THE FOLDING SOCIETY
FOLDING SOCIETY NEWS
Issue 70 - 18 February 2001
EDITORIAL
The weather has been a bit dryer round here lately, but with
frost and fog taking over. The prospect of falling off on icy
surfaces does not appeal to me much, and as a very early riser,
the conditions have not generally improved until I have got
involved in doing something else, so my cycling has been
limited. There also seems to be a shortage of news to report on
recently, so this is another rather short issue. I understand
that the latest issue of A to B is either just about to go out,
or may even have gone out, so that should more than make up for
the lack of material here.
A fraught journey
I had arranged to go down to Bradford on Avon by train on
Tuesday 6th, and rather rashly predicted that I would be there by
about 9:45: Virgin had other plans. By the time I reached
Birmingham New Street by local train - on time at about 06:46 - the sign boards
were already showing the 07:12 to Plymouth (from Derby) as
"Service Delayed", but ominously with no anticipated
arrival time. Eventually a time of 08:20 was shown as the
expected time. Come 08:20 there was still no sign of the train,
nor the expected platform, but finally it arrived at 8:28, pulled
by an EWS Class 37, which is unusual. Once we had all got on
board, we were in for a further wait - they were changing the
locomotive to a Class 47. The 7:12 finally left New Street at
08:52. Those who know their timetables may wonder why I did not
catch the 08:30 to Plymouth instead - when we left, it was not
expected at New Street until 10:00! On arrival at Bristol, the
doors remained locked for well over a minute as the conductor
made his way from one end of the train to the other. This was bad
news for me, as I guessed that the next train to Bradford on Avon
would leave in about 3 minutes (as it was later than expected, I was not sure of the times). None of the sign boards I could see
gave any indication of which train I needed, so I rushed towards
the station exit, where there are timetables. Unfortunately, they
were conducting a ticket check, and the timetables were the other
side of this. I had my ticket to hand, but there was a long queue
having their tickets checked. By the time I had got to the
timetables and checked, the train I wanted had just left, and
there wasn't another for an hour - I was not best pleased. As
trains run to Bath every 15 minutes or so, I caught one of these,
and on arrival I phoned the factory, and they very kindly sent a
car out for me - while I was waiting I was able to pay a visit to
Avon Valley Cyclery and take a look at a Giant Halfway, and spend
more money than I should have done (but not on a Halfway!).
Happily, the return journey went better - at least for me. The
train from Bradford on Avon was on time, and on arrival I was
unexpectedly just able to catch a train which was about to leave
for Edinburgh - it was actually an hour late, but it saved me
waiting half an hour for the train I had expected to catch!
Fortunately all the other trains I have used since our last
issue have been well behaved, but this was the sort of experience
which could easily persuade me to revert to a car - except of
course you can just as easily be delayed for two hours in a car,
and at least with trains you have room to move about, and can
read and do other things
On my bikes
During my visit to Bradford on Avon I met Graham McDermott,
and we went out for a ride on a new Moulton Speed ('Pylon') and a
Jubilee L. Graham rode the Pylon most of the time (he is thinking
of getting one!), but I did try it briefly, mainly so that Graham
could take some action pictures (not all that much action with me
riding!). The saddle was at Graham's height, and it did not seem
worth lowering it, so I could only just pedal, but it certainly
felt very comfortable otherwise, and it also felt very taught and
lively. Most Moultons are not very lavishly equipped with bottle
cage bosses, but the Pylon does not have any at all, which is
rather a nuisance, though Shaun Moulton tells us that a means of
attaching a bottle is under investigation (lacking a conventional
seat tube, the usual mounting point is missing). One thing which
struck me looking at the bike is that the mudguard clearances
looked considerably larger, especially at the front, than on the
older New Series models. Front mudguard clearance is now quite
generous, though still a bit tight at the back, particularly
below the calliper brakes. Fork width and the short drop
callipers still preclude the fitting of tyres other than
Continental Grand Prix, at least with the mudguards in place and
without surgery. It is a superb bike, but not for me - apart from
the price, I already have a New Series, and the Speed is probably
less suited to my sort of cycling than the 'standard' NS.
As a result of my visit to Bradford on Avon, I have now got a
set of the relatively new 369 (17 inch) Bridgestone tyres for the
Moulton. These have taken over from the Wolbers, which are now no
longer in production, although many Moultoneers probably still
have Wolbers in stock. Rather strange that after all these years
some of us have, at least for the moment, a choice of tyres for
the older AM Moultons with the unusual 369 sized wheel, while
owners of NS Moultons with the common 406 (20 inch) wheels can
only use Continental Grand Prix! I have done only a little more than 100km on
the Bridgestones, so it is really rather early to pass judgment,
and the windy conditions of late mean that it has not been
possible to carry out any meaningful rolling resistance tests.
However, purely subjectively, the Bridgestones seem to roll and
handle well, though I would not rate them as obviously better
than the Wolbers in either respect. I would possibly rate them as
marginally worse, but the windy conditions make it difficult to
make a sensible evaluation. The coloured transfer on the side
wall bears the legend "Bridgestone >>>
Moulton",
but the name moulded into the tyre is just
"Bridgestone". Dimensionally, the tyres are the same
size as the Wolbers, 17 x 1 1/4, 32 x 369. Inflation
pressure is given as 7.0 Kg/cm2 , 100psi, higher than the nominal
rating of the Wolbers, though many people actually ran those at
this pressure. The tread pattern is very different from the
circumferential grooving of the Wolbers - more like that used on
many other touring tyres today. Ian Hodgson has reported some
difficulty in fitting the tyres, but as mine were already fitted
for me, I have not had an opportunity to investigate this, nor do
I really want a puncture to force me to do so. Expect further reports on the Bridgestones when I have used
them more, and have had a chance to perform more rolling
resistance tests.
The Airnimal has also been out several times in the last week
or so. As I have commented before, I find the narrow high
pressure tyres perform well on the road, but they (or I) feel a
little nervous on lanes where there is any mud. I have now fitted
a set of the strangely named Specialized Spanky tyres - these
have what a mountain biker would regard as only a very lightly
knobbled tread, but a tourer would regard as pronounced
'knobbles'. However, the tyre is still only 1 1/4 inches wide
(32mm), and is rated at 35-100 psi - narrow and very high
pressure for any sort of knobbly. On smooth roads you can actually
just feel the knobbles - much less pronounced than on my Marin,
but present nevertheless. For normal road riding, the performance
is really quite good, though not nearly as free running as the
Kendas which I had on before. However, on muddy lanes these tyres
certainly inspire more confidence than the Kendas. I also took
the opportunity to do about 10 km on a canal towpath which was
wet and a bit sticky, though with only two really muddy spots
(where I decided to walk anyway). Here the grip was very good -
in fact more than was really necessary under these conditions. On
this surface the tyres held on to the surface very well - perhaps
too well, throwing a certain amount of much onto the main frame
member and the exposed cables (more of which later). For reasons
explained before, I run my Airnimal with a rear mudguard but no
front mudguard - given the conditions, the bike actually kept
remarkably clean, and the dirt thrown onto the frame was much
less than I would have experienced with the Marin. As on previous
occasions, the main frame member is wide enough to stop any dirt
or water being thrown up onto the rider in these conditions -
damp roads, but no rain falling. Again the weather conditions
have prevented me making any rolling resistance measurements on
the tyres, but I would expect them to perform substantially worse
than the Kendas, but perhaps no worse than the Schwalbe City
Marathons on the APB and Newt. Although my own preference would
be for a rather less knobbly tyre, the Spanky makes a good winter
tyre, especially if you plan to use your Airnimal off road, and
it would also be suitable for touring if you prefer something a
bit more substantial. I expect to revert to the Kendas when (if?)
the weather conditions improve.
My Airnimal rides this year were initially marred by the
stiffness and lack of accuracy of the rear gear change. I guessed
this was due to cable friction, and I decided to take out the
cable and clean and lubricate everything. My suspicions were
confirmed when I came to pull the cable from the rear section, as
it was quite stiff, and the operation was accompanied by a
grinding sound, and water emerged from the outer sheath. In view
of the obviously poor conditions of the cable, I decided to
replace it. Like the Bike Fridays, the Airnimal has a slightly
tortuous cable path under the bottom bracket, and water running
down the cable will run into the outer sheath, and is then
trapped, where it can cause corrosion - of course fine grit may
also be carried down in the water. The length of rear cable outer
is no less than 1 metre, and is a bit awkward to thread
through all the location points. Once the job was completed
everything was back to normal - a beautifully smooth gear change,
though not quite as silky as on the Birdy after I converted that
to 9-speed.
Riding the Airnimal again recently after a short break during
which I had mainly used Moultons, the bike still felt as good as
ever, though slightly less eager after fitting the Spankys. Ride
on good roads is fine, though not up to Moulton standards, but on
rougher surfaces and the tow path it certainly felt much less
comfortable than a Moulton, though less harsh than the Newt or
Pocket Rocket. I was also rather unimpressed by the Shimano STI
levers on the dropped bars - as with the ones I had at one time
on the Newt, I find the braking seems heavy and awkward - the
levers are large, especially around the tops, and the pivotting
of the whole lever is rather a heavy and clumsy operation, and
also can make braking slightly more awkward. I much prefer the
Campag Ergo system on the Pocket Rocket, or the RapidFire on flat
bars. Braking on the AM Moultons with dropped bars also seems
much more effective with the simple non-STI levers, and although
the placing of the gear change levers on the down tube of the AM
may not be a particularly convenient location, it produces very
accurate changes with an indexed system. Moultoneers with long
memories may recall that I was rude about the brakes on the AMs
in the early days, with the CLB brakes: with properly set up dual
pivot Shimano 105's, I think they are amongst the best braked
bikes I have - powerful, smooth, progressive, and quite light,
without being too light.
At last I've taken a compact folder out in 2001 - as you might
expect, the Brompton. The reason for taking it out was not for
folding on other transport, but to be able to take it into the
places I was visiting for secure storage. One of these outings
was to the Dudley Cycle Forum - the first time I had attended one
of these meetings - and it was amusing to see how much easier the
Brompton was to store safely than the more conventional bikes
(and a tricycle!) which were used by some of the others who
attended the meeting. As the stories of stolen Bromptons show,
even with a folder you can't always be sure of security, but it
certainly makes it easier.
It is still early days as regard planning for the Lanstair
ride in May, but my recent rides confirm that the most likely
bikes to use are the Moulton AM, Airnimal or just possibly a Bike
Friday, with the preference moving towards the AM as giving the
best combination of ride (both on road and on the South Downs
Way), luggage capacity, gears and tyre suitability. The same
factors make the AM the favourite at present for the trip to
Scotland later in the year, but the April outing
requires less luggage, though probably some towpath riding, and
the choice is still very open. Although I have the carry bags for
the Moulton, I am not keen to use them on these trips, as they
are quite bulky and heavy to carry around on the bike along with
other luggage, so, although they provide good protection, I shall
probably instead try to get some large, light plastic bags which
can be carried easily on the bike - James Greig mentioned a
possible source for something suitable in the letters section of
a recent issue of FSN.
Origami Ride, 10th February
A very poor weather forecast, and a very grey start to the
day, reduced numbers for the February Origami Ride from Meriden
to 6 - four Bromptons (2 of which were Mk IIIs) and 2 Moultons -
one APB and one Jubilee L. It was also pointed out that all but
one of the riders were bearded! After the usual hearty breakfast and
conversation, we started out for Kenilworth, but rain set in as
we neared Tile Hill, so we diverted straight to The Peeping Tom
to take lunch. The rain was evidently set for the rest of the
day, so we returned direct from there, and those who were
travelling to Birmingham by train - 3 of us - baled out at
Berkswell and caught the train from there. On a folder
ride, one need have no qualms about seeking train assistance,
mixed mode transport is what it's all about! Two of those opting
for this solution were on Moultons, but our local Centro
supported trains have no restrictions or charges for carrying
bicycles, so no separating or folding was needed. Although the
weather was disappointing, it was an enjoyable if rather short
ride - we hope for better conditions next month.
Important Forthcoming changes
As the number of people who have registered rises, the
cost of running the Folding Society and producing FSN also
increases, and is becoming something of an embarrassment.
Therefore some cost saving measures are being introduced:
1. I expect to discontinue the use of the 'demon' account, and
the Moulton Bicycle Club (MBC) pages and other Moulton material
will therefore be relocated. More news on the new location when the change
is made, so watch out for this. Links to these pages from within
the Folding Society pages (which will not be moved) will be
updated at that time, but if you go direct to the MBC pages,
please change the page address at that time. The 'demon' account
will be kept running for a time after the change, with a link to
the new site.
2. With the planned discontinuation of the use of 'demon', you
are advised that the email address mike@whooper.demon.co.uk
is no longer being checked as often as in the past. Please use
the address mike_hessey@cableinet.co.uk
instead - PLEASE UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS BOOK so that you use this
address when contacting me in future.
3. The Folding Society is just a very informal group of people
with a shared interest in folding and separable cycles; it does
not exist as an entity in its own right, and there are no
officials or officers, and no subscriptions. Thus there are
really no 'members' (though we often use the term for
convenience), but simply a list of people who have registered an
interest in the subject. Nevertheless, I have in the past taken
the precaution of taking out ORGANISERS LIABILITY (not
participants) insurance to cover anyone who
chooses to organise an event - even though as there is really no
Folding Society there cannot be an organiser of a "Folding
Society event"! Unfortunately the cost of insurance depends
on the number of "members", and with over 700 people
now registered as having an interest in folders, I just can't
afford to continue to do this. Consequently, the insurance will
not be renewed when it expires in a few weeks time. As we have no
events and thus no organisers, this is somewhat academic, but
something to be remembered if you are planning to organise a
ride. As always, we must stress that if you
choose to take part in any activity mentioned in FSN or on the web
pages, or to buy or service or modify any cycle yourself, this is
your decision - if you are not able to make your own assessment
of suitability and safety, please do not use material reproduced
here to influence your actions in any way.
Next issue
The planned date for the next issue is 4th March, though
if there is still a shortage of news it might be put back a week.
Format
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/fsn070.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.
OWNERSHIP SURVEY
It is some while since the survey was updated, partly because
although the number of people who have registered continues to
increase steadily (732 at the time of writing), not all give
information about what (if any) folders they own, and anyway the
overall pattern has scarcely changed. Bromptons remain by far the
most popular folders amongst our owners, with 60% of the folder
owners having one. Apart from the Brompton, and a mixed bag of 'others', only
Moulton, Bike Friday and Birdy are owned by more than 10% of
those who have participated in the survey. The full survey is on the web pages at http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/survey.html
.
LETTERS
Alex Mumzhiu writes to tell us of an ambitious trip
that he undertook last year with a Brompton. You can read details
and see more pictures at http://www.bromptonbike.com/CurrentEvents/Story/Tibet.html
:
"In the fall of last year I made a great 3 months solo
trip on my Brompton through Tibet, Nepal and India. I rode my
bike to Northern Everest base camp and around Annapurna mountain.
Pictures are attached. My trip reports published at
www.bromptonbike.com. When you get there click on Gallery, then
on story of traveling in Tibet. Feel free to copy any text or
pictures if you wish. I think they may be interesting for you
readers."
Left: Everest
Left: Annapurna
Photographs Copyright (C) Alex Mumzhiu
We have also had an email from Jim Foreman regarding
his tours with folders:
"Noticed the mention of the Bath/Bradford on Avon outing
in April, and just had to mention that I was there on my
tour in England a few years back. I have a friend who lives in
Bath and while visiting him, he borrowed a bike for me to ride
and we rode the towpath to Bradford on Avon. I also rode the
towpath a few days later when I did my tour to the south and east
of Bath. We visited the Tithe Barn, the old wool mills and the
strange little jail in the middle of the bridge over the canal.
Then we had lunch at a pub called Cross Guns. There are two tales
about that tour in my web page along with several photos. There
are also three different stories about my folding bike in my
page."
You can find Jim's reports and pictures, including those
relating to his journeys with the CARiBIKE, at http://www.geocities.com/jimforetales
Dave Holladay of Custom Folder has responded to the
concerns regarding taking folders on buses and coaches with the
following extracts:
"Natex Conditions of Carriage are available at all
BO, and state ...
1) in general details section G.4.........Additional luggage
such as skis and dismantled bicycles will be carried subject to
accommodation providing that they are packed in a purposely made
fully protective wrapping.....
(doesn't require to be a box) - this is in published C of C
available at all counters in miniscule print reduced A3 to A4
sheet with 4 A4 pages.
2) Sales Manual section 8.1 para 3 Additional
luggage......which fold flat...Subject to same proviso, skis and
dismantled bicycles are carried provided they are packed in a
purposely made and fully protective wrapping to prevent damage to
other luggage.
Scottish Citylink
Clause 10(e)..... Subject to availability of accommodation
collapsible bicycles in a proper carrying bag and skis will be
carried......
Rail - 1996 Animals & Accompanied Articles 1996 - for
TOC's, may be superceded by new National C of C and associated
AAA changes.
A 4.1 - 4.4 - Bicycles
and
A2.1 allows 3 items of personal luggage plus 1 item of hand
luggage plus
A2.2.1 Articles which do not exceed one metre in any dimension,
and can be carried by one person.
Any problem driver for Natex, refer them to the sales manual
which should be with them and IIRC section 8 was on white pages
P44.
All of which should seem authoritative enough to shut them
up."
Eddie Miles responds to Dennis Duggan's letter:
"Thanks for the regular news which I enjoy very much. As a recent
convert to folders (previously I've ridden a road bike and MTBs)
I can verify Dennis Duggan's suspicion that small wheels are more
vulnerable to potholes (Folding Society News No 69). I still have
the bent Brompton crank to prove it! I don't however believe that
heavier objects freewheel faster (see Dennis Duggan letter).
Galileo demonstrated that objects of the same shape but different
mass fall at the same rate. If gravity is the force that propels
a free wheeling cycle then there should be no difference in
speed. Mass and resistance are what makes the difference."
Mark Lang would like some advice on trailers:
"I am thinking of a trailer for a Bernds or Dahon and would like
to know if anybody has any information out there. I'm
thinking of a trailer called a black from Two Plus Two but am not
sure - any information would be a help."
John Gaerlan of Gaerlan Custom Cycles has some
advice for those who have problems with chain coming adrift:
"We just installed a roller to solve a chain jumping
problem, very typical of folding bikes and some recumbents. Below is the
link, and I hope it helps somebody else: http://ourworld-top.cs.com/Terieng/roller/roller.htm
"
Tom Shaddox sent us information about a description
of fitting a Specialized dual suspension mountain bike into a
suitcase. those who do not like small wheels and do not require a
compact folder might be interested in reading the brief
description and looking at the pictures:
"Thought you might be interested in this: http://www.bicycling.com/daily/gear/report0018.shtml
It's a story about compacting a regular Specialized dual
suspension mountain bike small enough to pack into a
suitcase."
SALES AND WANTS
The Sales and Wants list has been tidied up - most readers are
good enough to let me know when their advertisements can be
removed, but some of the items had been on the list for over 6
months (I haven't been rigorously enforcing the 3 month rule
referred to in the standard entry below). If you had something on
the list and it has now been removed, but you would like it put
back on again, please email the advertisement in full again.
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.
EVENTS
The events listed below may be of potential interest to
readers.
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 March - 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 March - 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.
17 - 19th August - Bike Friday Homecoming Rally 2001,
Eugene, Oregon. Contact Jennifer Hill, jenniferH@bikefriday.com
for further details
A to B Magazine
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
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.
Contributing material for FSN
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 others, 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:
18 February 2001
URL:
http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/fsn/fsn070.html