Kinetics – the blog…

It was bound to happen – Brompton, even though they’re a UK company, buy a lot of parts in Euros, so they’ve been affected by the strong Euro, and are going to have to put up prices by about 5%.

So, if you’re thinking of ordering a Brompton, get your order in before the end of the month to get the lower price

(Background: over the past 6 months, the £/€ exchange rate has dropped from around 1.45 to 1.25. In addition, the cost of raw materials has gone up a lot – Cr/Mo steel is up 65% since January.)

From an article in the Guardian, quoting a book by Keith Bradsher, in turn quoting research done by the car industry:

“[SUV drivers] tend to be people who are insecure and vain. They are frequently nervous about their marriages and uncomfortable about parenthood. They often lack confidence in their driving skills. Above all, they are apt to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in their neighbors or communities.”

Electric tricycle, originally uploaded by Ben Cooper.

A Pashley Tri-1 Folding, fitted with a Heinzmann Lithium electric motor kit…

DualDrived Koga Founder S, originally uploaded by Ben Cooper.

Latest project – a Koga-Miyata Founder S equipped with a DualDrive to
get 27 gears…