The Cycle Show 2009

Has anyone been yet? Some years it seems dire - just a blaze of colour, hype and marketing blurb, and that is maddening if you've paid full price for tickets. Other years it's not so bad. I wouldn't mind blagging a couple though. Any offers? PMs welcome.

According to Cycling Weekly, the road machines are in full effect at Earl's Court this year. They'd hardly say anything else though...

EVEN CREATE??? As in Unipack???? The UniCrap has a stand at a bike show? That is disgusting. I hope unhappy customers vent their anger!

Across the aisle from pinarello - odd juxtapostion.

Spotted fiddy test-riding a moulton.
Drooled over the Ibis Tranny SS hardtail.
Tried to persuade myself that 3 x £400 instalments makes a Demon frame a bargain. V. nice man, that Tom at Demon.

Fixie inc polo mallet anyone?

Overheard on the Specialized stand, 2 blokes looking at the stock Langster: "400 quid for that - you're just paying for the brand name. My mate got a fixie for £200 - exactly the same as that." Unipac fail.

Anyway - now just have to sit back and wait for all my prize wins to be delivered (to fund my Demon build).

Oh - also spotted Mr A Contador talking about Real Madrid and his pal Christiano. He was on stage at the time though.

Has anyone been yet?

There's a whole page of pictures back on page.

I'd say... yes!

spotted:
villa walking around like a cyclist.
fiddy, in the condor bit, being condor'd, then merckx'd.

lots of noddys, riding around the test track the same way as they ride to work: 1000 yard stare straight ahead and quick as possible at all times, undertaking other cyclists. what joy!

i was there today, didn't know you were working there - if i had i'd have come and got you to do stuff for me!

yo ive got one spare free ticket if anyone one wants it PM me. I'm going to head over from kingsland road about 10am tomorrow.

so, I was there again today. I was helping at the Moulton stand and hence Fiddy got to play with the 953 Speed. a mere £7.5k toy. 'sublime' is one description.

Hot news.

Those there tomorrow I will be wheeling around the Moulton TSR2 - it's designed as an urban bike and if you see me, I want your comments. It's bright orange and i'll be 531 Awesome T'ing with awesome Swrve 3/4s :) I'll be spending the rest of the time helping on the Moulton stand.

there is also a possibility of a 3 speed fixed version being made - again - I want to hear from you about this!

I'm there Sunday to relax with other friends :)

/me flops

spotted:
villa walking around like a cyclist.
fiddy, in the condor bit, being condor'd, then merckx'd.

lots of noddys, riding around the test track the same way as they ride to work: 1000 yard stare straight ahead and quick as possible at all times, undertaking other cyclists. what joy!

ah you saw me then, I was with Fiddy :)
Obviously the 531 T is too subtle.. bah

i was there today, didn't know you were working there - if i had i'd have come and got you to do stuff for me!

I was there yesterday all day and until 2pm today. that's it for me now! pity the others doing the full 4 days, that place does your head in. I have a headache still.

I need some help tomorrow - if anyone is coming that has a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini I need to help a cycle stand manufacturer get the 'gaps' right on the next version of their stand - we need it for a few mins.

PM me for my mobile number or look for me at the Moulton stand tomorrow - TIA (it's all for the good, this company is the one that has just installed 200 bike racks at Liverpool St station)

Did anyone else see the new jerseys that Carradice are doing? They are gorgeous, as you would expect. Only in short sleeve at the moment at £79.99 (if i remember right) but I had a chat with them and they are soon going to release a long sleeved winter jersey with full front zip.
Short sleeved here (bad pic, they look much nicer in the flesh)
http://wallbike.com/blog/2009/10/01/carradice-jersey-coming/

They have a couple of great little saddle bags too. Duck cotton, leather trims, perfect.

Ah yeah they were so nice, really neat and compact. One of those things you just want even though I've already got a bigger modern saddlebag that is far more practical.
Are they selling them on their site? Its rather frustrating seeing all this nice stuff without being abe to purchase any of it!
If I could have bought a jersey then and there I probably would have

bollocks, i just wrote a whole post about what i thought of yesterday, suffice to say:

tfl cycle hire bikes: didn't work for me, but there was a lot of good reception from people coming off the little test track they set up. so hideous i wouldn't throw one in a canal though.
womens cycle clothing: a step in a right direction, but on the whole, too overtly 'girly' in a lot of cases, but it's better than it was.
womens commuting talk: too general, not enough actual discussion, which was what would be needed to make it good. hope Sunday with the womens ride works out having more to offer.
new condors: nice.
my new gloves: very nice.

actually, lots of nice things, just no money to buy them. damn.

I met Eddy Merckx, which was the highlight for me.

I had a chat with Merckx and Cristiano De Rosa. Happy days.

I had a cold pasty with Jacques Anquetil.

I hope It's going to be worth the trip down from Manchester,just been to San Lorenzo and there were a few face's in there.

Right, I'm off to the show now

I wanted components for my new build. I didnt even buy a sandwich... i was upset. No real sales???

Went on Thursday. Only stayed for an hour. More than enough. It was nice to look at all the bikes but didn't much like the place. I'd have probably stayed longer and made more of an effort if I'd had to pay to get in. BTW no one asked to see my evidence that I work in the industry (although I do), just fyi for next year.

Highlights for me:
SE Big Ripper
That welsh cycling museum stand
Carradice stand
Moulton stand

thats about it.

I wanted components for my new build. I didnt even buy a sandwich... i was upset. No real sales???

Sales? since when has the cycle show been a market?

Manufacturers show off their latest designs, other organisations promote their businesses and agendas.

If you want to consume in a retail environment visit a bike shop, or the bike jumble that was at HH on saturday morning.

they WERE selling sandwiches, actually, so he could have bought one of those.

and they had roast pork, and pasties. and that's just in the one food stall i went to.

and there was a dodgy middle-eastern gent selling shit gloves.

they WERE selling sandwiches, actually, so he could have bought one of those.

and they had roast park, and pasties. and that's just in the one food stall i went to.

I went to Boots round the corner and got a "meal deal" for £3.49. The food inside was rip-off city, I did get a free coffe though, where they were so abysmally poor at service, I waited so long for my latte-matte-frappacinchinochino-on the rocks that they didn't ask for money.