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Every year, people in Britain cycle
more than three billion miles

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and over half of us own a bicycle.

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We buy over 3.5 million of them
every year.

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But what engineering skills
does it take to build a bike

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and get it on the road?

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We've come to the UK's largest
bicycle factory to find out.

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GREGG LAUGHS

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'I'm Gregg Wallace...' Wheels!

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'..and I'll be joining this
multi-stage manual production line

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'to make my own bike...'

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There's just over 16.5 million
different combinations.

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Don't be ridiculous!

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'..learning skills
that take years to master...'

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You're holding 1,000 degrees
in your hand. Er...

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'..and trying to keep up with
their 24-hour production targets.'

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I was chatting, I'm sorry.
Let's go, let's go!

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'I'm Cherry Healey.'

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Whoa!

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'I'll be getting some tips
from Team GB

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'to help us all improve
our pedal power...'

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Wow, look at that. So, how do I know

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if I've got the right pressure
in my wheel?

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'..and learning the secrets
of painting a bike

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'fit for the British weather.'

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You bake it in an oven!

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Historian Ruth Goodman investigates

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the role bikes played
in the D-day landings...

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This seems an enormously heavy
machine

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to be wearing whilst you jump
out of a plane in a parachute.

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..and how two wheels helped women
fight for equality.

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The bicycle really was, then, a part

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of the sort of tools of the trade
in their political ambitions.

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A brand-new bicycle comes off
this production line

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every three and a half minutes.

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Hey! Ta-da!

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And we're going to show you
the amazing engineering

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and craftsmanship that goes
into making every single one.

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Welcome to Inside The Factory.

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Welcome to the Brompton Bicycle
factory in west London.

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It's the largest and one of the few
remaining bike factories in Britain.

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This is their classic folding bike

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and it can be unfolded
in as little as six seconds.

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Over 1,000 of these a week
roll out of this factory,

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ready to be shipped
around the world. Um...

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I've nearly got it. Ah... Do you
need a tiny bit of help there?

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Let's have a go.

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Thank you, Cherry.

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That's a clever design but quite
complicated to manufacture.

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They start off life like this -
1,200 individual parts.

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Tonight, we're going to show you
how a team of hundreds can turn this

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into a working bicycle
in less than 24 hours.

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This is the largest company
manufacturing bikes in the UK.

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And they hand-build every frame.

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All the raw steel they use comes
from Spain in six-metre lengths,

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so first, it goes to a specialist
company in Leicester

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to be laser-sliced
or machine-sawed.

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At the London bicycle factory,
the material intake section

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receives four tons of
made-to-measure parts every week.

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That's enough
for more than 150 folding bikes

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every 24 hours of production.

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And I'll be responsible
for one of them.

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The countdown from metal bits
to my bicycle begins.

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I'm going to need
a lot of help,

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starting with training
manager, Barney Fox.

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Are you going to give me my bits?
Absolutely.

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First, we should start
with the main frame.

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Two bits of tubing for you.
Take one of those.

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That's where your bottom bracket
will go.

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That's where your crank
and chain set go. Main frame tubing.

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All right, couple of chain stays
for you - left and right.

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So, you can take that as well.
Going to need a handlebar stem.

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Are you sure this actually makes
a bike?

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You're also going to need
a fork to be able to...

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METAL CLANGS ON FLOOR

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Well. Sorry, Barney.
There you are. Keep hold of that.

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Where can I put that?

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Just to finish off the main frame,
put in a seat tubing in there.

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There's a little bit more
than I thought there'd be.

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Is it starting to look
like a bike yet? Not at all!

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I feel like the Tin Man!
That's not a bike, surely!

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33 separate pieces of metal will
form the skeleton of my bike

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and every single part will be joined
together,

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not by robots, but by artisans.

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First out of my box of bits, it's
the biggest tube in the main frame.

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It needs bending
into its distinctive shape

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and they do that with
the original mould press,

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designed more than 30 years ago.

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That machine is set to do this at
the right angle every time, is it?

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Yes. Where does this bit go - up?
Over here. Like that?

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'It's shaped every folding bike
that's left this factory,

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'using a pressure five times
the weight of a white rhino.'

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And now, is this...that bit?
No, it's not that bit.

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If you turn it up,
it will be this way. So, that's...

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Yes. That bit.

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'Just 15 minutes after the raw steel
arrived at the factory,

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'and I've now got all the parts
of my frame ready.

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'Now it's time to start turning it
into a bike.' Thank you.

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The 33 steel parts of the frame need
joining together by brazing.

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It's like soldering but at
an extreme heat of 1,000 degrees.

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It's all done by hand.

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There are 42 braziers and the most
experienced is Abdul El Saidi.

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Hello! Hello, Gregg.
'He's worked here for 18 years.'

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What is your role here, Abdul?

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I train every single person in here
how to become brazier. Right.

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Training takes 18 months
and, after qualifying,

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each brazier is allowed
to sign their own work.

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They stamp their own initials? Every
single brazier has his own initials.

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These bikes are going
all over the world

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and it's got one of your boys'
initials on it. Exactly.

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The wall of fame shows the pride
in their work

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and I'm hoping I can live up to the
legacy as Abdul's latest trainee.

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There's a sleeve
for extra protection.

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You're holding 1,000 degrees
in your hand. You're kidding me.

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'That's the melting point of bronze,

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'which forms an incredibly strong
and solid bond between the joints.'

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When was the last time you burnt
yourself? Maybe three months ago.

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Oh, no, Abdul!
It's only a little touch.

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'I'm right out of my comfort zone.'

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Er... Very safe, very safe.

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Nothing to worry about.
Like a pen in your hand.

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Right, what we're going to do -
the wire in this hand

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and I'll show you how simple and
easy and you're going to love it.

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Oh, yeah. Don't worry. Like
everyone. I'm not at all nervous(!)

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Slowly... Excellent.
Keep going with the torch.

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Excellent, that's the one.

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So, you're wishing to become
a master brazier?

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Well, I tell you what, I would be
tired at the end of the day,

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because this is quite precise work.
Very good, go.

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If that's melting metal together,

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that would make a terrible mess
of my fingers.

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'Now I've practised,
Abdul's letting me braze

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'one of the joints on the bike
I'm building -

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'under his watchful eye
and, well, safe in his arms.'

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# Oh, my love... #

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Straight line, little bit.

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# My darling... #
Close the joint together.

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# I've hungered for your touch... #

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I'm going to leave you to continue
on your own. No! You can't leave me!

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# I need your love... #
I'll break it.

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'Not bad, but nowhere near as good
as these guys.'

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Can I take one of yours?
Is that OK?

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Abdul! Yes. I've finished.
Well done. What do you think?

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Wow, fantastic! Not bad, huh?
Professional. Very good. Actually...

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Is that the one you brazed?
No, actually...

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I thought that looked OK
until I saw my friend's.

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The more you practise,
the more you get better and better.

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'I don't deserve to be here,
but I made it to the wall of fame.

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'And luckily,
Abdul's team is giving me a hand,

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'brazing the rest
of my bike joints -

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'normally an intensive
four-hour job.'

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There you go. With a little bit
of help from Abdul,

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I've finished the parts
of my bike frame

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and now they're going to go off
and get painted.

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My bike frame leaves London
to travel 150 miles

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to a factory in Cardiff, where they
paint 1,000 folding bikes a week,

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and Cherry's in charge
of my paint job.

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So, when you order your bike,

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you can choose from over
100 different colour combinations

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and every single bike
comes through this one factory,

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here in Cardiff, to be painted.

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I suppose I'd better get cracking
then.

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'First, we're dipping the parts
into a series of 11 giant baths

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'and that's just to prepare
the steel for painting.'

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Have a nice bath!

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'In the two-and-a-half-hour process,
the frame gets an alkaline wash

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'to clean it, a coating of crystals
to protect it from rust

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'and it's dunked in a bath of base
paint with an electric charge

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'to make it stick to the metal.

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'The manager here is David Morgan.'

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Do you have to do this
with normal bikes?

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It sounds extremely
labour-intensive.

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The importance of this,
with a folding bike,

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is that when you open the bike,

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you're opening the bike
to the elements, effectively.

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So, if the inside of the bike
isn't protected,

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the inside of the bike will rust

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and the bike will effectively rust
from the inside out.

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Is that really the only way
to get that protection?

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If you want a premium finish, yes.

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If only Gregg knew
how much hard work

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goes into just priming the frame.

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You're not even painting it yet!
Nope.

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Before we can start, Gregg's bike
frame is heated for 45 minutes

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at 180 degrees to harden the primer.

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At last, overalls on, I'm ready.

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CHERRY GRUNTS

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'Showing me how to do
a professional paint job

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'is managing director Steve Rosher.'

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Can I have a paintbrush? No.

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What you need is a powder coating
gun. A powder coating gun?

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00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,440
Surely if you put powder onto metal,
it will just blow off.

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Not if you use
the proper equipment.

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00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,320
'The paint powder is
electrostatically charged,

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'so it's attracted to every little
bit of the steel surface.'

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That looks painted to me. That looks
like a painted piece of metal.

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OK, but at the moment it's held on
just by static electricity,

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so if you touch it... Whoa!
..it comes away.

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What? So, it's still a dry powder.

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Wow! Amazing! It just falls off.

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00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,160
Obviously, you can't send this bike
out for someone to ride

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cos it would come off
in one rain shower.

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So we have to bake it in a oven.
You bake it in an oven!

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'But before that happens, I need
to get Gregg's frame painted.'

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00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,800
Ta-da!

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00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,600
Well done. Job looks good.
Shall we put them in the oven? Yes!

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'After baking for 15 minutes at 180
degrees, the parts are ready.'

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So, it goes off down
to quality control now

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00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:21,840
and then it's up to London,
back to Gregg.

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This bike has been primed,
painted and baked

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and now I look like a Smurf!

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00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:35,520
Back at the factory,

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00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,360
and we're now 16 hours
into building my bike.

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I've got my hands
on my frame again

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00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:42,440
and now it's looking
fabulous.

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00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:46,640
Right, Barney, I'm back here.
I've had my tubes, I've bent them,

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I've brazed it,
we've now painted it -

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00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,120
surely we are now ready to put
a bicycle together, aren't we?

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Before we pop it onto the line, we
need to give it a quick visual check

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to make sure that we're happy
with them.

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So, if you want to pick
one of the parts up.

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Let's have a scan over with our eyes

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00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,040
and just make sure
there's no imperfections,

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no defects on the part whosoever.

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00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,280
Are you sure that paint
seems all right?

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00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,240
The main parts we're going to look
at are the top of the tubing

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and if you're happy,
I'm happy to put it on the line.

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00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,320
Yeah, I'm happy. Let's go for it.
I think that's good work, mate.

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Sounds good. Let's go.
Come on then, lend a hand, Barney!

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00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:21,720
You'll be all right, come on.

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My bike parts will pass through
a 28-person production line.

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The 12 most time-critical jobs
on the main assembly

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have just three and a half minutes
before the bike moves on.

233
00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,760
And the target board keeps everyone
on track.

234
00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:53,520
They build 153 bikes a day and each
one can be completely different.

235
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,960
There's just over 60.5 million
different combinations.

236
00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,240
Don't be ridiculous! Absolutely.
How? Forgive me, but how?

237
00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,080
We can have
lots of different colours,

238
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,200
different types of handlebars,
different gear rangings,

239
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,440
you can have mud guards,
you don't have to have mud guards.

240
00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,000
To help the team keep on top
of each unique order,

241
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,960
every bike travels through
with a kind of passport.

242
00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,600
This is quite simply named a "pink".

243
00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,880
It tells the operator
on our production line

244
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:22,600
what parts need to go where

245
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,560
and this is pretty much
the DNA of the bicycle.

246
00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,760
So, is there one here for me
and Cherry's bike? This is it.

247
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,880
This is it.
You do realise, don't you,

248
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,680
everyone's going to want the Gregg
bike in Cherry colour? You reckon?

249
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,560
'Before I can get going
with MY bike,

250
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,320
'I've got to find the beginning
of the assembly line.'

251
00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:42,920
Someone's got to help me.

252
00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,520
I've got to put a bike together -
where do I start?

253
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,640
Start over there?

254
00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:53,120
I need help! Are you the first bit?
I'm Gregg. I'm Rafael.

255
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:55,360
In the Main Frame Station 1,

256
00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,320
16 hours and 8 minutes
after they were plain metal tubes,

257
00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,800
Rafael Sarkovski will start
connecting them together.

258
00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,560
What is this bit? What is it?
Where does it go?

259
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:07,480
On the front, front of the bike.

260
00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:11,440
Here we're going to put
a handlebar and fork. Oh, OK, OK.

261
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,320
Yeah, like that. OK, OK, OK.

262
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,960
'First, the chrome spacers go on.'

263
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:17,360
Argh!

264
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,880
'The front and main frame
is attached with a hinge

265
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,520
'to form one of the three key
folding points of the bike.

266
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,640
'Rafael attaches
the quick-release clamp.'

267
00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:30,040
Done?

268
00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:34,440
'Next, in Main Frame 2, Carl O'Brien
will fit the seat post,

269
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,480
'which is inserted upside down.'

270
00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:43,240
Do you want to just flip the bike
over? Oh, oh, Carl, you're a star.

271
00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:47,640
'Then we need to add its
all-important safety features.'

272
00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,560
But first, Cherry's investigating
what's being done

273
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,080
to make our roads safer
for cyclists.

274
00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,040
SIRENS WAIL

275
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:03,200
As an enthusiastic urban cyclist,
I generally feel safe,

276
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,880
but it is hard not to worry
when you see flowers laid out

277
00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,360
in tribute to cyclists
who've died on the roads.

278
00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:15,760
In London alone, there have
been 66 fatalities since 2011

279
00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,120
and more than half of them
were collisions with a truck.

280
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:25,320
'To find out why cyclists and trucks
are such a deadly combination...'

281
00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,200
It's a pretty big lorry.

282
00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,720
'..I'm getting behind the wheel
of an HGV...'

283
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,160
Whoa, that is so high!

284
00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,040
'..with instructor Doug Johnson.'

285
00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,160
Ready to fire it up? Holy moly!

286
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,760
So, you bring your clutch up
gently, gently, gently. Whoa!

287
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,440
Oh, my God,
the weight of this thing.

288
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,440
'Doug's going to show me the
challenges of keeping cyclists safe

289
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:57,640
'from a lorry driver's perspective.
First, a left turn.'

290
00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:59,400
Now, looking left
and looking right,

291
00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,560
we're going to treat this
like a junction, OK?

292
00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,440
Bring it to a nice gentle stop.

293
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,680
Have a good look in your mirrors.
Is it clear?

294
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,320
I can see the lorry,
I can see the cone. If it's clear...

295
00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:16,160
Yes, absolutely. Let's just get out
and have a look from the outside.

296
00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:24,360
Whoa! Oh, my God!
CYCLISTS CHEER

297
00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:29,600
How is that possible that all of you
and the car...?

298
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,600
I can't believe it.

299
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,520
Literally, you cannot see anything.
Yeah, yeah, it's scary.

300
00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,960
'There are seven cyclists here

301
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,440
'and the left-turn blind spot
can hide a great many more.

302
00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:47,200
'I was convinced it was safe to turn
but it wasn't.'

303
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:48,800
That's just bizarre.

304
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:53,760
'And many truck drivers have another
blind spot right under their noses.'

305
00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:57,040
Look in all your mirrors, look out
the windows. I can't see anything.

306
00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,080
Whoa! Where did they come from?

307
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,280
Oh, my gosh,
you've got to be at least, what,

308
00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:09,480
three of four metres away
for me to be able to see them.

309
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,480
Yep, don't be close to a big truck.

310
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:15,880
'This spot is so dangerous.
Since 2015,

311
00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,080
'all lorries in London over 3.5 tons
must have special mirrors

312
00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,240
'to improve vision
directly in front of the cab

313
00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,600
'and both sides of the driver.

314
00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,880
'But this isn't yet law
in the rest of the UK.

315
00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:34,000
'Now I want to know what I can do
to protect myself on my bike.'

316
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,160
So, where is it that I should be
that is safe?

317
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,080
Ideally, you need to be here,

318
00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,880
so you've got good eye-line
with the driver. Yes.

319
00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:44,520
He can see you,
you can see him. Right.

320
00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:48,200
So you need to be quite assertive.
That will keep you safe.

321
00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:52,400
LORRY HORN BEEPS

322
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:54,560
I had absolutely no idea

323
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,920
that the blind spot was such
a huge area next to the lorry.

324
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,800
It just goes to show
that when you're cycling,

325
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,080
you have to be so aware.

326
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,400
HGV designers can play
their part too.

327
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,920
A number of manufacturers have added
extra visibility to their vehicles,

328
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,440
like this Mercedes Econic lorry.

329
00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,760
CHERRY KNOCKS ON DOOR

330
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,600
May I come in?
Of course you can, Cherry.

331
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:26,320
'Joe Riley drives one of the 5,000
that are on our roads.'

332
00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,920
I can see how much more
you can see. Yes.

333
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,520
You have almost a 360 view
around your cab.

334
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:38,240
Yes, I can see more so there's less
chance of me having an accident.

335
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:40,760
'We're hitting the streets

336
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,520
'so Joe can show me
its safety features in action.

337
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,080
'First, the floor-to-ceiling
folding glass door.'

338
00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:49,800
When we're turning left,

339
00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:53,120
it's the most dangerous manoeuvre
any lorry driver can do.

340
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:56,560
This is what it's all about.
It's that point there.

341
00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,840
So, this area here,
the clear area here... Yeah.

342
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:03,920
..is, potentially, the difference
between life or death for a cyclist.

343
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,440
Indeed it is.
Isn't that amazing,

344
00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:12,160
that a clear door could save someone
from a fatal accident? Yes, it is.

345
00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:18,840
What other features does this lorry
have? It's got side sensors.

346
00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,080
SENSORS BEEP

347
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,360
The cyclist also gets
a danger alert.

348
00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:26,400
Can you hear
the verbal warning system?

349
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,720
LORRY: 'Stand clear.
This vehicle is turning left.'

350
00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:33,480
And it repeats itself every time
I've got an indicator on left.

351
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,280
So, cyclists know
you're about to make that turn.

352
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:41,280
This lorry also has
a state-of-the-art safety camera.

353
00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,360
The camera picks up
down the near side. Right.

354
00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:49,760
So, I can see cyclists coming up.
There's a cyclist. Here he comes.

355
00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,760
Totally clear view.
That is absolutely brilliant.

356
00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:57,480
The difference is incredible.

357
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,160
The huge windows and added sensors

358
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:04,000
mean that cyclists can just feel
that much safer on the roads.

359
00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,920
At the factory,
it's 16 hours and 15 minutes

360
00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,840
since I collected
the parts for my bike.

361
00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:27,400
We've bent the steel, brazed the
frame and Cherry's painted it blue.

362
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:31,680
We've put together its front frame,
main frame and seat post.

363
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:35,560
The target board shows that,
somehow, we're still on schedule.

364
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,840
'Now, Gary Franklin...'
I've got another one coming in.

365
00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,480
'..attaches the fork
for the front wheel.'

366
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,920
Station by station, bit by bit,
this is looking like a bike.

367
00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,520
You need to tighten the top nut,
and then back off the bottom nut.

368
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,680
Just make sure that you can feel
the ball bearings working.

369
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:56,480
Then he fits the front brake,
reflector and mud guard.

370
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,440
If you don't do this right, does it
get rejected further down the line?

371
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,360
Yeah, it'll go down on the computer
system and you have a talking-to.

372
00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,560
Whoa! It's like being
a proper mechanic, isn't it?

373
00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:08,160
Yeah. Cheers, mate.

374
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:15,640
'Overseeing the entire operation is
the company CEO, Will Butler-Adams.'

375
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:18,400
It's not what I expected at all.

376
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,680
That's what I was going to ask -
what did you expect?

377
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:24,440
It's far more artisan. I expected...
Machines, robots.

378
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,440
..30-foot high automatons.

379
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,880
What I didn't expect was
two rows of people.

380
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,280
Tell me about the idea
of a folding bike.

381
00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,040
If you're going to use a bike,
you need a bike that's convenient.

382
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,160
If you live in a city, dragging
a big bike is a bit of a pain.

383
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,640
So, if you can have a bike,
like a Swiss Army knife,

384
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,520
suddenly appears when you want it,

385
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,120
disappears when you don't want it,
it's handy.

386
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,480
Whilst modern folding bikes are made
mostly for urban use,

387
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,440
that hasn't always been the case,

388
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,880
as historian Ruth Goodman
is finding out.

389
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:03,560
Imagine the scene.

390
00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,400
You are 8,000 feet
above northern France,

391
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,280
about to jump into enemy territory.

392
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,600
You've got your parachute and your
pack, and you've also been told

393
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,480
to take the airborne military
folding bicycle.

394
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:18,360
And it's not light.

395
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:21,040
But it was long before
the Second World War

396
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,800
that folding bikes went
into military action.

397
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,880
They appear from the 1870s onwards

398
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,880
and collector Colin Kirsch
has the proof.

399
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:34,200
This is the front end of
a detachable Dursley-Pedersen

400
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,200
from 1900.

401
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:41,720
The idea was to use it to carry on a
soldier's back during the Boer War.

402
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,440
Oh, right.
You're supposed to carry both parts?

403
00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:50,160
Yes, so the two parts
would strap together.

404
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,480
So, did this idea get developed
further then?

405
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,000
Yes, there were quite a few
folding bicycles at that time -

406
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,800
lots of prototypes.

407
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,600
But it wasn't until World War I

408
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,400
that the British army really
appreciated their potential.

409
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,720
In 1914, the first year of the war,

410
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:13,520
14,000 British soldiers were
in cyclist battalions.

411
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:19,040
So, here's the World War I
BSA folding bike.

412
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:23,200
And these were used in action? Yes,
they made large quantities of these.

413
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,480
The problem was, soldiers didn't
really want to spend the time

414
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,280
unfolding them
to put them on their back.

415
00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:32,000
It was one of those things

416
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,440
that was not necessarily used
for its purpose.

417
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,120
Right, so it seemed like a good idea
back in the office. Exactly.

418
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,600
Even so, by the end of the war,
in 1918,

419
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,520
100,000 troops had used a bike
in active service.

420
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:57,000
They were used again by the military
from 1939,

421
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,160
the start of World War II -

422
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,600
first, to helps save the lives
of paratroopers,

423
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,520
getting them away from their drop
zone as quickly as possible.

424
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,800
Colin, this seems an enormously big
and heavy machine to be wearing

425
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,440
whilst you jump out of a plane
in a parachute.

426
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:18,400
Oh, well, this was probably
the lightest! Really? Yes.

427
00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,400
It managed to get the design of this
one under 20lbs in weight.

428
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,920
It would give you mobility
once you got on the ground,

429
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,600
if you were off trying to find
specific targets.

430
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:31,640
Yes, as long as you weren't under
fire. So, did they see much action?

431
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,600
Yes, there were two major campaigns
they were used.

432
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,440
They were used on D-day
in the landing craft

433
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,440
and they were used at Market Garden,

434
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,520
when 8,000 paratroopers
were dropped,

435
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:45,800
many of them with bicycles.

436
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,760
How does it go together then?
It sort of... Right...

437
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,280
You wouldn't want to do this under
fire. You wouldn't, would you?

438
00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:58,720
Fabulous design.

439
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,520
Ready to jump on and...ride away.

440
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:09,680
70,000 of the so-called parabikes
were manufactured,

441
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,440
but British paratroopers
weren't keen to ride them,

442
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,400
and at the end of the war,
thousands were stockpiled

443
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,400
and then sold off as army surplus.

444
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:23,560
It wasn't until the 1960s

445
00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:27,080
that folding and packaway bikes
came back into favour.

446
00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:29,040
Now they were fashionable

447
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:34,360
and, thanks to the much smaller
16-inch wheels, also practical.

448
00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:37,760
The next big breakthrough
was in 1971,

449
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,640
when Harry Bickerton came up
with a new light and compact design,

450
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,400
which set the standard
for folding bikes.

451
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,960
Four years later, Andrew Ritchie
came up with his own invention,

452
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:50,760
the Brompton.

453
00:26:57,120 --> 00:26:59,840
Back at the factory,
Will's filling me in

454
00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:04,360
on how that invention was turned
into a commercial product.

455
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:06,960
Andrew Ritchie came up
with the idea in his flat,

456
00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,320
overlooking the Brompton Oratory,
came up with the name and decided,

457
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,240
"Perfect, I'm a genius,
everyone's going to want my design."

458
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,200
Gave it to Raleigh, they looked
at it and decided it was bonkers,

459
00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:17,840
didn't want to do it.

460
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,160
So, after everyone else turned it
down, he decided to do it himself.

461
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,440
In the early '80s, Andrew began
making bikes on a small scale

462
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:27,560
from his home in west London.

463
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:29,040
But making a profit was tough

464
00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:31,200
and when the banks refused him
a loan,

465
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,600
it was almost the end of the road.

466
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,360
One of his customers,

467
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,440
who was so frustrated that he
couldn't buy any more of the bikes,

468
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,440
came in with the 40 grand
he needed in 1988,

469
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,560
and after 13 years of struggle,
he got started.

470
00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:49,600
He got his bike fan-funded. Early
fan-funding. He did, didn't he?

471
00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:55,840
Now, this factory produces
46,000 bikes a year,

472
00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,120
and to help them keep on target,

473
00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:00,440
I need to get mine
back on the assembly line.

474
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,680
It's just over 16 hours
and 18 minutes

475
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,960
since I started
and now Hubert Stritzi

476
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:06,800
attaches
the rear section

477
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:08,520
to the main frame

478
00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,440
for the second key folding point.

479
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:17,280
Put rear frame... Ah. I can do this.

480
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:21,760
OK, and now use this spanner...
Look in your ear.

481
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,880
It's OK? Clear?
THEY LAUGH

482
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,960
Next, we're going to give
my bike its mud guard,

483
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:31,000
racks and rear brakes.

484
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,640
Helping me is Michelle Makelogi.

485
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,080
I'm going to show you one side and
then you can tighten the other one.

486
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,160
Is that all right? All right.
So, you just go like this.

487
00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:47,800
That's it. And that's it, right?

488
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,480
Next stop for my bike
is Fork 2,

489
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,840
and Noel Peters.
Noel.

490
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,880
'All the experienced workers
like Noel swap over their stations

491
00:28:57,880 --> 00:28:59,280
'from day to day.'

492
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,840
Noel, you seem very confident.
Have you been here a while?.

493
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,960
Um, yeah, since May, 2001.
You've been here 15 years?

494
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,280
Yeah, I can't believe it myself.
Wow, wow.

495
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,200
On his station today,
Noel puts on the mud flaps

496
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,720
and attaches the derailleur cables

497
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:19,040
that will make
the bike's gears change.

498
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,400
You're part-man, part-bicycle
now, aren't you?

499
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,400
I think I'm robot now,
complete robot!

500
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:30,080
They use more than half a mile
of cable a day.

501
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,040
If I was going to work here,
give me one tip.

502
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,640
Focus, that's it. Focus.
Yeah. Focus.

503
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,920
What did he say? Focus. Focus.

504
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,160
Can I do this?
I wasn't leaving you out.

505
00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:44,200
Get off, get off. Get off.
All right.

506
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,760
When you hear that click,
that's done, yeah? That's it, yeah.

507
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,080
Cable in, mud guard in.
Yes, that's the one.

508
00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:54,240
What do you think when you see
someone on the train

509
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,040
with one of these? I say,
"Wow, I had a hand in that.

510
00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:58,640
"And a few others."

511
00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:01,680
That's me. Hand-made by me.
I feel proud.

512
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,960
A bike like this will cost you
upwards of £750

513
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:10,600
and that's not cheap.

514
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,120
But that's nothing compared to the
price of some of the racing bikes.

515
00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,560
They can cost up to £10,000.

516
00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:20,120
But you don't have to spend
a lot of money to pedal faster.

517
00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,520
Cherry's been out to chat with some
of the top cyclists in the country

518
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:24,960
to pick up some tips.

519
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,280
The success of the British cycling
team and their speedy track stars

520
00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:34,920
has inspired
more than two million of us

521
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,440
to get on our bikes
at least once a week.

522
00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:44,800
But are the secrets of track cycling
transferable to the real world?

523
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:50,400
My bike, Margot, is practical
and comfortable, but sometimes,

524
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:54,200
when I am struggling up a hill
with my baby on the back

525
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,280
and shopping on the front,
I do wonder,

526
00:30:56,280 --> 00:31:01,400
"Is there a way to make my ride
a little bit easier and speedier?"

527
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,920
I've come to the National Cycling
Centre in Manchester,

528
00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:10,640
where six-time gold medallist
Chris Hoy trained,

529
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:15,360
and where Britain's top cyclists
are preparing for the next Olympics.

530
00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:22,080
Wow, they are so fast! Don't look,
Margot, it'll just depress you.

531
00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:26,480
Team GB coach, Kevin Stewart...
You can go a bit faster than that!

532
00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,480
..is going to show me how small
alterations in the way I ride

533
00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:35,280
and the way my bike is set up
could transform my cycling.

534
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,240
She may not be the coolest thing
you've ever seen...

535
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:39,760
KEVIN LAUGHS

536
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,960
I'm really unbelievably excited
to ride round the velodrome.

537
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:47,320
Cool, well, let's get a baseline
mark to see if we can help you.

538
00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:49,400
'To assess how well I'm riding,

539
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,800
'I have to tackle four laps,
or 1,000 metres,

540
00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:57,640
'of this intimidating track,
with 42.5 degree banks.'

541
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,800
Fast as you go. Three, two, one, go!
CHERRY RINGS BIKE BELL

542
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:03,800
All right, off we go.

543
00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,960
The high bits are really high!

544
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,720
Wheeeee.

545
00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:18,160
BIKE BELL RINGS
Oh, my God.

546
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,880
I mean, they are unreal.
KEVIN LAUGHS

547
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:23,520
Keep going, keep going. Big push.

548
00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,400
All right.

549
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,000
That was amazingly fun!

550
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:35,560
We got a time for those four laps.
3 minutes, 32.

551
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:37,440
How quickly do the professionals
do it?

552
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,400
The world record is 56 seconds.
They're four times faster.

553
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:44,480
'Clearly I'm no Olympian,

554
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,320
'and Kevin's noticed I'm not using
my gears effectively.'

555
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,040
You want a smaller gear
to begin the effort. Yes.

556
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,160
But once you get up to speed,
you can push a much bigger gear,

557
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:56,200
so it's about choosing
the right gear at the right time.

558
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,600
The other really big one we can do
is go from here...

559
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:02,400
..to here. Really? Yeah.

560
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,080
So, if you want to make yourself
as small as possible,

561
00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:07,680
it means it's a lot easier
to get through the air.

562
00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:10,080
Come on then,
let's get off the track.

563
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,000
'Now I've got some efficiency tips,
what about my bike?'

564
00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,920
Oh, wow, look at that.
That's pretty flat, isn't it?

565
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:20,800
I shouldn't really be able
to do that.

566
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,440
So, the more air we have, the easier
the bike is going to roll.

567
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:28,440
'I could be losing up to 20% of the
energy I'm putting into pedalling

568
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,280
'because my tyres are too flat.'

569
00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:34,120
There's probably around 10 psi -
10 pounds per square inch of air -

570
00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:35,880
in this tyre at the moment.

571
00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,480
How do I know if I've got
the right pressure in my wheel?

572
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,840
They actually have it written
on the tyre

573
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,080
the minimum and maximum pressure
you should put in those tyres.

574
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:49,480
Road tyres typically require
80 to 130 psi.

575
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,800
Go over and the inner tube
could explode.

576
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,560
OK, there's around about 80 in that
now. That is absolutely solid. Yeah.

577
00:33:57,560 --> 00:33:59,840
What's next? We can have a look
at your seat height.

578
00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:03,200
When you were riding round,
it was far too low. Oh, really?

579
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:08,160
Yeah, we weren't using all of those
powerful leg muscles we have.

580
00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:10,760
So, let's think about raising it up
a little bit... OK.

581
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,280
..and getting it to that optimal
height where you can get

582
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:15,160
a full extension, OK? OK.

583
00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:17,560
I reckon around about an inch
we need to put it up.

584
00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:20,960
'Kevin can adjust by eye,
but for the perfect seat height,

585
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,400
'you should have a slight bend
in the knee

586
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,840
'when your pedal
is at its lowest point.'

587
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,320
So, next - aerodynamics.

588
00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:33,040
'The child seat and basket need
sidelining when not in use

589
00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:38,560
'but losing these 4.5kg won't make
as big a difference as my clothing.'

590
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,640
80% of what you push through the air

591
00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:44,240
and what makes that hole
in the air is you, OK?

592
00:34:44,240 --> 00:34:47,680
And maybe 90% with that coat on.
Coat's got to go.

593
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:50,160
I feel like a speed demon now.

594
00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:53,560
'Some simple changes -
using the right gear,

595
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,320
'optimum tyre pressure,
correct saddle height

596
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:59,400
'and making my shape
more aerodynamic -

597
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,000
'should improve my track time.'

598
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,440
So, four laps again. Ready. Go!

599
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,440
Remember your gears.

600
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:12,800
It feels so weird.

601
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,120
Faster already.

602
00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:20,640
The difference is unbelievable!
Yeah, it's good!

603
00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:23,280
That's it - nice and low for me.
Remember your position.

604
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:28,240
'Just lowering my body position
is making a 10% improvement

605
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:30,360
'to my speed and efficiency.'

606
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:32,640
Whoo! All right.

607
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:34,160
SHE PANTS

608
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:39,160
Well, good job.
That felt completely different.

609
00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:42,160
I've never, ever experienced
my bike that.

610
00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:46,760
So, your first time round
was 3 minutes, 32. Yes.

611
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:51,080
You've gone two minutes, 27
for those four laps. Whoa!

612
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,320
So, you've taken over a minute
off your four-lap time,

613
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,560
which is incredible.
Thank you!

614
00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:05,400
It has been incredible
to get a sneak peek

615
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:08,240
into the world of elite
performance racing

616
00:36:08,240 --> 00:36:14,080
and I love that I have a few tips
to make my riding easier and faster.

617
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,800
But, sadly, I don't think we're
going to make it to the Olympics.

618
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:19,720
We'll take it on the chin.

619
00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:39,160
Back on the production line,
and my bike is just over 16.5 hours

620
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,880
into its journey from
parts to packaging.

621
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,040
It's now got forks,
mud guards and brakes,

622
00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:49,960
but it's still missing
two of the most crucial components.

623
00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,720
Do you make the wheels? I do.
I need two wheels.

624
00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:55,120
I need a back wheel
and a front wheel. Yeah, sure.

625
00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,200
Behind the main assembly line,

626
00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,680
Rudi Yousef fits the inner tubes
and tyres onto the wheel rims.

627
00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:03,480
And, like the other
time-critical stations,

628
00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:08,280
he has just 3.5 minutes or he'll
hold up the whole production.

629
00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:13,040
How many wheels do you do a day?
Over 300 wheels a day, yeah.

630
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:17,080
These wheel rims are designed here,
but made off-site.

631
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:19,960
They only have a 16-inch diameter,

632
00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:23,080
10 inches smaller
than a standard bike wheel.

633
00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,640
Their reduced size makes them
stronger

634
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,200
and helps the bike accelerate
faster.

635
00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,600
Rudi, stand aside. Let me show you
how you do wheels properly, son.

636
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:33,520
Yeah, you just lock it in.

637
00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,360
'First of all, I need to apply
a protective tape

638
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:40,200
'and get the inner tube and tyre
to fit snugly on top.'

639
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,600
This is very, very fiddly.

640
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:45,280
'To help protect these tyres
from punctures,

641
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,440
'they're reinforced with Kevlar,

642
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,960
'an ultra-strong material
used in bulletproof vests.'

643
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,000
Can I stand back and just let you
do one? No, no.

644
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:56,560
Cos I need two wheels for my bike.

645
00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,360
'Now, with help from Rudi,
I can inflate the tyre.'

646
00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,640
It always puts the right amount
of air in?

647
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:06,160
It's automatically set at 100 psi.

648
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:10,120
So, other tyres on other bikes,
they normally have a lower psi.

649
00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:13,560
Yeah. You have 100, which is higher,
because you have a smaller wheel.

650
00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:17,360
Yeah. Is that because the wheel
is doing more work? Yeah.

651
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:19,280
It's going round more often. Yeah.

652
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:23,840
'The expert in wheel engineering
is design manager Paul Williams.'

653
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:27,000
Is the wheel the trickiest bit
on a folding bike?

654
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,720
It's one of the parts
that needs to be best built,

655
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:31,680
that lasts longest,
because it's going to see

656
00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:34,800
a lot of wear - constant braking,
constant acceleration.

657
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:40,360
Regular cycling commuters can travel
more than 1,300 miles in a year,

658
00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:44,240
so it's essential their bikes
are robust and lightweight.

659
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,120
That might be down to this nut
being 2g lighter.

660
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:48,760
How many bits on the bike?

661
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,400
1,200-odd, and if we can take
a little bit out of each of those,

662
00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:54,240
then we will add up to something
quite considerable.

663
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:56,680
It's a constant challenge
for the design team

664
00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:00,360
to balance the bike's weight,
durability and cost.

665
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:01,960
If you make something stronger,

666
00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:04,240
it's often got more material in,
so it's not as light.

667
00:39:04,240 --> 00:39:07,240
If you make it lighter, it
normally means more exotic material.

668
00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:08,920
It's hard to do that cheaply.

669
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:12,920
The company invests heavily in
researching the latest technologies

670
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,160
and they know a comfortable ride
is also important.

671
00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:19,400
Nowadays, we take it for granted,

672
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,440
but early bikes weren't designed
with luxury in mind,

673
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,560
as Ruth Goodman has been
finding out.

674
00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:32,840
In the 19th century, cycling was
almost exclusively a male pursuit.

675
00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:37,120
In 1817, the first popular
two-wheeler was thought

676
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:39,360
to have been invented in Germany.

677
00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:41,080
It was named the dandy horse

678
00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:44,280
because it was fashionable
with wealthy young men.

679
00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:48,320
More than 40 years later,
the boneshaker,

680
00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:51,080
with its iron-shod rims,
wooden wheels

681
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:54,920
and a very solid frame,
also had pedals.

682
00:39:55,920 --> 00:40:00,480
In the 1870s, the penny farthing
was still for men only.

683
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,600
'Bike historian Doug Pinkerton
shows me why.'

684
00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,440
That is what we call
forward dismount.

685
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:11,720
It looks really difficult to ride.

686
00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:14,720
How on earth did women manage
with the big skirts?

687
00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:18,120
Ladies, at the time,
they weren't riding these machines.

688
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,080
It was the none-done thing to do.

689
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:23,360
In public places, you didn't even
show so much as an ankle,

690
00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:26,800
so riding a bicycle of this design
was totally out of the question.

691
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,240
Totally impossible.
So, ladies actually rode tricycles.

692
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:39,200
This ladies tricycle, from 1886,
has an ingenious lifting handlebar

693
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,200
to help ladies mount
in bulky dresses.

694
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,240
Slide in, put the handlebars back.
Yep. Marvellous.

695
00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:48,720
IN POSH ACCENT: Leg over
in a decorous manner.

696
00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,160
Oh, my goodness!
This is not an easy bike to ride.

697
00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,760
No, very cumbersome, very slow.

698
00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:04,960
'Fears that rigorous movement
could ruin

699
00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,360
'"the feminine organs
of matrimonial necessity"

700
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:12,360
'meant Victorian women
were discouraged from cycling.'

701
00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:14,040
Ooh!

702
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,400
It's sort of annoying,

703
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,800
in that the men have
all this freedom on the bike

704
00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,280
and you, as a woman, are going
to be trailing behind

705
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,720
because you've got to do it
decorously.

706
00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:27,000
Yes, you really were
almost a second-class citizen.

707
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:31,680
You sacrifice so much with this
upright posture. Very much so.

708
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:37,560
But things improved for women
cyclists in the late 1880s,

709
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:40,080
with the invention
of the safety bike -

710
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:43,760
the direct ancestor of today's
diamond-frame bike.

711
00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,800
Equal-sized wheels and lighter,
more responsive steering

712
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:51,480
made this a far easier ride.

713
00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:55,680
This is the sort of period when
ladies were starting to use cycles.

714
00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:57,040
So, for the first time,

715
00:41:57,040 --> 00:42:00,520
men and women are on the same style
of bicycle. Exactly, yes.

716
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,640
So, this, really, would give you,
particularly as a woman,

717
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:06,600
a lot more freedom than the earlier
styles would have done.

718
00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:11,560
The new improved safety bicycle era,
after 1885, because of its design,

719
00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:15,200
certainly liberated women to come
and enjoy the sport of cycling.

720
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:21,920
And one group who embraced
this change were the suffragettes.

721
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:25,680
According to research fellow
Sheila Hanlon,

722
00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:29,760
bicycles were vital to women
gaining freedom and the vote.

723
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:33,760
So, why are we here in Hyde Park?

724
00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:35,560
Hyde Park was the site

725
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,880
of a really important
suffragettes' rally in 1913.

726
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:40,440
It wasn't just a rally,

727
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:44,880
it was actually a pilgrimage to get
to the rally. Land's End to London.

728
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:46,920
If you look really closely
in the front,

729
00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:49,720
you'll see there's a line
of cyclists.

730
00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:51,480
They're upfront in the photograph

731
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,160
and that really reflects
the central role

732
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:57,120
that they played in organising
the pilgrimage.

733
00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:01,320
This postcard is a different route
and, again, the row of cyclists

734
00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,920
are right up at the front.
Yes, they are. A whole load of them.

735
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:07,880
And what they're doing is
they're taking pamphlets

736
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:10,720
and handing them out, they're
holding meetings in village greens

737
00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:12,720
and they're really using
their bicycles

738
00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:15,040
as a way to get out there
and tell more people

739
00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,560
about the need for the vote
for women.

740
00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:19,720
And then they all converge
at the end,

741
00:43:19,720 --> 00:43:23,040
in London, in the park
where we are today.

742
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:25,360
So, how many people ended up here?

743
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:29,960
We think it was about 50,000 people,
which is a formidable crowd.

744
00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:31,960
The bicycle, itself,

745
00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,320
was part of the sort of tools of the
trade for independent-minded women

746
00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:40,040
to get out there and be part
of the political process.

747
00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:44,160
The bicycle really was a small cog
in a very big wheel for change

748
00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:48,200
and I think it was essential
to how women achieved the vote.

749
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:07,640
At the bike factory...

750
00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:11,320
Wheels! Front wheel. Yes.
Rear wheel.

751
00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:16,360
'..it's almost 16.5 hours since
I collected the raw steel parts.'

752
00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:19,200
I'm guessing it goes on that way.

753
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:22,440
'And, as Amelia Maticevska and I
put on the wheels and handlebars,

754
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:25,480
'it's really starting to look
like the finished product.'

755
00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:27,360
Hey!

756
00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:30,960
'But it's still not fit to ride.

757
00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:35,000
'I need to tighten and align the
brake pads...' You need strong arms!

758
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:39,680
'..with Omar Ahmed Omar.' Are you
happy? Not really. What's wrong?

759
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:43,960
It's not straight. All right, you do
it. Sorry, Omar, you do it.

760
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:46,080
I'm not very good at brakes.

761
00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:50,760
Now I'm ready to fit the mechanism
that will make my bike move -

762
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,520
the pedals, crank and chain.

763
00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:55,600
Urgh, that's tight, mate.

764
00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,240
For crying out loud! You've got to
have shoulders like Schwarzenegger!

765
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:08,080
It's incredible to think these guys
build 22 bikes an hour

766
00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:10,400
but, according to the target board,

767
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:15,200
we've slipped behind and I'm pretty
sure I'm the one causing the holdup.

768
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,400
I'm really sorry! I'm sorry,
I was chatting, I'm sorry.

769
00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:21,640
I didn't want to say anything...
That's what happens. Everyone stops.

770
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,680
Can we move it on now? Let's go,
let's go! I'm getting it.

771
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:27,160
Into the next station.
I've got you, I've got you.

772
00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:30,720
My next station is Rear Brake.

773
00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:33,080
First, we set up the brake cables

774
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,680
and try and get my bike
back on track.

775
00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:38,640
What are you doing?
Come on, man, we've got to move!

776
00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:41,040
Let's go, let's go!
We've got bikes to make!

777
00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:43,960
What do you think these are?

778
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:45,840
We've got another set of wheels
going here.

779
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:48,680
I think that's because the bike
folds up... Yeah.

780
00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:50,960
..and it's got to roll,
rather than clank.

781
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:52,800
Unless you're going to ride it
upside down,

782
00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:54,400
that's to fold it, right?

783
00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:56,000
When the bike's packed down,

784
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:59,960
these extra little wheels
let the cyclist pull it along.

785
00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:02,520
Seeing how it folds up
makes me realise

786
00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:06,480
why pressing the steel into a curve
was so important.

787
00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:09,720
The reason that's curved is
so a wheel fits under it

788
00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:12,080
when it's folded.
One of. That's the reason.

789
00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:14,040
But that gives it
a unique look as well.

790
00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:16,360
I'm so getting the hang
of this bike lark!

791
00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:23,040
There's lots of engineering that
goes into making a modern bicycle,

792
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,560
but that, to me,
is nothing if it's not comfortable.

793
00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:30,280
Now, when you order a bike from this
factory, you get a standard saddle

794
00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:32,800
but if you really want luxury
for your bottom,

795
00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:34,760
you can get a hand-made one.

796
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:39,720
Brooks, based in Birmingham,

797
00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:43,440
has been making leather saddles
for almost 150 years.

798
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:50,280
The company was started in 1866
by John Boultbee Brooks,

799
00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:52,840
who began with horse harnesses
and saddles.

800
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:55,720
But when his own horse died,

801
00:46:55,720 --> 00:46:58,680
he decided to switch
to making bicycle saddles.

802
00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:02,800
I've come to make a saddle.
Is this where I start? Yep.

803
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:05,200
Master cutter, Ricky Ravenhill,

804
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:08,680
needs to get as many as 11 of them
out of each cow hide.

805
00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:11,760
Do you want to try and cut one?
Crikey, really?

806
00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:15,960
You get the knife and as close
to the edge as possible.

807
00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:18,480
And then swing that round
so it's in the middle

808
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,280
and then press those down

809
00:47:20,280 --> 00:47:23,640
and as soon as you feel it's hit
the pressure, release them.

810
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:27,560
That should be perfect.

811
00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:30,440
'Almost all their leather comes
from the UK and Ireland,

812
00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:34,080
'where the cold weather means
the cows have thicker skins -

813
00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:39,080
'up to nearly 6mmm which can support
the weight of a body.'

814
00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,320
Start of my saddle, right?
Voila, yeah.

815
00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:45,360
'Next, Gurdip Sangha softens
the leather in water

816
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:47,120
'for 20 to 40 minutes.'

817
00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:49,480
Bit like fishing, isn't it?
It is, definitely.

818
00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:52,880
That's it.

819
00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:56,120
'After it's naturally air-dried
for up to 12 hours,

820
00:47:56,120 --> 00:47:59,000
'it's moulded to create
the saddle shape.'

821
00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:01,120
We're virtually there. Yeah.

822
00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:03,480
We're virtually there.
We've got a saddle.

823
00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,400
'I let someone experienced slice off
the excess leather

824
00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:14,080
'and then my saddle is ready
for curing in the oven.'

825
00:48:14,080 --> 00:48:18,080
If I don't come out in five minutes,
call my mum!

826
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:19,840
Nearly three hours later,

827
00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:23,400
and my leather seat gets
its rough edges sanded away.

828
00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:31,720
The seat will be fixed onto a frame
made from high-tensile steel rails,

829
00:48:31,720 --> 00:48:35,240
with a backplate pressed
from more high-quality steel.

830
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:38,800
By the time the frame is ready,

831
00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:42,080
it's been double-coated in nickel
and copper,

832
00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:44,320
it's been lacquered and baked,

833
00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:46,760
but it's not a saddle
until it's been put together.

834
00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:49,440
'And that's the job of Eric Murray.'

835
00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:52,840
How do you do, sir?
I've got to attach this to this.

836
00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:55,160
Can you show me how to do this?
I will, sir.

837
00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:58,000
'First up,
Eric makes holes in the leather.'

838
00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:01,280
Are you pressing a button to make
the holes? Can I do it? You can.

839
00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:03,160
Stand back, son, stand back.

840
00:49:05,560 --> 00:49:09,080
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
What is it about saddles?

841
00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:12,600
It's your hands, isn't it?
You're working with your hands.

842
00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:15,080
You can't imagine yourself
behind a desk with a tie on?

843
00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:17,840
Oh, no, no way! I'm sorry, no.

844
00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,720
I couldn't do that - no way!

845
00:49:20,720 --> 00:49:22,640
Them people deserve medals

846
00:49:22,640 --> 00:49:25,960
because I couldn't sit there
fiddling a computer.

847
00:49:25,960 --> 00:49:29,720
Next, Eric has to chamfer
or trim off the leather

848
00:49:29,720 --> 00:49:32,440
to create a smooth bevelled edge.

849
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:35,640
Eric the chamferer.
Eric the chamferer.

850
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:37,200
That's highly skilled.

851
00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:39,040
If you get that wrong,
at that stage,

852
00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:42,360
you've ruined a whole saddle.
How many do you spoil? I don't.

853
00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:47,000
You've just got to be careful. And
that gives a smoother finish.

854
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,960
That's a bet.
Saves chafing. That's it, exactly.

855
00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:53,880
'Next, he puts a noseplate
in the front of my saddle,

856
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:58,520
'inserts the backplate and rails
and finishes the rivets by hand.

857
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,800
'It's then tensioned and aligned.

858
00:50:00,800 --> 00:50:05,160
'The whole saddle-making process
can take up to 36 hours.'

859
00:50:05,160 --> 00:50:07,280
What has that just done, Eric?

860
00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:10,640
Pulled it one way and pushed it back
the other? That's it, yeah.

861
00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:12,520
It's into there now.

862
00:50:12,520 --> 00:50:15,080
One inspection, yeah,
to make sure it's all right,

863
00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:17,520
and I'm taking this
to the bike factory.

864
00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:19,320
Good luck to you.

865
00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:22,360
And I hope it lasts you
for years and years, my friend.

866
00:50:29,920 --> 00:50:33,400
More than 100 leather saddles arrive
at the factory every week

867
00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:37,120
and mine is coming straight into
the final assembly station.

868
00:50:38,640 --> 00:50:42,880
My bike has brakes, wheels,
handlebars and a chain

869
00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:45,600
and it's almost ready for the road.

870
00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:48,600
Can you fit this one
cos I actually made this one?

871
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,400
I think you can have a go.

872
00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:53,600
'It's been 17 hours
since I started this journey

873
00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:55,760
'and of the 1,200 parts

874
00:50:55,760 --> 00:50:58,120
'that make up this bike,

875
00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:01,240
'I am about to tighten
the very last screw.'

876
00:51:01,240 --> 00:51:02,920
Ooh!

877
00:51:04,640 --> 00:51:07,400
That's a pretty thing.
Thank you, my friend.

878
00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:09,200
Are you happy with that? Yeah, very.

879
00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:11,520
Can I have this bit painted
a different colour?

880
00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:14,440
No.

881
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:17,240
'I'm proud of that saddle,
but strangely enough,

882
00:51:17,240 --> 00:51:19,240
'not all bikes have a seat.'

883
00:51:19,240 --> 00:51:22,040
Cherry's been out on the road
testing the latest designs

884
00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:23,800
for the bike of the future.

885
00:51:30,400 --> 00:51:34,720
This is a Halfbike. There's no seat.
You pedal standing up.

886
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:38,480
But this is one of thousands
of new bike designs.

887
00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:40,640
I wonder if it'll catch on.

888
00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:45,440
The Halfbike was designed
and built in Bulgaria,

889
00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:48,440
thanks to a crowdfunding website.

890
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:50,560
The internet has opened the way

891
00:51:50,560 --> 00:51:53,840
to all sorts of weird
and wonderful new bikes.

892
00:51:53,840 --> 00:51:57,600
There are trikes,
like the Outrider Horizon,

893
00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:00,240
or how about the folding YikeBike?

894
00:52:00,240 --> 00:52:04,280
Or maybe the recumbent Ratracer?

895
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:07,440
It can reach speeds over 40mph

896
00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:10,920
and the laidback riding position
is super-aerodynamic.

897
00:52:10,920 --> 00:52:14,720
It has 30% less drag
than a standard bike,

898
00:52:14,720 --> 00:52:20,160
so riding at 25mph takes
around 20% less effort.

899
00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:23,440
Inventor Mike Burrows thinks

900
00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:26,720
it could teach the traditional
bike design a thing or two.

901
00:52:29,160 --> 00:52:32,880
Oh, my gosh, I made it in one piece!
Hi, Mike. Hi, Cherry.

902
00:52:32,880 --> 00:52:35,320
Nice to meet you.
Am I allowed to have a go?

903
00:52:35,320 --> 00:52:38,080
You can sit in it.
Bit sizist here,

904
00:52:38,080 --> 00:52:41,160
but your feet won't reach the pedals
and you really have to get...

905
00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:45,320
You have to get right down. This is
it. Put your feet up on... Yeah.

906
00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:47,000
HE LAUGHS

907
00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,080
So, this is significantly faster
than a regular bike? Yeah.

908
00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:54,320
I'm an old man but I could take on
Bradley any time, OK? Really?

909
00:52:54,320 --> 00:52:57,080
When you're trying to ride
a bike at high speed,

910
00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:01,640
then you need to be low and
streamlined and you just go faster.

911
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:04,720
Go!

912
00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:10,920
But not every new bike design
looks revolutionary.

913
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:15,400
The new generation of electric bikes
have compact batteries...

914
00:53:16,760 --> 00:53:20,320
..and the efficient motor
is disguised in the design.

915
00:53:22,120 --> 00:53:25,680
Eddie Kehoe is an e-bike convert.

916
00:53:28,040 --> 00:53:31,440
It looks like a domestic bike.
What makes it electric?

917
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:36,080
When you press on the pedals, it
senses the effort you're putting in

918
00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:40,000
and then it boosts that by a certain
percentage, which you can set,

919
00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:43,520
using the up and down arrows
here on your thumb control.

920
00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:45,200
And then it blends the assistance

921
00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:47,920
with what you're doing naturally
on the bike,

922
00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:51,680
so it feels very natural.
OK, can I have a go? You can.

923
00:53:51,680 --> 00:53:53,320
Oh, wow!

924
00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:04,560
Oh...my...goodness me!

925
00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:06,840
It's like you have super-powers.

926
00:54:06,840 --> 00:54:09,960
It's brilliant. Bionic legs.
Oh, bionic legs!

927
00:54:11,720 --> 00:54:14,880
Globally, the electric bike is
already a craze.

928
00:54:14,880 --> 00:54:17,760
Around 40 million were sold
last year,

929
00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:21,040
although only around 50,000
were bought in the UK.

930
00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:27,640
We're taking all of our bikes
out onto the street

931
00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:31,280
to see which one the cyclists
of Cambridge prefer.

932
00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:40,520
What will people make
of the £350 seatless Halfbike?

933
00:54:40,520 --> 00:54:42,080
Argh!

934
00:54:43,960 --> 00:54:45,880
What did you think of it? It's good.

935
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:49,200
A bit difficult at first but, once
you know how to do it, it's easy.

936
00:54:49,200 --> 00:54:52,920
I like the fact it doesn't take up
that much space. It's quite light.

937
00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:55,800
Would you swap a regular bike
for this bike? No.

938
00:54:55,800 --> 00:54:59,360
Mike's bespoke £5,000 recumbent
Ratracer

939
00:54:59,360 --> 00:55:01,640
is also being tried out for size.

940
00:55:01,640 --> 00:55:05,440
How do you feel? I feel good. Lay
right back, head on the head rest.

941
00:55:07,080 --> 00:55:09,480
Is this the bike of the future?
No way!

942
00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:13,480
But, today, it seems
that Eddie's £2,000 electric bike

943
00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:15,400
is the clear favourite.

944
00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:21,480
CHEERING

945
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:25,240
It was like you get on it and it
just takes you, you just go.

946
00:55:25,240 --> 00:55:28,040
It was fun.
I didn't want to come off!

947
00:55:28,040 --> 00:55:30,240
It's amazing, honestly!

948
00:55:30,240 --> 00:55:33,120
Yeah, it just felt so easy
and comfortable to ride as well.

949
00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:38,640
Well, they say you can't reinvent
the wheel,

950
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:40,320
but I think today has proven

951
00:55:40,320 --> 00:55:43,680
that there are a few really fun
new developments in cycling

952
00:55:43,680 --> 00:55:45,600
to keep an eye out for.

953
00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:58,160
At the factory,
my folding bike is now complete.

954
00:55:58,160 --> 00:56:00,680
It's taken more than 16.5 hours

955
00:56:00,680 --> 00:56:05,040
for the parts of this giant bike
jigsaw puzzle to come together.

956
00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:07,480
But before it can leave the factory,

957
00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,360
there's one crucial stage
it's still got to get through.

958
00:56:10,360 --> 00:56:13,200
I feel a bit nervous if it's going
through an inspection.

959
00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:15,880
I've had a hand in putting
every bit on.

960
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:17,400
'Barney examines every inch.'

961
00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:19,720
We've got the right handlebars,
the right gearing,

962
00:56:19,720 --> 00:56:21,240
we've got the mud guards on there.

963
00:56:21,240 --> 00:56:23,440
Back and front.
I want you to go like that...

964
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:27,320
Do you think it's going to fall
apart any time soon? No!

965
00:56:27,320 --> 00:56:28,840
It's looking good.

966
00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:31,440
'And finally,
it's the moment of truth.

967
00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:33,680
'Will the bike I've helped braze,

968
00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:37,040
'bolt and screw together
actually fold?'

969
00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:41,040
If you pull that up and pull the
bike up... We undo this? Yeah.

970
00:56:42,040 --> 00:56:47,120
Yeah! That should just fall into
place. Now this? Yeah, saddle.

971
00:56:48,440 --> 00:56:52,120
Happy?
I'm just a folding bike genius. OK.

972
00:56:52,120 --> 00:56:53,920
I feel very proud of this.

973
00:56:53,920 --> 00:56:56,840
That's it. There.

974
00:56:56,840 --> 00:56:58,720
But I don't get to keep this bike.

975
00:57:00,200 --> 00:57:04,560
Along with the 46,000 bikes
that leave this factory every year,

976
00:57:04,560 --> 00:57:07,680
it could be sent
to one of seven cities in the UK,

977
00:57:07,680 --> 00:57:09,480
from Edinburgh to Cambridge,

978
00:57:09,480 --> 00:57:13,520
or exported to one of 43 countries
across the globe,

979
00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:17,360
even to the world's big bike
exporters, like China and Taiwan.

980
00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:22,280
Following this bike
from parts through to packaging

981
00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:26,680
has been an incredible experience.
It's not what I expected.

982
00:57:26,680 --> 00:57:29,360
I expected to find
an enormous great factory

983
00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:32,200
with loads of robots and machines
and steam coming up.

984
00:57:32,200 --> 00:57:36,000
Actually, what it is
is people, craftsmen,

985
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,840
putting these together by hand.

986
00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:41,920
And all in
under 24 hours.

987
00:57:41,920 --> 00:57:43,760
Hey!

988
00:57:43,760 --> 00:57:45,560
I don't know
where this is going.

989
00:57:45,560 --> 00:57:47,000
It could be going
to Southend,

990
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:48,840
it could be going
to South Australia.

991
00:57:48,840 --> 00:57:51,000
I hope whoever
receives it enjoys it

992
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:53,360
and I hope they appreciate
the hard work

993
00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:55,440
and craftsmanship
that went into it.

994
00:57:55,440 --> 00:57:58,760
I put a couple of nuts and bolts
on this one myself.

995
00:57:58,760 --> 00:58:01,160
Next time, I'll take you inside

996
00:58:01,160 --> 00:58:05,440
one of the oldest sweet factories
in the UK...

997
00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:07,840
The smell in here is unbelievable!

998
00:58:07,840 --> 00:58:13,320
..to find out how they turn 56 tons
of sugar into 100 million sweets.

999
00:58:13,320 --> 00:58:15,440
That's a river of jam!

1000
00:58:15,440 --> 00:58:18,880
Cherry makes super-sour sherbet...
Whoa!

1001
00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:23,760
..and a giant stick of rock...
It is huge! That is hysterical.

1002
00:58:23,760 --> 00:58:27,360
..as we unlock the secret art
of sweet-making.