Thursday 31 May 2012

#Vintage Versus #High-Tech!

This is a question that will never really have a simple answer and not just in the bike world. At any price range you can buy clothes, cars, or jewellery that are either vintage or modern.

Got a million to spend on a car? (I wish!) You could get yourself a spangly new Bugatti Veyron or a lovely 1973 Ferrari 365 Daytona Spyder. Want a nice road bike and you have £1000 to spend? Well you could spend it on a lovely 1981 Campagnolo Super Record, or you could get a brand new Merida Lite 94. All of these options offer basically the same thing. Both of the cars are fast and pretty and both of the bikes will get you from A to B and will help you go fast on the road. But they both feel very different.

Lets forget about jewellery and cars now and look purely at bikes.

You will always have performance on your side if you buy a modern bike (not necessarily brand new, just modern) the modern alloy or carbon frames will always be stiffer then a 30+ year old cromoly frame which in turn means better pedalling efficiency. With the stiffness the modern frames offer, you loose something that’s important to many and that’s comfort. A cromoly frame will take the vibrations and trail buzz and absorb it, thus stopping it from transferring to your butt! Plus older style road bikes are often shorter making them more comfortable on a longer journey.
With the exception of performance where the older bike (and car) will lose out in many ways, why else would you spend the same amount on an old bike as you could on a new bike. The reason isn’t that obvious until you see a proper vintage bike in the flesh. Modern bikes use welded frames and often cut corners on the smaller parts to enable the manufacturer to up spec the bike in the more obvious places like carbon forks or an uprated rear mech. On older road bikes the frames are hand made using hand finished lugs rather then using a machine to weld the tubes. On some of the higher end bikes the lug work is simply art.

Compare that to a weld! there really is no contest. The drop out are often equally as impressive as are the fork crowns. The chain rings are often pressed into amazing patterns like the Raleigh Heron chainring which came on a vast array of Raleigh bikes and still looks brilliant. Comparatively modern chainrings fit a basic 5 arm pattern and are designed purely for a purpose, usually with little thought going into aesthetics.


I think that older bikes are potentially more stylish in many ways and have a wonderful hand made finish that can’t be beat by the majority of modern machine made bikes. However we need to be realistic, if you regularly ride 100miles with your buddies you probably don’t want to be wearing out a vintage bike and struggling to keep up on the hills thanks to the extra 10lbs of weight your carrying due to your steel frame and several lbs of fancy brooks saddle.

Also part of the appeal with older bikes is that they’re different to the modern norm even if the difference isn’t better.  People will often comment on the beautiful paintwork of vintage bikes but, the paint work on modern bikes is amazing with the brilliant colours and eye catching graphics. They can certainly draw as much attention as a hand detailed lug and from a greater distance.

I seem to be struggling to come to a conclusion and its hardly a surprise if you were to look in my garage you’d see a 2010 Cotic hemlock with full suspension, bar mountain fork lockout, hydraulically adjustable seatpost and hydraulic disc brake, a 2008 Ns Society again with all the bells and whistles but with a slightly retro styled steel frame. A 1989 pink and white Claud Butler awaiting restoration, a 1971 Raleigh Tomahawk waiting for his new owner to be old enough to use it (he’s three months old!) a 1986 Raleigh fixed wheel road bike with lots of new parts and a completely original 1979 Peugeot course.  

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has some retro/vintage bikes and some modern bikes, it’s not because I’m indecisive it’s because I think that each bike has its place. When I’m out on the Quantocks blasting down a treacherous rocky descent at 30mph I’m glad I have all the latest kit keeping me upright and in control. However when I fancy cycling from Newquay to Perranporth for a pint at the watering hole there’s something satisfying riding a thirty year old road bike that has a long history and still works like new, it’s beautifully simple in the execution of its task and looks great propped up against a bench on the beach.

My opinion of every bike having its place should explain why we always try to have a full range of bikes available at RE:SOURCE where we have everything from full suspension bikes with discs to a lugged ten speed road bike from the early eighties, and of course everything in-between!  So pop on down and see if there’s anything that catches your imagination.

Monday 23 April 2012

#Cycling to work is a Win Win!

The importance of cycling for your work.
Did you know? On average, people who cycle take at least one less sick day per year than those who don't. This saves the British economy £128,000,000 per year, even with this, the UK currently loses £760,000,000 due to absenteeism. This just goes to show how much more money could be saved if more people cycled. This is of course especially important in the current economic climate! 
At this point you're probably thinking this is great... for my boss, but where's the advantage for me!  Yes, when you start riding to work you will be sweaty, tired and probably cut off by every bus driver and his dog, but that soon changes. After a week you soon learn to avoid being on the inside of a bus as the road narrows, you get fitter so the sweating reduces, and the endorphins released actually get you to work feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day (honest!) and that's got to be better for you than a red bull for sure! Even when you get home, at the end of the day, you'll be relaxed and feeling better for a little ride after a stressful day at work and you'll certainly sleep well! 
More great things about riding to work include. Not getting stuck in traffic. You can judge to the minute how long your commute to work will take as there's no seasonal traffic or wide loads to get stuck behind, and when traffic gets slow you can just ride around it!  There's nothing more satisfying than riding past the cars stuck in traffic, especially when it's nice out and you can adopt the 'smug cycler look'! Obviously it's not just the practical aspects either, let's not forget cycling is a leisure activity so it's fun! Which I'm fairly sure can't be said for driving at rush hour, and I don't think that driving through traffic is done as a hobby/passion at the weekend like road cycling? Or is it!! 
There's more though, I still haven't got to one of the best bits. If you went to RE:SOURCE and bought one of our serviced bikes with our warranty for just £30-£90,  then that's your only outlay, apart from a helmet. So for the cost of a tank of fuel you could commute at the very least all Summer, if not all year, with just the cost of an annual service (£22) and the odd set of brake pads (£5).  WIN WIN! 
Finally I'd Just to summarise all this lovely wonderfulness that cycling to work can offer. 
Good bits
·         It's good for you (check out http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/calculator.php to see how many calories you'd burn!)
·         It's good for your boss
·         It's good for your health
·         It's good for the planet
·         It's energising
·         It's fun and can lead to a great hobby
·         Commuting time is consistent
·         It's cheap
·         It helps you unwind at the end of the day 
Bad bits
·         Some of you aren't doing it yet!
·         It can take a while to get used to your saddle!!  
Give it a go….. 
Daniel Smith
Lead cycle engineer 
Achieve more with the bike hub

Friday 30 March 2012

#SummerSolsticeChallenge

Take one humble bike engineer...

Add the longest day of the year...

Add a sprinkling of old knackered bikes...

And what do you have....

A crazy idea to see who can ride the furthest on the Summer Solstice, starting at Dawn and finishing at Dusk!

The only problem is.....you've got to do it on a broken bike that has been donated to the Bike Hub....and you've got to repair it before you start!!

Watch this space for more details on how you can take part, sponsor the challenge or simply watch our world of pain!!

Thursday 29 March 2012

#ramblings from #bikehub Dan!

Social networking and what have the romans ever done for us?

The bike scene has changed so much over the years.

Looking back ten years or so I honestly don't know how we knew things were going on, we just knew. You could argue that this word of mouth networking would have excluded people who didn't know other riders in the know, but if it did, I never noticed it.  I felt a lot more in the loop back then.

People would also congregate more based on their hobbies and the trails where much more sociable, because that was where you would go to meet riding buddies and you'd spend half a days ride chatting.  

As a teenager I think all of my friends were riders, largely because if you wanted to ride with other people or race etc you had to spend time with those people to find out what was going on.   Or to be invited out.  Whereas now, you don't need to hang out with riders to hear about the next race or to get invited out on a ride. Now you can just send a message out on face book stating an intention to ride at a set time and place and expect any number of people to meet you. Or you can google your local race series to find out where and when, and worst of all you don't even need to see your buddy to invite them out for a ride, just call them on you mobile phone and arrange it and call them again if your late/lost/not coming. Our kids must wonder how we survived "back in the day".

I'll be honest, I think I'm just being grumpy because I'm now out of the 'social networking' loop. If I was to be objective, nowadays anyone who has an interest in riding and access to a computer can find out what events are going on, join a bike club, or find a forum of local riders and find riding friends, which has got to be great news!  And really there's nothing stopping people making friends on the trail, we just need to try more and if we don't make a million friends each time we go ride, it simply means we'll spend more time actually riding!

Actually come to think of it, social networking and IT is crucial,  without it I wouldn't have found this job, I can now keep up to date with the latest technology, and we can let you guys know what we're up to online.

SO IGNORE MY GRUMPY INITIAL RAMBLINGS!!

ROLL ON THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION AND JOIN US RIDING.

P.S check out our twitter page @ www.twitter.com/#!/CornwallBikeHub

and our web page @ www.thebikehub.org.uk

and our endomondo profile for ride details @ www.endomondo.com/profile/4218543

;) CHEERS BIKEY DAN

Tuesday 27 March 2012

#Cardinham #BikeRide a real success...

Saturday 24th saw The Bike Hub's inaugural guided MTB ride through the fantastic woods around Bodmin.

Ably led by Lead Bike Engineer and MTB Guide Dan Smith, our intrepid crew set off from RE:SOURCE, winding our way down to Cardinham.

The ride lasted 2 hrs give or take a few and included some technical downhill, some lung busting climbs and a great piece of Carrot Cake and a cuppa at the cafe at Cardinham.

Suitable for intermediate riders this was a great start to the Bike Hub Guided Rides and has given us much inspiration for future expeditions!!

If your interested in joining us for a ride in the future, don't be put off by the words 'technical' and 'lung busting'...all things are relative!  We will ensure that there is something for everyone in our rides and to be honest, they will be more about enjoying the best of the great outdoors and meeting new people...

Here's our route from Saturday...watch this space for further rides and let us know if you have a great ride that you know of in and around Bodmin...

Tuesday 20 March 2012

#Bodmin #BMX #Bandits ....

We've discussed the practicalities of commuter bikes, now it's time for a bit of fun this week… It's all about BMX's. The RE:SOURCE drivers have been good to us and we've had a great haul of BMX's in the last week. We've got an Apollo BMX ready to go in RE:SOURCE at this very moment.
We've also just finished work on an immaculate diamond back grind sporting 4 stunt pegs, gyro and although still an adult bike, it would be ideal for younger riders or those of a smaller stature as it's a junior BMX. 
A junior BMX usually has adult sized cranks but the shorter of the available sizes, a shorter top tube in this instance, which is 2" and smaller bars which all means that the geometry is similar to that of the adult bikes but compacted.
We also have two diamond back jokers which sport three piece cranks, 14mm axles and probably the best geometry of any BMX I have ridden. The joker is a very underrated bike due to its largely hi tensile steel construction. The weight on these may be a tad high but they are as strong as anything else out there and are very easy to get on with. The geometry makes them super stable for street, park and dirt and their strength allows it too. I honestly don't think a better BMX exists for the money. I've been seriously contemplating selling my Guchi BMX to buy one of these gems but I swore I wouldn't be a magpie when I started this job. (at least for lent anyway)
More important is the busy few days we have ahead of us. On Friday we have the bike hub open day in the RE:STORE building from 10-4. Please do come on down to see what we can do for you. It's a great opportunity to get involved and to find out more about what we do.
On Saturday we have the bike surgery at RE:SOURCE from 10-2 followed by a brilliant mountain bike ride starting at the RE:SOURCE and heading round towards Cardinham.  The ride is  off-road and Cornish(hilly) and will therefore need some level of fitness and riding ability but nothing too hardcore, and we'll be there to look after you!
I hope you can come down to one of our events and meet us so we can find out more about our customers.
Daniel Smith
Lead Bike Engineer 
Achieve more with the bike hub

Wednesday 7 March 2012

#Bikes selling fast at the #CornwallBikeHub, plus exciting events to come...

BAD NEWS! I would like to apologise to anyone who stuck their nose into RE:SOURCE (www.myresource.org.uk) and found less bikes then they had expected. We had the full range that I had hoped for but they all sold so quick our range was almost gone by the time the weekend was over but


GOOD NEWS! We have another batch of bikes winging there way over to RE:SOURCE today.

This week we’re doing our best to get more commuter friendly bikes out at RE:SOURCE for you.
The key characteristics of the commuter bike are skinnier smoother tyres for less rolling resistance.  Bigger diameter wheels (700c) on a road or commuter bike essentially give the rider better (longer) gearing for longer distances.  As with anything there are drawbacks. This gearing essentially gives you a higher top speed but slower acceleration. Commuter bikes are most suited for those travelling longer distances whereas a mountain bike will be better for travelling within town due to the better acceleration and improved agility offered with the smaller diameter (26”) wheels. Mountain bike wheels are also stronger not only because they are built for strength but because a smaller wheel will be stronger then a bigger one as the gap between the rigid bits, which are the rim and hub, is smaller.

Some examples of our commuter friendly bikes are.

This ridgeback 602 a good quality rigid bike thats lightweight simple and has 26” wheels for better acceleration. Also I had one for three years so it must be cool right?.........


This emmelle is very cool (maybe because it’s a bit retro), it has 700c wheels, slightly knobbly tyres and mudguards which are great for when we inevitably get a wet summer. This style of bike is very comfortable and designed to give the rider a comfy hassle free ride over longish distances.


The Saracen offers similar ride position to the emmelle but offers a stiffer more rigid frame for the more aggressive rider but still plenty of comfort and efficiency.

Last but not least don’t forget our open day at the Bike Hub inside the RE:STORE building on Friday 23rd of March, all day, and the cycle surgery at RE:SOURCE on Saturday the 24th from 10am-2pm, they should both be great and give you a better idea of how we work and what we offer to volunteers, customers and enthusiasts.

There’s so much going on I almost forgot to mention we’re going on a little Bike Hub Ride around the Cornish countryside at 2 pm after the cycle surgery so come along and get involved.

Events just added to #CornwallBikeHub

We've got some events coming up at The Bike Hub so let us know if you fancy joining us....

Lots of lovely new bikes for the shop this week!

Bike Hub Volunteers Wanted!


Join us at the bike hub and learn some new skills....like Anthony here, one of our great volunteer bike engineers!

Thursday 1 March 2012

The Bike Hub is back open for business!!

The Bike Hub

01/03/2012

Hi, I’m Dan and I started at the Bike Hub in Bodmin on Monday which is very exciting! 

I have been a keen rider for 15 years when I started out riding XC on a second hand bike using my uncles hand me down parts. I started fixing my own bike from a young age as I had no money to take it to a bike shop to get fixed. (Although I wouldn’t call what I did to my bikes in the early days fixing!)

I worked in various bike shops in my later teens which alongside my diploma in outdoor education lead me to my first job as a MTB Guide in Greece.  Before long I was running the biking part of the resort which included route planning, guiding  and maintaining/repairing the fleet of bikes as well as other administration.

My next season was as a Lead Guide for a small company based in the French alps.  The riding there was another level of riding with some of the best trails I have ever ridden on my doorstep.  Although the riding was fun it was tough with an average of 60k of hard riding a day, 6 days a week!!

When I returned to the UK I taught biking as well as other sports for various companies. Over the years I have taught and competed in cross country, downhill, road and 4x/bmx.  I also have a degree in outdoor education and a BAHons in sports performance and coaching, so hope to bring some of that in to the Bike Hub role.

I have always loved bikes and all they can mean to a person. They can be simple cost affective eco transport. They can be a way of seeing the countryside.  They can be used for fitness or for an adrenaline fix or you can just hang out with your buddies, sessioning the trails. I don’t know of another activity that can offer so much. For these reasons and many more I feel that cycling can change lives just as it has for me…so being given the chance to work at the Bike Hub is amazing!

Although there’s been some great work going on since the Bike Hub started in October, we’ve decided to make a few changes to give the customer a broader range of even better bikes!

Thanks to some lovely volunteers  helping to get them ready we will have a full range of bikes of all shapes, sizes and prices for your perusal, available from RE:SOURCE (www.myresource.org.uk).

We’ve had some really exciting bikes come through so far. These include some retro goodies in the form of a lovely early 80’s Raleigh Burner Mag 20.


The very cool Schwinn Stingray cruiser. 


And a very funky lime green 2010 Viking XRR road bike.  

Archive photos only not of actual bikes.

Not only have we managed to get bikes back out this week but we have loads of exciting things in the pipeline, like an open day for anyone interested in volunteering or training with us, a Cycle Surgery at RE:SOURCE and you’ll be able to join us for a group ride in the great Bodmin countryside. Keep reading and you’ll be the first to know.

Cheers

Dan Smith