[ contents ] DECEMBER 2002

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 +44 1904 438 224 (from UK, 01904 438 224) Fax +44 1904 438 236 (from UK, 01904 438 236) Email peter@velovision.co.uk Website www.velovision.co.uk

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: Peter Eland DESIGN: Brian Holt WEBMASTER: Simon Ward PRINTER: Stephens & George Magazines Ltd, Merthyr Tidfil, Wales, UK. Tel 01685 388 888 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Jason Patient Photography Tel 01890 883408

PUBLISHING SCHEDULE: Issue 9: 5 March 2003 Issue 10: 4 June 2003 Issue 11: 3 September 2003 Issue 12: 4 December 2003

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. Contact them on www.velo-vision.de

4 News Giant’s semi-recumbent, French pedalcars, trike drive kits,

and much more...

10Inside Brompton

We visit the factory and meet the men who make the bikes

12Land of interesting vehicles Some of the strange cycling things you’ll see in Japan

14Bikes to Turkey The cyclists bringing bikes back to Turkey’s streets

18Inventors’ corner

Wooden children’s recumbents and more Minibike madness

20Cycle 2002 We report from the best bike show the UK has seen for years

22Chain of thought

The direct drive chainless bike returns, with a fascinating

design from South Africa

26The LOGO trike We test and affordable up-and-coming recumbent trike

from Australia

31Reviews in brief Books, masks and security skewers

32Under power

How does the Powabyke electric-assist commuter measure up?

36Special Needs at Spokesfest Tamasine Gilbert returns with a report on Leicester’s try-out day

40Letters Bumper crop of feedback, ideas and more

46Eurobike

Trade show report from September’s huge event in southern

Germany

54Buyer’s Guide: Workbikes

Our overview of the best load-carrying cycles and trailers

available today

60Subscriptions, back issues, calendar Lovely lighting sets from Basta UK to be won when you subscribe

62Adverts

The best, most interesting advertising around! Please support

these companies, who support this magazine.

NOW WE’RE TWO

Eight issues on, Velo Visionis happy to mark the end of its second year with a bumper issue: 16 extra pages. We hope you enjoy the extra amount of material we’ve been able to include this time, including the first of our Buyer’s Guides. As the series continues in future issues, I hope it’ll become an invaluable reference. As ever, your feedback is welcomed. We were also delighted recently when we heard that Velo Visionhas been nominated by Utnemagazine in the USA for an Independent Press Award. We won’t find out until January whether we’ve won, but it’s nice to be up there against some well-established titles. Check out our website www.velovision.co.uk for news on this and other cycling matters – it’s updated almost daily. Finally, at the risk of turning this column into an advert, could I mention the excellent Cycle and Recyclecalendar which we’re now importing from the USA? Put together by a coalition of cycle advocacy groups, it’s a very bike-friendly way to plan your year. All the details are on page 60, along with a chance to win Basta lighting sets, rewards when you recommend the magazine to a friend or give a gift subscription, and details of all our back issues.

Peter Eland

Cover photograph: Syd Winer from Australia took our cover image using a home-made pinhole camera. He explains: “The cardboard and duct tape camera was velcroed to a jig over the front wheel. Taking the shot involved leaning forward to press the start button of a digital kitchen timer taped to the camera, then flipping open the cardboard shutter, and trying to ride as straight as possible until the timer buzzed. I also had to pedal as little as possible and return my legs to the same position between strokes. If I pedalled continuously my legs became almost completely transparent. I opened and closed the shutter with my right hand, hence its semi-transparency on the handlebars. The rural scenery around me doesn’t exist. The pic was shot on a tree lined Adelaide suburban street and I was hemmed in by 6ft high green painted aluminium fences. The 26 second exposure ensured that the trees and fences blended together into a nice faux-rural scene. Of course, I had no idea that this would happen.”

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