Fred Wright returns to the track – with weird tilted stem; Drivers blast new cycle lane crossing; Parlee in trouble; Cycling podcaster’s ‘interesting’ road safety advice; Ferry company’s “disgraceful” bike fares; Bigham’s pink bike + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
From the ridiculous to the sublime: Dan Bigham rides fetching pink bike as Katy Marchant secures silver on return to racing after giving birth
While Fred Wright’s pointy stem set-up may not be to everyone’s tastes, his British teammate Dan Bigham’s team pursuit bike is… actually, I’m sure it’ll divide opinion too, if I’m honest.
Bigham, who helped propel Team GB – the current team pursuit world champions – to the second-fastest time in qualifying at the Velodrome Suisse yesterday, opted for a rather modest, refined split pink and black Pinarello for this week’s European Championships:
— Dan Bigham (@DanBiggles22) February 8, 2023
Unfortunately for aero guru Bigham and teammates Charlie Tanfield, Ethan Vernon, and Ollie Wood, it might take more than pink to make the Italians sink, as the Filippo Ganna-powered Azzurri secured top spot in qualifying with a strong 3:49.582.
[Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com]
Meanwhile, Katy Marchant enjoyed a successful return to international competition since giving birth to son Arthur last June, helping Team GB to the team sprint silver – alongside the astute squad rotation of Lauren Bell, Emma Finucane, and Sophie Capewell – behind a strong German team.
GB’s men team sprinters were also forced to settle for silver, as Ali Fielding, Jack Carlin, and Joe Truman succumbed to a dominant Dutch outfit.
Ask Phil Gil
The retired classics legend’s new Agony Aunt column seems to be going well…
Important meeting with @UCI_cycling today on road safety in cycling. What improvements do you think are most necessary? Let me know! 👇 pic.twitter.com/qIFl6cqdpn
— Philippe Gilbert (@PhilippeGilbert) February 8, 2023
The ‘avid cyclist’ strikes again…
On this morning’s edition of ‘Transparently Controversial Twitter Threads’:
Avid cyclist has some dumb ideas he desperately wants you to validate. https://t.co/BU6Dr7uf6a
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) February 8, 2023
Nothing says “I love cycling and I’ll always advocate for cyclists and cycling rights” quite like posting a thread calling cyclists out for their behavior. https://t.co/qnfvFMaETd
— Entitled Cyclist🚲 (@EntitledCycling) February 8, 2023
I suppose getting roasted on Twitter and alienating almost every cyclist on the planet is one way of drumming up business for your podcast…
Charlotte Kool outsprints former teammate Lorena Wiebes on opening stage of UAE Tour
BAM!!! 🎉🏆
Perfect start to the year for our Women’s program as @charlotte_kool finishes off a great job from the team throughout the day and a super effort from Franziska Koch in the finale. 👏🏻 #KeepChallenging #UAETourWomen pic.twitter.com/5RobEjTjZZ
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) February 9, 2023
The opening stage of the first-ever edition of the women’s UAE Tour took place today, with SD Worx’s Lorena Wiebes – who, in recent years, became the world’s most prolific sprinter while in the colours of DSM – losing out to former lead-out rider (and current DSM sprinter) Charlotte Kool in a frenetic finale at Dubai Harbour.
Awkward…
Looks like we might have a new sprint Queen in town. Congratulations Charlotte Kool.#UAETourWomen
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) February 9, 2023
Top tips for toasty toes in… errr, sub-zero temperatures (damn, almost made it)
Nobody likes cold feet! We’ve put together the best tips to keep the toes toasty 🔥https://t.co/IZDiph1V8f
— road.cc (@roadcc) February 9, 2023
Dear Santa… Bike Mechanic Simulator game set for release this year
Move over Pro Cycling Manager, there’s a new bike-themed game in town…
Yep, according to Cycling Industry News, Bike Mechanic Simulator 2023 – which, if you haven’t guessed it already, is a virtual dive into the world of repairing bikes and running a cycling shop – has gone live as a demo on the Steam platform, and will be released on PC later this year.
Punch Punk S.A., the studio behind the game, say the simulator will also later be released on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
The current demo limits you to carrying out some repairs on three different bikes, but in the full version the gameplay will apparently involving servicing, repairing, and assembling a wide range of bikes, from city bikes to fully fledged racing machines, while making sure you keep on top of the daily admin.
A career mode will see you progress, if you have the skills, from a tiny workshop to a multi-room shop, while the game’s storyline will revolve around the renovation of antique bikes.
Unfortunately, there’s no chance in the game to progress to the WorldTour – the ‘dealing with angry pros’ level would be great fun – but I’m sure that will come in the 2024 edition.
For the meantime, I know a six-year-old who would love this for Christmas (and no, I don’t mean me…).
If Doc Brown did indoor cycling…
This gets the best KICKR Steer invention award 🥇 pic.twitter.com/acZgigAMvq
— Tariq Ali (@TariqhAli) February 8, 2023
> Wahoo adds steering to its indoor cycling experience, including a new Kickr Steer device
Botched e-bike theft in Nottingham as police track down stolen £3,000 machine in less than an hour
If you thought reporting your stolen bike to the cops was a waste of time – and, it’s safe to say, the statistics would support your stance – a certain Deliveroo rider from Nottingham would like to disagree with you.
When the anonymous Deliveroo worker had his £3,000 e-bike stolen outside a McDonald’s (probably best not to leave your bike outside a Maccies, if we’re honest) in Exchange Way, Nottingham, police in the city centre managed to successfully locate it within an hour – with a little help from the cyclist himself.
The officers invited the rider to accompany them in their van as they scoured the streets in search of the stolen bike. Within minutes, they spotted the evidently not very fast-moving suspect, who managed to evade his pursuers by ducking down an alley.
> Almost 90% of bike thefts reported to police closed without suspect identified
However, in less than the time it takes for Mathieu van der Poel to win a cyclocross race, the police then ordered a search of a property in the area linked with criminal activity in the past – and duly found the bike casually propped up in the hallway.
Sergeant Richard Tiernan, of the city centre neighbourhood policing team, said the victim was extremely relieved to be reunited with his bike.
“By doing all we could to find the e-bike, a very grateful victim was reunited with it 45 minutes after it was stolen,” he said.
“He had no insurance so would have been £3,000 out of pocket if we hadn’t found it for him.”
When you’ve had one too many SMIDSYs…
And people accuse me of being a bit bright…
This guy #cycling down the #kingsroad@carlafrancome @London_Cycling @theJeremyVine pic.twitter.com/V1r2bNAssj
— Georgewent4th (@georgewent4th) February 9, 2023
‘Those pesky cyclists, always riding with no lights and wearing their black Rapha gear…’
High-end US bike brand Parlee files for bankruptcy
In another worrying sign for the current state of the bike industry, high-end US brand Parlee Cycles filed for voluntary bankruptcy this month, according to public court documents seen by Cycling Weekly.
Parlee was founded in 2000 by Massachusetts-based high-performance boat builder Bob Parlee, and quickly became known for its specialist, custom, and often stunning carbon fibre frames which aimed to provide speed without compromising ride quality. The company filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 6 February.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the road for Parlee. Under the United States Bankruptcy Code, a Chapter 11 allows the company in debt to propose a reorganisation plan, usually involving bringing in external partners, designed to pay creditors and keep the business afloat.
Cyclists get around extortionate ferry prices – by packing their bikes in bags and carrying them as foot passengers
Last month – though it feels like a lifetime ago – we reported on the live blog that former pro mountain biker and Active Nation commissioner for Scotland Lee Craigie questioned Brittany Ferries’ decision to charge her £75 to take her bike from Portsmouth to Santander.
> “Can we expect a valet service?” Former pro mountain biker charged £75 to bring bike on ferry
After the company got back to her with, frankly, a load of old rubbish about increased demand and the acres upon acres of space apparently taken up by bikes on ferries (Won’t someone please think of the motorists?), Craigie and her mountain biking chums decided to sidestep the hefty charge with a bike bag each and some quick assembly upon arrival:
This was our workaround @BrittanyFerries wanting to charge us £230 to wheel our bikes on board! Our thanks to all the wonderful staff who thought we were funny and weird rather than annoying. Next stop Ainsa… #NoFlyWinterMigration pic.twitter.com/XhnI6hjlrI
— lee craigie (@leecraigie_) February 8, 2023
“They wanted to charge us £80 per bike to ride on to the ferry, so we carried bike bags with us and dismantled them, packed them up, and carried them on as foot passengers,” she said.
“Not easy but worth it.”
According to Brittany Ferries, “prices vary depending on the route/date/departure time and how far in advance the booking is made”, with fees for cyclists starting from £5 (and all the way up to £80, apparently).
There are separate fares for foot passengers and bicyclists, the bicycle is not an add-on fee to a foot passenger fare. If the foot passenger fare is lower and you’d prefer to dismantle and carry the bike in a bag as luggage then you can do this ^JE
— Brittany Ferries (@BrittanyFerries) February 9, 2023
Needless to say, many ferry-using cyclists weren’t happy with the company’s tepid response.
“Imagine doing this with a family of six of us, including an infant, five bikes, a trailer bike, a trailer, eighteen panniers and five handlebar bags,” wrote one Twitter user. “Brittany Ferries have lost our repeat business with this pathetic policy.”
“So they’re happy to rip off those who cycle, no care for those with disabilities or mobility issues who just can’t do this to avoid the extortionate fare for taking a cycle,” said another.
“Well this is properly bonkers,” noted Gaz. “Never heard of a ferry company charging for assembled bikes when wheeled on, but not if chucked in a bag and carried on. Most strange.”
New cycle lane pedestrian crossing sparks game of anti-cycling bingo
In the most thoroughly predictable news of the day, Facebook’s ever-balanced patrons have reacted angrily to this image of a new pedestrian crossing on a cycle lane in Cardiff, with a wide-ranging game of anti-cycling bingo:
Here are just a few of the most head-in-hands comments:
In my opinion if they are hell bent on cycle lanes and traffic lights then it should be compulsory for them to take a test and be licensed and insured as they are now road users because the amount of cyclists that cause accidents then moan because they got hit is incredible maybe they need to spend less time riding two abreast chatting and concentrate on the road
Bravo – a full house in one breathless sentence is some feat…
It only works as a safe crossing when the cyclist actually stops at the crossing. Many don’t believe they need to stop. Same with traffic lights. Cyclist ignore them to
Unless there’s some realistic, enforceable sanction against cyclists ignoring the red light, it’s probably not a good value for money installation, and without some way of identifying riders in the same way that red light cameras can identify drivers, that won’t happen. That means licence plates and registration for bicycles and I can’t see that happening, so as pedestrians we will probably just have to get used to being more responsible for our own safety, expect idiots on bicycles riding at considerably about the 20mph limit and ignoring red lights. I know from cycling (responsibly!) that about 50 percent of pedestrians don’t hear a bell because they’ve got ear buds in and have little or no awareness of what’s going on around them. As a motorcyclist, I’ve learnt that you have to expect people to do stupid things and the only way to deal with that, is to expect it and take measures to look after yourself, rather than rely on others to do the right thing.
Another full house, impressive stuff.
I’d take a day off work and just wait for cyclists to approach and push the button. What fun.
When are they going to insist that cycles have insurance to be legally on the road. How many more people are going to be injured by cyclist with them now being in close proximity. Why don’t the councils fix all the potholes instead of wasting taxpayers money on these cycle paths.
Best of luck getting them to stop and observe the rules of the road we tax paying motorists have too
And before you say anything, yes, these are all real comments (depressingly so).
However, my favourite response – if the favourite is the right word – comes courtesy of Facebook user Colin, who rather strangely claimed that 16,000 pedestrians were injured and 141 killed in collisions with cyclists in 2020… before sharing a screenshot of the Department for Transport’s figures for – you guessed it – cyclist injuries and fatalities on the road.
In Colin’s defence, Google’s ropey ‘People also ask’ section led him astray there. But, come on man, click the link at least once!
Anyway, you’ll be glad to learn that it wasn’t all road tax, registration plates, insurance, red lights, cycling tests, two abreast, earphones, and dodgy statistics – one or two Facebook users actually welcomed the new crossing.
“Good on Cardiff for becoming more inclusive of cyclists,” wrote Clive, angering auntie Karen in the process. “Many new cycle lanes in place, but still lots more can be done.”
Jane concurred: “I love how everyone is complaining. This is normal in Denmark, they’re a few decades ahead of us. I for one love this and think its about time we caught up!”
Don’t tell Colin about Denmark…
Introducing Tim Torn Teutenberg, Germany’s newest bike riding superhero…
Special power: Apparently never falling to the back of the bunch in a Devil Takes the Hindmost.
But don’t worry Fred, your name’s great too. I’ve been able to use the same pun with it about twenty times, for starters…
‘Ah Fred, you’re racing next, did you say? Sure take one of those, we can whack the stem up if it doesn’t fit’: Fred Wright returns to the track at European championships… with odd-looking bike
After a breakthrough season on the road, which saw him take a top ten at the Tour of Flanders and going desperately close on several occasions at the Tour and Vuelta, Fred Wright has finally made his return to the track at this week’s European championships in Grenchen, Switzerland.
Last night’s elimination race marked the first time that the 23-year-old, who is eyeing up a Madison berth at next year’s Paris Olympics, has raced around in circles in Team GB kit since 2019.
[Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com]
“I’m excited but a little bit nervous to see how the track legs are going to be, but that’s the whole reason I’m doing it,” Wright told the Independent last week.
“Going to the Olympics on the track was an ambition of mine since I started properly getting into cycling. The way things have gone haven’t led to that but I’m now in the position where the possibility of that is something I’m really going to push for.
“I want to do the road race possibly as well – the chance to come in and do the road race and the Madison, that’s what I’m aiming for. The Euros are almost a test to see how that would look.”
Oddly, it appears that Wright’s long-awaited return to the boards took some within British Cycling by surprise, judging by his rather peculiar bike set-up last night:
Welcome back to track Fred, btw we found a bike from the 2000’s and it’s nearly your size so chucked a massive sticking up stem on. Kind regards BC 🥴🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/as6U1AiMA8
— Alistair Rutherford (@mralibongo) February 8, 2023
Or maybe the Bahrain-Victorious powerhouse just prefers the old school Beijing-era GB bike and a massive stem pointed towards the heavens, who knows?
[Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com]
In any case, last night’s Devil certainly proved a “shock to the system” for a rider used to pounding over 200km of hills and cobbles lately, as he finished 14th behind the winner, young German prospect Tim Torn Teutenberg.
But don’t worry, we’ll still see Wright – and his weird bike – flying around the Velodrome Suisse on Sunday alongside Ollie Wood in the Madison.
Just get that stem sorted, eh Fred?
9 February 2023, 09:44
9 February 2023, 09:44
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Latest Comments
Not to downplay the seriousness of bikejacking, but Mr.Taylor might want to consider that fact that many riders have been put off using the park at weekends due to the aggressive, intimidatory behaviour of members of his own club, who are notorious for riding as if the park is a private training facility just for themselves, and that's a pretty sad state of affairs as well.
In Wiggle/CR's absence, what are people using nowadays? I've been out of it for a while, but now returned.
I did a multi-day ride many years ago with someone who was a better cyclist than me by every conceivable measure but this one. I remember watching them up ahead on a quiet road trying to teach themselves - snatching brief seconds with their hands off the bars before losing balance and grabbing on again. 'Watch this' I said to the rest of my group, before I accelerated to catch them, then nonchalantly sailed past them uphill riding no hands. Very satisfying. I've been able to ride most of mine hands-free, but had a Specialized Allez that really didn't cooperate. Haven't been brave enough to try it on a Brompton or cargo bike though. And still can't do a wheelie, or any of the other things on Jo's palmares.
@Hamster now that is an exciting development. I do remove/amend signs but reporting them for flyposting is much more satisfying.
@Slartibartfast If the sign-maker can be caught in the act then the council Environmental Health can get a report for littering/fly-tipping. Hours of endless fun for that person trying to explain away a conviction. Don't report unless you're prepared to go to court though. Or remove the litter and put in the nearest bin with a sticker explaining how littering is a crime.
What would make driving safer for motorists is if they stopped driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving faster than the speed limit.
Some good ideas there. One point tho. Whilst I love those Wera Allen keys for steel bolt heads, they can be risky on alloy socket screws. Not ideal, IMO, for Rochshox fork axles as they eat into the alloy and lock into the socket. Play soon results. The hex+ system seems to be based on an inside out adaptation of the Snap On “Flank Drive” spanner or socket - and that’s a great idea, but sadly the design seems to overstress alloy socket head screws. Could it be that the profiled section on the end of the tool doesn’t have enough penetration on a fork axle? Maybe. All I can say is my axles last a lot longer using a regular Allen hex key. (Ideally on a torque wrench I guess). Ooh and ChrisA is right - a “Vernier Caliper” relies an a sliding scale more like a slide tile. Digital is way easier, but battery dependent.
@Rendel Harris - ginger ale can be alcoholic when it's traditionally brewed. Not nearly as strong as mead, though.
@tomlew Don't disagree. That makes me at a system weight of 85kg more dangerous at 20mph than a 100kg rider on a 20kg eapc at 15.5mph! Except that I'm in control and only do that sort of speed on the road, not shared used paths etc
@Smoggysteve - I got a similar one from AliExpress advertised as a Xiaomi brand (I have my doubts) for under £30. It's great for drying my bike chain and also getting rid of coffee bean chaff from my roaster.
36 thoughts on “Fred Wright returns to the track – with weird tilted stem; Drivers blast new cycle lane crossing; Parlee in trouble; Cycling podcaster’s ‘interesting’ road safety advice; Ferry company’s “disgraceful” bike fares; Bigham’s pink bike + more on the live blog”
That’s quite possibly the
That’s quite possibly the most epic cycling name ever. (Tim, not Fred)
Fred is the ultimate cyclist
Fred is the ultimate cyclist name. My dentist is called Fred.
I met Fred’s dad recently.
I met Fred’s dad recently. (The cyclist, not your dentist.)
kil0ran wrote:
I just want us all to eat a kitkat and let that name sink in.. Tim Torn Teutenberg….
..I want to be called Tim Torn Teutenberg, he sounds like a superhero.
Now he definitely needs to be
Now he definitely needs to be employed by Road.CC as a writer, Tim Torn Teutenberg’s top tips for toasty toes in today’s testing temperatures.
(No subject)
It looks like even Big Oil’s
It looks like even Big Oil’s blood money is not enough to fund track cycling properly. I wonder what the money could possibly be getting spent on…
Probably something beginning
Probably something beginning with S and ending with TEROIDS
I’d be amazed if it was
I’d be amazed if it was anything that actually progressed the performance of GBR athletes, even steroids. An extension to Brian Facer’s house, for example.
My commute was one of those
My commute was one of those days, this morning.
Practically stationary cars being queued to cross the bridge. Tiny painted cycle lane, which is safe (ish) to use when the cars are not moving. Car head of me drifts into said cycle lane, just enough so I can’t pass. It suddenly moves right, and I slip past. Looking back, I can see the driver bent over to do something on her phone (which is mounted in the centre of the dashboard). She was just about using peripheral vision to avoid running into the car in front but everything else was clearly fair game.
Five minutes later, approaching a wide bend where there’s a zebra crossing and a junction on the right. Car waiting to come out of the junction was so desperate to get out in front of me, clearly keeping a very careful eye on me so he could get out turning to his right (so he’d be travelling in the same direction as me, so he just had to get out in front), that he utterly failed to look to his right and nearly got t-boned as he came out. “Nearly” in the sense that the driver of the oncoming white car he’d not looked for had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him, and hit their horn rather harshly…
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
You know, I honestly can’t
You know, I honestly can’t tell whether or not you’re being sarcastic…
brooksby wrote:
Can’t you? He’s a troll. Everything he writes is shit.
Basic mo is to be offensive.
Basic mo is to be offensive.
Got banned for a week for simply “calling someone out”.
(The truth is rarely pure and never simple).
Now starting controversial threads on the forum for shits and giggles.
I got followed for a short
I got followed for a short while this morning. Biking up to a part of my street where cars were parked either side, I moved out to get through the middle only for the car coming up behind to decide he could get there quicker by close passing. Gave him a complimentary thumbs up afterwards and thought nothing more of it…he had stopped and was waiting at the next t junction, no indicators on but he was in a position as if he was turning right. As I pulled up alongside him to turn left I thought it a bit strange him waiting as there wasn’t any thing coming either way, and sure enough when I glanced over my shoulder a few hundred metres down the road he was slowly driving right behind me…I assumed he turned off not long after that. Bit of a none story, just found it a bit creepy.
A few weeks back I was
A few weeks back I was driving with a mate to a downhill trail with our BMXs in the bac. As we trundled down a twisty country road, an MTB rider in front kept pulling to one side and waving for me to pass. I stuck behind the rider because it wasn’t that wide and we were going to turn off for the trails about 200m further on anyway. I expect the rider was a bit spooked, but I thought I was being safer and avoiding an unnecessary pass.
I’m pretty sure this was a
I’m pretty sure this was a purposeful spooking, there was ample room for him to pass whilst behind as there were no parked cars or any other traffic on the road, I wasn’t going particularly fast and just his behaviour at the prior junction made me uneasy. By all means I may have totally misread the situation but I’ve a feeling I didn’t.
I was inches (literally) from
I was inches (literally) from being wiped out by a bin lorry on good old CS7 (Tooting High St) this morning. Driver obviously wanted to pull in to the curb, so just swung straight across without indicating (or looking – it was 6.30 am and I had 2 front lights running) causing some desperate braking and use of choice language on my part.
Added points to him for squashing not 1 but 2
bits of cycling infrastructureplastic wands as he did so. Notably one of them just popped back up again, so I reckon they’ve figured out you can just treat them like they are not there (not likely to damage a massive bin truck really are they?). For some reason the blue paint and “CS7” in massive white letters didn’t seem to do its job and afford me any level of protection either – who’d have thunk it.Just thought I’d share if that’s alright with you Chucky boy
Next forum topic – ‘What is
Next forum topic – ‘What is ChuckSneed’s obsession with dentists?’
“Top tips for toasty toes in
“Top tips for toasty toes in tundra temperatures” ?
I see Mr Neal bemoaning his
I see Mr Neal bemoaning his fate as being tagged anti-cyclist.
Ironically, he is claiming this is because he seeks to view things from all sides, yet I recall his early run ins were exactly because he didn’t (not that I am bitter AT ALL about his friendly f’ing toots).
I haven’t bothered to watch the rest because I recognised the video of the cyclist in a protected bike lane cycling at speed into a van emerging squeezing alongside an article protected bike lane. We’ve already discussed it and I thought the consensus was unwise riding near crap driving. Can’t be bothered to hear his thoughts.
“Another damning indictment
“Another damning indictment of the current state of the bike industry.”
Whata sweeping statement? How do you know Road CC? Seen the books?
Might just have been badly run or the business plan wasn’t sustainable or there may be a host of other things going on (that might not suit that top line of yours).
Parlee should have asked
Parlee should have asked people to give them £1.99 a month to keep afloat
Chuck’s got himself so full
Chuck’s got himself so full of hate- that other trolls who hate their own lives pity him
Parlee bikes were bland and
Parlee bikes were bland and boring as pretty much all others. Same quality you’d get from Ali Express, but ten times the price. Wonder why they couldn’t keep going?
+1 for knowing someone called
+1 for knowing someone called Fred. I’m reminded of the time I played alongside John Thaw in the hit ITV series ” The Sweeney”” and later on playing loveable rogue Terry McCann opposite George Cole in ” Minder”. Oh, hang on a minute – that wasn’t me, it was Dennis Waterman. I’ve had mushrooms growing in my garden – not now, when it was warmer. I met someone on holiday in Devon who picked wild mushrooms and cooked them for his breakfast (well, part of his breakfast). I think I’d be too scared to do that. I hope John Cleese doesn’t remake Fawlty towers.
In sadder news, a very good
In sadder news, a very good friend of my parents and someone I’ve known since early childhood, died on Sunday. His name was Fred.
RIP Fred. An older friend of
RIP Fred. An older friend of mine said “When I hear someone has died I now just say ‘I am really glad I knew that person, we did x / y / z together and it was great’ “
That’s nice – thanks Chris.
That’s nice – thanks Chris.
Eternal rest grant on him O
Eternal rest grant on him O Lord. May perpetuatal light shine on him. May he rest in peace.
RE Ferries and carry-on – if
RE Ferries and carry-on – if I recall you can take your bike on a train in Japan but only if you practice rinko. That is the ancient japanese art of putting your bike in a large-ish bag.
I appreciate it’s annoying (especially if you were on a car ferry) but this appears to have been travel as part of a holiday. So maybe this isn’t a bad compromise for “cheap”?
Alternatively there’s the airline / Monsieur Mangetout solution of simply eating your bike. I’m not aware that they weight the passengers?
chrisonatrike wrote:
I’m not sure I’d want the job of re-assembling the bike upon arrival at the destination…
I get a lot of use out of my
I get a lot of use out of my Mont Bell Rinko bag when in Japan (other brands / styles available of course). They wrap up small in their own bag (think rain coat size) and can be stuffed into a jersey / strapped to the bars or frame. Good for keeping bikes covered indoors too. Rides of Japan on youtube has a good video about his rather more bespoke one. I thoroughly recommend them to anyone thinking of traveling to Japan with their bike, makes life easy. https://en.montbell.jp/products/goods/disp.php?product_id=1130426
Woke lefty gets knocked off
Woke lefty gets knocked off bike.
Regarding bikes on ferries. I
Regarding bikes on ferries. I recently received an email from Eurostar trumpeting a return of their bikes on train service. So I popped into St Pancras International to check with the despatch ‘department’. Yes, it’s true they replied but there are restrictions. First of all it’s only to Paris. That’s fine, I replied as that is where I need to take a bike. And it must be in a bag. So I can’t wheel it on? I need to take one of my cargo bikes to Paris – it’s only a TERN GSD so not massive. If you can put it in a bag then you can take it. Why? I tentatively asked, expecting some sort of H&S. Because of brexit the lady replied. The rules are not the same anymore between countries, she continued, so we are trying to figure it all out. So of I went mulling another brexit ‘benefit’ – increased sales of bike bags. (For those whose bike will fit in a bag and can be carried as hand luggage)
Inverted long stems are
Inverted long stems are nothing new on track bikes. They put the drops in a more appropriate position for most people and reduce steerer length. I’ve run a flipped 17° 130mm stem for yonks.