Jack talks with founding father of the mountain bike Gary Fisher about his life in cycling, the subject of his new book “Being Gary Fisher”, published by Blue Train Publishing. After talking with Gary, Jack chats with Guy Andrews and … Continue reading →

The post No Cops, No Cars, No Concrete: Gary Fisher’s Life on Two Wheels first appeared on The Bike Show.

Bike technology is changing at a dizzying pace. There’s a bike for everything, from road racing and time trialling to gravel grinding and bikepacking to heavyweight touring and every shade of mountain biking. And that’s not to mention electric assist … Continue reading →

The post Are Modern Bikes Rubbish? first appeared on The Bike Show.

Find out what happens when The Bike Show collides with its hipper and funnier younger sister the Wheelsuckers podcast, presented by Alex Davis from Look Mum No Hands! and Jenni Gwiazdowski from London Bike Kitchen. And hear frame-builder and cycle … Continue reading →

The post When Podcasts Collide first appeared on The Bike Show.

In this week’s show, Jack attempts to feign interest in the European track cycling championships and Jen gets her geography all confused. Patrick Field saves the day with an inspirational talk at the Intelligence Squared cycling festival (view more here). … Continue reading →

The post Team GB rules the track and Patrick Field tells it like it is first appeared on The Bike Show.

Following on from last week’s documentary feature by Kieron Yates is a studio discussion of Paris-Brest-Paris, the world’s most venerable long distance bicycle race. In the studio are PBP veterans Judith Swallow and Dave Minter, and PBP debutant Pete Kelsey. … Continue reading →

The post Paris-Brest-Paris: part two first appeared on The Bike Show.

The 1200km Paris-Brest et retour was first raced in 1891 and is the oldest bicycle race still in existence, currently held as a brevet de randonneur every four years. Kieron Yates shares the agony and ecstasy of his second outing … Continue reading →

The post Paris-Brest-Paris: part one first appeared on The Bike Show.

Jen meets Tim Jacques, one of the film-makers at this year’s Bicycle Film Festival, whose film “Peace and Lovely Tailoring” combines Rastafari, cycling and tweed clothing – a surefire winner here at The Bike Show. And we hear from Patrick … Continue reading →

The post Jah Tweed first appeared on The Bike Show.

As Mark Cavendish wins the world championship road race for Britain for the first time since 1965, we’re back in the saddle for a new season. On this week’s show, a trip back in time. Blue Door Bicycles is a … Continue reading →

The post Season opener: Time Travelling first appeared on The Bike Show.

The ‘Battle for Blackfriars’ has united London cyclists and pedestrians in opposition to plans by the Mayor of London for an ‘urban motorway’ on a London bridge that is heavily used by cyclists yet has seen two fatalities in the … Continue reading →

The post Blackfriars and Beyond first appeared on The Bike Show.

Looking back at the this year’s thrilling Tour de France are Lionel Birnie of Cycle Sport magazine and Alex Murray, London cyclist, amateur road racer and blogger at chasingwheels.com. Image by Neil Stevens, part of a series of illustrations for … Continue reading →

The post The 2011 Tour de France: a modern classic? first appeared on The Bike Show.

From here: …to here: The 2011 edition of the Dunwich Dynamo, the cult mass participation night ride from London to the Suffolk Coast, as experienced by listeners of The Bike Show. Thanks to everyone who recorded their audio snippets. Put … Continue reading →

The post Dunwich Dynamo Redux first appeared on The Bike Show.

In its 19th edition this year, the Dunwich Dynamo is London’s greatest mass participation ride – bar none. In the studio are Patrick Field, who first conceived the ride and two London cyclists planning to do just a little bit … Continue reading →

The post All Night, All Right: Dunwich Dynamo 2011 Preview first appeared on The Bike Show.

Each year on the roads of this country upwards of 2,000 people are killed and many tens of thousands more are injured in road crashes. The perception of danger is one of the most common reasons people have for not … Continue reading →

The post Road Danger Reduction with Dr Robert Davis first appeared on The Bike Show.

The return of The Bike Show sees Jack chewing the fat with Max Leonard, author of Higher Calling: Road Cycling’s Obsession with the Mountains. They talk a lot about climbing, about the evolution of cycling towards exploring and traveling to new places, about cycling in France, and about Max’s Kickstarter project to republish a long-lost cycling guide to the off-road paths and gravel tracks of the Alps. Continue reading →

The post Higher, Faster, Rougher, Wilder with Max Leonard first appeared on The Bike Show.

On a Midsummer’s Night Dixe Wills, travel writer and author of a new book on Britain’s tiny campsites, guides us on a ride from central London up the Lea Valley to a wild camping spot for a ‘sub twenty four … Continue reading →

The post A Midsummer Misadventure with Dixe Wills (and a podcast bonus) first appeared on The Bike Show.

In the studio is Bike Show regular ‘Buffalo’ Bill Chidley, who brings news of London’s burgeoning bicycle polo scene (note imminent rebranding as ‘urban bike hammer ball’). The London Open 2011 is on 30-31st July. Steve Evans, a bicycling paramedic … Continue reading →

The post Keep the Red Stuff In first appeared on The Bike Show.

Community bike workshops are a beautiful idea. A place where anyone can learn the basics of bicycle repair by doing it for themselves with the help of volunteer mechanics – and have access to specialist bicycle tools. A stone’s throw … Continue reading →

The post Fix Your Own Bike first appeared on The Bike Show.

David Millar, the British road racer, one of the best riders in his generation, had it all. His first day of racing in the Tour De France brought him an impressive stage victory over Lance Armstrong and he was instantly … Continue reading →

The post The Millar’s Tale first appeared on The Bike Show.

Cyclist, journalist and author Rob Penn travelled the world to put together his perfect bicycle. We talk about how his journey of discovery sheds light on the history of the bicycle and the contribution of bicycle technology to modern life. … Continue reading →

The post Rob Penn on Looking for the Perfect Bike first appeared on The Bike Show.

Jenny Jones is a member of the London Assembly and is standing as the Green Party’s candidate in the 2012 London Mayoral elections. We ride from her home in Walworth/Peckham borders to City Hall and discuss cycling, liveable cities and … Continue reading →

The post A Green Mayor? On the Campaign Trail with Jenny Jones first appeared on The Bike Show.

The final show of the winter season is a pleasurable romp through some of the best bits of the last three years of bicycle broadcasting. Featuring, in no particular order: Alistair Humphreys, Mark Miodownik, Cynthia Barlow, Klaus Bondam, Daniel Start, … Continue reading →

The post End of Season: The Best Bits, 2008-2010 first appeared on The Bike Show.

Kieron Yates‘s documentary feature on the countryside huts of the 32nd Association of North London cycle clubs sparks a discussion on the demise of the traditional cycling club and the possibilities for renaissance. With Nigel Wood, Chairman of the Dulwich … Continue reading →

The post Up the ‘Uts: The Slow Death (and Rebirth?) of the British Cycling Club first appeared on The Bike Show.

Mark Ames writes ibikelondon, one of the best of London’s blossoming bike blogs. We discuss the city planning ideas of Jan Gehl, the intellectual godfather of Copenhagenization. We hear what British Cabinet minister Eric Pickles MP has to say about … Continue reading →

The post Bike Blogging with Mark Ames of ibikelondon / Jan Gehl / Eric Pickles MP first appeared on The Bike Show.

The messenger bag is one of the defining elements of the “new urban bike culture” and Bart Kyzar has been making bombproof bags for bicyclists since the mid-1990s, first with Chrome and now with Mission Workshop, based in San Francisco. … Continue reading →

The post Bart Kyzar: Man on a Mission first appeared on The Bike Show.

Peter Walker is a political reporter at the Guardian newspaper. He set up the Guardian's bike blog and his new book puts the case for a healthier, safer and more people-friendly nation. In short, a Bike Nation. In conversation with Jack Thurston, Peter talks about his past life as bike messenger, how his views on cycling have evolved and why he believes now is a critical tipping point in Britain's long and chequered history of cycling. Continue reading →

The post Can Cycling Save the World? with The Guardian’s Peter Walker first appeared on The Bike Show.

In the last show before Christmas, Jacqui Shannon reports on new opportunities for paid bike mechanic apprenticeships and Matt Sparkes files a report from Italy on L’Eroica, the annual vintage cyclosportive (pictured, left). Civic hackers Greg Whalin and Richard Pope … Continue reading →

The post A Christmas Stocking: Apprenticeships, L’Eroica and MyBikeLane.com first appeared on The Bike Show.

Studio discussion of four great lives in cycling: Kuklos, the prolific journalist who documented British cycling scene in the first half of the twentieth century; Brian Robinson (pictured, above), the first Brit to win stages in the Tour de France; … Continue reading →

The post Four Great Lives in Cycling: Kuklos, Robinson, Mustoe, Fignon first appeared on The Bike Show.

Window shopping at the Cycle Show 2010 taking in the latest offerings from Brooks (saddles), Bisignals (lights), Bike Dock (storage), Carradice (bags), Schmidt Maschinenbau (dynamo lights) and the Moulton Bicycle Company. Matt Sparkes reports from the once-a-decade Knutsford Great Race, … Continue reading →

The post Season opener: Knutsford Great Race and all the fun of the Cycle Show 2010 first appeared on The Bike Show.

Ron Cooper is a legend in frame-building. He started as a fifteen-year-old apprentice with A.S. Gillott, and his frames have come to define the very best of the British lightweight style. He talks about the early days learning from master … Continue reading →

The post Ron Cooper on Ron Cooper first appeared on The Bike Show.

Lionel Birnie of Cycling Weekly shares his best moments of this year’s sensational Tour De France. Plus we look ahead to Bicycle Thieves, which combines theatre and BMXing on the streets of London, as part of the InTransit festival. Book … Continue reading →

The post Looking back at Le Tour and ahead to ‘Bicycle Thieves’ first appeared on The Bike Show.

An extended, hour long edition of the show featuring French writer, poet, cyclist and cultural ambassador Paul Fournel (pictured). We stroll from the French House in Soho to the Rapha Cycle Club in Clerkenwell, to visit an exhibition of a … Continue reading →

The post Talking Le Tour with Paul Fournel first appeared on The Bike Show.

Tim Dawson joins artist Gavin Turk on the first of two rides in the East Anglian countryside. Plus a detailed look at the Mayor of London’s new cycle hire bikes, with Transport for London’s Gary McGowan, technical adviser to the … Continue reading →

The post Gavin Turk’s ‘Les Bikes du Bois Rond’ first appeared on The Bike Show.

As part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture, Stephen Bayley leads a ride around the best of French architecture, art and design to be found on the streets of London. Stephen Bayley is the Observer’s architecture and design critic, … Continue reading →

The post Un Tour de France de Londres with Stephen Bayley first appeared on The Bike Show.

It’s time to blow out the candles on The Bike Show’s great big carbo-loaded birthday cake. 6 years old! To mark the occasion this week’s show features some of the more memorable moments from the first three years of experimental … Continue reading →

The post Now We Are Six (part one) first appeared on The Bike Show.

Sustrans is the sustainable transportation charity and lobby group that pioneered the national cycle network. It is also one of the UK’s biggest commissioners of public art. Today’s show is devoted to one of Sustrans’s new Prospectives series, a handful … Continue reading →

The post A Journey Into Tranquility first appeared on The Bike Show.

This year marks 200 years since Karl Drais invented a two wheeled 'running machine'. Since then all sorts of people have ridden all sorts of bicycles for all sorts of reasons. Looking back at two centuries of cycling and cyclists is Dr Michael Hutchinson, former professional bike racer and author of several books about cycling. His latest is "Re:Cyclists - 200 years on two wheels" is an engaging and affectionate look back at the cyclists of the past two hundred years and has just been published by Bloomsbury.
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The post 200 Years of Cycling first appeared on The Bike Show.

This week, a guest production by Stuart Watt. Life’s race from childhood to old age, as told by those who live it on two wheels. Original music by Chris Annetts. If you’d like to contribute material to The Bike Show, … Continue reading →

The post A Life On Two Wheels first appeared on The Bike Show.

As the Giro d’Italia enters its third week, we discuss Italy’s great stage race with Lionel Birnie of Cycling Weekly, in an experimental live broadcast from Look Mum No Hands, London’s newest and best cycle-cafe. Sam Humpheson shows us around … Continue reading →

The post Giro d’Italia at Look Mum No Hands first appeared on The Bike Show.

A long, hard look at the Mayor of London’s plans for 12 cycle superhighways – bike routes from the outer boroughs along London’s main arterial roads. With Kulveer Ranger, Boris Johnson’s top transport adviser, Rob Ainsley of the Real Cycling … Continue reading →

The post Cycle Superhighways – Waste of Paint or Copenhagenization? first appeared on The Bike Show.

Can London ever be as good a cycling city as Berlin? Helen Pidd of the Guardian and Matt Tempest give their views. Artist Mila Lipowicz talks about East London Local(Eyes): an interactive video installation that recreates the feeling of riding … Continue reading →

The post Season opener: Berlin, bikes & public art, Dunwich Dynamo first appeared on The Bike Show.

In an off-season podcast-only extended episode, Lionel Birnie of Cycling Weekly joins me to talk about the year ahead in professional road racing. We talk about the season-openers in the Gulf, the Monuments and Cobbled Classics and of course the … Continue reading →

The post The Racing Year with Lionel Birnie first appeared on The Bike Show.

David Kitchen, aka Velocio, set up the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed Forum almost three years ago. In a short time it has spawned an active and inventive cycling community and in the process the forum has grown to … Continue reading →

The post Do It Yourself first appeared on The Bike Show.

Following on from last week’s show on well-being, we look at the importance of getting a good fit between rider and machine. Scherritt Knoesen of The Bike Whisperer, is a leading London-based bike fitter. We talk geometry, contact points and … Continue reading →

The post If the bike fits… first appeared on The Bike Show.

January is the perfect month to take a closer look at how to stay feeling good on the bike. In the studio to share their expertise are Michael Crebbin, a sports physio specialising in cycling-related problems, and Rebecca Bogue who … Continue reading →

The post Well-being first appeared on The Bike Show.

It’s the tenth day of Christmas and this week’s show is like a Christmas stocking with bulges in all the right places. Dr Steve Fabes is about to set off on a four and a half year cycle ride around … Continue reading →

The post Jumble Jumble first appeared on The Bike Show.

Should cyclists stop at red lights? Why do we feel such a strong urge to keep rolling? Should our behavior be guided by the law of the land or the laws of common courtesy? What would Isaac Newton and Thomas … Continue reading →

The post Red light means go (or does it?) first appeared on The Bike Show.

The Indian Pacific Wheel Race is a gruelling 5,500 km coast-to-coast bicycle race across Australia. The race features the two leading long distance bike racers in the world as well as dozens of other cyclists determined to push themselves to the very limits of physical and mental endurance. Jack is joined by Australian cycling journalist Craig Fry and long distance cycling expert Chris White to discuss what it takes to win the race, or even to get to the finishing line in Sydney, plus the long history of overlanding in Australia and the possibilities of making the journey in a more leisurely cycle touring style. Continue reading →

The post The Indian Pacific Wheel Race: Overlanders of the 21st Century first appeared on The Bike Show.

Tim Dawson, cycling columnist for the Sunday Times, runs the Cycling Books website, the most compendious review website for cycling books. He joins me in the studio to discuss the literature of cycling, from Tour de France to cycle touring. … Continue reading →

The post Reading and riding: Christmas books special first appeared on The Bike Show.

The cycle camping tour continues into the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, through Vermont and into Massachusetts. Struggles with thunderstorms and flying insects and a visit to the Crane paper mill where US dollar bills are made. Picture above … Continue reading →

The post Montreal-New York City by bicycle (part two) first appeared on The Bike Show.

The first of two features on a north American cycle tour undertaken over the summer. Starting in cycle-friendly Montreal and Quebec’s routes vertes and camping on the shores of Lake Champlain, this episode ends with a mildly disturbing encounter with … Continue reading →

The post Montreal-New York City by bicycle (part one) first appeared on The Bike Show.