Category Archives: Podcast

The Obree Way

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Graeme Obree & Jack Thurston - Photo © Anna Gudaniec

Earlier this month, Graeme Obree was at Look Mum No Hands! for the London launch of The Obree Way, a training manual for cyclists.

Obree is a two time individual pursuit world champion, has twice broken the world hour record and is multiple winner of British national time trial championships. He is renowned not just for his athletic prowess but for his technical innovation on the bike and with the bike itself. His autobiography, The Flying Scotsman, was made into a major feature film. At 45 he is still on the bike and currently planning an attempt on the world land speed record for a human powered vehicle.

In a wide ranging conversation with Jack Thurston, presenter of The Bike Show, Obree talks about his own life as an elite athlete, his approach to training and his enduring love of just riding a bike.

“It’s a sport, it’s a pastime and it’s a form of transport. You don’t football down to the shops.”

Graeme Obree, 19 January 2012.

Channel 4 produced an excellent documentary about the rivalry between Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman. It’s on YouTube in four parts.

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Down at the London Bike Show

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Made in London: Lovely cycling mackintosh from Water Offa Duck's Back

Jack goes down to the London Bike Show, an annual fair of bicycles and cycling paraphernalia. He eschews the latest electronic gear systems in search of novel products made by interesting people.

The following products are featured on the show:

Georgia in Dublin: Stylish and waterproof clothing for women and men.

Respro: High viz gear for cyclists including the ubiquitous hump and the evergreen elasticated ankle bands.

Bill’s Bike Tools: Makers of the Pedal Aid, an ingenious tool for assisting the removal of difficult bike pedals.

Hornit: The world’s loudest bicycle horn at 140 decibels.

Water Offa Duck’s Back: Classically styled cycling macs with ingenious reflective properties.

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The Lost Cyclist with David Herlihy

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In 1892 a young accountant from t, USA, quit his job and set off to cycle solo around the world. Frank Lenz rode a Rover Safety Bicycle, a revolutionary new design that would soon consign the traditional high wheeler – or penny farthing – to obscurity. It was the birth of the bicycle as we know it today. And Lenz is one of the pioneers of cycle touring. Cycling historian David Herlihy’s latest book tells the story of his courageous, extraordinary and ultimately ill-fated journey.

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Looking back at 2011 and ahead to 2012

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Listeners write in with recollections of their favourite ride of 2011 and most exciting plans for riding in 2012. Plus clothing designer Amy Fleuriot tells of her new Cyclodelic boutique on Columbia Road and shows a few of the her new lines. Jack, Jen and Amy offer a few of their own style pointers for cycling fashionistas thinking about what to wear in 2012.

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Reading About Riding

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A pre-Christmas books special is now a firmly entrenched tradition on The Bike Show. This year’s edition covers more literary ground than ever before. Amateur bicycle librarians Tim Dawson of The Sunday Times and Carlton Reid of Bike Hub join Jack and Jen in the studio. Tim Dawson’s excellent Cycling Books website is well worth a visit. And you can find out more about Carlton Reid’s book project at RoadsWereNotBuiltForCars.com

Here’s a rundown of the books discussed in this week’s show. If you buy any of the books listed (or anything else) via the Amazon links below, a little something will go towards keeping The Bike Show rolling on in 2012, and it won’t cost you a penny.

Bicycle Technology – Rob Van Der Plas
Bicycle Design – Mike Burrows
Cyclepedia – Michael Embacher
Tomorrow, We Ride – Jean Bobet
Slaying the Badger – Richard Moore
On Bicycles – Amy Walker
Bike Snob – Eben Weiss
Pedalare! Pedalare! – John Foot
The Little Black Bottle – Gerry Moore
The Death of Marco Pantani – Matt Rendell
The Boy Who Biked the World – Alistair Humphreys

Two great books that were not mentioned but were featured on the show earlier in the year are Racing Through the Dark by David Millar and It’s All About the Bike by Rob Penn.

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Another day for you and me in Carradice

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Jack travels over the Yorkshire moors to Nelson, Lancashire to visit one of the oldest and most venerable companies in British cycling. Cotton mill worker Wilf Carradice began producing his indestructible canvas saddlebags in the 1930s and in 2011 sales are booming. Owner and MD David Chadwick tells the story of a family business and we get a tour of the factory. For more history of Carradice, there is a good article over at Classic Lightweights.

This is the latest in a series of special features on British cycling manufacturers. Listen to previous features on Brooks saddles, Brompton folding bikes and Alex Moulton.

Some of Jack’s photographs from the factory are below.

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Is riding a bike as easy as riding a bike?

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Jen Kerrison takes over the show for a week while Jack is away in Yorkshire, riding up hill and down dale. Jen asks if cycle training is necessary for adult cyclists. Or is riding a bike just like riding a bike? speak with three cyclists who have returned to cycling after years out of the saddle. Is training relevant for adults cyclists, and if it is – how do we convince them to take it up? Jen also talks with Andrew Denham, founder of the Bicycle Academy – a bike building school with a very big difference.

Image credit: Life Cycle

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