CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

口水佬 (Guy Martin In China)

(17 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by LaidBack
  • Latest reply from Arellcat

  1. LaidBack
    Member

    Guy Martin is doing an interesting look at China.
    Industry by Yangtse River

    His enthusiasm and ability to relate to people is pretty inspiring. Sure some of it is may seem throw away but he does understand how to work with his hands as well as his mind.

    He's on the look out for the 'real China' away from his minder much of the time. Inevitably he's drawn to bike culture which now seems as swamped by the new China as the town and cities flooded by the Three Gorges Hydro scheme.

    He helps build a Pantera Electric Folding motor bike and meets a few characters.
    The new look Guy Martin returns next Monday (having had his hair shorn in a backstreet barbers shop).

    (There don't seem to be any cycle lanes in Chinese cities - obviously an inspiration for the new London. Hardly any pedal bikes at all with powered machines outnumbered massively by private cars.)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. LaidBack
    Member

    Tonights episode was especially bike orientated. Started off with Guy buying a Flying Pigeon bike. These were standard issue when Bejing had 9 million bikes and breathable air. His bike visits include scrap yards and luxury car dealerships. Camera crew follow him by bike as he uses some bike lanes that are not parked on.
    Last quarter has some high speed rickshaw action.

    Next week he's in rural China - again there's a bike theme.
    Worth a look on catch up.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  3. LaidBack
    Member

    Now I know the forum is doing its best to avoid this. ;-)

    Do not judge the programme by the twee 'Or Guy in China' title.

    I'm sure at least one other person here will enjoy it!

    In tonight's last episode Guy stops pottering about in the cities and tries to cycle across the Taklamakan Desert quite quickly.

    Channel 4 at 9pm

    Previous episodes still around on catch up.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  4. Roibeard
    Member

    I for one have been (silently) enjoying this, so thanks for flagging it!

    Guy strikes me as being somewhat of a successor of Fred Dibnah, and seemed most uncomfortable in a refined teaparty, but perfectly at home in a backstreet workshop with grease under his fingernails and a local vocabulary of one word!

    Robert

    Posted 7 years ago #

  5. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Guy strikes me as being somewhat of a successor of Fred Dibnah

    I didn't know of Guy Martin before he made "The Boat That Guy Built", but all that "By 'eck, Chief!" stuff was very endearing and familiar; I think I watched most of Fred Dibnah's escapades in recent years.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Guy is a legend in TT racing circles. Even in that company, where pretty much anything goes, his unabashed recounting of his pre-race evening ritual in the film 'TT: Closer To The Edge' had people agog.

    He's one of the very small group of riders who can ride that course at the bike's limits rather than his own.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  7. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    It's a mystery to me how Guy Martin's still alive following his TT crash in 2010, Iwrats.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  8. neddie
    Member

    It's not called "Mad Sunday" for no reason:
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/bp/surviving--mad-sunday---the-isle-of-man-tt-s-most-dangerous-day-174208040.html

    Maybe the TT race proper is safer?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  9. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Maybe the TT race proper is safer?

    I wouldn't touch Mad Sunday with a long stick. I've ridden the Mountain section when it was one way after a race and that's quite interesting enough for me thanks very much.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  10. Greenroofer
    Member

    I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed watching him ride across the desert last night. There was some story about him trying to break a 'record', although the 'record' was set by two guys doing a fully-laden transcontinental bike tour, and he was on an unladen bike with a support crew, so it wasn't that much of a contest. I suspect they were playing up his lack of preparation for the cameras, too.

    However, I doff my cap at anyone who can ride 300+ miles in one go on a flat-barred singlespeed. He's a bit of a legend, really.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  11. Stickman
    Member

    I've watched most of Guy Martin's shows but not got round to this one yet. I really like his style and his fascination with how stuff works. I know someone who got talking to him at the Strathpuffer and said he's just like that in person.

    Bet he's a very useful friend to know for getting anything mechanical done.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  12. HankChief
    Member

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Player

    Posted 7 years ago #

  13. HankChief
    Member

    Video above = He's just set off to ride 250miles a day to break the record for pedalling round Britain. He needs to finish by Christmas morning to succeed.

    #loveablenutter

    Posted 7 years ago #

  14. LaidBack
    Member

    He'll be avoiding Edinburgh then if he knows what's good for him! Suppose NEPN and out Musselburgh is what he might do?

    Started watching a much more critical look at what is really happening in China. This should be shown in schools here. We all know unregulated industry will poison the environment given half a chance (eg Sepa list names quite a few companies here with resources to do better).
    What happens when your government officials get paid off with 'red envelopes'? (As they say in China).

    View this and you'll be moved as the children learn about why the creatures and plants in and around the Yangtse are now dying. In many places residents have eaten contaminated crops and become ill and died too.
    It's amazing that this programme has been made when you contrast with the controls which were put on Guy M. People speak direct to camera and they are not happy and demand that their government listen and no cover up the truth.

    Still a few episodes left on watch again.
    http://www.channel4.com/programmes/china-between-clouds-and-dreams/episode-guide/

    Posted 7 years ago #

  15. neddie
    Member

    you'll be moved as the children learn about why the creatures and plants in and around the Yangtse are now dying. In many places residents have eaten contaminated crops and become ill and died too.

    And the root cause of this is the amount of unnecessary plastic junk we buy here in the Western world.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  16. HankChief
    Member

    http://road.cc/content/news/214281-guy-martin-abandons-gb-coastline-cycling-record-attempt#cycling

    Not a huge surprise he has abandoned his round Britain ride.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  17. Arellcat
    Moderator

    unnecessary plastic junk

    I bought one of those Knog rear lights the other day. Very pleased with it, as a light. The packaging proudly says "DESIGNED BY KNOG, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA", then below the barcode on the other side, in tiny letters, "Made in China".

    Even my Alpkit sleeping bag was made in China. With Chinese goose down, too. :-(

    I have a lot of time for Guy Martin. I want a Merlin engine in my front room one day.

    Posted 7 years ago #

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