..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
stating the glaringly obvious
in my capacity as a graphic designer, i'm fortunate to be asked to design all sorts of printed matter; the result of being a big fish in a small pond and having had an excellent education in the preparation materials for ink and paper. one particular client requires an ever expanding selection of labels for a variety of soap products, a selection that more recently has branched out into branding for several of the local hotels and accommodation providers.
those of you who work in a similar field will no doubt be well-acquainted with customers who know not what they want, until they see what they don't want. in those cases, there is often a lengthy process to be suffered until whatever it is that's in their head, appears before them on paper. in the specific case under discussion, an initial meeting was requested between the customer, my client and myself, a meeting that fell flat on its face before it had started due to the non-appearance of the woman who had requested the summit in the first place.
however, 'tis not the meeting itself that need concern us here, but my means of travelling to the appointed location. ten kilometres is hardly an onerous distance and likely less so on a clear, yet chilly morning. i do wish i had seen fit to wear long-finger gloves, but my transport for the morning was the recently reviewed specialized turbo vado e-bike. lest you think i was in dereliction of my velocipedinal duties, at the time, i had yet to write the words that constituted the first part of my evaluation, so taking the electric way seemed the obvious means of combining work with work (if you see what i mean?)
it was on arriving at my destination that one of the benefits of electric transport became manifestly obvious. since specialized categorise the vado as suitable for urban transport, i simply clambered aboard wearing my every day clothes; it seemed a tad incongruent to arrive at a meeting dressed as an exile from the polyester and lycra peloton. though the short-fingered track mitts had scarcely kept my little handies warm, as i sat down for the meeting, it dawned on me that i had not broken sweat. though i doubt it to was of specific interest to our host for the morning, had it been otherwise, i'm sure they'd have opted for a larger table.
in retrospect, my cool, calm and collected composure ought not to have been of any surprise. despite a slightly troubling headwind, and selection of only level one motor support, the ride had been notably relaxed; surely my lack of sweatiness would have come as no surprise? it seems, however, that unless the glaringly obvious can be scientifically proven, it cannot truly be considered as 'glaringly obvious'.
so, in order that we can rest-assured that riding a bicycle with electrical support will mitigate the sort of effort that encourages untold perspiration, shimano commissioned a research project that made use of a formula one motor racing testing facility, aiming to "investigate the differing levels of exertion experienced during an average cycling commute in a European city". to this end, six participants rode a shimano steps e6100 powered e-bike for 30 minutes in a controlled environment set at 28 degrees celcius and then carried out the same procedure on an analogue bike. whether the latter was also equipped with shimano componentry, i know not.
the results showed that participants sweated 3.1 times less on teh e-bike than on the analogue version, their average heart-rates were 63 bpm lower than on the regular bike and that the latter produced a core body temperature rise of 0.9 degrees more than with electricity. unsurprisingly, this is precisely the information shimano had hoped to find and though i doubt any of us have formula one experience, i'm pretty sure we could have told them that if they'd bothered to ask in the first place.
according to shimano's pieter vincent "This study shows how perfect e-bikes are for riding in our towns and cities. By using bikes with our SHIMANO STEPS E6100 system riders can remain cool, calm and sweat-free, plus arrive at their destinations quicker and more refreshed than many other forms of transport." though i'd be less than inclined to make suppositions regarding the intelligence level prevalent in the upper regions of such a revered japanese corporation, the phrase "you have to be kidding me" springs readily to mind.
however, it may be slightly narrow-minded to place sole blame upon the japanese. jack wilson, sports science agency's lead scientist scarcely differed in his assessment of the facts set before him. "The main findings of this study show that using an e-Bike as opposed to a regular bike, commuters can complete their ride to work without concerns regarding sweat and physiological strain." forgive me if i come across as being particularly naive, but isn't that why the ruddy things were invented in the first place?
good grief charlie brown.
monday 3 september 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................long distance runaround
matters of import have an annoying tendency to creep up upon the innocent, unannounced. there we are, going about our daily business, content that things are as they always were, until a slap on the face insists otherwise. unfortunately, the slap on the face, were it applied to yours truly, may have been either ignored or missed altogether. in other words, my discovery has been retrospective rather than a eureka moment.
each and every sunday morning, those of the peloton resident in bowmore, have agglomerated at the appointed time and place, ready and willing to head south west to debbie's, intent on meeting with the rest of the great unwashed to ply our trade around the roads of the principality. this journey to the start line is mostly carried out at a relatively sedate pace, in order that we begin the main body of the sunday ride, fresh and eager to return for coffee.
but recently, that's where it has all started to go horribly wrong.
the first signs became obvious but a few weeks past, when we enjoyed a taste of the months to come, peppered by heavy showers and swooshed by the first galeforce winds for many a long month. on the journey home, keen to be considered the archetypal classics rider, i remained at the head of the peloton, determined not to allow my younger and stronger companions any sense of minor victory, as we ploughed our way into north-easterly mattress, up uiskentuie strand. unfortunately, my poker face broke down on reaching the short, sharp hill at blackrock, where selection of a considerably easier gear had me heading backwards.
there's no doubt that age is beginning to get the better of me. pippa york once said that once past thirty, there was a necessary doubling of effort merely to retain the same fitness and speed that was apparent prior to the third decade. i can only imagine the effort required once past double that age. and it is there that i may have either been fooling myself, or guilty of looking the other way.
while the sunday ride is one filled with camaraderie, any excursions on a saturday tend to be solo affairs and it is there i fear i have sunk myself into a rut. departure from the croft each saturday morn has become later and later, entirely due to unnecessary procrastination. in fact, on more than one occasion have i only had sufficient time to ride directly to bruichladdich for lunch and froth supping, egress having been left almost until the last minute. in case you've not been following my train of thought, this cannot be considered 'a good thing'.
thus, with an honours degree in hindsight, i now realise that the diminishing weekly kilometreage, accompanied by several namby-pamby weeks of warmth, sunshine and still air, has softened me to the point where i could almost consider myself a grand tour rider, a situation that would surely cause any classics aficionado to hang his or her head in shame. if this situation were to continue any longer, there's every likelihood that people would start to cross the road rather than be seen conversing with me of a weekday lunchtime. those thursday afternoon ristrettos have obviously not made the difference i had hoped they would.
it would seem that a redoubling of effort is now a necessity and it is perhaps appropriate that this should occur on the first day of september. granted, there was no wind to speak of, any rain was constituted as occasional drizzle and to cap it all, they've repaired the bulk of the kilchoman road with smooth, shiny tar. however, casting caution to the non-existent wind, i targeted 100km as my total for the day, one that was undercut by a mere kilometre and a half (i'm determined not to succumb to the numbers game). strava knows nothing of this and quite frankly, that's the way it will remain.
however, as if a self-imposed doubling of the distance were insufficient to make me a broken man, on arriving at debbie's around 13:30, a time that can usually be counted on to offer a wide choice of seating indoors, it transpired that a perfect storm of impending distillery visits had filled the room with coffee drinkers. as the velocipedinal equivalent of bread and water, i had no option but to dine al fresco.
it seems there are still days when a break cannot be caught (and i mean that in both senses of the phrase).
sunday 2 september 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................the right tool for the job
in the days of offroad anodised widgets, one of the guilty parties was onza and from whom i purchased a black mongo headset, for fitting to a bicycle that has long since left my possession. though i am well acquainted with the process of fitting the headset cups and the crown race, at the time, i did not own a headset press, resorting to the tried and tested method of walloping a chunk of wood placed over the top of each cup. i know you will now think considerably less of me and i am metaphorically hanging my head in shame. however, this was advice received from a now forgotten source and in the absence of any realistic alternative, what was a simpleton to do?
while the above method is reasonably efficacious when applied to a steel headset, the fragile, lightweight alloy of the mongo fared far worse. it only took a smattering of hammer blows upon the wood, to all but destroy the top headset cup. fortunately (and, onza, if you're listening, i apologise for my dishonesty) i had been sent two headsets, yet only charged for one, thus offering a most welcome safety net.
on the basis of 'once bitten, twice shy', i ordered a relatively economic model of headset press, one which arrived with all manner of adaptors for the wide variety of sizes sported during the so-called war of standards. subsequent fitting of the onza headset was the equivalent of a hot knife through butter. immediately, at least with reference to headsets, the blodgett brothers were thankfully no more.
at one time, any new bicycle arrived accompanied by what i believe most of us refer to as a cheese spanner, ostensibly sporting every size of nut and bolt size known to bicycle-kind. the downside to this particular species of tool was their having been manufactured from a metal that was remarkably similar in strength to cheese. and the positioning of the necessary slots left a great deal to be desired, effectively rendering most of them utterly useless. unfortunately, the pointlessness of the poorly conceived tool, led many a household to resort to the ubiquitous adjustable spanner, an item that can surely be held responsible for more rounded nuts and bolts than any ham-fisted mechanic?
quality tools may cost several pounds more than you'd think they ought to, but in my experience, those pounds are worth paying.
which brings us neatly to campagnolo's eleven (now twelve) speed chain rivet tool. yes, it's possible to acquire campag compatible chains featuring those power-links, but when looking at a complete groupset, there's a chain that needs to be rivetted together. vicenza's recommended tool for the job is not cheap; it has a recommended retail price of £152.99. however, in my opinion, the frustration experienced when attempting to fit the tiny rivet and guide pin using my well used park tool chain rivet tool, was not worth suffering. due to the pressure required to push the rivet into the link, the two adjacent links are forced upwards, snapping the guide pin and leaving the hapless, would-be mechanic trying manfully or womanfully to find a way of holding the chain flat and drive the rivet through in a straight line.
i don't mind admitting that, prior to giving up, midst an embarrassing stream of expletives, i had actually resorted to an utterly useless dod of blu-tac. spend that £152.99 (£129.99 on chain reaction), however, and the chain is fitted in a matter of seconds. i own more than one bicycle replete with campagnolo's eleven speeds and i like to replace the chain fairly frequently, so i'm confident that this surprisingly desirable and stunningly well-made tool will experience gainful and recurring employment.
i just hope my insistence on the correct tools for the job persists when time comes to replace those press-fit bottom bracket bearings on the specialized crux. because i've lost the dod of wood that used to destroy mongo headsets.
saturday 1 september 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................paper trail
each and every lunchtime, apart from weekends, at around 11:47am, i bid a fond, yet temporary farewell to my imac and head into the city. this daily occurrence is not soley to find some tasty victuals for lunch, but also to purchase my daily newspaper. though i'd scarcely announce myself as amongst the most observational of individuals, it has come to my attention that the number of pre-ordered copies lying prone on the newsagent's counter (actually, the premises contain far more bottles of single-malt, than printed publications), appears to have diminished over the years. that purports to make me prominent amongst an ever-decreasing minority but, with my devil-may-care attitude, i know i could care less.
though i awake each morning to the last few minutes of radio four's 'farming today', it is closely followed by the 'today' programme. while i'd be fibbing if i said i was thoroughly awake and aware at that time of day, enough of radio's premier news programme sinks in, allowing me to count myself sufficiently news aware by the time i descend to the kitchen for my breakfast of porridge and orange juice. and to be perfectly honest, if i still have need of greater news acquisition, there are plenty of websites keen to make my acquaintance. at one time there was a news app on my ipod, but it appears to have evaporated during one of several system updates (i have only just recently noticed its absence).
but i can surely not be the only one who finds news websites akin to a fireworks display, with coloured, moving objects firing off on all sides? despite searching for a specific item of news and commencing to read, there are all manner of distractions peppered across the browser that have a distinct tendency to lead me in directions, of which i had originally been unaware: adverts, short films, highlighted links and headlines designed to achieve precisely precisely that complained about above. after only a matter of moments, i find myself deep in a mire of strange pixels with no visible means of retreat.
printed newspapers, on the other hand, have allegedly been carefully curated by an editor and his/her minions, prior to being laid out in some form of logical order, to ease my passage through its numbered pages. and despite the continued reduction in size from broadsheet to berliner to tabloid (i'll admit, the latter decrease did cause a smidgeon of upset for, in retrospect, an inordinately lengthy period of time), i still prefer the tangible feel of the daily news presented in this format. so, despite ever decreasing size and substantially increasing price, there is still a modicum of comfort to be gained by the purchase of a daily newspaper.
if that makes me eccentric in a reputedly digital age, then bring it on.
but after several hitherto unheralded days, or even weeks of sunshine and relative warmth, it was inevitable that scotland's west coast would gain appropriate redress. cold wet and windy dawned last sunday, just in time for the weekly bike ride, resulting in a nervous scrabble to find items of waterproofing that had been all but forgotten. waterproof socks and neoprene overshoes are the items of habit under such circumstances, garmentage that, if nothing else, exhibits the lack of joined up thinking that pervades certain nooks and crannies of velocipedinal life.
though the above items amply demonstrate the properties for which they were designed, the fact that persistent rain has a tendency to roll down feverishly pedalling legs into both shoes and socks (the latter of which were waterproof enough to retain that selfsame water until removed), is one aspect that seems not to have been carefully considered. by implication, this means that my footwear was soaking wet. just ask mrs washingmachinepost.
the traditional remedy for situations such as this is the scrunching up of newsprint and the ritual stuffing of same into one's shoes. try doing that with facebook or twitter.
friday 31 august 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................what eddy did next
i have not attended the annual cycle show held in the early days of october, since it moved from the now demolished earl's court to its new home in birmingham. this is meant as no disregard to the event itself or the organisers of such, but mostly because the london-based show could reasonably be combined with visits to the many cycle-related friends i have made over the years. as far as i'm aware, i don't know anyone in birmingham.
as with the majority of the world's cycle shows, there is invariably at least one trade day, when those of us who like to think of ourselves as industry insiders, could shoot the breeze with colleagues or acquaintances over a coffee and danish or, perchance, a limp slice of pizza. having worked on the stand of a well-known italian bicycle brand for an entire day during one year's excursion, not only am i aware of how knackering that actually is, but it offered a dramatic perspective on just how much easier it was to wander the floor in the absence of the civilian population.
over the years, it has become common for luminaries from the cycling world to put in an appearance; sometimes those are confined to trade day, but more often, public days are also included. for instance, the now annual rouleur classic, a november show that features no individual trade-only day, but certainly plays host to the great and good from the world of cycle sport. for example, this year, it might be possible to rub shoulders with not only pippa york and brian smith, but also fabian cancellara and bradley wiggins. but there's little doubt that, despite retiring from professional racing in 1980, eddy merckx is likely to be the star attraction, as indeed he was at one of those earl's court cycle shows many years past.
his appearance at earl's court was memorable for at least two reasons. firstly, i'd never met, or shaken hands with the legendary rider on any previous occasion (i still haven't washed my right hand), but, under the obvious misapprehension that the previously mentioned industry insiders, would be so cool for skool and unimpressed, that they would simply pass him by with a brief and deliberately understated, "hi ed. how's it going?", giving the impression that receiving acknowledgment from eddy was as common an occurence as beginning the show with a double-espresso.
that was distinctly not the case.
sat behind a desk on the stand of his bicycle brand's distributor, it was only a matter of minutes before there was a sizeable queue of those eager for an autograph, including many grasping rolled up posters of the man during one of his many finest hours. and yet, far from appearing tired of having to repeatedly write his name, listen to endless approbation or answer the same set of questions over and over again, he seemed more at ease than those forming the queue. which is precisely how we wish our heroes to be, contrary to the perennial advice never to meet them in person.
i daresay every sport has an icon who transcends the genre, though i was surprised recently, when wearing an eddy merckx world champion's casquette in debbie's, to be asked just what a merckx was. and even in a modern world filled with the names of museeuw, wiggins, froome, sagan, cancellara and, most recently, thomas, there's always room for a timely reminder not only of the sport's greatest champion, but that the brake cables used to exit the top of the levers and the gearchangers were mounted on the downtube of a steel frame.
i am, therefore, extremely grateful to the wonderful chaps and chapesses at rouleur towers for including the above postcard of eddy merckx along with the latest issue of their esteemed magazine. it may have taken the form of an invite to this year's classic, but it won't be long before it's framed and hanging on the wall at debbie's.
and for once, i seriously doubt that says more about me than it does about eddy.
thursday 30 august 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................what's wrong with this picture?
i'm seriously going to have to restrict my time on youtube, because it's beginning to cause me an unprecedented level of consternation. i'll readily admit that the majority of videos watched involve the percussive realm, as opposed to those concerning the humble (and not so humble) bicycle. i have little doubt that the majority of these moving picture shows are intended as a means of inspiration, but ultimately, many of them only result in frustration.
other than those who are intent on a serious career as a cyclist, perhaps with eyes pinned on the professional milieu, few of us probably pay a great deal of attention to our ability to ride a bicycle. based on observation, it often appears that those who move from the darkside later in life, are guilty of less than pristine pedalling technique, a malady that would once have been catered for by winters riding a fixed wheel commuter or training bike. if i might return to the world of the youtube video, remedies for any ungainly technique in the saddle are everywhere to be found, but implementation revolves around being aware of any personal deficiencies in the first place.
the downside to the above scenario is an almost inadvertent opening of pandora's box, one which has its parallel on the stool behind the snare drum. i favour the traditional grip when it comes to my sticking technique, as opposed to holding both left and right sticks in the same manner. in point of fact, the traditional grip is more or less outmoded, having been developed in the late 19th century when marching drums did not sit horizontallys. in order that the drum corps of the age refrain from trudging hither and thither, with the left elbow thrust into the torso of the next drummer in line, the left-hand grip was modified to cope. with many of the early jazz drummers graduating from a military background or being taught by those who had, it makes perfect sense that so-called traditional grip became the de-facto standard.
but, troubled by its possible irrelevance, i had taken to searching out drumming videos that would give cause to reconsider my stick-based stance. should i switch? would it make me play better? would anyone really care? yet, no matter the number or length of arguments i might have with myself, when confronted by a drumset, i unconsciously resort to the way i've played for the last however many years, nullifying all those hours attempting to emulate drummers who not only play different music than yours truly, but probably have all day to do so.
thankfully, i have, so far, successfully avoided viewing too many cycle-related examples, for, rather than simply enjoying my bike rides in the country, i can imagine those kilometres being infested with self-doubt at every pedal stroke. should i keep my feet flat, or should they copy the dance of marco pantani? ought i to slide back in the saddle when climbing, or is that better saved for descending? do i grab a water bottle with left or right hand? and if conversing with my fellow pelotonese over coffee, ought it be referred to as a bidon, if only to cement my status as one of the cognoscenti?
as briefly mentioned above, many, if not all of those questions are the very ones that the aspiring competitive individual ought to be asking him or herself every day, even if solely to add to the inevitable panoply of strava kudos. but midst this almost rhetorical, digital inflected survey, hides a common or garden bicycle ride, an activity that promises at least a surreptitious release of endorphins, though in most cases, a great deal more. if that's the kind of cycling that gets you up in the morning, with no disrespect to google, stay away from youtube.
and learn to play drums.
wednesday 29 august 2018
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................specialized turbo vado 2.0 electric bike - the real review
since my original review of this bicycle was first published back at the beginning of june, electric bikes have become not only a principal topic of conversation, but pretty much the flavour of the month everywhere you look. the scottish government currently offers an interest free loan of up to £3,000 per bicycle, subject to a maximum of two per household to anyone who wishes to acquire some battery powered pedals. and though westminster's future plans for london-centric transportation apprently pay scant heed to velocipedinal transportation, the bicycle association is intent on pleading the case for battery power to spark at least some interest in the halls of power.
there are many fit and healthy individuals for whom an analogue bicycle would be more than enough, yet in the age of allegedly increasing obesity, the attraction of a smidgeon of electrical help seems far more attractive than having to do all the work yourself.
however, with apologies to gary numan, my friends are not electric; not for me the push button acceleration. i am far more in thrall to the analogue bicycles shown on the specialized website, wondering whether a £10,000 peter sagan replica would make me as fast as he, or whether i might manage to outmanouevre wout van aert should i choose to go head to head on a specialized crux. these are, of course, rhetorical questions; there's not even a slim sliver of a chance that either might be true.
but that is not to deny the role that the electric bicycle might equitably play in modern society. we're not all eager and willing to arise at stupid o'clock each and every sunday morning, to spend several kilometres ploughing through wind and rain to gain bragging rights in the office come monday morning. there are those who, through frailty or even minor physical ailment, are genuinely unable to cycle any meaningful distance. not for them the joys of beholding loch gorm on a sunny summer's day (a little hebridean humour there), leaving the car at home when popping out to ardbeg's old kiln café to meet friends for coffee, or simply indulging in a soupcon of recreational exercise after tea.
for some folks, owning an electric bicycle may well be the difference between going everywhere by car or bus and rarely, if ever, experienceing the joys of cycling that the rest of us take for granted. on that basis, i loaned the turbo vado to an office colleague who has long suffered from a back ailment that mitigates against achieving any meaningful distance on an analogue bicycle. and rather than yours truly offering a few platitudes as to how this might have changed her life, even if only a few smidgeons at a time, i asked her to write her own review.
"I'd like to say that Brian specifically asked me to review this bike, but that's not entirely true. Ultimately, I think he was just fed up with me continually saying that, if he would like a non-cyclist's point of view, I was available. Either way, he caved.
"To say I was quite keen to try an electric bike is proabably something of an understatement. I'm definitely not a cyclist. Never have been. Not even one of the many who claim 'I used to be a cyclist'. I'm an unfit, overweight, middle-aged woman with a dodgy back. Yes I can ride a bike, but that's pretty much it. If I cycle to the shops, which are less than half a mile away, I'd be quite proud of myself, but to be honest, I probably haven't even done that this year.
I doubt that my review will resemble those usually featured on TWMP. Firstly, I have never written a review before and secondly I'm unable to comment on the mechanics or components of the bike, as I have no idea about these. However, having shared the same office with Brian for several years now, bottom brackets, derailleurs and chainsets do occasionally spring to mind.
"Having finally ground Brian down to let me try the bike, I wasn't quite as excited or happy about it as I perhaps should have been. Why? Well in order to get the bike home I was going to have to ride it ten miles from Bowmore to Port Ellen. Yes I know that's not even a 'proper' bike ride for a 'real' cyclist, but to someone who hadn't even cycled the half mile to the shops this year, it was quite daunting. If I could have found a way not to do it I would have. Ten miles was going to kill me. However, armed with a bottle of water, a mobile phone and a husband primed to come and look for me in a hour (just to check I hadn't collapsed at the side of the road), I set off for home.
"The first 100 yards ascend towards Bowmore's Round Church, a hill up which I would never have considered cycling under any set of circumstances. Even on the Specialized, I was tempted to push it up and start from the top. But, the village was quiet and I decided I'd give it a go, Setting the power-assist to three, off I went. I honestly couldn't believe how easy it was to get up the hill; perhaps this was going to be an enjoyable experience after all. Luckily, for the ride home, I had the benefit of both a tail wind and a beautiful summer evening and quite often found myself travelling too fast for the motor to assist. Yes, if you ride a bike that can be lifted with one finger, you'll definitely notice the weight of the Vado, but as my own rarely-used analogue bicycle is also heavy, despite being without a large battery or motor, I didn't actually see this as a problem.
"I was set to say that I'd finally arrived home after (insert your own lengthy period of time here), but as it only took me about 35 minutes I can't really. Hubby hadn't even set off to check on me. Did I ache? Was I sore? Only my bum, because I found the saddle incredibly uncomfortable. But was I looking forward to trying it again? Yes indeed. In fact, I went back out on it again that evening, into a headwind (though Brian tells me it wasn't strong enough to qualify as a headwind), to see if it was the wind or the motor that had made the ride home such fun.
"Happily I can report it was the motor.
"Has it been used much since my initial ride? Yes. I've cycled more in the last couple of weeks than I have in the last couple of years. I've even cycled to work and back, something I didn't think I would ever do. Last night I went for a ride and ended up covering just over 30 kilometres."
"Is it 'cheating' to use an electric bike? I've already had this accusation yelled at me as I flew up a hill. I personally don't think so. If I can manage to ride without the motor assist, I do. However, if I'm riding uphill, I might switch the level of assist all the way to three, if only to ensure my dodgy back doesn't object. Surely it is better to be out on any kind of bike, albeit one with power-assist, getting more exercise than I would have if sitting in front of the television all evening? Is there anything I'd change? Well I'd prefer a more comfortable saddle and while the Vado sports a switch for lights, none are fitted, which is a bit of a shame.
But, will I miss the bike when it goes back? Without a doubt. If I could justify spending £2600 on a bike, would I buy one?
"In a heartbeat!"
for the majority of bicycles reviewed on the post, it seems a not inconceivable possibility that i have some affinity with the majority of 'end-users'; what the bicycle manufacturers like to refer to as 'customers'. from my point of view, riding the turbo vado was a novel, but ultimately redundant experience, turning me into more of a passenger than a cyclist. the review printed above encapsulates a more realistic impression of the bicycle. yes, i can wax lyrical about battery charging, gearchanging, sprocket count and any number of other technicalities that may or may not impinge on the electric commuter, but does all that make for a great bike?
the real answer lies above.
tuesday 28 august 2018
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