New Dahon folding bikes in stock now! With prices from £399 for the Speed D7 to the MuXL at £949, we have a great selection to offer. Come and try our demonstrator!

Still one of the best folding bikes and still British! Handmade in London, with a huge range of options. We carry a good stock of Bromptons and spares. Please call for more info.

We stock a wide range of bikes from Giant, Trek and Raleigh. We also have a huge accessory and spares department including helmets, clothing, shoes and much, much more! We also have full workshop facilities and offer hire bikes Check out our website for more information...

Dorchester Cycles 31 Great Western Road Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1UF

Tel: 01305 268787

www.dorchestercycles.co.uk www.atob.org.uk

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Available from selected outlets, online at www.exacteditions.com or by annual subscription on 01305 259998 or www.atob.org.uk

£13.80 (United Kingdom), £19 or US$27 (overseas airmail)

Issue 79 August 2010 A to B 40 Manor Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2AX, England

ISSN 1460-0587 . tel 01305 259998

email (subscriptions & advertising) teresa@atob.org.uk (editorial) atob@atob.org.uk . web www.atob.org.uk

Editor David Henshaw . Administration Teresa Ridout . Proof-reading Peter Henshaw

Contributors Dave Holladay, David Henshaw, Matthew Tempest, Howard Yeomans

Printers Henry Ling . Next deadline 21st September 2010

Several interesting items have been held-over this month because we just couldn’t resist the opportunity to test the Micro, an ultra lightweight assisted folding bike; the Dover, Raleigh’s first foray into electric bikes for ten years; and the Daum, an extraordinary machine that seems to have more electronic equipment on board than some luxury cars.The only common ground between these three very different bicycles is that they all rely on high technology, and they’re all designed or made in Germany. Are bikes like this the future? In some ways yes, which makes this issue all the more interesting, but the technology does leave us hankering for simplicity. High-tech bicycles have their place, but all Grandad had was one gear, a lightweight frame and a little more time in the day. Maybe the new era of sophistication will peak and ebb back the other way? Following on from the Slow Food movement, might we see Slow Cycling?

Your thoughts are - as always - very welcome. DAVID HENSHAW

icro ike M

idout tests the Batr ib

: Teresa R

COVER

Contents The Mole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Book Rev i ews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A to B L e t t e r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 A to B News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 T h e Tr i a l : B a t r i b i ke Mi c r o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 The Tr i a l : Daum Tr e k k i n g H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 B i ke / R a i l : B i ke s o n Tra i n s ( l o c a l s e r v i c e s ) . . . . . . . 3 2 The Tr i a l : Ra l e i g h Dove r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 9 A to B Sm a l l s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3

www.atob.org.uk

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