Cycle Magazine Taster December 2015 / January 2016

T H E

M A G A Z I N E

O F

C T C

THE

NATIONAL

CYCLING

CHARIT Y

D E C E M B E R /JA N UA RY 2 015/16 £3 O R F R E E TO C TC M E M B E R S This issue TOURING TANDEMS TEST TR AIL S

PLUS

FOR

TRAILS FOR WALES – AND ENGLAND

WALES

ALL ABOARD! FAMILY BIKE-RAIL WITHNAIL & US: LAKELAND TOURING

–

ROAD BIKE TYRES TEST

AND ENGL AND FAMILY BIK E-R AIL WITHNAIL

TWO OF A KIND

& US:

TOURING TANDEMS FROM ORBIT & DAWES

L AK EL AND TOURING ROAD BIK E T YRES TEST 10 COUNTRIES IN 10 DAYS D E C E M B E R /J A N U A R Y 2 0 15 /16

CTC.ORG.UK

CYC L E D E C E M B E R /J A N UA R Y 2 015/16

CONTENTS

Clockwise from far left: Dan joyce, Jeremy Clines, David Bradford

Founded in 1878

54

42

FROM THE EDITOR a tandem for enabling riders of differing abilities to cycle together sociably and efficiently. While I’ve never owned an adult tandem, childback versions were how I used to cycle with my three boys. We had a Thorn Me ’n’ U2, a double-childback triplet that towed first a child trailer and later a trailer-cycle. When the two eldest outgrew it, we downsized to a childback tandem.

The triplet was great. It was ‘the family car’, the vehicle we used to get about. We went on holiday with it too. When we lived in York, it was possible to take it on various trains: intercities that ran not just up and down the country but diagonally across it. Then the rolling stock and rules changed.

You can still take tandems up and down the East Coast mainline, but the cross-country journey we made from York to Holyhead via Birmingham, for example, is impossible. You’d need a folding, separable or oddly compact tandem. Or a car.

Family cyclists can still travel by train, as the Clines family prove (p54, All aboard!). But you need bikes more compact than a standard tandem to do so, which is a shame as a tandem is such a good family vehicle. On the plus side, those bikes that are permitted seldom have to go in a box or bag – even if you’re travelling by Eurostar (p8)…

YOU CAN’T BEAT

36

MEMBERSHIP

EVERY ISSUE 04 B I G P I C T U R E This issue: CTC Cycling Holidays 07 F R O M T H E C H I E F EXECUTIVE Paul Tuohy appeals for your support to secure justice for Michael Mason 08 Q U I C K R E L E A S E S CTC’s commentary on cycling news & events 18 G E A R U P Components, kit and accessories on test 25 C T C C Y C L I N G H O L I D A Y S Let us take you there 29 L E T T E R S Your feedback on Cycle and cycling 32 C T C & M E 81-year-old CTC member Wally Fowler 34 M Y B I K E Mike Burrows’s new utility bike 60 Q & A Your technical, health and legal questions answered 76 Y O U R M E M B E R S H I P The benefits of being a CTC member

Get five years’ CTC membership for the price of four. Phone 01483 238301

78 C T C C O N T A C T S How to get in touch with CTC 81 T R A V E L L E R S ’ T A L E S CTC members’ ride reports

THIS ISSUE 16 I D E A S F O R X M A S Gift suggestions for cyclists 36 W I T H N A I L A N D U S Lakeland touring in search of two film anti-heroes 42 O N T H E R I G H T P A T H S Why CTC wants Scottish-style open access for Wales – and England 48 1 0 C O U N T R I E S I N 1 0 D A Y S Crossing borders en route to Italy 54 A L L A B O A R D !

A family of four’s cycle-rail adventures 64 T W O O F A K I N D Touring tandems from Dawes and Orbit 71 T O U G H E R R O A D T Y R E S 25mm tyres with puncture resistance, grip, and pace

On the cover Ben Searle & Tamar Thompson, near Ronda, on tour from Sevilla to Granada, Spain. © Ben Searle

CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@ctc.org.uk W: ctc.org.uk T: 0844 736 8450 or 01483 238300 (national office) 0844 736 8451 or 01483 238301 (membership dept) Cycle promotes the work of CTC. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. CTC is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with 67,000 members and affiliates CTC Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow CTC Council Chair: David Cox Chief Executive: Paul Tuohy.

Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX.

Dan Joyce EDITOR

CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce e: editor@ctc.org.uk Designers: Mary Harris, Simon Goddard Advertising: Anna Vassallo tel: 020 7079 9365 e: annav@jppublishing.co.uk Creative Director: James Houston Publisher: James Pembroke. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of CTC by James Pembroke Publishing, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. Tel: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright CTC, James Pembroke Publishing and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from CTC and James Pembroke Publishing is forbidden. Views expressed in the magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of CTC. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Publishing, and final approval by CTC. PRINTED BY: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, TF7 4QQ. Tel: 01952 585585

CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 0 3

OFF THE FRONT | PAUL TUOHY FROM CTC’S CHIEF EXEC

JUSTICE FOR MICK Cyclist Michael Mason died after being hit by a car whose driver wasn’t charged. Paul Tuohy appeals for your help to challenge this in court

CTC’S CYCLISTS’ Defence Fund (CDF) needs your support to help a bereaved family get justice for the loss of their loved one.

Seventy-year-old Michael Mason, known as Mick, was a retired teacher who loved cycling and photography.

One evening in February 2014, Mick was riding home along London’s brightly-lit Regent Street when he was hit from behind by a car.

He died 17 days later without regaining consciousness. The driver said she did not see Mick before the collision but failed to explain why. The police did not charge her.

Mick’s family were let down by the police at every stage of the investigation. The police said they would pass the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), only to reverse this decision a few days later. This U-turn wasn’t communicated to Mick’s family by the police but was played out in the media instead.

Mick’s family is determined that a jury should have a chance to decide what caused his death. CTC’s Cyclists’ Defence Fund is helping them by launching a private prosecution of the driver involved.

People like you have already given over £27,000 to ensure the prosecution goes ahead. This is enough to get the prosecution started but not for a whole trial. If we don’t raise enough money, the case might have to be turned over to the CPS, who could drop it.

We need to raise another £50,000 to make sure CDF can fight this case to the end.

Please give generously to help CDF win justice for Mick, his family, and others like him.

Mick’s daughter Anna and her family have offered to match all donations received before Christmas up to a total value of £9,000. This means if you donate now your donation will be worth twice as much.

HELP THE CYCLISTS’ DEFENCE FUND CL AIM GIFT AID ON YOUR DONATION To donate by post, please complete this Gift Aid declaration and send it in with your cheque. (You can also make gift-aided donations online – see above.)

DONATE TO THE APPE AL ONLINE: Donating online is quick and easy – visit justgiving.com/justiceformichael

BY POST: Send a cheque to ‘Cyclists’ Defence Fund’ to Justice for Mick, c/o CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. Please write ‘Justice for Mick’ on the back of your cheque. If you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid on your donation. This means we get an extra 25p for every £1 you give.

Please cut out and fill in the Gift Aid form on this page and send it with your cheque.

(Alternatively, you can download this form from cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk/donate-cdf.)

BY MOBILE PHONE: Send a text with the code ‘CDFS70’, followed by the amount you want to give, to 70070. The message should look something like this ‘CDFS70 £10’. You can donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 by text.

You will not be charged for sending the text.

FUNDRAISE: If you’re thinking of fundraising to support the appeal, please contact Rhia Favero, the CDF coordinator: email info@cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk; Facebook /CyclistsDefenceFund; Twitter @ CyclistsDefence; or write to CDF, c/o CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. For advice by phone on fundraising, call 0844 736 8450 or 01483 238300.

I am a UK tax payer and I would like the Cyclists' Defence Fund to treat all donations I have made, as well as any future donations, as Gift Aid until I notify them otherwise.

Title

Forename

Surname

Address

Date

/

/

To qualify for Gift Aid you must be a UK taxpayer and you must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least to the tax that the Cyclists’ Defence Fund reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year (currently 25p for each £1 given) Please return this completed form, with your cheque, to: The Cyclists' Defence Fund, c/o CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 9JX

Photo: © Ian Shaw / Alamy

Post Code

CTC . O R G . U K CYC L E 7

1 SHOP WINDOW

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS Need some cycling-related gifts for the festive season? Editor Dan Joyce presents a Christmas assortment 2

3

1. GLITTERY SANTA ON A BICYCLE £5.95 It’s Santa on a bike again, this time as a sparkly glass bauble for your tree. cyclemiles.co.uk

2. THE YEAR £20 With Steve Abraham and Kurt Searvogel both attempting to cycle the most miles in a year, this is a timely and fascinating insight into cycling’s ultimate endurance record. v-publishing.co.uk

3. GENESIS CARIBOU JNR £449.99 4

At 11.3kg, this 20fi2.5in-tyred bike is lighter than a suspension bike at the price, and it’s simpler, sturdier, and arguably more fun – especially if mum or dad rides a fat bike. genesisbikes.co.uk

5

4. SURLY JETHRO TULE £19.99 Pocket-sized keyring spanner for 15mm axle nuts. Designed to be trodden on for leverage.

Also a bottle opener! ison-distribution.com

5. POWERMONKEY DISCOVERY £40

6

Portable USB-charging on tour for your phone/ GPS/camera/lights, courtesy of a compact 107g rechargeable battery. powertraveller.com

6. CTC GIFT MEMBERSHIP FROM £21.50

A gift that gives all year. The recipient gets £10m third-party insurance, six issues of Cycle, and much more – including a Cube bobble hat worth £24.99, subject to availability. ctc.org.uk/gift

7

8

7. TARGETVELO ESPRESSO DERAILLEUR £18.75 Leave no one at home or work in any doubt of whose coffee cup this is. Different designs and mug sizes also available. targetvelo.com

8. ENDURA BAABAA GIFT PACK £34.99 Practical winter warmers for her or him.

Comprises socks, a ‘multitube’, and a skullcap, all made from Merino wool. endura.co.uk

MINCE PIE RIDES. Contact your CTC member group (p78) to see if they run any Christmas-related social rides.

16 CYC LE D E CE M BER/JAN U ARY 2 015 /16

MY BIKE

Mike Burrows’s new city bike Gordon is a carbon fibre commuter with many of the maverick engineer’s hallmarks. Dan Joyce phoned Mike and pressed ‘record’

B

y the time you read this, the bare carbon fibre will be painted. It ought to be blue, for the bike is named after Gordon of Thomas the Tank Engine fame. It’s not the first bike Mike’s named after a train, nor the first utility bike he’s built with cantilever wheels.

‘It’s something I’ve been trying to do for 25 years,’ Mike told me. ‘I did my first city bike for New Cyclist magazine, the Amsterdam with offset wheels. And then when I got the job with Giant, I thought we could do this properly. The problem was that we couldn’t get component manufacturers to cooperate.’

Mike doesn’t have a bad word to say about Giant, but he’s scathing about the wider industry’s lack of vision. ‘I don’t think anybody knows anything out there,’ he said.

‘They’re pinning tails on donkeys in the dark.

‘After I left Giant, I built the 2D. It had a structural chaincase and so forth but could only be singlespeed. Then I came across the Pinion gearbox. That was the inspiration.’

One ride on a Pinion-equipped Tout Terrain persuaded Mike that this new gearbox was ideal. ‘I’m an engineer,’ he said.

‘I know that every pair of gears is 2% of my power being wasted. But there was no negative element to using it.

Hub gears have an element of “hub gear” about them, and this just didn’t have that sensation. For a town bike, it was just perfection.’

Lack of suitable gears, and the industry’s reluctance to make any, were two of the problems that derailed the Giant city bike project in the 1990s. ‘The other problem was the process. We spent a lot of time trying to find a push-button way to make a moulded bicycle. There was nothing that would give you the volume of injection moulding but the strength of a composite. Of course, that now exists: it’s called China. China and cheap carbon are synonymous.’

Gordon was made ‘in a shed in Norfolk’, however. Mike has pioneered carbon fibre cycle construction. He is best known for the Lotus track bike on which Chris Boardman won 1992 Olympic gold. That bike, like Gordon, had cantilever wheels, a rare feature that has become a Burrows hallmark.

Despite single-sided wheel support being ‘lighter, stronger, and better’, there’s only one popular monoblade fork: Cannondale’s Lefty.

It was introduced, Mike noted, six months

“No one knows anything in the bike industry.

They’re pinning tails on donkeys in the dark” after Giant displayed his prototype at Interbike. ‘Monoblades work,’ Mike said. ‘Get used to it. You’ve got two monoblades on your bicycle – the cranks – and you stand on the end of them!’

One thing Gordon lacks is a dynohub.

‘I’m not a dynohub fan,’ he said, ‘because I want a drum brake. It gives you reliable, consistent braking in all weathers. And unlike a disc, it’s not over-powerful. People tend to ride to their brakes, I find.’

Gordon will be displayed in Bikefix in London but isn’t commercially available. ‘Put this in there,’ Mike said, ‘“Mike is more than happy to work with anyone who wants to put this bike into production. But he’s not holding his breath.”’

Tech spec: Gordon PRICE: n/a WEIGHT: 12.75kg as pictured FRAME & FORK: custom carbon fibre frame and monoblade fork WHEELS: Schwalbe Marathon Racer tyres, Sturmey Archer drum brake hubs on stub axles TRANSMISSION: Pinion bottom bracket gear, twistgrip shifter BRAKING: Sturmey Archer drum brakes (90mm front, 70mm rear), Sram TT levers ‘built up with epoxy because they were like carving knives’ STEERING & SEATING: custom carbon fibre handlebar, Passport Navigator saddle, carbon fibre seatpost. EQUIPMENT: mudguards, Topeak rack, CatEye lights

SHARE YOUR STORY: If you’ve got an interesting bike that’s been chosen or customised to suit you, get in touch. Email editor@ctc.org.uk 34 CYC LE DE CE M BER/JAN U ARY 2 015 /16

where: Sleddale Hall in the Lake District START/finish: Penrith railway station DISTANCE: 135 miles over three days PICTURES: Alamy and David Bradford

w i t hn a il a nd us | G R E AT R I D ES

Gre at r ide s

Withnail and us

Needing an escape from London, David Bradford and Steve Shrubsall headed to Penrith in the footsteps of their favourite film anti-heroes

Left: Sleddale Hall in Cumbria. Picture by James Boardman/Alamy

W

ithnail and I is not only the funniest film ever made, it’s timeless, as hilarious now as it was on its release 28 years ago. That's my opinion; others are left cold by the foulmouthed, sozzled excesses of the film’s title characters, out-of-work actors Withnail (Richard E Grant) and the narrator, Marwood AKA ‘I’ (Paul McGann). One thing not up for debate is that the story unfolds in an area of intense natural beauty, a landscape ripe for exploration by bicycle: a gorgeous patch of the Lake District just south of Penrith.

Earlier this year, facing likely redundancy from our jobs as subeditors on a Londonbased cycling magazine, colleague Steve and I were, in our minds at least, in a position similar to that of our celluloid antiheroes Withnail and Marwood. The narrative of the film follows a pair of unemployed thespians, sick and tired of subsisting on cheap booze and loathing in their rancid, freezing London flat in Sixties London, who manage to blag a free stay in the country cottage of Withnail’s larger-than-life Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to get some ‘harmony, fresh air, stuff like that'.

The duo soon realise they have ‘come on holiday by mistake' as their dysfunctionality deepens in proportion to the unfamiliarity of their rural surroundings. For Steve and me, both huge fans of the film, both nearly jobless, life was imitating art. Though neither of us had a wealthy uncle to call on for free lodgings, Google soon sorted us a Penrith B&B, rental bikes and train tickets. We downed our subeditors' tools and made a toast to ‘a delightful weekend in the country'.

We set our hearts on visiting the epicentre of the film’s action: Crow Crag, a cottage actually called Sleddale Hall, located in stunning isolation just south of the village of Shap. It is a quasi-holy site for hardcore Withnail fans; for Steve and me, this would be a spirited, if not spiritual, pilgrimage. A few minutes more Googling informed us of good news: Sleddale Hall was being lovingly preserved by a new owner. Better yet, an organised, on-location screening of the film was scheduled for the weekend of our visit.

Scene one: the pub Every character in Withnail and I is vividly drawn and, as with real-life people, a bit bonkers: the sociopathic pub brute; the inebriated landlord; the farmer with his leg bound in polythene; and, of course, the poacher with eels down his trousers. We half expected to find a cast of memorable characters during our own trip. We met our first in minutes.

Having arrived in Penrith on separate trains, Steve and I convened in the Board and Elbow to plan the following day’s ride. Seated directly opposite us was a man who would surely feature in a Withnail and I sequel. Stout, ruddy-faced and white-bearded – gnomic except for his darts player’s shirt – this was Ken, the resident wizard of Penrith’s public houses. All of them. Without pause, he sketched for us his typical daily itinerary: an intrepid voyage of ale, ardour and bonhomie, albeit within a 500-metre radius, tainted only by Wetherspoon’s having incautiously positioned their toilets upstairs.

The next day was set aside for a long ride,

On location Picnic Cinema is a venture run by Penrith-based charity Eden Arts. The summer-only series hosts screenings of great films at iconic locations across the north of England. Tickets sell out fast, so book promptly. Stay tuned for next year’s programme at: picniccinema.co.uk.

CTC. O R G . U K cyc l e 3 7

F E AT U R E | O N T H E R I G H T PAT H S

(In the photo) The old drovers’ route in the Elan Valley, heading to Claerwen Dam. Photo by Phill Stasiw

42 CYC LE DE CE M BER/JAN U ARY 2 015 /16

O N T H E R I G H T PAT H S | F E AT U R E

ON THE RIGHT

PAT H S CTC WANTS TO SEE SCOTTISH-STYLE OFF-ROAD ACCESS IN WALES – AND ULTIMATELY ENGLAND. SAM JONES EXPLAINS CTC’S TRAILS FOR WALES CAMPAIGN

CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 4 3

where: south across Europe START/finish: Harwich, UK, to Milan, Italy DISTANCE: 765 miles PICTURES: Alamy & David Dowling

10 c o u n t r i e s i n 10 d ay s | G R E AT R I D E S

Gre at r ide s

10 countries in 10 days CTC member David Dowling was determined to make his week off work count, embarking on a border-hopping tour from the UK to Italy

N

ot even halfway and it looked like my tour was over. I sat in the shade of a café in Alsace, sipping a diabolo cassis. I was more relieved than upset. The plan had been too ambitious. No wriggle room if things went wrong. I'd aimed to place a foot in as many countries as possible during my week off.

Four days and five countries in, I was behind schedule, unwell, and my bike was broken…

When I was a student, I had jumped on my bike in Glasgow one summer and started riding south. My progress was halted by snow-covered roads on a col near Mont Blanc, so I just rode back again. Twenty years on, inspired by my younger self, I was thinking on the same scale. I had decided to zoom across Benelux, through north-east France and south-west Germany, and push on south to make it over the Alps into Italy – ten countries in total, including the UK.

Left: Lake Como, Italy. © Aurora Photos / Alamy

In the red zone I began falling behind my schedule almost the moment I rolled off the Harwich ferry at Hook of Holland. I'd had a stomach bug the week before but told myself I was feeling better. Besides, the Low Countries are, by definition, flat. My legs turned monotonously.

The industrial homogeneity of the Europort in the rain quickly gave way to soothing green fields, dykes and windmills. The sun even came out.

All too quickly, little things started to unravel. The climb out of Huy, which Chris Froome made look so easy in the 2015 Tour, was a real challenge – and only the first of many. The temperature also climbed

as I moved away from the sea. My carefullyprogrammed GPS fell victim to new road layouts, forcing me to backtrack.

Hauling myself up an incline along the Belgian border with Luxembourg, my chain broke. I removed a chewed link and re-joined it. I arrived in Luxembourg pink skinned and crusty-lipped. The receptionist in one lobby refused to speak to me until I drank the mug of water he pressed on me.

Full of regret, he told me in stilted English that there was a huge military festival on and no hotel. The only room I would get would be in a ‘prostitute’ hotel. I began to explain his mistake – but he hadn’t made one. I did end up in the red-light district that night, although the bed in my shabby little hotel seemed to be intended for sleeping only.

Luxembourg, with its grand facades, magical lighting and sweeping boulevards has the feel of a fantastic toy town. I must have looked a sorry sight as I staggered out for dinner in the fairytale twilight because the working girls gave me nothing more than a sympathetic smile.

Do it yourself The overnight Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland gets you to the start well-fed and rested for a full first day. Harwich is easy by train, although some services from Liverpool St restrict unboxed bikes.

Milan has two airports and train services back to the UK. Check the carrier's bike policy before booking.

Mine was fine in a CTC bike bag.

Back on track Rolling on through France, my chain was again sucked into my back wheel during a particularly weary and ham-fisted gear change. So many links were chewed now that it was pretty much beyond saving. I trudged up the hills and rolled down the other sides, my skin crisping in the sun. A hamlet with a pâtisserie appeared like a mirage. The owner was a cycle fanatic and called an English-speaking friend to give me directions to a bike shop.

CTC. O R G . U K cyc l e 4 9

A l l a b oa r d!

Family cyclists face hurdles when travelling by train, but with preparation and patience it’s feasible. CTC members Jeremy and Louise Clines explain

W

histle. Beeps. Doors shut.

The train glides out of Leicester station. We count and smile. We count to be sure everything’s with us: pairs of panniers, red, yellow, and orange; our bike trailer and its 90-litre green camping-kit bag; two kids’ bikes; two adult bikes; two bike seats; a three-year-old; a five-year-old; two grown-ups; two white bunnies; and a toy car – all heading home for Sheffield.

We smile, hearts still racing, because beyond the physical achievement, getting all this on a train begs many questions. Will our booked bike spaces be empty? Will station or train staff ask us what we’re doing? Will

(Main) Waiting at Kettering Station (Above) Train and ferry to the Isle of Man

54 cyc le DE CE M BER/JAN U ARY 2 015 /16

other passengers block our way? Will one of the children need the toilet? Will the train be late and make us miss our connection? Will there be a last-minute platform change?

Despite these challenges, we put our family and bikes on trains again and again – 37 times in the last year.

Two bikes, one trailer The challenge of using trains with multiple bikes makes us a rare species. However, we believe British train operators are making it easier, year on year, for our kind of holidaying to work. Perhaps it’s the National Cycle-Rail Awards? (See p12 for more details.) We are finding more and more train staff are eager to accommodate bikes, and we’re enjoying using new or refurbished trains with improved spaces, including on Scotrail, Northern, Transpennine and First Great Western services.

Pre-children, we took our bikes on trains as a matter of course, often not bothering to reserve a space, happy to wait for the next train if necessary. Once our daughter Esther was born, we decided to see if it was possible to continue our car-free life. Did having a baby mean we must get a car?

Many friends seemed to think so.

We bought a Chariot cycle trailer and started putting that on trains too. After a couple of comments like, ‘I’ll let you on just this once,’ from train staff, we discovered that fully collapsing the trailer on the platform with wheels popped off meant the Chariot

became ordinary (although big) luggage: problem solved. We kept Esther close in the sling when getting on and off, so we had hands free and knew exactly where she was.

We tried a camping tour where we moved on 16 times in 22 days – it was featured in Cycle Magazine, Aug-Sep 2011 – but decided that frequent packing and unpacking was too time-consuming with a young child. So we chose to let trains get us to our destination and then use our bikes for daytrips without luggage. We wanted a more typical family holiday, but without the car.

Then our son Nathaniel was born and we carried on, finding we could still get aboard.

There was a year of them both in the trailer.

Soon after, we found that adding child-seats gave the children better views, while the trailer remained the comfiest spot for naps or when it was raining. Everything still fitted into the cycle spaces, although the child-seats sometimes needed taking off quickly. Once we left one on a train.

Four bikes, a trailer & more As Esther grew older, we hung her balance bike on the back of the trailer. Esther’s next bike was an Islabikes Cnoc 14in, which connected to one of ours via a FollowMe tandem. Reading Cycle’s FollowMe review was a breakthrough moment for us, since tandems don’t fit on most trains. And while our children love riding solo, we do sometimes need to ride tandem-style for speed and safety. Nathaniel inherited

a l l a b oa r d ! | f e at u r e

CTC. O R G . U K cyc l e 5 5

REVIEWS | BIKE TEST

Dawes Galaxy Twin bike test

E n t r y- l e v e l ta n d e m s Tandems costing less than £2,000 are a rare breed. Technical Editor Richard Hallett compares the Orbit Velocity Comp and Dawes Galaxy Twin Riding a tandem is, unarguably, the best

way for two cyclists of widely differing fitness and strength to find a mutually agreeable riding pace. There is plenty more to these enjoyable machines, but this aspect alone is enough to commend them to couples who would like to ride together but who tend to find themselves literally drifting apart as they pedal. Tandem riding is exhilarating fun and especially so on a suitable machine – one that fits both partners and is comfortable, efficient and safe.

Tandem design is about more than simply accommodating two riders between two wheels and using beefed-up cycle parts.

The fine details of geometry affect steering and control, the transmission has an extra layer of complexity, and the brakes need to work well. None of this is of any account unless the stoker – the rider at the back – is comfortable, in pursuit of which goal the machine may be fitted with a suspension seatpost; if the pilot can’t avoid a pothole or bump, the stoker gets the worst of the resulting jolt.

64 cyc le de ce m ber/jan u ary 2 015 /16

The two tandems on test are closely matched in design and construction; design pressures may be expected to produce convergent evolution. What is perhaps surprising is that there are so few other tandems available at this price point. Step up a grand and the market widens.

Frame & fork Both tandems combine a neatly TIG-welded aluminium frame, built using greatlyoversized tubes, with a TIG-welded unicrown steel fork. It’s a well-chosen combination for tandem use, where the fork needs to be exceptionally strong yet resilient and the frame torsionally stiff. Both use a version of the direct lateral tandem frame layout, which is widely considered the best way to build a road tandem. The long central tube, split at the front seat tube and running from the head tube to a point close to the rear bottom bracket shell, adds lengthways torsional stiffness and constructs a triangle within the main frame for vertical strength, both with the minimum of material.

(Above) The Dawes fork and hub are disc-brake ready.

That means a little extra weight if you're happy with the front cantilever. The fork has less offset than the Orbit's.

Trail figures are similar since the Dawes uses a steeper head angle, but the Orbit's handling is more assured.

BIKE TEST | REVIEWS

P61

Orbit Velocity Comp

(Above) A Travel Agent enables the Orbit's right-hand Sora STI lever to operate a front V-brake. The rear V-brake is a drag brake operated by a bar-end friction lever, while the left-hand Sora lever works an Avid BB7 rear disc.

Direct lateral designs differ on details such as the precise positioning of the rear lateral tube. The Orbit closely approximates to a classic example, its only obvious departure from a strict interpretation being the alignment of the rear top tube, which joins the seat tube below the seat stays.

The bottom tube, also known as the ‘link’ or ‘boom’ tube, connects the two bottom bracket shells and must be super-stiff for transmission efficiency. Orbit’s design

is of round section as it leaves the front shell and graduates to rectangular section before it reaches the regular-sized rear. It’s a neat way to accommodate and even take advantage of the massive shell needed to house the eccentric adjuster for the front ‘timing’ chain. Both bikes employ a pair of low-tech, low-cost radial bolts to secure the eccentric adjuster. These tend to indent the alloy of the eccentric itself, hampering fine adjustment; a wedge or clamp type is superior in this respect.

The all-circular Dawes bottom tube intersects with its rear lateral tube some way in front of the rear bottom bracket shell.

Something similar happens at the front, where the top tube meets the front lateral tube some way back from the head tube.

The result lacks the excellent triangulation of the Orbit and adds to the length of the head tube, which in turn is braced against the underside of the ovalised down tube using a sturdy gusset. The Orbit has its own gusset in the same place and, in truth, neither frame is notably lacking in front-end stiffness.

What really sets them apart is the length of their respective head tubes. The Orbit’s is short, which in turn keeps the front handlebar position similar to where you'd find it on a sporting solo road bike. Thanks in part to its rangy fork, the Dawes offers a much higher lowest handlebar position.

Their front top tube and seat tube lengths may be similar, but the Dawes provides a

Also available

1) Circe Helios Omnis Plus from £1949 Versatile 20in wheel touring tandem that can also be converted into a cargo bike or child carrier. The Helios range starts at £1349. circecycles.com

2) Thorn Raven Twin Tandem from £3099 Chrome-moly steel frame in five sizes with wealth of build options but Rohloff hub gearing only, which accounts for the price point. thorncycles.co.uk

CTC. O R G . U K cyc l e 6 5

T R AV E L L E R S ’ TA L E S

DAY TRIP TO BRIGHTON CTC’s Kay Lakin had reservations about riding 52 miles on the Great Tour

Vélo vacation La Tranche sur Mer in France is fantastic for family cyclists, says Neil Wheadon

F

ew summer holiday destinations allow you to leave the car untouched for a week in an environment where the bicycle is king.

But halfway down the west coast of France in the Vendée region, we stumbled upon La Tranche sur Mer, which is just such a place. The town centre is restricted by bollards to essential vehicles only, and signs tell everyone that it’s pedestrians first, then bikes, and finally cars through the tiny lanes around the town.

Cycling along the coast is a joy. You dip in and out of the pine forest, which lies just behind the sand dunes. A short ride inland takes you away from the coastal plain into more hilly, pastoral terrain.

Throughout the town and its environs are kilometre upon kilometre of cyclepath, much of which is singleuse and incorporates the French west coast cycleway. So you can potter to the boulangerie or go for a far longer ride, traffic free. There is a relaxed feeling as everyone weaves effortlessly around each other with no need for speed or lycra.

DID I WANT to take part in the Countrywide Great Tour? My initial reaction was: ‘No way!’ I’d only recently begun cycling again and wasn’t sure I could manage the stage from Rye to Brighton. But colleagues Cherry Allan and Susan Keywood changed my mind. Cherry commutes daily by bike and Susan is a leisure cyclist, but like me they hadn’t ridden this far in a day before. So we were all in the same boat.

We had a month to prepare so began cycling together two or three times a week, doing up to 70 miles in total. I was still nervous on the day of the ride. Apart from the hills ahead, I’d never cycled in a large group before.

However, we received a nice welcome from the tour leaders, the local mayor and even the town crier. The ride started well.

Until the first hill! I thought that I wouldn’t reach the top, never mind finish the ride. But I did. After that, the coastal scenery was wonderful, and looking out across it kept me going. I loved coming down the road the other side of Beachyhead. What a view!

Cherry told me afterwards that she’d been nervous too. ‘I was really worried that I’d have to give up at Eastbourne,’ she said. ‘The talk of fearsome hills got to me. But, in the event, I enjoyed all of it.’

It was a similar story for Susan. ‘I imagined hardly being able to walk the next day,’ she said. ‘But I didn’t really ache. Maybe it’s a testament to how easy pedalling a bike really is?’

For more details about the Great Tour, see thegreattour.co.uk.

It makes it a great destination for a family holiday, for La Tranche sur Mer has the most superb set of sandy beaches. To the east by the port, you can hire a modern windsurfer, to the far west try kite surfing, or in the middle try a Malibu board. In between these beaches are areas reserved for traditional beach activities. There is plenty of accommodation from campsites to self-catering, so for a family like ours who enjoy other activities as well, the area is absolutely ideal.

CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 81