About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Cycling's Greatest Misadventures - new book

A bit skewed towards events in the US, but it sounds like this might be a 'different' cyclist's holiday read: "Cycling’s Greatest Misadventures" is a collection of true cycling-related stories which range from terrifying to comical with some bizarre events thrown in. The stories are told by bicycle aficionados, journalists, magazine editors, professional racers and everyday cyclists.

A selection of the odd but true stories in the book:

• a former pro cyclist's unusual dating tactics by spreading tacks on women’s race course in an attempt to get a date;
• a stationary bike crash during a spin class;
• bicycle escape from a prison yard (after accidentally (??) cycling in there in the first place);
• the first group Trans-American crossing on iron bikes with wooden rims;
• rat attack after the animal jumps on a woman's bike;
• animal one-upmanship, where a man is knocked from his bike by a flying dead dog.

Not sure whether the tales will make you cringe, laugh or just cause a stunned disbelief.

If you think you have experienced worse freak accidents, animal attacks, sabotage, idiotic decisions, or eerie events, why not submit your own story on the publisher's website for Volume 2!

The book is written by Erich Schweikher and is available online (Barnes&Noble, Amazon) and may be available off-line in bike shops and book shops.

Posted by Caroline

Doctor Specialized

During Specialized’s 2007 equipment launch this week I got the chance to meet Andy Pruitt, the doctor who’s pretty much pioneered Specialized’s Body Geometry programme. He gave dealers one of the most informative talks I’ve ever heard at such events. He spoke about ‘rider comfort’ and a ‘neutral position’ on the bike. It all got quite scientific with the biomechanics of the pedal stroke and using a goniometer to measure the torso angle of a rider, but his overriding point was a simple one: the bike should fit the rider, not the rider fit the bike.

The purpose of his book, The Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists, is to “help riders train injury free, in comfortable and powerful positions, and heal from the inevitable injury faster.” Chris Carmichael writes the foreword, “If you want to ride and want to continue for your whole life, the information in this book is priceless.” I’ve seen what this guy can do first hand and trust me, he’s the cyclist’s friend. I got a freebie but Amazon has his book at £14 here.

Book review of Ellen MacArthur

I'm into my spy/espionage stories, so for paperback thrills I like bit of Frederick Forsyth or Tom Clancy. The SAS boys, Chris Ryan and Andy McNab are pretty good too. To tone down the violence and world-wide destruction I'll go with a bit of law from John Grisham or an autobiography. I got Gordon Ramsay's for my birthday recently but I wanted to finish Ellen MacArthur's Race Against Time first and in between the trick or treaters, I managed to do just that last night.

This girl is simply unbelievable. The book isn't about her in a biographical sense - it's about the race. It's in a diary style (a la blog) and allows you to live with her anxiety, exhaustion and undying motivation every step of the way. By no means is it the most entertaining book you'll read this year, but if you want to see what a human being is capable of when driven by enough passion and motivation then it really does deserve 10/10. A couple of snippets to share :

...wave landed on the boat as hard as if an elephant had been dropped on us... We're in it - gusts over 45 knots, and the sea is pretty damn bad... it's impossible to even change your socks or stand up inside the boat without getting thrown over... My body has been pushed to its absolute limits; once again I found myself screaming at the heavens... I can't sleep, I'm struggling to even push food down I'm so nervous...

You'll see in the book that she refers to herself and her actions as 'we' despite being in a solo race. She's talking about her boat designers, her onshore support team, her sponsors, her fans, her family and friends - she's got real class and is an incredible team player. First rate Ellen, both you and the record.

Specialized bikes and their history

Last weekend my boss asked me to read Specialized Stumpjumper 25 years of Mountain Biking. I admit I wasn’t too keen as I’d rather ride my bike than read about other people riding theirs. Having read the book I’ve changed my opinion.

Being pretty new to the MTB scene and getting told that ‘Specialized is the best company out there’ on all the forums and when I was riding my Hardrock I did start wondering why. This book helped solve that mystery.

It’s a book about the humble beginnings of Mike Sinyard  (a.k.a. Mr S) who went from ‘writing his catalogue on yellow legal paper and coaxing employees to sleep overnight cozyed up to piles of tyres that couldn’t fit into what little storage there was at Specialized world headquarters.’ to ‘struggling to hang on to the tiger’s tail, otherwise known as the Stumpjumper.’

Mr S broke the mould with the Stumpjumper and ran ads like: "IT’S NOT JUST A NEW BIKE, IT’S A NEW SPORT" and for the 1984 (personally one of my favourites) "IF YOU’RE ON A PINK BIKE, YOU BETTER BE FAST." They’d made one of the world’s most respected and well loved bikes out there.

This book shows the evolution from the 1981 Blue tig welded, 15 speed with golf club fork design through the 1994 Specialized S-works FSR and on to the 2006 S-Works FSR Carbon full suspension 27 speed demon that is the king of the market for 2006.

The best thing is this book gives you the history of Specialized AND it gives you the background of MTB, it’s beginnings and the stories of those who made the sport. This is a big must for anyone who rides, and an even bigger must for those who ride Specialized.

Buy the Stumpjumper book here.
Posted by Simon

New lifestyle magazine launched

A complimentary magazine has just landed on my desk and very nice it is too. We know the mag's founders and issue 1 of Beyond925 has been a long and difficult task for them so they must be well pleased to finally make their dream a reality. The 50 pages are eclectic mix of insights into adventure and endurance sports. Their Editor’s Bit reads:

Many of these sports can be very intimidating to the uninitiated, but this mag will act as gateway into the things that you have always wanted to try.

Tredz will be despatching complimentary copies with all orders but you can also get your hands on a FREE copy by sending a self addressed envelope (C5 or larger) to:

Tredz (nice guys)
Kingsway
Swansea West Ind. Est.
SWANSEA
SA5 4DL

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