BBC Watchdog to focus on BSO's
Posted on 6 Nov 2009
UPDATE: 6 November - You can view the Watchdog feature on flat-pack bikes here
The BBC's Watchdog consumer affairs programme will be focusing on flat-pack "bicycle shaped objects" in a programme to be broadcast this Thursday (5th November) on BBC 1 between 8pm - 9pm.
Filmed last Friday five "regular cyclists" were asked to build flat-pack bikes from:
- Asda
- Argos
- Halfords
- Tesco
- Toys R Us
Hosted by Radio 4's John Humphries, a keen cyclist, the bike building feature also includes John Stevenson, editor of cycling publications at Future Publishing and Paul Topham from bike maintenance company Southcoast Bikes, who was on hand to provide expert mechanical advice.
The aim of the feature is to test whether such bikes can be built safely and the ride quality and experience they offer to customers.
The BBC did contact ACT for their input but were not prepared to feature the association on the show as they represented a vested interest, which could be seen as bias. Basically that means ACT would have said flat-pack bikes were generally poor quality and not good value, which would therefore mean each of the companies featured would have to give their response in turn making the feature longer and potentially legally problematic.
ACT has asked that the Watchdog website, which gets tens of thousands of visits after each show, does link to the Bicycle Shaped Object blog to give viewers additional advice and information on buying flat-pack. The BBC are checking whether this is possible under the same vested interest issues.UPDATE: 6th November - You can view the Watchdog feature on flat-pack bikes here
UPDATE: 4th November - John Stevenson has published his take on things over at BikeRadar
