Orange is the New Bike

At the start of 2016 I took the massive decision to leave the GP practice in South Wigston, where I had worked as a partner for 18 years. I was offered the opportunity to work at Lakeside Surgery in Corby where I could devote more of my time to the teaching of medical students. It was a tough decision, made tougher by the fact that commuting by bike - something I had done regularly for 7 of those 18 years - was going to become nigh on impossible. Early starts, a large practice area and limited time for home visits meant that the 26 miles of travelling to get to work in the morning were going to have to be by car. Less awkward cyclist, more frustrated motorist. Salvation was at hand though, from a seemingly unlikely source.

Fold Comfort

I'd always liked the look of folding bikes. This was partly based on the fact that most owners rarely have a bad word to say about them, but also the ingenuity of their designs appealed to my inner nerd. Living 4 miles from my place of work and with plenty of bike storage when I got there, I couldn't really justify the expense of another niche bike. After the move to Corby was confirmed however the seed was planted. A bit of railway timetable studying and a change to my working arrangements at the University and suddenly I was interested in folding pedals, retractable seatposts and tiny little wheels. A trip to a local bike shop was organised and the chance to test ride a couple of models. First up the Tern Eclipse P18. A great bike, you could almost forget it was a folder. Familiar SRAM gears and 24" wheels led to a smooth ride and I was almost tempted. Unfortunately, those large wheels translated to a pretty bulky object when the all important fold was put to the test. Next up, the Brompton M3L. Now here was an unmistakable folder. Tiny wheels, narrow handlebars, Sturmey Archer gears. All very quirky - within 5 minutes pedalling I was hooked. This is a bike that genuinely puts a smile on your face. Collapse it down and it truly remarkable in its compactness - the simplicity of the folding itself being almost addictive. All that remained was to choose the colour.

Brompton a l'Orange

And so I took delivery of my newest and most eccentric steed. The happiness of that first test-ride has persisted and I still smile every time I take it for a pedal - especially if I catch sight of myself reflected in a shop window. After getting used to its twitchy steering and occasionally clunky gears, I found myself getting quicker and more daring on my short commute to the Medical School. That journey to Corby still needed conquering though. On a sunny afternoon in May, I took the plunge. 

A train to Kettering, with the Brompton on the luggage rack, so far so smooth. A quick dash across the platform, another luggage rack utilised and I arrived in Corby. Bike stored snugly under my desk, a surgery completed and it was time to ride home. 

Avoiding the business of the A426 and the A6, I opted for a cross-country route through the quiet countryside I know well from my road bike forays. This is not a flat route and it was with some trepidation I approached the climbs out of the Welland Valley. I needn't have worried. The lowest of the 3 gears proved to be just low enough as I ground my way up the infamous Goadby and Noseley hills. 

No Strava segments were ever in danger, but the gentle pootle I was committed to turned out to be one the most pleasurable rides of the year. I have the feeling that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. I wonder if I could use it in a cross race?

Cycling in Sydney

I was given chance to speak to Fiona Campbell from Sydney City Council about her plans for the city. I wrote it up for the Guardian Bike Blog.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jun/28/sydney-noncyclists-bikes

The Ultimate Commuter Bike?

The Ultimate Commuter. Not some slightly off-the-wall superhero, but the bike you dream of when struggling to work on a rusty old hack with a squeaky chain and a flat tyre. A quick survey on Facebook and Twitter revealed an imaginative list of specifications for that perfect bike, most of them from the realms of science fiction and many of them designed to inflict pain on inconsiderate motorists. How about a tailwind generator or Boudicca style wheel-spikes to keep Addison Lee minicabs at bay? Fortunately, Mark Meadows of Milk Bikes has taken a more realistic approach to the challenge and with the RDA, might just have cracked it.

For several years, I’ve been commuting on two wheels to my job as a GP. Mountain, hybrid, road, fixed gear and cyclocross bikes have all been pressed into service from time to time and done a reasonable, if not outstanding job. All of them have been found wanting at one time or other – too heavy, too slow, too skittish, no mudguards, no rack. I own what my wife believes to be an excessive number of bikes. As I have explained to her, all of them have a very distinct purpose - from off-roading, through time trialling, to an incredibly niche bike used solely for hill climb races of a certain length and gradient. Despite spending most of my cycling hours commuting, I have never thought to get a bike specifically for that role (apart from a brief flirtation with an incredibly dull hybrid – the less said about that the better). Mark Meadows found many things to upset him about the bikes he rode on his 30 mile commute. With a background in sports equipment design, including an ill-fated attempt to adapt a Toilet Duck bottle as an aerodynamic drinking system for triathlons (!), he decided to use his abilities and contacts in the industry to get the RDA off the ground. Having been brought up on a dairy farm in Zimbabwe, he adopted the name Milk Bikes. RDA stands for “Recommended Daily Allowance” presumably referring to the amount of use the bike should get, rather than its calcium content.

First Impressions

The RDA is a good looking bike. The aircraft grade chromoly tubing is narrower than that seen on most modern frames, giving the bike an elegant air. The finish is excellent with tidy welds, a nice white paint job and subtle decals. Milk bikes provide their own branded alloy seatpost, stem and handlebars. With its compact frame, the bike has the air of a mountain bike about it, particularly when combined with the Velocity deep section rims and disc brakes. It’s the Gates carbon belt drive that will draw the eye of the discerning cyclist however. Looking a bit like a car fan belt, it is completely dry to the touch, with no stretch that I could detect. No chance of getting oil on my trousers with this system, with or without bike clips. Unable to be used with a derailleur, the belt drive is allied to a Shimano Alfine internally geared hub system, with the 8 speed version on my test bike. A dynamo hub in the front wheel for powering the lights, three sets of bottle bosses (one on the underside of the down tube holding a tool kit), full SKS mudguards and a Tubus rack finish the build.

Riding the RDA

As a roadie, I found the riding position to be more upright than I am used to. This gave me better visibility of the road around me (and I suppose made me more visible too) and made for a relaxed ride. My wife couldn’t resist taking it for a spin and found the position to be quite racy compared to her usual hybrid. With no chain slack to take up, pedalling feels very direct – a bit like riding fixed. The thing you notice most though is the silence of the belt drive. The lack of chain rattle or chattering of sprockets can be a bit unnerving until you get used to it. The Alfine gears work smoothly and efficiently, with little or no delay after clicking the thumb shifter. Another bonus of Alfine is the ability to change gears without pedalling – a boon when having to stop suddenly at traffic lights. Speaking of stopping, the hydraulic disc brakes do a brilliant job – something the drivers of Leicester gave me ample opportunity to test. The horrible weather of the last few weeks also made me appreciate the mudguards and overall stability of the ride. The Continental Tour Plus tyres give excellent grip with the bonus of top notch puncture protection. The bike is no lightweight – you won’t be winning any races off the lights – but once you get there, it holds the speed well and feels surprisingly agile on descents and round corners. After several severe soakings in the torrential rain, the belt drive ran wonderfully smoothly, without a hint of a squeak or creak.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my time with the RDA and was sad to see it go. It was great to be able to grab the bike from the garage and not let maintenance worries cross my mind. If you spend a lot of time commuting, need reliability and ease of use more than raw speed and want a well-designed high quality steed, this could be the bike for you. As a roadie I found the 8 speed Alfine did not offer enough gears at the top end and would recommend the lighter weight and broader range of the 11 speed hub. There are a wide range of specifications available including a drop bar version, the most popular being the 11 speed flat bar. At £1450 for a fully assembled 8 speed and £1650 for the 11, the bike falls outside the £1000 limit for the bike-to-work scheme, a fact that may put off some qualifying buyers. The excellent frameset is also available for just £400 and can be combined with a standard chain. It’s the carbon belt drive that really makes this bike though – a whole lot more practical than those Boudicca spikes.

Rating 4.5/5