncils failings is it doesn’t listen or learn. Even if the lawyers gravy train called the “trams enquiry” every ends.
Given how wide Leith Walks is
Given how wide Leith Walks is, you’d think a better job could have been done.
Nice use of clowncil.
Nice use of clowncil.
Quote:
I hope she’s right about this, and that rogue builders are at fault in not conforming to a good design. Because the alternative is that the designers and the council’s staff made an astonishing number of mistakes and missed opportunities to do this right first time.
If only Edinburgh had an existing cautionary tale of an over complex design and lack of change control causing a project to go wrong at vast expense. Perhaps Lesley Macinnes could take a tram to the Scottish Parliament to find out. Except you can only take a tram from St Andrew Square to the airport as we have only one line…
Beetlejuice! Tram! The only
Beetlejuice! Tram! The only thing which clearly obsesses the council so badly they’ll even sometimes dismiss the interests of motorists.
The money and energy thus spent for what appears to be pretty marginal gains… Just imagine what that could have done for a tourist-friendly low-carbon people-centred space-efficient safe low-cost decentralised private mode of transport – cycling (that includes mobility vehicles).
Given this farrago I doubt the results would have been pretty if they had. They could definitely have taken the existing patchwork (including a genuine heritage godsend of former railways, now paths) and made a real functional network.
No, it wouldn’t get people to and from the airport. (There’s room to connect it with cycle paths though!) Although there are the other “tr” – trains. Two lines pass within a kilometre on either side. Never known why they couldn’t plug into those…
chrisonatrike wrote:
Let’s not forget the other other “tr” – trolley buses. Which would only have needed cabling, not tracks, reducing cost, disruption and ongoing danger to cyclists. Some can run off grid to divert around roadworks, breakdowns, #nodriverinvolved accidents, etc. But not here.
That’s an alternative in some
That’s an alternative in some ways, pros and cons. The big argument for trams is “capacity”. You can squeeze them into smaller spaces too but given we’ve sent them down existing roads or made space that’s likely not relevant.
However it’s just that “capacity” that I think looks shaky when examined. I think the real problem is one of *realistic* vision. If we’d managed to magic up the tram network they originally envisaged (:wink) then maybe there really would have been an alternative to some buses.
However – the tram hasn’t even replaced the couple of buses which effectively cover this route. (I’d love to see the numbers on usage if anyone has them – or even bothered to record…) At least – Lothian buses are still running the 100 and 200 airport buses to there! The 22 bus is still doubling a fair chunk of the route in the city.
It really does come across as a case of “we’ve started so we’ll finish” / sunk costs fallacy. Or big enough / expensive enough projects make their own motivation (*cough* HS2).
Anyway – it seems it’s faster to build a (massively disruptive) tram line than a much shorter, cheaper cycle path along an existing carriageway…
Thanks for making me seasick
Thanks for making me seasick first thing in the morning.
To be fair to the Edinburgh
To be fair to the Edinburgh cycle path, I don’t think you are legally allowed to ride it until you’ve logged 15 hours on the simulator.
There’s a good video doing
There’s a good video doing the rounds (rantyhighwayman, IIRC) where the original video is over-dubbed with the Ski Sunday themetune. Amusing, and appropriate.
Nex time I’m in Edinburgh, I
Nex time I’m in Edinburgh, I’ll take my gravel bike, looks like fun
For gravel I can recommend
For gravel I can recommend many of the roads instead. Although some are more suited to fat tyres for grip and full suspension.
Cycle lanes causing
Cycle lanes causing congestion
https://twitter.com/LizKershawDJ/status/1537766988319178752
I lost count of the number of people who said “It’s not a cycle lane”
It does show how quick and efficient it is to use a bike for the 4 mile trip.
Apparently she couldn’t use
Apparently she couldn’t use the tube because she had been up since 4am and had suitcases.
We lucky cyclists in
We lucky cyclists in Worcester have been granted a white line bike lane – complete with speed camera!
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/20217863.new-obstacle-filled-cycle-lane-worcester-called-embarrassment-waste-money/#gallery1
The little circle around the
The little circle around the speed camera is a fantastic touch.
Particularly coupled with
Particularly coupled with completely ignoring the adjacent lamppost.
I love how the councillor
I love how the councillor talked about the limited space, but didn’t even talk about the acres of car space and reducing that…
Normal. We’re brought up to
Normal. We’re brought up to only see what’s left after we’ve fitted in as much space for motoring as possible. And if there were enough space left for another lane / extra parking, that would probably already have been taken in “busy” places.
Cycle like you drive.
Cycle like you drive.
https://mobile.twitter.com/howsmydriving28/status/1538820947469340672
That clip is a year old now.
That clip is a year old now. Although you would think modern cars wouldn’t allow you to drive with doors wide open nowadays.
Not come across that before.
Not come across that before.
Had a good escape saturday thanks to dash cam uk. Was on a roundabout in lane 2 to turn off and the driver in L1 carried on right across me (then proceeded to do a complete 360 on the roundabout).
I’ve seen enough clips that I subconsciously picked up that something was going to go wrong !
All I can say about Sundays
All I can say about Sundays offering is I almost had two heart attacks with the motorbike at the start and the Corsa / Lorry at the end.
Still there was one of those “new highway code will cause problems” comments when a car about to turn stopped and someone else went into them. No, the fault is the second driver not stopping, nothing to do with the car not turning for whatever reason.
Quote:
£16 to park your bike does seem extortionate.
The previous Cycling Show at
The previous Cycling Show at the NEC (And the Cycling and Triathlon one down at Docklands) had manned secured bike parking options. This one didn’t mention anything about alternate travel on their website other then the Train line between International (for the NEC) and Coventry was closed so trains might not be running.
Re: The National Cycling Show
Re: The National Cycling Show
The Cycling Show that had been held in Birmingham for the last 6 years or so moved to Olympia in London. So I expect some people might have thought that was the same one and it wasn’t (although that was shrinking as the 2019 one had less big brands and were in smaller halls with smaller test tracks).
However I had free tickets but didn’t go as there didn’t appear to be any bike brands represented at the time. I think freewheel or another national website stated they were appearing with brands that they represented in the end but still would have been a smattering.
I”ve heard some mixed press
I”ve heard some mixed press about the cycling show from a group I am part of – MTB Colour Collective – who as the name suggests are very keen on getting people of colour and underrepresented Asian, Black British, Afro-Caribbean and Pacific communities, into cycling. The consensus was that it was good to see a wider range of BAME communities represented in the speakers. Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, Kye Whyte, Mildred Locke and Vedangi Kulkarni were notable examples. However, as mentioned there was the waiting around and travelling miles just to see a handful of speakers.
I reckon the missed opportunity was not backing the excellent range of speakers up by snagging a wider range of quality British cycling brands, spotlighting local grassroots initiatives and making the rest of the stuff a bit more…grounded. Basically – the selection of speakers sends a message of diversity and accessibility, but the rest of the show didn’t at least at face value.
Quote:
I think that’s exactly what people are complaining about – a good selection of beautifully machined drop-outs and other cycling components would have made the show worth visiting… 🙂
Douchepack?
Douchepack?
Regarding boxing in during a
Regarding boxing in during a sprint – This is one of the exercises in the BC coaching manuals. We do it in our kids sessions, and the boxed rider has to unbox themselves.
Similarly on the track, in the elimination race (which is a series of sprints in a short period) a key skill is avoiding getting boxed in.
True, but it’s still not
True, but it’s still not exactly sportspersonlike behaviour. It’s like bowling out the batter at the bowlers end in cricket, because the batter has prematurely left the crease. It’s fully in compliance with the rules of the sport, but it’s still frowned upon.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
If you could bowl out the batter at the bowler’s end that would be mighty impressive, requiring as it would a 180 degree swing of the ball, which is quite difficult even when it’s reversing – it would probably be applauded, though running out the batter at the bowler’s end is indeed poor form.
A Mankad
A Mankad
Have a try at Cycle Speedway!
Have a try at Cycle Speedway!
Sadly, I think the internet
Sadly, I think the internet has killed the “in-person” trade show for established brands. Which is a shame/ disaster. I can think of any endless benefits that can be obtained from a trade show, both against the internet but also in-store. Ultimately I don’t think the bike industry is any different but lets look at some examples:
1. Bike shoes. There are such a wide range of bike shoes and most LBS’s might stock a couple of styles from a couple of brands. What that means in practice though is I can go into an established retailers physical outlet (in this case Sigma) looking to try on a specific set of Fizik shoes (admittedly these were tri shoes so a bit more niche). Not only did they not have them in stock, they had only one pair of Fizik road shoes in stock, the entry level which was an entirely useless comparator for me in working out size/ comfort of the shoes I was potentially interested in. That was one shoe from one brand I struggle to find to try on. Now imagine when you might have three or four different shoes from different brands you are potentially interested in and your LBS has no chance of keeping up and you can’t try everything online. (Saddles clearly also the same problem).
2. Aside from an unhealthy desire to gawk at pretty bikes, going to specific brands to get sizing recommendations from them on the day and see the bikes hands on has to be a better option.
These are just two obvious examples, but I am sure others have clear examples of things they want to try and feel and given the breadth of choice these days, LBSs simply can’t keep up. However, I don’t see this type of trade show ever picking up again. Heck, I went to the running show and the only brands that were there were Hoka and ASICS from a trying on perspective – no scope for trying on any other running shoes.
The problem can be even more exacerbated in other sports, triathlon and wetsuits being a prime example – but hey ho – brands have taken a view that these events aren’t worth their effort and event organisers continue to produce underwhelming events and it becomes a downwards spiral.
Without even clicking the
Without even clicking the link above you know what every one of the 280 twitter replies to the comment about including cycling on the driving test includes…
BuT wHAt ABouT cyClisTS jUMpinG rED lIgHts???
Hey road.cc, who does Leo
Hey road.cc, who does Leo Hayter ride for?
Again, shoddy journalism. But never mind as long big brother and his team are mentioned. Way to go.
dubwise wrote:
Häagen-Dazs Axelrod, or something like that.
Watford FC and “culture of
Watford FC and “culture of excellence” have never before been seen in the same sentence.
Forgive me for not caring
Forgive me for not caring that some cycle lanes are not absolutely perfect, when the rest of us in the UK are actually battling to keep what we’ve been given https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/controversial-cycle-lane-wands-will-be-removed-next-week-9259291/ Im sure Cycling UK would be on the case if it was in the South East…
Agreed, we are actually
Agreed, we are actually better off than many places, even though it’s frustrating when such errors are made.
Delving into the comments on Suffolk News yielded the following misconception: “why can’t vehicles stop in those with their parking permission hazards on ?” as if the Blinking Orange Lights of Absolution really had some basis in fact…
I saw the risbeygate one
I saw the risbeygate one earlier this year and it looked a bit pointless. More so because it didn’t seem to connect to anything.
Less impressed with the lorry driver who parked on the pavement on the opposite side. But hey, can’t cause drivers a problem; who cares about pedestrians.
yes, and fwiw I dont know how
yes, and fwiw I dont know how useful it actually was, Ive not ridden that route in to Bury, my main objection to its removal other than we really dont get much infra in Suffolk, but its really more from a stand point of they cant pay lip service to this stuff by hosting a major pro tour world cycling event in their town to promote cycling one week, and then the very next week start ripping out cycling infrastructure theyve put in.
and if they accepted active travel was a real thing, then asking for stuff like this wouldnt be controversial at all. https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/school-street-closure-plan-raises-concerns-and-questions-amo-9259417/
More sense from Devi.
More sense from Devi.
Ha, you guys in Edinburgh
Ha, you guys in Edinburgh have it easy, we have been weaving down The Curry Mile and swerving pedestrians for years in Manchester.