Category Archives: The Bike Show

The Bike Show: Love Edition

La troisieme roueIn a special Valentine’s Day edition, sultry Southwark Cyclist Miss Alex Crawford explains why cycling is so good for flirting while love goddess Venus Kamura tells of the fifth annual Reclaim Love ‘happening’ on Saturday 16 February at the Eros Statue on Piccadilly Circus. Over the past few days, all across the bicycling world, there has been an outpouring of love for the inspirational Sheldon Brown who sadly died last weekend. We play a song by Oysterband, Sheldon’s all time favourite band. Plus a heads up for Wheels and Heels, a lovely bicycle fashion show on the evening of the 14th, at Columbia Road from 6pm and a chance to party ’til the break of dawn with the swashbuckling Trixie Chix, on Friday 15th February way up there in Dalston, northeast London. No excuse not to get loved up one way or another this week. Whew!

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The Bike Show: Reclaim the Street(maps)

Open Street Map v London Cycle NetworkPrivate companies and revenue-hungry government agencies have always had a stranglehold on the world’s best maps, until the arrival of Open Street Map, a volunteer-driven effort akin to Wikipedia for mapping and cartography. OSM offers endless customisation possibilities, is entirely open source and in many parts of the world is rivaling the best online and paper maps. OSM’er Andy Allan explains how he’s been adding information relevant to cyclists and explains how anyone can contribute to the project. George Coulouris and Jean Dollimore give a guided tour of Camden Cyclists’ collaborative online cycle route planning tool.

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The Bike Show: Transition Town Bicycling

Totnes in South Devon is where the rapidly growing ‘transition town’ movement all began. Transition towns are a response to the problem of resource depletion, peak oil and climate change and embrace the practical and more esoteric aspects of changing lifestyles and mindsets. Totnes and the surrounding countryside – like many rural areas – remain heavily reliant on car travel. What can be done to get more people on bicycles in the countryside? Is cycling a viable rural alternative to the internal combustion engine? For more on Transition Towns, listen to this edition of Resonance FM’s Low Carbon Show. Plus Eric Gauster of Cycle Training UK on some great value bike maintenance classes for Londoners. We give away a place on either a basic or intermediate class to the listener who best completes the following sentence:

“I want to go on a bicycle maintenance course because…..”

email to bikeshow@gmail.com

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The Bike Show: Hidden Treasure

Treasure Chest 2Paul Wonnacott has been buying, repairing and selling on used bicycles in the English countryside for almost thirty years. In an extended interview he looks back at the changes he’s observed in the bicycle manufacturing industry (most of them bad) and grapples with a hoarder’s inner demon as he watches his huge stock literally pile up and up. Also mentioned in the show is the Waterfront London exhibition and series of breakfast talks at New London Architecture on Store Street, the Italian writer Ugo Riccarelli in conversation with journalist Richard Williams on the occasion of the publication of the English edition of Coppi’s Angel on 30 January at the Italian Cultural Institute. And the deadline for submissions to the 2008 Bicycle Film Festival is looming: 19 February.

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The Bike Show: Are cycling Waterloo sunsets under threat?

Thames at nightSouthwark Council plans to ban cyclists from a key stretch of the Thames Path, which runs along the south bank of the Thames, alongside the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. Jack Thurston canvases the (mixed) opinions of passersby and rapidly discovers that no one has been consulted about this proposed new byelaw. Koy Thomson, director of the London Cycling Campaign shares his perspective on the plans and argues for shared space. Amy Cooper reports on cycle training with Patrick Field and a new year’s wish list of cycle-friendly policies for the next Mayor of London.

For more on the draft byelaw banning cycling on the Thames Path, visit Southwark Cyclists’ website.

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The Bike Show: New Year’s Resolutions

FireworksThe closing of one year and start of another is the time where many of us resolve to turn over a new leaf, change our life or otherwise embark on a virtuous but most probably doomed attempt at self-improvement. London cyclist and underground bicycle advocate Amy Cooper joins Jack Thurston in the studio for a look at many and varied two wheeled new year’s resolutions. Also in this week’s show is a look at the Sustrans Connect2 ‘rails to trails’ project in South Bermondsey with Barry Mason of Southwark Cyclists.

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The Bike Show: London Olympics 2012

Olympics 2012Does the coming of Olympics in 2012 spell disaster for cycle sport in London or will it bring much needed regeneration of a neglected part of the city? A ride with Patrick Field around the perimeter fence of the construction site in north east London and an interview with Michael Humphreys, chair of the Eastway Users Group, on the destruction of the popular Eastway road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross circuits, the interim facilities and plans for the legacy Velopark on the Olympics site.

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The Bike Show: How to win at roller-racing

Roller racingReigning Rollapaluza champion and two-time ‘Raphapaluza’ winner Simon Jackson gives his tips on how to win at the frenzied sport of static bike racing. Plus a preview of the upcoming ITV comedy-drama series Bike Squad (aka “The Bill on bikes”) with Robert Collins of the Daily Telegraph.

Get down to the Bicycology film night on Thursday 13 December at the RampArt Social Centre, London E1 and of course to Rollapaluza IX-mas at the Waterloo Action Centre, 14 Baylis Road, London SE1.

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The Bike Show: Fixed Fever

Insane fixed wheel bicycleOver the past five years a craze for riding bicycles with only one gear and no freewheel has taken off, in New York, London, Sydney and cities all around the world. We take a long hard look at the merits and excesses of the scene. Featuring an extended interview with the mystery man behind the Bike Snob NYC blog, Roxy Erickson of London’s Trixie Chix and Gabriel Nogueira, one of the prime movers in the small but growing fixed wheel crowd in Curitiba, southern Brazil.

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The Bike Show: Christmas books special

A Christmas books special with guests George Theohari (author of the newly published Cyclist’€™s Companion), Guy Andrews (editor of Rouleur) and Graeme Fife (among the UK’s leading cycle writer whose memoirs were published this year). Includes readings from Tim Krabbé’s The Rider, Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men On The Bummel, Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman and Graeme Fife’s play Jam. Plus we give away copies of the latest edition of Graeme Fife’s Tour De France: the history, the legend, the riders and the beautiful Rouleur Annual 2007.

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Everyone is guessing wrong for the Rouleur Annual quiz question, so there’s a visual clue after the jump. Continue reading →