~o~
Up at 7am after a fairly quiet night. 68F/20C in the room. It was 71F/22C at bedtime.
The Ryet saddle looks normal this morning. Further studying of the shape and depth of the complex, porous padding. Suggests it cannot possibly fill with water if exposed to heavy rain. The layered CF texture may simply be wiped dry with a cloth or paper towel.
I was surprised to discover the saddle still felt wet this morning. This after overnight, unheated, secure storage. It took quite a few seconds to dry the saddle using a dry microfiber cloth.
The bike was standing outside in the rain yesterday while I worked on the car. I never thought to protect the saddle from the rain. The rider's body protects the saddle during a wet ride. Provided they remain seated. While the supporting under-tray stops tire spray from reaching the CF padding from below.
The Moustache e-bike has sturdy, aluminium mudguards. Though the front guard is not long enough to stop spray from reaching the rider's feet. A flap on the front mudguard would help here. Attachment might be an issue. The mudguards are twin wall and very close fitting to the Schwalbe 2.7" x 24" wide tires. Any grit picked up by the tire is noisily dragged around until it is safely ejected. The strange sound can be a bit disconcerting at times.
Riding on wet roads, covered in autumn leaf fall, has proved very safe so far. Only riding on very loose gravel feels a bit unsteady in tight turns. Though I have never had any real instability. Largely because I am always careful to avoid accidents. Which might well end my career as a cyclist. Or even deny me my independence.
Yet I ride around at far higher speeds than most ordinary, pedal cyclists. Only fit racers, out training, have ever matched. Or exceeded my cruising speed in Sport mode. I can always call on Turbo mode if needed. Not that it proves anything [at all] to use motor assistance against manual cyclists.
Holding a higher average speed can make life more difficult for other road users. So I am always keeping them in mind and use my handlebar mirror constantly. On today's busy roads anything which extends their exposure on the wrong side of the road. Must be carefully considered. Lives may well be at stake. So I use every opportunity to let them pass safely.
8.30 No walk yet. It is tipping down! The garden trees are a riot of autumn colour.
10.40 Back from a brisk walk. A lot of rain must have fallen overnight. The drives were flooded with almost continuous puddles. There was a cold and strong northwesterly wind. 99% of drivers, who expressed an opinion, said they had never heard of tire spray. So I was forced to the back of the verge with every passing vehicle. To avoid being sprayed from head to foot. The back gardens of the roadside houses were flooded. As was the shelter belt of trees. The drainage beck was swollen to several times its usual width.
It brightened up so I went back to checking the Morris distributor. The internal low tension lead to the points is in very poorly condition. It is worn thin from decades of use but worse: It is earthing itself somehow. So no spark can be generated. I have checked it for continuity in place and disconnected. Every time I put it back in place it earth the contacts to ground.
16.00 Back from a 30km ride to the Morris expert and back again. I rode the first 14km in just under half an hour. Because he was going out. I now have spares of the major spark components. Just in case I need them.
I detoured on the way back to enjoy the beech forests in their autumn finery. It was really quite windy at times and not particularly warm. Despite the sunshine my hands were cold in the GripGrab gloves. I'll have to find the split mitts. A mass of geese flew low overhead just as I reached the top of a hill. Noisy lot! Lots of minor flooding in the fields. Streams running across the roads and deep puddles.
Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and baked beans. Helped down by a buttered, bread roll.
~o~
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