Ato Bm a g a z i n e

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Issue 68 November 2008 A to B 40 Manor Road,Dorchester,Dorset DT1 2AX,England ISSN1460-0587. tel 01305 259998 email (editorial) atob@atob.org.uk (subscriptions) teresa@atob.org.uk.webwww.atob.org.uk EditorDavid Henshaw.AdministrationTeresa Ridout.Proof-readingPeter Henshaw ContributorsDavid Devereux,David Henshaw,Teresa Ridout,Eric Sundin PrintersHenry Ling. Next deadline28th November 2008

An eclectic mix as usual. Brompton and Sturmey have produced an entirely new hub gear, the first designed in the UK for some years, and it transforms the gear range of this popular little folding bike. There’s a record crop of electric bikes due for imminent release too, but as we went to press, none had arrived on our doorstep! Sales of both folders and assisted bikes are breaking all records,and there’s good rail news for once, with tentative signs that England is trudging after Wales, Scotland and Ireland, towards investment in new ‘heavy’ rail lines and trams. Should we be cautiously optimistic? We’ve been producing A to B, and its predecessor,The Folder, for fifteen years,and we’ve seen politicians come and go,and many a false dawn in transport policy.Of course, the situation really is different today. Fuel prices are up, and climate change now seems to be accepted wisdom, but with the global financial system in turmoil, investment in anything is looking increasingly unlikely. So at this critical juncture, reading the future is a might tricky. Let’s just say, things could be very different a year from now... Or they might be exactly the same!

Contents Ear to the Ground: The Mole . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

A to BLetters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

A to BNews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Pivot Points: Brompton Wide Ratio hub . . . . . .20

The Trial: Brompton M6R-XL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Technology: 2009 Electric Bikes . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Energy: ECO Kettle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Tested: Tricruiser Trike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Tested: 2009 Ezee Li-ion Battery . . . . . . . . . .37

Transport: Kalkhoff Agattu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Letter from America: Less can Never be More . . .41

A to BSmalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

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A to B 68 Nov 08