what sort of route for pleaseure riding

[keithhazel]

most of us use our bikes for work or some kind of business, be it going to the shops or fetching mums bread and carrotts, but what sort of ride do you do for pleasure, when i go to my g/f's its a bit of a drag really,after getting off the train at doncaster its a 8 mile trip there, the route i started off taking i had worked out to be the fastest by means of shgortest distance, least hills,least likelyhood of traffic...but what a boring journey, the wide open roads with nothing either side give you the impression you are going so slow i spend all my time looking at the speedo to make sure i have not stopped, so route changed,more stops and turns, traffic lights to speedily accelerate from... and shock the cars as i speed off like a drag car on methane injection, the routes where other riders are where i can nip past them, ok it might be slowly past them but the sight of something resembling a shopper bike..(Quando) is a right demorilisor for them. ..love the long drags where its always head winds and the postmen are up out of their saddle waggling there bums all over straining,love to sing or whistle and let them know something is stalking them ready to pounce just as their last spray of sweat hits their forehead,the narrow roads with hedges or walls that really exagerates your speed, the sharp corners where my knee bends out like kenny roberts on his 500cc yamaha...funnily enough i dont like the downhill areas as hit 18 ish it dont feel so good, catch a real sharp long one like i did the other day and it feels like the space shuttle on re-entry.when i hit 28.5mph.."IM GONNA BURN UP HOUSTON !!!!! ...after 250 miles i realised that ok i may have extended my journey by a mile or two..but it only adds 8 minutes to the journey and its all fun instead of being just a means to an end......
at the end of the day...its night....

 

[stokepa31]

but on the other hand there's four fingers and a thumb.

I tend to go out on a trip through the countryside as I live on the edge of town. I find my round trip commute of 8 miles is not enough so supplement it with 10 miles on a Saturday. My fitness is improving rapidly so I hope to graduate to a standard bike on the weekend sometime soon.

Paul

 

[fishingpaul]

Being interested in fishing i usually ride to a park with a lake, or take a ride along the canal.

 

[flecc]

Same as Stokepa31, from the edge of town into the countryside on pothole and 4 x 4 dodging trips around the lanes, mostly between 10 and 22 miles, but occasionally a longer two battery trip up to 40 miles plus.

Sometimes pottering, sometimes fast, and downhills often at speed. 16 to 18 mph on my Quando derived bike is for normal riding on the flat, downhills depending on slope at anything up to 30/34 mph usually.
.

 

[keithhazel]

Sometimes pottering, sometimes fast, and downhills often at speed. 16 to 18 mph on my Quando derived bike is for normal riding on the flat, downhills depending on slope at anything up to 30/34 mph usually.
.[/QUOTE]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------i would want to be inside a "zorb ball" if going down a hill on my quando at that speed...

 

[tgame]

Being interested in fishing i usually ride to a park with a lake, or take a ride along the canal.

There is definitely something special about riding beside water. Felixstowe allows one to ride along the front in view of the sea most of the way, and I do it all the time.

 

[giguana]

Riversides are wonderful when it is dry, and all the bridleways and foot paths going through fields and so on, I'm fixing up a 4/11 motor + 48v 20ah lipo to be able to handle pretty much any terrain, going through woods is absolutely marvellous, little roads at the back of villages, and generally anywhere that is inconvenient to cars because it's too much of a country lane...where I live there is the least the same amount of bridleways as there are roads, it's excellent. you can see almost all the bridleways from the air on satellite imagery, as long as it can be pedalled through normally, it should be okay.

 

[tgame]

Riding on bridle tracks must be glorious. Having a bike properly set up to do it efficiently must be the greatest pleasure. I wouldn't be prepared to risk my new bike on tracks, but have often seen people doing so locally. I admired one chap a while ago who came along a really rough bit of track, and, reaching a stile, lifted his bike in one hand and vaulted over the thing and back onto his bike again. What it must be to be fit!!!

What sort of tires do you use? Our local blackthorn produces thorns like 1/2inch nails!

 

[keithhazel]

yes im dreading a puncture, when i used to ride my "normal bike", i used to go door to door so rode on grass a bit, got a puncture one day with 11 holes in it... ..had 20 punctues that first year..if i get on on my Quando it will be a case of..TAXI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Footie]

.... but what sort of ride do you do for pleasure ....

The roads here in Cornwall are a bit narrow for pleasure riding. I also consider them too dangerous for any lengthy trips. With all the 4x4’s flying about it can be a suicidal paradise
I’ve not really used my ebike for pleasure trips, although I keep promising myself I will. My fitness has been poor and along with my medical condition its taken a long time to improve it. My fitness is now at a practicable level where I feel confident to venture farther and get out and about in the Cornish countryside. Hopefully, the weather will improve as it’s rained almost every day here (except the last few days) for nearly 3 months.
This spring/summer I want to try my ebike along the Camel Trail to test its full range (total distance about 35 miles from end to end, flat or fairly flat). I know it won’t do the full 35 miles but I’m curious to see how far it will go in ideal (flat) conditions. Manufacture quotes 15 to 25 miles - dependent on all manor of conditions and things affecting it. Unfortunately, the Trail has been a mud pool lately, so no good at the moment. Must do it before the summer season starts or I will be over run by holidaymakers on the trail – slowing me down
.

 

[tgame]

This spring/summer I want to try my ebike along the Camel Trail

Very much looking forward to reading an account of this, Footie.

 

[Ian]

This spring/summer I want to try my ebike along the Camel Trail to test its full range (total distance about 35 miles from end to end, flat or fairly flat). I know it won’t do the full 35 miles but I’m curious to see how far it will go in ideal (flat) conditions.

You may be surprised just how far you can get on the Camel Trail with negligible gradients and a more or less constant speed. My previous bike would easily do 30 miles on the Camel yet it struggled to do 20 on normal roads and when I tried it on the hilly Clay trail from St Austell to the Eden Project range was only 8 miles. That trail is a serious challenge.

 

[Jeanette Morgan]

I really love riding my bike to work as I do this early in the morning - 6.30 am, it's so quiet and peaceful then, the countryside is waking up, the sound of the birds, the smell of the vegetation all around are worth the extra effort needed to be orgnised enough to do this. There are, however, many suicidal bunnies that seem to run out in my path !! I find myself bidding good morning to the animals in the fields as I go by The cycle home is naturally a lot busier, but even then I'm lucky enough to be able to take various A roads for a leisurely ride home, or the main road for good workout.

For leisure Richard, who is retired, and I cycle together and take various A-roads and country lanes, we sometimes take a picnic out, or a flask, cycle up the side roads we have passed by for years and years in the car - it can be interesting finding out what is around some of the corners.

There is something special about cycling just for the sake of it at our age. At first I used to feel a little embarrassed as we do wear high viz jackets, or waistcoats and helmets - but I am well over that now and simply accept the smiles and laughter as envy and admiration for our new found youth and sense of adventure.

Jeanette

 

[tgame]

A lovely post, Jeanette. I really enjoyed reading it.

I'm quite determined sometime this summer, to get up at three in the morning and ride out while the sun comes up. I did this once in the Malvern hills area when I was sixteen (a long time back!) and have the fondest memories of it.

Speaking of rabbits, I saw a hare lolloping along this morning. It was close enough for me to see that it had a damaged ear. Not road damage one hopes although in fact the toll that motorways take of creatures is quite appalling.

 

[Footie]

.... My previous bike would easily do 30 miles on the Camel yet it struggled to do 20 on normal roads ....

Very interesting Ian - When you got 30 miles on the Trial, how much input (peddling) was there and what amount of throttle did you use?

I'm not sure if I should go for half throttle or full with peddling in top. I seem to be either full (bloody hills) or none (flat, smooth tarmac - bliss). I have read somewhere (on this Forum) it’s better to full throttle all the time.
Any advice?
.

 

[tgame]

Iwe sometimes take a picnic out, or a flask, cycle up the side roads we have passed by for years and years in the car - it can be interesting finding out what is around some of the corners.

Just so. Last Thursday I took my iAudio with me and stopped at a spot I know overlooking the estuary, and listened to the Posthorn serenade. One need not travel long distances to find lovely things to see and do.

 

[Ian]

When you got 30 miles on the Trial, how much input (peddling) was there and what amount of throttle did you use?

I'm not sure if I should go for half throttle or full with peddling in top. I seem to be either full (bloody hills) or none (flat, smooth tarmac - bliss). I have read somewhere (on this Forum) it’s better to full throttle all the time.
Any advice?
.

That particular bike gave little assist beyond about 12 mph so on the flat Trail it was quite easy to pedal beyond that. The riding style was always full throttle but the speed was high enough that the assist was often minimal. At that time I wasn't particularly fit and while I did pedal to the best of my ability it probably wasn't a great deal. I vividly remember keeping up with a couple of obviously keen cyclists all the way from Padstow to Bodmin, overtaking all of the hire bikes on the way, an exercise that left me in far worse shape than them in spite of the motor.

Last year I rode the coast to coast, Portreath to Devoran trail a couple of times, a ride to be recommended. Unlike the Camel it does have hills, nothing too serious though, and some of it is on roads. It's a lot less busy than the Camel Trail though.

 

[keithhazel]

I really love riding my bike to work as I do this early in the morning - 6.30 am, it's so quiet and peaceful then, the countryside is waking up, the sound of the birds, the smell of the vegetation
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you have awakened my yearning for summer and the warm mornings when i too will go out very early too, having worked out the shortest route to g/f and that it goes via the Humber Bridge i will be doing it soon, at 42 miles i will have to have another battery which is a problem with the cost and that after 6 months they wont have very many miles on them yet out of warranty....hmmm i think maybe i might have to take the train the first 10miles as think i may get the 32 on pedal assist if i can get 22 on power alone....probably have to allow 2 and a half hors but i wake up early when its light mornings, i think soon it will be and on reaching my destination i shall raise my hands in the air in joyous victory facing a london (flecc'ish) direction and shout..."i am a pedelecer not a mopeder"

 

[Footie]

Thankyou Ian, for that information.
Not sure I will ever do a coast to coast on a bicycle – did it once on a trail bike (green laning – and was that hard work). Not for the faint hearted I can tell you.

I would love to cycle to work. But as I live less than 70 feet from the front door of the place were I work, it’s hardly worth putting on the cycle clips.
I do get to talk to the wagtails, first thing, which puts a smile on my face.
.

 

[keithhazel]

I would love to cycle to work. But as I live less than 70 feet from the front door of the place were I work, it’s hardly worth putting on the cycle clips.
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think of the fun you would have though if you did get fully decked out with your bike kit and went to work on it every day for a week....dont react to comments other then you are riding to work as quicker then catching the bus...

i dare you..