Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 21 i Urban Cyclist

I’VE BEEN FRAMEBUILDING for around three-and-a-half years. Before that, I worked as a sculptor creating large-scale pieces of art for public display. I also trained as a jeweller and silversmith. I enjoyed the practical side of things but, well, the art world frustrated me. You’d spend a great deal of time talking about your work and justifying it. To me the whole point of art is that it speaks for itself. I BRAINSTORMED WITH FRIENDS what I should do next. I enjoyed problem solving, making things and working with metal. At the time, I was cycling more and more, and became involved with the London Bike Kitchen. It’s a DIY workspace where they teach you how to fix your bike. I then attended the Vulpine summer fair and it was…

HOW WE TEST Our testing is based on this principle – we're honest and we give you the same advice as we'd give our best mate so that you can make a well-informed choice. We use a 0-10 scoring system, taking price into account, and we mark fairly but firmly. Scores of 10 are reserved for flawless leaders; 7 is a good mark and you'll like your purchase; 5 is okay but you could do better; below that it's a question of do you walk or run away. RIDING TYPE ICONS Cruising Products suited to steady riding, performance isn't a design consideration All-round Kit with broad talents that can do fast and slow riding without compromise Racing Performance focused kit that wilfully compromises urban usability AWARDS…

<RX · UH›D›'UDJRQ›FDOOLQJ›WKH›VKRWV›LQ›WKH›ZRUOG · V›ODUJHVW›'HQ›› (PSRZHUHG›RQO\›E\›DFFHVV›WR›:L›)L›DQG›\RXU›FUHGLW›FDUG››\RX› FDQ›VHQG›D›SLSHGUHDP›VWDUW›XS›LQWR›IXOO›RQ›IDFWRU\›SURGXFWLRQ›› RU›HOVH›VLQN›D›PHWLFXORXVO\›SODQQHG›EXVLQHVV›SLWFK›LQ›VHFRQGV›› 6R«›DUH›\RX›LQ" Welcome to the world of crowdfunding, the internet-engineered investment phenomenon that’s fuelling a cycling revolution. Regular readers will note the ‘New Gear’ section of Urban Cyclist frequently features bikes, accessories and cycling gadgets that are either seeking crowdfunding or has only seen the light of day because of cash that’s been pledged and sourced via this virtual, viral sponsorship form. “Cyclists have embraced crowdfunding as it’s innovative and appeals to a sense of community,” says Luca Amaduzzi, co-founder of London brand CYCL (www.cycl.bike) and creator of WingLights. Amaduzzi’s not being hyperbolic – crowdfunding has democratised the way people raise funds, while allowing entrepreneurs to keep control of their business. )XQGLQJ›RSWLRQV It’s enabled start-up innovators to garner valuable market insight, to test…

Brooks is arguably the most iconic British brand in cycling, albeit since 2002 they’ve operated beneath the Selle Royal umbrella, who purchased Brooks from Pashley and saved them from bankruptcy. Thankfully for traditionalists and British manufacturing alike, the Italian saddle behemoths recognised that what separated Brooks from their competitors lay in their heritage, the quality of workmanship and, of course, those highly individualised spring saddles, so continued the research, design and production of Brooks saddles in Birmingham – the place where they’ve grown, expanded, struggled and inspired since 1866. To celebrate their upbringing, Brooks attracted the world’s finest writers, photographers and illustrators to create The Brooks Compendium of Cycling Culture. It’s a magnificent tome, filled with unbelievable stories of inventors, cycling and art. Here, Urban Cyclist servesupatrioofshort stories from a…

We love bikes that have been as well thought out as the Genesis Skyline. It’s a bike that’s clearly borne from a group of designers getting fed up of their bums becoming saturated in the rain, suffering sore necks from long stems and drop bars, and riding sketchily on skinny tyres over bad road surfaces. As it’s a commuting thoroughbred, let’s talk thieves – more specifically the Skyline’s ability to deter them. The black aluminium frame and fork is understated and so blends effortlessly into bike racks at work or the local station, and nothing about it shouts ‘steal me’. That said, it might be a good idea to swap the QR levers to something more secure if you’re locking it up outside. While this isn’t going to win you…

Your choice of bike for the ride to work will depend on your own tastes, the distance, terrain and varying surfaces you’ll encounter on the journey. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the best bike for cycle commuting is often the one you enjoy riding the most. For longer tarmac commutes, experienced riders tend to prefer drop-bar bikes of one sort or another for their extra turn of speed. However, many people find that the best bike for cycle commuting features a more upright position, which you get with a flat-bar road bike, fitted with slick tyres for smooth surfaces. If your ride takes in some trails or unsurfaced paths, then the fatter, grippier tyres of a mountain bike will help with traction. They can be overkill for many…

Kickstarter Leading crowdsourcing site that’s raised hundreds of millions for business start-ups but not charities or awareness campaigns. Backers can receive ‘Backer Rewards’ if the funding goal is reached. It charges 5% fee for every successful project. Indiegogo You can kick-start any project including donations for charities. It offers rewards too (called Perks) and a funding plan called ‘Flexible Funding‘, in which you could receive the fund even if the project has failed to reach the funding goal – but you pay a higher fee for that. Seedrs London-based platform for equity crowdfunding (the first to gain Financial Conduct Authority approval), it focuses on seed-stage businesses with investments starting at £10. CrowdCube “We’re looking to grow the business and use the CrowdCube platform for a number of reasons,” explains Temple…

BOBBIN NOODLE £380.00 As expected for a bike of such frugality, the Noodle is constructed from high-tensile steel. It’s the heaviest steel used in bike frames, ensuring the Noodle is a weighty but bargain beast that, once up to speed, trundles along nicely. www.bobbinbikes.com FIXATION WEMBLEY £325.00 The Wembley is a great-looking bike, outfitted with polished alloy parts and black alloy wheels, and topped off with brown grips and saddle. The riser bar gives a relaxed position, easy control and a confident view over most traffic. www.fixation-london.co.uk FUJI FEATHER £399.00 The Feather sits in Fuji’s urban range, coming in at a very reasonable £399 for the steel-framed singlespeed or fixed-gear city bike. For the relatively low price tag, you get a lovely, classic-looking bike, which is comfy yet nippy. www.evanscycles.com…

“I RACED UP HERE ONCE,” says fixed-gear star Juliet Elliott of Park Street, Bristol, the 200m 10% ascent whose finish line is the neo-Gothic Wills Memorial Building. “It’s nice, Bristol. If I was to live somewhere less remote, I’d like to live here.” Elliott races everywhere. She’s a part-time athlete with a full-time race calendar, who also blogs, runs her own website, is a mountain-biking coach, writes and represents numerous high-profile brands. Derbyshire-born Elliott’s in town for our Urban shoot and to talk about her ambitions for 2017 – a year in which she’ll head to Brooklyn (29 April), London (22 July), Barcelona (2 September) and Milan (14 October) for all four rounds of the fast, furious and fixed Red Hook series, in search of top-10 overall in the series…

Contact your investors Many will email messages of support to you, others will just send money, all will provide their contact details. I found it helps to acknowledge their help. Thank them! Nick Hussey, Vulpine Polish your pitch Question everything about your presentation and don’t be afraid to ask others to scrutinize your idea thoroughly and make it as watertight as possible. People won’t invest if they don’t feel you’ve done your homework. Luca Amaduzzi, CYCL WingLights Do your research There are many platforms, so do your research and go with one that suits you and your campaign best. Joel Hughes, indiegogo.com Offer perks Entrepreneurs should consider having a variety of perks to suit every wallet to ensure that they cater to a range of potential backers. We’ve…

You’d be forgiven for not knowing The Light Blue bike brand. They were established in 1895 and have been under the continuous ownership of the Townsend family ever since. Historically the brand was associated with performance bikes, but over the last decade or so the brand has concentrated on producing the Parkside and Chesterton city bikes, which have proved hugely popular among the students in Light Blue’s home city of Cambridge. However, a chance meeting in an airport departure lounge between Light Blue MD Lloyd Townsend and Keith Noronha, MD of Reynolds in Birmingham, hatched a plan for the two companies to work together on relaunching The Light Blue back into racing machines. The first bike out of the partnership was the single-speed Trinity built from double-butted 531 Reynolds tubing.…

Make a day of it by taking advantage of the street food, craft beer and artisan coffee on offer, listening to the live DJ sets or taking a seat in front of the Giro d’Italia on the big screen. Spin Cycling Festival is now in its fifth year, having started life in a basement in Shoreditch back in 2013. Since then, Spin has grown from a small cycling event to one which now houses over 100 of the most forward-thinking cycling brands, and has expanded to fill its new home for 2017 of the iconic Olympia London. Whether you’re a road cyclist, weekend warrior, super commuter, fixie fanatic, art-lover or coffee aficionado, join us here at Urban Cyclist and enjoy an event jam-packed with over 150 of the best cycling…