From the latest edition of A to B magazine

[bode]

Who are you calling a windbag? Pistols at dawn!

 

[flecc]

The windbags are regrouping.

What happened to tedious?
.

 

[Eddie F]

Sorry, i didnt mean to start a bandwagon to move the tour Presteigne. That might get me linched here.

 

[flecc]

Sorry, i didnt mean to start a bandwagon to move the tour Presteigne. That might get me linched here.

No problem Eddie, in fact some of the original comments were as much about having other events and locations as well as Presteigne, rather than replacing it's uniqueness.
.

 

[lectureral]

I think it's funny how many people have swallowed the windbag charge (defn. a boring person who talks a great deal about uninteresting topics) - I find most of the threads and comments quite interesting. I'm pretty sure I would find an article about model railways uninteresting.

 

[bode]

I prefer to think of myself as a whoopee cushion rather than a windbag.

 

[Rab C Nesbitt]

Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove. Easy(ish) access for up to millions of potential buyers..

Now listen to that . . . . Barnowl's started a chant - there's not many forums you'd get that on. Good man!

Reminds me of the wonderful Ripping Yarns program where Michael Palin is the fanatical supporter of the most rubbish football team in the Yorkshire league - Barnstoneworth ! Barnstoneworth! Barnstoneworth! (apologies if you've not seen it but it was great).

I'll stop now as I may be slipping in to windbaggery.

Play up you tedious windbags . . . . . .

Rab

 

[lemmy]

I think it's funny how many people have swallowed the windbag charge

I keep my own counsel about things like that. I do not find this forum full of windbags. I find it comprises people with whom I have a common interest, who can inform me and to whom occasionally (I hope) I can add value.

That's my opinion - I don't feel any concern about anyone else's opinion of it. I don't swallow the windbag 'charge', I just find it irrelevant.

 

[simonbarnett]

Thanks Bode, supports what I've said about their anti-web stance.

While we are hardly swamped with women members, we do have a fair number, some concealed by their online names, and they are always made very welcome. It's true that specialist magazines like A to B also attract few female subscribers, so the pot indeed calling the kettle black.

As for the comment about technophobes, clearly wrong about this friendly site where the technically ill-equipped are made especially welcome with non condescending help and often express their appreciation of this.
.

I may be going batty, and can't find it in a search, but wasn't it A to B that had a rather racy cover of scantily clad women a while back, which deeply offended some people ? Bit rich to have a go at this forum being male dominated if they did that .

 

[flecc]

I'm pretty sure I would find an article about model railways uninteresting.

Actually their magazine Miniature Railway is about passenger and goods carrying on very narrow gauges, mostly from 5.25" to 15", and includes all those park and estate railways popular with holidaymakers. Not a interest of mine apart from the engineering aspects but when David Henshaw launched it as a quarterly I suscribed as I like to support new publishing ventures.

I have to say that now after issue 13 it has been rather good, and I suspect it is David's first love and probably more important to him than e-bikes. It's something he grew up with, his father also having that interest. Certainly I find it a better and more absorbing read than A to B magazine these days, despite it not being a specific interest of mine.
.

 

[flecc]

I may be going batty, and can't find it in a search, but wasn't it A to B that had a rather racy cover of scantily clad women a while back, which deeply offended some people ? Bit rich to have a go at this forum being male dominated if they did that .

Indeed they did, an advertising photo of a minimally clad young woman holding a bike and commenting "ride me". They have often had similar photos of scantily clad nubile forms in A to B and I'm sure many women would find those sort of photos offensive.

After criticism they did redress the balance once with a photo of two naked men.
.

 

[simonbarnett]

Indeed they did, an advertising photo of a minimally clad young woman holding a bike and commenting "ride me". They have often had similar photos of scantily clad nubile forms in A to B and I'm sure many women would find those sort of photos offensive.

After criticism they did redress the balance once with a photo of two naked men.
.

Steady- that fully dressed girl in wellies nearly did for you recently .

Still- bit hypocritical of AtoB then

 

[lemmy]

but wasn't it A to B that had a rather racy cover of scantily clad women a while back, which deeply offended some people

That's appalling. Pot calling the kettle black. Which issue was that?

 

[HarryB]

Issue 63 and it is quite racy with A to B described as "refreshingly irreverent" (that might be irrelevant I haven't hot my glasses on). Also describes itself as "Stimulating quirky and techie". Seriously though I agree with Flecc that Electric bikes are not of great interest to the Henshaws, some way behind folders and trains. Which is a shame as they found a real gap in the market and could have grown with the emerging electric bike market. But then I suspect they have no interest in being successful or rich.

 

[lemmy]

I agree with Flecc that Electric bikes are not of great interest to the Henshaws, some way behind folders and trains.

I have two bikes, a Kalkhoff Tasman and a Brompton folder!

I'm not so sure the bloke has any down on e-bikes. I quote his 4th tip for living without a car: "Buy a power-assisted bike. If you haven't ridden one, you have no idea how much fun transport can be. All the pros of cycling with none of the downsides."

Source here

 

[flecc]

David certainly likes e-bikes, but possibly not as much as the miniature railways I mentioned above. He combines them though, since he's built his own ride-on railway around his large garden and as well as building a steam engine to run on it, he also has an electric loco using a hub motor modified to suit. Also running on his railway is a Greenspeed recumbent trike specially modified by Greenspeed to run on his narrow gauge system so he can cycle around the track.
.

 

[eddieo]

David certainly likes e-bikes, but possibly not as much as the miniature railways I mentioned above. He combines them though, since he's built his own ride-on railway around his large garden and as well as building a steam engine to run on it, he also has an electric loco using a hub motor modified to suit. Also running on his railway is a Greenspeed recumbent trike specially modified by Greenspeed to run on his narrow gauge system so he can cycle around the track.
.

How whimsical and quintessentially English

 

[HarryB]

I have two bikes, a Kalkhoff Tasman and a Brompton folder!

I'm not so sure the bloke has any down on e-bikes. I quote his 4th tip for living without a car: "Buy a power-assisted bike. If you haven't ridden one, you have no idea how much fun transport can be. All the pros of cycling with none of the downsides."

Source here

Maybe I should have said "greatest interest" rather than great interest. I have a sneaking suspicion that their interest is only out of necessity and that they would prefer only to ride unpowered bikes as it certainly goes against some of their green philosophy. The fact that they didn't pick up on the battery problems says it all to me - if they were living and breathing electric bikes they would have picked up on the problems much earlier (and probably experienced it first hand). Anyway I have them to thank for a great 18 months with my Cytronex which I bought on the back of their review. Best electric bike I have owned so I am grateful.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I see Wisper join the club in some parts of their site:

Throttle only, peddle assist and throttle assist, with
on / off button on handle bars, high and low power settings.

That's in the model specifications, but in the text elsewhere the spelling is correct:

Throttle. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that allows throttles without pedalling, you can use masses of power getting from start to cruising speed on the throttle alone. So try always to pedal up to a comfortable speed before you transfer to throttle.

All part of their customer service, suiting everyone!
.only, peddle assist and throttle assist, with
on / off button on handle bars, high and low power settings.
(Throttle only not available in EU outside the UK)

Did eye rite that? You can take the boy out of Essex etc...........

DH is a nice guy with a twinkle in his eye, a real old fashioned English eccentric with a splendid talent for stirring up a hornet's nest, I am sure he has upset nearly everyone in the industry at some time or other.... including me. I am absolutely certain he writes for maximum effect and has managed to get us wind bags puffing and blowing more than once.

As an electric bike manufacturer and BEBA member I would certainly rather he be talking about us than not, even if I don't agree with all he writes.

Would I like to see A to B magazine off the shelves? Absolutely not! I will continue to support the magazine through advertising and will not be cancelling my subscription any thyme soon. We still all need all the publicity we can get.

All the best

David

 

[Old Timer]

Has the latest edition been sent out? I haven`t seen mine yet.