C O N T E N T S

MAY 2012

Velo Vision is published 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 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 PHOTO ASSISTANT: Debz Butterworth ART DIRECTOR: Brian Holt WEB PROGRAMMER: Simon Ward PRINTER: Stephens & George Magazines Ltd 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.

COVER: David Gardiner of Laid Back Bikes rides the Vortex. Photo: Peter Eland

OPPOSITE: Reader Dean Hipple writes: I’m just back from Bologna (Italy) where, strolling through the narrow streets of the immutable city center, I came across this scene: a quick brake adjustment and she was off. Wonderful to see the veteran mechanic, out in front of his shop, still providing service to the community of utility cyclists. Photo: Dean Hipple

4 News Noomad trike kit launches, extra engineering contacts, Dahon’s tiny new folder, new recumbent clothing, Morph in production, a designer load bike and more.

8 Trikes on ice Steve Ellis describes how he’s come to develop a brand new human-powered sport from scratch, with his propellorpowered Ice-Bats.

12 Review: ICE Vortex 2012 Cornwall’s trike specialists have come up with a low, fast and seriously sleek racer. We take it to Holyrood Park in Edinburgh for a test.

17 Short review Georgia in Dublin rainwear Leggits and the Rainwrap: waterproofs with style.

18 Review: Bullitt electric cargo bike Richard Peace loads up a BionX-powered

Bullitt Milk Tray with 95 kg of concrete to tackle the Yorkshire hills.

22 Review: Pacific Cycles iF Reach The fast folder from Pacific now has the the ingenious Mark Sanders-designed iF

folding mechanism. How well does it work?

26 Building a batch We follow the photo diary of a specialist bike builder as Paper Bicycle builds a batch of 60 for a customer in the USA…

30 Short reviews 30 Books: Raleigh by Tony Hadland, and

Rad Rides, charting the history of BMX.

31 Spirit: an elegantly simple new design from Atomic Zombie. 32 Moto super-flat pedals, Topeak Cagemount and a Brompton badge.

34 A bike too far? Vicar Chris Stebbing describes his experience of altruistic bike fixing, and the need to set sensible boundaries...

36 Steering solutions Paul Dvorny presents his concept of a side-shifting steering system for trikes, and the Lynden InvenTeam describe a hydraulic leaning trike project.

38 Readers’ bikes 38 Return to the rim: the new rim-running

COMPACT-dynamo from Germany. 40 COMPACT-Tandem: the dynamo developer’s short wheelbase design. 42 Three wheels or four? A USA triker goes quad with a machine from Utah Trikes… 44 Top trailer: a young builder comes up trumps. 45 The bendy bike: Paul Hill describes his lean-steer DIY recumbent.

46 Letters An eponymous MIG welder, umbrella bike stands, bargain cycling T-shirts, a Rotovelo owner reports back, cargo creations and more…

55 Subscribe to Velo Vision How to subscribe, back issues and details of our distributors worldwide.

56 Advertisements The first place to look for specialist products and services! Please support these advertisers, who support this magazine.

Season’s cycle

It’s been a tough old winter here, so it’s good to pull out of it by getting this issue out of the door.

As well as making the ride home more pleasant, the onset of long light evenings really helps with magazine production: it’s easier to find willing models to ride the bikes after the working day is over, and every photographer knows that low evening sun can be magical. I was also extra-fortunate during the Vortex review in Edinburgh: it was effectively gambling (via the pre-booked train ticket) that the weather on that particular day would be OK for a photo shoot. As you’ll see, it came up trumps.

Special thanks to David from Laid Back and to Historic Scotland for the opportunity to shoot in Holyrood Park.

Thanks too, as ever, to all of our splendid contributors, both of letters and articles. Your efforts in helping us make this magazine are much appreciated!

Peter Eland

I S SUE 43 MAY 2012 VELOVISION

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