The weather still isn't of a kind that encourages much cycling (it's snowing as I write this), or other travel, so I've not done much riding apart from to and from the stations to visit the university. The heavy frost one morning persuaded me take out the bike with the most substantial tyres, the Marin, but otherwise the AM7 remains the only machine I have used this year, and as none of the journeys have required folding/separating, it has been fine, with the comforting option of being able to separate it in an emergency. I've also been very busy with another project - very little to do with cycling - over the last couple of weeks, so there hasn't been much time for cycling matters anyway.
For general day to day use, the AM has been equipped with the new Carradice seat post QR system and bag, and this was also fitted to the Marin on the one day I used it. The quick release system is extremely convenient, although for weight reasons I would probably use the Moulton Day Bag on the AM normally, ie if I were not carrying out tests on the bag. However, on machines which lack the efficient integral carrying system of the Moulton (and to a lesser extent the Brompton as well - the Brompton system is very practical, but rather heavy and very unaerodynamic) the Carradice QR system is highly effective. For ordinary day use the bag is more than big enough, but stopping at the local Co-op to do the week's shopping did prove rather too much in volume for it, though it was reassuring to find that even with it fully loaded it remained rigidly in place, and there was no detrimental effect on handling due to the bag moving around. The one occasion when I did not use this bag was for collecting The Half Framer magazines from the printer (producing the HF is another thing that has kept me busy over the last week or two) - the standard large rack on the AM is perfect for carrying a load like this.
After the very poor weather of recent weeks, or even months, it was encouraging to hear that the forecast was good for Saturday 13th January, and on the morning the weather lived up to expectations - cold, but not freezing first thing, and then warming up with sun later. Not surprisingly, these conditions encouraged a good number of folder enthusiasts to turn out for the Origami Ride from Meriden. Tony Hadland and Keith Findlay joined us for the socialising before the start, but were not able to stay for the ride, those actually riding being John Pinkerton, Dick Hanson and John Sewell on Bromptons, Chris Eley, Paul Evans and myself on Moultons, Chris Dent on a Bike Friday AirGlide, Peter King on an SP, Philippa Wheeler on a Micro and John and Joan Hall on a Mercian tandem.
The excellent weather encouraged us to extend the ride beyond the original target of Maxstoke and Coleshill to Minworth, where we stopped for lunch. The roads were rather busy around Minworth and Coleshill, but quiet from there back to Meriden. Just before the lunch stop Philippa encountered a pothole, which brought her off, and punctured both tyres. Fortunately sufficient spare tubes were available to effect repairs, and there were no other cycling mishaps. The ride distance was some 35km.
After the ride Philippa, John, Paul and I made our way to Hampton in Arden station, accompanied by Chris Eley who came to see us off. As we were a little later than usual, Lol Bishop was on duty at the station, and seeing a crowd of cyclists came down to chat to us on the station until the train arrived (on time). The others disembarked at Birmingham New Street, but I needed to stay on the train to Tipton; however, an almost inaudible message on the PA system made some reference to blockage and running straight through to Wolverhampton - it was impossible to hear more. As I pondered what to do, the message was repeated, this time audibly - apparently the train was going to run direct to Wolverhampton without stopping, but passengers requiring intermediate stations were advised to stay on the train, wait again at Wolverhampton for its return journey, and then get off at the appropriate place, as it would be stopping on the way back. Had it not been getting a bit late, and hence dark, I would have been tempted to cycle from Birmingham instead, but I decided to stay on the train. At Soho the train branched off towards Walsall, and very soon panic ensued amongst the other passengers, almost all of whom had not heard the earlier announcement. I decided to be public spirited and reassure people as the train staff made no further announcements. After a further stoppage on the approach to Wolverhampton, we finally drew into the bay, and after a brief stop the train made its way back towards Birmingham. I know it reached Tipton without further problems - I just hope for the sake of the others that the rest of the journey was uneventful. Every journey is an adventure - a bit like the Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times"!
The idea of a ride from Land End to Broadstairs (the Lanstair ride) is being floated again, to take place in May, which means that if it goes ahead I shall probably miss this year's informal gathering of folders in Weymouth (see the Events section below). If anyone has detailed local knowledge of routes avoiding main roads, especially at the Westerly end, please email myself or John Pinkerton (pinkertn@mwfree.net).
The planned date for the next issue is 4th February, although as we seem to be running out of material and news, it might be delayed.
If you receive this issue of FSN in a plain text form, please remember that a formatted version is available on our web pages at http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/fsn/fsn068.html, and you can receive the formatted version (suitable for reading with a web browser) just be emailing us to let us know you prefer this version.
In a recent message to the Moulton mailing list, Dan Farrell of Pashley reported that "all recent APBs (fx8 on) now have braze-ons for 3x7 and derailleur (front and rear) gears, so if a Moultoneer wants to change the gear system, they are able to. Thus 3x7 and T21 models can be converted to double chainwheel, and fx8, J16, fx80 models can be converted to 3x7 if desired. For older bikes, however, the addition of a front mech mount is difficult. If you already have an 'old type' mount, there are two options to replace a broken mech - obtain a NOS Shimano mech (I know where some are), or try a converter bracket which bolts onto the old type bracket (I could make some if there is enough interest). If you do not have a bracket at all, you could make or have made a clamp to fit around the seat tube. I would not advise brazing anything onto the seat tube, it is not a job to be undertaken lightly - and will invalidate your warranty etc."
My own APB currently runs as a 3 x 7, additional braze-ons having been fitted for that purpose. I'm beginning to come round to the view expressed by others that the 3 x 7 makes a bike heavy and sluggish, and I'm seriously wondering about switching it back to a 'pure' derailleur configuration, but the non-standard front derailleur mounting of this very early model (serial number 32) is a distinct drawback. The total cost of the changes would be quite substantial, so I don't plan to do anything at this stage, though when it comes to deciding which machine to use for the Lanstair ride, the APB looks quite an attractive proposition.
By Timothy Janisch
In order to have a bicycle while in temporarily posted in New York City last year, I brought my old Dahon Stowaway from Chicago. The bike is heavy and even after much work; the brakes are still poor. Perhaps it is the steel rims and cheap side pull brakes. It served me well however for weekend rides throughout the city and occasional commuting to my office. But after seeing one of Dahon’s newest models, the Speed 7, on the internet (www.betterbicycle.com and www.dahon.com), I took the plunge and bought a second folder.
Upon unpacking my new Speed 7 upon arrival a week later, I was dismayed to realize that the derailleur hanger had been bent in shipping. Replacement derailleur and hanger were sent promptly. Unfortunately, I forgot how refit the derailleur and its positioning is a bit peculiar, and I spent several hours putting it back together.
The price of the Speed 7 was $399 (about £270) plus $25 shipping from California to New York. The Speed 7 has a chromoly frame and costs $100 less than the similarly equipped Helios, which comes with an aluminum frame.
The Speed 7 weighs a little less than 25 lbs. out of the box. This is a minimalist bike with no racks, fenders or generators, but provisions exist for mounting both fenders and a rack. The pedals, which are plastic and metal and appear to be decent quality, both fold for a slimmer folded profile. The crank is cotterless alloy and the single chainring is also alloy with a plastic rim to keep pants clean and from getting caught. The derailleur is a long SRAM (it is only 1.5 inches from the ground) with TwistGrip 7 speed shifting. Brakes are ProMax v-brakes. The hubs and rims are alloy and fitted with 20" x 1.35" Primo Comet tires rated at 100 psi. Folding consists of dropping the seat post down to the ground, folding the integrated handlebars and stem down, and then folding the bike in half. Folding is very easy and the bike can be fully folded in about 20 seconds. The frame latch mechanism is very secure and adjustable. There are no special provisions for carrying the bike folded, but there are several convenient places to hold the bike when folded. Folded size is 11"x22"x32".
Impressions after a long ride: This bike is quick. The high pressure Primos and lightweight make for a very nimble ride. The lack of suspension didn’t seem to be a drawback, but my first rides were only in the 20 mile range. The brakes were incredibly effective and shifting was crisp and accurate, despite my having replaced the derailleur without any adjustment. The handlebars and stem are a single unit which obviously prevents changing the handlebar position, but since I am of average size I was able to get a good fit by adjusting the fore and aft position of the seat. I added barends after my first ride to give additional hand positions on the straight bar.
The gear selection ranges from 80 gear inches to 37 gear inches, which seems to provide sufficient range for most any terrain, but is definitely lacking on the high and low ends.
Amazingly, taking the bicycle, or any bicycle, on New York City subways is no problem. The current administration actually encourages bicycles in subways, at least outside of the rush hour.
The Speed 7 seems to achieve both easy folding and a conveniently folded size with a good ride. All in all, this is a very nice bike, at a good price, which can benefit from some customization.
During 2000 I recorded the average speed for my 'standard' weekend ride on several different bikes. This isn't a very scientific test, as the middle section of the rides varied very slightly each time, and they were done at different times, and therefore under different conditions. The ride is about 65 Km, and takes me out into the lanes of South Staffordshire - delightful countryside, many quiet lanes to choose from, generally gently undulating, with no fierce hills, though the first and last 8 Km are on busier roads and do involve more hills. This is a pleasure ride, and I'm not trying to go as fast as possible, but at the same time I do generally keep riding quite steadily. All the speedometers are set so that stops are ignored in recording the average speed, though I usually only make a couple of 5 minute stops anyway.
Though not very scientific, I thought these tests might serve to support, or otherwise, the subjective impressions of these bikes and tyres, and the more scientific tests reported in FSN 47. The results are shown below:
Birdy Red: 18.6 kph
Brompton T5: 19.3 kph
Moulton APB: 21.5 kph and 23 kph
Marin East Peak: 21.4 kph
Bike Friday NWT: 20.4 and 20.1 kph
Brompton SP: 21.1 kph
Moulton New Series: 22.8 kph
Results for some bikes were recorded on more than one occasion, and the Moulton NS was also recorded for the longer, 100 Km, Meriden Brevet Populaire, on which it exactly equalled the 22.8 kph of the 'standard' ride. The Marin is a full suspension mountain bike with knobbly tyres (IRC), while the tyres fitted to the other bikes were:
Birdy - Vredestein San Marco
Brompton T5 - Schwalbe Marathon
Moulton APB and Bike Friday NWT - Schwalbe City Jet
Brompton SP - Primo Comet
Moulton NS - Continental GP
These results generally bear out both the measurements in FSN 47 and subjective impressions reported at various times in the past. A difference of under 0.5 kph in average speed is certainly well within the limits of experimental error, while 0.5 to 1 is more interesting, over 1 is likely to have some significance, and 2 or more is very noticeable.
The Birdy has always felt rather sluggish, probably due to the tyres - although the Vredesteins fitted for this test were amongst the best of the tyres available in this size. The fact that the Brompton T5 proved faster even on a medium length ride of this kind is significant, and was a factor in my subsequent decision to part with the Birdy. The SP Brompton performed significantly better still, the better specification and much better range of gears counting on a ride of this length. The Primo Comet probably performed rather better than the Schwalbe Marathons on the T5, although I rate the Marathons highly, and I think they were significant in helping the standard T5 out run the Birdy. The NWT and APB were on the same tyres. In theory I would expect the NWT to out perform the APB, but this was not the case, confirming my feeling that this NWT is rather sluggish, though I still don't really know why. On the second APB run it achieved the best performance of all - there were no obvious reasons for the good exceptional performance that day, though it certainly felt a particularly good ride. The NS gave the best results, apart from the second APB run, and it equalled this performance on a longer, but rather flatter, Brevet Populaire at Meriden.
Unfortunately the Pocket Rocket never went out on this ride last year - it feels the most exhilarating bike to ride, and would have been interesting to see if the figures supported this impression - the rolling resistance tests described in FSN 47 certainly suggest this would be the case. The Airnimal was bought late in the year, and it has not been out on the standard ride at all yet because of the weather.
We reported some rolling resistance test results on a variety of tyre and folder/separable combinations in February 2000, and as a number of different tyres and cycles have now become available, I decided to run some more tests early in the new year. I find it rather boring to do these tests, so I did not repeat the tests on all the machines reported on previously, but just included the Moulton AM7 with the same Wolber tyres as a basis for comparison. In the previous tests, the AM finished in the third group, the best being the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, and the APB with City Jets outrunning the AM (full details in FSN 47).
The tests were performed in exactly the same way and in the same place as before - basically, coasting down a gentle incline and then along a straight, flat stretch of road. Each bike was tested twice, both to make sure that the result was representative, and to confirm that conditions, in particular the wind, were not interfering with the results. In every case, the two runs of each bike were almost identical, so although there was a slight breeze, it seemed to be consistent in strength and direction.
The results this time were as follows:
Bike Friday NWT on Schwalbe City Marathons
(406): Shortest distance
AM Moulton on Wolbers (369): +10 metres
New Series Moulton on Continental GP (406): +22 metres
Airnimal on Kendas (520): +45 metres
Also tested at the same time was "Brand X", a new tyre which is not yet on the market, so I can't name it. Results from this tyre were very encouraging, at +42 metres.
I intended to do some more test the following week, but there was a more variable breeze blowing, and successive runs with the same bike were giving significantly different results, so these were abandoned.
Although not terribly scientific, the results both this time and last year seem to be meaningful and repeatable within a test session. As conditions can change, absolute results of distance run by different bikes on different occasions are meaningless (confirmed by the attempt to continue testing the following week), but for results measured at the same time under consistent conditions of wind etc, I think the results have some relevance, though differences of less than 2 cycle lengths are probably well within the limits of experimental error.
The Airnimal was clearly the freest running machine this time, estimated as very similar to the results with the Pocket Rocket last year. Both these results were expected. Last year the AM was considered a little disappointing, though certainly not bad, and the APB on Schwalbe City Jets out ran it. Since the New World Tourist on the City Marathons could not equal the distance covered by the AM this time, I guess that either the NWT performs worse than the APB (tests the next week in more breezy conditions suggested this might be the case, but were not conclusive), the AM was running better this time than last year, or the City Marathons do not perform as well as I had thought based on subjective impressions in general riding. Realistically, the explanation is probably a combination of these factors. Although the City Jet does seem to out perform the Marathon based on these results, I think I shall stay on the Marathons as I find them more suitable for the way I use the two bikes on which they are now fitted - the NWT and APB.
The distance covered by the New Series Mouton was relatively disappointing - a good result, which would have put it well up in the second group in the test last year, but still markedly short of what the Airnimal and Pocket Rocket achieved. I had expected the combination of this bike and the Continental Grand Prix tyres to do rather better - it certainly feels free running on a subjective basis. Some people are less than enthusiastic about the Goldtec hubs fitted to the NS - due to the narrow forks, more conventional hubs cannot be substituted. I must say I have no problems with the hubs, and they seem to spin very freely. I'm more inclined to put the relatively disappointing performance down to the tyres - for whatever reason, none of the 406 tyres I have fitted to any of the bikes seems to have produced a really free rolling machine - the IRC Roadlite 451 tyres of the Rocket, for example, produce a much better result, and the best of the smaller diameter tyres, such as the Primo Comet 349's seem as good or better than the best of the 406's.
Well, I'm not going to dispose of any bikes as a result of these tests, nor do they produce any really major surprises, so it could be regarded as an academic exercise, but it's useful to have confirmation (or not) of the impression gained in general riding.
By John Prince
A little late in the day, I would like to add a few words on Mike Burrows book "Bicycle Design".
I first met Mike Burrows on the Pedersen centenary ride in 1993 (?). I knew nothing about cycles and did not know him (or his cycling connections) from Adam. He was merely someone who stood out from the crowd of Pedersen riders by riding a strange, low, long cycle with a proper seat, the like of which I had not seen before. Intrigued, I cycled along side and struck up a conversation as we cycled from Dursley to Gloucester. He was riding his own design - the original LWB "Ratcatcher" and was patient enough to answer all sorts of questions, including those which showed my utter ignorance of the subject. This approachable man not only offered me a "go" on his prototype, but stayed mild tempered when I had the temerity to question his judgment! (May I say "sorry" now?).
On another occasion, I was approached by a young teenager who had thought of an "improvement" to cycles. I left a message on Mike's answerphone and he called me back, obliging as ever, to discuss the idea. Every time I have seen him at a Trade Fair, he has spared his valuable time for a chat. These are not virtues shared by many of the World's great designers and in my opinion speak volumes in his favour.
So when the expert speaks, we should listen, and a great deal of myth and legend are consigned to their rightful place by this clear thinking man.
I can only say "Buy and read it"...it's a breath of fresh air. Thanks too, to Tony Hadland for editing the manuscript, one of those time consuming, necessary jobs that generally get no appreciation.
PS For the sharp eyed reader; I spotted just one spelling mistake....can you find it?
It's a hard job to decide which book(s) to bring with us to fill the gap as we spend six months or so on our "desert" island. One that has turned out to be a good choice is "Discovery Road" by Tim Garratt & Andy Brown (ISBN 0-9530575-3-4) published by Travellerseye Ltd), RRP £7.99. I suppose travel books fulfil several needs; they make money for the author(s); they may make them famous; they give the prospective traveller a good idea of what it feels like to undertake such a journey, but for most I think they are a substitute for the real thing, which for what ever reason(s) seems unattainable.
"Discovery Road" is unusual in several respects ... the three people involved are not seasoned cyclists, so there is a very fresh approach to this novel form of transport. Then, they are not your average travellers ... one resigns a high flown executive job in the oil industry, the other two are teachers and together they bring a fresh, educated, new approach to this undertaking of a long cycle journey. They decide to go around the world in 12 months, burning their boats in the process, paying their own way and raising money for the charity I.T. (Intermediate Technology). This boils down to crossing Australia (Sydney to Perth across a fearsome dessert), Africa (dodgy) and South America which includes - almost unbelievably - crossing the Andes IN WINTER!!
It should be clear by now that this is not your usual tale of a lone cyclist ... and this book delights in describing the tensions that develop in the group, the feelings and changes that happen on such a journey, and interestingly provides historical background notes which may be new to the reader. A feature is that each cyclist adds his comments to what the other has said from his aspect, so we get several views for the price of one.
This book comes closest to describing the highs and lows of such a journey, what it really FEELS like to cycle though 45C heat and run out of water, and is highly recommend by me. I hope you enjoy it and learn that the expression "A load of crap" should in fact be "A load of Krapf" and on reading of the origins of this expression ... decide whether its continued use in the accepted way, is justified?
Will Powell has a question regarding transporting a Birdy which members may be able to answer:
"My wife recently bought me a Birdy
to take on vacations. I have been having difficulty finding
out what size hard-sided suitcase I need and whether I need to
partially disassemble the bike. I picked up a 30 inch upright
Samsonite suitcase on the advice of the bike shop but I cannot
seem to be able to get the bike inside. Please let me know if
you have any suggestions."
James Greig offers this hint for a cheap, practical
bike bag:
"The recent case of the Midland Metro refusing unbagged folders
highlights the need for a bag in which to transform a bicycle
into an anonymous piece of luggage. I found that a woven
polypropylene sack which can hold a Brompton and it looks as
though the Fold-It would fit as well. One can either put it over
the bike as a cover, or put the bike in the sack. It's pretty
tough material and the sacks survive other strenuous duties such
as collecting logs and garden waste. The sacks are 800 x 1300 mm
and cost £0.70 + VAT, from Express Polythene, 79-107 Barford
Street, Birmingham. There are probably suppliers of plastic bags
in other centres which might stock these sacks, see your local
yellow pages. Another useful thing they stock is A4 size self
sealing plastic bags which are very useful for protecting a map
from the elements and far cheaper than special map holders.
Another kind of bag suitable for a Brompton is sold by the Youth Hostel Shop, and is a big zipped bag intended for protecting a rucksack, which has proved very handy for the Brompton and rolls up very small when not used, but this one costs about £25."
Arthur Wyatt writes of his experiences with a Micro
in London:
"I have a disability which allows me to ride a bike and I
commute between Morden and Tower Hamlets College to teach on a
Friday. I travel to Bank Station on the Northern Line and my
Micro fits under the seat. Often I am given help in carrying the
bike down the stairs at Morden. If anybody says that the
Northern Line is the Grot line then they are wrong - they are
helpful.
At Bank I change for a 4 minute ride on the Docklands Light Railway. After a few weeks I had my first challenge - You cannot take a bike on DLR! My reply was "Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 amended 1999 you are obliged to allow me to take a folding bike" If you delay me in any way I will sue"
Such challenges occurred again and I became involved with officials- They became involved with the Disability Rights Commission and my MP. Eventually they gave me a pass with a tremendous task of pushing this alarm bell at the station and statements like " The bicycle is no concern of DLR in an emergency"
After this I had another challenge from two officials together I said once again "Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 amended 1999 you are obliged to allow me to take a folding bike" If you delay me in any way I will sue". They retreated immediately into the next compartment!
Now I have permission to take the bike unfolded unless the train is very full and nearly all of the bureaucracy has been eliminated. DLR and Croydon Tram Link need to link up and take folding bikes without a cover. Also the network needs to expand at 100 metres a day. How about this 100 metres a day target as a pledge from all the political parties at the next election? Uncle Ken are you listening?
A Micro goes right through the busiest part of the commuter network - How's that for a true story?"
Dennis Duggan writes:
"The latest FSN was certainly a
bumper issue - many thanks for your continued efforts.
Is it my imagination, or are there more letters and contributions from members than previously? Input from readers adds spice and interest to the electronic magazine, even if one does not necessarily agree with what is said - but if this stimulates debate it can only be a good thing.
Pat Strachan seems to have many defenders against my original and rash accusation that this lady rides without due care and attention on shared pedestrian/cycle paths. Plainly Pat is well-known and well-thought-of, and I have now got the message I was wrong!!
Lighting: Of my twenty (mainly elderly bicycles) only one is fully-fitted for night riding, this being the Coventry Eagle racer. I am lucky in that my night riding is virtually non-existent, and to be honest I cannot recall the last time I had to ride in the dark. I walk to and from work, and any bike trips I make can be done in daylight. However, Rod Shinkfield made the valid point that one can be unexpectedly delayed, and this almost happened to me last October ...
I had cycled over to my widowed mother-in-law's house one Saturday morning, though I cannot remember what bike I used. My mission was to assemble an item of flat-pack furniture from Argos - it was a computer cupboard - and I badly under estimated the time the job would take. Two hours had been my guess, and as I had arrived at 10am it seemed a pretty fair bet I would be home for lunch. Oh dear. Anyone who has attempted this type of job will understand when I say that I was only just finishing off at 4pm, and twilight was rapidly approaching. By the time I had packed the tools away and donned my outer clothing it was touch and go whether I would make the journey home in daylight. It is against my principles to ride on the pavement or ride without lights, so if darkness had fallen a four mile walk would have ensued. In the event I did just make it, though I was glad I was wearing my yellow reflective waistcoat."
[Thanks for the feedback Dennis. The number of letters is rather variable - you are certainly right that there have been more recently, and like you I'm pleased about this. I'm not sure that the level will stay this high though - for example, at present there are less to go in the next issue.]
Some interesting tyre news was sent to us by Thorsten
Rentel
"I have some good news: Schwalbe offers the notorious Marathon
tire in two other interesting sizes for 2001: 40-355 and 40-406. That
should solve most of the Birdy tire problems for good and provide
another interesting alternative for 20" wheeled bikes. See also:
http://www.schwalbe.com/Script/prodview/show.asp?ID=22
"
[It's certainly good news that more tyres are available for small wheelers, though the width of these sounds rather on the high side for efficient on-road cycling.]
If you have a folder, separable, or accessories to dispose of, or you want to buy, you can use the Sales and Wants page (http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/sandw.html). If you want to have something put on the list, just email us the details (mike@foldsoc.co.uk) - there is no charge, but please let us know when it is sold so that we can take it off the list. As I strongly suspect that I am not being told when items are sold, I intend to introduce some changes to the Sales and Wants section. In future all entries will be dated, and will be deleted after 3 months unless a request is received to retain the entry on the list. However, please do still tell us as soon as anything is sold, so that we can remove it and avoid creating annoyance to those using the list. Take all normal precautions when buying and selling goods - the Folding Society and its officers are not responsible for the descriptions and products and services contained in the Sales & Wants list.
The events listed below are a combination of those organised by Folding Society members or of potential interest to members.
Remember that cycling can be dangerous (so is travelling by car, bus, train, air or water, breathing and living!); anyone participating in any way in any event does so at their own risk.
Saturday 3rd February - Mud Dock
Although there is no official organiser, the gatherings on the first Saturday
of the month at Mud Dock in Bristol are still taking place and
receiving good support. Meet at Mud Dock from about 10.30am
onwards.
Saturday 10th February - Origami Ride
The next Origami
Ride will be at its usual location, starting from the Tearooms at
Meriden: arrive from 10.30 for an 11.00 start. For more information, contact John Pinkerton on 0121 350 0685, email
pinkertn@mwfree.net, or look at his web site at
http://www.users.mwfree.net/~pinkertn/origami.html.
Friday 11th - Sunday 13th May 2001 - Informal
Folder/Separable gathering in Weymouth
Early notification of the dates of our annual informal gathering
in Weymouth - no so much a Forum, more a way of life! Nothing
organised, just take things as they come. Typically meet up at
the Pavilion between 10:00 and 10.30 am for activities during the
day, and 7:00 pm in the evening. More details (if there are any -
it is informal) nearer the time.
A to B Magazine remains the ultimate source of authoritative information on folding cycles. In the unlikely event that you aren't aware of A to B and/or don't read this magazine, then we would urge you to take out a subscription without delay. A to B can be found on the web pages at http://www.a2bmagazine.demon.co.uk, or you can email them at post@a2bmagazine.demon.co.uk, or they can be reached by telephone or fax on 01963 351649, address 19 West Park, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7DB, England. A subscription to A to B is only £10 per year in the UK, or $24, and the magazine is published ever two months and is packed with news, reviews and other interesting information on effective integrated transport systems in general, and folding cycles in particular.
Note: The views expressed by contributors and correspondents are those of the writers, and are not necessarily those of The Folding Society or its organisers.
Back numbers of all issues of Folding Society News are available on our web site - go to http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/fsn/fsn.html for the full list.
We would very much welcome articles, photographs or any other material for inclusion in future issues of FSN, or on our web pages. Please send any material to The Folding Society at the address given below. However, if you are planning to send pictures by email, please send them at an appropriate resolution to avoid high telephone bills - a JPEG picture of 50K or less is ample for use in FSN or on the web pages.
The Folding Society
email: mike@foldsoc.co.uk
Web:
http://www.foldsoc.co.uk
If
you have any news or other information of interest to other members of the
Folding Society, please email us at the above address.
If for some reason you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please send a message to this effect to the same email address.
All information given here is provided in good faith, but no responsibility can be taken for errors or for any consequences arising from the publication of this information.
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Copyright (C)2001 Ferrets Anonymous
Last updated:
21 January 2001
URL:
http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/fsn/fsn068.html