lACKLIST
I is. l a t a»
'1’." CLYDECARD is.
he following offers are open to Clyde ard holders only.
THE CUT
Two tickets for the price of one tor Wiseguise Productions’s The Cut at Tron Theatre on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 June at 7.30pm. Tickets from Ticket Centre 041 227 5511 and all Ticketllnk outlets.
TRAIN, MODEL & TOY COLLECTORS FAIR
Special admission price (£1 for adults/50p for children) after 2pm tor the Glasgow Train, Model 8: Toy Collectors Fair at the Moir Hall on Sunday 20 June. Information on 0708 348144.
RETURN TO THE FORBIOOEN PLANET
Two tickets tor the price of one for Return To The Forbidden Planet at King’s Theatre on Monday 21 June at 7.30pm. Tickets from Ticket Centre 041 227 5511 and all Ticketlink outlets.
THE SCOTTISH PROMS
Two tickets for the price of one for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Music
Box at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 22 June at 7.30pm. Tickets from Ticket Centre 041 227 5511 and all Ticketlink outlets.
HYNOLANO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Two tickets tor the price of one for Hyndland Chamber Orchestra conducted by Tom Wilson and Peter
lnnes at St Bride’s Church on turday 26 June at 7.30pm. Tickets om Ticket Centre 041 227 5511 and all Ticketlink outlets.
take up one of these offers present r Clyde Card to the venue box ice. All offers subject to
ilability. CLYDE lllllli-i
ten to Clyde 1 and Clyde 2 for her details.
~he List l8 June I July I993
The Chain
ang
The excitement of mountain biking is attracting increasing numbers of people each year as Joe Lampard reports.
The history of modem mountain biking as we know it dates back to the mid 70s. when people like Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly got fed up mucking about on sand dunes on their old Sewinn beach cruisers. Looking for cheap thrills they bastardised the Scwinn bikes. went to the top of the highest hill track they could find and basically descended as fast as humanly possibly downwards. thus was born the earliest of mountain bike races. known as the Repack downhill. But the Scwinn's weren‘t good (or fast) enough. so they soon customised them and started making their own frames. one of which was ‘stolen‘ by the ‘Specialized' bike company and mass-produced in Japan. bringing about the first ever commercially produced mountain bike in l982.
Nowadays though mountain biking is
a multi-million pound industry with numerous specialist magazines and hundreds upon hundreds of cyclists and mountain bike clubs sprouting up all over the place. What with the overcrowding on roads. dangerous driving and stench ofexhaust fumes. it's little wonder that off-road cycling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
With the number of cyclists taking to
the hills and mountains increasing. so is the concern of ecologists and hillwalkers. some of whom are lobbying against off-road cycling in selected areas. Some people want to impose harsh measures; quota systems for instance. on how many bikes are allowed per season into specified areas. as is already the case in countries such as Bhutan. Complete bans on mountain bikes have been enforced in sorrre areas of the USA where riders have come into contact with opposition. and have lost the ensuing political battles.
A similar situation could come about
here with bikers channelled into areas specified for mountain bike use. This would mean the tracks would be busy to the point of over-flowing. and all the fun of discovering new and exciting quiet rides would be lost. To minimise the risk of damage to the countryside there are guidelines drawn up by the Scottish Cycle Union. which include the following:
I Try not to cycle on paths and tracks which are used by large numbers of
MOUTAN BIKE a
hillwalkers and ramblers. I Cycle on hard tracks as much as possible and carry your bike over areas which are damp or wet.
I Take great care not to disturb others. such as forestry workers and farmers/landowners.
I Be meticulous about litter.
I Generally take great care of the countryside. respect it and others who also use it.
A leaflet detailing all the guidelines can be obtained by phoning the Scottish Cycle Union on; ()3l 652 ()187.
The cost of mountain biking varies greatly. you can spend as little as £l() hiring a bike and going out for the day. or go to the extrerue of spending several thousand pounds buying a titanium frame. suspension forks and other high priced specialist gadgets. But basically all you need for a truly exciting (or relaxing) day out is a bike. a helmet (this is probably the most important purchase). suitable clothing (no. it doesn‘t have to be bright luminous colours) and bags of enthusiasm. You can choose to go out for a quiet. relaxing day cycling along paths and through forests. you can go for energy consuming climbs up endless altitudes or you can experience the sheer terror and adrenalin overload of going outrageously fast on long. steep downhill kamikaze rides. Whatever you choose and wherever you live you can bet that there is somewhere near. where you can get on yer bike and have a good time. and if you ha\ e transport the possibilities are almost endless.
The BikeBus
The BikeBus is one way to save you cycling out to them thar hills. then finding out you‘ve ran out of puff and can't even find the energy to cycle home. The bus can carry fourteen passengers plus tip to about sixteen bikes. the bikes being carried in a purpose-built bike trailer. which can also carry panniers. tents and other bits and bobs of equipment. They also carry a complete set of up-to-date Scottish Ordnance Survey maps and just in case you experience difficulties with your
Faxrwur
machine they have a comprehensive set
of bike tools on board. The bus can be privately hired for party bookings. or you can book up on one of their organised days or weekends away. For details of the BikeBus contact Harry Hennika on 031 229 6274.
Bike Hire Glasgow
I Dales Cycles I50 Dobbies Loan. 332
2705. £25 for weekend hire. £50 a week. Specialising in top quality off- road bikes. with a large selection to choose from.
I West End Cycles 16/18 Chancellor Street. 357 l3-l-1. £8 per day. £20
Fri -Mon hire. Limited number and range of bikes. but the cheapest hire you'll find anywhere.
Edinburgh
I Central Cycle Hire 13 Lochrin Place.
228 6333. £l5 day hire. 1.20 day hire for specialist bikes. £30 day hire for
off—road tandem. A large range of bikes
for hire in their big. centrally located shop and the only place where off-road tandems are available for hire.
I New Heights l3-1 Lothian Road. 229 2233. £10 day hire. £l8 two day hire. £50 week hire.
I Sandy Gilchrist l Cad/ow Place. 652
I760. £l() day hire. £50 week hire. Ex time-trial cyclist selling and hiring a large selection of Mountain Bikes as well as specialist racing bikes and totrrers.
Contacts
I Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op Alvanley Terrace. 228 l368. Large. friendly shop with bikes ranging from rrrid-expensive on the price scale. also a very good repair service (book in advance). They also run bike maintenance classes throughout the year and have just started up off-road classes. For details and prices of classes contact Lindsay McDerrrrid at the shop.
I Spokes The Lothian Cycle Campaign. l3 Lochrin Place. 447 7554. Membership by donation. non-party political cyclo-activists working to prorrrote cycling in and around Edinburgh.