Richard Branson loving his electric bike

RobF

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Sep 22, 2012
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anotherkiwi

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Jan 26, 2015
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OMG pedelecs get the Branson stamp of approval, now everyone and their dog will want one!

I love how from the article one gets the impression that the good idea was his... Al Gore invents the internet, Richard Branson invents the pedelec:eek:
 
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RobF

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Sep 22, 2012
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Not that private now. If you have £30,000 odd you can go and join in!
I expect it offends Branson's entrepreneurial instincts if the island doesn't pay its way to some degree.

A mate of mine spent a couple of hours with Branson.

His impression was the guy was very single minded to the point of being dull in polite company - if the chat wasn't about Virgin and Branson and making money, he wasn't interested.

That was a few years ago, and he may have lightened up a bit since.

Another mate of mine is a very wealthy man of property hereabouts.

He is also similarly driven, and doesn't have much patter unless it relates to business.

He once said to me, only half in fun: "I hate Christmas Day, I can't do any deals."
 
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JohnCade

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Samuel Smiles book Self Help was very popular with Thatcher’s followers thirty years ago. They were always quoting it. But nobody ever quoted the words on the preface.

“Someone who cares only for the shilling may well become a rich man. But he will remain a very poor fellow.”
 
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SteveRuss

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Feb 12, 2015
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I expect it offends Branson's entrepreneurial instincts if the island doesn't pay its way to some degree.

A mate of mine spent a couple of hours with Branson.

His impression was the guy was very single minded to the point of being dull in polite company - if the chat wasn't about Virgin and Branson and making money, he wasn't interested.

That was a few years ago, and he may have lightened up a bit since.

Another mate of mine is a very wealthy man of property hereabouts.

He is also similarly driven, and doesn't have much patter unless it relates to business.

He once said to me, only half in fun: "I hate Christmas Day, I can't do any deals."
He does come across as someone that can't just sit back and live his life without having to have exert some control on the empire that he once suggested he'd stepped back from.

I used to admire him a long long time ago but his companies are mostly as faceless and purely profit driven as any of the big mega corps. Nothing wrong with that some may say but personally I don't like the Virgin brand name any more than say McDonalds or Coca cola. Their insatiable appetite for avarice and control don't inspire me at all. Shame really as he could have been so much more.

Nice bike though!
 
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RobF

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Sep 22, 2012
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I recall buying a couple of LP records from Virgin by mail order, which I think was his first business.

Good idea at the time, because decent record shops only existed in large towns and cities, and even they couldn't offer the range Virgin did.

I'd forgotten about all the environmental and charitable aspects of Virgin - didn't he give the Virgin Cola profits to AIDS charities?

As you say, Virgin now appears little different to any other large business.
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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the bike died tho as went off a cliff pmsl
 
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Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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Remind you of any one SW ;). There is a regular crash test dummy in your area :oops:.
 

soundwave

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i have a full face helmet;)
 
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D

Deleted member 17694

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I wonder if he's still loving his bike?

He apparently didn't see a speed bump! In the news pictures he's led on the ground and it appears to be dark. Now, looking at the picture in #1, that bike has no lights, hmmm...
 
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Nealh

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A ffh doesn't protect the rest of you esp some of the bad arm and shoulder injuries you have highlighted over the last 18 months.
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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this does tho, if i have it on that is ;)

 
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RobF

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Sep 22, 2012
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My impression is Branson was training for an endurance event so he was riding a roadie pushbike.