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'Wheels!' - Gregg Wallace in the BBC's Inside the Factory (via iPlayer).jpgBBC takes a look inside the Brompton and Brooks factories
The latest episode of the BBC’s Inside the Factory programme focuses on bicycles. Currently available on the iPlayer, the hour-long programme sees presenters Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey pay a visit to the Brompton factory and Wallace also heads to Birmingham to see Brooks saddles being produced.
The Brompton factory produces 150 folding bicycles every 24 hours. Wallace follows the production line from start to finish to see how they’re put together. He also makes a brief and fearful attempt at brazing a bike frame together. Other highlights include him holding two wheels aloft before accurately if somewhat inexplicably exclaiming “wheels!”
The episode also includes a segment on what’s being done to make roads safer for cyclists (with particular focus on HGVs); a few beginners’ tips from Team GB on how to improve cycling speed and efficiency; as well as a look at the history of bikes. There’s a bit on eBikes towards the end too.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- Hirsute 1 hour 25 min ago
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
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Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
- lonpfrb 2 hours 11 min ago
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
- TheBillder 2 hours 57 min ago
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
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The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
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Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
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My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
- chrisonabike 6 hours 58 min ago
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...
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28 comments
Good idea for a TV series but picked the wrong person to front it.
Go back to the kitchen Greg - or at least make some more intelligent comments.
It's patronising to a seven year old.
The BBC use Greg Wallace as part of their dumbing down policy. If there wasn't an arrogant,shouty condescending prick as one of the presenters your average Brit wouldn't watch it.
Surprised how many negative comments about Brompton there are on this forum.
I have one among my many other bikes (mountain, hybrid, road and an old single speed Giant halfway folder which rides quite well and is my wife's favourite).
Yes it's a bit twitchy to ride (I quite like it), the gearchange (2 speed) is a bit rubbish. But you can't beat it for train commuting. Once I month I'll be able to get on a train where the bike areas are rammed (6 bikes in an area designed for 2-3). I can put it under may desk if I need to (usually don't as work has secure bike cages).
It's the only bike where I get people shouting 'nice bike' across the road. Maybe it's the lime green paint job!
If you are buying one the default gear settings are too high in my view - I like a highish cadence & changed the chainring to one with fewer teeth which is loads better for hills.
Very happy owner overall.
"it's BAKED in an OVEN"
(What are these strange words I have never heard before . . .)
That "fact" about the small tyre needing 100psi because it's doing more work was a doozy
Watched it on iPlayer, was OK. There were some good spots, I especially liked the visit to the Brooks factory. I'll be thinking about that every time I sit on my Brooks saddle now. There were some bad bits, like the velodrome part. We wondered if they'd made her bike out of shape, just to put it back again. She didn't stop wearing that parka later.
I got a Mezzo D9 folder with 16" wheels and yes it is twitchy, especially on the 1:7 downhill I have between home and the nearest railway station. Equally coming back up that climb is just about ridable. It's why I got the D9 with a 9-speed cassette rather than a Brompton.
The Mrs was interested in a folder for use on holiday. She's just got an eBike to get to work and back (that has 1:7 and 1:5 on the route).
The thing I disliked about Bromptons was the almost blanket use of Brompton parts rather than off the shelf Shimano, SRAM, etc. I was not convinced by a 3-speed round here.
The programme didn't show where all of the parts came in from, or how they were manufactured. The wheels clearly come from elsewhere and the guy on the line puts on the inner tube and tyres but was described as building the wheels!
What's wrong with a bmx?
"I'm a self-facilitating media node."
Glossy programme, annoying presenter. BBC One Show stuff.
If I was on the Brompton production line and an ignorant prat like that came in throwing his weight around, I would not be happy.
Guy Martin is the man for this sort of programme.
I've just bought an old Brompton, superbly well thought out and great fun once you get used to the eccentricities.
Much as I think Guy Martin would appreciate and enjoy the mechanics of it all, I suspect he prefers something with an internal combustion engine...
He's known for a bit of pedaling as well.
Is this in spite of him being a big mountain biker who participates in the endurance end of the spectrum (24hour races)?
Many petrolheads enjoy the two wheel world (Webber, Alonso and Button for example).
BIIIIIIIG FLAVOURS
It weighs more than my 'cross bike, has a weird riding position, and no gears or disc brakes looks like a deathtrap on those HGV infested London roads.
I take wide handle mountain bikes on trains just fine. What's the advantage of taking a bike on a bus? You could ride the journey!
It's cool they're made here still, jobs for British workers an' all that, but for the price they cost, you could get something like a Ridgeback Flight with Shimano hydros and hub gears, plus Conti gravel tyres that would jet you round most UK towns, cities and the odd dirt track just fine.
Putting the hand-made Brooks saddle on just tipped the hipster scales in my view. Did he even ride the bike out of the factory!? At least he appears to have slimmed down a bit somehow...
Try that at 8am on a weekday.
If you live on the edge of a large city, and want to ride to the station and then ride to the office at the end (skipping the connecting bus/tube), they're great. If you're office doesn't have secure parking and the only option is under the desk, they're also great
I've had work arrangements before where I wish I'd had one. They're actually quite nice to ride, and gears, riding position etc are all configurable options at purchase. Don't judge without trying one first. I don't think I've ever seen a hipster own one, they're far too practical.
hipsters don't ride them. Come and have a look at Blackfriars Bridge during rush hour sometime - there's millions of them, some of them very fast.
perhaps Mr. wallace has been riding a bicycle...
I liked it mostly but didn't get the 'machines designed for motorways on small city roads are dangerous but that's okay section'. There seemed to be an insinuaton that whilst it's not okay in London the rest of us just live in the provinces so we don't count.
Can anyone explain the connection between Gregg Wallace and a series about factories manufacturing processes? Is there a connection other than his beige personality becoming the next gen stalwart of BBC presenters? Why have Gregg with his forced curiosity when you could have a series presenter who genuinely appreciates the nuances that exist in the modern factory without coming across like a shouty, condescending prick. Mind you, the Beeb could have chosen Chris Evans...
Just watching it and that HGV section was designed to give a much larger blind spot area than I believe is real. If the truck driver can't see cyclists until they are 3-4 m in front of the truck. How is it possible for the twats to stick their trucks less than a metre from the rear of my car when it suits them?
The sight line also showed that the cyclists that the truck squeezed past would have been seen, the Landrover was clearly on the pavement...
I enjoyed watching it, the bits about the HGV's we ok as well though felt a lot of forced suprise reactions. The point where the driver said to go to not be in the blind spot was laughable though, if I went to where he said id be on the other junction....
My little stable of bikes contains examples of carbon, aluminium, steel & combinations of the above, with gears ranging from one to lots & tyres from thin to fat - and none of them can manage to fill the evolutionary niche of: "small & easy to transport - surprisingly 'un-bad'* to ride" as well as the Brompton my partner uses on a frequent basis. - (She's depressingly underpaid and not a BBC exec')
Her 'use cases' being - 30 min (over crowded) train journey then 5 miles along a bike path (and reverse) or bus to closest point then x miles to meeting.....
I've occasionally taken it out for a quick spin of about 20 miles & once you get used to the somewhat 'twitchy 'steering its quite enjoyably ridable, the light wheels & low gear giving quite a nippy feeling.
* - With apologies to G.O
Who rides one of these things though, except overpaid BBC execs?
Come to London and be amazed. Had a load of Bromptons as pool bikes in my last office. I'll never ride on those crazy twitchy death machines ever again.
Lots of people who often need to take a bike on public transport or who like being able to keep their bike secure by taking it inside at work, at home, in the supermarket or in a pub or restauant. You can't always rely on getting on the train with a standard bike which you just can't take on the bus at all or (certainly around Manchester) on the trams either. I've also noticed that, in places like Barcelona where many people live in small flats and apartments, Brompton bikes are really popular as they can easily be taken up stairs or in lifts and take up very little space once in the apartment. Suddenly the folding bike is really useful and none fold better than the Brompton.
I think a broadly similar group also tend to ride other folding bikes too, some of which are of course more epensive than Bromptons.
As for cost I find other cyclists are often surprised how expensive it is even though they themselves may well be riding a much more expensive bike. They also tend to be surprised that the tiny wheeled machine rides quite well and easily keeps up around town.
I'm a writer and part-time freelance teacher who has never seen anything like a BBC Exec's salary but I do like to ride and often travel using multiple modes of transport.
Me, I don't work for the BBC and as for overpaid that is subjective ; -)
They are worth every penny as they are so well designed and I have had nothing to fix over the last three years other than one worn tyre. The old saying of buy badly, buy twice comes to mind. I did this with another middle section folder and the Brompton is streets ahead of its competitors. The bike has paid for itself several times over and is still incredibly reliable. I have done several 40 mile days hopping around town and it's perfect. Mine has also been re-geared for hills and gets up 20% + gradients no problem and descends with perfect stability. You can fly/go on the train with them (without the need for a bike box).
All in all, an incredibly versatile and durable bike and it's great to see a British success
Overall, not a bad programme, but wow Gregg Wallace was MASSIVELY PATRONISING AND SHOUTY. I know they were filming in factories, but everyone else seemed to be able to talk at a reasonable volume. The bit on HGV visibility was educational, but mostly it makes one realize just how little consideration was given to cyclists as larger and larger lorries were allowed on to the roads.
Totally agree with you. An interesting program spoilt by the irritating and very loud Greg Wallace. Someone should fit him with a mute button.......or preferably an OFF switch.
I think that's just his 'thing'; I mean, he talks like that on *Masterchef* ffs...