Are you coming to Bike Bath this weekend? If you are, make sure you come down to the Bath Rugby clubhouse on Saturday evening (doors open 5.30pm) for the Celebration of Cycling evening. You can have a beer after your ride (or before, if you're riding on the Sunday) and get involved with an evening of talks and Q&As covering a wide gamut of cycling topics. You can come if you're not riding, too.
First up is Andrew Denham. Andrew's the founder of The Bicycle Academy, a new framebuilding workshop based in Frome. He enlisted the help of legendary fillet-brazer Brian Curtis and gave the Academy an added twist of social responsibility: the bike you make as you learn the skills gets sent out to Africa to help people who really need it. The Bicycle Academy has been a resounding success and has just moved into bigger premises; the range of courses is expanding too. Andrew also dreamt up the Frome Cobble Wobble. He's full of good ideas.
Next up is Max Glaskin. Max Max Glaskin is an award-winning science and technology journalist with a special interest in cycling, and author of a new book: Cycling Science: How Rider and Machine Work Together. The book is an exploration of the science surrounding both the bike and the rider. Subdivided into themed sections – materials, power, aerodynamics, strength and stability – it's a great resource for anyone who likes to look a bit more analytically at their riding.
Finally we have transport psychologist and sometime wig wearer Dr Ian Walker. Ian specialises in traffic, transport and environmental behavours. The New York Times selected Ian's work on driver-bicyclist interactions – using bicycle carrying a video system and accurate ultrasonic distance sensor to record passing proximities – as one of the ideas that defined 2006. He's got lots to say on many other aspects of cycling and transport too.
If you're riding at Bike Bath – any distance, Saturday or Sunday – then the event is free. If you're not riding but you think it sounds like an interesting evening – and it will be – then you can get in for just £3.
If you haven't heard of Bike Bath, well it's a two-day cycling event this weekend, with sportive rides on the Saturday and Sunday. There's various distances from 20 to 100 miles, and anyone completing the 100-miler on both days earns the title of Bath Gladiator. The rides are electronically timed and well signposted and marshalled, and the feed stops feature a wealth of local produce. And the sun will be shining. That's a guarantee*.
*It's not a guarantee
"if we’ve got to fly there we’re not going" *applause from over here*
"Strumpjumper"...sounds like a euphemism for something else 🤔
The new RH tubes claim to solve that issue, but price and availability is a problem. I tried to get some to try out, but they went out of stock on...
We're doomed....
Cough - cough - Clevedon seafront! - cough cough
Thanks for the tip. I didn't realise the Forest of Dean was inside the M25.
Chances are you live in London or somehwere where you have decent public transport, to make such a dumb comment
Those calipers arent the prettiest. Makes them look like Post-mount.
I'm all for a much more socialist approach to the sorts of things you mention, where there are clear market failures and a need for decent...
Zorbing balls - if it saves just one life