Heads Up, The Cycle Show, tonight on ITV4 at 8pm.

[Gizmoish]

ArnageWRC said:

Considering the amount of success we’ve had in DH MTBing, I’d say the amount of coverage is derisory. And I don’t know why.
Strangely, the dirty/ off road side of cycling, motor cycling and car motorsport all receive less coverage than on road versions – yet are probably more spectacular.

<troll>
Same as BMXing. It's for kids, isn't it.
</troll>

[P-Jay]

Gizmoish said:

<troll>
Same as BMXing. It's for kids, isn't it.
</troll>

I think if you're into BMXing you're basically fked for mainstream attention unless it's an Olympic year.

[joema]

P-Jay said:

Digga said:

Dan is a machine! I have huge respect for him coming back to biking at all from that horrendous injury. That he's putting down jumps like the one at Llangynog quarry is, frankly, genuinely insane.

It is a shame there is such ignorance on the show. Speaking as someone who neither owns, nor intends to own a road bike of any description, I can honestly say I am fascinated and impressed by road and track racing. I think the premise of the show's coverage - that roadies don;t get or aren't into off road cycling - is wrongheaded.

As for Rob Warner, he has a gob best kept off live/national TV. Any commentator who can, mid commentary on a rider's downhill run that narrowly missed disater, conjure up the phrase "oh no! I bet his arse opened up like a golf bag!" is in a class of his own.

http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?thread...

"looks like he's st a Lego Deathstar"

"He's done more for downhill mountain biking than bin laden has done for terroism"

That's my favorite one.

While the tour is on we are lucky if we get 5 minutes.

[P-Jay]

I think RedBull have calmed the big man a bit, the best ones are all from the Freecaster years when he seemed to be pissed for most of the races ha ha.

Rob's Dirty Business makes up for it though.

[Digga]

P-Jay said:

Gizmoish said:

<troll>
Same as BMXing. It's for kids, isn't it.
</troll>

I think if you're into BMXing you're basically fked for mainstream attention unless it's an Olympic year.

Again, I've not thrown a leg over a BMX since my old Redline that I scrimped, saved and sold all my Lego to buy when I was a kid, but I was genuinely thrilled to watch the olympic BMX action and learn where the sport has got to (clipped pedals - I'd never have thought in a million years!) since I'd last followed it.

[Laurel Green]

Heads up! A new series starts this evening at 8 o'clock.

[Gizmoish]

Laurel Green said:

Heads up! A new series starts this evening at 8 o'clock.

And... They still haven't worked out what they want the show to be - news, entertainment, consumer, etc.

I particularly enjoyed the "tips on how to build up to the Ride London 100" with Laura Trott.

Build up to it.

Yes, that was it.

[Project C]

Don't like the new bloke.

[paranoid airbag]

Do they still have the god-awful intro theme? The one that screams "middle-aged man at computer trying to be 'hip'"?

I understand they must have thought Queen's "bicycle race" too obvious, but I'd be embarassed to have written that tune. And the last thing I wrote was after I discovered my school's keyboards had a map that made one of the keys sound like the good kind of lady-moan. With predictable results.

I know that's a small thing but it really makes it hard for me to take it seriously.

Maybe there simply isn't a need for a general cycling show, but if there is I might look to say, Ride of My Life (Rob Penn) for inspiration. Do a small number of features that are reasonably in-depth. E.g.:

One long feature (maybe a whole episode) on someone going through the journey of newbie to seasoned roadie (or MTBer, or BMXer - etc)

Another on how technology, or a specific subset of technology, has influenced bikes, or a specific subset of bikes. Or on the history of, say, Campagnolo.

Another on the history of, say, mountain biking (the Tour's history has probably been covered to death already).

Another on PEDs. You may as well.

Another on those wacky people in Amsterdam or Copenhagen we hear so much rapture about, or some other funky cycling culture. How about parts of the properly developing world where bicycles are still dominant because that's all anyone can afford?

etc.

[Gizmoish]

...or sod it, look at the most successful show in the world and go "oh yeah. Top Gear don't bother teaching people to drive. Let's just have fun on bikes. People will want to have fun too."

[yellowjack]

This is series 3 right?

I liked it, the newer version. Yes, it'd be nice to have a little more 'depth' in the content, and yes, I'm also not sure about the new presenter, but hey! It could be worse. It could go back to what it was like before 'The Cycle Show' - no bloody cycling show whatsoever!

I'm going to give it a chance, anyway. It's better than many of the possible alternatives on telly at that time slot

[Laurel Green]

Heads up, on soonest. Oh and, agree with Yellowjack.

[tobinen]

I don't think it's too bad. I'd like to see more detail on training tips for road riding. The guests they had on last night were quite interesting and I liked the piece on L'Eroica; never knew about that and wouldn't mind going.

No idea who the blonde Essex bloke was at the end on their challenge thing.

[Gizmoish]

The L'Eroica piece and the MTB piece were really good. And I liked the Essex bloke, clearly a big fan.

Cracknell and the travelling bloke in the middle was a bit flat though.

[Laurel Green]

Heads up.

[Jayfish]

did they do a Dunwich Dynamo piece and if so was it worth a rewatch?

[Laurel Green]

Jayfish said:

did they do a Dunwich Dynamo piece and if so was it worth a rewatch?

Sorry, just seen this. 'Tis on this evening's show.

[Jayfish]

Thanks Laurel, I can +1 it.

[Laurel Green]

Anyone watching? The bamboo bikes looked interesting; would liked to have seen a tad more on them though.

[Jayfish]

have a link for bamboo bikes saved in my bookmarks having seen (coming full circle here) two on the Dunwich Dynamo 2013, http://bamboobicycleclub.org/kits-for-bamboo-bike-...