30.04.2023 Audi "bus" driver can't afford a Tesla?

 ~o~

 Sunday 30th 2C/35F. Clear and bright sunshine again. I am torn between riding every day. Thereby [hopefully] more rapidly increasing my cycling fitness. Or having a rest day to recover. More riding, for longer, risks saddle soreness and possibly knee pain.

 The wind is a bit lighter today. The headwinds I am generating, by my increased forwards velocity, were totally unexpected. Even with a crosswind it feels just like a headwind. The effect of a tailwind is merely to increase my speed. So it still feels like a headwind! 🙄

 I was cruising uphill at 40kph/25mph yesterday with a tailwind. 25mph would have been well beyond my capacity on the trike under most circumstances. Not even for a few hundred yards. My Sigma Cadence computer has died. So I can't monitor my speed directly. Though I could use the phone app. I am not sure how accurately it measures short term speed. I could ride around the ~3 mile [rural] block on both machines to check. Individually of course. 

 It would be interesting to see if the e-bike has spoilt me. From the drudgery of only using my own power. Or, rather, lack of it these days. I just haven't done enough cycling recently to remain as fit as I once was. 

 The e-bike is certainly demanding of my input but in a completely different way. I am acutely aware of my pedal revs or cadence, As I try to protect my knees from damage. I know from long experience that I must spin the pedals or suffer pain on and off the trike.  So I have my cadence showing on the Nyon screen in enlarged figures. 90rpm, or above, is my target.

 On yesterday's ride my average power output was 84W. I did a quick check with an online cycling watts calculator. This shows I would be cycling at 20kph while purely manual pedaling on my trike weighing 20kg. My own weight set at 75kg. 20kph = 12mph. [Using 0.62 as kph to mph conversion factor] My average speed on the e-bike was 26kph or 16mph. Not a huge increase but far kinder to this aging bod. The Bosch motor claims to have provided 3 TIMES more power than I did. 76% : 26%. Using 87% Sport mode and the rest in Tour mode.

 I was neither breathless nor in physical pain throughout yesterday's ride. Yet it always feels as if I am working quite hard. Because I am usually pedaling hard and fast. While on the trike I would be breathless and my legs would hurt on every climb. I can't whistle and cycle at the same time. Because I am always on the edge of breathlessness. Simply because that is how hard I ride on the trike. Not from poor fitness or bad health.

 I very rarely ride slowly. Or even stop pedaling. Nor try to avoid discomfort by crawling uphill. Riding hard, from the off, is a habit I learned as a teenager. I can no longer make myself ride slowly. Not until I am too tired [exhausted] after a long ride. Then I simply cannot ride any faster than a crawl. Not even to save myself from a pack of hounds!

 9.00 I managed to drag myself out for a walk. There was a cold north-westerly wind. Eyes watering and hands in pockets, cold. Birds singing invisibly from trees now fledged in sunlit leaves. The Sunday traffic was very light. Except for an Audi "minibus." The driver floored the accelerator and screamed past me. With a crackle from the exhausts as he slowed for the next blind corner. 

 Poor sod. Spent it all on those "optional extras." Now he can't afford a Tesla? I have been seeing a number of all black, Model S Teslas, with matt black wheels. They look amazing as stealth dragsters. I have been overtaken by several Teslas. Their acceleration is phenomenal! The number of electric cars on Danish roads continues to rise.   

 Arla must be really desperate to stop sales of organic milk. First they asked the farmers to stop producing it. [This was in the Danish news only recently] Now they are going straight for the customer. How? By super-gluing the carton closure. 

 No ordinary human, without tools, can now open an Arla, organic, milk carton. I needed a little more milk for morning coffee. By the time I had the new carton open the milk in the pan had boiled over! I even used the tine of a fork and still couldn't open the damned carton! The "ordinary" milk cartons have a plastic screw top. The organic cartons are entirely glued together.

 Having recovered from milk carton opening, I felt strong enough for a test ride on the trike. I was already breathless by the time I reached the road! This was after only 200 yards of potholed, gravel drive. The trike felt as if it were weightless and made of reeds. So flexible, I was surprised the pedals didn't hit the chain stays. The brakes were absolute crap. The gear change even worse!

 I panted desperately around the block for 4.4km. At an average of 20.3kph on the phone app. It felt as if I was crawling. My chest was aching from the first sprint up to walking pace. I was almost nauseous at times. Every bump and stone threw the trike around like a traffic hump. I was so bent forwards it felt as if the handlebars were on the front wheel hub. How could I possibly have ridden this unlikely contraption for more than a few km/miles? And, actually enjoyed it!

 I'll have a rest and then ride round the block on the e-bike. Which mode shall I choose to make it fair?  Eco? With its 60% motor assistance. Eco more or less makes up for dragging all that extra weight around. It doesn't feel as if it helps very much. So I have simply stopped using it.

 No assistance at all? That might actually be interesting. If I could manage the whole 4.4km on the heavy machine. I could take off the panniers and spare battery. Give myself a fighting chance. 😳 

 The four modes provide these levels of Bosch motor assistance respectively:
 Eco 60%, Tour 140%, Sport 240% and Turbo 340%.

Tour mode gives a very noticeable boost when first turning the pedals after a pause. Though I usually use Sport mode to pull away quickly from a standstill. It provides smooth, extra assistance and smooth acceleration. As I raise myself. Then, using the dropper post, raise the saddle to full riding height. 

  My rear derailleur gear selection has become subconsciously automatic. As my speed, the headwind and the incline change constantly. My lower target of 90rpm decides my gear. The MTB style gear levers, under the right grip, are very comfortable and easy to use. Upward gears change with a bang. Just like racing bikes. Easing off on pedal pressure should reduce the shock during the actual chain movement onto a smaller sprocket. There is only one chainwheel.  

 I have learned to ignore the effect on range [or speed?] due to the weight of the bike and the stuff I carry. I normally carry both ABUS Granite locks. Just to have them available. The longer U-lock can fix the bike to some metalwork. The short one only locks one wheel. I have carried only a short ABUS U-lock for years on the trikes. I lock the Q/R front wheel to the frame. 

 On the e-bike I can lock both wheels and still anchor it to some street furniture. The trikes are too bulky to do more than lock one rear wheel to some ironwork. Which leaves the Q/R front wheel as a potential target. If I lock the front wheel to a bike stand then a thief can take the whole trike. Then just find another standard 700C front HP wheel. There may even be one, unprotected, in the same bike stand. 

 Trike test ride around the block: 4.18km at 24kph in 10m29s. Constantly breathless. Trying hard. Graph above right.

 Two further rides around the block: Now on the e-bike: The Tour mode ride measured only on the road. To avoid the slow ride along the drive as I did in Eco: 

Eco mode: Breathless, as I rode as hard as I could. Maintaining 90rpm minimum cadence as much as possible. It felt faster than on the trike but was very hard work. Requiring lots of gear changes to keep up my momentum and cadence.

Tour mode: Borderline breathless. It felt very much faster and needed much less effort. ~90rpm.

Separate stats unavailable. Both the phone and the Nyon ran two rides into each other as one ride. I shall have to shut them down between rides. the The rural block is an undulating triangle of quiet lanes on two sides. The peak is at a sharp left turn in a village. Followed by a downhill run to the main road. Then slightly uphill back home. I cruised the last two hundred meters on the Tour mode ride to allow several cars to overtake. This is clearly seen in the trace.

 16.15 12C/53F. I have just returned from a shopping ride to the village. It was almost too cold for fingerless mitts. I used Tour mode to match the tailwind. Sport mode into the headwind coming home. I could not believe how one Ortlieb pannier swallowed my full shopping bag! This has never happened before. I always had to separate the items and stow them individually. 

 Even the large Outboard bag, on the trike, was limited by its smaller top opening. Than the base area of the bag. The Ortlieb panniers open fully and are slightly tapered towards the bottom. The slippery lining is far more user friendly for loading. 

 I have also discovered a better way to deal with the closing straps. Though the hidden buckles still tease me. Patience is required to connect both cross straps before tightening. I have to develop a routine for each new bag or bags. Then I can shop on autopilot. The hidden buckles have some security value when the bike is parked outside the shops.

 My old fashioned saddlebags are limited, by size, to carrying a pencil case and a spare eraser. The cotton went mouldy in the bike shed. So I had to weather them in sunshine to get rid of it. This seemed to work.

Taking of sunshine: Yet another day of free heat from the greenhouse and now the balcony. It was 28C/83F in both. 

 Sunday dinner was.. 🥁...  fried chicken and mushrooms, with chips and peas in a Bisto sauce. 😋

~o~

29.04.2023 Finally, justification for buying a "45."

 ~o~

 Saturday 29th 50F [at 8.30] cloudy enough to qualify as an overcast. Slept until 8am after an earlier squint at the clock in poor light. I am aching all over. So I had better have a walk. The house looks empty downstairs after the recent tidying. 

 I plan to do a tour of some charity shops. To look for leather straps for the battery. I can circle around three shops before returning by another route for three more. They should all be open this morning. Many don't open every day. Nor even until the afternoon on weekdays. 

 The hovel's 4.3m x 2.3m [14' x 7'6"] kitchen after I cleared and cleaned it. The phone camera has distorted the proportions and angles.

 I was pleased with yesterday's ride from a speed, range and comfort point of view. Using only one battery and it ended on 29% charge after averaging 27kmh over 52km at 86rpm cadence. I was deliberately riding quickly at higher levels of assistance. Mostly [64%] in Sport mode. The rest in Tour mode. No interest in riding in Eco mode. Except to get home on a flat battery. Which shouldn't happen any more.

 My highest speed was just 55kmh downhill. It is not easy to exceed 45kmh even pedaling hard downhill in Sport mode. I haven't tried this in Turbo mode. My reflection in empty shop windows show I am much more upright than I was earlier. All thanks to the riser stem with modest reach. My hands no longer feel sprained during and after a ride. 

 The wider, leather saddle is beginning to show its value.  So the heavy investment in a "45" Speed-Pedelec is beginning to prove itself a good choice. I know I would have been bored to tears by a "normal" e-bike's speed limit. [25kph/15mph] I could probably manage that average speed under my own power on my trike.

  The new Ortlieb panniers promise long life and more than enough capacity for shopping or touring. This, after making a very poor choice in purchasing the Innergy panniers. Which were held to the rack with little more than four poppers. Hardly serious!

 Carrying a spare battery now doubles my range. Doing so at well above my average speed on the Trykit trike. I have gained comfort and much increased speed, over a longer range, with a much shorter period in the saddle. Without the former, desperate panting and aching legs on climbs. A vertical gain of 520m on yesterday's very hilly route. Without feeling exhausted after every, longer ride. Yet I still get a really good workout at high pedal revs. [Cadence] Which maintains my overall fitness as the years keep accumulating.

 Unlike the kid who raced past me yesterday. At double my speed [which was just over 30kph [18mph] at the time.] He was slumped like a sack of sand. On a screaming 2-stroke scooter without number plates. [So officially rated as a Small Moped in Denmark] His legal maximum speed of 30kph should only have matched my cruising speed. He was at the far end of a long straight before I had managed to travel a quarter of it.

 It was a  gorgeous morning for a ride in the countryside. With freshly washed, spring sunshine lighting the bright new leaves. I covered plenty of ground in my search for leather straps. Finding two which would do. This was after discovering the Ortlieb shoulder straps worked perfectly. To hold the battery securely onto the rack. 

 59km in 2h:12m. Averages of 27kmh and 83rpm average cadence. 418m ascent. 86% Sport mode. With the rest in Tour mode. Leaving a useful reserve of 18% in the battery. Again, I made no effort to conserve battery charge. Aiming for high cadence in Sport mode with 30kmh my target. 

 I was never breathless nor suffered pain in my legs during long climbs at comfortably higher speeds than the trike. I often see 110rpm when I flick into a lower gear and spin all the way up the hills. This is where I gain most speed over a manual cycle ride. I wore padded racing shorts and suffered only mildly from saddle soreness at odd times. A buffeting headwind made the last leg rather tiring.

There were hundreds of motorcycles out in convoy today. Including many Harley-Davidsons. It was rather amusing to be right at the front of a very long queue of bikers at a hilltop traffic light. 

 I took off and bombed down the following hill on the narrow cycle path at 50kmh.[30mph] With the big bikes constantly roaring past.  The Moustache felt very safe at all times. With powerful [Magura 200mm disk] braking when required and very sure footed on rough stuff and corners. 

 Note that I am extremely careful around other cyclists and pedestrians. Slowing down to a crawl at times. To pass drooling idiots walking in the middle of the path while wearing closed headphones! Or dogs zigzagging on a hundred meters of retractable lead!

 I am rapidly regaining my confidence as I remaster two wheels. Since I pumped the tires hard it is often difficult to tell I have full suspension. Not to mention a sprung, leather saddle. I chose the top end of the range of tire pressures suggested on the sidewall. Since I am riding primarily at speed on [supposedly] smooth roads. Except that the paths are often only MTB worthy. While the road could be easily be used for snooker. On one hill I climbed today. The surface of the cycle path was so corrugated. That it collected sand in the countless hollows, despite the slope. 

 No doubt a few yards on the trike would quickly remind me how harsh an unsprung cycle can be. I have repeatedly checked that the suspension is working and not locked out. It may be that I should choose slightly lower tire pressures. Not once have I ever noticed unwanted suspension movement when pedaling hard.  

 The XLC T010 dropper post is working well in rise and fall but has quite a lot of rotary backlash. Which I notice at certain pedal revs. As the saddle twitches from side to side and clicks under me. Not what you'd expect for the considerable asking price! 

 Dinner was chicken and mushroom curry. No pictures please! 

 

~o~

28.04.2023 52km in two hours.

 ~o~

 Friday 28th 2C/35F. Calm and bright but with a speckling of cloud. A white frost on the field grass. I woke up shivering in bed several times. Before finally getting up to find a thin jumper. It was 20C/68F at bedtime thanks to the sunshine on the greenhouse. 19C/66F in the night. I should have been too warm but wasn't. Weird. 

 Most of the trees and shrubs are showing leaves now. Do I have time for a short, therapeutic walk? A visit from the council councilor this morning. After months of  inactivity I had a backlog of clearing and vacuuming to do. The heaps of laundry have been attended to. Though my socks may be a little crisp at first on the outdoor drier. The tiled floors need a wash too. I have no routines for anything. Not even the shopping. I have run out of milk. So no morning coffee. Not unless I do a quick trip into the village in the car. Which I did.

 Back to reality and washing and scrubbing the tiled floors. Vacuuming the carpets and tiles. Clearing packing materials and empty boxes. I can even reach the end of the kitchen after clearing the painting and tiling equipment. Which hadn't been touched in many months. 

 We had a good talk for ages and when she left it was lunch time. After lunch I rode to my friend's house. Leaving to ride home as dusk beckoned. 52km round trip in two hours. I used mostly Sport mode for speed. I am getting used to the new saddle and maintaining a high cadence to protect my knees. 

 The panniers were fine and I have discovered a way to trap the spare battery in its bag between the panniers. The tension straps and roller fastening buckles safely enclose the battery bag. I'd still like the extra security of some leather straps. To hold the battery bag securely to the rack regardless of rough tracks.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast and tomato soup.

~o~

27.04.2023 Being stretched on the rack.

 ~o~

 Thursday 27th 2C/36F. Early cloud has moved away. Ride to cook. 

 I am slightly disappointed that the Ortlieb bags. Which are less user battery friendly than I had hoped. A female buckle on the face of the bag would be far more useful than the male buckle strap supplied. I know I am being picky and may come up with a better solution. 

 The female buckles on inside of the back hook rail are difficult to reach. All of this is related to hiding the battery bag under the tops of the pannier bags. It would have been far easier with the Innergy panniers. As simple panniers the Ortliebs will probably work fine.

 The Moustache rear pannier rack has some serious design flaws. The junctions between uprights and horizontal elements are all skewed. Making hooking the bags on a real trial. There is so little useful area of clear top rail to choose from. Most of which is far too close together. So there is no spread of support for the bags. This means they will rock for and aft. Adding unwanted loads on the support hooks and causing the bags to distort.  Rather than enjoying a longer baseline between the bag's hanging hooks. 

 The rack looks as if it was designed only for artistic/cosmetic appearance. Rather than helping the poor end user simply carry some panniers. Perhaps the sloping tubes are to resist forward movement? By providing some triangulation. The rack can't be tied to the seat tube because of the suspension movements. The rack and its loads are unsprung weight. The seat tube is isolated by the rear suspension. 

 I'll have a further look at these problems later. There are different bag support systems. I have removed the protruding items which once decorated the rack. Presumably for the Ortlieb 3 support system. The Classic panniers have the earlier Ortlieb 2 hooks for a horizontal rail.

 7.15. I am going for an early walk again. The wind looks much lighter than yesterday. Though it may be different away from the shelter of the trees. I must leave plenty of time for the very hilly ride to my cooking class. I cut short my walk due to heavy traffic and a headwind. It was no fun.

 It was windy on my rides again today. 22km in an hour on the way. A different route, coming home, saved me a couple of km and some hills. I shall use that route in future. Averaging 25kph at 84rpm for 20km coming home. Mostly using Sport mode. A little Turbo mode climbing a particularly long and steep hill. Just for the fun of it. I was averaging 30kph on the computer going up there. The hills in this area are popular with keen cyclists for training. 

 I maxed at 47kph during today's rides. Battery down to 42% after 42km of deliberately riding quickly but not hard. I was regularly seeing 85-110 rpm cadence on the way. The sun and my sunglasses were hiding the screen on the way home. I was mostly trying to protect my knees. Which were still hurting on the stairs before I left. I wore closely fitting jeans today and had a few moments of discomfort. I am not sure it is my sit bones rather than friction. I shall wear padded shorts and change at the venue next time. The jeans were resisting my leg movements at the knees.

 The Ortlieb panniers were absolutely fine as simple panniers. Loads of room and no noticeable problems. I knew I didn't need the spare battery. So housing it was never a problem. I laid the long and heavy, ABUS Granite lock flat on top of my waterproof trousers. To avoid localized loading of the pannier fabric during the journeys. It rained while the bike was parked but remained safely as surface droplets. There was lots of interest in the e-bike from my fellow cooks. They particularly liked the dropper post. As do I. 😄

 Cooking class was a complex meat dish with a creamy sauce and boiled, new potatoes. That was managed by other members. I made a vegetable salad involving lots of cutting into tiny pieces with a very sharp knife. Pointy cabbage, cucumber and avocados. Dressed with nuts. Others made a thin tart with freshly cut rhubarb. We had vanilla ice cream with that. There were seven of us today. Most of what we cooked was polished off. This is not always the case.

 The bereavement councilor is coming tomorrow morning. So I am cleaning and clearing, vacuuming and polishing. Well, somebody had to do it. The ants followed me home. There were ants on the working surface at the school kitchen. I came home and there were dozens on mine!

~o~  

26.04.2023 First swallow.

 ~o~

 Wednesday 26th 3C/37F. Bright sunshine. Cold and breezy! Museum day. New Ortlieb panniers out for delivery. I have been doing my homework online. So it won't take me long to fit them.

 6.30 Up early. Going for an unusually early walk. My knees are still aching.

 An eye wateringly cold westerly breeze! My first swallow sailed right past me and along the hedgerow at 7.05 today. I hope he had his woolly jumper on. I haven't mentioned how many birds of prey I have seen recently. Harrier like birds, with clear markings and a long tail, are the most common. They have drifted over me on the bike and while walking. Seemingly unperturbed by my presence. 

 The battery fits the Ortlieb top tube bag nicely for length.

 There was a lot of bird activity and song this morning. A pair of geese went over muttering to themselves. I am not sure if it is the same pair but they are regular sighting. Circling the area at high speed, low altitude and rather noisy at times. As was the traffic. Early commuters and tradesmen's vans.

8.00 6C/42F Bright sunshine. Morning coffee over. I came back to start straight into the washing up. There was nothing clean left to use. I have given up on rubber, household gloves. They are too tight and hurt my hands putting them on. 

 Time to get ready for the ride to the museum. Not having the capacity of the car, for spare clothing, I have to be far more selective. At least I won't need rain wear. The Endura jacket will pack small once I take it off. 

 I am not sure there's room in one pannier for my warmest fleece jacket. It has deep pockets. Unlike my alternatives. Where there's nowhere [safe] to put my phone or wallet. The thicker jacket is good a fending off a cold wind. It is expected to peak at only 8C/46F today. Which can be rather chilly when it's windy. Though fleece is hopeless as a true wind-stopper on the bike. I have tried it. 

 There was a tailwind to the museum. So the ride went without drama. I spent the morning measuring and cutting recycled wood for pickets fences and screens. Using a table saw and a handsaw.

 Coming home was into the wind. It was fierce! I shopped and then continued. The carrier delivered my Ortlieb parcel. Very nice kit it is too. I was surprised by the weight but it exactly matched the Innergy panniers at 0.8kg each. 

 The Ortlieb promises 5 years guarantee and oozes quality. The Innergy bag lasted 5 days and promises nothing long lasting. On the Innergy bag everything hangs on four popper-like rivets. Which pass through a doubling of the material. Both bags are the same price per pair.

 The Ortlieb top tube bag looks promising for housing the spare battery when needed. Lots of loops to fix it to the rack. It's roll top will provide a snug fit as needed. Like the olive Innergy bags, I shall overlap the Ortlieb bags for security over the battery bag on the rack. Which should conceal it. The Ortlieb has more fastening straps. The image at the top of the page shows the battery in the bag without any padding. After adding some camping mattress foam packing it will be perfect. The foam will stop the battery from rattling on the rack and protect it from the winter cold and hot sunshine. The bag has lots of loops along its length. Ensuring multiple fixing points to the rack.

I chose red for the panniers to be noticed. While I enjoy the all black look of the bike it would make me a bit of a hypocrite to have black bags. I hate the idea of cyclists wearing dark colours. It makes them invisible in poor light and after dark. 

 The truth is I was going to order Olive panniers from Ortlieb but they weren't in stock at the dealers. Red was my favourite colour as a child. So I bought red bags to go with my new toy. The yellow bags were highest visibility but just too fierce for my tastes.

 I found some off-cuts of foil backed foam, camping mattress. Ideal for lining the top tube bag. Fitted a treat. The battery fits snugly into the roll of foam but is easy to remove and fit. Fixing the bag to the rack is proving slightly more difficult. The pannier bags get in the way of the  battery bag. Or the top tube bag gets in the way of the pannier hooks. Perhaps I need some leather straps to go right around the battery bag? I only need to open the bag to reach the battery. Not remove the bag.

 The top tube bag, with battery fitted, is too long to stand up in a pannier. There are no long, straight tubes on the Moustache to hang the bag as intended. I could fix the bag to the rack with zip-ties. The Ortlieb panniers are taller and stiffer than the Innergy. They will not fold over each other neatly. To be held by the opposing buckles. They are fixed, not adjustable on the Ortlieb. A sliding strap on the Innergy. The Ortlieb can be folded inwards or outwards but it doesn't help to cover [hide] the battery bag. I am not worried about wet weather. The bag is waterproof. I am more interested in security and thermal protection.

 If I added something to the top of the rack it would raise the battery bag. Leaving the top rails of the rack clear. To freely hook on the panniers. The panniers will have more height to wrap over. Which would also  be an improvement. It sounds like a clever idea, but what can I use? It doesn't want to be too localized a support. Or it will soon wear through the battery bag. Something with a soft top surface? I think straps are a better way to go. Where do you buy straps? A charity shop?

 Dinner was fish fingers with chips. I added some over-ripe cherry tomatoes. Just to prove it was a real meal. I was too shamed to take a picture.

~o~

25.04.2023 High rise stem fitted.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 25th 41F. Heavy overcast. Windy forecast. Hardly a breeze at the moment. Will he ride to cook?

 7.30 Going for a quick walk. Just to see what it feels like.

 8.00 Cold and a wall of wind. Once I escaped the shelter of the trees. It even threw in some fine drizzle. So I cut short my walk and returned home. I am definitely driving today. Not riding. Now it is brightening up a little. With even a few splodges of blue. Now sunshine? It is teasing me!

 I just checked again and the e-bike handlebars are definitely upswept. I had thought they might be symmetrical but they aren't. Rotating the 'bars will increase the height at the grips. Even reduce the reach slightly. 

 Comfortable hand and wrist orientation yet to be discovered. Though close to the orientation as the bike was delivered. That was with a 90mm forward extension and no height gain. I still think bar height is the main issue with my hand and wrist pain. Unaccustomed exercise? Probably that as well. I used to get hand and wrist pain on the trike too.

 The new 'high rise' stem is out for delivery today. There has been no update on the Ortlieb panniers from the other dealer. The bags were ordered on Saturday and claimed to be in stock. 

 I polished off the Brooks Proofide I had left on the saddle overnight. If any of it had soaked in it certainly wasn't obvious. I managed to transfer a thick coat of grease onto the felt-like, microfiber cloth. I suppose I could polish it back on at intervals with the same cloth. Instead of opening a tin again. Not so much fun as applying it with my bare hands though. Which probably means I put on too much.

 8.30 I had better have a shower and stop waffling.

 14.00 Back from my cooking class. We made jams and fish courses. 

 The stem has arrived. A useful gain in handlebar height without increasing reach. See image alongside. Much neater than yesterday's steerer tube extension.

 It took only a few minutes to swap stems. I am used to it now. The headlamp and horn continue to irritate. By being in the way of the handlebar clamping plate, fixing screws and both mounted on a single, sturdy bracket. Which pushes the Nyon computer display well off centre. The handlebars are already shrinking in diameter beyond the Nyon bracket. So the light and horn bracket cannot go outboard of this.

The result of fitting the new stem was satisfying. As far as I could tell from riding up and down the drive. I can lift my hands from the bars without the slightest hint of falling forwards. The saddle is at optimum height using my heel at BDC. Which should help to protect my knees. Which have been aching. Provided I pedal rapidly enough: 90rpm+.

 The "cockpit," as they like to call it these day, feels comfortable now. Only a ride will confirm this. Sunny and dry tomorrow with lower wind speeds than today's. So the museum beckons for a more modest ride. The Ortlieb panniers have reached the carrier. So it looks like delivery tomorrow. 

 I didn't need any dinner but finished off the second half of the tin of beans on toast. It is cold downstairs 60F/15C. So I lit the stove. Still 19C/66F upstairs.

~o~

24.04.2023 Stayin' alive!

 ~o~

Monday 24th 50F. Overcast and breezy. A complete change in the weather after a period of stability from the east. Showers possible. The wind is currently from the SE. The weather is southerly then south westerly later. The radar shows Fyn in a largely rain free area.

 I must have been overdoing it. My back, shoulders, knees and hands are all aching. It is easy to forget that I am an old fart when I am out on the e-bike. Fortunately I still have some of my fitness and quick reaction times from triking. I need to develop a different set of muscles for e-biking. I am much more upright. With a different reach and "pose" on the e-bike. 

 There is certainly a lot of mental development for new routines required. Having to put my feet down has been a steep learning curve. Not helped by my high seat. The dropper post is, quite literally,  a life saver. I am still very clumsy when coming to a junction or other stop. I need to check carefully for traffic coming both ways. Often with the view blocked by street furniture, vegetation and other vehicles. 

 On the trike I could just sit calmly checking all around me. Then simply pull away when it was safe to do so. On the e-bike I have so many other tasks demanding my attention. Select a lower gear on the approach. Seat post down. Balance carefully to a stop as if I was riding child's bike.  Select a power Mode for lots of assistance pulling away. Place a foot on a horizontal pedal for pushing off. Regain the saddle as I simultaneously move forwards. Before lifting the saddle back up to support me safely with the dropper post. 

 In the countryside I may have to watch for vehicles around me and more joining from behind at the junction. In the city there are vehicles and lots of other cyclists. Most of whom are incredibly skilled and relaxed after years of practice. 

 My own physical and mental behaviour, at a stop, is vital to my own and their survival. Fortunately, I am aware of my responsibilities. I know and understand my lack of bike handling skills and my physical limitations. 

 Just balancing on 2-wheels is still taking far too much concentration at present. I can't always monitor my mirror as much as I'd like. So faster cyclists catch up with me invisibly and silently. When they try to go past I must remain firmly on my line. To avoid drifting into their intended path. Effortless on the trike. Still difficult, for me, on the e-bike.  

 It all sounds so utterly trivial, mundane and routine. Even boring. Had I ridden a bike more, I would be well practiced in all of this. Honed my bike handling skills with countless repetitions. Under every imaginable circumstance. Then translated that experience to the much heavier and much faster machine. Instead of which, I am having to constantly translate my triking skills and behaviours. 

 There is often no term in e-biking for what I'd do on the trike without a second thought. The trike suffers no adhesion problems on the corners and rough stuff. I'd simply drift and ride on. The e-bike deviates unexpectedly on surface imperfections. So that I have to counter the changes safely and effortlessly. Loose gravel, potholes and a sunken verge are extremely commonplace. An accident would be a disaster! The e-bike might be left unsecured and unattended while I was whipped away in an ambulance.

 None of this is me complaining. Far from it. The e-bike has been a revelation and a [mostly] a joy. I am merely apologizing to myself. For allowing my 2-wheel skills to lapse to such a low point. My already long rides on the e-bike. Are hopefully accelerating my re-education in 2-wheel biking. 

 Doing all this at an advanced age [76] may well explain. Why [statistically] so many elderly riders come to grief on their shiny, new e-bikes. There is an awful lot to learn. Even for one, such as myself, with huge mileages of keen cycling over a long lifetime. Often riding faster and further than many other cyclists a fraction of my own age. 

 The road system and traffic have no forgiveness for the slightest failure.  Every automaton car commuter expects flawless skills and routines. From everybody else around them. It saves them having to think. While they simultaneously break all the rules themselves. Often while badmouthing a simple mistake by another road user. We all think we are perfect drivers until we become just another statistic. Or make others statistics. By our own, drooling idiocy, impatience and criticism leading to a loss of concentration!

 Fortunately I am fully aware of the potential problems. I ride and drive defensively. Just as I was taught to. By a highly skilled instructor so many years ago. My reaction times have slowed with advancing age. I must adapt if I am to survive. The layers of skills I must master on the e-bike will come in time. If I survive and hopefully, continue to enjoy the freedom it offers. Not to mention the vital physical and mental exercise it offers. As a perfectionist I demand nothing less than a high level of competence.

 Challenging myself, by this change of transport. Has required multitasking. Like little else I have tried before. I have pulled on my own vast cycling experience and resources. Yet I was still lacking vital knowledge I only thought I owned. I am grateful to my family members and so many others. For sharing their own experience to hasten my conversion to e-biking. 

 YouTube still remains a valuable fund of knowledge. No matter how Google tries to destroy it from within. With its sociopathic levels of advertising and its monetizing algorithms. Being able to do my "homework." From the comfort and safety of of my computer chair. Has probably saved my life. Or at the very least shortened and flattened my learning curve to basic survival. 

 It is amazing what one can learn from a few short videos. Advice on how to cycle shop, for example. Doing simple things which have never occurred to me. This, after 12+ years of cycle shopping on the trike. Which is a whole different set-up from carrying stuff on a wobbly 2-wheeler. 

 Others, who overcame a lack of commercial equipment and built their own racks. People are so incredibly resourceful. Bringing their own skill set and imagination to match perceived needs. To make life so much easier and/or safer. We easily forget. That the 3rd world has used pedal cycles. For moving freight and people for over a century.

 9.00. Time to stop waffling and go for a recuperative walk! The wind is already turning South to Southwest.  Except when it isn't.

 10.00 Morning coffee after my walk. The sky darkened and it started raining just as I came indoors. I saw another lapwing/plover/peewit cartwheeling across the prairie. It must have been 900 yards away but was distinctive and very noticeable for its white areas. It uses distraction tactics. To draw dangers away from its nest. Much like the skylark. All my aches and pains had gone within a few hundred yards. Of walking my familiar route to the lanes.

 I was going to test the new and very short handlebar stem but will have to postpone it for now. It seems the 50mm is a fraction longer than the physical minimum of 45mm. Otherwise the handlebars and supporting stem would coincide. 

 A quick test ride down the drive. The bike now feels as if the handlebars are far too low. The stem is at maximum, fixed height. So there are two ways to change handlebar height. A stem extension. This will sit on top of the original steerer tube. To lift the whole arrangement of stem and handlebars. Spacers allow variation in height. By placing the spacers above, or below, the stem or forward extension.

 The alternative is an adjustable stem. This has a vertical hinge or pivot. Which can be safely locked at any angle. Allowing the handlebars to rise to any almost any desired height within the range available. The handlebars will perform an arc around this stem pivot. So reach will change slightly with changing handlebar height. The only adjustable stem I have is a long one. 90mm. So I sacrifice more reach for more height. 

 The major advantage is that I can freely adjust handlebar height. Until a commercial fixed stem, of suitable length, can replace it. Reach [or extension length] will also have to be chose to match. Hinged stems are popular on city bikes. They are considerably heavier than fixed stems.

 So this is the next task. Replacing the shortest stem for the long, hinged one. The rain seems to be holding off. Though it is quite windy.

 Using the adjustable stem, I have been altering the height of the handlebars and their rotation in the clamp. The effect is more comfort from an upright position but the length is still a disadvantage. Because it increases the reach to the handlebars. 

 A shorter, high rise stem would be best. The steeper the angle the higher the 'bars. The longer the stem, for the same angle, the higher the bars but at the cost of greater reach.

 The nearest bike shop had no upward rising stems. So I bought a steerer tube extension instead. This added more height than I really needed but I'll see how it goes in practice.

 I had to remove the brake and gear levers because the hydraulic lines were crossing and pulling on the other cables and lines. Not very clever. So I fixed the problem while I sheltered from the rain in the greenhouse. It was pleasantly warm in there with plenty of light to work by.

 I have ordered a 35º 70mm "high rise" stem/handlebar extension online. 28.6mm steerer x 31.8mm bars. This should offer about 40mm rise with only a modest reach at 70mm. I had already fitted the various stems at full height on the steerer tube. Full stack of spacer rings under the stem each time. I just don't like the stacked look of the steerer tube extension. [Image left] 

 I could make the existing handlebars rise. Instead of swooping down and back. I'd have to see if this is possible without reversing them end for end. Which would require a lot of work removing every component. Brake levers, gear changer, horn, lights, horn push button, light dip button, Nyon computer bracket, Bosch remote, dropper post lever, hand grips, stem, mirror, etc.. Let's see how well the riser stem works first. I just need to unload my hands before I get long term problems.

 The high rise stem, I ordered this afternoon, has already reached the parcel depot for delivery tomorrow! Some online companies really make the effort. Others seem not to care at all. 

 The Bosch e-bike Connect app has been recording my test rides today up and down the drive. It has also drawn my routes incredibly accurately on the map! Even showing which side of the drive I rode on. Where I turned round and even where I wobbled a circle on the lumpy parking space. 

 It only slightly spoilt its astounding perfection. By continuing to record a blue blot. Where I stopped to chat to my neighbour without turning off the Nyon. Giving me an extra kilometer I never traveled.😊 

 While yesterday's recorded route shows where I stopped and retreated on a short footpath, in town. Because I was running over drifted beach sand. All very impressive! Handy for the forgetful, like me. To remember which day it was and precisely where they went.

 An interesting feature with the Nyon computer display is the automatic assistance power cut-off when it is removed. This is normally a pay for feature but seems to happen anyway. I pressed the Mode switch repeatedly but could not get any assistance. Not without the Nyon in place and switched on.  It would be a brave, or very fit thief, who tried to escape on a 25kg/50lb e-bike without any motor assistance. As the owner frantically chased them down the road!

 Replacing the Nyon did not result in these previous assistance attempts being engaged. Primarily, a valuable, extra layer of security. Should anyone try to steal the e-bike. 

 Plus, rider safety. In not being accidentally subjected to Turbo mode on Nyon switch on. Which might easily catch the rider completely unawares as they pulled away. Should somebody have played with the handlebar controls in their absence. 

 Dinner was beans on toast. You know what that looks like. So don't need a picture.

  ~o~

23.04.2023 How short can you go?

 ~o~

 Sunday 23rd 48F. Rather heavy overcast after [forecast] overnight rain. A new regime of showers and lower temperatures has taken over from the endless sunshine. No free heating then. 

 The thermometer beside my computer desk is reading 73F. Yet I need a jumper. Normally I sit here for hours in a t-shirt at ten degrees cooler. It makes no sense. There is no heat gain from the computer due to distance. I sit on the north side of the attic so this area never gets much direct sunshine. Radiation to colder conditions outside?

 The batteries are fully recharged and I have duly anointed the wide saddle with Brooks Proofide. My hands were getting a bit dry from wearing gloves. So it probably helped in that respect. The saddle showed no sign of change. The glossy surface seemingly ignored the expensive grease.  

 I have to go shopping again. Or suffer the pangs of coffee withdrawal. I have three cups per day. Whether I need them or not. There is just enough for my second cup. Provided I do some washing up. The third cup remains vapourware. Unless I can find a Coop open on Sunday. It seems they are open. Eeny, meany, miny.. I have tried alternatives to the magical, organic Arabica, but always find them wanting. Where is the pleasure in imbibing imposters? 

 7.30. Stop dithering! Time for a walk!

8.30 A brisk walk to the lanes in a cold, south westerly breeze. The wind has turned 180º. Quiet Sunday traffic. Hardly any birds.

 I want to change the handlebar stem before going shopping. With luck I can do this without disturbing the accessories fixed to the handlebars. I was lucky and found my tub of stems and extensions in the shed. A 65mm, with a slight upward tilt, transformed the ride. After replacing the 85mm stem fitted at the factory. I could ride hands off and was comfortably balanced. I still have an even shorter stem if I need it. A ride will confirm it.

 There was further fine adjustment of seat height. With my heel on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke. I can now put my foot down on the ground at dropper post minimum. The upper limit may still need slight, further adjustment.  

 13.20 58F. Sunshine has returned. I am returning from a ride into town. 36km. Mostly 60% Sport mode on the way home. 40% Tour on the way. Downhill but against the SW wind. Explored the harbour, marina and beach and bought some more coffee. Another crisis averted. Average speed only 22kph. Average cadence a leisurely 74rpm. 

 No padded shorts today. Just trousers to see how it went. Painfully! The Proofide grease made the saddle grip instead of sliding. I found my stock of Proofide in the shed while looking for something else. The excess load on my hands and wrists is better but not cured. Lifting my hands off the bars did not cause me to nosedive. I'll try the shortest stem to see if that does the job. 

 I fitted the shorter stem but have yet to try a test ride with hit. I am now down to 50mm. Which must be close to the minimum possible length without the holes intersecting. I gave the saddle another dollop of Proofide. I'll polish it off tomorrow if there is still a residue. The weather is changing. With showers and even higher wind speeds. 17m/s gusts x 2.2 = 38mph.

 Dinner was my typical Sunday dinner. The carrots and potatoes could have done with five minutes more. I was too impatient. They were fine at 30 minutes but just not optimum. Or even perfect. Slightly too many potatoes again. I was too mean with the gravy. No idea why.

~o~

22.04.2023 Will that be in a Medium, Sir?

 ~o~

 Saturday 22nd 43F. Clear and bright start. Cloudy later with overnight rain tonight. I just saw a tractor coming over the prairie hill with its lights on.

A singing yellowhammer on the sunny side of the road for once.

I really must shop for some groceries. There's nothing left to eat except tinned beans. Both batteries are recharged again. The one I used yesterday was down to 23% [from 100%] after 65km/40 miles. No sign of any of my tins of Brooks Proofide. I have searched but chaos reigns in the shed. It hasn't been touched in there since my wife died. 

 I even found a bundle of her old gardening clothes. Which I must have put away in a hurry and forgotten. She always wore absolute rags in the garden. There was never any need. She had loads of clothes to choose from. More than she could ever wear in a lifetime. 

 It took me ages to bag all of them neatly and donate them to charity. Everything I touch of hers brings me to the edge of a bottomless pit. Dark depression awaits below. I can almost feel myself falling into despair.

7.30.  Time for a walk in the sunshine. Before the weather changes.

 The tractor, which I saw from my computer desk, was a huge spraying machine. I am not sure what it was doing. Because the soil is bare and freshly sewn. Image taken from ~900 yards, heavily cropped and downsized. Lumix G9 with Leica 50-200mm.

 A yellowhammer was singing from the hedgerow on the sunny side from me today. It is usually only a silhouette against the bright northern sky. It paused its singing, to look at me briefly, before continuing. 

 I can still remember the first time I saw one. Down near the coast. Where I was riding only yesterday. I actually thought it was a tropical bird. Still no sign of any swallows. I hope the record breaking heatwaves and droughts in southern Europe aren't affecting their migration.

 I rang around the many cycle shops to find some Brooks Proofide. I was lucky to find a single tin at a shop in Odense. So, off I went. I bought a couple of different stems while I was in there. An adjustable angle stem and a very short one. I hope one of these will provide the riding position. Which will reduce the load on my hands and wrists.

On the way back I was having discomfort from the saddle again. So I tilted the nose up slightly. This helped to keep me on the broad back of the saddle. Rather than sliding forwards onto the narrow spine. It was better but not a huge improvement. I also raised the saddle slightly a couple of times. 

Dangerous sport?

I was wearing padded racing shorts, racing jersey and my favorite cycling jacket. I was perfectly comfortable for temperature as it rose to 66F/19C.  

 Another 67km at 26km/hr average speed in 2.5 hours. 81rpm average cadence. The newer battery dropped from 100% to 20%. Riding 60% in Tour mode and 40% Sport. I was making little concession to range but it worked out fine.

 It was windy again. A south easterly. A 45º headwind going. 45º tailwind coming back. Though it often felt like a headwind while traveling in both directions. A result of my forward velocity becoming a greater factor than wind direction. I was aiming for 30km/hr average. Keeping my cadence as high as possible but rarely below an indicated 90rpm. 

 There were loads of cyclists out training. One young chap even had a tow from me on his carbon TT bike. He was staying just behind me until I turned off and he went straight on.

 One of the new panniers has detached from its supports! The pop rivets have torn out of the PVC material under the weight of the spare Bosch battery! Leaving just the moulded plastic strip with its mounting hooks. The load on the bag should not have caused this failure. I had better find a much better alternative! 

 The bottom of the bag was being protected by a large plastic pot with a rounded bottom. This slipped over the battery perfectly. Providing a much larger footprint to prevent penetration by local loading. I could drill out the rivets and apply an internal mounting strip. To sandwich the PVC coated cloth. Using stainless steel screws and washers to considerably raise the clamping pressure. The screws would have to be carefully chosen to avoid sharp edges causing possible damage. To the panniers themselves or their contents.

 Or, I could find a sausage shaped bag [or box?] to go on top of the rack. This would remove the battery load on the bags completely. Unfortunately, none of my scrap aluminium tubing offered a suitable housing for the spare battery on the rack. Ideally, I could mount the spare battery and heavy U-locks on the rack. Though complications, with removal of a single item, must be avoided. There are enough steps already. To ready myself for shopping while ensuring security for the parked e-bike.

 I have decided to get some proper panniers. I can't trust the Innergy bags to last five minutes! So I have ordered a set of Ortlieb panniers. World famous, quality bags for the same price as the flimsy, Innergy copycats! Plus, I ordered Ortlieb's 4L top tube sack with tension hooks. Which will house the spare battery on the rack. The last top tube bag I bought wasn't to spec. The battery wouldn't fit lengthwise. The Ortlieb is 50cm. Room to spare. I may have to add a plate of some sort to the rear rack to support the battery. With end stops to prevent it sliding back and forth. There's plenty of room for camping foam to protect the battery.

 Guess what? While I was measuring up and staring at the rack. My eye was caught by some graphics on the Moustache frame. Size Medium and suitable rider heights in brackets. I was sold a Large Moustache by the bike shop. I thought that this was the reason for my wrist discomfort and not being able to reach the ground while seated on the saddle. 

 All wishful thinking! Or, rather, negative thinking. Now I have to readjust my thinking to match the new reality. Are my legs too short? Are my arms too long?  👽

 I still haven't shopped. Best to go in the car, I think. 

Dinner was a fry up of chicken, mushrooms and an egg with oven ready chips. The chips from another shop are much better. The egg was perfect until I tried to lift it onto the plate. Then it was imperfect but still tasty. Stop food waste! Don't let him near the kitchen!

~o~

21.04.2023 Beyond the rushing crowd.

 ~o~

 Friday 21st 12C/53F. Clear and bright again. Though with some thin, high cloud and the easterly wind.

9.15 The fields were almost empty of tractors today. Then a distant roar signaled a sewing machine was starting work out on the prairie. 

 I had taken my Lumix G9 and a longer zoom lens today. So I was able to reach out into the scenes. Which I completely missed yesterday with my phone. Even then, it took heavy cropping to frame the distant tractor.

 The dust dry soil was providing dramatic, backlit clouds. Which sometimes stretched for a hundred yards downwind in the stiff breeze.

 My walk was extended to the top of the hill beyond the familiar lane. Though there was far too much haze to capture the distant sea clearly.   

  One must shop, or starve. That's no excuse to potter into the village and back. The sun shines longer on those who venture further afield. I rather fancy a ride along the south coast. Not another marathon like yesterday. I have no particular goal to reach. So a more gentle Tour mode outing will suffice. 

 Away from the almost empty, main roads of yesterday. Explore the quiet, rural lanes. Where a car is a hindrance or a downright nuisance. I had better do some homework for a suitable route. Shop on the way back for lunch. Or stay out and munch a banana and a chocolate bar. I could even make a day of it and take a cheese roll. Better take some fluids. I like the little cartons of apple juice. 

14.00 17C/62F. Safely back from a hilly and meandering, 65km ride. 750m ascent. 23km/hr average speed. 2h50m traveling time. I even rode a very rough track through the forest. For a couple of miles at 30km/hr. The e-bike feels very safe on the rough stuff provided one avoids boulders. 

 I kept mostly to Tour mode [65%] this morning. Using Sport only to climb effortlessly. Almost no Eco at all. I went wherever the whim took me. All very familiar territory on the trike or in the car. No real hurry. Mostly quiet, rural lanes down by the coast.

 The wide, leather saddle continues to irritate. I am constantly shifting around. The wind remains a nuisance too. Though not cold, I kept my cycling jacket zipped up. Bare legs with racing shorts. Fingerless mitts. Warmest day this year. I ate an apple, a banana, a chocolate bar and drank one small carton of organic apple juice.

 I passed several houses we looked at years ago. Potential escape routes from the hovel. Some are completely gone. Others look just as scruffy. One favourite farmhouse, near the sea, now looks abandoned. A young chap was doing a great job of restoring it last time I was there. 

 A weird picture taken with the Lumix TZ7. A very large millpond in a shopping village.

 Now the doorways are wide open. Not a good sign. Very secluded and there were no neighbours with oversight. So we decided it was too risky for us. Probably far too much work for me working alone but a beautiful situation.

15.00 It was 85ºF in the greenhouse when I came home. So I opened the doors to the house to spread the warmth. That brought it down to 80F in an hour. The house gained about 6F in the same time. I have been putting off fitting the shade nets to the greenhouse. Because the run of fine weather is going to break at the weekend. A few days of rain are promised.

 I need to fix the excess weight distribution on my hands. I think this is due to too long a stem on an already long frame. I went for the Large because there was simply no choice. I am borderline tall enough for the Large frame size. [Still just within the recommended height bracket.] 

 A shorter stem will make me more upright. This tilts my whole C of G backwards. Helping me to balance on the saddle without needing my hands to hold me upright. I drop forwards if I don't support myself with the handlebars. At the correct seat height for maximum pedaling efficiency. I have tried repeatedly to ride "no hands" and it is impossible. The present stem is 85mm long. The centre of the bars is 31.8mm.

 The seat height is fully adjustable on the fly with the dropper post. I am constantly adjusting this for the conditions and saddle comfort. The top limit is now slightly too high. The wider saddle is taller overall than the Cambium. For which the dropper post height was initially set. So I can't quite lift myself off the saddle with my heel. There is plenty of reserve above the seat post clamp. So I can drop the whole post by a little. To keep it no higher than I need at full extension. This will save me having to repeatedly readjust downwards from full extension. Job done. 

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. There was nothing else to eat. The last two slices of frozen bread have gone as well.

~o~

20.04.2023 Go North young [old] man!

 ~o~

 Thursday 20th 43F. Clear and bright again but still windy. 6m/s base gusting to 13m/s. 13-28mph! The garden trees are rocking to a more easterly wind today. I had better ride north to test my new saddle. 

 Dress warmly too. I am finding wind chill makes a huge difference to comfort levels on the e-bike. Certainly colder compared to riding the trike. Even with my cheap, wrap-around sunglasses the headwind is making my eyes water. I had to stop on the way to the museum yesterday to find a tissue. I was completely blinded by tears!

 I don't notice the cold on my bare legs, while wearing shorts. Though there must be serious heat loss. With a risk of mild hypothermia. Apparently, there is a New Wind Chill Index. With huge differences in chill factor between the old and new. 53F x 30mph [gusts] was 32F in Olde Money. A mere 45F in The New. Add my forward velocity of [say] 20mph. [32kmph] This becomes 50mph and 30F or 44F equivalent in still air. 

 The new index seems an almost trifling difference. I was working on the e-bike saddle in the shade of the house, on the windy side, yesterday afternoon. At 13C or 53F it was absolutely freezing! I quickly started shivering and had to go in for a down jacket to finish the job. Then I went out to the sun heated greenhouse. To warm up again ASAP! 😎

 Meanwhile, back to this morning, at the hovel. Time for a walk. I had plenty of exercise at the museum yesterday and need to walk it off.

 9.00 Morning coffee. Well, it was all happening this morning. A tractor to every field. Three out on the "prairie." A dew days of dry, sunny weather has made the clay/sand soil far more friable. Great clouds of dust followed every movement out on the fields. Further exaggerated by the low, bright sunshine. Most were seed sewing, but there was a stone catcher trawling back and forth. Perhaps "drifting" is the correct term for surface finds.

 There would loud bangs at intervals. As a machine ran into one of the countless stones turned up by frequent cultivation. The driver would climb down from his perch inside the huge tractor. Grab a fork and collect a few stones. Which would be dumped in a box on the front of the tractor. Then the climb back up to the cab and more dust would follow. 

 I should have had a proper camera but used my phone instead. It is a little ironic. That these huge machines can work vast areas so quickly using GPS. Yet are at the mercy of humble stones and rocks. Requiring manual collection and a pause in the processes requiring such huge investments. The use of doubled wheels is quite common to reduce the impact of these machines on the soil. Though there are a number of tracked tractors and harvesters on larger farms. 

  It didn't feel so cold on my walk today. Though the wind was highly variable. I didn't need my hands in pockets. My thinnest jacket was enough to block the wind. 

 Something major must have happened. There are sirens and blue flashing fire engines going along the road towards the village. They have their own fire station. So borrowing engines from the next village is unusual. Major road works have been blocking through traffic for ages in both directions. I often have to detour along the hidden paths, on my bike, away from the main road. They may have had a trench collapse. 

 Time to get ready for another ride. Both batteries are charged up to 100%. I shall be very disappointed if the new saddle fails to please. I shall probably wear padded "racing" shorts under my "cycling" trousers. The thermal Long Johns have raised seams. So can rub on a longer ride. While my stretchy trousers have flat seams and useful, zipped pockets. They are also less obtrusively "cycle wear" than bare legs. People always ask me if my bare legs are cold whenever I stop. Unless there is a heat wave. 

15.00 16C/61F Late lunch over. The stretchy trousers were a mistake. They were falling down from the off. I must have lost weight. Which meant they caught on the saddle when I tried to dismount. I nearly dropped the bike once while climbing off.

 78.5km in 4 hours. 3h11m traveling time at an average 25km/hr. I rode north to a seaside town and back by another way. The new, broad beam saddle was okay but not perfect. Had it been the Cambium C17 or the leather B17 I'd probably have needed surgery. I was able to shuffle back and forth and adjust the height on the dropper post. There was a perfect amount of slipperiness on the leather. I shall have to treat it with Proofide. It might help to soften it.

 It was very windy again. A crosswind becomes a headwind if you go fast enough. Dangerous when you pass though a vehicle's wind shadow. Or emerge from the shelter of a building, hedgerow or wood. I rode almost exclusively in Sport mode. Knowing I had the reserve battery was a huge relief. I changed the battery at 60km. I didn't tire by much today but was still grateful. For the Sport mode's extra help on the climbs. 

 It was a very hilly route but hardly mountainous. I shopped at the last village I passed through. To catch up on essentials. Visited a couple of bike shops. Though I didn't hang around where we used to sit and watch the sea from the car. Too depressing. 

 Some shops and plant sales we knew well have vanished. Some to be replaced by others. Or blank windows and bare ground. Cheap houses for sale, which we had looked at, were gone. Or had changed hands. A couple had been rebuilt as smart bungalows in the grounds of former unwanted dumps.

 I ate three mini Corny bars but drank nothing while I was out. I'll have to restock on the mini-boxes of apple juice. 

 A nap and YT videos later and it was time for dinner. It was simple choice. Toast and eggs. Or not toast. Which meant fish fingers, pasta and tomatoes. There was nothing else to eat. I rescued a large spider from the sink. Then did the washing up. This is not a trivial matter! 😒

 21.15 The farmers are still at it. Working by very bright lights on their tractors. It could go on for hours more. Not that I can hear anything indoors. 

 My knees are aching. Too low a cadence. Though I tried hard to stay above 90rpm, as usual. Mid to low 80s average it said on the stats. My wrists are aching too. I still need to address the loads on my hands. Rotating the bars downwards at the tips did not have the desired effect.

 ~o~

19.04.2023 A-a-a-ah. 😌

 ~o~

 Wednesday 19th 45F. Another day of bright sunshine. Museum day. A perfect opportunity to go on my e-bike. And so I did. 

 12.30 Safely home from the museum. Where I spent the morning collecting straw after the thatchers had finished. They did an amazing job on all of the museum buildings. 

 The ridge material was replaced. A routine operation with a few years intervals. The previous hay being dropped to the ground. To be collected by the volunteers. It contains lots of moss and can vary from lightweight straw to earth like material. 

 The wind didn't help and it was surprisingly strong inside the enclosed courtyard. It is quite hard work to collect the debris. Lots of raking and bending down to pick up bundles by hand or by antique fork. 

 Riding home was against a NE wind. About 45º to my direction of travel. It was gusty and its force greatly exaggerated by my own speed. Making it quite tiring. I should have reduced the levels in my hearing aids but forgot. The roaring in my ears probably made it seem worse than it was.

 I really need to do something about the handlebars. I am leaning forwards while riding and this throws my weight onto my hands and wrists. I may be able to reduce the load by raising the handlebars. This may help by lowering my forward lean slightly. I have the saddle as far back as possible. To use my C of G to counterbalance my upper body. I have rotated the bars downwards at the grips. This didn't help. A shorter handlebar extension [or stem] night help too.

  I have fitted the dark brown B17 which I had store for years without fitting it. It looked shorter than the 30cm B17 "Special" fitted to my trike. This one is only 28cm. So they must have sent me a women's saddle when I ordered it.

 Very odd. The B17 Gents is listed as 28cm. My e-bike has me sitting more upright than on my trike. I wonder if I should consider a city saddle instead? I'll try the unused brown B17 anyway and see how I get on. It is much flatter across the back than the C17 Cambium. Which I find very hard and uncomfortable. Just as I did with my earlier C17 on the trike. 

 With the new saddle fitted I rode off to do some vital shopping. I was wearing a pair of Wiggle racing shorts. So balancing on the shiny, new B17 was like a clown balancing on a giant, glass ball in a circus act. The saddle was hard as marble as well! 

 There was a gale blowing at 45º again, but worse. I was being pushed all over the busy road as cars zoomed past. As I had lots of reserve battery charge I dropped into Sport and cruised at 30km/h.

 Grocery shopping was concluded. While I was in the village I visited the friendly bike shop. Where, quite unexpectedly, I found a selection of real, leather saddles. 

 My attention was immediately drawn to a coil sprung, 3-seater sofa/settee. Just what I was looking for! Allegedly made by Brooks but labelled Contec "Exclusive Classic." It had all the hallmarks of a quality Brooks product but was rather more affordable. Most importantly it was broad gauge! 210mm wide x 270 long.  And no, I don't have a fat bum! I am a skinny 75kg whippet. So stop sniggering at the back!  😏

 Sold! I asked them to demount the saddle from the Brooks-like packaging. So I could fit it straight away. Which would save me the painful ride home on the shiny, new B17.  Only to discover I had left my tool kit in the hall back at home. The shop was busy. So I wasn't going to bother them by asking for a suitable hex key. I know they wouldn't have minded.

  So I had to balance on the shiny, new B17 for the ride home anyway. Still in my baggy, old racing shorts, clown style. Now the wind was aiming for my other shoulder but from behind and I could cruise at 40km/hr again in Sport mode. With the rush hour traffic now brushing past. 

 It sounds daft but I still haven't fully mastered 2-wheel cycling yet. I spent so many years on the trike that I rather lost the knack. Which was one of the reasons I went out in such windy weather today. I need all the practice I can get! In all weather conditions. 

 The e-bike is big and heavy as well. So it has a completely different feel to a twitchy, racing bike. Now I practice riding along the white lines on the verge. Or on the bike lane without deviating.

 As soon as I arrived home I swapped saddles. The new one is like your favourite, leather armchair, but wider. Instant comfort! I rode up and down the drive to be sure. My bony bits were still sore from today's four rides. So it was a good and fair test. I felt absolutely lovely! 😊 Without being soft and squishy like vinyl! 

 From L-R: C17, B17 and Contec Classic Exclusive [B67 copy but much improved.]

 I haven't a care in the world about its weight. 850g. Appearance is a matter of taste and this one does it for me. I chose black to match my stealth Moustache. [French e-bike] Though brand new, the leather wasn't even slippery. Comfort is now my only priority. I have loads of Brook's Proofide leather treatment. I shall need a bucket full to treat that broad, leather back.

 Tomorrow promises more sunshine. So it will be tested properly. From now on I shall have to carry a brand new, supermarket carrier bag. To protect it from the rain. The Brooks B17 waterproof covers are too narrow. Well, not quite. Something else to carry in my panniers. Just in case. 

 Dinner was mackerel on toast. Followed by soup. You know what that looks like.

~o~