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Carclubbing rocks. I have to be honest and say I've wrked at SC longer than any other company, just because it's a kickass place to work and you actually feel like your work is doing something for the city. It's a bit ridiculous that we all expect to own and park our own cars, when we're living ontop of one another in towerblocks as it is. There just isn't enough room for everyone to have their own car, let alone the environmental impact.

Another interesting thing about carclubs is how they completely change your driving habits. If it's cold outside and late at night, and you have a car outside your house, and you want some rizla from the shop a mile away. Youre going to be lazy and take the car. If you have to book a car and you see the direct cost of that trip being about £3, you make the effort to walk/cycle.

If everyone in London was a member of carclubs there would be hardly any traffic caused by needless trips, and public transport would have to improve.

It never feels like I'm fighting a losing battle, either. Well, when working in London. We just launched SC in Oxford and I did wonder if, like Mannheim I suppose, car ownership is just too much a part of the culture. Towns and Citys like that, are built for cars. Ringroads, bypasses, retail parks miles away from the city centre, etc. etc.

I know what it's like, cus I grew up in Wolverhampton. Where everybody, and I mean everybody, learns to drive as soon as they hit 17. It's mainly because public transport in the rest of the country sucks ass. There were only 4 buses a day to the town I lived in, which was 14 miles away from where I went to college...

Oliver: I suppose you're right. But I just don't envision Berlin as the kind of place you see lots of people riding around on Apollo's from Halfords. I would have thought they'd be a bit more savvy on bikes than the average british consumer.

Secondly:

It's true that a lot of jobs in germany are tied into their car production. Remember it's not just the guys in the factories making the cars and the parts, it's the designers, financiers of these huge companies like BMW and VW group.

I work for Streetcar, and we are buying the new Mk6 Golf at practically nothing at the moment, because VW just can't seem to sell them to anyone else.

Europe car industry is seriously behind the curve as far as emissions/hybrid tech goes. But we're not doing as badly as the states. This said, the UK is the only place in Europe where new car registrations has continued to fall month on month, despite incentives fomr the government.

I can see the german industry as one of the only surviving european makers. VW Group are massive and have some clever people working for them.

I really don't understand this. With the cars it makes perfect sense.

Firstly, the German government makes back most of the money it gives to people, in the VAT they charge on the new car. Secondly, it cuts serious injuries (thanks to new cars being safer) and emissions (providing they don't 'upgrade' to an SUV).

But in bikes? Surely creating new frames drives up emissions, and last time I checked, bike frame technology hasn't exactly moved on in terms of safety. It would put an injection into the newbike market, I suppose, but I've got 2 Steel frames in my house the 30's/40's and they ride fine. It all seems like a colossal waste of resources to me.

Hello. Bumped into Edscoble in Wimbledon the other day but he was in a rush. Since he pretty much convinced me to make the leap to fixed, and I browse the forum here a lot for tips and bits, and I follow the LFGSS twitter feed, I thought I may as well become a contributor.

I ride an Edwardes '08 Track, and a little BMX to nip to the shops for rizla.

anything else?