31.03.2023 Tote that sack!

 

 

~~

Friday 31st 7C/45F. Cool, misty and overcast. Seems to be brightening. Only a few light showers possible this morning. My back is aching. Going for a walk.

 9.00 Increasingly misty and dark, but remaining dry. The hedges were noisy with birds on my way out. Quieter on my return. I doubt visibility extended beyond 200m but nobody had their rear fog lights lit.

 I had the e-bike battery on charge while I was out. It was at 76% after my last ride. The lounge had cooled overnight. The surface temperature of the battery case rose from the ambient 16C up to 21C. Which puts it centrally in the most recommended recharging temperature range. The battery is warming itself during charging. 

 I now need more kindling but the weather is slowly improving. Do I buy three sacks? With a potential overlap  into the start of the next heating season. Or just buy it as needed? This is decidedly car and mobility dependent. I am increasingly concerned that the car [mid 1990s] won't last much longer. A reserve of kindling can be stored. To dry out over the summer. The kindling supplier is over seven, very hilly miles away. So difficult to impossible to transport a sack by bike or trike.

 I collected three bags of kindling and did some grocery shopping. The mist was surprisingly patchy. With no obvious connection with altitude. I lit my rear fog lamp and left it on. The car I followed along the main road home had no visible, rear lights at all!

 After lunch I rode to Odense to visit more cycle shops. 73km, average 24kmh, 82rpm, 3 hours. One of the cycle shop owners has kindly offered to bring in his personal Bosch Nyon display. I've made an appointment and will drive over there next week. This is the nearest I have come to the Nyon so far after visiting at least 10 cycle shops. 

 It poured with rain from 17.00 onwards. I was about 2/3rds of the way home. So I was soaked again! The Endura jacket was mostly dry inside but damp at the hem. It could have soaked up the rain from my wet bibs.

 For dinner I decided to use up the sausage. There were some mushrooms too. I put the carrots in early. So they had a good long simmer. The peas went into the same pan for the last few minutes. 35minutes of simmering produced boiled potatoes ready for mashing. A drop of milk and a bit of butter later. Perfection! I couldn't fault any of it. 😋

 

~~

30.03.2023 Sans e-bike.

 ~~

 Thursday 30th 7C/45F. Breezy with heavy overcast. Rain is expected all morning and probably continuing as showers afterwards. Some places could see 20mm or 3/4" of rain. A rather sleepless night. 

 Cooking class by car. I am fed up with getting wet on every single ride! 

13.30 Safely back from cooking class. We were seven today.

I made the carrot salad with cucumber and cabbage. Dressed with baked pine seeds.

The image above is of the mashed potatoes.

 

Deviled eggs with bacon. There were sausages too.

 Dessert was pears with crumbly, chocolate dressing. It was all very tasty. 

 It soon rained again so I put off going for a ride this afternoon.

 18.30. I was feeling unusually depressed. So I have just been for a walk along the road. It was blowing and drizzling from a leaden sky. The traffic was light at this time of the evening. No need for dinner tonight. Just more TV.  

~~

29.03.2023 Yo heave ho!

 ~~

 Wednesday 29th 38F. Heavy overcast and breezy. The garden trees are swaying. Rain on the south facing windows. Light showers are forecast. Museum day. I will probably go on my bike. 

 The battery is fully charged as usual. I bring it into the lounge to warm up before charging it. 

 I want a much larger display of the battery charge when out on my bike. The tiny digits in the top corner of the Kiox display are impossible to read without my reading glasses. I haven't found a screen which shows the remaining charge in large digits. Yet it is the most important data which needs to be known on a longer ride. 

 Not a great picture. The '100' at top right is the battery indicator. I simply cannot read those tiny digits without reading glasses. I don't want to wear reading glasses when out on my bike! Nor do I want to stop to find my glasses. Just to check the remaining charge. 

 Every other combination of data is readily available on the multitude of optional screens. Which can be paged though by pressing buttons on the remote control. The same buttons which are too small for easy selection while wearing my winter gloves!

 13.20. 43F. Lunch over. Still overcast. The rain was rattling on the grenhouse roof, this morning, as I prepared the e-bike. So I locked it up again, removed the battery and went in the car. It rained, on and off, at the museum. Where I amused myself by raking and gathering fallen twigs. Before taking them away to the compost heaps in a wheelbarrow. 

 Later, I helped to remove a heavy safe from one of the intended display rooms. Never underestimate what half a dozen old, but experienced men can achieve. Using simple tools, brute strength and rollers. Given another hour we could have completed the pyramids. 😏

 Mid afternoon I went for a shopping ride. I must have done a couple of miles before it started raining. It never stopped! One pair of gloves soaked. Changed to the better ones. Bought a load of groceries. Filled one pannier. The Endura jacket continues to quickly darken in the wet but doesn't leak inside. At least, not yet. I checked carefully when I got home. No dampness inside at all. 20km. Half in Sport and half in Tour mode. 27kph average speed. 83rpm average cadence. 536km so far.

 Dinner was beans on toast. The bean manufacturers had forgotten to add the tomato sauce. Which should have alerted me to the fact that they hadn't cooked the beans properly either. I added just enough water to allow the beans to be heated normally in the saucepan. Plus a smidgen of pepper to make the beans more edible. 

 11.30. I have just been along the drive, in the rain, with the dustbin. Having forgotten repeatedly to do it earlier. When it was still light. At least I am not burning my beans. They put you in an old people's home for that. Not cooking your beans? Leave that to big business. Along with cooking the books.

~~

28.03.2023 Frost, hail, bread and sunshine.

 ~~

 Tuesday 28th -2C/28F. White frost, but bright and clear. Wasting time trying to fix the prop stand. I needed a hex socket screw of shorter length than those I had available. 

 08.30 It is now too late to ride to the cooking class. So I am warming up the car. Which is covered in frost and pea-sized hail frozen onto the windows and bodywork. The image is from the tarpaulin trailer cover.

14.00 Dry and sunny. 6C/43F. Safely home from a bread making & baking session. There were seven of us today.

This was my effort.  It looked amazing! Tasted great! 😁

15.30 7C/45F. Bright but cloudy. I am going shopping on the e-bike. Maintained 90 rpm in Tour mode. 25-35kph. It rained and hailed on the way home. So I put it in Sport mode and cruised at 35-40kph. Still hard work on the legs. 25km. Average speed 26kph. Average cadence 83rpm.

Since we made only bread today, there was no proper, cooked lunch. So I am going to make dinner this evening. I bought some sausages this afternoon. So I shall probably go with oven chips, fried egg and sausages. I'll try the chips on a higher shelf in the mini oven. To get them properly crisp and brown. That "Somebody" hasn't done the washing up for two days! 😳

 I washed up while the chips were becoming proper chips. Both took 20 minutes. Which left me with a huge half sausage to cook from scratch. The package said a couple of minutes each side to brown and then 12.5 minutes more. Turning at intervals I eventually cut the half sausage in half again. That worked. It all looks burnt but really wasn't.

 The egg went in last and promptly exploded in the hot fat. Though miraculously the yolk survived and remained runny. I gave the chips a final couple of minutes to re-warm in the mini oven. It wasn't enough but they were crisp, brown and edible. As was everything else. 

 Next time I will cut the half sausage into four. I will start cooking the sausage as the chips go in on the top shelf. I will start warming the plate on top of the mini oven at the same time. The washing up can wait for another day! Now I have to find another meal for the second half of the sausage. Something with gravy? My first solo at mashed potato? Mashing the potatoes was one of the few tasks my wife asked me to do in the kitchen.

~~

27.03.2023 Riding in wintry weather.

~~

 Monday 27th 26F. A hard white frost but clear and bright so far.

 15.40 5C/ 40F. After pumping up the tires to 4 Bar, I rode to Odense. Via rural lanes as much as possible. To visit as many bike shops as I could. The sky turned navy blue in the west as I headed home. At one point there was 3" of hail slush on the roads with standing water. Later I was caught in a snow storm. With an inch of snow plastered onto my jacket. I remained dry except for my feet. At one point the hail was so sharp on my face that I had to shelter under a tree. There was a drift of hail the size of frozen peas by the back door. As I finally arrived home.

 73km. Average moving speed 21kmh. 50% Tour mode. The rest in Eco mode. The battery dropped from 95% to 19%. There was suddenly loud banging from the rear. The prop stand was swinging by a single bolt and hitting the spokes! One bolt lost. The fasteners obviously needs thread locker. Without the prop stand it is difficult to park the bike anywhere. 

 The hard tires transformed the e-bike into a much harsher thing. The tires had been practically flat! I even stopped to check the suspension was working and not locked out. It seemed to be working as expected. The sole advantage was easier steering at low speeds. I was beginning to do track stands at stops. 😄

 17.15  It has been snowing hard but not pitching. It did settle later.

 21.45 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I didn't want anything heavy. Not after a late lunch. I had two cups of tea earlier. To ensure I had consumed enough fluids. I was feeling rough.

 It seems obvious now. I was just following a German YouTuber's video on battery range. Range will depend not only on the assistance mode selected. The amount of effort put in by the rider is also a major factor. Speed comes at a price in battery consumption. As does the all-up weight and the hilliness of the route. Temperature matters too. The range shown for each mode cannot estimate how tired the rider becomes as the ride progresses. Nor even how weak they are to start with. The motor will take more of the load. Draining the battery faster.

Carrying a spare battery may only theoretically double the range. It also reduces the effective range by having to drive the extra weight of the spare battery over the entire distance. There is no free lunch. Stock up at lunch and you have added the weight of the food and drink to your own body weight. Carried food will not suddenly disappear as you swallow it. You have merely distributed its weight somewhere else.

~~

26.03.2023 Sunday ride and Sunday dinner.

 ~~

 Sunday 26th  42F. Early brightness has turned to overcast. Woke early then went back to sleep. 

 Aching again. The e-bike computer says I have ridden over 400km already. I'll have morning coffee before taking a walk. It could brighten up again. 

 Two wagtails are flying back and forth. Between the top of the observatory dome and the house roof. Whoops! Now there are [were] three! Wagtails are a regular feature on the roof and the drive. 

 I had a walk to the lanes. The wind was cold enough to be unpleasant. Nothing very unusual to report. A huge flock of [possibly] Redwings took off [noisily] from a neighbour's tree. Probably 200 of them. 

 I have the e-bike battery on charge for a grocery shopping trip.

 14.00 7C/44F. I need to stock up on some vital stuff. 

 15.30 45F. Just returned from the shops. Rather windy. Tried all the modes into the headwind including Turbo. Just managed to reach 35kph. Wind resistance really does make a huge difference. Only 13km. Still a good workout.

 I made Sunday Dinner. Everything was fine except for the carrots. Not quite soft enough, but still edible. I'll have to give them much longer next time. The peas went in with them after a while. They don't need so long. Too many potatoes again. Though I ate all of them. The Bisto gravy was perfect except I hadn't made quite enough this time. Two cups of water is too much. 1.25 cups too little. 

 I am a Pavlov idiot. If I make two cups I can discard the excess. It is only water! I have never left anything on my plate since a faddy [not fatty] childhood. I was made to remain at the table until I had finished. There were millions of starving Indians 70 years ago. There probably still are. I looked as if I were starving until late adulthood. Even then the cycling soon returned me to emaciated.

~~

25.03.2023 Move that lever!

 ~~

  Saturday 25th 44F. Heavy overcast, scattered showers forecast for all day.

 My sister has sent me pictures of her gorgeous, red Moustache MTB. She chose to put the dropper post lever on the left side of the handlebars. I chose the right and now find confusion with the gear change levers. I'll see if I can relocate mine to the left.

 View from the front:

 7.45 Still dry. Ready for my walk. Or not. I managed only ten yards before it started raining. I had donned a lightweight windproof jacket. So it was back indoors to put on my winter walking coat. Ten yards down the drive again and I realised I had left my binoculars behind. Not a good start. The rain was light and did not last long.

 I walked to the lanes and up the hill on the branch. The sea was just visible through the mist as lighter areas. Probably reflecting a brighter sky. A few thrushes practiced being raucous. In stark contrast to the mellifluous blackbirds. The trees and hedgerows were busy with all the bird's spring activities. Now I am back at home there is rain on the windows. The radar suggests only occasional, light showers. Until later this afternoon. When more rain is expected.

 10.00 8C/47F and more showers. The dropper post lever is now on the left. Fighting for space with the horn, Bosch mode selector, brake lever and handlebar grip. The horn clamp is far too wide and sturdy for its very light duties. It could be slimmed at the clamp alone. Leaving the press button and its housing untouched. 

Rider's eye view.

The images show the complexity. It is even worse over on the right! Google won't let me drag and drop my images correctly on the blog page!

I had to oil the chain. After all the recent rain it was rusting rapidly! It is a peculiarity of the Bosch drive system that the chain does not rotate backwards with the chainwheel and pedals. The chainwheel remains quite still as the cranks are turned. Making oiling the entire chain quite a challenge.

 16.30 Just back from visiting my British friend. Wet and windy going. With extra rain at half way. Headwind coming home. Needed the cardigan and GripGrab medieval tea cosy under the helmet then. The Endura jacket was fine. Total 55km. Average 25km/hr. Mostly Tour mode with quite a lot of Sport mode. Very little Eco this time. Average cadence 81rpm. Highest speed 49km/hr. [Downhill] Battery depleted to 32% from 100%. 

 Not so tired after this ride. Probably because of the long rest at his place. The left side, saddle dropper lever was okay. It just needs further sorting of angle and position. Perhaps move the horn button. It frightens me every time I press it by accident. I frighten selfish dog walkers on cycle paths by applying the front brake. 🤣

 Dinner was beans on toast. I forgot to eat lunch when I came home. I wasn't hungry. Nor was I hungry later. Adding a smidgen of pepper improved the beans. 

 I have decided to grow my beard longer than usual. Just to see what it looks like. Long beards are fashionable. Not that I really care about that.

~~

24.03.2023 Politics is a severe, personality disorder.

 ~~

 Friday 24th 8C/47F. Windy. Very dark indoors from a very heavy overcast with early rain. Promised to clear later. A repeat of yesterday's weather. The sunshine had warmed the greenhouse to 25C by lunch time. So I didn't relight the stove at all after an early burn. I opened all the internal hall doors to share the warmth with the bathroom. It reached 18C/65F. While it rose to 23C/74F in the lounge without the stove. 

 For years I was hoping to warm the house with the greenhouse. This was why I put it up in the first place. It was never possible due to the shade from hedges and trees. The conditions still have to be right for free heat. Sunshine being the main ingredient. South facing is essential. A lack of external shading when the sun is low is equally vital. Expectations of free warmth depend entirely on clear, sunny days in the colder half year. Unfortunately a rarity in Denmark. The best greenhouse solar heating systems exist in cool, but sunny, desert conditions.

 In the summer I now have external shade curtains. Two layers of professional shade netting were required. With both, gable end doors open to help move the warm air through and away. The door to the house can be opened only in exceptional circumstances. Warmer in the greenhouse than indoors. Kept closed when the house has no need of the extra heat. 

 The uniqueness of a lean-to greenhouse is its multiple uses. Plant growing and a well lit bicycle workshop are obvious. While the pleasant "outdoor" space cannot be matched by insulation and heat pumps. "Pleasant" requires controlled shading and ventilation. I have found the roof windows/ventilators to be completely worthless. They also get in the way when the shade netting is in place. Fortunately they lie flat enough to ignore.   

 The cost of the greenhouse is obviously important. I built our 7m/22' long greenhouse from two lean-to greenhouses. The manufacturer's [Halls, now Juliana] used to sell a double flanged joining profile. This allowed two, or more greenhouses, to be joined invisibly but without loss of strength. Usually by discarding the two unwanted, inner, end gables. 

 I bought a neighbour's Silverline, lean-to greenhouse. He was having a posh, double glazed garden room built. I then had a discount from the sales and outdoor display office in the city for a matching greenhouse. As usual, I put the whole thing up myself. The 8' wide Silverline "conservatories" have very strong aluminium profiles for the uprights and roof trusses. They need proper foundations. I used 4x4 green oak but it rotted after a few years in the wet ground. In retrospect, concrete would have been more sensible.

 Mine has survived over two decades of storms so far. With very deep snow on its gently sloping roof at times. I usually remove the snow. Using a long, aluminium pole and a squeegee head. To benefit from any chance of the sun reaching the glass. The added warmth from rare, winter sunshine helps to accelerate snow removal.

  8.40. Only 15C/60F in the lounge. So I lit the stove. The radar suggests the rain has moved away. I need a walk. There are/were two birds of prey in the garden trees. Crows soon saw them off.

 Nothing to report about my walk. Except that it was windy and the roads were saturated. The sun came out as I unlocked the door on my return. It was lucky I didn't blink. Or I would have missed it. Not sure what to do with today.

13.30 10C/50F. Lunch over. Cloudy and windy with very little sunshine. I just wasted the entire morning. I need a goal for this afternoon. 

 Despite the crosswind gales I rode in search of organic bananas. At times I was leaning on the wind. I returned empty handed after visiting four supermarkets. All the bananas on display were as green as a Granny Smith apple. 25km. Bosch E-bike Connect app actually showed my route for the first time in days. I used Sport mode as much as possible to reduced my exposure time to the wind. The app suggested 50:50% between Tour and Sport modes.

 Dinner was supposed to be toast again. Then became fish fingers and chips. 25 minutes and still the chips aren't crisp.

~~

23.03.2023 A theoretical [more theatrical] omelette.

 ~~

 Thursday 23rd 8C/46F. Very heavy overcast and raining. Westerly wind. Expected to stop raining after 10am. Aching all over again.

 The Bosch Connect App is not working properly. It won't show route maps of my rides. Nor does it update to show new rides.

 More winter weather is promised soon. So I ought to be moving the new logs into the greenhouse. The wet weather has made this much more difficult. I don't want to uncover the trailer in case the logs get wet. While working with the cover in place makes everything much slower. I wheelbarrow the logs into the greenhouse from the splitting site just around the corner. It is far too risky to split logs near the greenhouse. Besides, it makes an awful mess on the gravel drive. 

 Whoops! No bread roll for morning coffee. I need to shop for groceries. I also need a new baking tray for the mini-oven. A big shed discount chain has them in town. I could do all the shopping in town from the car. If it will start. It did. Instantly.

 11.00 10C/50F  It is brightening up. There was brief sunshine earlier and it remained dry. I have just returned from town. I bought a load of groceries to save entirely wasting the journey.  Because there were no mini-oven trays. Online sales only and no dimensions? Are they rationing them?

 Then I found some cheap running shoes/trainers on discount in a high street sports shop. These had fine patterned soles and were low key, all black. With the grippy rubber sole I needed for the flat [MTB style] pedals on the e-bike. 

 There was some fun to be had at the supermarket. I had taken back a huge kitchen towel roll. The manufacturer had forgotten the perforations. Resulting i several meters of the paper roll strewn across the kitchen when I gave it a really good tug. The young chap on the checkouts thought it highly amusing. Though readily admitted they'd had a few returns. We did a painless/cashless swap.

 12.15 Dry but mostly cloudy and rather windy all day. I have split six wheelbarrows worth of logs and stacked them in the greenhouse. Too tired to continue for the moment. I was robbed! The firewood is mixed with a lot of birch. I asked for and paid for beech. I wondered why he went to another pile from the last three times. 

 An afternoon relaxing with YT videos. Then an intended short nap which turned into an hour! I have more chicken and mushrooms now. So I can cook a proper meal tonight. [Well, proper by my standards, anyway.] Curry? A fry up with more chips? Not sure yet.

 Dinner was a theoretical omelette. Previous attempts had looked horrendous. So I separated the egg and meat cooking stages. Only adding them together at the end. Predictably, the egg stuck fast to the pan. The mushrooms and chicken were perfectly cooked but showed no attraction whatsoever for the omelette. Resulting in a visual nightmare. Tasty though. 😋 The brown sauce was a mistake. It wasn't needed.

 I have gone back to trying to rescue the original baking tray from the mini-oven. I have tried vinegar for days. No change. Brown soap for a week. No change. Boiling water and washing up liquid. No change. Now I am trying baking soda. It frothed like mad when I added boiling water. I'll report tomorrow if there is any change.

~~

22.03.2023 Riding in the rain. Getting soaking wet...

 ~~

 Wednesday 22nd 8C/46F. I am aching all over. Heavily overcast and breezy. All day rain expected. A shame, because I was going to ride to the museum today. Several days of rain are forecast.

 I have a slight problem. The car is connected to and trapped behind the trailer full of logs. Which means I will have to unhitch and manually rotate the heavy trailer by 90º to push it aside. So the car will have a clear path to reverse back down the drive. It might be easier to take the bike and make myself fully waterproof. Let's see now... mask, snorkel, flippers. 🤿

 Guess who padlocked the trailer to the hitch and then lost the key? Now I will have to go on the bike anyway. I have searched everywhere I might have put the key. Every pocket of every item of clothing I might have worn. Drawers, boxes, bags, down the backs of chairs. Grovelled on the floor in case they fell off the coffee table or the dining table or the chairs or whatever. 

 I stripped all the old padlock keys from the car key bunch the other day. What I did with them afterwards is a complete mystery. I shall just have to use the angle grinder on the padlock when I get home.

13.30 9C/48F. I had to ride through the rain to get to the museum. Selecting SPORT mode to cruise at 30-35kph. About 18-20mph. A pair of waterproof over-trousers and the new jacket kept me dry this time. The jacket material was soon dark with wet. Still dry inside.

 I spent the morning at the museum moving and sorting stuff. Nothing too taxing. There were twenty volunteers at the morning coffee  break around the huge dining table. I rode home again in the rain with an increased crosswind. Using SPORT mode again to shorten the journey time. About 40 minutes. Usually about 20 minutes in the car: Driving at 80kph/50mph on empty, rural roads. With long stretches of 50kph or 30mph in the intervening villages. About half and half really.

  Bosch support responded to my mail requesting a release date for the bike battery. Without telling me the release date. I was linked to a Bosch range calculator and advised to have the battery checked at a Bosch approved bike shop. 

 I also did a battery reset as advised. Pressing the on/off button for over 10 seconds. Though this didn't alter the displayed charge level. 76% after riding in SPORT mode to and from the museum. Fully charged the previous evening.

 Later, I cut through the trailer padlock with a diamond disk on the angle grinder. Surprisingly slowly for a cheap padlock with 6mm shackle!

 Then struggled to move the fully loaded trailer. [Heaped high with logs!] I laid a length of 2x4 across its path to stop it rolling away down the gentle slope of the [soggy] parking space. Then the car didn't want to start! Probably jealous of the e-bike! 🙄

 I hadn't shopped. So dinner was poached eggs on toast. [Again! 😋] One yolk broke as I lowered it gently into the cup. It was still fine.

~~

21.03.2023 Prop stand falling off and battery range.

 ~~

 Tuesday 21st 5C/41F. Heavy overcast. Rain expected for much of the day.

 07.00  I should go for a walk before it starts raining. Just to the lanes. Nothing unusual. Birds making a racket.

 8.30. 43F. Whoopee! The rain isn't due until this afternoon. I plan on a ride. 40km x 2 = 50 miles round trip. I am recharging the battery while I prepare myself. From memory I left it at 76%. The battery LEDs are blinking between four and five bars. The air is cooler at  this time of year. So one can't expect the same battery capacity as when it is warmer.

 16.00 9C/48F. I was gone for four hours. Covered 86km. Battery depleted from 100% to 21%! Max speed 48kph. Average speed 21kph. Average cadence 80rpm. Mostly in ECO mode. With TOUR used only to crest rises or to assist on bigger hills. I tried very hard to maintain 90+rpm but faltered towards the end.

 The dropper seat post was both fun and confusing. I set off thinking I had the saddle at the perfect height. Then had to keep stopping to raise the saddle a little more. Eventually it felt like I was cycling on stilts. Yet it was now the correct height. I could lift myself off the saddle with my heel. With the pedal at its low point. After that the problem was remembering to drop the saddle at stops. Then pulling away from a stop. As if I was riding a little kid's bike. Or a BMX.

 It rained with a light headwind for the last hour. I was soaked except for the area covered by the Endura jacket. Which began to feel cold and the cloth darkened with wet on the sleeves. Which surprised me for a brand new jacket. No detectable wet inside though. Except at the cuffs. Should I return it and upgrade? If the DWR fails to bead after its first hour of rain the waterproofing may not last long.

 I have put the battery on charge. The casing shows 13C/55F on the 'pistol' thermometer. 15C in the lounge with the stove unlit until now. 19C/67F upstairs.

 18.00 I had a nap for an hour. Fully and warmly dressed, with a fleece cap. Just in case I had hypothermia. I woke from a nap, shivering violently, after one recent ride. Which was why I bought the jacket. I was very tired after today's ride. ECO in bottom gear felt as if it wasn't helping. I had to engage TOUR mode to overcome the hills towards the end. Despite wanting to nurse the battery. Bosch battery management is well respected but can't achieve the impossible. 

 I still think the claimed ranges on the Kiox display is complete bullshit. I should have been able to ride entirely in TOUR mode today. If the indicated starting range could be believed. I rode mostly in ECO again. 

Could the battery be three years old? Like the bike itself? That might explain the discrepancy. I'll have to do some research on the battery labeling. I was told by the dealer that it was replaced with a new battery. 

 I have contacted Bosch for confirmation of the battery's release date. Google lens cannot identify the QR code.

 The prop stand wanted to fall off today! It couldn't be trusted. The pivot fixing was very loose but impossible to see. It felt like an upward projecting bolt. I couldn't grovel on the wet ground to take a proper look. 

 Back at home: I used a torch and a mirror. There were two, hex socket head bolts. One was countersunk into a hole. Both bolts were literally hanging by a thread. They each took several complete turns before there was any resistance at all. 

 Dinner was beans on toast. A bit later than usual. I was already full from my 4pm lunch. 

~~

20.03.2023 XLC T010 Dropper post installed.

 ~~

 Monday 20th 5C/41F. Heavy overcast, slightly misty and expected to rain until 14.00. A very wet week is promised. Just as I finally began to work on the laundry backlog. With the two clothes airers already full, I may have to put up a washing line indoors. In the meantime I have broken down the clothing types into large plastic tubs. I was up for a couple of  hours in the night. After having nightmares. I am constantly reliving my wife's last week. I went back to bed at 3am and slept until 6am. 

 In cycling news: My XLC T010 dropper seat post should be here today. GLS and some, online cycle dealers are obviously working at the weekend. Unlike many shops here, the Danish bike shops aren't even open on Saturday afternoon. Though the "big shed" shopping chains are open for long hours every weekend.

 7.30 It doesn't seem to be raining yet. I could go for a walk. 

 8.15 Perfect timing! The sky started dripping just as I reached home. The highlight of my walk was a hare. It came lolloping around a blind corner in the middle of the road. Turned sharp left onto a field and then headed for the bare soil of the prairie. There was a woodpecker in the busy hedges. Where lots of birds were calling and singing. 

 A hedge slashing tractor went past in the lane. The first leaves are showing in low bushes underpinning the roadside hedgerows. The hazels have been loaded with catkins for a week or more. There are molehills everywhere. 

 Right, it's back to laundry duty. The cycling clothing has dried very quickly overnight at 21C/72F. That made room on the drier for all the socks. I still haven't a clue which machine programs to use. I could look it up online but it would soon be forgotten.

 14.15 7C/45F. Heavy overcast but dry. Laundry all but finished. Stove lit. Lunch over. The dropper post arrived and was soon fitted. It performs exactly as one would hope. With very little extension of the mechanism in the lower post. Yet to have a test ride. 

 I foresee some practice at mounting, dismounting, stopping and starting in the drive. Which will help to discover standard routines and things to avoid. The lever [Aka. 'Remote'] is odd. Being at right angles to the handlebars. I was able to squeeze it in beside the gear change levers. Slight rotation quickly solved slight conflicts of interest with the rearward gear lever. 

 I replaced the broken Kiox display bracket. Why do display and bike computer bracket designers choose to lay the displays almost flat? Where they will ALWAYS ALWAYS reflect the sky. Tipping the screen face upwards towards the rider will not only make the screen more visible & legible. BUT! It will automatically reflect the [usually] darker rider in the screen. Instead of the much brighter sky. 

 Don't industrial designers ever use the kit they are paid to design? No, of course, not! Don't be silly! They are far too busy queuing for their next Audi/BMW upgrade. To fill their private parking space at the factory. In their desperation to show how utterly important they are to the human race. They clearly never [ever] ride a bike. Or they would know about the sky reflecting and their shiny, plastic, display screens, wouldn't they?🙄 

 I always have to wear all black clothing in my observatory. So I am not reflected in the TV screens and monitors. Is it beyond the whit of man to make non-reflective screens? I can't see my mobile phone out of doors. Not even at maximum brightness and turning to place it in my own shadow. I'll have to carry one of those photographer's shade cloths. Like they used in the 1800s!

 I was completely mistaken. In believing I was seeing the Bosch NYON display at the bike shop I visited. It was the larger but earlier and cheaper Intuvia. Not the later and much more complex NYON. The latter has a full colour, touch screen. With maps, routes and much more data about the ride, battery and motor. 

 16.30. I have just returned with another, heaped trailer load of logs. Which I have covered for now. There will be larger logs which will need splitting. Hopefully this will be last load for this year. They can be stacked against the house wall in the greenhouse over the summer. Where they will dry ready for the next heating season. 

 Assuming they aren't consumed due to extremely cold and unseasonable weather. They are predicting more heat waves. It would be nice if there was a breakthrough in air/water heat pumps. Bringing the price down to the almost sensible level. Instead of obscenely pointless. So that it will never pay for itself in this, or several lifetimes.

  Dinner was supposed to be toast. Then things became complicated. I made chips and fish fingers. The chips wouldn't crisp or turn brown. So I made some soup while I waited a quarter of an hour extra for the chips. I need a new baking tray to match the mini-oven.

~~

19.03.2023 Got to get me a dropper seat post!

 ~~

 Sunday 19th 45F. Potentially bright but with high clouds making for quite a pretty sky. National fog warning with showers possible. A pleasantly warm 21C/70F upstairs. I don't really need my jumper.

 The Cambium saddle continues to irritate with its hardness. Despite my wearing my best bibs [padded racing shorts with braces] over flat seamed thermal longjohns. 

 I am almost tempted to fit a Brooks B17 leather saddle in its place. I have a dark brown B17 "Special" I bought years ago for the trike but never used it. I had tied the side flaps, with a shoe lace, on a broken in, Brooks leather saddle. This stopped it from sagging and ageing. So it never needed to be replaced!

 The Cambium is more curved than the leather saddle. Perhaps I ought to move my old leather saddle from the trike? It hasn't the rock hard feel of the unused dark brown saddle. The downside is the need of leather for protection from wet weather.

 I could never get on with the original, rubber Cambium C17 on my trike. Much too hard! The sharp nose of the B17 leather saddle will risk catching in my drooping shorts or even the bibs. As I struggle to regain the high saddle from a standstill.

 9.15. 9C/48F and bright, mottled overcast. After much online research, measurement and saddle height adjustment. I have ordered an XLC T010 dropper seat post. With a low, external cable control at the seat clamp. The rear suspension pivot point would have hampered longer seat posts. i.e. Those averaging 40cm or more. I found a seat post which allowed a full 100mm drop within a 350mm saddle pin length. The Moustache original [fixed] post is just over 300mm long x 31.6mm standard diameter. It hits a stop after insertion. Beyond which it will not go.

 The Moustache e-bike frame design does not readily lend itself to internal cable routing. At least not to the bottom of the seat post. The positions of the rear suspension pivoting point and motor housing would cause problems. A 100mm drop should provide all the drop I need for easy remounting from a stop. It will also allow far easier swinging of my leg over the saddle. 

 This dropper post gets excellent reviews online. Presumably in an MTB setting. For its modest price, simplicity of fitting and long term reliability. An MTB rider would tend to give the saddle pin a much harder time than I will. While probably adding flying mud, from a bare, knobbly rear tyre to the mix. The Moustache has proper mudguards.

 I may have mentioned this before: The trike has a 72cm distance between the bottom bracket centre and the flat saddle top. The Cambium on the Moustache feels better at 67cm. 5cm is about 2" in Ye Olde Money. If I adjust the Moustache saddle height to 72cm. Then I can no longer lift myself off the saddle. With my heel on the pedal at bottom dead centre. This must be to do with the seat post angle on each machine. 75º v 73º. I can't think of any other reason for the difference.

 A dropper post will allow me to adjust saddle height on the fly. Hopefully bring much needed comfort to contact points and my knees on a ride. I have the Cambium saddle as far back as possible in its clamps. Yesterday I spent a lot of time shifting myself back and forth on the saddle in search of increased comfort. Without much success. 

 My logic suggests that the curvature across the width should allow for variations in sit bone spacing. The problem lies with the rubber material being far too hard. Presumably to provide a reasonable lifetime in use. The Cambium is excellent for wet weather. Leather much less so without proper protection.

 Sitting on the Cambium this morning, without the padded shorts, is very unpleasant indeed! It feels as if my bony contact points are red raw! The unused, "hewn from solid granite," brown B17 is no better. While the well worn, B17, trike saddle readily deforms to thumb pressure. 

 I can still remember the pain of breaking in various, rock hard, Brooks saddles even after a decade! Lacing the side flaps avoided regular replacement. Though it did make the saddle feel harder at the time. 

 I just put the old saddle on the e-bike. A feather bed! No pain at all. I even re-tensioned it. The saddle was still comfortable. This was despite "the damage" the Cambium had done to me yesterday. I raised the old saddle to 69cm and it was perfect. No pain at all as I rode it up and down the drive with no battery. The saddle looks tipped up but isn't. I felt as if I could go for a ride without padded shorts. I might go for a 14 mile ride to do some shopping.

 While I had all the hex and Torx tools handy, I went around the-bike. Checking the tightness of various bolts. Both bolts on the rear brake caliper were very loose. The bike has only been ridden by me. So it didn't seem likely these bolts had ever been tightened properly. The right side [front] brake lever was the same. The lever could rotate around the handlebars as delivered. 

 13.50 It has reached 11C/52F. I have not bothered with lighting the stove today. Time for a test ride on the old Brooks saddle. 20km round trip to the shops. Averaging 26kph. I deliberately kept my cadence above 90. The system said only 82rpm. Must try harder! I used TOUR and SPORT modes quite a bit. A short blast of TURBO to overcome the local hill at 30kph. This hill has caused me decades of pain and breathlessness. Top speed was 47kph downhill but it would not go any faster. No matter how hard I pedaled! 

 The battery charge dropped from 100% to 76%. Not bad considering the higher assistance modes I used. A similar but 40km ride would have used 50%. Allowing for perhaps 50km before the battery dropped below 40%.

 The old Brooks saddle was set too low. I could feel my knees were too bent. Very comfortable to ride on though. No pain. It felt as if I was sitting in a shallow leather bowl compared to the convex, bone hard Cambium. The leather saddle also provided extra suspension. Smoothing out the bumps even further. I wish I had used it yesterday. Alas too late! The wisdom of perfect hindsight always has a phase delay.

My MTB expert sister has mailed me. To say she has the same dropper seat post as the one I have just ordered. She considers the dropper post vital to the enjoyment of her own bike. A further odd coincidence is that she also owns a Moustache MTB. It's handy having cycling proficient, family members to advise. 

 Despite a lifetime of road cycling the e-bike field and MTBs are all still relatively new to me. That said, I made an MTB back in the mid 1960s as a teenager. Front fork suspension, swinging arm rear suspension, wide tyres and low gears. For playing on the local gravel heaps. 

 I built my own recumbent LWB cycle in the 1980s too. I brazed the frame together on my wife's gas cooker from donor bike frames. Never to be forgiven!

  19.00 10C/50F. I have lit the stove. Though it is still 21C/70F upstairs. Dinner will not be Sunday dinner. No potatoes. Again! I had better use up the half jar of curry sauce.

~~

18.03.2023 Longest ride so far.

 ~~

 Saturday 18th 7C/45F. Overcast. A dry but cloudy day is promised. The mild temperatures are still affecting those indoors. 21C/70F upstairs this morning. 18C/64F downstairs. I need not have lit the stove yesterday. With all the internal doors open it still reached 24C/74F in the lounge. I shall have to buy some more logs. It can't be guaranteed that we shall have yet another, record warm spring. 

 Where am I going today? Have e-bike. Will travel. 😊

I rode to Ringe to visit a bike shop. Where I was able to see the Bosch NYON display in the flesh. I averaged 23kph over 79km. Stopped at my friend's place on the way back. For a rest and a restoring cup of coffee and biscuits.

 I have not been keeping my cadence high enough. Averaging only 80rpm. Tending to push higher gears instead of spinning. This is taking its toll on my knees. The ECO mode feels far too easy above 85rpm. Like empty revs and going nowhere fast. Engaging TOUR mode brings back the resistance to pedaling. 

 Later on, I was having to use Tour to get me over climbs and short rises to save my aching knees. Which depleted the battery to 31% by the time I arrived home. I was watching the Kiox display carefully for pedal rpm and range. Switching between range and cadence screens, as I changed mode. To confirm how much I needed to nurse the battery to get home. 

 I'd say the 625 battery was at its range limit today. Without my using Sport or Turbo modes. ECO mode dominated to conserve range. I would have preferred to have used much more of the TOUR mode. TOUR is a complete misnomer for its very limited range! Any fit cyclist could exceed the range available. That said, TOUR may offer higher speeds and less effort. Than many cyclists can manage over the same range. 

 I believe my experience today makes a complete mockery of the claimed range in TOUR. From the stated range I should have safely completed the entire ride in TOUR. Instead of which much of it required ECO mode to return with any life left in the battery.

 The initial 100% battery charge showed a range of 130km in ECO mode. From memory, I believe the range was halved by switching to TOUR. Then halved again with each increase in assistance mode to Sport and then Turbo. Interestingly, the Bosch computer was recalculating range whenever I returned to a lower assistance mode. If I eased off it would add a few extra kilometers. To the range shown when switching between modes. 

 It must be remembered that wind resistance increases hugely with every increase in speed. It is wind resistance which keeps cyclists from achieving higher speeds while seated normally. The motor is drawing more from the battery to achieve even quite small increases in speed. A "50cc racing motorcycle" style fairing would reduce wind resistance. At the cost of increased weight and bulk. Probably illegal too. Tucking the rider down behind a curved windscreen would not make for very comfortable touring. 

 The average e-bike riding position is very sit-up-and-beg. City bike style. Making for maximum cycling wind resistance. I hold out the hope of increased battery capacity within a short time. As battery technology advances rapidly. Under pressure to escape from climate change and the IC motor. With huge, potential rewards for a unique, patentable chemistry. Hardly a week passes without some battery chemist claiming a new breakthrough.

 The new Endura jacket was a bit sweaty on the first half of my journey. I was working hard to maintain a high average speed in ECO mode. The tell-tale prickles on my back were evidence enough of overheating. I opened the zip to my breastbone and that quickly and completely solved the problem. Coming home it felt colder and with a light headwind. So I zipped up to the neck and was perfectly comfortable. 

 The weather-proofed, sealed zips are very hard work to move! I had to stop to adjust them. Or to access the phone pocket. Which I needed for the maps when I was unsure of my progress. I am still  learning as a 2-wheel cyclist after a decade of riding only a trike. You can forget how to ride a bike.

 I am delighted with the new panniers. Superb capacity and easy access. I am now crossing the roll tops over each other. Then using the Q/R plastic buckles and straps between the two bags. To secure the big overlap on top of the rack. I happen to think it looks smart and aerodynamically smooth.

 Regaining the saddle from a stop: If I use Tour mode. To give me a boost up to a safe speed for balance. The pedal resistance drops rapidly. Making it more difficult to use the pedal as a stirrup. To lift myself onto the saddle. If I use ECO mode the resistance aids my lifting myself.  But then my speed remains too low for a safe balancing act until I can accelerate. Which requires I am safely back in the saddle. To be able to pedal. 

 No doubt I need a higher gear in TOUR mode to help the one legged lift up to the saddle. Sometimes I need a lower gear or more power to pull away. The main problem is arguably my remaining insecurity at low riding speeds. The fat tyre has much more resistance, to steering movements, than a slick 25mm high pressure tire. 

 An MTB dropper seat post could literally be a lifesaver.  To stop the inevitable wobbles! At an averagely obscene price! They can run to hundreds of pounds equivalent! Why? It would really help in dismounting. Or throwing my leg over the saddle when pulling away. I am having to lean the bike over at 45º just to be able to get my [tired] leg over the saddle. 

 The top tube dip is almost as difficult to master and even worse for balance! Hopefully I will become more flexible with time! Or grow old first! A rubber pad on the top tube would reduce my need for "high kicking" to avoid paint damage! 

 19.30 Dinner will be poached eggs on toast. I am still full from my very late lunch. I still added soup and a roll. I have calories to replace. Not to mention fluids.

~~

17.03.2023 A spin into town for new panniers.

 ~~

 Friday 17th 41F. Overcast. Up at 7.30.

 10.00 Morning coffee over. Went for a walk to the lanes. Breezy from the south but mild enough not to need gloves. The hedgerows were full of chattering birds. 

 Unsure what to do today. I need to shop but the trip to the village now seems rather tame. I might ride into town. Have a look in the bike shop for some better panniers. Those I am using are falling to pieces and came from a charity shop. They look like crap! As does the battered and weathered Carradice saddlebag.

 It was blowing a gale again as I rode to town. Where I bought a new pair of waterproof pannier bags. I didn't like the all black examples so went with the olive green. Low key but smart. They clip onto the Moustache rack perfectly. 

 In fact I quickly fitted them outside the shop. Then dumped all my old junk inside them for the ride home. The new bags have extensive roll tops. So can be considerably enlarged if it should prove necessary. Shoulder straps are provided for carrying the bags about. When off the bike. 

 The roll tops can be laid across each other on the rack and held securely with the fitted straps. Normally they would be folded outwards but my own arrangement provided a different look.

 I intend to shop as often as possible by e-bike. To avoid taking the poor old car. [1996] So I need efficiency of storage for the groceries. No more fiddling with stiff leather traps and rusted buckles outside the supermarkets. Particularly if the ground is wet and I don't want to put anything down. This demands one handed opening of the bike bags.

 A claimed capacity of 20 liters dwarfs the old panniers. I have already removed the Carradice saddle bag as superfluous. With all its stiff and rusting buckles and cracked leather straps. How can they be taken seriously? If they use rusting fasteners? Aluminium or stainless steel buckles would not have added much to their ridiculous prices. Considering their very mediocre craftsmanship, capacity, lack of waterproofing and coarse materials.

 Today's ride was yet more valuable experience on two wheels with power assistance. I rode via the familiar lanes. Over which I have ridden the trike so many times. Practicing hand signals, with my hands off the bars in the quiet lanes, was a useful exercise. I was weaving until I had tried it a few times. I still can't ride with no hands. Yet it must be possible with practice. There are YT videos with riders of an identical machine. Turning sideways to chat to the camera. Without having their hands on the bars.

 Learning which gear and assistance mode to use is still ongoing. I tend to go faster than is really necessary. Perhaps because I would normally be driving the car. The trike is so much slower that it is hard to even relate to its snail-like progress. Cruising at 30-40kph on the e-bike is so effortless. Even in Tour and Sport modes. I was following a winding and undulating route. So enjoyed adding more assistance to avoid losing speed on the short climbs. 

 The problem is when I drop back to lower assistance modes. These feel as if I have gently applied the brakes. Until I drop a gear and press harder on the pedals. Then there is a kick from the motor and it urges me onwards again. There is none of the breathlessness and burning legs. Not even at three times the trike's climbing speed. Yet my legs are aching from riding with considerable effort. My average cadence is still 90rpm.

 I wore a pair of Wiggle's DHL padded, racing shorts under my cycling trousers. So the Cambium saddle went largely unnoticed again. I haven't bought a proper, cycling, rain jacket in many years. Only dirt cheap special offers in supermarkets. Which tended to be a bit sweaty and badly made. 

 So I splashed out on an Endura jacket in tasteful blue. Dayglo yellow-green might have been higher visibility but I have my high-vis, bright yellow helmet. Plus all the reflective patches on the bags and clothing and the high powered lights. I can add a high-vis and reflective waistcoat if I do need to ride at night. The Endura jacket had a wonderful softness to the fabric. Was beautifully made and had long arms and a long tail.

 Today's ride was 29km at an average speed of 24kph. Max speed of 45kph. Mostly ridden in Tour mode. The battery charge fell from 100% to 64%. In ECO mode it told me that 100% would give me 130km range! The calculated range dropped to only 47km in Turbo mode. Still a remarkable performance at such high average speeds!

 Dinner was chicken and mushroom curry.

~~

16.03.2023 Red sky in the morning..

 ~~

 Thursday 16th 1C/33F. Frost, early red sky and rather a lot of thin cloud. Rain is promised for later this afternoon. While this morning is forecast to be cloudy. Up at 6.30. 

 The plan is to ride the scenic route to the cooking class. The most direct route is arguably quickest. It is also rather boring. With the traffic traveling and overtaking at high speeds on long straights joined by gentle corners. The indirect route is one I used to take on my trike to reach a garden centre. It is winding and hilly but that is no longer important with motor assistance. I shall allow an hour for a roughly 20km ride. It's true distance is unknown. The battery is at 100%. So I shall have plenty of reserve. 

 Not a good start! I was preparing the trike. Removing overnight locks and fitting the battery. When I noticed the plastic Kiox display bracket [I had just bought] is already broken. £20 cheap plastic crap! I have wrapped the break in tape until I can do something else. Back to the original mounting bracket.

 The distance to the cooking class was 22km. I took the quiet lanes route. Average speed, while moving, 22kph. So an hour each way. It stayed dry. So an enjoyable ride going both ways. Coming home was against a strong, gusty wind. This was reinforced by my much faster forward motion. I was having to use Sport mode occasionally to make good progress.  

 I used Turbo, just once, to carry me effortlessly up a short, steep rise. My speed, relative to the trike, is at least doubled and probably tripled or quadrupled while climbing. Depending on how much battery charge I am willing to use. Today I went from 100% down to 41%. I used Tour mode as much as possible. 41km, at a good pace, used 60% of the battery charge. The motor provided double to three times my own power input. The battery showed two LED bars for 40%. So is reasonably true to 20% charge per bar.

 The motor assistance modes can be thought of like multiple front chainwheels. Each stronger mode represents a larger chainwheel. When one runs out of pedaling speed, in a particular mode, one changes to the next mode. This usually results in a need for lower gears at the back. Due to rapidly increasing wind resistance.

 The Cambium saddle was increasingly uncomfortable today. I should have worn padded cycling shorts but didn't. Yesterday I wore padded shorts and never even noticed the saddle. Albeit for half the total distance. My wrists were also aching towards the end. I can't push the saddle any further back.

 At the cooking class we made a complex stew, mashed potato and a potato salad tart. There was a lot of interest in my new e-bike. Which I had parked right outside. So it could be monitored from the kitchen window. As well as locked to a lamp post. There is some passing foot traffic amongst dog walkers. As well as those getting some exercise in the green areas. All of which is well hidden from the road at the back of the building.

~~

15.03.2023 Battery Boy Ventures Forth!

 ~~

 Wednesday 15th 9C/32F. Cold and bright with a mostly clear sky. Wintry showers possible as a polar low crosses the country. The showers are most likely around lunch time.  It would be very tempting to go to the museum on the e-bike. It is a shame the weather is not cooperating. 

 I am simply not ready. My choice of clothing hasn't been decided. It all depends on indoor/outdoor work. Suitable clothes for the journey. Footwear? I'd need somewhere to store my stuff. Which would usually be just thrown into the car. I haven't even arranged storage bags on the e-bike. So shopping would be pointlessly difficult.

   I cleaned the glass on the stove for the very first time. It had slowly clouded over. Making fire watching more difficult. Now the glass is invisible and the full beauty and detail of the flames is exposed once more. 

 12.45 I have returned from the museum in sunshine. Where I helped to move boxes of books between the old and the new library. The move is completed as far as its transport is concerned.

I am no longer the new boy. We have three new volunteers. Two younger ladies and a gentleman. There were a couple of minor snow showers with some sunshine during the morning.

 My insurance company has [securely] posted my insurance policy for my e-bike online. I have printed it out. So now I really am legally allowed to ride on the roads. It is a requirement by law that I carry proof of 3rd party insurance on my '45' Speed-Pedelec. An approved helmet, continuous lights and an approved lock [when parked] are all compulsory. 

 The forecast, for this afternoon, is cloudy. Though very few showers appear on the radar. I could do with some shopping seven miles away. A reasonable first ride. One which I would not hesitate to take on the trike. Can I fit my big yellow bag on the rear rack? There are lots of different straps attached to the bag. Which might help. I haven't really studied the possibilities until now.

 It wasn't going to happen. The yellow bag suits the rear rack on the TRYKIT but not a bare platform. So I added my old Carradice Camper Longflap to the Brooks Cambium C17 loops. With an ancient pair of panniers on the rear rack. Once I had the new locks on board I set off to shop. 

 25km later I had averaged 25kph and peaked at 46kph. It absolutely pissed down for most of the time I was out. [To put it politely.] It snowed, hailed and rained on me. [And blew!] Until my jacket was dark with wet. My gloves were soon soaked too. My hands were aching with the cold for most of the time. 

 The lightweight Barbour cotton jacket hasn't been proofed since I bought it in a charity shop. Probably well over a decade ago. I have the stuff to clean and proof it now. When I am not needing it, of course.

 By sheer luck I found a Tefal Cyclop. My favourite bar-end mirror. It was in the bike shop in the shopping village I visited. Being without a mirror left me blind to overtaking traffic. I was unable to turn my head, to glance behind, without changing course. I am just so out of practice on a two wheeler. Then I had the mirror but no screwdriver. My cycling toolkit was on the trike. Idiot! 

 Once my shopping was finished I decided to ride home as quickly as possible. Hoping to minimize the overtaking traffic by reducing my elapsed time. So I cruised home at 40kph in Sport mode. Changing gear, as necessary, to keep my cadence high. It was all so effortless! Crossing a wide road to climb a steep hill was fun too. I engaged Sport mode, pushed off, shot across the road and cruised up the hill. I was careful not to ride too quickly past others on the cycle paths. They could easily hear my disk brakes squealing. As I slowed right down for them.

 The battery charge was reduced from 85% to 55% while I was out. Hill climbing is a revelation! No more breathlessness. Yet I still had a very good workout. My legs were burning but I was belting along without being breathless. Changing gear, as required, soon became second nature. I simply optimized my cadence. The whine from the motor went up and down with each change of gear. Though it wasn't loud enough to be irritating. 

 The Cambium saddle went completely unnoticed throughout the ride. Thanks to padded racing shorts. I used my hand to squeegee the surface water off the saddle after coming out of each shop. None of the bike racks could cope with the wide front tyre. So I used the prop stand. Then held the wheel with the short U-lock through the rack for security. I had a dirt cheap. lightweight waterproof cycling jacket in my saddle bag. So I put it on over the Barbour jacket. It helped to keep me warm and is dayglo bright yellow.

 I put the bike battery on charge on my return.  It was fully charged within an hour. I am still considering riding to the cooking class tomorrow. About 20km each way with lots of hills. A grey day is promised but no showers until much later. I'll check the updated forecast tomorrow before making a final decision. 

 It will obviously take longer than cruising at 80kph/ 50mph in the car on main roads. There is an alternative route via rural lanes. Winding through hamlets and villages. I know the route well. Having [tri]cycled it frequently. I would not call it a shorter route and there are steep hills aplenty. Water off an e-ducks back for Battery Boy.

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. Followed by tomato soup and a roll. I failed miserably in my duties as a global influencer. In not photographing the evidence of my advanced culinary skills as proof. The evidence was eaten before I remembered. It could have been worse. I might have burnt it and be put in an old people's home. For my own protection. I didn't. So I wasn't.

~~

14.03.2023 A Granite lock, or three.

 ~~

 Tuesday 14th 7C/44F. Very heavy overcast, windy and raining. It is expected to continue raining until eleven. Before beginning to slowly brighten. The milder temperatures must be helping indoors. 21C or 69F upstairs this morning. Up at 6.30 after a better night. I have four bike locks on their way. Each from a different dealer because of a general lack of stock. Cooking class this morning.

 The ABUS Granite chain is a massive noose. Strong enough to hang a thief! 4.5kg? The short U-bolt [padlock on steroids] is ideal for securing the e-bike to a massive wall anchor. With the chain loop passing through the back wheel and the frame. 

 Because the chain is nowhere near the ground, even the largest bolt cutters cannot be used. Moreover, the chain and anchor are hidden inaccessibly behind the bike. 

 The hefty, 12mm, square section, forged links would need to be cut twice [with an angle grinder] to open any single link. Links don't stay still in a bench vice like the idiotic, plagiarist, YouTube videos. The angle grinder would be working on a floppy chain. 

 Bolt cutters would have no effect on such large and square cross sections of tough and hardened steel. The trick is not to allow the thief to use their body weight on one long arm of their bolt cutter. While the other arm/handle rests on the floor. Few weight lifters are strong enough to use bolt cutters in mid air. An emaciated drug addict would have no chance.

 I am safely home from my cooking class. Three parcels have been delivered. Another will be sitting at a local parcel pickup shop. I have to go shopping. So I can collect it while I am in the village.

 Still nothing on the e-bike insurance.

 The 300mm and 150mm ABUS Granite U-locks. A plastic bracket is supplied for fixing the longer lock to the bike stays. For those who have no bike bags. Or those who have round stays?

The longer U-lock can secure the rear wheel to the e-bike frame. Or it can capture a post, or bike rack, alongside the bike. Making sure that the bike and lock cannot be simply lifted up over a post.

 The plastic bracket [at bottom left] is to hold the Abus computer display forwards of the handlebars above the headlight. The supplied bracket placed it alongside th handlebar stem. Did I mention that there is button for dip and main beam on the handlebars for the e-bike's front headlight?

The shorter U-lock can secure the front wheel to a bike rack. When the front tire is inserted between the twin bars of the typical supermarket bike rack. Yet to be checked if this is even possible with the wide tires on the e-bike. 

 The tire need not be inserted, for the 150mm to secure the front wheel to the bike rack. The e-bike can easily use its prop stand with the front wheel against the rack. Then the 150mm U-lock is still deep enough to lock the bike rim to the rack. 

 There is no quick release on the through axles of the Moustache. So removal of the front wheel. To steal the rest of the bike. Makes it very hard work. While the partial bike is a poor, heavy and very awkward reward without a van or pickup alongside.

 Meanwhile the longer U-lock is simultaneously immobilizing the rear wheel to the frame. Even if the thief were somehow able to overcome the short U-lock. They still face the problem of angle grinding the 400mm U-lock in their den. Not as easy a task as the countless, copycat, idiotic, click bait, YouTubeless videos would have you believe. The U-lock is not being held firmly in a vice while you work. So it will move around during the noisy attack. Moreover, the bike frame and its paint would need to be fully protected from sparks, flames, knocking and rubbing. 

 ABUS offer a collective key service. Where multiple locks can use the same key. While it may be a time saver, it does increase the risk of theft IMO. Lock picking may be a rarity in village street crime. However, there are YouTube videos showing which lock picking tools can be used and how. Why make it easier for the skilled thief? Merely for your own, personal convenience.

 No dinner tonight. I ate at the cooking class. We made pork sausages, mashed potato and cabbage salad, with dressing. Each team, of two, made all of the recipes for a change. We usually make only one. Or perhaps, two per team. The sausages were made using pork intestines. With the help of a sausage making adapter on a meat grinder. We made the meat filling from mince and other ingredients as well.

 Dugh? I just checked again before bedtime. My insurance company has added the details of my e-bike to the list of my coverage. I have printed it out. I presume [hope] this will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the law. That I have proof of 3rd party insurance. 

 Meaning that I can now legally ride on the roads. Provided I attend to all the rules regarding a speed-pedelec. Helmet, etc. Do I ride to the museum tomorrow? Where do I store my bike if I do? Better not. Wintry showers are forecast for tomorrow. Possibly with snow. It would be stupid to drop the bike on the slippery stuff on its very first outing!

~~