Ride of my life

calonuk

I watched this last night

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... e_Bicycle/

Do not know whether it is new or a rerun but i found it interesting and thought i would share.

UndercoverElephant

It's been on a few times. Saw it a 3am one morning when insomnia kicked in. Really enjoyed it, proper "kid in a sweet shop" kind of thing. He did end up with a fantastic looking bike as well.

TheStone

Good show, but hated the end bike.
It's a mix match of stuff that doesn't go together on a horrid coloured frame ... and cheapish wheels.

UndercoverElephant

TheStone wrote:

Good show, but hated the end bike.
It's a mix match of stuff that doesn't go together on a horrid coloured frame ... and cheapish wheels.

Wait, Royce hubs and DT Swiss rims hand-built by a master wheelsmith are 'cheapish'? I do agree with the paint job, though.

TheStone

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Wait, Royce hubs and DT Swiss rims hand-built by a master wheelsmith are 'cheapish'? I do agree with the paint job, though.

Maybe I'm being harsh. The wheelbuilder is obviously good, but if you're gonna travel all the way to the us, I'd expect something a bit more. Seems to cost $3-400 (?), so fairly basic rims and standard spokes. Could have got hubs whilst at Chris King?

Jay dubbleU

Not sure why he went to the US to get his wheels built - plenty of good wheel builders in the UK.

spasypaddy

i emailed rob penn after watching it to discuss his choices. he actually replied.

my email

Rob,

I watched your show last night on the BBC iPlayer and it was a fantastic watch but a few things stuck out (this is going to show me up as a proper bike geek...). When you were at continental I was worried that you had picked up 4seasons but thankfully when you had the bike built you had GP4000s on the stunning looking wheels! Out of interest why did you choose DT Swiss rims?

You mention that record is campags top group set, you forgot super record. Can I ask why you didn't put super record on that frame?

That's a minor annoyance and a personal preference just like the frame colour which I know wouldn't be to everyone's desire. But that bottle cage ruined the whole look of the bike. A cheap specialized bottle cage (It didn't look like an s-works carbon cage) ruined the lines of the frame. I know it would have been difficult to get a bottle cage that didn't ruin the lines but an elite cage or a classical shaped titanium cage would have looked a lot better.

Also that helmet needs an upgrade to match the rest of the gear you were wearing and the stunning bike (bottle cage apart) you were riding!


I look forward to your reply,

his reply

Thanks for taking the trouble to write. Delighted that you enjoyed the film. If you have a moment, and you feel inclined to comment on the film, or even on the coverage the bicycle gets on the BBC in general, please do drop them a line: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/yoursay/. Apparently this feedback does make a difference and it may be the only way to encourage them to show more programmes about bicycles.

A lot of the film ended up on the cutting room floor, and the editor - one of the best in the business - was no bike geek. In fact, where to set the 'geek radar' was an important part of the edit for the editor, the producer and the exec producer (a mountain bike fanatic): they purposefully set it very low, to make the doc inclusive. This meant a lot of explanatory info was left on the cutting room floor.

GP4000S all the way, of course.

Gravy recommended the DT Swiss rims. He's built up a lot of wheels with these: he likes the way they are extruded and thinks they are bomb proof. That fitted with the premise for the bike: a bike built to last; not the fastest or lightest or sexiest components, but the best made, and the longest lasting. I made concessions on weight all the time, in preference to strength. It's not a racing bike; it's a 'riding bike'. And it's a beaut: I've ridden it all round the Brecon Beacons where I live, all summer, and in the Pyrenees (over Tournmalet: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/567ae2da-7d1d ... abdc0.html) and in the Marmotte.

I don't think I said Campags top gruppo is Record. There are four main reasons I bought Record:
- the heritage of the Record name: the first Record gruppo went on sale in 1958. The name 'Record' runs through the entire history of cycle sport in the late 20th century. At Tullio Cmapagnolo's funeral in 1983, Merckx gave a eulogy at the funeral: ‘I tell it to you in bad Italian, maybe, but with an Italian heart because, thanks to you, there is a piece of Italy with your name on all the bicycles of the world.’ That rings true because of the quick release and because of Record.
- I've wanted a Record gruppo since I was a kid.
- the PR director at Campag told me the majority of pros riding Campag choose Record over Super Record.
- I don't think the extra cost of Super Record can be justified.

The bottle cage was a cock-up. I'll spare you the story.

The colour scheme is of course personal. That's one of the reasons why we have bespoke bikes, isn't it? You do, don't you?

Anyway, it's all in the book.

Best wishes,

Rob

UndercoverElephant

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Not sure why he went to the US to get his wheels built - plenty of good wheel builders in the UK.

I got the feeling he went to Fairfax, California, where mountain biking was really invented for his wheels, because he wanted to cover more than just road cycling in his documentary. He could have easily got the same wheels built in the UK, but the documentary was about his dream bike, which obviously included getting (a free trip round the world and) components that meant something to him.

ETA: Given the reply above, it's the romance of the bike that's important to him, rather than what he ends up with.

cjcp

UndercoverElephant wrote:

ETA: Given the reply above, it's the romance of the bike that's important to him, rather than what he ends up with.

This is what I liked most about the show. Very endearing.

Also, did anyone think he was riding on the wrong side of the road at the end of the show, or was the camera film reversed? While since I watched it, but there was something odd about it.

navt

I think it was reverse angle. The front QR lever was on the right!!!

meanredspider

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Not sure why he went to the US to get his wheels built - plenty of good wheel builders in the UK.

I got the feeling he went to Fairfax, California, where mountain biking was really invented for his wheels, because he wanted to cover more than just road cycling in his documentary. He could have easily got the same wheels built in the UK, but the documentary was about his dream bike, which obviously included getting (a free trip round the world and) components that meant something to him.

ETA: Given the reply above, it's the romance of the bike that's important to him, rather than what he ends up with.

Absolutely - he could have bought all the bits on the interweb - it would have made pretty dull TV though.

I'm not much of a bike geek but I enjoyed it.

cloggsy

Just watched it...

Loved it

Thanks for sharing!

Twostage

Good that he took the time to reply. Nice bloke.

optimisticbiker

If you liked the film you should read the bookand get the bits that were edited out. I misssed the film first time round, but caught his talk at the Excel Bike Show earlier this year and got a signed copy of the book.