Top Gear, 25-1-2015

homers_double
homers_double Posts: 8,332
edited February 2015 in The cake stop
So who almost cried when Hammond ditched the Dogma on the tram tracks? I knew it was coming as soon as he said "oh no I'm in the tracks".

Also there seem to be a lot of motorists who ignore cyclists in every city however he was accompanied by a motorcycle and camera man so the occasional van driver didn't even see them either.
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Comments

  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    I was more cringing at him riding in the door zone most of the way.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    Yep...genuine tears

    In fairness to those drivers though, in my experience of being driven in Russia they'd have pulled out on a speeding juggernaught, let alone a bike.

    My tactic was to sit in the back of the minibus and try and sleep rather than survive the abject terror of seeing what was coming
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    I did wonder why there was no thread about Topgear last night?

    I noticed he got the weight of the bike wrong. It was the weight of the frame not the entire bike. I wish an entire bike weighed 800 ish g's !

    I then had to spend ages describing what di2 was to my friend. I'm surprised the rear derailleur came off, did the hangar shear?

    I'm more surprised he was doing 22mph! Makes me feel slow.

    Interestingly he said if he didn't fall off and need a replacement bike then he would have won by 18 minutes. If only he didn't swerve across the width of the road over lots of tram tracks. Unless he was turning at a junction, I personnally would have stayed in the inside lane
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • homers_double
    homers_double Posts: 8,332
    I didn't start this thread so we could slate his riding style, just to mourne the loss of a mech hanger that probably cost more than my bike!
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • lancew
    lancew Posts: 680
    I assume those mech hangers are designed to sheer to save the even more expensive Di2 mechs and the frame itself?

    I thought his riding style looked like he's been doing a fair bit of riding? Not masses, but I'd guess he's ridden a roadie before?

    Tram tracks are in fairness terrifying and I too was thinking "no don't ride on those!"
    Specialized Allez Sport 2013
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    ben@31 wrote:
    I'm more surprised he was doing 22mph! Makes me feel slow.

    With that bike 22mph on the flat is not hard at all.
    Interestingly he said if he didn't fall off and need a replacement bike then he would have won by 18 minutes. If only he didn't swerve across the width of the road over lots of tram tracks. Unless he was turning at a junction, I personnally would have stayed in the inside lane

    You have to remember that most of Top Gear is scripted so you have to wonder. I also wonder if that guy did let him borrow is bike or if he sold it to them?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    ben@31 wrote:
    I'm more surprised he was doing 22mph! Makes me feel slow.

    With that bike 22mph on the flat is not hard at all.

    yurp, keep clinging on to the dream bud ;)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,996
    Didnt see it, will probably watch it on catch up. Were there any decals with a sublime message or something sinister about the frame number? :roll:
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    Ballysmate wrote:
    Didnt see it, will probably watch it on catch up. Were there any decals with a sublime message or something sinister about the frame number? :roll:

    Did anyone else notice the Chile flag lapel badges they were wearing?
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    ddraver wrote:
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    ben@31 wrote:
    I'm more surprised he was doing 22mph! Makes me feel slow.

    With that bike 22mph on the flat is not hard at all.

    yurp, keep clinging on to the dream bud ;)

    I can do 22mph on the flat with my road bike which isn't half as good as that one. Not for long I grant you but he didn't say how long.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    ben@31 wrote:
    Ballysmate wrote:
    Didnt see it, will probably watch it on catch up. Were there any decals with a sublime message or something sinister about the frame number? :roll:

    Did anyone else notice the Chile flag lapel badges they were wearing?

    Yup; probably as a thankyou to Chile after they escaped to there from Argentina.
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    ben@31 wrote:
    Ballysmate wrote:
    Didnt see it, will probably watch it on catch up. Were there any decals with a sublime message or something sinister about the frame number? :roll:

    Did anyone else notice the Chile flag lapel badges they were wearing?

    Yup; probably as a thankyou to Chile after they escaped to there from Argentina.

    They're all Alexis Sanchez fans.
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
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  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    ben@31 wrote:

    Did anyone else notice the Chile flag lapel badges they were wearing?

    I noticed but didn't know the flag. Thanks for that, because I meant to look it up but then forgot.

    Nearly got taken off the bike on some tram tracks near me that I met for the first time a few weeks ago, after years of being in the car I'd forgotten about that. They were bad enough on a motorbike if you tried to ride parallel with them, but a narrow cycle tyre drops straight down them and there's not a lot you can do.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • lancew
    lancew Posts: 680
    Learning to bunny hope is the only answer!

    I did the same as Capt Slog about the flags. They do like to push the boundaries on that show.

    Also I think that the shiney bright MTB was a bit of a setup, even if the crash wasn't, I suspect that someone ran to the shop and bought a new one.
    Specialized Allez Sport 2013
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    They said the bike was "Russian pig iron" but far from it, Merida is a decent make, no idea what model it was but it wasn't exactly a BSO.
  • fatsmoker
    fatsmoker Posts: 585
    Having lived in St P for nearly 10 years I know the city quite well. Their start point was nowhere near where they said it was, it was actually quite close to the finish, because they had to start where the hovercraft is kept - near the gulf of Finland, not right down along the river. So, most of the footage shown was from a fairly small area of the city.
    Hammond is a brave man for trying to cycle it, driving standards are really poor and the roads are terrible. I'm surprised the road buzz and pot holes didn't shake the rear mech off.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Interesting timing - a buddy of mine was on Scottish BBC news on Friday as a victim of the Haymarket tram rails in Edinburgh - apparently around 60 cyclists are suing the council for damages after accidents - many around that really badly-designed junction.

    I suspect the bike swap was arranged - the Merida didn't look like "Russian Pig Iron" and probably didn't even belong to the guy.

    I noticed the Chilean badges but hadn't understood why they were related to the Xmas special so thanks for the explanation.
    Lancew wrote:
    I assume those mech hangers are designed to sheer to save the even more expensive Di2 mechs and the frame itself?

    Yup - that's exactly what hangers are for - mostly to protect the frame (after all, they've been around long before Di2)

    Finally, 22mph on the flat in the warm isn't so tough and Hammond is a keen cyclist. Averaging that speed is another matter.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    meanredspider wrote:
    I noticed the Chilean badges but hadn't understood why they were related to the Xmas special so thanks for the explanation.

    Just supposition I don't know for sure.
    Finally, 22mph on the flat in the warm isn't so tough and Hammond is a keen cyclist. Averaging that speed is another matter.

    Exactly, perhaps people are confusing average speed with a speed at that moment.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    markhewitt1978 wrote:

    With that bike 22mph on the flat is not hard at all.

    What is it exactly about that bike which makes 22mph easy?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,495
    Quite frankly, I thought he was riding like a proper little Richard at times.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
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  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    bernithebiker wrote:
    markhewitt1978 wrote:

    With that bike 22mph on the flat is not hard at all.

    What is it exactly about that bike which makes 22mph easy?

    Over and above any other road bike? Marginal improvement in stiffness, otherwise nothing much. Anyone should be able to get to 22mph on a road bike on the flat. How long they can maintain it is another question.
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    meanredspider wrote:
    Finally, 22mph on the flat in the warm isn't so tough and Hammond is a keen cyclist. Averaging that speed is another matter.

    What makes you think Hammond was referring to an average? I think more likely he was referring to a 'perceived average' which for a layman is often just below or at their peak speed...

    However, I have just checked my Garmin records and regularly average 19mph on an 18 mile loop that I do with 150metres of climbing - so if it were flat I would expect to be hitting 20mpg - and this is on a hybrid with pannier rack and bag. So not unreasonable that in perfect conditions on a lighter bike 22mph average would surely not be that hard? (bear in mind I am no racing snake...)
  • southdownswolf
    southdownswolf Posts: 1,525
    apreading wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    Finally, 22mph on the flat in the warm isn't so tough and Hammond is a keen cyclist. Averaging that speed is another matter.

    What makes you think Hammond was referring to an average? I think more likely he was referring to a 'perceived average' which for a layman is often just below or at their peak speed...

    However, I have just checked my Garmin records and regularly average 19mph on an 18 mile loop that I do with 150metres of climbing - so if it were flat I would expect to be hitting 20mpg - and this is on a hybrid with pannier rack and bag. So not unreasonable that in perfect conditions on a lighter bike 22mph average would surely not be that hard? (bear in mind I am no racing snake...)

    I thought that hybrids were more economical than that :lol:
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  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    apreading wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    Finally, 22mph on the flat in the warm isn't so tough and Hammond is a keen cyclist. Averaging that speed is another matter.

    What makes you think Hammond was referring to an average? I think more likely he was referring to a 'perceived average' which for a layman is often just below or at their peak speed...

    However, I have just checked my Garmin records and regularly average 19mph on an 18 mile loop that I do with 150metres of climbing - so if it were flat I would expect to be hitting 20mpg - and this is on a hybrid with pannier rack and bag. So not unreasonable that in perfect conditions on a lighter bike 22mph average would surely not be that hard? (bear in mind I am no racing snake...)

    I think you've misunderstood me. I didn't suggest that he was referring to an average - more responding to those that think 22mph is fast. Achieving a 22mph average though is tough because any hold-up bleeds away the average very fast. I often get close to this sort of average once I'm out of Amsterdam especially on the paths to the a East of the Markermeer but anything tight, with junctions or stops and it gets really hard.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I don't think the Merida bike swap was a set up. There's no way Hammond faked his crash. Who would do that for a TV show ? He could have easily bust something.

    He was racing it too - I'm not sure of the distance he was doing - but 22mph isnt impossible - maybe he had a tailwind or a bit of a slope to help him along.

    Hopefully the hanger sheared - they usually want that so as to avoid damage to the frame. Not really to save the mech.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    He may have had the crash for real and they had a replacement bike ready, or bought one at that moment, then gone back and re-filmed an 'amusing' (I meant this in the loosest sense of the word) way of getting it to him.

    Frankly, they may well have even just unscrewed the rear mech so they could look like a write-off so they could include that other bit.
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    coriordan wrote:
    He may have had the crash for real and they had a replacement bike ready, or bought one at that moment, then gone back and re-filmed an 'amusing' (I meant this in the loosest sense of the word) way of getting it to him.

    Frankly, they may well have even just unscrewed the rear mech so they could look like a write-off so they could include that other bit.

    On the other hand it could be completely genuine. :lol: Just saying.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    I don't think he fell off on purpose, although when he did I'm sure they used it to their advantage for the 'story'
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    I don't think he fell off on purpose, although when he did I'm sure they used it to their advantage for the 'story'

    I reckon this
  • norvernrob
    norvernrob Posts: 1,448
    Plenty of tram tracks in Sheffield, you just turn across them at an angle. Riding parallel into them is slightly stupid and makes me doubt the crash was at all genuine (as well as the fact TG is completely scripted anyway).

    And 22mph on a flat road when you've only got an 18 mile ride in front of you isn't difficult. He was obviously pushing quite hard.

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