The Heart of Wales Line

120 scenic miles: Swansea Llandrindod Wells - Shrewsbury

Plenty of room for folding bikes on our trains!

Lots of quiet lanes to ride along...

Visit our website www.heart-of-wales.co.uk

or call 01982 552727

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A to B 72 July 09 A to Bm a g a z i n e

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 72 July 2009 A to B 40 Manor Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2AX, England

ISSN 1460-0587 . tel 01305 259998

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

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

Contributors David Henshaw Printers Henry Ling . Next deadline 31st July 2009

This year, for the first time, we hired a car to get to a cycle event. Once again, the Severn railway tunnel

was shut on both the Saturday and the Sunday during the 2009 Tour de Presteigne, and like many potential passengers with heavy luggage and/or babies, we just couldn’t face the extra journey time and

tedious transfers. In the event, there’s nothing the rail journey could have thrown up that would have made it worse than the car journey.The baby bawled us to a halt every thirty minutes or so, and the

evening dragged on, until by 9pm we were trying to make up time on a twisty ‘A’ road through Monmouthshire.Without warning, the wails turned into a torrent of sick, most of which fell into the food

hamper, but with more than enough hitting the back of the driver’s seat. Carrying a troublesome toddler by train isn’t always easy, but if you don’t mind marching up and down the carriage for hours, and studying trains, planes and automobiles at railway junctions, ours travels well

enough. So please, please, can we have our seven-day railway back?

Contents Ear to the Ground: The Mole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A to B Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A to B News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Trial: E-motion 700 Deluxe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tested: Brompton Child-Carriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Trial: Byocycles Commuter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Trial: Gepida Reptila 1000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 A to B Smalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

COVER PHOTO: Carrying the whole family on one bicycle. Auntie Diana, Nano-Brompton; Cousin Rosy, SP

Brompton seat; Orlando, Bellelli child seat; Alexander, SP Trailer-bike

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A to B 72 July 09