Richard's 21st Century Bicycl e 'The best guide to bikes and cycling ever Book published' Bike Events RICHARD BALLANTINE This book is dedicated to Samuel Joseph Melville, hero. First published 1975 by Pan Books This revised and updated edition first published 2000 by Pan Books an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Ltd 25 Eccleston Place, London SW1W 9NF Basingstoke and Oxford Associated companies throughout the world www.macmillan.com ISBN 0 330 37717 5 Copyright © Richard Ballantine 1975, 1989, 2000 The right of Richard Ballantine to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. • All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. • Printed and bound in Great Britain by The Bath Press Ltd, Bath This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall nor, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Front cover: Carbon Windcheetah tricycle by Advanced Vehicle Design, Altrincham, equipped with Mavic Mektronic electronic gears. Rider: Katharyn Ballantine; clothes and accessories by kind courtsey of Condor Cycles, London. Back cover: Windcheetah Carbon Cantilever bicycle by Mike Burrows. CONTENTS Introduction • vii 1. Get a Bike! • 1 2. What is a Bike? • 9 3. The Kinds of Cycles • 25 4. What is a Good Bicycle? • 41 5. Zzzwwaaaammo! • 93 6. Special Bikes and Trikes • 123 7. Some Advice on Selecting a Bike • 139 8. Buying a Bike • 145 9. Accessories • 165 10. Fitting and Gearing • 195 11. Riding Basics • 211 12. Traffic: Fast is Safe • 221 13. Urban Commuting • 243 14. Cargo Cycles and Trailers • 249 15. Mountain Biking! • 253 16. Country Roads and Trails • 267 17. Riding for Fitness • 295 18. Competition • 299 19. Veteran and Classic • 309 20. Working in Cycling • 311 21. Bike Care • 323 22. Done! • 357 Index • 360 vi Contents INTRODUCTION Dear Reader, The 10-speed was often crude, but it showed what was possible and thereby set in motion This book was first published in 1972, when adult a true and lasting renaissance of the bike. In a bikes were just of two kinds: roadsters with hub common pattern, many owners upgraded to better gears, much the same as they had been since machines with quality frames and alloy compo- the 1930s, and sport bikes with derailleur gears. nents. A new bike culture arose, flowering with Although a few quality lightweight racing and colourful new cycling magazines and books by the touring bikes were produced by specialist builders score, and bike technology rapidly became more and small firms, the majority of sport bikes in the advanced and sophisticated. By the start of the shops were mass-produced. Popularly known as a 1980s, new metals and materials suitable for mass ' 10-speed', and typically built in a road racing pat- production of true lightweight bikes became avail- tern with downswept handlebars, narrow saddle, able, and firms run by people for whom cycling and high, closely-spaced gear ratios, this type of was a genuine and important life-style activity machine formed the leading edge of a massive, began producing quality bikes at affordable prices. incandescent boom in bikes throughout the 1970s And then, with the seminal advent of the moun- that swelled to see, in one year alone, sales of tain hike, came an explosion of fresh designs and nearly 20 million bikes in Britain and America. energy that is still growing in magnitude. However, while the 10-speed may have looked We are now spoilt for choice, for the new like a racing machine, the limitations of the steels firmament glitters with bikes and components of that could then be used in mass production meant every description. In addition to lightweight road that low-price sport hikes had heavy frames. Basic and track racing bikes, there are mountain bikes models had the further burden of steel rather than of every type, from dual-suspension downhill alloy components. New owners out on Sunday screamers to cross-country racers and tourers; tidy. rides to celebrate the joys of cycling earned aching well-equipped town and city bikes expressly made muscles from trying to push heavy bikes with over- for commuting; load-carrying bikes for grocery size gears, and if they were luckless enough to be shopping, running children to and from school, on steel wheels in wet conditions, suffered from and local deliveries; touring bikes ranging from heart convulsions caused by terrifyingly ineffective lightweight models for fast day rides to heavy-duty brakes. After a few such experiences, many 'boom' models for extended trans-continental and world bikes were put aside and forgotten; they linger expeditions; folding bikes and other specialized still by the millions and millions in basements, designs for specific applications and situations; stairwells, sheds and garages, quietly gathering and sleek recumbent machines with awesome dust and visited only by spiders. performance and unparalleled comfort and safety. Today is as golden an age of cycling as has ever As ever, today, and tomorrow, I guarantee: get a been. Never before has there been so much choice, bike, any bike, start going with the thing and using nor better quality, nor better value! The questions it as it suits you, and it will get better and better are no longer 'Should I have a hike?' and then 'How and better. do I make sure 1 get a good bike?' but rather, `How many hikes?' and 'What kinds'?' Bikes are so Richard Balla ntine wonderful, so much fun, so useful, it makes per- London. fect sense to have several. January 2000 Joy at such abundance, happiness at the prospect of all the new and even better machines to come - but remember, too, that bikes have a past as well as a future. Modern lightweight bikes Measurements used in this book equipped with the latest components are a treat almost without comparison, but still, even a heavy Please be advised, there is no single system of old 10-speed, or a rust-encrusted roadster dredged measurements for bicycles. Rather than burden out of a canal and restored with liberal applica- the text with conversions, as in '24-inch (60.96 cm) tions of elbow grease and lubricants, can be useful mountain bike handlebars and 105cm (41/8-inch ) and completely endearing machines. Bikes have a stem', I've simply followed common usage, lot of range, all of them work to one degree or trusting that like me, you are familiar with both another, and thus speak very well for themselves. systems. viii Introduction 1. GET A BIKE! Bicycle as ideal personal vehicle • Biological and biochemical efficiency • Quickness as transport • Advantages to personal health, happiness, and wealth, and to society, the economy, and the environment Motion and freedom are synonymous. As kids, EFFICIENCY we play with toy bikes and cars, boats and ships, aeroplanes and rockets, and dream of flight and liberation. Our toys somehow represent a means Most of life's daily journeys are short: half are to break the restrictions of everyday life and have under 2 miles, three-fourths are under 5 miles, and our fantasies come true – and it happens! As we age little more than an eighth are over 10 miles. and grow, our play becomes real: we race across For journey distances up to 6 miles, a bike is the land, sail the ocean and air, and even journey the quickest thing going. It's a matter of space. into space. Alone among the creatures of Earth, In urban areas traffic congestion is now the rule humans are transport engineers, designers, and rather than the exception. There are more cars builders of devices and machines that enhance on the roads than ever before, reducing room in or even completely transform our ability to get which to move and slowing the speed of traffic to around. And yet, of all the incredible means of a crawl. At peak travel times in cities, cars average accelerated motion and transport that we have 8 to 12 mph as against 10 to 15 mph for bikes. ever devised, from simple wood boards or piecrs of Cars and buses go fast at times, but owing to their metal attached to the feet, to immense, awesomely size and lack of manoeuvrability are often at a powerful machines comprised of literally millions standstill. Bikes are quicker because they are able of parts, there is still nothing to beat the bicycle. It to wiggle through traffic and keep on moving. is the most efficient means of transport on Earth, Moreover, bikes go straight door to door. Use and in many cases, public transport, and you've got to walk to the the quickest. local stop or station, wait for your bus or train to show up (good luck), travel (possibly in segments, with more waiting time at each stage), and then walk to your destination. Use a car, Lind you've got to walk to where it is parked, travel, and then find a parking space – an increasingly difficult task that usually involves another walk.