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May writes that cycling is not for the poor or the young any more, it has been "hijacked as a socio-political movement by militants."
Yep, yet another media rant about cyclists, designed to make CTC members froth at the mouth, and thence write letters to the publication.
But May, like Clarkson, rides a bike and so his barbs should be taken neither personally nor seriously.
Here’s a few choice quotes from his column in the Telegraph on Saturday:
ON HELMETS:
Wearing an expensive one means :"I’m stupid enough to spend £75 on an item of headwear that, anywhere else, would be regarded as a disposable medium for the shock-free transportation of television sets."
ON THE HISTORY OF CARS:
"Countless car companies began life as cycle makers and only gradually progressed, often via motorcycles, into cars; in fact, there are few that don’t have a rusty bicycle somewhere in the back of the corporate shed."
ON PORSCHE BICYCLES:
"It would be tempting to think that with its expertise in manufacturing and its knowledge of new materials, [Porsche] would be well placed to raise the state of the bicycle-making art. However, a trawl through the bicycle media suggests that Porsche bicycles are entirely conventional. All it has done is raised the state of the art of bicycle pricing."
ON CARBON FIBRE:
"Carbon fibre has become so hackneyed that people are making briefcases out of it, and for no other reason than that they can. It’s nothing more than high-tech tinsel, and for a leading car maker to produce a perfectly conventional bike from an exotic material is a bit like Hotpoint launching a titanium mangle."
ON EXPENSIVE BICYCLES:
"Clever-dick car makers’ bicycles…[are] not clever at all. Given the luxury of being able to charge £3,900, anyone should be able to build a good bike. Much more impressive is what Dawes and Raleigh do: building good-quality mountain bikes for a few hundred quid."
ON FOLDING BIKES:
"All things considered, the best bicycle in the world is still my Brompton folder. It rides remarkably well for a bike designed to collapse, and it folds up much smaller than other folding bikes. It does what any bicycle does, and then something else as well, and it costs from about £370. Incidentally, Brompton has never made a car. But a part of me wishes it would."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/mrmay04.xml
NOTE: Viewers may find the pic of May at the above link offensive. Love the bike, James, ditch the shirt…
