Arthur's section of the Jersey stand at the show

Last weekend I was on the Jersey stand at the Outdoors Show at ExCel in London’s Docklands.
For me, it was an interesting experience as previously I have always been a show goer.

However with both the Tullet Prebon London Boat Show, and the London Bike Show happening at the same venue, I did take a moment or two to look around the Bike Show.

These days most new bikes and equipment start appearing in the autumn cycle shows, although they generally do not make their way into dealers much before Christmas, at the earliest.

Despite this there were a few things on show that were new. One of these was a new franchise that offered people the opportunity to run their own mobile cycle repair business; the Bicycle Repair Man franchise was launched at the show by business man and keen cyclist Jerry Toher.

Mr Toher saw the opportunity when his wife tried in vain to get her bike repaired, and she was forced to hire a larger car to get it to the bike shop. The first twenty people to take up the franchise are able to buy in at a discount, and it is hoped that eventually the Bicycle Repair Man franchises will extend throughout the country.

The one or two cycle trade contacts that I spoke to at ExCel seemed very happy with the show; they felt that it reached a demographic that didn’t go to bike shows as a rule. Over the four days the shows ran, over 85,000 people passed through the gate, and as one ticket gave entry to the Bike Show, the Boat Show and the Outdoors Show, it meant that there was a huge opportunity for enthusiasts to look at other outdoor pursuits as well as their own.

Here are some clips from the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPSG5qoKAIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrpU15dCfLY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYRqUiuhOeI&NR=1

Sprint Bonuses

It’s still a little cold for all but the keenest hardcore cycling fans, so why not order a copy of Life Cycles a new mountain biking film that launches soon.  It will give you that pre-season impetus in the comfort of your living room. From the short clip that I’ve seen, it has great shots, great music and a rather profound message. The film is touring the United Kingdom and it is possible to request a screening in your area.

Find out more here: http://www.lifecyclesfilm.com/

There probably is a far amount of ‘what damage could I possibly do?’ among cyclists of all ages, when considering insurance cover. I also know a number of riders who consider that leaving the scene as fast as possible is their best form of insurance cover! So take heed of this story if you fall into either of these categories:  Student Gary Morgan was cycling to work when he was involved in a collision with a 4×4. He suffered personal injuries during the accident and when the case went to court, he rashly decided to represent himself, while the driver of the 4X4 hired a barrister. When the dust settled, the Judge ruled that Morgan was in the wrong and he now faces a bill of almost £3,000 to repair the damaged 4X4.

The moral of the story is, you can’t make a getaway if you’re lying injured in the road, and even minor damage to a car is expensive to put right, so join an organisation like the CTC, the London Cycling Campaign, and more recently The Institute of Advanced Motorists, who have lawyers on hand to fight your case. http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4088

The North American Handmade Bike Show is only a month away and though I imagine none of us will be lucky enough to get there, the website and images of what will be on show should be enough to get  most keen pedalistas drooling.

http://www.2011.handmadebicycleshow.com/

Another brick in the wall of ‘We lead the way in Jersey’, comes this week with news that New York Councilman, Eric Ulrich is proposing mandatory bike registration in the city. Ulrich wants New York cyclists to pay a small fee to buy a registration sticker that they would adhere to their bikes. He claims that cyclists ‘scare the hell out of’ senior citizens. If you think that bike registration is a problem, then thank the Lord you don’t live in Portland where Representative Mitch Greenlick is pushing to ban carrying small children on bikes or in child trailers.

Read Bike Snob NYC’s hilarious blog from Tuesday January 18th: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

Going somewhere special and you have a cycling accident, has it happened to you? Well spare a thought for astronaut Tim Kopra who was due to go on the Space Shuttle Discovery at the end of February.  He unfortunately fell off his bike a week or so ago and sustained a broken hip. His place has been taken by astronaut Stephen Bowen.

It looks like last December’s snow has hit retail giant Halford’s bike sales in the run-up to Christmas. Sales figures released recently reported like-for-like sales as being down 16%. Halford’s CEO David Wilds claimed that bad weather and a change in the Bike to Work cycle purchase scheme has depressed sales, but he remained confident for a surge in sales during the spring.

Pedal Peak District, the body that encourages cycling in the Peaks, is hoping to create a bike trail between Bakewell and Buxton using the now disused London to Manchester railway line. Pedal Peak District is planning to reopen four railway tunnels to allow cyclists to do the whole journey uninterrupted. The project is receiving funds from Cycling England and Department of Transport.

http://www.pedalpeakdistrict.co.uk/

And Finally,

My enduring memory of the Outdoors Show has to be seeing well-known television celebrity Ben Fogle being refused entry at the door. It was only when he showed the ticket collector his face on a huge poster beside the entrance that she relented and let him in.

Arthur Lamy is a freelance writer and tourist guide: www.cycleinjersey.com