Mr (Chuck) Chumley-Warner Talks Science

OK, sometimes you realise that you know even less than you thought you did and the weekend I extended my personal list by one.

We went to the Branscombe Air – Car show, ostensibly to see the cars and there were some goodies. But the planes stole the show, the Mustang and the Hunter in particular. Afterwards whilst mooching along the airfield en-masse it was time to examine the light aircraft accompanied by a friend (Martine) who had made many of the exhaust systems and at least one of the airframes (well a fair chunk of it).

As I said, the clue’s in the name

Anyway quite a few of these exhaust systems were hooked to Rotax powered Autogyros. Still affected by my Heli flight earlier this year I was a tad surprised to find that the main rotor on an autogyro isn’t actually powered when in flight. It gets better, contrary to popular imaginings this serves to make them rather safe particularly if you lose power.

The video explains it as indeed does this essay.

For now, I feel an burgeoning interest. However I am troubled by the name (Calidus) of the one below. I assume it is named after the Calidus Perregrine

its hunting dive, the stoop,[5] which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds commonly said to be over 320 km/h (200 mph), and hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact (wiki)

Looks great, I want a go.

CALIDUS

This is ‘just because’ really, follow the link to see the bike. About £5k will get you one, I suspect I would look a tad overdressed on it though.

The other day my after a trip to the beach where my daughter insisted on swimming fully clothed she borrowed an old T-shirt of mine bought at the final stage of the 1991 Tour de France. This was the stage where Djamolidine Abdujaparov famously crashed out. Every year since I have wanted to return to Le Tour, next year I will.

For now then a bit of a mish-mash which at some point I will re-visit this post.

First off a reminder of the end of the 1991 race.

The Colour of Cycling

World Colours

For the uninitiated cycle shirts aren’t just about carrying a brand. Some specific shirts have colours to denote the position of the rider within the race (or World). Whether it is the leader in the sprint race, the best climber or the overall leader there are shirts to be worn.

There seems to be some dispute over the origins of Le maillot jaune in the Tour de France. I certainly like the second suggestion.

The colour was chosen either to reflect the yellow newsprint of the organising newspaper, L’Auto, or because yellow was an unpopular colour and therefore the only one available with which a manufacturer could create jerseys at late notice. (Wiki)

Cycling World Champion shirt

Cycle Logo Design

As a youth, the Campagnolo Super Record Mech (shown) was about as good as it got, but I always preferred the look of the Record (below), which was much more ornate. However the Super Record did allow the Campagnolo logo to be seen in all its glory.

Campag Gears

Campagnolo Logo

People argue about the relative merits of the Japanese and European technology but for me it is European, in particular Italian all the way, and it’s about look and history. I ride a Dutch Gazelle with a strange mix of Campag, Sachs and 3ttt. Yes there are bits of Jap stuff in there but had I the money it would be Italian all the way, and probably steel too.

Cinelli Logo

Colnago Logo

Merckx Logo

There is a certain purity to any of these logos. Some such as the Cinelli logo are a world apart from their predecessors, have a look here.

My friend Msr Moutard was having a bit of a whinge about the loose bottom bracket on his (Taiwanese built) Colnago earlier this week but I don’t think I would tire of seeing this logo on t’ push-iron.

(Told you it was a mish-mash).

Looks quite fun (the new Range Rover Evoque) thankfully the car isn’t in beige although as I write I am mindful of the fact that the early Range Rovers did indeed look very proper in beige.

It is with sadness though that the arrival of this new Range Rover coincides with the departure of Spen King

Charles Spencer ‘Spen’ King, one of the British motor industry’s most famous, resourceful and prolific engineers, died last weekend as a result of injuries sustained in a collision between his bicycle and a van a fortnight earlier. He was 85. Autocar

If you go though you might as well leave a legacy and what a legacy Spen left.

• Rover 2000
• Range Rover
• Triumph Stag
• Triumph TR6
• Triumph TR7
• Rover SD1

It is easy to overlook highlights of British motoring history, I would be happy to have any of the vehicles mentioned here, yes even the TR7.

Rover have a fantastic history and the era of the Rover Gas Turbine cars perhaps encapsulate the spirit of adventure. You can hunt out the other Rover Turbine cars, the Jet is my favourite but for mow here is the T3.

Recently I posted some images of the Snaefell. Personally, if the donor Laverda was on the forecourt next to the derivative I would be on two wheels every time. However I might just be found revving the engine and listening to it. This is the point where discussion could deviate to the relative aural delights of the 120° and 180° cranks, but it won’t. Suffice it to say that I am pleased that Snaefells exist

John T Overlander

John T 'n' Andrew B

Built for Simon Milward’s Millennium Ride the bike still continues to attract attention both for it and Motorcycle Outreach.

On first sight the Overlander is a total shed of a machine, however closer inspection reveals a huge amount of thought in particular the pannier system linked and damped with a steering damper and the dual height suspension. More of this machine can be found here.

Suffice it to say that bikes like this are never going to be things of beauty, they are things of purpose, a true expression of Form Follows Function.

No real reason to show this but if you want the full story have a look here. Laverdas are one of my favourites and I’m sure few would have envisaged this as an evolution of one but, hey?

Anyway a quick reminder of the Aero X (2006)

“This study shows how the strength of the Saab brand heritage can inspire bold, innovative design,” said Bryan Nesbitt, the Executive Director of GM Design Europe. “As we move forward with new Saab product, we will remain focused on carefully cultivating this brand equity in the context of Scandinavian design values.”
“This concept shows the exciting possibilities that are open to us as we evolve a more progressive design language for the Saab brand,” says Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab’s Managing Director. “Our designers, engineers and marketers in Sweden are ideally placed to nurture and communicate the unique DNA of the Saab brand. Their work will ensure that future product proposals express core qualities, such as progressive design, sporty performance and emotional functionality, in a way that is specific to Saab.”

SAAB Aero X microsite

Somewhat reassured to have found out subsequently that;

The AS350 B3 is made to measure for hot conditions and very high altitudes. In fact, a standard production model recently made history by landing on Mount Everest!

Great fun staring at the Eiger.

Citroën ds3

Seen in Exeter, at first sight the Citroën DS3 certainly attracts interest.

I like bikes, I like them a lot, preferably steel, or titanium, and they don’t need to be too new either. For me a simple bike is a thing of beauty that combines engineering, design and minimalism.

Cinelli Track Bike

As a teacher I used to do a design lesson where I showed pupils pictures of things I liked the design of; Guzzis, Porsches, Minis, Trangia cookers… The common link was design. I knew I was getting through when a Year 9 girl saw the Cinelli track bike (shown) and said “that’s dead sexy that is”. She meant it, she was correct too.

I love going to London in part because of the cycling scene there. Twenty (plus) years ago, as a student, I was a cycle courier, I guess it was a relatively new thing then. At the time I rode a mix of bikes: Rory O’Brien, Holdsworth, Ellis-Briggs and latterly an early Ridgeback. Sadly in the first week I crashed the Ellis Briggs, I rode into the back of a Ford Granada stopped outside Kings Cross station. I ended up lying on the guy’s boot and can still remember the look of surprise as he looked in his rear view mirror, fortunately he had checked before diving away with me there. The frame needed re-building and I had the pleasure of using Tom Board who was at the time making Paris cycles, this honour made the accident almost worthwhile.

The London scene is vibrant and organic. Recently we have sat outside pubs in Islington and watched as cycle polo teams have returned en-masse riding a selection of unique machines. On one occasion I was almost tempted to pull the classic Bob Jackson from the pile to protect it from damage. There is a range of styles and approaches but, once again, steel is king, whether it is an original or a fixie, and, if it is adorned by leather and a bit of canvas then so much the better.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell the recreations from the re-builds not that this is an issue. There are a number of boutique dealers such as Tokyo Fixed in Soho where you are likely to find all manner of classic machinery.

Colnago Mexico

For some this obsession is extended organised and published on the Internet for others to share and enjoy, none more than Ray Dobbin’s site. Ray has a collection of classics that he photographs in his garage..

Colnago Mexico Fork Crown

Tokyo Fixed had a Colnago Mexico hanging up in the shop (amongst other classics) but Ray has done an extensive and excellent job of recording the full details of this and others in his collection.

God Is In The Detail

Ultimately the appeal of a cycle is that it is a supremely efficient simple machine. Fundamentally it is a set of strong traingles that allow energy to be transferred efficiently. The appeal of steel is that it is a comfortable ride as well as a strong material.

That is not to say that there isn’t scope for personal expression within this minimal engineering, no more so than the lug-work. Personalising lugs started as a way to ‘brand’ competitive cycles that weren’t allowed to carry logos and frame stickers. Beyond that though there is a huge amount of craft detail frequently hidden. I realise that for a closet minimalist this all sits slightly awkwardly but…

Recently I saw fine example of this craft in Topsham, in the form of a Robin Mather

Robin Mather Fork Crown

So, I am happy to acknowledge that many will not understand this obsession. However I am happy in the knowledge, clearly demonstrated from a day in London, that I am not alone.

I have a mountain bike, I built it around a frame found in a skip, I use it sometimes. I have a PC in the house, I use it to test websites on the troublesome IE6. I once read an article by psychologist Hugh Miller from NTU suggesting that PC users are more likely to find mountain bikes appealing whereas mac users favour simple road bikes.

This all makes perfect sense to me.

Less is More