[ contents ] MARCH 2005

Velo Vision is published quarterly by Velo Vision Ltd. Daily news and updates can be found on www.velovision.co.uk

ISSN 1475-4312

Velo Vision, The Environmental Community Centre, St Nicholas Fields, York, YO10 3EN, UK Tel/Fax +44 1904 438 224 (from UK, 01904 438 224) Email peter@velovision.co.uk Website www.velovision.co.uk

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: Peter Eland ARTDIRECTOR: Brian Holt WEBMASTER: Simon Ward PRINTER: Stephens & George Magazines Ltd, Merthyr Tidfil, Wales, UK. Tel 01685 388 888

PUBLISHING SCHEDULE: Issue 18: early June 2005 Issue 19: early September 2005 Issue 20: early December 2005 Issue 21: early March 2006

Velo Vision is a member of INK, trade association of the alternative press in the UK. www.ink.uk.com

VELO VISION AND VELO-VISION We weren’t first with the name. Velo-Vision (note the hyphen) is a progressive HPV-friendly bike shop in Köörten, near Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany, who also make their own recumbents. Velo Vision magazine is working in friendly harmony with Velo-Vision in Germany.

Velo Vision is printed on paper produced from sustainable forests to Nordic Swan standards.

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: The Hase Tagun on test: see page 26.

OPPOSITE: The Scooterbike Urban on a snowy Knavesmire inYork.

All photos by Peter Eland.

4 News New folding bikes, ice biking, events listings and more

8 Hauling in the Himalayas

Cass Gilbert tests trailers against a spectacular backdrop

12The small big man Saluting a Russian pioneer of human power and

sustainable transport

14One night in Hong Kong Pedalling the night away at the HK 24-hour pedalcar contest

16Inventions roundup

A wheelchair-steered tandem, pedal touring boat,

modular bike, designer townie, pedal-while-you-work

circulation enhancer and more...

22Rolling in the real world Mike Burrows tests 20" tyres and explains how you can make

your own measurements

25Personal Bikes invade Leuven

How one bike is taking over the town

26Tagun tested Hase Bikes’ new two-wheeler revives the long-wheelbase layout...

29Czeching it out Now they’re in the EU recumbent makers AZUB hope to

impress with their latest model...

32Vive la differential

Scooterbike’s Urban trike ridden forward, backwards and

around corners.

35Short reviews An amazingly cheap and light one-wheel trailer from Poland,

Scottoiler, electric bike, LED dynamo lights and more reviewed...

38On a thin ICE

The budget ICE Q Narrow Track trike reviewed by a reader

40Catrike cruising

Riding the Catrike Road recumbent trike – one reader’s

experience

42Letters Short cranks, Moulton conversions, Cuba – all this and more

in your letters and emails

48Buyer’s Guide: Recumbent trikes

New and updated - we return to the subject of low-down

three-wheelers.

56Subscribe to Velo Vision And order calendars and back issues

57Adverts

The best, most interesting advertising around.

Please support the companies, who support this magazine.

WEIGHTY MATTERS

‘??kg’ in the text of a review isn’t very helpful for readers, as I realised just before deadline. So the trusty Velo Visiondigital bathroom scales were hurridly deployed on all three of this issue’s test bikes. The results? 19.4kg, 21.4kg, and 32kg – read the reviews to work out which is which. That’s a lot of metal.Yet all three bikes received broadly favourable reviews, with the weight mentioned only in passing. Given that pages and pages are devoted in more sportoriented cycling magazines to the shaving off of grams, let alone kilograms, are we over-lenient when it comes to bike weight? Maybe so, maybe not. While I appreciate the truly exhilarating feeling of riding a really light bike, when it comes to real practical cycling – commuting, or distance touring – light weight is something I’ll willingly sacrifice for function and reliability. If it bothered me, I’d rather just get a light bike for playing on in addition to my utility bikes. It’s all about choosing the right tool for the job. The most satisfying ride I’ve had in the last few months was on the 32kg Scooterbike Urban. York was in snow, and traffic was at a standstill. A few brave cyclists were falling off, then walking on the ice. But the trike had no problem at all taking me to work, and I even skidded around a bit just for fun. That’s what special cycle designs are all about. They let you complete a transport task – a journey on ice, a bike-and-train trip, or load-carrying – with a minimum of fuss, safely, under your own steam, and make it enjoyable too. We all need many bikes – some light, some heavy. Now if only I had more space to put them all...

Peter Eland

PSThere was a rather underwhelmed response to the ‘Back Page’ last issue, and we’ve also had an unprecedented rush in advertising bookings. So I’ve dropped it for now. To make up for this, Velo Visionis now (and will remain) in full colour throughout.

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