Solar trailer rides again!

[matthewslack]

Day 20, and a safe arrival in Snowdonia. A total of 1455 miles, at a bit under 73 per day. Now there will be a few days of not riding, before my return to Scotland for work two weeks today.

At 153km or 95 miles it was the longest day. 1374Wh used, only 1081 generated for the same reason as yesterday: the battery was full until about 5pm, and then with the sun lower in the sky, the panels don't do their best work in the horizontal riding position. It was slightly nerve wracking up the final hill as battery voltage dropped below 36V. But there was enough in the tank.

I had the first electrical issue today: one of the panels stopped contributing, I think a simple connector issue as I had a heavy impact between a road barrier and the underside of the trailer. The barrier was just low enough to go under the frame, but it's supporting posts caught the panel mounting bolts and the cables.

I suspect a crimped end has pulled out. That and fitting a new axle when it arrives are the main tasks before I am fit to go on.

Final camp, underneath some arches.



That bridge for the third time.



GuerniCar Deflector number two. The original broke after too many trailer manhandling and dragging incidents at cycle way entrances and exits.



An impressive tree just before the start of the Chester Greenway.



A couple of these are the price of using the full length of the GreenWay.



A bridge on the GreenWay



Coastal scenery





Another ford, this time I don't have to cross.



A famous view

 

[guerney]

fitting a new axle when it arrives are the main tasks before I am fit to go on.

You did well with your axle repair on the road! I would have called a (big) cab at that point. Is it a new and original Burley axle, or did you have one made?

A famous view

Where is that exactly? It looks familiar.

Another ford, this time I don't have to cross.

That also looks familar - depending on what bridge that is, someone I knew said she spotted a very large "Beast" cat there, swore it was a big cat which had escaped from a zoo.

 

[matthewslack]

You did well with your axle repair on the road! I would have called a (big) cab at that point. Is it a new and original Burley axle, or did you have one made?



Where is that exactly? It looks familiar.



That also looks familar - depending on what bridge that is, someone I knew said she spotted a very large "Beast" cat there, swore it was a big cat which had escaped from a zoo.

The view is from the bridge at the end of Llyn Padarn, looking towards Llanberis Pass, with Snowdon on the right-hand side. Much used in media articles about this part of the world.

I found an original Burley axle assembly, but for a different model, so likely different width. But easy to bodge a mount to get me home, and then rework the panel frame and trailer base at leisure.

It cost as much as the entire s/h trailer I started with!

All fords look the same!

 

[guerney]

The view is from the bridge at the end of Llyn Padarn, looking towards Llanberis Pass, with Snowdon on the right-hand side. Much used in media articles about this part of the world.

Aha! I thought so - the last time I saw that was in winter 24 years ago, on a charity walk from Wales to the Midlands. North Wales is lovely, when it isn't raining or snowing for the other 364 days of the year. Often horizontally.

All fords look the same!

Any one could be hiding an escaped puma - I recall that particular one was later reported in the local paper. She felt vindicated.

 

[StuartsProjects]

A famous view

View attachment 47764

I hope you stopped at Petes Eats ..........

The 'Big Jim' brings back memories ............

 

[guerney]

I found an original Burley axle assembly, but for a different model, so likely different width. But easy to bodge a mount to get me home, and then rework the panel frame and trailer base at leisure.

Hope you can re-use the old springs - that's one advantage your Burley has over the Carry Freedoms. I suppose I could fit fat tyres, like the one on that listing... Shock absorption by means of fat tyres would be adequate for me, because I'm not towing delicate electronics.

 

[matthewslack]

I hope you stopped at Petes Eats ..........

The 'Big Jim' brings back memories ............

As a student unable to turn down a challenge, I did eat a complete Big Jim, went to claim my second free one, but was told it was only free if I ate that one too! Not a chance of succeeding at that!

Still a thriving top ten cafe.

 

[Benjahmin]

Who thought those tapered barriers were a good idea? "This is a cycle path, how can we make it nearly impossible to use?" must have been the process.
We came across some on one ride. The only way we could get the wife's Big Bear through was to tip it up onto the rear wheen (scraping the mudguard on the ground) so the handlebars were above the barrier. Then we had to find a way to pass the bike between us as there wasn't enough width to walk the bike though whilst standing alongside. The big Bear is one heavy bike to be messing aroud with like that.
I believe the local ones at Cardigan wildlife path, eventually succumbed to the battery grinder.

 

[matthewslack]

Hope you can re-use the old springs - that's one advantage your Burley has over the Carry Freedoms. I suppose I could fit fat tyres, like the one on that listing... Shock absorption by means of fat tyres would be adequate for me, because I'm not towing delicate electronics.

I expect to end up with numerous trailers, so all parts will be useful.

I'm already designing in my head a better suspension and axle. The Burley as a starting point meant I got on the road very quickly, and it's failure tells me how to make something good enough.

The issue is shock loads to the axle when the limited range of movement bottoms out. On the Burley the welds proved to be the typical for aluminium source of fatigue cracking, and on the solid axle, 1/2" solid 6082T6 was not stiff enough to take the cantilevered loading of the single sided wheels.

So greater range of movement, and change bearings to allow larger axle diameter are in the cards.

Edit:

I should add that I am well under Burley's maximum weight specification. It is a US trailer, so stated as 100Lbs, or 45 kg after metric conversion, a rather round and so nominal figure. That's the payload, so add the 11kg of the original trailer, all up weight of 56kg is their limit.

My solar trailer without baggage but with the solar battery now on board, is 25kg, and with baggage about 40kg max, often nearer 35kg. Depends on how much food is on board.

For smooth street urban use those loadings might be OK. But on UK minor roads, with washboard style worn-out tarmac and potholes etc, it was not up to the job.

 

[matthewslack]

Who thought those tapered barriers were a good idea? "This is a cycle path, how can we make it nearly impossible to use?" must have been the process.
We came across some on one ride. The only way we could get the wife's Big Bear through was to tip it up onto the rear wheen (scraping the mudguard on the ground) so the handlebars were above the barrier. Then we had to find a way to pass the bike between us as there wasn't enough width to walk the bike though whilst standing alongside. The big Bear is one heavy bike to be messing aroud with like that.
I believe the local ones at Cardigan wildlife path, eventually succumbed to the battery grinder.

Different local authorities take different approaches, it seems to me. The aim is to keep motorbikes out, but I have seem small ones ride through the barrier type pictured with no more trouble than a wide handlebar MTB.

I am learning each route I use, and can make a balanced judgement of easy car free distance Vs number of obstacles. Route 5 past Chester gets me from Mickle Trafford to Shotton with only two obstacles, about 20km of really easy going.

Over time I am also refining my trailer packing, to speed up getting through, and I need to improve cable protection to prevent yesterday's fault from reoccurring.

 

[matthewslack]

A footnote to this part of the adventure.

My electrical issue was indeed a ripped out MC4 connector on the rearmost panel, resolved for now with terminal block.

My new axle has arrived, and as suspected is wider than the old one. Short term this means a temporary mount of a plank and two half round wooden sections from an old tool handle. Longer term, the storage area and wheel track both become 4" wider to the benefit of stability and ease of packing.

Sustrans already have design standards and ongoing work to remove barriers to the network. Details in 'Paths for Everyone - three years on' and the original 'Paths for Everyone' reports:

Paths for everyone: Three years on

This new report updates on the achievements of Sustrans teams across the UK to improve the access, safety and public appeal of the National Cycle Network.

www.sustrans.org.uk

I particularly like the dimensions talked about. There is a mention of cycle like vehicle size up to 1.2m wide and 2.8m long, and minimum gaps at barriers of 1.5m. Things will get easier for me, tandems, recumbents and so on.

I unintentionally rode for 20 days without a break, because I assumed the weather would force a day off here or there. It never did. Two full days of rest have been very welcome.

I have followed the various threads recently on safety and cameras etc, very useful contributions from different perspectives, and with 1455 miles on this trip so far, and a total of 2600 miles with the big trailer, I feel I am getting the hang of what to expect on different road types and levels of busyness.

The small proportion of my mileage on busy A roads, generally at quiet times, has been a real eye opener. A complete intolerance on the part of about 50% of drivers for my very presence! These roads are not safe for cycling as a direct result of widespread bad driver behaviour. But sometimes there is no other route for a short way.

As a result, the second camera is on its way, so I don't miss the next deer to try jumping over my head whilst I'm watching my tail.

I'll be heading home to Scotland in a few days time, after some recreational building. Possible mixed forecast, so it may be an energy constrained minimum distance 430 miles, or a detour laden longer route via landmark points and ferries. We'll see.

 

[StuartsProjects]

As a student unable to turn down a challenge, I did eat a complete Big Jim, went to claim my second free one, but was told it was only free if I ate that one too! Not a chance of succeeding at that!

Still a thriving top ten cafe.

Back in the day, also as a student, and hitching up to N.Wales to go climbing, I was too lacking in money to eat in Cafes, maybe a cup of tea.

The 'Big Jim' is a memory of Jimmy Jewel a rock climber of the 80s who used to solo (i.e. climb without ropes) some extremly hard rock climbs. There is an iconic photo of him soloing The Axe on Cloggy, which impressed greatly.

 

[flash]

Back in the day, also as a student, and hitching up to N.Wales to go climbing, I was too lacking in money to eat in Cafes, maybe a cup of tea.

The 'Big Jim' is a memory of Jimmy Jewel a rock climber of the 80s who used to solo (i.e. climb without ropes) some extremly hard rock climbs. There is an iconic photo of him soloing The Axe on Cloggy, which impressed greatly.

I knew Jimmy ( Philip Jewel) well, he climbed with the cave and crag club from Birmingham. If I remember rightly he fell off soloing Poor Man's Peuterey on Tremadoc as a quick route back to the club hut at Pant Ifan in 1987. Jimmy took me on my first ever rock climb at Dow Crag in the late 70's. He was a real character like so many from that era and before

 

[StuartsProjects]

If I remember rightly he fell off soloing Poor Man's Peuterey on Tremadoc as a quick route back to the club hut at Pant Ifan in 1987.

Thats right, I recall since its a route I have soloed too. Its a Severe, but that was about my soloing limit, whereas Jimmy would solo at around E4.

Have Climbed on Dow also, College Climbing trip to the Lakes in 1979.

For anyone cycling in the Tremadoc area, and thinking of visting the Iconic 'Tremadoc Cafe' beware, I drove past it recently and did not recognise it. Eric Jones sold up, and there is a now a building with a big cow or something on the roof.

 

[Plas man]

well done Matthew , I have followed the journey from your first post , quite surprised that no forum members north of the border met you on route . Thanks again for keeping us informed .

 

[AntonyC]

> A roads, generally at quiet times, has been a real eye opener.

Just a thought, can the GuerniCar be mounted vertically to give clearer binocular perspective to fast traffic? When reverse parking a car with only a painted wall behind I long for a visual landmark, and maybe there's a similar effect with the trailer edge being thin.

 

[matthewslack]

I don't think there is an issue with drivers seeing me. It's a behavioural issue of how they deal with what they have seen.

Driver eye height is typically just more than a metre, and the surface of the trailer is only half a metre off the ground. They see an increasingly large area of the panel array the closer they get.

The increase in passing distance with the deflector fitted also suggests no issue with being seen.

The yellow drybag and sides to the under panel storage is 300mm high, and about the most visible non-dayglo colour available.

The movement of the trailer over bumps etc also attracts visual attention.

No, it is overwhelmingly an issue of road behaviour, and a lack of information between me and the drivers.

When someone comes up behind me, they do not know that I am going to facilitate their pass as soon as I can, and I have no way to tell them that. So more often than not, their assumption is that they are stuck for the foreseeable future, which for rather too many then triggers a 'get past even if it is risky' attitude.

They also don't know that I am only on the big road for a short distance due to a lack of alternative. They assume I'm all day in the way of the fast traffic on the main road, and take out that negative impression on me in the way they execute their pass.

Particularly noticeable on the small number of miles recently on A65 Skipton to Gargrave and then A59 Bentha Hill to Sawley (would have been Gisburn, but road closed). The behaviour from the majority of traffic was pass regardless of oncoming traffic, three abreast including me, with no speed reduction. OK, these are trunk A roads with lanes wider than the usual 3m in each direction, but even so, 50mph+ traffic both directions and rather less than a metre of clear space is scary.

I'm wondering what kind of a sign, words or image, might convey to the driver that I will get out of the way as soon as a safe opportunity arises, and please be patient until then.

The positive reactions I get when an opportunity comes along almost as soon as a driver catches me up, and I stop, and they perhaps didn't expect me to, tell me that that behaviour is appreciated.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I'm wondering what kind of a sign, words or image, might convey to the driver that I will get out of the way as soon as a safe opportunity arises, and please be patient until then.

I wonder how much one of those programmable LED strips you see displaying moving text would weigh ?

 

[matthewslack]

I wonder how much one of those programmable LED strips you see displaying moving text would weigh ?

I'm thinking QR code maybe, pointing at a webpage.

I can't spare energy on dull days even for LED signs. My camera averages 3.5W, and soon there will be two to feed.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I'm thinking QR code maybe, pointing at a webpage.

How would the Motorist following the trailer read the QR code ?