It’s August, and as you should be thinking of a holiday soon, here are some more extracts about cycle touring taken from an article I wrote for Bicycle Magazine.

Hopefully, they might encourage you to consider seeing a bit of the world by bike. This week we look at frames, wheels and tyres.

The Frame
A frame made of high quality steel is the normal basis for a touring bike. It will have fairly relaxed frame angles for comfort and stability and lots of braze-ons to attach carriers, mudguards and drinking bottles.

Alloy frames need not be ruled out, though many find the ride of an alloy bike harsher than steel. And it might be harder to find a competent alloy welder in some remote areas.

Without a doubt, most seasoned cyclists aspire to a hand built frame, tailored to their exact requirements. Not only does this guarantee a perfect fit, but also a frame of any specification or colour.

Wheels and Tyres
These are very nearly as important as the frame as they are the key to easy, trouble free cycling. In cycle touring, as in most cycling disciplines, money spent on the wheels gives the greatest reward. For the touring cyclist, strength and smooth running are the main requirements.

A good touring wheel will have a box section rim built onto the best hubs one can afford. The spokes will be stainless steel “Alpine” gauge, which means they are thicker and stronger than usual. Having your wheels hand built by a skilled craftsman is a wise investment, as good wheels will take you farther for less effort and broken spokes (a popular problem on heavily laden bikes) will be greatly minimised.

Tyre choice on this style of rim is a wide heavy-duty treaded tyre, somewhere between 700×32 and 700×40 in size, often with a puncture resistant belt beneath the tread. Not only does this width give a comfortable ride, but it also absorbs much of the damage rough roads may cause.

If several of you are going together, it’s a good idea to fit inner tubes with the same valve or, better still it may be possible to get an inner tube which may cover most of the tyre sizes in the group.

Braking News

London Hire Scheme operator chosen
Serco has been named as the company that will set up and run London’s new hire scheme. The company, which already runs the Dockland’s Railway and the Woolwich Ferry, has based its operation on the award-winning ‘Bixi’ cycle hire scheme which started in Montreal, Canada, earlier this year.

The scheme starts in the summer next year, and it will see 6,000 bicycles available for hire around London’s Zone 1 travel area.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “…and I am thrilled Serco have decided to saddle up for London. They can’t wait to get cracking on helping us get thousands more Londoners on two wheels and I’m sure that the cycling revolution taking place in the Capital will rapidly become the envy of the world.”

Anti-lock brakes soon?
American inventor Bud Nilsson is looking for partners to take his ‘ABS for Bikes’ device on board. His invention, called the BudBrake, works on cable operated braking systems. As well as offering safer braking in slippery conditions, it also balances the braking forces between front and rear brakes. As such, it will still work effectively even if the rider uses only one brake on its own.

In addition to the safety benefits, it’s also claimed that the system reduces stress on the wheels, the tyres and the braking system itself.

Folding bike shortlisted for the Dyson Award
One of the entries shortlisted for the James Dyson Award (Yes, he is the man who invented the bag-less vacuum cleaner) is the Contortionist, a folding bike that folds down to sit between, and within the circumference, of its 26” wheels.

This bike was designed by Royal College of Art student Dominic Hargreaves, a 24 year-old who comes from Battersea in London.

Despite being some way from a final prototype, it has a number of ingenious features.

Check it out on YouTube: dom’sfoldingbike

And finally
American cyclists must be pleased that they havebike riding Barack Obama as president, his former presidential opponent John McCain does not appear to be a cyclist’s best friend. While Congress decided on an urgent solution to save the disappearing Federal Highway Fund, Senators Tom Cowburn and John McCain derided the amount of money spent on bike trails, river ferries and other similar projects.

Said, Senator McCain: “… Congress is frivolously spending the Highway Trust Fund for pet projects like walkways and bicycle paths, at the expense of our nation’s roads and bridges.”

• Arthur Lamy is the manager of Boudins for Bikes, in Sand Street, and author of Jersey Cycles. He has spent 15 years as a tourist guide and writer, and is also a keen photographer.

• More information can be found on his website: www.arthurlamy.com

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