Like many others, I suspect, my first awareness of the Beta Band was via the priceless scene in the 2000 adaption of Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel, High Fidelity, where John Cusack (as Rob Gordon, owner of the record store Championship Vinyl) plays their classic Dry the Rain to unsuspecting shoppers in his store.
Not only did Rob sink the hook into his customers, he sunk it into me too and I set off in search of this wonderful sound. At this stage the band was probably pretty close to the zenith of its life. Having started quietly in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1996, they were really hitting a groove by the time of High Fidelity, only to call it all quits in late 2004. Luckily, they seem to have recorded a great selection of both live and studio work, which remains for us to explore posthumously.
Why do I like them?
Dry the Rain seems to be often cited as their masterpiece and although I really, really like this song, my Beta obsession is founded in the fact that so much of their work is so good, you simply have to take time exploring the whole back-catalogue.
After months of deliberation and literal/metaphorical tyre-kicking, I’ve finally bought a new bicycle. Unusually for me, I resisted all manner of used bike deals and temptations (both online and off) and actually bought a new one. From a proper, bricks & mortar shop. Unheard-of for me, but there you go. Time reveals all sides to a coin. Ok, I did pick up a slighly used SRAM Force groupset on-line to switch out for the bike’s standard Rival one but essentially, I bought a complete new bike, fresh out of the box.
Why a Cervelo? Well, mostly just because I like them. I like their design, their engineering, their approach. I like lots of the guys who ride for their pro team. Hard to explain but I just like them. The model I chose is an S5 which is interesting fit between traditional road bike and a TimeTrial (TT) geometry. This means that the rear wheel is stuffed up under the seat post, allowing the seat tube to be a few degrees more upright than usual. It rides like a standard road bike – the Garmin Barracuda pro team use S5’s as their standard bike – but it can also do a nice turn as a time-trial bike if you want to change things up. The seat post has a reversing function which, when combined with some aerobars, can allow you to sit that bit further forward and cheat the wind a little bit more. Helpful, that.
Cheating the wind is a bit of an obsession with road cyclists and triathletes. Less of an issue for mountainbikers, of course (let’s discuss that another time…) but if you’re just pounding down the tarmac it inevitably occupies your thoughts. Never mind the countless online forums (hello, www.slowtwitch.com, www.bikeforums.net) where you can obsess about yaw rates and drag coeffcients all day long. Estimates are that once you’re riding above 30km/h, upwards of 80% of your effort is pushing the wind. Thus, cheat the wind and you’ll gain speed/distance for the same effort. For a Saab fan, it brings a smile to my face every time I hear people discuss this magic combination: aero. The S5 is aero. Along with Specialized’s Venge (co-development with Mclaren F1), the S5 is apparently the most aerodynamically efficient road bike around. Aero. Invisible, free and yet so hard to find.
Weight is of course, a whole other world that cyclists LOVE to to obsess about. Must be one of the few products in the world where the more you pay, the less you get. Carbon fibre, hmmmmm. Perhaps I’m a cynic and I can see it as a wonderfully marketable aspect of the love of cycling – it’s so simple and tangible to weigh things – but it’s fascinating, nonetheless. Mind you, the professionals don’t always seem to sing from the same hymn book and will often have bikes well above the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) minimum limit of 6.9kg. Aero bikes, interestingly, are often not the lightest bikes and so it’s a weigh-up between the two components.
For a hacker like me, who frankly could lose a lot of weight and become a lot more aero before I should reasonably expect the same of my bicycle, it’s mostly academic but nevertheless irresistible. It’s a lot of fun to have a nice bike, after all.
Anyway, after a long hiatus while I was without a road bike over the course of summer (I sold my LOOK unexpectedly in December) I’m back on the road and enjoying it more than ever. I’m no threat to Cadel Evans or Thor Hushovd but I’m having a blast.
Post Script:
Strange name, Cervelo; took me years to work out its meaning. Cer: cerebral or brain. Intellect. Velo: from the original French velocipede, for bicycle.
Thus: Cervelo – the intelligent bicycle. Now, that’s a pretty lofty claim which could possibly be staked by many, many bicycle manufacturers but it’s as original and catchy as much as it is meaningful. Whatever….seeing it on the roof of my 9-3 Sportcombi brought back some memories of watching pro bike races a few years ago in 2008 when Saab had a prominent role as the vehicles for the Mavic neutral service course guys.
I guess I gave it away with the title but one of the reasons I’ll always give Audi the time of day goes right back to the early 1980’s and their seminal effect on the world via their rally cars.
To me, nothing captures this more than the image of Walter Röhrl’s feet dancing across the three pedals of his Quattro like some kind of avante-gard church organist. There seemed no rhyme or reason to my uneducated eyes but it was clearly a work of genius.
The fact that Walter was able to translate the potency of his Quattro-driven monsters into pure speed altered the rally game, and then the road car game immeasurably. Subaru, Mitsubishi, Ford, Citroen, Peugeot, Skoda….. to me they’ve all done a fantastic job of taking what Audi started just that bit further.
What’s more, I tend to see the S3 as the spiritual successor to those early 80’s rally cars, the S1 etc. It’s compact, robust, built like a bank-vault and if you’re lucky enough to get an RS3 with the 5 cylinder engine, it goes quite well too.
Those of you patient enough to read my work may recall the RenaultSport Megane also being a favourite of mine. It’s somewhat of a favourite formula, I guess. Small, handy, fast and fun. A car that goes best when driven hard, the tachometer needle spending most of its time on the far side of the dial.
And thus, when confronted with Swade’s post from a few days ago – a choice between an admittedly very similar Audi or Golf – I will always choose the Audi. Well, almost. I”m pretty partial to the Golf R and I like VW vans, too, but perhaps you can see where I’m coming from.
Of course, it makes no sense to a man of Swade’s merciless logic but frankly, I don’t care. Audi take me to edge of despair with their obsequious kow-towing to the VAG manifesto, their sama-sama interiors and component sharing (imagine how a Lamborghini tragic must feel when confronted with A4 electronics…) so I ignore the nonsense of the A1, the deluded grandeur of the A5 and the whole Q series may as well be invisible.
BUT….. show me a TTRS or even a modest A4 1.8t with a Quattro badge on its rump and the emotions that were forged in my younger days will come flooding back. I don’t see a Golf in a slinky frock when an A3 pootles by. I see a car that is just a few options-boxes on an order sheet away from a snarling, gravel-spitting slingshot. A car that may well be dropping the kids off at school now but within the hour could feasibly be thundering up Pikes Peak. See, there is nothing remotely logical about it.
I liked these the moment I saw them. Like miniature Marshall stacks for your ears. Such an obvious product for Marshall to make but surprisingly one that took them a long time to get around to. I guess Dr Jim is such a busy guy keeping the rock gods of the world amplified that a sideline into headphones was always just pushed to the back of the desk. Well, whatever finally allowed him to get to it, I’m glad he did.
They’re not fancy but that’s part of the appeal. A simple, folding design for easy and damage-free transport. A decent, soft-touch lead with a spring-coil section to prevent sudden jerks to ones cranium. A proper, metal plug with a spring protector for the lead. That wonderfully minimalist Marshall logo in cursive script, just like their amplifiers. Quality sound with depth, clarity and power.
Possibly not the absolute ultimate headphones for the fanatical audiophile and there are no claims of noise reduction either. Nevertheless, I’m not arguing. After all, plug in and you’re listening to your music through Marshalls. Other companies can make all the claims they like but when all is said and done, they’re not Marshalls. Sometimes, I think its ok to be a bit cool.
Footnote: This is not a review. It’s purely a personal opinion and offered without any connection to, or provision from Marshall. I bought these headphones with my own cash and have been using them happily since December 2011.
While Swade continues his cross-continental odyssey in pursuit of Italian perfection, here’s a small tale from my end of the paddock by way of interlude music.
Fellow Swadeologist Dr Russell, his partner Beate and I found ourselves luxuriating in the hospitality of our local BMW dealer last Saturday night; cold climate pinot-noir, rare beef fillet on melt in your mouth sourdough, single origin beans and the swinging sounds of an early ‘80s lounge lizard with a tight band behind him. Not an average night on our coastal strip. The local aristocracy were all out in force of course. Breakfast radio stars, fringe politicians, real estate moguls and part-time artists. As the smoke from the barbeque slowly filled the showroom and the crowd spilled around the display cars (!M3 in black & white!) and cream leather furniture we paused to reflect. Here we were to celebrate the arrival of Munich’s latest 3-Series and yet there was a distinct trace of Trollhattan in the air. How so? Bear with me.
As the evening ground on and platters were emptied, snappy BMW launch videos run, gracious speeches from the dealership principal inaudibly delivered until finally the covers were snapped off two curvaceous new sedans. Mr Van Hooydonks finest work. Or at least his latest effort in Bangle-erasure. Winsome shapes housing a mortgage worth of options. Fine vehicles thats for sure. Not my thing, but fine. As we hang around for the last of the beef we glanced outside into the drizzle and notice that not only is there an E30 M3 hiding discreetly there in the shadows, people are also taking the new cars for test-drives. Hmmm, thats brave. Test drives on a rainy night when there’s an endless supply of free booze and when the choice of roads is either freeway or a local set of twisties what would fit as a stunt double for sections of Ze Grune Helle. Apparently there was a breath-testing device somewhere about but as I approached the sales guys it was nowhere to be seen.
Not that it mattered, I’d called a halt at my second pinot and switched to espresso an hour earlier anyway. So, I signed my life away and slunk into the drivers seat of a navy blue, cream interior 328, luxury spec and started adjusting. A lot. There are a lot of options as I noted earlier and so they all demand attention. Sport this, comfort that. Why can’t cars be like my Rotel amplifier with just on/off and volume? Having finally selected some mind-numbing combination of electronic madness I finally pushed start and strained to hear a nice, thrummy buzz over the shrieks from indoors. This is where I started connecting with south-west Sweden and not Bavaria. Unlike its inline-six forbears, the 328 is powered by a 4 cylinder turbo. Rear-wheel drive; that’s true but it still has that unmistakeable Scandian growl. With a gushing salesman on my left and Dr Russell taking perch in the backseat I reversed through a minefield of expensive metal and slowly eased onto the dark, slick road.
It was quickly clear that the new 3-Series cabin is a lovely, refined place to be. I’m not hot on the textured wood interior (memories of primary school lino cuts) but the overall effect is comfortable, classy and very, very polished. Too polished. I wanted to hear what I was driving so dropped the window to let in the cool, wet night air and at least a hint of the exhaust note. We rumbled off down through the traffic lights and industrial suburbs, past the freeway on-ramp and through to the winding bends and switch backs of one of my favourite roads. Its tough to know how hard to push a car in this circumstance. You want to feel it move – but not wrap it around a tree. Somehow I found a middle ground and with rain splattering in my ears, wound out that turbo-4 as best I could. It’s a beautiful motor which makes a beautiful sound and is beautiful to drive. Strange then, that it made me sad.
All I could think about on the way back to the dealer and then later when I drove home in my well-worn and loved 93 SportCombi was: there but for the grace of God/Allah/Earth Mother/Grand Scientist goes Saab. Twenty years ahead of its time perhaps. The irony of BMW expanding its line-up with one turbo-charged wonder after another while Saab lingers in a set of dusty folders on a liquidation lawyer’s desk is tough to bear. Perhaps it’s a kind of backhanded compliment which just proves what we Saab alskàre knew all along. The unanswerable question for now is: will we ever see it again?
Swade here. I’d like you to welcome a mate of mine, Pete, to the pages of Swadeology. You might have seen him around before, with the title “PT”. Pete and I met via the shared Saab experience – he’s been the owner of several Swedes and currently has a 9-3 SportCombi in the family garage. He’s around my age, very well read, resides here in Australia and was one of the few wise counsellors who made up the unofficial SU Board back when things were going nuts at Saab in 2009. He also plays drums for the Rolling Stones in some of their rehearsal sessions. Actually thats not true but he would if Mick and Keith ever called.
When I posted Option 3 yesterday, there were a few who questioned the merits of the Megane RS being on my shopping list. I figured I’d best get someone with first-hand experience to talk about it a little. Pete’s perfectly placed to do so as he actually owned one until very recently.
I hope you enjoy Pete’s occasional contributions
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RenaultSport Megane: the ownership experience. Where to start?
My time with 2.0 litres of Gallic fury in a 225 Sport Cup was short and sweet. Short? Well, let’s just say that was my fault, not the car’s. But sweet? Well, there are many, many ways to explain that.
The stats & details. 165kW/300Nm. 2.0 turbo. 1361kg. Brembo. 225/40/R18. Its a lot of car, whatever you’re paying. Of course, your can always go aftermarket too (hello Henk at Fastchips!) and the numbers go up and up. All without hardware updates.
The utility. It’s a formula that any Saab devotee needs no convincing of. 3-5 doors with a hatch. Seating for 5. Ample boot (thanks to Le Derriere (youTube that to see possibly one of the best car advertisements of all time). Roof rack mounts. There is not much you can’t carry in a Megane – and you won’t sweat about it during the journey thanks to the durable and practical charcoal interior. Sure, the leather is nothing close to what you’ll find from Sweden or Italy but thats part of the charm. Its workman-like rather than luxurious. Not to mention space for bigger people than you’d think. I’m on the XXL size (think rugby forward) and never had an issue with space. Front seat or back.
The running costs. It seems Renault has learned a lot from Nissan. They often share service facilities here in Australia and from my experience, the approach to billing as well. Very un-European in that account. Running costs are modest from week to week and the servicing is the icing on the cake.
Safety and tech. 5-star NCAP (Renault were first in the world here with the Laguna. Seriously) 6 airbags, xenons, rain sensors, parking sensors, switchable stability and traction control, cruise control. The most intuitive steering-mounted stereo controls I’ve ever used and a fuel tank without a cap (the cover is the cap). This is a modern, clever car in every sense.
The clincher? The drive. The Megane RS has pickup and acceleration like few cars under $100k and quite a few over. Then you come to the corners. Turn-in, hold and exit without a hint of give or roll. Total trust and confidence. It is simply a magical drive which very few cars in my experience can match. Despite the comparisons, the hot Golfs don’t come close and the Focus turbo is off the pace too. The EVO/WRX twins are comparable but lack the simplicity and style of the Renault. They’ve got the numbers on paper but none seem to have the RS ability to transmit this into their driving experience in the same way. Perhaps its because the RS cars come from a dedicated facility and aren’t just another option on a regular production line. Whatever the source, succesive hot Meganes have held their class record at the NurburgRing and that doesn’t happen by accident.
My RS Megane 225 Cup was the best car I’ve ever had. The completeness of the car coupled with the direct links to Renault Sport and the vibrant online/car club communities are an irresestible combination. It’s only a matter of time until I get another one. Burnt Orange this time.
