Brompton Urban Challenge: London 2014

Here's a cool video of the Brompton Urban Challenge in London this year (featuring the legendary Bumble B).  Is this what I have to look forward to in DC in July?  I think there's also going to be one in Philly to if I remember right.

Video of Brompton Tour...in spanish

Check out Will busting out the espanol!  Also love the interviewer's enthusiasm, especially when he checks out the raw lacquer!

Video on Brompton corporate growth

I found this video Hub Video Productions on Brompton's strategy for corporate growth.  This is definitely Will Butler-Adams' influence on the company, which should help keep Brompton from being phased out in the future.  As an employee in a manufacturing facility, I understand Will's utilization of metrics to drive production.

Brompton in new advert video

This new advertisement for Berocca (an energy supplement) pairs Andrei Burton with a Brompton.  Burton is the top mountain bike rider in the UK, but here he shows his stuff on the B.

Great exposure for both Burton & Brompton!

Old Pueblo Grand Prix and new factory video

I'm still getting over being sick for the past week, but I still was able to make it out to the Old Pueblo Grand Prix with the meetup group.  We did a parade lap with some cool kids (I'm in photo #5 in this Tucson Velo gallery).  Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay and watch any of the races.

It was also brought to my attention that there is a new video of the Brompton factory at work making works of art.  I always enjoy these insider videos, so I linked it here for you to enjoy!

Sad news about two bike tourists exploring the world

Heard some rather sad news today from a Path Less Pedaled retweet and the Riding a Folding Bike Around Manila blog regarding a bike touring couple that were killed in an accident today in Thailand
(Here is a news link to this story).

Peter Root and Mary Thompson wrote the twoonfourwheels blog which I had unfortunately not heard of until today.  Their passion for exploration and human interaction was evident in their writing and films (Here is a link to their videos on Vimeo).

This is an unfortunate reminder that life has a finite shelf life.  I admire Root & Thompson for living it on their own terms and living more than many people who are many years older.  And while I have been fortunate to explore much of the world, I have never done so by bike.  I hope to remedy that in the not too distant future.

Please be safe out there and let your loved ones know that you love them.  Be kind to one another.  Peace.

New Garmin video featuring my hometown!

This Garmin video showcasing the new Edge 510 & Edge 810 GPS units cell phone interaction via bluetooth.  The video was shot in two locations:  Girona, Spain and MY HOMETOWN of Tucson, Arizona, USA.

At time 2:40 the Garmin rider riding along a stretch of land housing retired military planes (affectionately known as the Boneyard, and previously mentioned in this post).  This location is about 1.5 miles from my house!

At about 3:00 the pair of riders are starting at the base of Mt. Lemmon, approximately 11 miles from the Boneyard.  The route on Mt. Lemmon is about 26 miles long & starts at an elevation of about 2550 feet and ends at 8200 feet in the town of Summerhaven.  You can actually climb a little bit higher, but most people stop at Summerhaven.  It took me about 6 hours to do this climb on a road bike.  A lot of elite professional riders do this climb in about 2 hours.  The ride down is a big adrenaline rush - it took me about 45 minutes to get down, averaging at about 45 mph.

The control room also looks like it's from Tucson, but I can't confirm that.  If anyone knows, give me a holler!

I know My Orange Brompton and The Brompton Bumble B are rocking Garmin units, and perhaps I will join them soon!

How they're made

Found a recently posted video on the Brompton production process.  These shows always intrigue me, coming from an engineering background.

GoPro Luggage Block Test Video

In my previous post, I gave a sneak preview of my hack for the GoPro to mount onto the luggage block.  I was able to go for a ride for a few minutes today and try it out.

What do you think (watch in HD)? I know it's a little shaky... I hope to reduce that with some super glue or epoxy.  What do you think of the perspective?  It should be similar to the video below by another rider (hint: hit mute).

And while I was out, I might as well take a pic or two...

Dang...

One of the things that had attracted me to the Brompton culture are the quirkiness of their owners and, to a greater extent, Brompton's willingness to encourage and embrace this culture.  A major event that showcases the Brompton company's love for their customers is their sponsorship of The Brompton World Championships.

This is not your typical bike race... here are some of the unique rules:

• A tie, collared shirt and jacket (like one from a suit, not an athletic or cycling jacket) shall be worn.
• No visible lycra is allowed.  If you wear some underneath, that's your business.
• There is a Le Mans style start, where your folded bike is lined up in a row of 10 and you have to run to your bike and unfold it before going on your way.
• Prizes are given to the Best Dressed male & female competitor.

In addition to the World Championships, there are national championships in Austria, the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan & of course the United States of America.  When I had first heard about the US Championships a couple of months ago I was interested in checking it out and possibly participating this year.  However, I couldn't find any info for the event this year.   

That is until today, when I saw the results up on the Brompton website from the race this past weekend in Minneapolis.  Ugh!  I'm not too upset because I still don't have my bike yet, but I hope that there is going to be more than a couple of weeks notice next year.  Maybe since this was the first time that the US Championships was not in Philadelphia it caused some confusion or delay in getting the word out.  Oh well.  I am definitely hoping to go next year, and perhaps one day to London for the WBC!  I wonder if they'll let me get away with wearing a bolo tie.

This is how we do it

So, in anticipation of receiving my bike I've watched these two videos of the folding procedure dozens of times. I'm pretty confident that it is THE best videos to show it.