Danny MacAskill is one of the best if not THE best professional Street Trialist to come out of Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Danny’s rise to fame came from a 5.30 minute YouTube video filmed and produced by his flat mate Dave Sowerby. Since the release of his video on YouTube Danny has featured in the New York Times and several other big publications, along with appearing in TV ads and appearing as a stunt man.

Due to Danny’s success he has been snapped up by major brands including, Inspired,
Five Ten, POC, and Lezyne.

Danny has recently released his aptly name Skye frame through Inspired, retailing at £1,299.00

Inspired Skye Frame

Danny has also team up with Five Ten to release his own signature Limited Edition shoe, the Five Ten Freerider Pro – Danny MacAskill Special Edition which retails at £84.99

Five Ten Freerider Pro - Danny MacAskill Special Edition

If bikes can be in your blood, then they are certainly free-wheeling merrily – or perhaps pedalling furiously – through Neil MacMartin’s veins.

This young entrepreneur, still well short of 30, started off working in his dad’s bike shop while at primary school and has taken the idea of cycling off in innovative new directions. His journey into the world of electric bikes has already taken him far – but he has very high hopes for his company, FreeFlow Bikes. MacMartin has a vision of electric bikes becoming the norm in cities across Scotland, and is also hopeful of striking a deal with a city in the Middle East.

He is a man on a mission, but it hasn’t been easy. Before joining The Entrepreneurial Exchange (in November 2010), he tells a familiar story of an aspiring business person who found finance and good advice hard to come by in Scotland.

“Before I joined the Exchange, it was massively difficult to use the right terminology and find the right people. I found some traditional business organisations very hard to deal with and felt I had to be careful what level of information I gave out.

“I had a much better reception once Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International (SDI) got involved, and lots of people started lifting their heads to take notice – but raising funds for a business is pretty much a joke in Scotland. I went over to China and it is much easier to talk to serious people who want to invest in new business ideas – and invest quickly.

“In Scotland, I’ve never seen anything happen in less than five months; investors wait for you to trip up so they can get in cheaper. I have had no investment in my business from Scotland – plenty of interest, no investment. Angel investors tend not to want to invest in family businesses and the banks are not keen to lend. It’s a very difficult, lengthy process – although the bike industry is one that thrives in a recession.”

The MacMartin family business started back in 1975 when Neil’s father started Craig MacMartin Cycles in Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow. MacMartin junior was involved since he was eight, but joined the business formally as a manager in 2005. Annual growth since then has been 33 per cent per annum and he became CEO in 2009. He attributes this high growth to a successful migration to online sales: “I had knowledge of online marketing and working for online stores, and I took my dad’s business plan – how he got customers, served customers and got information – and put it online.”
The online business name changed for the most prosaic of reasons – MacMartin was too tricky to spell and find online, so FreeFlow Bikes was born. Turnover doubled in a year and the companies ‘flipped’, with FreeFlow becoming the leading player.

So how did electric bikes come into the picture? “I have always had an inventive streak and started looking at the electric bike market. I initially found them heavy and ugly – and they didn’t feel like bikes when you were not powering them.

“It’s all about battery technology (and weight) and motor control technology. We need to bring down the weight of an average electric bike from 25-30kg to 18-20kg. There has been massive growth – about a quarter of Eurobike stands in 2008 had electric bikes and now it’s about 90 per cent.”

MacMartin concentrated his energies on the motor technology. “The conventional motors on the market are re-inventing the wheel,” he says, with a hint of irony. “The only way to get more power out of them is to put bigger, better magnets in – or draw more current from the battery, which means you need a bigger volume of battery. And magnets and batteries are very expensive.”

MacMartin explains how he looked at the equation Force = Mass x Acceleration. “Electric bikes were using a heavy mass with slow acceleration. I looked at how we could get the same result with a lower mass and faster acceleration.”

The problem he faced was how to stall a motor going incredibly fast – and avoid the instability created if a rider has to brake suddenly. MacMartin believes he has found a system that does just that, offering lots more control. He has patented it, or rather has patented what he sees as the key elements of it: “We made a list of items to patent but there were about 15 and it would have cost too much – so we looked what was the real key to it all.”

The SALTIRE e-bike at the heart of the FreeFlow strategy is a so-called Pedal-ec model; you have to pedal to get electric power, unlike throttle-controlled electric bikes, or hybrid versions. Once you get up to 3mph on the SALTIRE e-bike, you are propelled at 15mph.

The bikes should be ready by this summer and will be targeted at the domestic and export market. MacMartin cannot say much more than there is “a big deal” afoot in the Middle East, while Scottish cities are very much on FreeFlow’s radar. A key meeting in the first part of 2012 could see its SALTIRE e-bike operational in a Scottish city this year – though he can’t say which one.

“The target is any city that is not flat with more than average hill climbs of 4 per cent – like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Seattle and Barcelona. These are places where bikes were once a main mode of transport. In the 1960s, about 80 per cent of people used bikes; now only 0.8 per cent of commuter journeys are by bike. As part of the 2020 targets, the UK has a flagship city to increase commuter cycling journeys to 10 per cent of the total – and Edinburgh is that city.”

Can it be done? “If they take on the SALTIRE e-bike scheme, I am sure it can,” MacMartin laughs.

He knows there are big cultural barriers to overcome: “Public transport has a real problem linking people to their end destination and 20 per cent more people say they would take the bus if it stopped outside their workplace. Surveys suggest people are prepared to walk up to nine blocks to work, but our experience is more like five blocks. The opportunity is to get people to collect a bike at the bus station or the park and ride and use that to get to work.”

MacMartin uses the example of a ‘classic’ journey of someone taking the train to Glasgow Central who wants to go on to Byers Road. “One person in a thousand might walk that journey – others take a taxi, bus or underground. We can get them there quicker than a bus, and in the same time as the underground – and they are getting good exercise, but not sweating when they get there.”

MacMartin says electric bikes can provide different solutions in different cities: “Some cities will want to underwrite the costs and offer the bikes for free, others might want to levy a charge and make a profit within a certain number of years. They might charge an annual fee, then offer a certain time period – half an hour or an hour – free, with an extra payment if you use it for longer.”

There will be different ways of operating the scheme too. MacMartin expects RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards or smartphone apps to be the most popular methods of ‘unlocking’ the bike for use and charging your account. Smartphone apps also bring with them the added benefit of data collection, such as the amount of carbon offset and calories burned on a journey.

There might also be ‘pay as you go’ schemes for tourists with a small charge of around £5, though this would necessitate a hefty deposit on a credit card, due to the high cost of the bikes. The current retail cost of the SALTIRE e-bike will be somewhere around £1600 and MacMartin concedes that large-scale, repeat-use city schemes are the way forward to make the technology pay for itself.

In the longer-term, he hopes that SALTIRE e-bikes might bring lapsed cyclists or those who have never really ridden bikes into the fold. “They might go for an electric bike, but in the longer term, we would hope some people will renew with a non-powered model. Ultimately we want to go back to the 60s mentality where people just jumped on their bikes.”

For more information about the SALTIRE e-bike and FreeFlow Bikes, visit FreeFlow Bikes or follow them on Twitter @FreeFlowBikes.

*Article taken from publication on Invicta’s website by David Lee

At one stage I would head out armed with a spare inner tube and a CO2 cartridge pump, only to use 3 canisters trying to inflate the tyre, freezing the valve open and dispersing the CO2 everywhere except into the inner tube!

Having learnt the hard way, stuck 10 miles from my house in freezing conditions with no pump and only empty CO2 canisters, head hung in shame as I make that call to my wife to grab the sat nav and come and rescue me and my bike, I’ve learnt my lesson! Not the best advertisement for being prepared! Really should have paid a little more attention to the motto of the Boy Scouts when I was a member all those years ago!

Well now I am prepared every time I head out on the bike with my trusty new companion in the shape of the Lezyne Road Drive CFH pump.

Lezyne Road Drive CFH

This pump offers the best of both worlds, the speed and easy of inflating a road tyre to 120psi with the CO2 adaptor or if that fails and you have no CO2 left the tried and trusted method of blood, sweat and tears of manual inflation! The pump comes with a handy bracket which attaches behind your bottle cage and cradles the pump and one CO2 canister. The hose comes with an adapter that you simply unscrew and turn over depending on whether you are looking for Schrader or Presta valve fitting.

One of the things I really love about this pump is that you remove the hose and simply screw the CO2 canister onto the end of it. Once the canister is screwed on you screw the adapter onto you valve, this ensures that no CO2 is lost, then simply twist the canister a quarter turn anti-clockwise to start releasing the CO2. One thing I would say though is to wear a glove or get one of the wee neoprene covers you get for the canisters as they get extremely cold and can stick to your skin!

I have used several CO2 inflators in the past without success but the Lezyne has by far been the best due to the fact it screws onto the valave and I’ve yet to waste a canister of CO2 trying to inflate my inner tube. The Lezyne pumps are on the dearer side but you get what you pay for!

The moral of my story is always ride with a back up and don’t rely on CO2 alone or on your mate having a pump and spare inner tube.

We have a wide range of CO2 Inflators, Floor Pumps, and Hand Pumps from Lezyne and Topeak on our website available to order. There’s a pump for every need and budget available.

Stuart
IT Manager

If we have left the car-park when you arrive then give me a Call on my mobile.

For more information on the club rides contact us on 0141 630 0021 or send us an email.

Cheers for now
Stevie

We need your feedback on our new website. We would like to know what you think of the new site. Any features or sections you’d like added and generally any comments about your experience using it, good or bad.

As a thank you for giving us your Feedback you will receive a 10% discount code to use online. Your discount code will be emailed to you once we receive your feedback.

Please send all comments to feedback@freeflowbikes.com

Many thanks
The FreeFlow Team

This family owned and run business were briskly trading from their central location in the show. They had a number of great products for sale including the Parkours/Jump Bike/Slacklining inspired Five Ten brand shoes favoured by many a downhill rider, Danny MacAskill (who now has a signature shoe) and Hanna Barnes, who paid the show and the stand a visit.

FreeFlow were also selling the popular Cycloc bike holder, as seen on the Upgrade stand.

The range of bikes and accessories from the Glasgow based company was impressive with commuter and e-bikes mixing with top drawer downhill and freeride frames, body armour and clothing. That the business looks beyond cycling, into motorcross, manufacturing and holidays shows the brands penetration into leisure, and how synergies across different businesses can aid each other. Brands such as Kriega and Troy Lee Designs have a great crossover appeal, with undoubted economies of scale.

The FreeFlow Bikes Team with Hannah Barnes

Although it was a tough day climbing it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

When I set out with the challenge the thinking behind it was to have a goal to aim for that would get us out cycling throughout the winter, in weather which we’d normally never go out in! That box has been ticked as we have been out in sun, rain, gales, hailstone and snow…….. and that was just in one day!!

When I put my idea out to the boys I wasn’t expecting much of an uptake and was delighted when they all jumped aboard.

It’s been a great few months, meeting new friends and getting the miles under the belt. We’ve had fun, laughter, blood, sweat, tears and spat dummies along the way but it’s been good fun.

I’m probably hated amongst the WAGS or as they would probably call themselves, “Cycling Widows” as at weekends we have been away on the bike for hours at a time getting the miles in and 3 members have bought new bikes, Chris bought Gilly’s boy’s bike off him, Alan bought a new Carbon bike which didn’t arrive in time so he had a £2500 demo bike, which was just as well as he decided to see what happens when you crash into a ditch, and Gilly met the love of his life!

And a huge thank you to the whole team for helping raise an amazing amount of cash for the Friends of the Beatson. At the time of writing this post we are at £2,077 with gift aid still to be added and more donations still to come in!

After several months of hard work and training in all weather, the Scottish Bike Show Sportive was finally upon us!

On Sat I met Davie and his daughter Sophie and headed into the Scottish Bike Show for a wee gander. FreeFlow Bikes had a stand there so I managed to blag a couple of parking passes and armed with our Free passes for the show the day cost us nothing! Davie and I came to the same consensus that the show wasn’t up to our expectations, apart from the FreeFlow Bikes stand obviously! The highlight of the show was watching some short and overweight middle aged guy try to climb onto a penny farthing and fail miserably! He did however draw a large crowd armed with mobile phones catching his embarrassing moment, which is no doubt on YouTube by now!

Sat night consisted of a large pasta dinner to get stocked up on the carbs followed by checking the bike and packing my kit, not being sure what the weather would bring us in the morning.

After an early night the alarm clock woke me at 5am. I had wheetabix for breakfast then got the bike onto the cycle rack and headed to Busy to pick up my brother Ally. Once we got Ally’s bike loaded onto the cycle rack we made off for Loch Lomond.

We were the first to arrive at the car park at Lomond Shores at 7am, then minutes later Chris arrived with Gilly and Alan, followed by Wullie who was riding solo. Ricky and Davie arrived next followed by Stevie and then Les. We got the bikes off the cars, got kitted up, the brave or daft ones wearing shorts, Alan, Ally and myself, and attached our numbers to the bikes. Just for a change the Bennets were running on Bennet time! We later found out in the pub the real story behind them being late………. something to do with keys for the cycle rack being left on the mantle piece.

Once we were ready we headed the 1.5 miles from the car park to Balloch Castle which would be the start and finish of the Sportive. Just as we were ready to set off Andy and Si arrived to join us.

Just before we strted I decided to jump behind a tree on the grass and do a pee. As we lined up and were about to set off I tried to clip into my pedals but the cleat wouldn’t click in, which I soon discovered was due to the cleat being covered in mud from my pee stop! I frantically managed to clear both cleats just as we were given the all clear to set off.

We set off out of Balloch Castle and fell victim to what we said we wouldn’t do……… we got caught up in the hype of things and hit a pretty rpaid pace for the first 8 or so miles. AS we came to our first serious climb and I mean serious climb as this bad boy was a long and steady hill, I took the decision to slow down a little as I was never going to be able to keep that pace up for 65 miles. It was at this point that Les, Gilly, Chris, Wullie and Alan distanced themselves from me.

We met up again at the first food stop and it was at this point that I saw a massive mountain to the right of us and said to the others “I take it we’re not climbing that mountain?” Unfortunately the answer I received was not the one I was looking for, yes we WERE climbing that mountain, that was Dukes Pass!

Surely we're not climbing that mountain? Are you taking the Piss?

We all left together on our quest to climb the mountain that was Dukes Pass. Now that was a tough climb! I had to stop half way up to pop an energy gel and get some fluids on board before carrying on to the top where Alan, Chris, Les, Gilly and Wullie were waiting for me. The views from the top were awesome, and so was the decent!

After just 5 miles from the last feed stop we approached the next where we all took on more food and fluids while Wullie filled every hole, and I mean every hole, with gels, bananas and literally anything he could get his hands on!

We then left heading round Loch Katrine. Stevie started to struggle a little with cramp after 25 miles and I was starting to worry that he wouldn’t make it round, but fair play to him he made it!

We took in some lovely views, some lovely descents and some not so lovely accents! We passed round Glengyle and Loch Lomond and Then Trossachs National Park while heading back to Aberfoyle to the first and also the final food stop. Funnily enough their wasn’t any gels left, well not at the food stand, Wullie had them all tucked into his shorts! The looked like a kid in a sweet shop with a big cheeser while saying “Hey that’s 30+ quid worth of gels for nothing!”

Alan, Gilly, Chris, Si and Les then headed off on the last 18 miles while Wullie and I stayed for another couple of minutes. We then headed off on the final 18 mile route, retracing our route back to Balloch Castle. As we hit the 10 miles to go mark Wulle and my self were starting to feel it on the long climb back up to Drymen. I cramped up in both thighs half way up the long climb and had to stop to stretch my thighs and pop an energy gel while Wullie continued on. With every push of the pedal my thighs cramped up and I seriously though I wasn’t going to make it, then the energy gel kicked in and all was good!

I rode the last 10 miles solo and made it back into Balloch Castle and to the finishing line in 4hrs 49mins (riding time) where I was met and congratulated by the Chris, Alan, Gilly, Si, Les and Wullie who had already finished, and my mum, dad, sister, Scott, Alfie, Gail and my two boys! It felt good to cross that finishing line.

We waited there for Stevie, Andy, Ally, Ricky and Davie to finish and congratulated each other on our achievement! For most of us it was the longest cycle we had ever done. I have done a 70 miler before but that was several years ago but this was the hardest ride I’ve done!

Mission Accomplished!

We then headed back to the car park, packed up and headed home, later meeting at the Monty for a couple of pints before heading round to Spice for a well earned Curry!

All in all it was a challenging but very enjoyable day and the weather was kind to us!

We have all come away from this challenge fitter, lighter and with a love for cycling!

There’s still time to make a donation and help out our chosen charity by going to our Just Giving Page.

Stuart
IT Manager

The trails where super dry and riding sick as.

Even though I only had 3 hours of riding it was still worth the drive.

May the sun shine continue…….. PLEASE!!!!!

Stevie
Head Mechanic

Win 2 Tickets to the Scottish Bike Show at the SECC in Glasgow.

To be in with a chance of wiining jump onto our forum and start a discussion about anything bike related.

In the title add – SBS2012 so that we know it’s part of the entry.

For Example: My Weekend Ride – SBS2012

Competition Closes 1pm Fri 30th March

Good Luck!

For any local riders that would like to come out for a spin round The Cathkin Braes on Thursday night’s starting this week. (Thursday 29th March)

Please Check out our Forum and let us know if you plan to join us we set off from the FreeFlowBikes HQ  5 South Cathkin farm G73 5RG.

Cheers for now

Stevie