Top Gear

Pete Biggs said:

David Lloyd said:

IIRC, Hammond cycles regually, as does James May, and is the owner of
a quality machine.

Quoted message said:

If he was just doing 80 rpm on the small ring, he wasn't trying. As
this was a test of speed, he was hampered by having tyres that were
not exactly narrow, to say the least.

Give the guy a break. He did far better than the average TV presenter on a
bike, as well as winning this race. Didn't look like he had the power to
push higher gears anyway. It's no good shifting up unless you have the
welly to go with it.

~PB

I didn't intend to detract from his efforts, in fact I thought he did
very well. He definately WAS trying. I thought he was pedalling faster
than the 80rpm reported by one previous coorespondant, and thought he
had got off his small ring.

David Lloyd

Quoted message said:

Mind, it also showed that he was about the only cyclist in the film who
was actually stopping at red lights ... 😉

I thought he handled this with typically TG humour: 'I've got to stop at the
lights 'cos I'm on the telly. Um. Not that I don't always stop at the lights
of course...' delivered with a very deadpan 'yeah right' expression.

Of course if they reran the race in 'real world conditions' - ie, with him
not stopping at every set of lights - he would have utterly trashed
t'others. He won comfortably as it was...and think how many sets of lights
there must be between Kew Bridge and City Airport.

Paul - [censored] said the following on 12/11/2007 09:41:

Quoted message said:

Mind, it also showed that he was about the only cyclist in the film who
was actually stopping at red lights ... 😉

The camera shot when a load of cyclists when through on red was from
behind Hammond looking forward while he was on the stop line. There
could have been any number of cyclists behind him and behind the
camera-motorbike but we would have only seen those who ran the lights.

Colin

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden]
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

He'd have been quicker if he had learnt to use the gears and had the
bike adjusted properly in the first place. He didn't use the big ring
once and in all the shots I saw of the rear set he was second from
bottom with his legs whirling like a plate on a stick.

His cadence didn't look excessive - he's a little wiry bloke, obviously
better suited to climbing than sprinting or TT. Anyway he was probably
spinning more when they were filming him so it looked like he was riding
hard, because otherwise he might have ridden away from the cameraman.
Why do you think the bike wasn't set up for him?

In article <[email hidden]>, Colin McKenzie
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

I think Hammond has a lot to learn about cycling safely in traffic,
though. Perhaps he thought his plastic hat would protect him just as
the other one did when he smashed up the jet car.

I expect the BBC (or their insurers) required him to wear a helmet.

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

true though one has to rember that it's entertainment rather than a
factual program.

Clarkson said something like "Top Gear has just won an award for best
factual program, despite the fact that we haven't had a fact on the show
for five years". :-)

In article <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

In article <1i7fqmt.1gz67vc18mu0foN%
[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

I was pleased to see that Top Gear's response was quite unlike that of
Fifth Gear (on which, IIRC, the bike won but was rubbished as making
people sweaty / dead / fit).

Ah, the closet fans of the WW and Fifth Gear are revealing themselves
;-) (I know, I know, you only watched it because you heard there was
going to be bicycle content ;-) )

Doesn't Vicki Butler-Henderson count as an excuse, or is she only
attractive to petrol heads?

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Paul - [censored] said the following on 12/11/2007 09:41:

Quoted message said:

Mind, it also showed that he was about the only cyclist in the film who
was actually stopping at red lights ... 😉

The camera shot when a load of cyclists when through on red was from
behind Hammond looking forward while he was on the stop line. There
could have been any number of cyclists behind him and behind the
camera-motorbike but we would have only seen those who ran the lights.

Having viewed that now, I think he was too busy to notice the lights had
changed because immediately afterwards he sets off with clear body
language of ooops I missed them changing.
--
Tony

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has
taken place"
George Bernard Shaw

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Doesn't Vicki Butler-Henderson count as an excuse, or is she only
attractive to petrol heads?

Whatever turns you on ;-)

--
Tony

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has
taken place"
George Bernard Shaw

Colin McKenzie said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

I think Hammond has a lot to learn about cycling safely in traffic,
though. Perhaps he thought his plastic hat would protect him just as
the other one did when he smashed up the jet car.

Certainly would, anything that helps is a bonus.
In my last accident, car overtook and turned left in front of me, it
certainly saved me some stitches & bruising as I headbutted the cars A
pillar.
The amount of cockends ignoring redlights [censored] me off as well -
inconsiderate [censored] that give cyclists a bad name.

--
Cheerz - Brownz
Beta TR34 (Ring ding ding ding pop pop)
http://www.brownz.org/

Rob Morley said:

Doesn't Vicki Butler-Henderson count as an excuse, or is she only
attractive to petrol heads?

I'm a petrol head (and a cyclist - multiple personality disorder?) and I
dont find her attractive at all. In fact I find her quite irritating.

Paul - censored said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

Seemed to me to be probably the most positive thing I've seen on TV
about Bicycles that isn't a 'real' sporting event,

Any chance of a summary for those of us that aren't secret Top Gear
watchers?

About what I've deduced so far is that 'Hammond' rode a bike in some
competitive (or semi-competitive) event that included riding with
other traffic. He wore a helmet. The outcome was positive (those the
details of what constitutes positive are not clear).

regards, Ian SMith
--
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|o o|
|/ \|

Brownz (Mobile) said:

Colin McKenzie said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

I think Hammond has a lot to learn about cycling safely in traffic,
though. Perhaps he thought his plastic hat would protect him just as
the other one did when he smashed up the jet car.

Certainly would, anything that helps is a bonus.

Aaaaarrrggghh!
Don't do it anyone - he doesn't know what he is saying.

--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

I was very impressed with the feature - I was expecting a bicycle
bashing but they portrayed it as it is, with good TG humour and honesty.
I dont think anyone could complain about the way cyclists were put
across, or their problems in traffic.

Ian Smith said the following on 12/11/2007 13:29:

Quoted message said:

Paul - censored said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

Seemed to me to be probably the most positive thing I've seen on TV
about Bicycles that isn't a 'real' sporting event,

Any chance of a summary for those of us that aren't secret Top Gear
watchers?

About what I've deduced so far is that 'Hammond' rode a bike in some
competitive (or semi-competitive) event that included riding with
other traffic. He wore a helmet. The outcome was positive (those the
details of what constitutes positive are not clear).

Commuter race from somewhere near Kew Bridge to City Airport. Hammond on
bike, May in large SUV, The Stig (or an actor playing him) on public
transport, Clarkson speed boat along Thames. Finishing order: bike,
boat, public transport and, finally, car.

Colin

Ian Smith said:

Any chance of a summary for those of us that aren't secret Top Gear
watchers?

About what I've deduced so far is that 'Hammond' rode a bike in some
competitive (or semi-competitive) event that included riding with
other traffic. He wore a helmet. The outcome was positive (those the
details of what constitutes positive are not clear).

It was a race between 4 modes of transport from Kew Bridge to London
City Airport. The contestants were Hammond on a bike, James May in a
Chelsea Tractor, Clarkson in a power boat going along the Thames (though
limited speed until Wandsworth bridge, according to Thames navigation
rules), and The Stig on public transport.

The bike won, the boat shortly after, then PT, and a quarter of an hour
later the car. In the roundup, because it was Top Gear, they pointed
out the car won, because London doesn't have a river and the other
contestants (stood there saying this) were in fact dead; i.e., quite
happy to take the [censored] out of themselves after as well as during their
feature. It was a way to entertainingly fill some air time, not prove
the best way to get around London.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Coyoteboy said the following on 12/11/2007 13:26:

Quoted message said:

I'm a petrol head (and a cyclist - multiple personality disorder?) and I
dont find her attractive at all. In fact I find her quite irritating.

You heretic, you! :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Ian Smith said:

Paul - censored said:

icogs said:

Ha Ha Ha!!!

Seemed to me to be probably the most positive thing I've seen on TV
about Bicycles that isn't a 'real' sporting event,

Any chance of a summary for those of us that aren't secret Top Gear
watchers?

Four presenters (3 presenters + Stig) crossing London using 4 modes of
transport. Bike, Boat, PT, Car in the stylee of a race. Finished in
that order.

Quoted message said:

About what I've deduced so far is that 'Hammond' rode a bike in some
competitive (or semi-competitive) event that included riding with
other traffic. He wore a helmet. The outcome was positive (those
the details of what constitutes positive are not clear).

It was actually quite well done, but certainly not an informative or an
exhaustive test, but in the style of a car/motoring programme it made a
lot of sense. It showed lots of bikes going through red lights, but it
also showed lots of views of the bike rider (Hammond) being cut-up ish
and aired his views on bike 'lanes' that stop short and showed many of
the problems that bike riders come across, even on such a short (and
single) jourey.

Might be worth looking up UKNova or Mininova and downloading a torrent
of it.

Be even more interesting if they did similar, but over a few weeks of
commuting ... 😉

--
Paul - [censored]

Paul - censored said:

Might be worth looking up UKNova or Mininova and downloading a torrent
of it.

Bad form, I know, but possibly helpful.

http://www.uknova.com/wsgi/torrent/view/51667

Need to be a member but it's free. 😉

--
Paul - [censored]

David Lloyd said:

On 12 Nov, 10:49, "Pete Biggs"

Quoted message said:

David Lloyd said:

IIRC, Hammond cycles regually, as does James May, and is the owner of
a quality machine.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If he was just doing 80 rpm on the small ring, he wasn't trying. As
this was a test of speed, he was hampered by having tyres that were
not exactly narrow, to say the least.

Quoted message said:

Give the guy a break. He did far better than the average TV presenter on a
bike, as well as winning this race. Didn't look like he had the power to
push higher gears anyway. It's no good shifting up unless you have the
welly to go with it.

Quoted message said:

~PB

I didn't intend to detract from his efforts, in fact I thought he did
very well. He definately WAS trying. I thought he was pedalling faster
than the 80rpm reported by one previous coorespondant, and thought he
had got off his small ring.

David Lloyd

Fair enough must have been my perception then.

Sniper8052