[tbc] Fun from the CTC newsletter ...

[Schooling, Mike]

All,

 

The CTC, Cycling Tourists Club, England's equivalent of the League of
American Bicyclists, distributes a weekly email newsletter.  The last
issue had the following items which are interesting/fun/odd???  Enjoy
... Mike Schooling

 

How do we manage to stay up on a bike?

================================

Given the post-stabiliser bruises I suffered as a child, I'd have said
endless practice. But a more correct answer according to New Scientist
magazine is 'active control through steering'. An in-depth explanation
is available here http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~hemh/gyrobike.htm 

 

But if that seems like too much on a Friday, have a look at a bike
designed for who can't be bothered to balance here
http://www.bikeforest.com/cb/index.php 

 

The very same cycling couch potatoes can take solace from research which
this week revealed that men who take siestas can lower their risk of
death from coronary heart disease by as much as 64 per cent, even when
other factors such as diet, age and exercise are taken into account. As
reported in The Times here
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1375359.ece 

 

The bicycle of the future could be made from carrots...

=========================================

A material which is lighter and stronger than carbon fibre and can be 

moulded into almost any shape when it's combined with special resins has


been developed by scientists in Scotland. It's called Curran and it's
made 

from microscopic fibres extracted from carrots. Up to 2kgs of carrots,
which 

are 90% water, are needed to make a single fishing rod weighing just a 

couple of ounces, so count on a trailer-full for your future bike frame.
As 

reported in the Eastern Daily Press here 

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=
News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED13%20Feb%202007%2017:25:
25:640 

 

..but is unlikely to be a sideways bike

=============================

The Sideways Bike, which requires the rider to sit side saddle and steer


each wheel independently, is a bit of fun but it certainly won't replace
the 

bike as we know it. Made page three of today's Daily Mail 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article
_id=436486&in_page_id=1770 

 

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