While Bicycle Victoria still claims "more people cycling more often" as its motto (although in much smaller letters these days), Harry is prepared to bang-on about the tired old upright vs recumbent debate in a public forum:
But Bicycle Victoria chief executive Harry Barber said recumbents were too wide and too hard to pedal uphill for the typical commuter.
Too wide for what, exactly? A recumbent bicycle is no wider than an upright and a tadpole recumbent tricycle is probably about half as wide again, but what it is too wide for remains a mystery.
I doubt that Harry's ever tried to ride a 'bent uphill. Perhaps he hasn't heard of this amazing invention called the derailleur gear, which has this remarkable ability to make a pedal vehicle easier to propel up hills.
"I think that the 1880s safety bicycle, which we're still riding today, 125 years later, is a pretty tried and tested design," he said.
Ummm, Harry, are you aware that "Recumbent designs of both prone and supine varieties can be traced back to the earliest days of the bicycle"? It would seem that the design of recumbents has been pretty well tried and tested too.
But recumbents were great for quiet country roads, and for people with back or balance problems, he said.
I don't think it's a newsflash that uprights go pretty well on quiet country roads too. Oh yeah, and by the look of him Jeff Nielsen has no problems with his back or balance.
Why not celebrate this guy's achievement? Why not acknowledge that if Tri-Sled's sales are growing, then a growing number of people might just consider a 'bent to be a suitable commuter vehicle? Why publicly denigrate and drag down part of his own constituency? Why, Harry? Why?
And it gets that little bit more absurd: I note that BV's own magazine published positive reviews of a recumbent trike and a recumbent bike—as commuting vehicles—in the current issue. Something of a mixed message there?
If Harry is not prepared to advocate for all cyclists, regardless of how they sit on their machines, then perhaps he should consider a nice quiet retirement—preferably as far away from the media as possible.
Meanwhile, this latest howler will be added to the growing list of BV's faux pas when it comes time to think about renewing our family membership…
[via audax-oz]
Personally the issue isn't about the BV CEO, it's about a new HPV national distance record being set. A fantastic effort by any account, can anyone actually envisage doing that for 12 hours? I recall years ago Ben casually suggested if one was interested in helping out with a 24 trial. I piked.
Anyway, I've already had my say here & here and that's it for now.
Harry Barber notwithstanding, I so want one of those fast faired recumbents.
I like a good light-hearder ribbing of recumbents and their riders as much as the next man, but BV are a definite worry sometimes.
Nah, fast faired recumbents are over-rated. I don't care what Harry says, Ben's trikes are not wide enough. With the fairing it's all too easy to go cruising into a corner and realise too late that you're doing about 70 and there's no way you're going to make it through the corner without lifting the inside wheel. This is obviously a design flaw rather than any fault on the part of the rider. Plus there's the issue of what to do for exercise once you can do 40-50kph cruise so riding to work takes half as long as it should.
(I own a bike and a quad from TriSled, but not a trike. And two bloody Rohloffs, thank you very much for selling me on that idea Mr Goodall. When he offers to let you have a go on the expensive option, just say no)
Isn't it the always the way with all bureaucracies that those in every position upon the ladder have reached a position, that they were promoted to, that they later prove to be unsuitable to fill but will fail to be replaced!
Harry is a cycling zenopbobe, he doesn't like anything different. The BV Flagship event - round the bay bans in it's terms and conditions, anything out of the ordinary. Only "Standard" bikes are permitted, no child seats, tag-alongs trailers unicycles... are permitted. Being seen second class citizens has lead to our family to let our membership lapse. Family cycling solutions (seats, trailers) are welcome to advertise in BV magazines, but not participate in their events.
What a funny subtext, considering someone hung around at DISC and took the photos of the record attempt. As for buying habits, how about taking personal responsibility? The rest of us have to (re: N+1).
chuckle
As if cyclists haven't enough to deal with just in terms of road conditions and occasional abuse from non-cyclists, the last thing we need is to be bickering amongst ourselves. Anyone who is not prepared to carry the flag for all "human powered vehicles", irrespective of the number of wheels, should not be the CEO of a "peak cycling" body (IMHO)
Comments
Yeah this frequently comes up in discussions with other cyclists. Many people nowdays only join BV because of the insurance benefit they offer. Otherwise with all the Connex bans and other idiocy why would you bother?
Fortunately with the rising petrol prices bikes are going to become more and more popular and we'll be able to organise good insurance ourselves and dear old Harry can bugger off elsewhere. Sure it's great that he started the group and gained it some popularity, if not notoriety, but there's always a place to draw the line.