CONTENTS

JUNE 2009

Velo Vision is published quarterly by Velo Vision Ltd. Subscription details, news and updates can be found on www.velovision.com ISSN 1475-4312 Velo Vision Magazine York Eco Business Centre Amy Johnson Way Clifton Moor York, YO30 4AG, UK Tel/Fax +44 1904 692800 (from UK, 01904 692800) Email peter@velovision.com Website www.velovision.com EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: Peter Eland EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Sue Archer PHOTO ASSISTANT: Debz Butterworth ART DIRECTOR: Brian Holt WEB PROGRAMMER: Simon Ward PRINTER: Stephens & George Magazines Ltd PUBLISHING SCHEDULE: Issue 35: September 2009 Issue 36: December 2009 Issue 37: March 2010 Issue 38: June 2010 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 is a bike shop in Körten, near Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany. Velo Vision magazine exists in friendly harmony with Velo-Vision in Germany. Velo Vision is printed on paper produced from sustainable forests to Nordic Swan standards.

4 News Folding bike recalls, new bikes galore,

Moscow trike update, pioneering ocean pedalling and more.

10 SEN and the art of cycle training

How specialist instruction can enable pupils with cognitive issues to exceed all expectations and learn to cycle.

13 Taipei 2009

A quick look at some of the innovations on show at the Taiwanese trade show in March.

14 SPEZI 2009 Full report from April’s Special Bikes Show

in Germany.

22 Review: Gocycle

Full review of a production Gocycle, the potentially revolutionary compact urban run-around – with lightweight electric assist!

27 Review: KMX Cobra

A recumbent trike for £999, but is it a practical machine for road riding? We test it to find out.

30 Review: Taga and Zigo child-carriers

Brief reviews of two transforming trikes; they convert from child-carrying threewheelers into full-featured strollers. Are they the perfect versatile kids’ taxis?

34 Short Reviews

34 Novatec dynamo set: is £30 for a hub

dynamo too good to be true? 36 Book reviews: The Golden Age of the

Handbuilt Bicycle, Live to Ride novel, plus the beginner-friendly Bike Easy 38 Book reviews: Bike Builder’s Bonanza, and

the Pedaling Revolution 40 Terracycle idlers and accessory mounts:

worthwhile upgrades?

42 Readers’ bikes

42 Folder fettling: readers’ Brompton mods. 44 The Seacycle: canal cruising by pedal power. 46 A trio of trikes: a reader reports from the

rough roads of Moldova. 47 Above or below? Pros and cons of changing

from below to above-seat steering.

48 Kyoto cuties

Velo Vision readers visit Japan and are enchanted by the small-wheeled wonders…

50 Letters

More mystery cycles, the wrong trousers, historic cycle reportage, the Cleland concept clarified and much more....

53 Subscribe to Velo Vision

How to subscribe, back issues, and details of our distributors worldwide.

54 Advertisements

The first place to look for specialist products and services! Please support our advertisers, who support the magazine.

COVER: Gocycling! Photo: Peter Eland OPPOSITE: A swarm of bees on parked bikes in Bishopthorpe Road, York, provided an unusual sight for shoppers. Photos: Arthur Clune

On the move

As you’ll read in the News section, and see in the masthead details above, we moved premises in late May, and we’re now happily settled into our much larger ofice at the Eco Business Centre on the north edge of York. Please do use the new address if you need to contact us or send anything.

We’ve also been on the move to the SPEZI, with another convivial coach trip to a packed weekend of cycling and innovations, as you’ll see in our full report.

Finally, we’ve been moving ourselves around on a fascinating range of review bikes this issue, all in their own ways innovative and interesting. The Gocycle and Taga in particular are rare instances of ‘designer’ concepts embodied as practical, useful products – but do their looks get in the way? Is the simplicity and affordability of more traditional cycle engineering, as on the Zigo or KMX, a better bet?

There’s an easy way to find out – read the reviews and decide for yourself!

Peter Eland

ISSUE 34 JUNE 2009 VELOVISION

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