BBC4 9pm Tonight - Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle

Harrybelafonte

Story of the Bicycle

Documentary on Tom Simpson after:
Death on the Mountain

Followed by another doc on Victorians and the bicycle:

The Bicycle

SubLuminal

ARGH i'm gonna miss it. Can anyone tape these and put them online somehow with magic or cats or magic cats?

victorcarrera

SubLuminal wrote: »

ARGH i'm gonna miss it. Can anyone tape these and put them online somehow with magic or cats or magic cats?

Follow the links given by the OP to see the repeat times and dates.

ednwireland

thanks for this great program would have missed them otherwise

get the bbc to pay for you to go round the world and buy bike bits i hate this guy :cool:

(barry hoban was on claire baldings thing as well )

kennyb3

anyone else compose poetry while on the bike? that guy needs to HTFU and give it some effort

TinyExplosions

Possibly the most un-euro bike ever! Steel frame, carbon fork and bars, brooks saddle!

Also, in the end he had the skewer on the wrong way round (opposite sides for front and rear wheel)

el tel

Really enjoying this have had to pause it as the bloddy pgone won't stop ringing

victorcarrera

I get this message when trying to view the Tom Simpson documentary.
"This content doesnt seem to be working. Try again later"
Anybody know why or got a fix for it.
Or is BBC4 on sky.

DominoDub

Lovin BIKE NIGHT on the Beeb ,,,,no adverts ..bliss

coolbeans

Missed this. Here's one of the bike songs though. Luka Bloom - Acoustic Motorbike. It's about proper bikes though.
here

DominoDub

The cycling continues on BBC 4 tomorrow, Wednesday (July 28), with a screening of the great animated movie, Belleville Rendezvous, set in the fifities it's about a bike mad French youth's adventure in taking part in the Tour de France.

tomc

Excellent nights TV:)

Guybrush T

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Story of the Bicycle

Documentary on Tom Simpson after:
Death on the Mountain

Well Rob Penn is a twunt and a half, I wish the BBC would pay him just to cycle round the world without making programs. The Tom Simpson documentary was great though

Lumen

Guybrush T wrote: »

Well Rob Penn is a twunt and a half

Apparently "Rob’s fairly unique in that he’s a man who’s ridden a bike for most days of his adult life". :rolleyes:

on_the_nickel

Guybrush T wrote: »

Well Rob Penn is a twunt and a half, I wish the BBC would pay him just to cycle round the world without making programs. The Tom Simpson documentary was great though

I agree. The perfect bike doc was a good idea, and it would have been great if he wasn't so annoying. And then Boris Johnson appeared to really put the tin hat on it!

The Simpson documentary was excellent.

coolbeans

Lumen wrote: »

Apparently "Rob’s fairly unique in that he’s a man who’s ridden a bike for most days of his adult life". :rolleyes:

Oh, that makes me unique too. Just like you and you and you and you...we're all unique in this.

Signal_ rabbit

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Possibly the most un-euro bike ever! Steel frame, carbon fork and bars, brooks saddle!

Also, in the end he had the skewer on the wrong way round (opposite sides for front and rear wheel)

I didn't know that, Is there a reason for this? I have both mine on the non-drive side.

RobFowl

Am I in the minority who really enjoyed it and appreciated his enthusiasm for all things bike related.

Also he got the frames sprayed in Swords colours so couldn't be all bad.....

The Death on the mountain was harrowing but fascinating.

The history of the bike one was nice as well.

Mrs Fowl rightly pissed at a full evening of cycling TV so soon after the tour though ,,,,

el tel

Any program which uses one or more Credence Clearwater Revival tracks is ok in my book.

kcphoto

I enjoyed the Rob Penn program also. Great enthusiasm and I thought an interesting look at the various golden ages of the bike, the origins of mountain biking and a general appreciation of hand built/hand finished quality products.
Bad colour selection for the frame though in my eyes - I liked the light blue.

A good nights TV - 4 cycling related programs in a row is rare.

Also saw some of the program the previous night on BBC about 3 guys following Hannibals route (by bike - them, not Hannibal) up the east coast of Spain , over the Pyrenees and into France. Continues next week I think.
Personally , I'd be happier if they just did it as a program about a nice cycle route.
Same for Clare Baldings program. (still can't watch her without wanting to slap her for that comment she made to the jockey).

Harrybelafonte

Did anyone record them in the end?

ROK ON

No pleasing some folk. A very intetesting program, followed by a great documentary.

2,5hours of a spin, in the wind. Love it.
Post spin shower
Post spin pizza and coke.
Boardsie dropped in a new jersey for me
2.5 hours of cycling programs on tv.
Bed - slept like a baby. Bliss.

penexpers

Bah. The Tom Simpson docu isn't available on Iplayer

07Lapierre

penexpers wrote: »

Bah. The Tom Simpson docu isn't available on Iplayer

its repeated tonight i think...late about mid-night or 1am.

Harrybelafonte

07Lapierre wrote: »

its repeated tonight i think...late about mid-night or 1am.

Can you get BBC4 on Sky?

penexpers

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Can you get BBC4 on Sky?

You can.

http://digitalorbit.co.uk/archive1/90/how-to-tune-in-bbc1-bbc2-bbc-three-bbc-four-cbbc-on-sky-digital-ireland

Hermy

Thanks to Harrybelafonte for flagging this.
The Tom Simpson documentary was fascinating. I think I'll go back now and have another go at the William Fotheringham book.
However the programme before it was utterly spoiled by Rob Penn. As well as being very, very annoying he also didn't bother to go into nearly enough detail about his bike build.

TinyExplosions

Signal_ rabbit wrote: »

I didn't know that, Is there a reason for this? I have both mine on the non-drive side.

Just convention, not hard and fast rules!

I quite liked the Rob Penn docu -yes, I would have liked more detail, but then I don't think we're entirely the target audience... I know I was sitting there thinking "you could get that cheaper online than from the Factory mate"

He also didn't mention what seatpost or pedals he was using which was surprising considering he mentioned the headset!

el tel

Thought it was interesting that Campag was it? who mentioned their patents which they want to keep secret. Erm, patents are all in the public domain. Now if they had said they wanted to keep their as-yet unpatented technology secret that would have made much more sense.

downwiththatsor

07Lapierre wrote: »

its repeated tonight i think...late about mid-night or 1am.

Repeat 1.15am (Ride of my life) and 2.15am tommorrow on BBCFour (Death on a Mountain)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074rgb

Harrybelafonte

penexpers wrote: »

You can.

http://digitalorbit.co.uk/archive1/90/how-to-tune-in-bbc1-bbc2-bbc-three-bbc-four-cbbc-on-sky-digital-ireland

Brilliant, thanks man, never knew I could do this.

ednwireland

el tel wrote: »

Thought it was interesting that Campag was it? who mentioned their patents which they want to keep secret. Erm, patents are all in the public domain. Now if they had said they wanted to keep their as-yet unpatented technology secret that would have made much more sense.

they didnt want you to see the oompa loompas that make it

Hermy

TinyExplosions wrote: »

He also didn't mention what seatpost or pedals he was using which was surprising considering he mentioned the headset!

Or what size chain rings/ cassette.:(

pirelli

Hermy wrote: »

Or what size chain rings/ cassette.:(

I knew the end would be a predictable BBC ending; By predictable it was so obvious they would do what BBC always do and just show him cycling away on the bike apart from a few far away glimpses of the bike and thats it.

Despite that, I thought it was briliant especially the wheel Guy and Hippies that invented the mountain bike.Who would have thought that would spark a Bike revolution.

I also hoped they would introduce the road bike as a new form of bike evolution after the mountain bike. Road bikes like TREK have replaced the mountain bike completely and yet they kind of merged them all together.

Lumen

pirelli wrote: »

Road bikes like TREK have replaced the mountain bike completely

ednwireland

pirelli wrote: »

Road bikes like TREK have replaced the mountain bike completely and yet they kind of merged them all together.

TinyExplosions

pirelli wrote: »

Road bikes like TREK have replaced the mountain bike completely and yet they kind of merged them all together.

Harrybelafonte

pirelli wrote: »

Road bikes like TREK have replaced the mountain bike completely and yet they kind of merged them all together.

pirelli

Lumen wrote: »

ednwireland wrote: »

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

There was racers and then there was mountainbikes and now there are Hybrids. People mostly buy hybrids and not racers or mountains bikes as much anymore. Trek road bike 7.1 is a Hybrid in my opinion. Regardless Hybrids have replaced the mountain bike as the most popular form of bike.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_bicycle

Hybrid bikes
In recent years, bicycle designs have trended towards increased specialization, as sales of bicycles to casual cyclists and commuters have grown. For the latter group, the industry responded with the hybrid bicycle, otherwise known as the city bike, cross bike, or commuter.[42] These designs often combine elements of road racing and mountain bikes, using mid-level components. The term is used flexibly, with bikes ranging from fast and light racing-type bicycles with flat bars and other minimal concessions to casual use, to wider-tired bikes designed for primarily for comfort, load-carrying, and increased versatility over a range of different road surfaces.[42]

While historically most bike frames have been steel, recent designs, particularly of high-end racing bikes, have made extensive use of carbon and aluminum frames.

Recent years have also seen a resurgence of interest in balloon tire cruiser bicycles for their low-tech comfort, reliability, and style.

In addition to influences derived from the evolution of American bicycling trends, European, Asian, and African cyclists have also continued to use traditional roadster bicycles, as their rugged design, enclosed chainguards, and dependable hub gearing make them ideal for commuting and utility cycling duty.[42]

DirkVoodoo

pirelli wrote: »

Regardless Hybrids have replaced the mountain bike as the most popular form of bike.

Unless you plan on mountain biking.

I think you are getting confused by bike makers diversifying their product lines to appeal to a wider range of cyclists. There are road racers, mountain bikers, cyclocrossers and casual commuters. They all want bikes and one type of bike won't suit everyone's needs without ridiculous compromises.

The 7.1 FX is a hybrid, lots of luck trying to race on one or compete in any downhill challenges.

pirelli

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Unless you plan on mountain biking.

I think you are getting confused by bike makers diversifying their product lines to appeal to a wider range of cyclists. There are road racers, mountain bikers, cyclocrossers and casual commuters. They all want bikes and one type of bike won't suit everyone's needs without ridiculous compromises.

The 7.1 FX is a hybrid, lots of luck trying to race on one or compete in any downhill challenges.

I appreciate that Dirk but my post was ( at least in a small way ) intended to point out that hybrids are now the most popular and best selling bikes and have surpassed the popularity of mountian bikes and deserve a mention. Then again the bike he built was a hybrid of sorts.

pirelli

Lumen wrote: »

ednwireland wrote: »

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I hope these cycling nuts have accepted I made a fair and valid comment in my post and I expect no more geekish behaviour from these cycling obessed know it alls.

ednwireland

pirelli wrote: »

I hope these cycling nuts have accepted I made a fair and valid comment in my post and I expect no more geekish behaviour from these cycling obessed know it alls.

considering the only sales figures i can find (with a breakdown) are for holland where city bikes are 56% of bike sales, i beg to differ (cant find any sales figures for uk or ireland )
so i have no idea whether hybrid bikes outsell everything else but i suspect it is much more likely to be BSO's outselling everything else but i doubt they categorise them like that

valid point - possibly it may or may not be true without the industry sales figures and trends i dont know

what tiny said

TinyExplosions

pirelli wrote: »

I hope these cycling nuts have accepted I made a fair and valid comment in my post and I expect no more geekish behaviour from these cycling obessed know it alls.

You're on an internet forum and want no geekish behaviour? That's just not gonna happen I'm afraid!

The comment in your original post that warrented the was very confusing -you did however explain it a little better later on (though fair and valid may be stretching it a little!)

pirelli

TinyExplosions wrote: »

You're on an internet forum and want no geekish behaviour? That's just not gonna happen I'm afraid!

An internet forum does not mean people here are neccessarily geeks. It does explain alot though that you would consider it full of geeks.

You can't really say the same for TV so to say the internet forum is for geeks is I would say; an outdated perception. It does derive less credit than say watching a game of football, but I would think the internet has earned more respect and raised the bar compared to watching an episode of Buffy the vampire slayer and angel or deep space nine and possibly star trek.

I had felt the cycling fraternity here at cycling were being a tad silly about my comment because it was an obvious fact.

The comment in your original post that warrented the was very confusing -you did however explain it a little better later on (though fair and valid may be stretching it a little!)[/

If that is the case then I should not call you geeks. My apologies.

pirelli

ednwireland wrote: »

considering the only sales figures i can find (with a breakdown) are for holland where city bikes are 56% of bike sales, i beg to differ (cant find any sales figures for uk or ireland )
so i have no idea whether hybrid bikes outsell everything else but i suspect it is much more likely to be BSO's outselling everything else but i doubt they categorise them like that

valid point - possibly it may or may not be true without the industry sales figures and trends i dont know

what tiny said

I did check sales before i posted a while back. I examined Trek sales and while they have been established for the last 30 years and famous for making race bikes etc.. They were struggling to survive and it was only when they introduced the hybrid that their business really took off.

The explosion in sales was massive and the Hybrid has been a huge source of revenue for bike sales and in particular TREK which has now emerged from a potential bankruptcy to become a company boasting double digit revenues and proifits.

Trek is an excellent example of a laggard that became a market leader and hybrids are without doubt deserving of a mention.

Lumen

Pirelli, I think Lance Armstrong might have a small problem with you crediting Trek's success to the hybrid bicycle.

Diarmuid

pirelli wrote: »

I did check sales before i posted a while back. I examined Trek sales and while they have been established for the last 30 years and famous for making race bikes etc.. They were struggling to survive and it was only when they introduced the hybrid that their business really took off.

The explosion in sales was massive and the Hybrid has been a huge source of revenue for bike sales and in particular TREK which has now emerged from a potential bankruptcy to become a company boasting double digit revenues and proifits.

Trek is an excellent example of a laggard that became a market leader and hybrids are without doubt deserving of a mention.

Did you just make that up?

pirelli

Lumen wrote: »

Pirelli, I think Lance Armstrong might have a small problem with you crediting Trek's success to the hybrid bicycle.

Trek's initial dollar success was with the mountain bike and this faded out and sales slumped. Then came the hybrid which has been hugely successful and sales are now exceeding previous sales.

Lance Armstrong was no doubt an inspiration but we are talking dollar sales based on new trends in the bike market and not just the popularity he brought. Perhaps he helped develop the new hybrid and was consulted on it. I cannot find anything to suggets he did.

Trek made a fortune on mountain bikes. That fizzled out so how does it make it's money now. ( Aside from race bikes )

http://www.answers.com/topic/trek-bicycle-corporation
Trekking into 1997 and Beyond

Indeed, Trek's popularity skyrocketed in the late 1990s due in part to the signing of soon-to-be record breaker Lance Armstrong. Armstrong joined Trek and the U.S. Postal Team in 1997 shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. Two years later, Armstrong became the first American riding an American-made bike to win the Tour de France. The Trek OCLV Carbon 5200 he was riding quickly became one of the fastest-selling bikes in the United States. Armstrong's athleticism would eventually go down in history; he won his seventh consecutive Tour in 2005.

pirelli

:rolleyes:

Diarmuid wrote: »

Did you just make that up?

Did you even read your article it only references up until 1996. ..:D


To finish that article.
They made a fortune on the mountain bike..sales fizzled out and they diversified.. hence the hybrid blockbuster.

TinyExplosions

pirelli wrote: »

An internet forum does not mean people here are neccessarily geeks. It does explain alot though that you would consider it full of geeks.

Now you're trying to put words in my mouth... at no point did I say that this forum was full of geeks, just that you should expect some geekish behaviour. They are two very different things

pirelli wrote: »

If that is the case then I should not call you geeks. My apologies.

In my case it'd be justified I guess, but apology accepted